“I want Sam to know I love her. That she is the brightest point in my life. That my heart will forever live outside my body, carried in her soul” 💕 I adore Will Wright and Abby Brooks‘s collar Defending What Is Mine!

It was her. Sugar and spice, side by side, one inside the other. A goddess wielding fire and vengeance. A warrior queen. She was this gorgeous woman with drive and passion, and she was completely brilliant.

I LOVED the first book in this series and I wanted to love Bet on Me just as much, but I didn't. There were moments that made me laugh mixed in with the heavier emotional moments throughout the story. In the end this book was a quick sweet romance, but it won't be making my favorites list. The highlight of this book for me was actually the moments when Fin and Ellie made appearances, or Lennox and Grayson.

See All the Stars started out strong. I was intrigued by the mystery of what happened between Ellory and her friends to cause Ellory's forced suspension and their falling out. About a third of the way through, I started to lose interest, but I decided to try and push through in hopes that the story would pick back up and pull me in again. Alas, my hopes were not fulfilled and I was unable to push through this one.

"The universe is vast. A mathematical equation even I have no hope of solving. For there are no limits to the stars, their numbers infinite. Which is precisely why I measure my love for you by the stars. An amount too boundless to count.

"My mother would have adored you. She always told me I needed a partner. An equal. To never settle for someone who'd simper and defer to my role as husband."

He grinned at my ensemble and rubbed his hands together, mischief sparkling like fireworks about him. "You're dressed for sneaking about Dracula's castle. Be still my thawing dark heart. You certainly know how to make a young man feel alive, Wadsworth."

I rather enjoy seeing you without hearing all the nonsense spewing out. You should be quiet more often." I allowed my gaze to inspect his chiseled features, pleased by the longing that alighted in his when my attention found his mouth, "In fact, I've never wanted to kiss you more.

Sometimes strength is knowing when to tend to yourself for a bit.

"Perhaps it was time for fathers to teach their sons how to behave around young women. They were not born superior, no matter how society falsely conditioned them. We were all equals here."

I just couldn't put this book down. Cresswell made me swoon even more in this book and the flirtatious banter between him and Audrey Rose was spot on. As for the mystery of who the killer was and his or her motives behind the killings, I was stumped until the very end. I had a couple different theories, but I can honestly say I never guessed the correct killer and motive.

"I wasn‘t a missionary. But okay, sometimes curse words made me uncomfortable. Which was kind of surprising since I grew up with three brothers that basically existed with “R” ratings attached to them: strong language, violent behavior and sexual content."

He kissed me hungrily, desperately. His kisses consumed me, threatened to ruin me for all other kisses in my future. If it were possible, Fin could easily have gotten a full ride to college for kissing. Seriously, a boy should not be this good at anything.

“Ellie, I promise you, if you spent the night with me, I wouldn‘t have to bargain for your time. You‘d come back willingly. Over and over and over.”

“And Ellie, if Fin is offering his heart to you, it‘s just a formality because believe me when I say you already have it.”

“You must know what you mean to me? Surely you must know how I feel about you, Audrey Rose. The thought of losing you…”

“Those who deserve respect are given it freely. If one must demand such a thing, he‘ll never truly command it. I am your daughter, not your horse, sir.”

"Every male in my life felt it necessary to put chains on me, and I despised it. Except for Thomas, I realized. He taunted me into acting and thinking for myself."

“Wield your assets like a blade, Cousin. No man has invented a corset for our brains. Let them think they rule the world. It‘s a queen who sits on that throne. Never forget that."

“Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower. You needn‘t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery.”

"Death was not prejudiced by mortal things such as station or gender. It came for kings and queens and prostitutes alike, often leaving the living with regrets."

Even though I was able to predict the ending very early on and the book didn't blow me away, I still enjoyed this adventure. Audrey is a brave and snarky heroine during a time where women were not encouraged to think independently or do anything more strenuous than sip tea or perfect their needle point. As much as I liked Audrey, Thomas was my favorite character. His comical banter and flirting with Audrey made this book for me.

You were my knight and shining armor and you‘ll always have a special place in my heart. Just because I‘m moving on, doesn‘t mean I‘ll ever forget you. You will have my love for eternity. Rest in peace, my darling.

I needed her just as much as she needed me. She left for a reason and when she figured out her life, she‘d be back, and I would wait for her for as long as it took.

