books – Page 152 – Sincerely Karen Jo

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

Published by Balzar + Bray May 5, 2015

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Romance

Pages: 441

When Rachelle was fifteen, she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless—straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her hunt for the legendary sword that might save their world. Together, they navigate the opulent world of the courtly elite, where beauty and power reign and no one can be trusted. And as they become unexpected allies, they discover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

I absolutely love retellings. I read Cruel Beauty a few years ago and while I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to, I still enjoyed reading it. My experience with Cruel Beauty was very weird. There were parts that I really loved, and others that just confused me. The story was definitely interesting…but in an odd way. You can read my full review HERE.

Even though I didn’t completely fall in love with Cruel Beauty, I found Hodge’s writing somewhat fascinating, so I added Crimson Bound to my TBR. Now, if only I can figure out a way to freeze time and read all day everyday…

Have you read this book? Did you love it or hate it? Should I bump it up my list? Let me know in the comments!

Have a great week loves!!!

Bad Wolf
Jo Raven
Publication date: February 8th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance

This is no fairytale…

Once I fell in love with a gorgeous boy next door.

Years later, he’s back—a total hunk, hot as hell, and bad. So bad.

Rude. Cocky. Hard.

And I’m dying for a taste.

Jarett was our neighbors’ adopted son.

Handsome, strong, quiet, he was my protector, and my friend.

Now he’s back, and he’s still gorgeous.

Tall, dark and sexy. All man.

But he’s a bad guy, moving with a dangerous crowd.

So why do I keep winding up in his arms?

On his lap. In his bed.

I know better than this—I’m better than this. I should stop.

Only my heart tells me there’s good inside Jarett.

That I could save him.

Then again, what happens to gullible girls who climb into bed with the big bad wolf?

…Right.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Gigi is standing at the open door, the loud rock music spilling out into the alley. She looks left, then right, as if searching for someone. No great leap of the imagination required to know she’s looking for her friend.

And she sees me. Her gaze stops on me.

She steps all the way out and lets the door close behind her. “Rett?”

Fuck. This is fucking bad. I suck on my cigarette and wait. Maybe she’ll take the hint and go away.

But Gigi never cared what I said or did, back then. She stuck by my side through my silences and snarky comments.

Obviously she hasn’t changed.

She heads straight to me, plants herself in front of me and shakes back her white-blond hair. “Rett. What now, you’ll pretend you can’t see me?”

Damn, how could I ever pretend that? She’s wearing a low-cut red sweater over a tiny skirt and those damn knee-length socks that drive me crazy. Girl likes wearing red. And damn if I can tear my eyes away from her cleavage.

I’m so fucking hard I’m about to bust a nut.

“What do you want?” I mutter, flicking ash from my cigarette, a thoughtless gesture, when it becomes clear she isn’t budging.

“Did you see Sydney out here? I’ve lost her again.”

She smells of something sweet, like toffee. My mouth waters. My dick throbs. She smells like home, and like pleasure, and like danger all at once.

“Go away, Gigi,” I whisper. “Go back inside. That’s where your friend is.”

“So you saw her.”

Throwing my cigarette away, I take a step toward her. “Go now.” She’s wearing down all of my self-control. I have to send her back inside, send her away from me. Having her around is risky on a thousand different levels.

She takes a step back. “Not unless you tell me what you saw. Did she buy drugs? Tell me, Jarett.”

“And what will you do if I tell you?” I back her into the club’s fire escape ladder. “What the fuck can you do about it?”

“Not me. She won’t listen to me, or talk to me about this. But you could help me.”

I blink, not sure I heard her well. I’m looking down into her pretty eyes, at her full, red mouth, and shake my head. “What did you say?”

“For old times’ sake, Rett… I need your help.”

Author Bio:

Hi! My name is Jo, and I torture pretty boys for a living… 🙂

I am a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, best known for my series Inked Brotherhood and Damage Control. I write edgy New Adult romance with sexy bad boys and strong-willed heroines.

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Meet me online – on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoRaven), chat with me on Twitter (@AuthorJoRaven) and join my readers group for sneak previews of my covers and stories (http://on.fb.me/1K2LvzO).

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