The Lovely Return by Carian Cole-review tour

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Sandy

The Lovely Return by Carian Cole-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 30, 2023

What if death doesn’t do you part?

They say be careful what you wish for. But on December 5th, Alex Fox makes a wish in the midst of a devastating tragedy. Little did he know, that wish would come true.

Six years after that fateful day, a little girl wanders into Alex’s studio. With her quirky personality, endless questions, and adorable smile, Penny Rose becomes an enchanting, yet bittersweet, distraction.

Penny Rose was an odd girl—at least, that’s what her parents said. Penny herself didn’t feel particularly odd; she simply felt misplaced. As if somehow, in some way, she was living in the wrong place. In the wrong life.

As the years pass, Alex and Penny develop a friendship. But it becomes harder and harder for them to ignore their undeniable chemistry, no matter how forbidden it is.

Alex believed he’d never find love again, let alone fall for a girl half his age. But Penny is everything he could ever want or need. Not only is she caring, witty, and beautiful, but she accepts the past that haunts him.

Penny couldn’t be happier. She’s been head over heels for sexy, brooding artist Alex Fox since she was six years old. But when her childhood dreams start resurfacing again—dreams of a life with Alex way before they ever met—she starts to think they’re not dreams at all.

They’re memories.

Penny’s revelation to Alex threatens to tear them apart, making them question the impossible and unbelievable.

Can love truly transcend time and death, giving them a second chance at their happily ever after? Or is Penny battling a broken mind that has led her down a path of heartbreaking delusion?

••••

REVIEW:THE LOVELY RETURN by Carian Cole is an adult, stand alone, age-gap, paranormal love story focusing on Alex Fox, and Penny Rose.

Told from three first person perspectives (Alex, Penny, Laura) using several timelines, THE LOVELY RETURN covers approximately twenty-four years in the lives of our story line couple. At age twenty-one. Alex Fox lost everything the day a transport truck destroyed his life. Six years later Alex would come face to face with Penny Rose, a six year old girl who knows more about Alex than he could have ever imagined. Alex and Penny will begin a friendship that will span close to twenty years, a friendship that will end when the past takes hold, refusing to let go. Memories begin to surface, threatening the sanity of our story line heroine.

The world building is intricate and transcendent. Alex lost his wife, and struggled in the ensuing years until meeting a young child who was familiar yet not. Penny Rose’s thought and memories were snippets of deja-vu, in which Penny would start reliving a life she knew nothing about.

The relationship between Penny and Alex begins as a friendship in which Penny is pulled towards Alex, his house, his life, and the ghost of his wife. As the years pass, Penny comes in and out of Alex’s life until the day she is no longer able to control the memories that mimic the madness that will change her life. Their friendship is passionate, visceral, emotional and fated.

The secondary and supporting characters, who will play a significant role in our couple’s lives, are animated and haunting, each with their own secrets about the past.

THE LOVELY RETURN is a story of secrets and lies, madness and forgiveness, reincarnation and spirits, acceptance and love. The thought provoking premise is raw and twisted; the characters are broken, struggling, and tragic; the romance is seductive and passionate.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Born and raised a Jersey girl, Carian now resides in beautiful New Hampshire with her husband and their multitude of furry pets. She spends most of her time writing, reading, and vacuuming. Carian Cole has a passion for the bad boys, those covered in tattoos, sexy smirks, ripped jeans, fast cars, motorcycles, and of course, the sweet girls who try to tame them and win their hearts.

Text COLE to 31996

Don’t Kiss The Bride by Carian Cole-Review Tour

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Sandy

Don’t Kiss The Bride by Carian Cole-Review Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 1 2021

I guess you could say I was a damsel in distress, and he was my knight in shining armor.

But more accurately, I was a girl with a lot of bad luck, and he was a guy with a lot of muscles and tattoos.

Jude “Lucky” Lucketti wasn’t just a sexy, brooding construction worker. He was my own personal hero who seemed to be in all the right places at the right times. Like when my car broke down and I needed a ride home, and when I face planted on the sidewalk right in front of him and had to be taken to the emergency room.

Those weren’t exactly my best moments, but they were his.

We became friends, and it didn’t matter that he was sixteen years older than me. We had a lot in common—like our love of old rock music and vintage fast cars, and our aversion to relationships.

