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Book Review: Amber to Ashes by Gail McHugh

AMBER  to ASHES

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

GAIL McHUGH

 

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They were a storm I never saw coming, an unforeseen heartbreak on the edge of a dangerous cliff.
In AMBER TO ASHES (Atria Paperback; June 9th, 2015), Amber Moretti’s life changes in the span of minutes. An orphaned outsider, she is desperate to start fresh the moment she walks onto campus. In the time it takes to cross the university’s dining hall, she meets two men who bring color, air, and light to her darkened world.
They became my addiction, each a needle to my next hit, my high.
Brock Cunningham’s appeal is dizzying, a potent force Amber can’t deny. A green-eyed smooth talker, he instantly attracts Amber. It doesn’t take long for him to consume her every thought, her every breath.
Ryder Ashcroft, a blue-eyed, tattooed, and pierced bad boy, turns Amber off immediately—that is, until he kisses her, stealing a piece of her heart, her soul.
They were as opposite as fire and ice, yet I ached for them equally. 
Never knowing she could be broken down in so many unexpectedly beautiful yet petrifying ways, Amber finds herself falling for both men.
Immoral? Maybe. I say undeniable. Uncontained.
But one devastating event changes everything, shattering each of their lives…and Amber isn’t sure she can recover from it.

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Book Review 

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. 

All thoughts and comments are my own.*

My favorite thing in the world is picking up a new book and reading through all the words an author has penned together creating a new journey for me to embark upon. Words are powerful and can reveal the most beautiful or even the ugliest inner workings of someones mind. Gail McHugh has a gift with words and through it they reveal a story in which she has claimed contain many layers of her own reality. Parts of her own story woven together with fictional elements to create a gem that will captivate you from start to finish. 

 

This is the first book I’ve read by Gail McHugh and it definitely won’t be my last. I don’t think I have EVER read a story like Amber to Ashes. I was completely spellbound. I could not put it down. I read it in one sitting by the final page I was dying for more. Addiction, obsession, desire, love, lust, pleasure, pain by the end you’ll have fought a battlefield of emotions and even question your sanity. The physical and emotional turmoil all three characters experience will tear at your heart. Their desires overwhelming at times, torturous and completely unlike any story you’ll ever read. It is not an erotic fantasy come to life, it is a dangerous and desperate yearning that plague these three and may be the beginning of the end for all of them. I was intrigued and as I delved deeper into the story it was hard to form an alliance or choose. I almost felt like I was Amber because I became as torn as she was. Parts of this story at least the arrogance of the two leading men made me a bit suspicious of their intentions at times. This book will mess with your head. Gail’s poetic style of writing leaves you to ponder many painful yet harsh realities of love, life, death and everything in between.

 

Amber to Ashes is a raw and artfully crafted masterpiece that takes you on a bumpy, deeply emotional, chaotic and passionate journey through the lives of three people whose stories culminate in the mother of all cliffhanger endings. This is a dark and gritty story that will rip you to shreds rendering you absolutely speechless . It is a book you won’t soon forget. One that will seep its way into the depths of your soul and completely own you. It is an all-consuming, fiery, get your heart racing, question your sanity kind of ride. I loved every minute of it and I cannot wait for more. Check out an excerpt here.

 

Buy NOW

 

AMBER TO ASHES by Gail McHugh
Atria Books Paperback | On sale: June 9, 2015 | 480 pages
ISBN: 9781476766010, $15.00 | eBook ISBN: 9781476766041, $7.99

 

Order the AMBER TO ASHES paperback:
Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble   |   Books-a-Million   |   IndieBound

 

Order the AMBER TO ASHES eBook:
Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble   |   Blio   |   B-A-M   |   GooglePlay   |   iBooks   |   Kobo

 


441084315_hrAbout the author:
Gail McHugh is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Collide and Pulse. She is the mother of three beautiful children and has been married to her husband for fifteen years. 

 

Visit Gail online at:
Website   |   Twitter   |   Facebook   

 


Giveaway

Enter to win one (1) of ten (10) signed copies of AMBER TO ASHES HERE

 

Book Review: CLEAR: A Death Trippers Novel by Jessica Park

We’re celebrating the release of CLEAR: A Death Trippers Novel by Jessica Park!
 
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Cover Designer: The Cover Lure
Release date: February 17, 2015
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Blurb:
Stella Ford’s grasp on reality is already loose, and it’s about to come undone.
 
When the college junior flees Chicago and leaves her toxic family behind, she heads for coastal Maine to find the one person who brought her peace years ago: Sam Bishop. But the Sam she once knew now has painful secrets.  
 
