Tag Archives: If You Dare

If You Dare by Barbara Meyers – a Review

Posted on by
13

If You Dare by Barbara Meyers – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Apple / BAM / Book Depository

 

Description:
Can a man evolve from arrogant ass to Father of the Year?

Doug Winston looks into his newborn daughter’s eyes and vows to become the kind of man and father worthy of her. But he first must navigate the mess he’s made of his life.

Doug’s wife has left him. The teenage son he raised despises him, the father he worships disowns him, and a child Doug never knew he’d fathered arrives on his doorstep.

After his baby’s mother dies, her sister, Josie, wants to prove him unfit and attain custody.

As Doug embarks on his quest to live authentically, to make amends where he can and build relationships with his children and with Josie, he discovers that the father for whom he was never good enough is part of a vast criminal network.

Just as Doug and Josie cross the line from hate to love, and Doug has cobbled together the family he always wanted, can he bring the man he once idolized to justice in order to protect them all?

 

 

 

 

Review:

Doug didn’t have friends.  He had acquaintances.  Business associates.  He’d lived his whole life in this town yet he’d never developed the sort of personal relationships others managed so easily.  He couldn’t think of one person he could call who would be there for him no questions asked.  God, he had to stop thinking about everything he’d done wrong or else he’d end up drowning.  He needed to focus on trying to do things right from now on.

I’m rather surprised Doug was chosen for the spin-off, on account of being a user-manipulator, but people love redemption arcs, don’t they?  If You Dare is the aptly named sequel by Barbara Meyers.  Doug was a villainous character from book 1 who was handed his just desserts, but the death of his lover, leaving him to raise his infant daughter alone, would bring anyone to their knees from the fallout.  Can Doug reinvent himself?

A continued compliment to Ms. Meyers for her writing prowess.  While doing nothing more than depicting the frenetic details of Doug’s sudden catapult into fatherhood, the writing of ordinary sounds are keen and poignant; engaging and fresh, as always.  I felt like a true fly on the wall, forehead slaps aplenty, agog with this-shouldn’t-be-new-to-you-Miles’-father!, but committed to reading the journey I was on, because the writing was so good!  This was the energy she had in the introductory novel, so just kudos to you for keeping me interested, despite the flawed subject.

Keeping me interested — the plot thickens!  When it rains in Red Bud, Iowa, it’s a deluge.  Doug’s past rears its ugly head yet again and demands he step up to meet the challenge.  Forced to grapple with his selfish behavior, we are treated to the reckoning.  It is this introspection, this insight into Doug’s self-recrimination that allows us to heal alongside him.  Because let me tell you:  that initial silent acknowledgement of Josie’s attractiveness rattled my cage – did he learn nothing?!  Who’s Josie?  The ex-lover’s cousin with a whole lot of judgment to heap upon Doug.  Not a spoiler (it’s in the synopsis) and never a worry, Ms. Meyers reeled Doug back in with a crisis of conscience tug.  The evolution of said relationship is much more palatable.  Dare I say, understandable.

Suffice it to say, the aforementioned plot twist is only one of several subplots to keep you affixed.  About 10 chapters in, I did miss the previous main characters.  Ever the diligent writer, they eventually engaged, albeit briefly.  If Doug’s transformation was to be accepted, he had to confront the disasters he created, to justify our reassessment.  Again, the ability to dovetail Doug from insolent to human was heartfelt and believable.

Just when things finally make sense, life in check and love in surplus, the fear of losing it takes on new meaning.  Look at me going on and on.  Read for yourselves and tell me this wasn’t almost better than the first!  Either way, we all win.  I’m ready for your next book, 😉 

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy supplied for review

 

Share

IF YOU DARE & The Dare Series (1-3) by Shantel Tessier-Review tour

Posted on by
10

IF YOU DARE & The Dare Series (1-3) by Shantel Tessier-Review tour

IF YOU DARE
The Dare Series #3
by Shantel Tessier
Release Date: August 26, 2019
Genre: contemporary, YA/NA, dark romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.au /Amazon.uk/

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The game was over. The dares were getting old, and the secrets were piling up faster than the bodies.

But someone had other plans. They wanted to paly a new game.

Becky Holt was the love of his life until he found out what she was hiding. Now he wants to seek his revenge in the most daring way.

Deke Biggs has always been a shark. He’s not afraid to kill, and he’s about to become her worst nightmare.

But there’s a new player, and she plans on taking everything, no matter what the cost.

Try to beat him- If You Dare!

Who will win and who will lose?

