Started off super good but the ending felt rushed and lack-luster . Thought it was going to have more interactions of the main character with the killer since that was what was advertised on the tin, but sadly no. Glad got it out of the library and didn't buy because seriously was underwhelmed for the last 100 pages or so.
Have now read You twice now and have to say it is just as good and fun the second time around as it was the first.Have only read Hidden Bodies once so far but will be honest though and say I am glad she changed to the third person point of view in the sequel. I was both a fan and not a fan of the second person perspective in You.Though maybe she changed it because well the "You" is now dead in the sequel so can't really use that "You" again now can she? Now don't get me wrong when done correctly, especially in You, is jarring and just makes you feel slightly weird reading it . Think the jarring nature of it was what made reading You so much fun. Thing is the jarring nature of it also takes you out of the story at times. That and well second person usually for me only works really well in choose your own adventure sort of novels . It works in those sort of novels because the YOU they are referring to there is actually you. Descriptions of the you in them is none existent because well the point is that the reader is supposed to be so lost in the story they actual feel they are along for the adventure and the second the writer adds any descriptions the more people that will not match that description and thus not be able to see the themselves in the story any longer. The thing that makes You different is that the You Joe describes is not you the reader but a character in the story and you are more or less sort of living in her body for the story I guess is the best way to put it. I think You works and is way creepier , least to me, when he does mention the character he is stalking by name. Course get why he does because well she is a character in the story so unless the you was actual the reader be strange if not mentioning her name but again the effect is way better when the character's name is not mentioned.
Then came to the sequel , which if anything I think is even better than the first one.I am a bit sad she changed the title from love to Hidden Bodies since I think Love is a far better title and just feel would have been better if all the books in this series had one word titles. Just like the first novel, the sequel makes you root for Joe even though he is a horrible person who does some really horrible things.Will mention if books have to have likeable characters that you can relate to in order for you to like them will say to stay far away from You and Hidden Bodies. I personally like unlikeable characters and have no issues liking characters even if certain things about their personalities or things they do are really messed up. Just found myself tons of times while reading it found myself not wanting him to get caught even though by now he should clearly be in prison or if not on death row.
Will admit I took my ratings down a bit for both mostly for the fact I thought he fell into the just too damn lucky camp . Now I realize there are tons of real life serial killers who get away with horrible things , go uncaught even though when they are caught everyone is just confused how they were not caught earlier since when caught it seemed so obvious it was them or how could anyone believe the lies and shit they feed to them. Realize too there are real life causes where strange luck or whatever you want to call it factors in and people go uncaught far longer then they should(Cops miss clues because they are human, witness don't want to come forward, etc). Even with that in mind though I still thing there were a few cases especially in Hidden bodies where just he surpassed luck in my opinion. The most notable example is when he admits everything to Love, his now new obsession and love interest. Now we as the reader don't know if he actually told her everything thing that happened as it happened. We sort of have to take his word for it that he did.I for one think he told her his version of events , leaving out details and such. Then again he is also our eyes so who is to say we know all of the truth either. Now Love is again not a completely likeable character and even if she was say one of the many women that fall in love with serial killers , who I think if faced with someone like that for real and not just in a fantasy would head for the hills since the fantasy of being in love and helping a killer is not as scary as the reality, I just don't think she would be able to process that as fast as she did and even go so far as being totally down to just go help him gather evidence that he left behind Not saying that she wouldn't help at some point since there are tons of examples of serial killer couples or least lovers that help out a spouse that kills I just still think she would have a bit more time to fully process all she told her and have more a reaction to what he had than she did. Now after saying that even if was sort of forced to further the plot still happy she did just so he stayed free for longer in the novel.
Can sadly also see the way she helped him working in real life since so many people even now would be like Peach's parents and rather bury a gay child in secret(After Joe kills Peach on a beach and throws her body out to sea her parents now in this one believe it was not suicide . It is shown in the first book that most likely Peach is a lesbian in love with her best friend . In this book her parents have a feeling it was not suicide and decide to reopen the case but when love burst in acting like her lesbian lover they tell the cops to close the case again to hide the fact that their daughter was a lesbian and avoid family scandal.) than admit to the public that their child was gay and start some sort of a family scandal, which as someone who lgbt myself I find fucked up to all hell but just like in real life it is still a sad reality for so many families. So again Joe is not the only messed up character since the people he kills, encounters , etc include a Psychologist who cheats on his wife with patients , well least the main character of You, Peach , a lesbian who comes on to her best when she is more or a bit passed out , Love's brother who is more or less a walking flesh suit pumped full every drug he can get his hands on, and course Love who has her own issues.Will say too if you dislike semigraphic sex scenes in your mystery/suspense novels would avoid these books as well. I think though if you can get over the unlikable characters, if that is usually not your thing, the books are full with enough twists and turns to keep you reading.
