Review: The Will (Magdalene #1) by Kristen Ashley

Early in her life, Josephine Malone learned the hard way that there was only one person she could love and trust: her grandmother, Lydia Malone. Out of necessity, unconsciously and very successfully, Josephine donned a disguise to keep all others at bay. She led a globetrotting lifestyle on the fringes of the fashion and music elite, but she kept herself distant.

While Josephine was trotting the globe, retired boxer Jake Spear was living in the same small town as Lydia. There was nothing disguised about Jake. Including the fact he made a habit of making very bad decisions about who to give his love.

But for Josephine and Jake, there was one person who adored them. One person who knew how to lead them to happiness. And one person who was intent on doing it.

Even if she had to do it as her final wish on this earth.

Whenever I read a book by Kristen Ashley, I wonder if it is really necessary for me to write a review. There hasn't been one book by her I haven't liked or loved. Reading her stories, you know upfront a bit what to expect. Though not by the plot, because that's always full of surprises. But about the emotions you will feel. Her writing just gets to me, and each and every time I feel somewhat drained after finishing one of her stories. Like I need a minute to recover.

For me it's also impossible to put her books down once I get started, unless I'm forced. The characters, their story, the setting, it's just all so well thought out and it feels so real. That for me is one of the biggest parts why I love her stories so much. They feel so real in a way, mostly the characters.

Josephine and Jake are both in their forties. Meaning they have already lived, they have a past, they made mistakes, and they are certainly not perfect. Josephine upbringing was horrible, but with the help of her grandmother she escaped that. Now leading a great life as the PA of a famous photographer. She has some friends and gets to travel around the world. Still when it comes to love, she has seen only the ugly side and decided for herself that she didn't want it. If she ever feels the need she will find someone, but Josephine will never give in.

Now with the passing of her grandmother, pretty much the only person she ever felt unconditional love from, Josephine is a bit lost. She returns back home, thinking she just finished organizing some stuff and be back on her way. What she hadn't counted on was the pull of the Lavender House, her grandmother's house, and the safety Josephine finds in that house. One other thing she hadn't expected was Jake.

Her grandmother had never mentioned him, but it looks like he was a big part of her life. Josephine doesn't know what to do with that information, but luckily Jake isn't afraid to take on the challenge that is Josephine. Now honestly it all moves kind of slow, but I liked that, because once again that adds to the realness of the story. And what a story it is!

We follow along as Josephine starts to place her grief of losing her grandmother, while dealing with Jake in her life. That connection between them isn't there suddenly, it grows and it has plenty of hurdles to keep things interesting. An unconventional love story, with characters I fell completely for. Just the way Josephine talks, was amazing and added this whole other dimension to the story. Jake past is a colourful one, and certainly adds plenty of drama. This one was another amazing book by Kristen Ashley. I just can not get enough of her writing.  

Magdalene - Reading order and purchase links

*All books can be read as a standalone*

  

The Author

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Connect with Kristen Ashley:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review: Fire Inside (Chaos #2) by Kristen Ashley

Lanie Heron isn't looking for love-no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club . . .

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She's too polished and too classy for his taste. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can't say no. And he doesn't regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that's ever happened to him-in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

We met Lanie and Hop in Motorcycle Man, though it isn't completely necessary to read it first. While Lanie left a pretty okay impression on me, my situation with Hop was a tad more difficult. Lanie to me always seemed more like a victim. Her idiot fiancé got her shot, Tyra stabbed and himself killed. It's been years since that happened, but it's not something you easily let go off.

Still slowly Lanie is ready to move forward and this includes a lovely one night stand with Hop. He has never denied his attraction towards her, so when the opportunity arises, he takes it. Except one night is really not enough for these two. Lanie keeps claiming and shouting that she doesn't want a relationship and the situation just got out of hand, but it becomes more and more difficult to deny that she actually has feelings for Hop.

Meanwhile Hop could have never in his wildest dreams believed that a woman like Lanie could be interested in him. They are so different and from opposite worlds. When he gets his hands on her though, all that seems to fade away. Of course it's not all rainbows and sunshine. They have a lot of arguments, but that's mostly coming from fear of giving love a chance. Both have had the worst experiences in that department, so opening up again and letting someone is a huge risk.

