The Brit by Jodi Ellen Malpas Book Review!

 "I'll only ask once. Do you want to be mine?" "Yes." No hesitation. No second-guessing. Yes." - Jodi Ellen Malpas, The Brit

Y'all! It has CLEARLY been too long since I've sunk my teeth into a JEM novel. The Brit was so freaking good. I read each page, each sentence, each word, on baited breath waiting to see how it was going to play out. 

From the very beginning of this story, I loved Danny. As a ten year old little boy who desperately needed to be loved, I just wanted to take him home and show him love more than anything else.

Luckily, someone else did that. It may not have been the best upbringing. It may not have been the prettiest, the nicest, the most ethical, but at least he was finally shown a sliver of what love could be. The man he developed into because of his childhood and upbringing... is a man nobody wants to mess with. 

Rose is a tough freaking cookie, too. She has not gone without her share of trauma and torture. She continues to stand tall, and to fight, and to survive. She's an incredibly well written character and I can't imagine the life she's led and how she's able to function as much as she is. 

Seeing Danny and Rose interacting together??

I don't want to give too many details of this story away because it's just epic and you need to read it and experience it yourself. 

What I will say? This book keeps you on pins and needles until the very last page. I don't know if I've ever wanted two people to work out as much as I've wanted this for Danny and Rose. I questioned everyone in this book because I just KNEW something was amiss and it is very hard to figure out who to trust. Especially when you have Danny's Dad's words of wisdom ringing in your ear, "never trust anyone." The Brit is just another excellent example of how easily Jodi Ellen Malpas can create these creative, intricate worlds that you truly feel like you're apart of as you read the story. She has an uncanny ability to make you fall in love with even the most broken of characters and desperately cheer them on. This story is full of love and hate, fire and ice, passion and malice, forgiveness and condemnation. It's dark and gritty and heartbreaking, but so much more. It is so many things it's hard to put into words. I loved every sentence. Cheers to you, Mrs. Malpas. You gave me those Jesse vibes in a whole new way, and that's something I am always going to look forward to reading!! 

Check this one out, y'all. You won't be disappointed. 

Happy reading! 

Bad Mommy by Tarryn Fisher Review!

"I can make you a part of something great and beautiful and still portray you as the ugly thing you are." - Tarryn Fisher, Bad Mommy

I don't even know where to begin with this review. There was so much build up and hype for Bad Mommy and Tarryn definitely did not disappoint her flock. 

Bad Mommy isn't like any other book I've read. It is dark and twisted, but so intriguing. This is one of those books that I could not put down. I was fascinated by Fig and the way her mind worked. I felt like I could never get a clear, accurate understanding of who Jolene really was. And Darius- he felt like a wolf in sheep's clothing from the very beginning to me! 

*****As per usual, my review may have some spoilers in it. Read at your own risk!!!******

Let's talk about Fig for a bit, shall we? I think the below quote is the best way to actually describe her-

"You could search for years and you still won't be able to know who that woman is, because she doesn't know herself."- TF

I think this is right on with Fig. I feel bad for her. She's "batshit crazy" I completely agree, but I don't know that she really knows any better. She seems to be a deeply broken woman who is a master manipulator and desperately wants love. I feel like that could be so any of us, especially if you take out the creeper/stalker part. She's a woman desperately trying to find who she is, but is so easily swayed by the beauty of others. She really has the old fable of 'the grass is greener on the other side' going on. Fig's character just...hurt my heart.

One other thing I didn't understand about Fig was George. At the beginning of the story, it seemed like Fig and George had separated a long time ago. However, when we later heard from a different POV, George had been present the whole time but was apparently completely invisible to Fig anymore. She was fixated on the life she wanted to have: She wanted to be Bad Mommy. She wanted Jolene's daughter. She wanted Jolene's husband. She wanted/she became Jolene. 

I loved and I hated Jolene. She seemed to be the type of woman and mom that most women want to be like. I did feel like she was intentionally naive for a good portion of the book: not wanting to see any problems in her marriage or in her friendship with Fig, but I think that what's I loved her more than I hated her. She tried to see the good in people. She tried to rescue, even to her own detriment. Look at the end of the book, for goodness sake! If anyone had a clear reason to freak out, she did!! 