When he approached me with a crazy idea to help me out, I couldn’t say no.

The arrangement was supposed to be temporary. A marriage on paper and nothing else.

It should’ve been easy, but it wasn’t.

Because here I am, eighteen years-old, still in high school, and married to a man I was never supposed to fall in love with.

We had just one rule—no kissing the bride.

But we broke that rule, and it sealed our fate forever.

•••••••

REVIEW:DON’T KISS THE BRIDE by Carian Cole is a contemporary, new adult to adult erotic stand alone romance story line focusing on eighteen year old, high school student Skylar Timmons , and thirty-four year old construction worker Jude ‘Lucky’ Lucketti. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s Ashes and Embers series.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives ( Skylar and Lucky) DON’T KISS THE BRIDE focuses on the age-gap, marriage of convenience between eighteen year old, high school student Skylar Timmons , and thirty-four year old construction worker Jude ‘Lucky’ Lucketti. Skylar Timmons home and personal life is a mess, and it has affected her emotionally, physically, and mentally to the point that our heroine struggles with daily tasks. An altercation in the high school parking lot finds construction worker Jude Lucketti rescuing our heroine, a rescue she claims she could have handled herself but as the days pass, Lucky finds himself following for the young woman only to realize that not all is well in her less than ordered life. An offer of a ‘marriage of convenience’ without the benefits of being husband and wife is exactly what our heroine needs until Skylar and Lucky finds themselves falling in love. What ensues is the back and forth, slow building romance and relationship between Skylar and Lucky, and the fall-out as Lucky struggles with their age difference, and ghost from the past.

Skylar Timmons life has been spiralling out of control for years, and is only getting progressively worse. Secrets at home will come to light, and in this Jude Lucketti knows there is only one thing he can do to save the woman with whom he will fall in love but Lucky’s past is about to affect the present, and in this Skylar will be caught in the direct line of fire

The relationship between Skylar and Jude is an age-gap, older man-younger woman, marriage of convenience in which our couple struggle to come to terms with married life. Jude refuses to cross the line from friendship to married couple, and in this Skylar is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. Abandoned by her father, Jude’s rejection is a continuous cycle of pain and heart break.. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and seductive but I struggle with the use of a certain four-letter word, only used twice, but mostly for shock value.

We are introduced to Skylar’s best friend Megan, and her boss Rebecca; Skylar’s struggling mother Nicole; Lucky’s aunt Suzy and uncle Al. The requisite evil has many faces including a gang of high school mean girls.

DON’T KISS THE BRIDE is a story of miscommunication and misunderstanding; mental illness, family, secrets, relationships and love. The premise is dramatic, heart breaking, emotional and captivating; the romance is impassioned and sensual ; the characters are broken, wounded and tragic.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Asher (Ashes and Embers 1-6)by Carian Cole-Review & Giveaway tour

Posted on June 3, 2020 by Sandy

ASHER (Ashes and Embers 1-6) by Carian Cole-Review & Giveaway tour

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GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44535638-asher

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 3, 2020

I should have died.
I should have been forgotten.

But I didn’t, and I wasn’t.

Living the life most women only dream about, I was madly in love with my soulmate—Asher Valentine—amazing husband, loving father, and rock’s favorite kick-ass frontman. A man who loved me every day, in every way, since we first met as teens. We were blessed with a beautiful daughter who was the light of our life. My all-female rock band was tearing up the charts.

Then tragedy struck, and I lost it all.

Now all I have is a stack of journals, an antique key, and a big black void where my memories should be.

Used to be.

And I have him—this man with wild hair, tattoos from head to toe, a soft voice, and an even softer touch that gives me butterflies. He’s clearly hopelessly in love with his wife.

I’m told that’s me.

But that wife is gone, and she took everything they once had, leaving me in her place.

A broken replacement. A new version that doesn’t quite fit.

I’m slowly falling in love with him, but will he ever truly love me? Or will he forever be in love with her, the phantom woman who haunts us both?

