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Book Review: WHERE LIGHTNING STRIKES, A Bleeding Stars Novel, Book #3 by AL Jackson

WHERE LIGHTNING STRIKES

A Bleeding Stars Novel Book 3

By: AL Jackson

Release Day March 22

SYNOPSIS

Do you know what it feels like right before lightning strikes? How you can feel the current running through your veins? The trembles of warning that ripple through the air? It was a thrill Tamar King chased all her life until it became the very thing she had to escape.
For the last four years, Tamar King has hidden herself in an isolated world she created. She was safe. No one could touch her. Until Lyrik West walked through her door.
He’s the lead guitarist for Sunder and everything she can never have. The dark and beautiful rock star becomes everything she craves.
Lyrik’s life has been devoted to his band and that success has cost him. Bitter, hard, and filled with regret, he refuses to lose himself again, but from the moment he sees her, he wants one night with Tamar King.
The gorgeous bartender is more than he bargained for. Their attraction is consuming. Their desire overpowering. With one touch, they ignite.
But is it worth the cost of getting burned?
She’s a gorgeous nightmare and he’s a wicked dream…
WHERE LIGHTNING STRIKES, a Bleeding Stars Stand-Alone Novel

 

 

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Review 

 

Wow, AL Jackson’s writing never ceases to amaze me. Always poetic, always poignant, and always the possibility of gutting you. Where Lightning Strikes is the 3rd book in the Bleeding Stars series which tells the story of Lyric and Tamar. True to AL Jackson style, the story is told in dual POV, which I absolutely love. This book gutted me…seriously cut deep. I was captivated from the very first page and could not put it down. Both Lyrik and Tamar’s story are all consuming and this duo made sparks fly. Although Shea and Sebastian will always have a special place in my heart, I feel that Lyric and Tamar’s cuts ran deeper. Their story had a bit more depth and was  just a tiny bit more painful. Definitely not taking away from Shea & Sebastian’s hurdles, but these two have one hell of a past. 

 

Lyrik seems to have everything going for him, he’s hot, wealthy and a rock star. Women throw themselves at him on a daily basis and he’s likely got two wrapped around him at any given time. He’s all about no strings attached flings, zero romance and absolutely no caring. His past has ensured that gaining an in to his heart is impossible, it’s been locked away unlikely to ever be touched. That is, until Tamar turns his world upside down. She challenges him, denies him and drives him absolutely insane. He wants her, he doesn’t, she wants him, she doesn’t. They go back and forth, but their chemistry is undeniable. Tamar has been running for a long time. She left her home, uprooted her life, yet no one knows the scars she bears. The internal turmoil she’s bottled up and locked away. He sees her, she sees him, but will their similarities bring them together or draw them apart? Their pasts and  secrets will force them to face a host of internal demons. Both of them broken down and defeated almost seemingly beyond repair. Will they open their hearts or create a perfect storm — destructive and untamed?

 

If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, I’m sure you can follow the story as this is considered a stand alone. I would definitely recommend reading them in order as it gives you a bit of an introduction to Lyric, Tamar and a whole host of other characters I have no doubt will appear in future novels.  This is an incredible addition to the Bleeding Stars series. I highly recommend it for fans of AL Jackson, New Adult and Contemporary Romance.

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aljacksonphotoABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary and new adult romance.
She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student.  She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.
Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three children.
Connect with A.L. Jackson online: www.aljacksonauthor.com
To stay up to date with important news on A.L. Jackson, including new releases, sales, and exclusive specials and excerpts, text “jackson” to 96000 to subscribe!

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Book Review: BLACK IRIS by Leah Raeder

9781476786421

 

 BLACK IRIS by Leah Raeder 

Atria Books Paperback | 384 pages | ISBN: 9781476786421 | On sale: April 28, 2015 | $15.00

eBook: Atria Books | 384 pages | ISBN: 9781476786438 | On sale: April 28, 2015 | $5.99

 

ABOUT BLACK IRIS:
It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn’t worth sticking around for.
If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.
She’s not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.
But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it’s time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.
Which was the plan all along.
Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.
She’s going to show them all.

 

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REVIEW

Mindfuck. This book is a total mindfuck.
That perfectly describes Black Iris and the psychological turmoil I experienced while reading. 
I thought my first experience reading Leah Raeder’s Unteachable was intense, but this book displays a whole different level of her literary genius. It’s powerful and deeply personal which makes the reader connect in an indescribable way. 

 

The novel captivates you from the moment you begin reading. I am generally not a fan of making highlights in books. When I started reading more e-books I rarely took advantage of the highlight feature on my Kindle. I loved that I was able to highlight and flag things without marring the book, but I’ve still remained a bit conservative in that respect. Something has to really speak to me for me to highlight. Black Iris seems to be the exception. I found myself constantly highlighting wanting to savor and remember every moment, marking the words that moved me so I could go back to them later and relive the experience. The writing is profound, lyrical and undeniably haunting.  There is a pain and complexity to this book that I’ve never experienced before as a reader. It is as though you are watching someone come to terms with their very existence and how they begin to accept every part that makes them a whole. The book is sexual, but doesn’t fit in any particular mold. The romantic aspect of this book is complex and at times troubling. I worried about how toxic some of the relationships in this book had become at one point, but there was such immense beauty in Laney’s coming to terms with who she was. Bit by bit, piece by piece, as disturbed as I was at times by her actions I understood them in a way that made me question my sanity. 

 

There are writers I dislike, writers I like and then there are the writers that I love. The ones who I know will repeatedly produce outstanding content. The author whose writing seeps its way into my veins, searing their name into my soul. Leah Raeder managed to win me over with Unteachable, but Black Iris gripped my heart solidifying my love for her writing and a deep respect for her as an author. It is addictive, flawlessly unique and oddly refreshing. It is unlike any book I’ve ever read. Black Iris is raw, wild and completely unpredictable. It crosses boundaries and takes you through a journey of acceptance, revenge and pain unlike any book I’ve ever read. It examines human sexuality on a deeper level than I’ve ever contemplated. It describes how fierce love between human beings can be, the effects of non acceptance from society as well as self and how deep an individuals experience can brand them and to what lengths someone will go for retribution. Love is love — Reader’s brilliant, dark and poetic writing capture this message beautifully. I voraciously devoured Black Iris and I hope you will too. 

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Leah Raeder is a writer and unabashed nerd. Aside from reading her brains out, she enjoys graphic design, video games, fine whiskey, and the art of self-deprecation. She lives with her very own manic pixie dream boy in Chicago. Visit her at LeahRaeder.com.
Find Leah online:
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I Rize by S.T. Anthony Book Review

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First of all I need to acknowledge how amazing this book cover is. I ordered this book on Amazon a while back and the cover is what actually enticed me. I was curious to know what the book was about so I read the synopsis and downloaded the book. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed this unique book. It is a very short read but it covers a very real problem today — Bullying. What I liked the most was that the author gave multiple perspectives. She went from bullied, to best friend, to parent, to love interest, to bully and back. It covered a wide range of issues that any person can relate to whether they’re fifteen or fifty. I truly loved that about this book. I spent a lot of time psycho analyzing characters because…well, that’s just something I do, but this book was written in a way where you could play devil’s advocate by understanding their own issues yet you could easily dislike them or feel absolutely no sympathy for them even through their own struggles. I’d rate this read at a 3.5-3.8. I enjoyed the style of writing as it is poetic but I would have loved a full length novel. I could actually see this YA book used in schools as a required reading. It would be a good pick. 

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