••••••••••••

REVIEW: *Rubs hands together to savor the moment* I knew it was coming, but I wasn’t ready for it, and booklover, neither are you.

If You Dare is the third in the Dare Series by Shantel Tessier and it packs a bunch right to the gut! Drama, secrets, sex, violence, fighting, action, welcome back to the GWS series.

Shantel has pulled me into a dark, wonderful place I never want to leave. We welcome back all the best, Austin, Cole, Deke, Becky and even Demi to this violent adventure.

Now in Texas Deke and the rest of the gang are trying to move on to bigger and better things, the friendship between the guys is now stronger than ever and their connection infallible.

Becky goes balls to the wall crazy, takes her hatred towards her sister and holds it close to her chest and finally seeks out her revenge, but would the cost be too much? There are twists and turns to this story I was totally blindsided by, but WOW what a way to go!

This series is crazy and amazing and a read I would recommend with caution, but to all my book friends.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sarah L

 

 

Prologue:
DekeDeath Is A debt we are all born owing.It is something that money can’t buy nor can it be traded.

You can’t bargain for more time. When it’s up you accept it like a fucking man.

I’ve never been afraid to die. Or to love, for that matter.

Aren’t they the same?

You surrender to a fate you have no control over.

You don’t get to choose when or how you die, just as you can’t choose when and who you fall in love with.

Some couples get a happily ever after while others are toxic for one another.

My love was like that.

She lied; I believed every word.

I hurt her; she forgave too easily.

It was a vicious circle of deceit and sex wrapped up in a pretty black bow. Neither one of us could quit.

I wrapped my hand around her throat, and she begged me to breathe.

She stabbed me in the heart and demanded I bleed.

She might as well have been fucking poison, but I would have drunk her anyway.

That was the kind of obsession I had for her.

I knew how it would end-total devastation.

A war zone of Broken bones and bleeding souls.

I should have hated her, but that’s the funny thing about love-it’s out of your control.

Even when it leaves you with two black eyes, you beg for more.

People are afraid of the unknown, but I’ve never feared death, and love was no different.

She was going to destroy me, and I was going to let her. It was a game that could only end one way-a slow and torturous death.

 


 

____________

I DARE YOU
The Dare Series #1
by Shantel Tessier
Release Date: April 27, 2018
Genre: contemporary, YA/NA,dark romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N /

ABOUT THE BOOK:

What do you do when the devil has you in his sights?

You show him that you can play his game.

Austin Lowes is new to town. She’s running from a mom who hates her to her dad who cares nothing about her. Only a few months and she will be free, or at least, that’s what she hopes … until she meets him.

Cole Reynolds is the devil disguised as a man. He wants her fear, he wants her blood, and he wants her soul.

Just a little game, he says, I dare you.

Will Austin survive him, or will she lose herself and the game?

Secrets are revealed and justice will be served, but at what cost?

Who survives and who doesn’t?

••••••••

REVIEW: First and foremost; trigger warning, this is violent and bloody, if those types of things are hard on you, read at your own risk.

As a first-time reader to Shantel Tessier I was unprepared for the raw emotion that comes through in her writing.

Austin Lowes is the new girl in the city, with a crazy Mom who hates her Dad and a life she just wants to be free of. It took me a few chapters to really get into her character, she comes off as wild and ballsy but also crazy as all get out. I think that is why he character works so well with Cole.

Cole Reynolds is the guy you hate, but secretly think is hotter than the sun, but boy oh boy is he a freaking nutter. Cole is obsessed with blood, control, violence and fighting and soon Austin. When they first got together, I thought they were going to kill each other, but instead? Well instead their sexual chemistry ignites into something I never would have expected.

Austin is the only badass willing enough to take on Cole, and lordy does she take him on. From fighting, sexy hot scenes that wet your knicker to ones that may be just a touch too much, this is a page turner for sure.

My all time favorite of this book;

“I wanna watch tears roll down your beautiful face because I think you’re gorgeous when you cry. I wanna see blood on your flawless skin because you look like a priceless piece of work. And I wanna look down at you while you’re on your knees because you want to please me. I wanna make you a beautiful, broken doll, Austin. All mine to play with. All mine to fuck. All mine to destroy.”

Can you feel that?! I sure did and what an amazing read it was!