Keaton told me once that life is like the ocean. You can‘t stop the waves, but you can learn to ride them. Just like you can‘t stop life, but you can learn to live it.

You can‘t live the rest of your life alone because I died. I want you to move on, my darling, and make a new life with someone who will love you just as much as I do.

His eyes were what caught my attention the minute he looked over at me; they were the color of the Pacific Ocean and they were absolutely beautiful. But the one thing that made him stand out was the fact that he also lost someone at such a young age.

Our memories were all I had left and I was holding on with every last breath I had.

I am so happy I took a chance on this story and this new-to-me author. Sandi Lynn has created a hopeful and emotional romance about two people helping each other put their pieces back together. The heaviness of Ben and Paisley's loss was broken up with light-hearted familial banter that had me laughing during the moments I wasn't tearing up. Erin Mallon and Chris Chappell did an outstanding job bringing Sandi Lynn's words to life in the audiobook.

Esben‘s gravelly morning voice booms from my bedroom. “Where is my human pillow? Where are my clothes? Why am I alone in this bed? Do I smell coffee? Do I have a headache because I drank too much tequila or because someone hit me over the head while I was sleeping when I got frisky?”

“You‘ve heard all of my stories. All of my pain. Let me hold some of yours.”

If you‘re going to go running anywhere, I‘d prefer that you come running to me.

Sometimes, the unexpected happens. Sometimes, someone makes you break your own rules.

Esben is holding us together emotionally, giving me an unspoken promise that he will not drop me. The traumas that bind me every day, every hour, every minute soften until I barely feel their presence.

Whether I like it or not, he is taking in pieces of me, just as I am taking in pieces of him, too.

And when you‘re lucky enough to find one—just one—person in this unforgiving life who makes everything worth it, who you love and trust and would kill for, then you hold on damn tight, because that‘s probably all you get.

Oh. My. Goodness. This story is beautiful. Jessica Park's writing is beautiful. Seriously. Esben and Allison made me laugh, then cry, then swoon, then cry again, and swoon again. This was my first experience with Jessica Park's writing, but it will definitely not be my last. I have already added 180 Seconds to my "Favorites" collection on my Kindle.

“You are the first and only person who saw me and still cared. How could I not love you? How could I hope you would understand what need is in that kind of love?”

“When I met him in the flesh, would I find any remnants of goodness? Or had his greatness burned that humanity away?”

“When I had your friendship, I thought I could never want for anything more. But over time, I have come to feel for you beyond anything I thought I could.”

“You agree with me, don‘t you? Marriage without love is an abominable fate.”

“One cannot look into the Devil‘s eyes and expect to glimpse his soul.”

“Women‘s hearts are more complex than men‘s, I find. Less virile, less passionate, but so utterly complicated.”

This series is outstanding! Seriously, I love these characters and this story. Jessica Cluess magically combines romance and adventure to create this nail-biting Victorian fantasy. Each character has their own distinct personality that shines through in their dialogue and actions. The storyline is fast paced and had me pouring over every page to find out what happened next. APDAD didn‘t end on a cliffhanger, but I was not ready for it to end yet!

“Five years ago, all I had was your book. Now I have a miniature museum filled with pieces of you, each one more intimate than the last.”

“You and me, Kate– we create. We are the gods of our universe. Our hands shape beings and infuse them with life.”

“I‘m going to love offing this guy; the truth fills my broken heart like a shot of heroin. I‘m doing it for you. I hope you know that.”

The story was interesting and told in a very unique way. It rotated between Kate‘s first person point of view and Sam‘s second person point of view. The yous and yours of Sam‘s sections really helped pull me into the story. Kate was a character I couldn‘t connect with and the main reason I didn‘t rate this book higher. I really wanted to like Kate, but the majority of the time I felt she was rather annoying.

I‘m about to betray the man I love most in the world. Because I have no choice. Because of that flag, my country, and the fact that it‘s not, in fact, his country, too.

Need to Know is fast paced and keeps you constantly on your toes. Reading this thriller was like reading an episode of Quantico. Vivian is definitely a heroine to admire. She is fiercely protective of both her family and her country and willing to sacrifice everything to protect them. Cleveland managed to perfectly weave a story of fast paced political thriller with an underlying romance story in this book.