For that fact alone would recommend them since they are probably some of the fastest reads. You keep wanting to flip the pages want to find out if Joe will get caught or what other messed up crap is going to happen. Then with much frustration, there is one hell of a cliff hanger for Hidden Bodies, which makes me want a third book like now even though have seen the author saying several times will be awhile til ten.Will admit was surprised when Joe walks out of the restaurant with the place surrounded by the cops and Love is gone that she was not part of a set up to catch him. Was sure one of the cops got to her, fed her lies to give to Joe and that she lead him on til they could strike. Even Joe was certain of this for a bit. Now maybe she still is and it will be brought to light in the next book of the series.Am still also on the fence whether her being pregnant is true on not so guess will have to see about that too. Think though it seems like so far she is not involved in helping him get caught and again it was just one of those terrible mistakes that got people questioning and digging too much. Course with the way Joe is able to pretty much talk himself out of anything and not sure he will face any jail time as of yet. Besides that is no fun for the killer , least to me, to get caught too early and have a feeling this is going to be more than a three book series. Had the same feeling when reading the first few Dexter books along with the Showtime show of the same name, a book series I would highly recommend if you at all enjoyed these books since those have very similar vibe to those .
So in short if you like high paced, readable books in which characters and most importantly a narrator are very very unlikeable , don't mind quite a bit of in semidetail sexual content in your mysteries , and books that have enough twists and turns to keep you guessing would highly recommend both of these books.
Valentina “Vale” Zamora is all but dying inside after witnessing her fiancé, Jason, with one of his alluring business associates. Vale’s crippling insecurity only skyrockets more when the woman taunts Vale with talk of an ongoing affair and the stark reality that Jason will never be satisfied with just one woman.
Emotionally devastated and confused, Vale makes the heart-wrenching decision to call off the wedding and fly to South America to clear her mind and process her feelings.
The past betrayal by her ex-husband still haunts her, leaving her questioning whether Jason might leave her as well. Vale cuts off all communication until she’s ready to face the situation, but Jason tracks her down and shows up unannounced at her hotel. Deep down, she wants to trust him, but can their fiery love survive the myriad tests still on the horizon? Or will their collective pasts be far too much to overcome?
In this 3rd installment, I didn't like reliving the past of Jason's experience with Vale.
Bringing us back into the present, I know that Vale has some serious insecurities, but what happened with Jason and Maria, I mean come on Vale and put some things into perspective. Jason pulled away, she witnessed everything for Christ sake. Her getting pissy with Jason I didn't understand. Who cares about the past. Hence, the past is in the past. Ask the appropriate questions and move on, or not. Vale accepted that he was a prince of porn and with that, she’s accepting that he may, or may not have a past. I felt her running away was very immature. Deal with the situation first, then put Maria in her place, then deal with your fiancé. Not run away.
I thought it was very cute, when Jason sent Vale the text 'I want you, I need you, I LOVE YOU, I had to see you, I am here.' I have officially fallen in love with Jason. I love him. He's such a sweet guy and has such good intentions when it comes to Vale. I can't help but to love him.
Vale's ex husband, I only hate him more. He's a selfish little bastard and playing all these cruel little mind games on Vale, is just awful. I mean, that's just over the top cruel to the lie Vale figured out. My jaw literally dropped. I was happy that Vale had put together that big lie.
I found Jason's jealously a little over the top. In fact from the the very beginning, from Yummy Addictions he was like an extreme case of jealously. I couldn’t understand it at all, but it guess it just boils down to Jason loving Vale. I was worried throughout the series that his extreme jealously was going to go in a dangerous direction but I’m happy how everything concluded.
Their wedding was very cute and over all, it was a good enough read for me to complete it all in one sitting.
* I was given a copy of this book for free, in an exchange for an honest review.
Belle Davis has been writing since she was a teenager. Currently retired, she is an avid reader and world traveler, dedicating her newfound free time to writing and incorporating the places she has visited into her sexy love stories. She enjoys crafting deliciously steamy romance novels for other adventurous readers. She hopes you enjoy her books as much as she loves writing them.