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sarah L

_____________

I PROMISE YOU
The Dare Series #2
by Shantel Tessier
Release Date: April 26, 2019
Genre: contemporary, YA/NA, dark, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

ABOUT THE BOOK:

It was supposed to be a game.
I Dare You.
We bought her in ’cause I wanted to play with her.
Destroy her.
But plans change and she got caught in the cross fire.
Then I did something far worse. I fell in love with her, but she doesn’t know I still have secrets.
Ones that could rip us all apart.
We’re sharks.
Raised to hunt and kill.
We take what we want without asking.
We’ve never needed permission before, so I’m not about to start now.
You think you know everything, but we’re about to do what we do best and prove you wrong- I Promise You!

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: The Second in the Dare series, this doesn’t pick right up where the first left off, but close enough that I would recommend reading the first one.

Cole is going nuttier than a fruit cake, looking for revenge, Austin is in major health trouble and someone ends up dead. I’m not one to post spoiler because I personally don’t think it’s cool. The group is divided, Cole is a mess in every-since of the word, but who wouldn’t be after his friend’s betrayal.

Tension is thick in this book throughout the entire of the story, lies are revealed, secrets told and what comes from it will shock everyone to their cores. Some parts where harder than other for me to follow due to the way the flashbacks come and go throughout the book, but in the end, I really enjoyed the story. The dark, violent Cole finally comes to his senses and manages to start treating Austin the way she DESERVES to be treated. This for me, made this book. Epic, suspenseful, action packed and sexy, everything I like in a book topped with a hottie to boot. As a side notes-I really hope Deke has a story coming, love the name, love the character and his story is just starting to burn, I can feel it.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sarah

Shantel is a Texas born girl who now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband and their two daughters. She loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good book.

 She considers herself extremely lucky to do what she does while getting to work from home. Going to concerts and the movies are just a few of her favorite things to do. She hates coffee but loves wine. She and her husband are both huge football fans, college and NFL. And she has to feed her high heel addiction by shopping for shoes weekly.

 Although she has a passion to write, her family is most important to her. She loves spending evenings at home with her husband and daughter, along with their cat and dog.

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShantelTessierAuthor/

Readers group: Shantel’s Sinful Side – https://bit.ly/2l9EUBJ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shantel_Tessier

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shantel_tessier/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7086716.Shantel_Tessier

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KKeTpa

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shantel-tessier

 

 

Share

If You Dare by Jessica Lemmon – a Review

Posted on by
11

If You Dare by Jessica Lemmon – a Review

If You DareLink to order If You Dare: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Description:
SHE’LL MAKE HIM A BET… Lily McIntire is sick of losing every office wager to her overly cocky—and yeah, devilishly handsome—coworker, Marcus Black. After a few too many tequila shots, and a taunt from Marcus that she’s a wuss, Lily lays down a bet he can’t refuse: One night in the abandoned and spooky Willow Mansion alone for his recent office win, a trip to Hawaii.

HE CAN’T REFUSE… There’s only one thing Marcus wants more than his upcoming vacation to Hawaii; it’s to take his sexy coworker on a real date. Every time he’s tried to get close to Lily, she’s shut him down cold. Too bad the sexual tension has hit the boiling point. Now, he’ll have to scare her out of the mansion if he has a prayer of taking her out any time soon.

UNTIL ALL BETS ARE OFF… But in between trying to scare Lily out of her pants and get his hands into them, Marcus realizes there’s more to the mansion than either of them counted on. Suddenly, it’s not just he and Lily that are going “bump in the night”.  If they manage to survive the night and escape the mansion unscathed, can they survive each other in the light of day? Or will what happens at Willow Mansion stay at Willow Mansion?

Review:

IF YOU DARE by Jessica Lemmon is a quirky new read concerning a bet between two coworkers!  Marcus Black is the office “bad boy” who has always had his eye on coworker, Lily McIntire.  She has shut him down repeatedly and Marcus Black sees the chance to win her over.  Over tequila shots and a pool game, he dares Lily to spend the night at an abandoned and “haunted” Willow Mansion.  If she makes it through one night, she wins his trip to Hawaii. If he wins, she has to go on a date with him!  The bet is made and the fun begins.

Lily is settling down for her night in this abandoned mansion and Marcus is going to try to scare her out of the mansion, so that he can win!  What he doesn’t realize is that there are actual things that go “bump in the night”!  In between their attraction and sexual tension, scary things start to happen.  Her car keys disappear, the lantern goes out and their phone batteries are dead.  What is happening?  Will they survive the night? Willow Mansion seems to have a life force of its own.  There is some hot action, but the question remains, who will win the bet?   Let’s hope that they can survive the night!

Reviewed by Jules

Copy provided by Publisher

Share