Ruin

Friday, November 1, 2019

REVIEW: Ruin by Laurelin Paige

RUIN (Slay #2) by Laurelin Paige Release Date: October 29th

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46011971-slay

OUR REVIEW:

In Slay we had a lot of action and plot and a wicked cliffhanger which had us eager for Ruin.

Ruin picked up right where Slay left off and while it had action and plot, I found it to be more character driven. We got to get into the head of Celia and get to understand more about what made her tick. The slower pace of this novel also allowed for her character development and internal struggles to be revealed in a way that felt true to the character we’d come to know. I found that rather than find her despicable and shallow, she had a lot more depth and a lot more sympathetic than I would’ve imagined. By the end of this novel, I was rooting for her and Edward and am curious and hopeful for what will happen next.

Speaking of Edward, I also found him to be less of a dick than I originally thought. He still did dickish things but as we got more insight into him, I felt like I understood him more. I still have many questions but Ruin was a book that left me with more answers than questions. Some of the holes in their backstories were filled in and I’m interested in seeing how and where the last two books in this series will take us.

I loved the direction Celia and Edward’s relationship is going and how they seem like a team now and I can’t help but wonder what craziness Laurelin will out in their path...what obstacles and challenges she’ll have them face before she gives them their HEA. Knowing we still have two books to go, I feel like this next book is going to be a doozy and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

AVAILABLE NOW:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/35IBXNg

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/SlayRuin

Apple Books: https://laurl.in/SlayRuinApple

B&N: https://laurl.in/SlayRuinNook

Kobo: https://laurl.in/SlayRuinKobo

Google Play: https://laurl.in/SlayRuinGP

Blurb: With her heart literally in his hands, Celia will have to try and bargain with a devil.

Edward Fasbender is my captor.

Trapped on this island he owns everything on--including, it seems, me.

He told me he would break me, but I thought he meant in the bedroom. It turns out Edward is playing a completely different game.

And he won't stop until he's ruined me.

Slay Two: Ruin is the second book in the Slay Quartet. Slay One: Rivalry should be read first.

Excerpt: Yes, she was calculating and manipulative, and she was very spoiled about getting her way, but that was all surface. She was an onion. There were layers and layers underneath, parts of her that she held away. Parts she showed no one. For whatever reason, I’d caught sight of what she kept hidden, whether she’d meant for that to happen or not, I couldn’t be sure. Regardless, I was captivated. There was so much to see there, so much to take down. So much of her to know and own and destroy and redesign, and like an old habit, I couldn’t break away.

She was an addiction, and I wanted to feed on it. She wasn’t supposed to be like that.

She wasn’t supposed to want to bend to my whims. She wasn’t supposed to open up and give what I asked for. She wasn’t supposed to be so eager to take what I gave her. She certainly wasn’t supposed to see past my own curtain, wasn’t supposed to ask to see more.

I’m here for this, she’d said.

About the Author With millions of books sold worldwide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however.

When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones or Letterkenny, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She's also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.

She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

Connect w/Laurelin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelinPaige/ Amazon: http://amzn.to/2knJOrx Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laurelin-paige Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereallaurelinpaige/ Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HudsonPierce/ Website: http://www.laurelinpaige.com Never miss an update! Subscribe to Laurelin’s mailing list: Newsletter: http://bit.ly/LaurelinNews

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

NEW: Ruin by Laurelin Paige

RUIN (Slay #2) by Laurelin Paige Release Date: October 29th

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46011971-slay

AVAILABLE NOW:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/35IBXNg

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/SlayRuin

Apple Books: https://laurl.in/SlayRuinApple

B&N: https://laurl.in/SlayRuinNook

Kobo: https://laurl.in/SlayRuinKobo

Google Play: https://laurl.in/SlayRuinGP

Blurb: With her heart literally in his hands, Celia will have to try and bargain with a devil.

Edward Fasbender is my captor.

Trapped on this island he owns everything on--including, it seems, me.

He told me he would break me, but I thought he meant in the bedroom. It turns out Edward is playing a completely different game.

And he won't stop until he's ruined me.

Slay Two: Ruin is the second book in the Slay Quartet. Slay One: Rivalry should be read first.