•••••••••

REVIEW: ASHER is the sixth instalment in Carian Cole’s contemporary, adult ASHES AND EMBERS erotic, rock romance series focusing on the members of the rock band Ashes and Embers. This is frontman for the rock band Ashes and Embers Asher Valentine, and his wife and fellow rock star Ember’s story line. ASHER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Asher and Ember) ASHER follows in the wake of a tragic accident that left Ember Valentine in a vegetative coma for close to eight years. Having never waivered from his beloved’s side Asher Valentine prays for the day his wife returns but with her return comes the loss of her memories and a struggle to re-acclimate to a life that is no longer her own. Childhood sweethearts and teen parents, Asher and Ember have weathered the storm but Ember’s loss of memories threaten the tear the bonds that have tethered our couple together. What ensues is the rebuilding friendship, relationship and love between Asher and Ember, and the potential fall-out as Ember searches for herself in a woman she no longer recognizes.

Asher Valentine is the complete opposite of a famous rock-star: a doting husband and father whose sole purpose is worship the ground upon which his beloved wife walks but with Ember’s awakening from an eight year coma comes the continuing tragedy that has become his life. Ember struggles with the unreality of a life she can no longer remember and in this our heroine battles between head and heart in an effort to discover who she really wants to be. The world has moved forward leaving Ember struggling to catch up and carry on.

Most of the previous story line couples play secondary and supporting characters including their daughter Kenzi, and her husband Tor. We are introduced to Redwood, the man that saved Ember’s life; as well as Ember’s band mate Sydni; and Ember’s nurse Sarah, and a quick peak at construction worker Jude ‘Lucky’ Lucketti. Carian Cole has plans for both Redwood, and Lucky’s storylines.

ASHER is a heart breaking, emotional and dramatic storyline. The premise is tragic yet encouraging; the romance is tender, passionate and intense; the characters are broken, and lost but energetic and hopeful.

Copy supplied for review

Review by Sandy

STORM
(Ashes and Embers #1)
by Carian Cole

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date Novmber 4, 2018

The calm before the storm…
I was living a quiet, somewhat boring life. Safe and comfortable. Until a winter storm came. The wind rustled in warning, telling me to get out of its path.
But I didn’t.
I never stood a chance.
A series of weather and road mishaps leaves me trapped in the middle of a blizzard with a complete stranger. In the back of a pickup truck.
For forty-eight freakin’ hours.
A stranger with long hair, tattoos, and rippling with muscle.
A stranger with an insanely sexy voice and a smile that turned my insides to jelly.
A stranger who held me in his arms, calmed me, and then set a fire in me that I couldn’t put out.
Storm lives up to his name. Beautiful. Dangerously inviting. Tumultuous. Dark. A clash of hot and cold.
He’s used to getting everything he wants.
And now he wants me.
Some people chase storms for the beautiful thrill.
What happens when the storm chases you?

••••••••••••

REVIEW: STORM is the first instalment in Carian Cole’s contemporary, adult ASHES AND EMBERS erotic, rock romance series focusing on the rock band Ashes and Embers. This is thirty-year old, lead guitarist and motorcycle mechanic Storm Valentine, and twenty-six year old, Evelyn’s story line.

Told from first person point of view (Evelyn) STORM follows the building relationship between thirty-year old, lead guitarist Storm Valentine, and twenty-six year old, Evelyn. On her way to a business presentation, Evelyn finds herself stranded in a freak snowstorm with no rescue in sight. Enter thirty-year old, lead guitarist Storm Valentine, a man she knows nothing about but a man struggling to find some down time on his own. Trapped together in Storm’s car for close to forty-eight hours, Storm and Evelyn’s back and forth, acrimonious introduction has the potential to lead to something more, something stalled by Evelyn’s current relationship to her high-school sweetheart. What ensues is the building but tempestuous relationship between Storm and Evelyn, and the potential fall-out as Evelyn struggles to walk away from a ‘comfortable’ situation.

STORM is a story of attraction and betrayal; family, friendship; and falling in love. The premise is entertaining; the forbidden romance is hot and steamy; the characters are colorful and energetic if you can past Evelyn’s less than acceptable behavior which hindered my enjoyment of the book.

____________________

VANDAL
(Ashes and Embers #2)
by Carian Cole

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 4, 2018.