With the focus very much on the interactions between Lanie and Hop, I did miss a bit the excitement from the MC. Other than that, it was an excellent read and I'm very happy the way things turned out in the end for Lanie. She deserves it so much. Hop still wasn't very easily to love for me, but his persistence when it came to Lanie was admirable.

Chaos - Reading order and purchase links

  

Own The Wind: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Fire Inside: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Connect with Kristen Ashley:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Saturday Series: Motorcycle Man (Dream Man #4) by Kristen Ashley

"Get ready to ride."

Tyra Masters has had enough drama to last a lifetime. Now she's back on track and looking forward to her new, quiet life until she meets the man of her dreams. The tattooed, muscled biker plies her with tequila and the best sex of her life. She knows it isn't the tequila and hot sex talking. He's the kind of man she's always wanted. Unfortunately, he's also her new boss.

Kane Tack Allen has a rule: he doesn't employ someone he's slept with. So when he learns he spent last night in bed with his new office manager, he quickly fires Tyra. Yet when Tyra stands up to him and fights for her job, Tack is intrigued. He tells her she can keep her job on one condition: no more sex. Ever. But as things heat up between them, Tack finds that he'll be the one breaking all the rules.

While I wouldn't call it an accident sleeping with your boss, it's still not the smartest move. Though to be honest Tyra didn't know he was her boss and Tack didn't know she was his new employee. Thus the beginning of the drama, as Tack has some strict rules about this. Still Tyra needs a job, so his attitude doesn't scare her away and she gives as good as she gets. The woman isn't some meek little lady, still Tack is intimidating as hell.

Tack gives into Tyra, but her going against him only makes her more intriguing. She's a challenge he can't resist and won't back down from. While Tyra has no real clue how to handle this alpha male. Honestly I liked Tack from the previous books, but now that we get a closer look it took me a while to be convinced he's okay. The man is seriously bossy, rude, pushy, stubborn, and his moral compass isn't quite aligned with mine. It seems that these are also some issues Tyra has with him in the beginning, but Tack is a man who is used to getting his way in this case also Tyra.

I believe Tyra could have gone more against him in the beginning. It all moves so fast and he pretty much takes over her life, without her real consent. So while this may not make Tack my kind of guy, I could escape in the fantasy of him. As usual plenty of drama between the main characters, and we again have a crazy ex-wife, some cool kids and a dangerous outside threat that could ruin it all. Since Tack isn't necessarily a law-abiding citizen, he takes matters into his own hands when it comes to protecting those who he cares about.

I was happy to see that Tack got his own story and happily ever after. He's a recurring character in the previous book, and while he might be a bit shady his heart is in the right place and he is capable of doing good things. The fact that he chose Tyra was a bit surprising as she is so very different from him or the women he usually goes for. She's as clean as the come and by choosing her, Tyra inadvertently gets dragged into his trouble. Considering Tack doesn't take threats very well, he's very protective of those around him and will go through extreme lengths to keep them safe. I like that combination of romance and mystery, this always adds more dimension to a story and well you can not call these stories boring.

Dream Man - Reading order and purchase links

      

Mystery Man: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Wild Man: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Law Man: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Motorcycle Man: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Connect with Kristen Ashley:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Saturday Series: Law Man (Dream Man #3) by Kristen Ashley

Love is just around the corner . . .

Sweet, shy Mara Hanover is in love with her neighbor. For four years, she has secretly watched her dream man from afar. Handsome police detective Mitch Lawson is way out of her league. She's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and there's no way a guy like Mitch would want anything to do with her. But when Mara has a leaky faucet that she can't fix, it's Mitch who comes to her rescue.

Mitch has been eyeing his beautiful neighbor for a long time. He jumps at the chance to help her, and soon their formerly platonic relationship gets very hot and heavy. But when Mara gets a disturbing phone call from her cousin's kids, she gets pulled back into the life she's tried so hard to leave behind. Can the hot law man convince Mara to let go of her past-and build a future with him?