She was an addiction, and I wanted to feed on it. She wasn’t supposed to be like that.

I’m here for this, she’d said.

She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

BOX SET SALE: Spin & Ruin by C.D. Reiss

Due to popular demand and in anticipation of RULE, the grand finale of the series....…Books One & Two in CD Reiss's hit mafia series,

Songs of Corruption Series are being bundled into one set!

That’s right. Spin & Ruin will be together for ONLY 99c! (normally over $7)

NOW AVAILABLE

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1STfbp5

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1IZWr2C

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1LC8nem

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1KliZ0X

iBooks: http://apple.co/1ICbqgG

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1Arm1Lj

Blurb

Rough sex. Dirty talk. Criminal activity. Cursing. Fisticuffs. Closed course. Professional driver. Do not try this at home.**

Theresa Drazen wants to know one thing.

Is there something wrong with her?

Because from what she can see, she has money, brains, a body that does the job. Yet, she keeps getting shelved. Most recently, by her fiancé who happens to be the DA.

And she'll get over it, really. No problem. She'll just have a nice, short encounter with a mysterious Italian named Antonio who may or may not be involved with some kind of alleged criminal activity...blah blah...

Let's call a spade a spade.

He's a mobster.

Let's face a few more facts.

He's hot. He's smart. And if anyone breathes on her the wrong way, he's got no problem beating their head against a Porsche until they're willing to lick up their own vomit to make it stop.

Just about everything about that turns her on.

Yeah. There's something wrong with her.

Excerpt

I caught the scent again and looked in her direction, as if I could see the smell’s source. It could have come from anyone. It could have been the gorgeous black lady with the sweet smile. It could have been the plate of saucy meat that crossed my path. Could have been the waft of parking lot that came through the door before it snapped closed.

But it wasn’t.

I knew it like I knew tax code; it was him. The man in the dark suit and thin pink tie, the full lips and two-day beard. His eyes were black as a felony, and they stayed on me as his body swung into the booth.

The smell had come from him, not the other man getting into the booth. It was in his gaze, which was locked on me, disarming me. He was beautiful to me. Not my type, not at all. But the slight cleft in his chin, the powerful jaw, the swoop of dark hair falling over his forehead seemed right. Just right. I swallowed. My mouth had started watering, and my throat had gotten dry. I got a flash of him above me, with that swoop of hair rocking, as he fucked me so hard the sheets ripped.

He turned to say something to the hostess, and I took a gulp of air. I’d forgotten to breathe. I put my hands to my shirt buttons to make sure they were fastened, because I felt as if he’d undressed me.

Rule Releases on August 27th!

Pre-order available at the following retailers

Amazon US - http://amzn.to/1ST673M

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1GSN58e

iBooks - http://apple.co/1E2iW7j

Nook - http://bit.ly/1ItjaUH

Meet CD Reiss!

CD Reiss is a USA Today and Amazon bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well, hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere, but it did embed TV story structure in her head well enough for her to take a big risk on a TV series structured erotic series called Songs of Submission. It’s about a kinky billionaire hung up on his ex-wife, an ingenue singer with a wisecracking mouth; art, music and sin in the city of Los Angeles.

Critics have dubbed the books “poetic,” “literary,” and “hauntingly atmospheric,” which is flattering enough for her to put it in a bio, but embarrassing enough for her not to tell her husband, or he might think she’s some sort of braggart who’s too good to give the toilets a once-over every couple of weeks or chop a cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads | Pinterest | Intagram

Sunday, October 26, 2014

REVIEW: RUIN BY C.D. REISS

**Ya gotta read Spin before you read Ruin**

Antonio is a killer.
He's beautiful, educated, a prodigy of a thief and as violent a motherfucker as ever came of the boat from Napoli.

Theresa knows it, but that doesn't stop her from getting emotionally and physically entangled with him, and this is how, maybe, she got it in her head that she can protect him.

But it's not her job to save him, and she's just not getting that. Every time she tries to protect him, she practically gets him killed, and the tighter he grips her, the more dangerous she becomes.