She takes my breath away.
She’s so beautifully damaged.
A mirror of my own tortured soul.
I was powerless to stay away from her.
I was responsible for all the pain and grief that brought her to her knees in front of me.
Broken. Hopeless. Reckless in her agony.
But what I took away I can give back…in ways she cannot even begin to imagine.
Ways that I can’t stop thinking about.
Together we spun a tangled web of lust and need. Power and submission. And dare I say… trust and love.
We’re everything right in all our wrongs.
We found redemption. We found happiness. A chance for a new beginning.
but… she has no idea I’m the one who destroyed her life.

••••••••••

REVIEW: VANDAL is the second instalment in Carian Cole’s contemporary, adult ASHES AND EMBERS erotic, rock romance series focusing on the rock band Ashes and Embers. This is Ashes and Embers’ bass guitarist and tattoo artist Vandal Valentine, and Tabitha Bennett’s story line. VANDAL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary.

WARNING: There are scenes of Domination and submission, including some light BDSM scenarios; drugs, alcohol and talk of suicide and death.

Told from dual first person point of view (Vandal and Tabitha) VANDAL follows the building relationship between Ashes and Embers’ guitarist Vandal Valentine, and Tabitha Bennett. Months earlier Vandal’s life imploded and the fall-out affected his life with the band. On forced sabbatical, Vandal will meet a grieving young woman, a woman about whom he knows more than he reveals. Hoping to forget about life, Vandal makes the stranger an offer she doesn’t refuse. Enter Tabitha Bennett, and the woman with whom Vandal will fall in love. What ensues is the Dom/sub relationship between Vandal and Tabitha, and the potential fall-out when the truth is revealed.

VANDAL is a heart breaking and emotional story of grief, guilt, acceptance, and love. The premise is captivating; the romance is dark, erotic and intense; the characters are broken, wounded and lost. There is a bit of a twist you won’t see coming, at the very end.

___________

LUKAS
(Ashes and Embers #3)
by Carian Cole
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 4, 2018.

A thirty-six year old mother of two finds out life isn’t over after divorce when a sexy as hell twenty-four year old tattoo artist kisses her senseless one night under a shooting star.

Ivy thought she had it all–married to her high school sweetheart, two great kids, and a beautiful house. But her world comes crashing down when she catches her husband with another woman.

When her best friend gives her a gift certificate to a local tattoo parlor to cheer her up, Ivy gets a helluva lot more when inked-up Lukas Valentine–renowned tattoo artist, violin player extraordinaire, and extreme hopeless romantic–captures her heart.

Lukas is an old soul with a heart of gold. When Ivy walks into his shop, he’s instantly drawn to her shy smile and down to earth personality. Tired of the dating scene, Lukas is ready to settle down, and he’s hell-bent on making Ivy believe they can have the happily ever after they both dream about – with each other.

Despite their age difference, the chemistry and love they share is undeniable. Lukas is everything Ivy never knew she wanted in a man, but can she trust her heart with a much younger man, and can they overcome the hurdles that life keeps throwing in their way?

•••••••••

REVIEW: LUKAS is the third instalment in Carian Cole’s contemporary, adult ASHES AND EMBERS erotic, rock romance series focusing on the rock band Embers and Ashes. This is twenty-four year old violinist and tattoo artist Lukas Valentine, and thirty-six year old, Human Resources manager and mother of two Ivy’s story line. LUKAS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and history.

NOTE: The time-line for LUKAS crosses over with, and runs parallel with the time lines of books one and two: STORM and VANDAL.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Lukas and Ivy) LUKAS follows the older woman / younger man relationship between twenty four year old violinist and tattoo artist Lukas Valentine, and thirty six year old, single mother/ Human Resources manager Ivy. Ivy is a woman scorned having discovered her husband of eighteen year having an affair with a much young woman. To help her move forward, a friend offers a gift -certificate for a tattoo with a sexy young artist she knows nothing about. Enter Lukas Valentine, tattoo artist and violinist with the rock band Ashes and Embers. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Ivy and Lukas, and the potential fall-out as vengeance and betrayal set our couple up to fall.

LUKAS is a story of betrayal, vengeance, passion and love. The premise is encouraging and captivating; the romance is seductive and intense; the characters are animated, energetic and real. And to keep it consistent, the author adds another twist at the very end.

