5 Star Review: Charming Like Us

I Loved it!!!

I wasn’t sure I’d like this book as much as the others as it was directly about one of the famous ones but in some ways, I enjoyed it more as there was less emotional drama. Although saying that, Charlie played quite a big part in this book so there is some drama!

I have never been a fan of the meddlesome Charlie but he had now been forgiven. I think and I’m finally starting to understand and appreciate him more. Like him? We’ll see. As always, this was an amazing story on audio and the narrators really brought the characters to life.

“What does love feel like?”

My breath heavies, my eyes veering to Oscar. His gaze already glued to me.

Love?

All I know is my love for Oscar carries me like the water. A feeling of invincibility. The patience as the ocean laps underneath my body. The anticipation as the perfect wave rolls near. The cool excitement and power as I stand up. As I ride those impossible swells, and once I’m in the barrel, all the doubts and fears wash away. Leaving a bright burst of indescribable bliss.

That is his love to me.”

5+++ Star Review: Midnight Blue by LJ Shen

This book stole my heart. It’s one of the best rockstar romance books that I have EVER read.

The title sang to me. Reading it wasn’t a requirement it was a necessity and now its presence has left an indelible mark deep within me.

Alex is so perfectly complicated and literally came alive in front of my eyes. I suspect some readers will struggle with Alex's self-destructive personality, the way he sees the world and the way he reacts to the pressures he faces, but I see a brilliant artist who struggles on a daily basis to be accepted and to accept those around him.

He scarred me. I decorated him. But at the end of the day, we were both tainted by each other.

Controlled by “Suits”, Alex plays his management in the same way he plays his beloved Tania, with careful precision. He knows they dictate where he is to be, how he’s to behave and what is expected of him but little does he know, their control goes way beyond what he could imagine possible.

”Are you happy, Alex?”

“I’m an artist. My job is not to be happy. My job is to feel, to suffer, and to conjure the same feelings in others.”

Due to go on a world tour for three months, and needing Alex to remain sober and in control, the Suits arrange for a “nanny” to shadow his every move. That nanny is Indigo “Indie” Bellamy. Indie looks sweet and seemingly fragile enough to damage and that’s exactly what Alex sets out to do, break her and to send her home crying and into the arms of her dysfunctional family. What Alex doesn’t expect is her quiet determination to succeed and inner strength.

Like my dignity, Alex Winslow was a two-faced man. One was the cold, asshole devil he gave me now, the one who wanted me to kneel. The other was his playful, relaxed self.

With her family struggling financially, and her brother finding it difficult to overcome the loss of their parents, Indie is the glue that is holding everyone together. That glue before long is also felt by Alex as he starts to find that he needs her, if only for intimacy. What Alex doesn’t expect is for Indie to become his muse. Writing songs in a hotel corridor at midnight starts off relatively innocently enough but with Alex pressing every one of Indie’s buttons, she soon starts to waiver where her feelings for him are concerned.

Alex wanted into my pants. Lucas wanted into my life. And I wanted to get out of this tour alive and whole. Heart, body and soul.

With each tour stop, more of Alex and Indie’s personalities are revealed. In Moscow they start to get close, in London, they are practically dating, even if neither wants to accept their feelings towards one another, by Paris the sparks really start to fly but for all of the wrong reasons.

Everyone can-and does-see my scars. No exceptions. My soul is empty.

To Alex, Indie is like a shiny penny. Something that he must have, keep close and not share with anyone and that includes his bandmate Lucas, who Indie gets close to much to Alex’s annoyance. Where Indie is concerned, Alex is like a petulant child and sharing his muse is something that he's not prepared to do.

This story takes you on an atmospheric journey which captures a multitude of emotions. It’s poignant, heartbreaking, funny, sexy, and above all mesmerising and I can't recommend it strongly enough!

This ebook was kindly provided by the author prior to release in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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Review: Crew

At first, I had a love/hate relationship with it. I wasn’t sure how or if I would relate to Bren, having experienced her almost childish ways from Channing’s perspective. Then we meet her. I mean, we really meet her. We see what makes her tick, why she carries a knife, why she joined her crew, why her relationship with Channing is so fragile, why she relies on Cross, and why she became the Bren she is today. I cried for her when she couldn’t shed the tears herself. I wanted to fight with her, for the future she lost thanks to her father. And, I wanted to protect her, from herself and those intent on causing her harm.

This book really had it all. Yes, the crew life may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and yes, the whole book is set around Bren and her crew but it is so much more than just violence and scrapping. The story shows how four dysfunctional people became friends and why their loyalty to each other means more than life itself.

This book is poignant and heartbreaking in the way the story is portrayed. I was frustrated with the characters at times but that just made me more invested in the storyline. I really disagreed with Cross’s decision to put retribution before Bren towards the end of the story, and that point had me almost tearing my hair out but then I realised, these are young people shaped in a way that is different to most. They draw their strength from each other and could quite possibly fall apart without each other.

The boys are A-typical for their age group in the way they sleep around but that just makes them more loveable. That said, Cross and Bren’s connection was the complete opposite with them drawing comfort from each other’s presence way before their entanglement became romantic. The whole romance scene between them was extremely well written, thoughtful and tasteful, which I really appreciated.

I am sorry that some people didn’t connect with the story or the characters. For me, they are simply diamonds in the rough. Created from a force so great that makes them shine in their own special way.

This was an audiobook read for me and the narrator really did the story a huge justice in the way she portrayed the characters and brought the story to life. Maybe there’s a difference between the ebook and the audiobook, I don’t know. What I do know is that this story, although it started steadily, is one that will last with me for a very long time. I can’t wait to read/listen on in this series.

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