Charleigh Rose

3.75 Stars
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
See the book tour on Carlene Inspired.

Graham Savage is dark, handsome, a career criminal, and has a marriage of convenience to Dahlia's absentee mother. He also happens to own some of the east coast's hottest clubs, including the one Dahlia finds herself in one evening several years shy of 21. The discipline he enacts on her as a Daddy only furthers the confusion when she finds herself thinking of him in a much different light. As her show more 18th birthday looms closer the roles between Dahlia and Graham change.

It's my stepdad, and he is looking like my worst nightmare, ready to explode.

Talk about a dirty little short! Stepdaddy Savage is over-the-top smutty taboo and it's oh so good. Graham Savage is more than just a dangerous wealthy stepdad, but like Dahlia we don't know that about him until much later on. What starts as less than innocent flirting turns into obsession and these two are hot, hot, hot. Graham is possessive, demanding, alpha to his core, and a bit sweet too. I was prepared to really dislike him as the stepdad, but he wins you over so quickly with his confessions. Dahlia is written as an innocent teen with a bit of a wild streak, but she's smart and reads as much older. The best part, though? The plot. Yes, that's right, there is a plot to this sexy novel, it isn't just smut. There's cheeky dialogue, extensive background about both main characters, and a relationship that develops over a length of time. The smut scenes are consensual, but they are absolutely indecent, in the best way possible.

There it is again, that almost smile. God, he is hot. In a dark, brooding, don't-fuck-with-me way.

I did read an ARC copy, so I cannot speak about the final product, but there were quite a few grammatical errors through out this short read. They were bothersome at first, the kind that make you question the writers intent, but I got over them as I continued to read. There are also some sexual words that just had be giggling, because that's the honest reaction I'd give anyone in real life using the word "cum gun." Just don't. There are some elements that readers will consider not safe, so if you are a safe reader it may cross some lines for you. I actually chose to accept and ARC because of the not safe warning, we all know I can't say no to a dark, but good time. I did not find the scenario in the story to be cheating, however I think it can be read as such depending on your viewpoints of commitment with or without emotion.

When my thigh brushes his knee, I stop. His body feels hard and hot and I want nothing more than to climb over my daddy and do filthy things to him, because he is not my daddy.

If you have a daddy-kink or are just a fan of the taboo genre with a side of sweet romance, Stepdaddy Savage is the perfect short read for you. I loved the scorching smut and how much story and personality was packed into this one-hundred something paged novella.

Because I'm not your parent, sweetheart. And I'm about to do very un-parental things to you.

I happen to have it on good authority that there's a follow up novel with some of our favorite secondary characters. *wink* Can't wait! show less

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.

Frustrated by her parent's overinvolvement in her life. It may seem perfect, her life of wealth and luxury, but it isn't until she's amongst the glittering lights and grime of the carnival that she feels alive. That ends the next day though, when life as she's known it is flipped upside down. The handsome boy on the motorcycle is now associated with the attack that ruined her life, leaving her hurt, angry, and fighting to make it to the end of show more high school. When each summer is marked by a visit with that same boy, Evan's mood changes, and soon she finds she needs Sebastian to make the escape from her once glittering life that's now tinged by despair. But can Evan cut it in Sebastian's no-attachment life and make herself at home amongst the carnival?

"It wasn’t the carnival I was drawn to. It was Sebastian. That wasn’t a coincidence. If anything, that was fate."

Filled with angst and passion, Rewrite the Stars is a coming-of-age romance that will make you fall in love and want to run away to the carnival too. Evan is a passionate teenager, a smart girl who has worn a facade for far too long. Sebastian is one of the handsome, but cursed Sons of Eastlake, a man who lives life in the fastlane, at least until Evan makes him want to slow down. The two are like star crossed lovers, their lives so different and yet they understand one another in a way no one ever has before. The odds seems stacked against them, especially once Evan finds herself on the road with the carnival and Sebastian ignores her and the chemistry that flames between them. I immediately was protective over both Evan and Seb, wanting their lives to be easier, wanting them to be together without anything standing in the way. They really are meant to be, but Charleigh Rose has created a complex plot and it wouldn't be very interesting if things just worked out. There's the hot dancer from the carnival, the creepy incidents that keep occuring, and the newest member of the Sons, Elliott, all trying to ensure Evan and Sebastian don't work out. These things only draw the two closer together, each learning to trust and share and finding comfort in one another. While their passion is explosive, their true relationship is built slowly and really makes the story as good as it is.

"Hope is a dangerous thing when you’re a McAllister."

I loved the world Charleigh Rose created in Rewrite the Stars, I could picture every character, the entire carnival caravan, and I really felt like I was in the story. The carnival itself really made the story more magical, even as Evan unveiled the truth of how they live and what goes on behind closed trailer doors. The illusion of the carnival life is broken, but it's more raw and real than anything Evan's ever known. There's motorcycles, adult-only tents, fire breathers, and of course, those pesky girls that follow the Sons everywhere. The on-the-move life makes Evan's friend pool very small and makes the drama grow quickly, but it also makes for a family-like atmosphere and gives Evan a chance at what might even be more normal of a life than her previous life. The carnival is where she grows up, where she learns to trust and believe, and where she learns what love really is, even if fate might have other plans for Sebastian McCallister.

"Why should I stay?"
"Because I don't want feel like waiting another year to see you again."

Oh my lanta, Charleigh Rose, you are a gem! Rewrite the Stars is a unique, adventurous story that stands out among other romances on the shelves right now. The characters are relatable, despite their on-the-road lifestyle, and the story is whimsical, filled with the sort of magic and mischief you don't often get in adult romance. I knew I'd like Rewrite the Stars from the moment the blurb was announced, but I had no clue I'd fall in love with it. This book is a stunning, re-read worthy release from Charleigh Rose. And hey, if anyone else wants to run away to work at the carnival now, let me know, I'm in!

ARC provided. show less

Jesse’s Girl

Holy Crap that was amazing!! I thought the first two books were amazing and my favorite but Jesse’s story beats them all. I’m not going to lie I was a little unsure if I’d like the little brother book as much but Jesse has grown up and knocked me for a loop. He is broody, angry, but oh so sweet and sexy when you get to see the real him. Allie was awesome she was tough but sweet and perfect for Jess. Their push and pull had the chemistry and tension built so high that when show more they do get together it burns the pages up. Another great read by the author. show less

Holden the player and Valen the ice princess is completely opposite and yet very similar in some ways that they explode when thrown together. With everything that happened in book one Holden’s family is still going through a lot with some out to still hurt them and now when things between him and Valen heating up she is thrown into the drama. Holden comes off as this cocky playboy which he is, but when him and Valen start their fling, he starts to realize his feelings towards her are so show more much more. He is still a dirty talking unfiltered guy but all that is now just saved for Valen, and it made me absolutely fall in love with him. The more we find out about both Holden’s family issues and Valen’s past you end up understanding their personalities a lot more. My heart hurt for Valen because of the things she went through and those who abandoned her made her this cold person she is today, but there were times I wanted to shake some sense into her for all the times she kept pushing Holden away or wanting to keep him her dirty little secret. Overall, the storyline was great with the suspense of the Ames family drama and Holden just makes your heart swoon, but I don’t know what my issue was with Valen I just wasn’t as obsessed with her as I was Holden. show less