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Purchase on: Amazon
Release Date: June 16th, 2015
Print Length: 160 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Hearts: 3/5
Sensual: 4/5
Heat: 3/5
Vale Zamora gave up on love and passion when her bastard husband left her for a stripper—and then she encountered self-made millionaire Jason Cooper and her body woke up. Just being near him made her pulse in places she didn’t know existed. But that was Paris, a fantasy world where love and lust are temporary bedfellows; now she’s facing her everyday life in Miami, and she can’t figure out how to move forward. And, as if Vale’s emotional insecurities don’t complicate matters enough already, fate steps in to confuse things even further—pushing the new lovers apart before they seemingly have a chance.
Following up the ravishing Yummy Addictions, author Belle Davis dives further into Vale’s erotic escapades in her latest novel Yummy Temptations. As hot and steamy as a Miami beach and as multilayered as Mexico City, this tantalizing story undulates with rising intensity as Vale strives to reconnect with the only man who’s ever made her feel the heights of passion. But is Jason too good to be true?
For fans of Sylvia Day, E. L. James, and Jodi Ellen Malpas, Yummy Temptations is a contemporary erotic romance about one woman’s sexual exploration, experimentation, and awakening.
Reading Yummy Temptations #2, I couldn’t get into it like I did Yummy Addictions #1.
In the second installment, the author continues off from where Yummy addictions #1 left off and I really liked the twist with what had happened to Vale. Although, I felt as though what Vale had been through and how she recovered felt kind of rushed to me.
The sex scenes were too wordy for my liking. However, I still really enjoyed Jason and Vale. From the first installment, I was pretty close to what I was suspecting that Jason did, career wise. I understand Vale’s insecurities when she found out about Jason and her reaction was a realistic one. I really enjoyed how protective Jason was with Vale. You could feel his emotions and hers, with the authors words.
But still, there were parts that seemed rushed. The last few chapters where Vale and Jason are at a club and non stop drama keeps following Vale seemed over done. I mean, sure, it could happen, maybe. I think that Vale’s bastard ex husband deserves to be thrown off a cliff. He’s an asshole and I wanted Jason to put him in his place many times. I was happy that Vale slapped him. I wanted to shout at him, on behalf of Vale. Her ex husband should feel very low, that his wife was able to get a porn prince as her boyfriend. I think that says a lot about Vale. She knows what she’s doing to keep a man like that.
Overall, Jason and Vale are still a sweet couple and I hope I enjoy the 3rd installment more.
Belle Davis has been writing since she was a teenager. Currently retired, she is an avid reader and world traveler, dedicating her newfound free time to writing and incorporating the places she has visited into her sexy love stories. She enjoys crafting deliciously steamy romance novels for other adventurous readers. She hopes you enjoy her books as much as she loves writing them.
Purchase on: Amazon
Release Date: May 4th, 2015
Print Length: 202 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Hearts: 4/5
Sensual: 4/5
Heat: 4/5
This is my first time reading a book by this author and let me say that I will definitely be reading more. Yummy Addictions was a sexy read and it pulled you right in. The author made me feel like I was right there in Paris. I want to go down to Paris and go shopping now, lol.
In this 1st installment to the Yummy trilogy, we meet Vale and Jason. Vale is a pretty Cuban girl, with curves and all. Her ex-husband did not appreciate her, which left her feeling very self-conscious about herself. Physically, emotionally, mentally and sexually. I felt really bad to how she was treated.
Now divorced, Vale decides to take a trip to Paris to splurge and enjoy some alone time. Maybe have a fling or two, then she meets Jason. The mystery play boy, and a guy she meet at party years ago when she was married. Fireworks takes off and its a hot and steamy, exciting vacation for the two of them.
Vale, I liked her but she had baggage that needs to be dealt. I was so excited for Vale when Jason showed up out of the blue. They had a lot of wild monkey sex and fun, but I didn't fully understand Jason's jealously. For barely knowing Vale he got jealous pretty easily, and even Vale noticed it but pushed it under the carpet. I liked Jason. I thought he was a super sweet guy but he's so mysterious. For the whole story I kept waiting for his baggage to be unloaded. To find out what does Jason do exactly, how can he manage to pay for everything and at the end with his boys, I thought it was all gonna come out but it didn't. AGH!!
This story was well written and I loved the characters, they were enjoyable. I can't to read on to find out what happens between Vale and Jason.
Sensual rating 4/5 Not exactly, erotica but still hot.
Heat rating 4/5 Its scorching.
* I was given a copy of this book for free, in an exchange for an honest review.
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