Hope Restrained (The Estate #2) by M.S. Willis

 

Finally Xander's story - and it did not disappoint!
 

 

 Hope and Honor are twins.  Honor is the artist - Hope is the assassin.  Honor is the light - Hope is darkness.
 

Honor is kidnapped by a faction of "The Estate" that wants to overtake Aaron.  Her kidnappers know that Hope will do anything to get Honor back - even breaking into the main mansion and assassinating Aaron.  When Hope saw the abuse done to Honor and the state she was in - she knew that she couldn't refuse, and would have to try and kill Aaron, to save her sister.  In her unsuccessful attempt to kill Aaron - Xander grabs Hope, and Xander is forced to find out why she's after Aaron - by any means possible.
 

I'm not usually a fan of the darker type of reads - but I love this series.  There's definitely violence and humiliation in this book - but there is also the underlying theme of Aaron, Maddy and Xander trying to turn "The Estate" in to something more than the corruption his father let it become. 

"There is beauty in everything, even in the things we hate the most."

 

Xander is definitely not a "good" man - but he has this goodness in him - where he grounds Hope, gives her exactly what she needs and wants - even if it is not what most of us would expect or want for ourselves. 
 
This book makes you think about putting things in perspective - realizing that sometimes things aren't always black and white.  Sometimes we are forced to do things, be in situations - in order to make things better.  Xander and Hope are both put in circumstances that would break most of us - but it's necessary to make sure the changes Aaron are making within "The Estate" continue and Honor is freed.
 

This series is definitely turning out to be my favorite "dark read" type of book!

 

 

Madeleine Abducted by M.S. Willis

My rating: 5 out of 5 Sizzling Stars



**Kindly received an arc from author for an honest review**

I was worried about reading this book - knowing it's a "dark read" - and this book is definitely not for the faint of heart - but I loved this book and so glad I took the time to read it.

Aaron's twisted/sick father takes Maddie, an introverted musician, from her quiet life and gives her as a "gift" to Aaron for his birthday. Aaron struggles with what he must do in order to keep Maddie alive and safe within the Estate. This story really made me struggle with actually liking Aaron as you see the dangerous, violent side of him (known as the Executioner), yet tending and caring for Maddie, struggling to keep her out of harm.

Maddie might have appeared weak and timid on the outside, but inside she was strong and resilient, knowing what she must do to survive. Her strength truly gets her through in the end.

I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to the next book and finding out more about Xander and his background.

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Breathless by Rose J. Bell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

ARC provided by Rose J. Bell for honest review.


I rated this a 3.5 Star Review,

This is a story about a young girl, Ree, who has been through so much in the past 2-1/2 years. She shows her strength as she struggles through her circumstances, and as she meets Logan and breaks down all her rules and falls in love. There are a lot of tender moments between "hoodie girl" and "rude boy" that you will love. I do have to warn you there are some explicit scenes as she remembers her 3 months in captivity with "psycho" - so if you have issues with that, please be aware.

I rounded down on the 3.5 Star Review mainly because of the grammatical errors, which I could understand because the author is from Germany. I also felt like there was almost an unbelievable amount of drama happening to Ree, which didn't give time to develop more of the other charachters in the book. Even with these issues for me, I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read this book and I think this author will just improve as she writes more.

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Seize Me by Crystal Spears
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow - this book is definitely one of my all time favs, but just a warning it's not your typical romance - there's a lot of grit, lots of "sensitive" situations - so be prepared - but also be prepared for an awesome story with strong female characters, great relationships, and Braxxon - what to say about that hottie, yeah he's a jerk at times, but he sooooo makes up for it in every other way. We do get to see he has a huge heart. Winter and Brax are just a great couple, fighting through everything imaginable. Can't wait for the next book - please let it be about Pyro... (he's a hottie too!)

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Unbeautifully by Madeline Sheehan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved, loved this book - I think even more than the first. This one didn't quite seem as "gritty" as the first, but still had its moments for sure. I think this book also showed that a lot of the guys had some actual "feelings" - not that it was mushy in the least bit. It was good how it wrapped some things up with Eva and Deuce and told some more of the other characters stories. I did love Ripper though - he was awesome with Danny. Cannot wait for the next book!!

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