Stella is determined to heal them both. Healing, however, is a challenge when the walls of her everyday existence collapse. And when Sam’s best friend is his worst enemy.
 
When the line between life and death blurs.
 
When an end is just a beginning.
 
When lust and rage rule.
 
Yet during extraordinary chaos, there can be extraordinary love, even if that love comes with a twist.
 
Welcome to death tripping.
 
A thriller, a paranormal, and a passionate romance, CLEAR crosses genres and breaks boundaries.

 

 


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Review

*This was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

I am never disappointed with anything Jessica Park produces. I definitely have to start by saying this book is a total mindfuck. I felt like I was tripping at times. It is bold and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The storyline is original and the characters are unique. Prepare yourself to be impressed by a new side of Jessica Park.  There is an element of darkness yet something so incredibly beautiful about this novel. I spent a good portion of this read saying, “Fuck,” “Holy Shit” and “OMG.” I’m pretty sure I even had to pick my jaw up a few times, but I loved every minute of it! Actually, I couldn’t put it down. In truth, I wondered to myself a few times “WTF am I reading,” but in a,”wow did that really just happen” way. There are so many layers to this novel and I’m being my usual evil self by giving minimal information, but I do believe this is a book you just need to read and experience on your own.
 
I fell in love with Sam, I hurt with Stella, and I desperately tried to understand Costa. Each element of this story is like a piece of a puzzle. There is no way to really prepare for what you will experience reading Clear. It is unrestrained, unpredictable and quite frankly A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Jessica Park impresses the reader with her literary genius pushing boundaries and drawing the reader into one of the most cleverly crafted worlds I’ve ever experienced. The emotions you’ll experience while reading Clear will make you feel as though you have stepped into this book and become one of these characters. You will walk with them through every struggle, every hurt and every triumph. All the love, resentment, anger and sadness that they feel will slowly seep its way into your core forever branding you. This unforgettable, incredible story will consume you. I devoured it. Clear is erotic, intense and utterly addictive. It will mess with your mind and test your limits. It may even freak you out a bit at times, but it is sure to be a mind blowing ride. I was absolutely spellbound and I have no doubt you will be too. Fingers crossed for more Death Tripper novels!!!  

 

This book can be classified under many genres and I can’t say that it falls under any one category, but I would highly recommended it to New Adult and Paranormal Romance fans. BTW – There is no cliffhanger, I just want more. LOL.

 

BUY NOW:

Amazon US   |   Amazon UK   |   Barnes & Noble   |   Kobo   |   iBooks


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About the Author:
Jessica is the author of LEFT DROWNING, the New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE (and the companion piece FLAT-OUT MATT), and RELATIVELY FAMOUS. She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.

 

Please visit her at jessicapark.me 

and on Facebook and Twitter


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Undeniable Book Review

Boy oh boy, where do I begin?

I finished reading Undeniable last night but I needed time to process everything.

Without giving too much away let me briefly summarize this book. Undeniable is the story of Deuce & Eva. The book begins when Eva is five and meets Deuce who is then twenty-three. Their first meeting happens to be while visiting both their fathers in prison. Deuce is the son of Reaper, Prez of the Hell’s Horsemen while Eva is the son of Preacher, Prez of the Silver Demons Motorcycle Club . While technically they are rival clubs these clubs come together throughout the years to conduct business, usually in the form of some criminal activity. This book explores the MC lifestyle, every aspect of it. The loyalty, the love, the rage, the rough, rugged and the raw. This story is NOT a love story, well, not a conventional one. It is filled with pain, pleasure and completely horrendous acts of betrayal. There are moments you want to scream, moments you want to swoon and moments you completely lose your ground.

This book shadows the lives of Eva and Deuce over the course of a twenty-five year period. Twenty-five years of insanity and absolute madness. It is filled with heartbreak, unadulterated passion and absolute horrific moments that make you wonder “why am I reading this and why do I still love it?” I will mention one thought and I’m sorry for bringing this up even though I quite enjoyed the book there were way too many “Bitch” moments meaning too many guys calling women bitches. I am the least offended when it comes to cursing but I think there were moments when it was unnecessary. Deuce was big on respecting women but there were so many moments when he’d turn around and call them a bitch as well as other men throughout the book. That’s really my only negative thought. I mean there were some incredibly screwed up moments but they only made you curious to know what would happen next.

Madeline Sheehan nailed this one! I believe there are more books to follow but I think Deuce and Eva were quite enough for me…for now.

My official goodreads review is below:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/541808038

Madeline Sheehan’s GR profile and website:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6554504.Madeline_Sheehan

http://www.madelinesheehan.com

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