"Jolene didn't make friends as much as she took friends. They arrived; she opened her arms and smiled. She was like the happy drunk you met in a club. Senseless, full of love and goodwill." -TF

"Everything with her boiled down to actions and consequences. She saw people as broken derailed trains, full of compartments and mostly out of steam. I didn't know she she decided to become everyone's conductor, but that's what she does- she gets the trains moving again. I respected her for it, but this time, with this particular person, I felt the need to warn her." -TF

I don't want to spend much time discussing Darius because he was a butthead. Jolene and even Fig deserved more than he would've been able to offer. If you want my vote, Darius is the true psychopath in this story. Though, Fig doesn't fall far from the crazy train either. 

Anyway, I know I didn't discuss too much about the storyline of the book. I don't usually in my reviews. What matters most to me, what makes the most successful book for me, is when I feel connected to the characters. In this book, just as in all of Tarryn Fisher's other books, I feel a part of their world. I feel like I am in their herd. I even feel a little Fig-ish ;) I love it, though. Bad Mommy isn't for everyone. If you want a light-hearted, easy, fun happily ever after type of book, you may want to put this one on hold for later. But, do come back to it later. It's twisted, it's fairly dark, overwhelming and confusing, but so incredibly well written and worth every minute of the time spent reading! <3 

Trust In Me (Dark Nights #1) by Skye Warren

 

WARNING: This book contains explicit scenes of graphic violence and sex. It depicts abuse, captivity, sex slavery and human trafficking. This book is not appropriate for anyone uncomfortable with these types of situations or anyone under the age of eighteen. Personally I think you should be 21 but whatever!

This is the second book I've read by this author and I am still trying to process what I read. Skye Warren is not afraid to drag you to the depths of hell and make you immerse yourself in every emotion humanly possible. From the first page to the last , you are thrown into the deep end and left there to keep yourself afloat.

 
Mia is a sex slave to Carlos, a crime boss, who is by far one of the shittiest characters I've ever read. He has absolutely no respect for human life. He takes Mia in after finding her on the street trying to make money by prostitution. Mia has had a rough life. She was physically and sexually abused by her father, which eventually lead her to run away. She had no one, not even the sexy, blue eyed 18 year old neighbor who she was madly in love with. It was very hard to read how Mia was treated by Carlos and the things he did to her made my stomach turn. There was a part where he even pissed on her face and made her sleep in a dog cage. It was utterly disgusting. Reading Mia's journey from her POV was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. You could feel how absolutely lost she was but yet had this strength about her that just blew your mind. You wanted so badly for her to just get out of that situation but you learn that she has a reason to stay, not because she has nowhere to go but because she's on a mission to save the woman who will soon be sold into the world of himan trafficking.

This is where we meet Tyler Martinez. He's the head of security for this particular shipment and has gotten in good with Carlos. But Tyler is not exactly who he says he is...he's actually an undercover FBI agent and Mia's sexy, blue eyed neighbor she once knew. Tyler instantly recognizes Mia and thus begins his mission to save her from this nightmare of a life.

I'm telling you, this book put me through the ringer. It took me a few days to process what I had read. I was so incredibly disgusted at certain points I wasn't sure I could continue reading. Skye Warren can tell a story that will just grip you by your very bones and wreck your emotions.

Mia is one of those characters that will stick with you long after you've read her story. I understand this book is a work of fiction but with the content it's hard not to get dragged down by it because in reality, these types of situations are happening every day. If you want to take a walk on the dark side then pick this book up. You may end up twisted from the inside out but you won't be disappointed that's for sure.

Playing Patience by Tabatha Vargo - Review

Okay so I actually really liked this book…to an extent. The writing was good and I honestly loved the characters. Zeke and Patience were so equally different yet so very much the same. I didn’t like how you would read from Patience’s point of view of a situation and then when you read from Zeke’s point of view, you were going back in time and rereading the entire situation hat you literally just read from Patience’s POV. That got old quick so I skimmed those parts a lot. I will tell you that if you don’t like dark situations then don’t read this book. Patience is being sexually abused by her father which is a tough pill to swallow when reading it because you just want to reach through your kindle and beat the living shit out of her father. Then you have Zeke’s dad who beats the living crap out of him because he’s a drunk. 

Overall, I loved the characters and story line. Reading about abuse isn’t always easy but it’s unfortunately a fact of life and happens too often in society. It was a good, easy read and I just fell so in love with Zeke!! If you’ve got nothing else to read and just want a good story then give this book a chance. Oh and there's a second book called Perfecting Patience (review coming soon).