Let's make it clear that for at least half of the story Mara is completely clueless, and while in the beginning it was endearing after a while it became tiresome. This is a classic case of a woman who has no clue how gorgeous she is, with a past that makes her believe she's not worth a whole lot, but still has tried her damndest to rise above it all. The one thing though she hasn't managed to convince herself of is that she is worthy of a good and handsome man.

Enter detective Mitch Lawson. Mara has been crushing on him from afar for years and now through circumstances she can not seem to get rid of him. Not that she really wants to, but she does not know how to handle his attention towards her. Mara believes he's way out of her league, but we all know she doesn't see the world quite right.

Things go completely crazy though when nephew and niece call her in distress. Their home situation is terrible and Mara can no longer condone them to stay there, so she takes them in. This does not go over too well with her cousin, when he gets put in jail. Though honestly it's his own fault, but he blames her and to be clear he doesn't give a damn about his children, but Mara does. She loves those kids like they were her own. Still taking them on full time is quite a change, but luckily the handsome detective is there to help her.

This is when the real battle begins actually. It definitely gave a new spin on the story, and it was nice to see Mara come out of her shell. While I liked that Mitch was all in and helping out, I didn't always like the way he handled things. He made a lot of decisions when it comes to the kids, without talking about with Mara first, which I found inappropriate. They are now her kids, and her responsibility, and it's awesome that Mitch is there for them, but completely taking over at times is too overboard for me.

With the kids now, things move forward pretty fast between Mitch and Mara. Certainly when her cousin is being annoying, and it seems he was involved in way more than Mara ever expected. When those people come after her and the kids, Mitch hackles rise and he's all over that. His protective instincts are off the charts, and he vows no harm will come to either Mara or the kids.

Besides him taking over so much, and Mara needing to gain some confidence, I really liked both characters. They are both normal people, that now got a bit shook up thanks to her family, but in the end that normal is all they want, no matter how they got there. Being it just the two of them or with kids who aren't biologically theirs but very much theirs. The love in this story is so very clear, it flows all around. With the kids playing such a central role, was quite different, certainly when that threat is so close, making it very exciting. Still when it comes to the inner circle, sweetness was the key word. Mitch is very patient when it comes to Mara, gives her time to settle, while still being close. Those epilogues though are the best, happily ever after looks so damn good.

Dream Man - Reading order and purchase links

      

Mystery Man: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Wild Man: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Law Man: Amazon - Book Depository

Motorcycle Man: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Connect with Kristen Ashley:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Saturday Series: Wild Man (Dream Man #2) by Kristen Ashley

She's about to walk on the wild side . . .

While filling the display case in her bakery, the bell over the door sounds and Tessa O'Hara looks up to see the man of her dreams. Within thirty seconds he asks her out for a beer. But after four months of dating, she discovers he's an undercover DEA agent-and he's investigating her possible role in her ex-husband's drug business. For Tess, this means their relationship is over.

Brock disagrees. He's committed to his anti-drug mission, but he's fallen in love with the beautiful woman who's as sweet as her cupcakes-and he'll do anything to win her back. Standing between Tess and Brock are their own exes, one of them a drug lord who's determined to get what he wants. Now as danger threatens, can Brock break the rules he's lived by and let loose his wild side to protect the woman he loves?

I totally agreed with Tess that she broke up with him when she found out that Brock was dating her for a case. No matter how awesome he might be, that is not cool. Brock though is a very determined man, and he knew after one hour that this between them would never just be about the case. So when everything comes out, the man has some serious groveling to do and well Tess is just so damn sweet, like does not have one bad bone into her body, that she might give him a second chance. It's very difficult to resist such a fine piece of man, who does mean best and is willing to do so much.

Getting past that hurdle though is only the beginning. These two their exes are from the deepest levels of hell. His is actually way worse than hers. Women can be way more mean and cruel than any man. The fact that she's using the kids against Brock and his relationship with Tess only makes is ten times worse. All the drama she brings to table will drive you insane and you will want to smack her on multiple occasions. Seriously she is whack.