It's almost as if...well, he'd never admit this....but it's almost as if protecting her the way he does is the one thing he should stop. As if the only way he's ever going to find a moment's peace is to just embrace her as a partner, rather than a defenseless creature.

But he'd never do that. Not this violent motherfucker.

WARNING: This book contains delicious sex scenes with a hot man dirty-talking in Italian; women handling firearms and explosives; and scenes of violence with a crystal Virgin Mary cigarette lighter.

ebook, 209 pages
Published October 14th 2014

Source: Netgalley

Purchase a copy: Goodreads

--Our Review--
You know what? C.D. Reiss and her fuckery have me hooked. It doesn't matter that she writes these books that end with more questions than answers. And, it doesn't matter that I have a while to wait until the next one because I will. Patiently. Ditto. There are so many twists, turns, gasp moments, "wait, what?" moment...sooo many moments that make these action packed novellas an incredible ride. Reiss can write, y'all.

I'm not sure what it is that I find compelling about her novels...I guess that's what I should try to explore here, right? So that's what I'll do. I'll try, in the least rambling way, to explain why I enjoy her works. !!!

1. Escapism. There is no way in hell I'm marrying a billionaire, that I'll be some protege pianist or an ingenue, or a sophisticated accountant with a high profile ex-boyfriend (and family for that matter). Nope, those things will never be, but I sure as hell enjoy putting myself in the shoes of those characters. In this case, having a mob boyfriend and being his willful girlfriend is 100% pure escapism and I enjoyed it. It sure is. And I enjoyed it too. I think the escapism definitely is what draws us in, because it is different, and DEFINITELY not boring or safe. I couldn't imagine being in any of the situations that Antonio or Theresa find themselves in...but then she calls him Capo, and it infinitesimally changes the scene to two lovers just trying to find a way to be together in the crazy world their found themselves in.

2. Character torture. C.D. Reiss loves her characters, at least I think she does. That being said, she has no problem creating all sorts of shitstorms for her characters. Between the internal and external conflicts, the plot twists..the ANGST..it's such sweet torture and I can't stop reading it. In Ruin there's the constant push and pull of Antonio and Theresa, the will he or won't he, and the will they or won't they...all the way to the end. I must say, I love how hardcore both characters are to their willingness to do what they feel they must, in order to have what they want (or what they think they want) <-- hi, vague much? <--totally! But, ya know what. It was definitely a full speed ahead train, and we were not getting off the track! OMG. I at this moment in time, still can't believe the ways this book went... just cannot believe it! And THEN she did the unthinkable and tied it back to Songs of Submission and I just died. Died of happiness, and am trying to think back to that up-all-night-for-two-days-readathon I did of the other series, and what happens trying to find hints so I can just fucking know what happens! But I know that probably won't help.

3. Balls to the wall sex. I mean she never holds back. In Ruin, it's rough and hot and almost animalistic ..maybe even savage? There are no mushy, lovey dovey, doe-eyed moments here. It's intense, quick, hot..just like the characters. Exactly like the characters. It fits. It's hot. It definitely can Ruin. In a good way!

4. Plot. Her books are page turners and Ruin is no exception. I willingly sacrificed the little sleep I seem to get so that I could read. I bet you will too. It went so fast, and in the blink of an eye it was another day in bed finishing a book before I start the day...---er afternoon...yeah. So...

So, I suppose those are some of the reasons why I have a *thing* for her books? I dunno. I know there are other reasons..I'll save them for next time.

The writing is just so damn good. I never felt confused by what was happening. The dialogue, the scenes, the descriptions...are hard core East L.A. and it is a glimpse into a world that probably does sort of exist, and we definitely don't know anything about. I loved it. I love L.A. I love Antonio. I especially love the Drazen's, and I love C.D. Reiss. And Shelley! Hah!

Let me caution you with this: her novels aren't pretty purple prose or delicate little things. Her books are not for people who don't like to read about characters who don't abide by societal norms. Her books are rough and tumble and fun and sexy and total escape. Yes. It is definitely a little bit darker romance than some, not per se taboo, but intense, in a way that some might find uncomfortable. I hope you give it a shot and enjoy it anyways!

Happy reading. Peace.