__________

TALON
(Ashes and Embers #4)
by Carian Cole

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Re-Release Date November 4, 2018

DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL PARTNER:
Caring. Hard-working. A devoted family man, loves kids.
Clean cut, funny, smart, quiet, but a good communicator.
~ Asia Jenson

DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL PARTNER:
Independent. Tall, blonde, sexy. Outgoing. Intelligent, neat. Confident. Loves to travel. Committed.
~ Talon Valentine

A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT.
The concept was scary but exciting…

Marry a total stranger.Live together for six months.Journal everything. (Feelings. Fights. All of it.)

After six months, we each get $50K in trade for our journals, whether we stay married or not. But the goal is to commit to the experience and see if the relationship experts could put together the perfect matches.

I’ve never been lucky in love. This is my chance to find my soulmate, and hopefully, the man of my dreams.

I couldn’t wait to meet the man the experts felt was perfect for me, but my hopes were immediately shattered when I saw him at the altar.
Crap. I married my worst nightmare.Right?!

•••••••

REVIEW: TALON is the fourth instalment in Carian Cole’s contemporary, adult ASHES AND EMBERS erotic, rock romance series focusing on the rock band Ashes and Embers. This is twenty-six year old, guitarist and music writer Talon Valentine, and twenty-five year old, small business owner Asia’s story line. TALON can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Talon and Asia) TALON follows the social experiment that is the marriage between strangers- twenty-six year old, guitarist and music writer Talon Valentine, and twenty-five year old, small business owner Asia. Asia’s social life is virtually non-existent when her friends suggests signing up for a social experiment where couple’s are matched based on similarities, likes and dislikes, and meet as strangers the days of their wedding. Desperate for the fifty thousand dollar payout, Asia is about to have her life turned upside down. But things don’t go according to plan when Asia finds herself married to rock star Talon Valentine, the complete opposite of everything she asked for in a mate or lover

TALON is a story of family, friendship, struggle and loss. Although the author claims the story is not based on the reality television show similar in context and premise, there are too many similarities not to go unnoticed. The premise is entertaining, engaging and thought provoking; the characters are sassy, sensitive and energetic; the romance is captivating and tragic. TALON is my favorite Ashes and Embers story line, so far. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

_________

LOVING STORM
(Ashes and Embers #5)
by Carian Cole

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Re-release November 4, 2018

(This is a sequel novella to Storm, book one – which must be read first!)

Evie
I met him in a snowstorm…We spent forty-eight hours trapped in the back of his pickup truck.We fought.We touched.We fell.Hard.

Storm
She literally crashed into my life…The last thing I wanted was a relationship. Especially with a quirky chick who drove me insane. But something about her got under my skin, and into my heart.And I had to have her.All of her. Now.

Falling in love in the back of a truck, just the two of us, was easy.Dealing with psycho fans, jealous exes, and demons from the past….not so easy.

Loving Storm is a fast-paced SWEET (not erotica, not a lot of drama) novella that gives an extended look into Storm and Evie’s future. It is best read after reading Storm (and also Vandal, Lukas, and Talon, as those characters will have short cameos in this book).

••••••••••••

REVIEW: LOVING STORM by Carian Cole is a sequel novella to the first instalment STORM in the ASHES AND EMBERS rock, romance series.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Storm and Evie) LOVING STORM follows Evie and Storm as they prepare for their future. Evie is reluctant to set a date for their nuptials, and Storm is desperate to ‘put a ring on it’. Having finally agreed to a winter wedding, plans are put into motion as our couple say their ‘I do’s’ towards a happily ever after.

LOVING STORM is a quick and fast paced novella; a fun, flirty, sexy and intimate look at one couple as they walk into their future, husband and wife. The premise is sweet and intoxicating; the romance is seductive and passionate. The epilogue fast forwards their story seventeen years where we are witness to the next generation of Valentine love.

Copies supplied for review.

Reviews by Sandy

Carian Cole has a passion for the bad boys, those covered in tattoos, sexy smirks, ripped jeans, fast cars, motorcycles and of course, the sweet girls who try to tame them and win their hearts.

Born and raised a Jersey girl, Carian now resides in beautiful New Hampshire with her husband and their multitude of furry pets. She spends most of her time writing, reading, and vacuuming.

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