It's important that through this Brock and Tess form one front, and of course it isn't always that easy. All that outside negativity can weigh on a person. Still both put in the effort and I truly like that. Their relationship is not perfect, not all rainbow and sunshine. They have real problems and issues, and like good people they talk it out no matter how hard it can be. That is one of the best parts of Kristen Ashley's books that I like, the realness of the relationship, though the hot men are also very pleasant.

Interesting second book in the series. Brock and Tess are quite different than Gwen and Hawk, though still very enjoyable. Their story is less dangerous in a way, but somehow there is more drama (if that is even possible). The focus is way more on the relationship between Brock and Tess, and I liked that. Both characters are completely different, so they compliment each other very well. Their target in life is the same though, so they make it work.

Dream Man - Reading order and purchase links

      

Mystery Man: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Wild Man: Amazon - Book Depository

Law Man: Amazon - Book Depository

Motorcycle Man: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Connect with Kristen Ashley:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Saturday Series: Mystery Man (Dream Man #1) by Kristen Ashley

While drinking cosmopolitans, Gwendolyn Kidd meets the man of her dreams. Then she takes him home. Then she wakes up alone. But her fear that she lost her dream man turns into a relationship with a mystery man when, night after night in the dead of night, he comes back for more. Hoping it will blossom into something real, she lets him.

But she doesn’t even know his name.

Gwen’s struggling with the decision to end their crazy non-relationship when her sister-from-hell, Ginger’s best friend pays a visit and warns Gwen that if she and her sister don't get smart, they'll both get d-e-a-d, dead. Gwen has no clue what’s going on but she’s used to Ginger’s antics and decides to lay the problem on her sister’s biker boyfriend's doorstep. Bad choice. She hits the Denver Underground radar with a big, loud ping.

This means Gwen’s Mystery Man, Cabe “Hawk” Delgado has to step in to keep her safe. But when Hawk gets a dose of Gwen in the daylight, he makes the decision that he finally wants real with Gwen. However when Gwen gets a dose of badass, bossy, straight-talker Hawk in the daylight, she decides she’s done.

Thus begins the head-to-head of the Commando vs. Cosmo Girl as Hawk woos Gwen in his own unique way, Gwen survives firebombs, drive-bys, kidnappings, hot pursuits by biker hotties and gorgeous police detectives and discovers the heartbreaking reason why Hawk kept her at arm’s length.

And as all this happens, Gwen finds that her sister’s troubles are serious trouble and she must decide who to keep alive: her sister-from-hell or the man of her dreams.

I really like the way Kristen Ashley's stories are set up. Technically it's all possible, but you're still wondering WTF. Most people would be worried when they have a relationship with a man, whom they do not know the name of, he sneaks inside her bedroom (and to be clear, she never gave him a key), has his way with her and then leaves again. That is seriously effed up, and Gwen admits he is a god in bed, still the creep factor is already of the charts but let's just go with it. If you don't think too hard about those factors than these books are the bomb.

Now her mystery man is forced out of hiding when Gwen's sister drags her into trouble as usual. This forces Hawk to stand up and admit that what they have is more than nightly adventures. His need to protect her from all bad things makes that clear. Though it's suddenly a really big change, going from nothing to overboard. Hawk is overprotective, alpha, bossy, strong willed, stubborn and a man of few words.

While Gwen is pleased she now has the chance to get to know her mystery man better, she's not glad of the circumstances and she isn't sure if she really likes him that much. At times she prefers when he didn't speak to her over what he's doing now, giving her orders and not giving her much choice when it comes to their relationship. Still I liked that she wasn't some eager man pleaser. While Hawk didn't always take into account what Gwen said, or it didn't quite come through the way she would have liked, he would know when she wasn't pleased with him very clear.

Lots and lots of fireworks between these two and I freaking love all the drama. It switches a lot between lighter moments or heated moments, to the more dangerous ones. Gwen's sister really is a piece of work, and poor Gwen is the victim of it all. Think drive-by, kidnapping, arson etc. When things like that are happening to you, you'll be glad to have a guy like Hawk by your side.

Dream Man - Reading order and purchase links

      

Mystery Man: Amazon - Book Depository

Wild Man: Amazon - Book Depository

Law Man: Amazon - Book Depository

Motorcycle Man: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Connect with Kristen Ashley:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads