Melody GraceRezensionen

Christmas Romance

Three lovely Christmas romances and one lovely romance. Melody Grace has created short stories peopled with characters who inhabit her fictional holiday town. The first three are very festive, but the last, while not set at Christmas time, is the best. Enjoyable and adorable tales. Well worth reading.

I hoped this would be better than Untouched, but it wasn't. There was the RAWR RAWR alpha male bad boy manwhore again who shows the innocent, blushing virgin how it's done. idk man, but no thanks. "What we have is real" after knowing each other for like six hours at most? SURE DUDE.

Also, are there no other adjectives to describe a woman than "luscious"? That was used for her lips, hips, and curves in the span of like two pages...

This wasn't very good.

I don't think there was much of a plot one could follow, the sequence of events just happened and it was always the same, regardless of whether eight hours or two days or two weeks had passed since the last snippet. Obviously this is a prequel and I assume the plot points only started here (Juliet's anxiety? Her father's alcoholism? Whatever is wrong with her mother & her sister? Emerson's family situation and siblings - one of them didn't appear in the story and it was never even mentioned that he's the brother, I'm just assuming!) will be addressed in the actual first book, but I don't think this "stands alone" (as the summary said).

I also didn't much care for the relationship. The insta-love was nothing but cringe-worthy (eight hours??? COME ON PEOPLE!), but the sex = possession point made is just creepy. Also, how the heck was Emerson able to tell from basically "the look in Juliet's eyes" that she's a virgin?!

So am I going to continue the series? Probably not. (tbh I only got this cause it was free on Kindle and I need some books that start with "U" for a team challenge. I might read the other free novellas for that purpose though.)

This is a very short story prequel - and as a prequel it's probably more interesting. As a short story read, it really doesn't give you much.

Melody Grace knows how to write a romance. Real people face the unknown with courage, heartache and a hope that at times seems insurmountable but worth the risk. I have yet to pick my jaw up off the floor. Meant To Be is everything a reader wants in a love story but is afraid to ask for. The imagery is spectacular, the emotions are real and it reads like poetic verse. Right on time, hard to forget and easy to fall for. Poppy and Cooper are magic.

Another he leaves her and goes off to spend years screwing everything that walks then realizes she's the one. At least this h didn't spend all her time pining for him as he whored his way around the world, she invested her time and energy into becoming a drunken, drug taking, screw anything mess.

yuck... just yuck

Incredible ending to a great series. I'm sad to see it end.

1st person POV - DNF

Beyond Epic!

I have read each of these individual books and promise you there is no way you can be disappointed! Fabulous authors, incredible stories, unbelievable price! Get yours NOW!

The summer from hell is what Juliet McKenzie is expecting when forced to go to Beachwood Bay with her parents. What she gets is resident bad boy Emerson Ray. Dark and deeply troubled Ray isn't looking for a happily ever after. He's just trying to make it a day at a time. When their worlds collide nothing will ever be the same. A great start to an amazing series. Highly recommended!!

I haven't read all the stories in this collection by I have read a few and they are fantastic and make this one set you will want to get. I can only imagine the rest will be just as good! I highly recommend everyone grab this now!

If I Return by Sawyer Bennett - Wonderfully sweet love story. Hope is a shy, studious college student. Jack is a strong, confident soldier headed to war. They have one glorious week together. A story you don't want to miss.

Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jessie Evans - Carter and Lulu met and fell madly in love when they were young but he was a restless wanderer and she was homebody. When Lulu refuses to go with Carter on his adventures, he packs up his truck and leaves Lonesome Point. Eleven years later he is back and determined to win Lulu back but she is not the same carefree woman he left. This is a wonderfully sweet story and shows that true love can survive the passing of time and help makes us the people we want to be. This is a great story and one I recommend for everyone.

His Christmas Wish by Marquita Valentine - Great read! It's centered around the holidays but it's truly a story of coming home and fighting for those you love. After serving in Afghanistan, Joaquin Morales comes back to Holland Springs to claim the only woman he has ever loved, and it just so happens, she's his wife. Sage Caswell may think she's over Joaquin but he intends to prove her wrong. You want to read this one!!

I haven't read all the stories in this collection by I have read a few and they are fantastic and make this one set you will want to get. I can only imagine the rest will be just as good! I highly recommend everyone grab this now!

If I Return by Sawyer Bennett - Wonderfully sweet love story. Hope is a shy, studious college student. Jack is a strong, confident soldier headed to war. They have one glorious week together. A story you don't want to miss.

Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jessie Evans - Carter and Lulu met and fell madly in love when they were young but he was a restless wanderer and she was homebody. When Lulu refuses to go with Carter on his adventures, he packs up his truck and leaves Lonesome Point. Eleven years later he is back and determined to win Lulu back but she is not the same carefree woman he left. This is a wonderfully sweet story and shows that true love can survive the passing of time and help makes us the people we want to be. This is a great story and one I recommend for everyone.

His Christmas Wish by Marquita Valentine - Great read! It's centered around the holidays but it's truly a story of coming home and fighting for those you love. After serving in Afghanistan, Joaquin Morales comes back to Holland Springs to claim the only woman he has ever loved, and it just so happens, she's his wife. Sage Caswell may think she's over Joaquin but he intends to prove her wrong. You want to read this one!!

Everything about this book is beautiful and perfect. Except the romance.

It's been well categorized in Amazon as a Coming Of Age story.
So I should not have gone into it thinking of it as a Romance foremostly.

I loved the writing style, the emotions, the depiction of life in Rome, the fact that it's been edited to within an inch of its life. (Only one very minor inconsequential error.)

A story about a beautiful hero and heroine who are dedicated to their passion: dancing.

I was immersed in the charming settings, scenery and the accurate portrayal of their art and the world of dancing. So very very well done.

I desperately wanted to connect with the talented Raphael, but no matter how hard I tried to see and feel him as a HERO, it just wasn't happening for me. He is a superb specimen of sexy maleness, exuding grace and passion, absolute perfection - as a dancer..

As a romantic-devoted-to-her love interest and a strong-HEA-partner, not at all. His first love is dancing and the heroine comes in second place. In fact, any heroine will do because the way he connects with the heroine on the dance floor is exactly the way he connects with the other woman. Seeing him and the other woman dancing is precisely the same as if the heroine is his dance partner.

I can feel his attraction to and his respect for Annalise (the heroine)as a dancer and a beautiful girl but nothing else. There is no deep-rooted love there. In fact, the ow is perfect for him: they have a long history (familial) together, and they share a passion for dancing. Their bond is not admitted to nor denied by Raphael and my heart broke for Annalise every time she is confronted with it. Especially near the end, after she has given him a huge part of herself.

EXCERPT:
I stare into the tiny alleyway in disbelief. Raphael and Francesca. It can’t be.
But it is.
He’s dancing with her, and not just any steps. Our dance: the routine Raphael choreographed just for his audition. Just for us. He’s smiling down at her like they’re the only two people in the world,
his hands tight around her waist, guiding her body into place as they spin and move across the cobbled alleyway. Francesca gazes up at him, and the connection between them is undeniable— sensuality shimmering in the air between them, radiating from every step.
I feel a chill smash through my body. I know what it feels like to be where she’s standing, to fall into his arms like this. They couldn’t be more intimate if I’d walked in on them having sex.

The heroine is lovely.
Has a low sense of self-worth and is perfect in her role as a young, talented, innocent, virgin who falls in love with the "wrong-for-her-boy". Her feelings are so accurate and real and I felt all her emotions right along with her. Even the tstl feelings.

That gripping, intense fervor Raphael has for his dancing, and the fierce, raging, all consuming sexual connection they enjoy? THAT's what I wanted him to feel for her.
Out of bed.
Off the dance floor.

It's an nice insta-love-lust story and I suspect this is also why I can't sense the makings of a permanent romantic bond between the MCs.

I am left feeling that he will let her down again.
That he will find another sensual dancer to connect with.
In the meantime she is happy and content and the romantic in me hopes I will see them find that elusive something in their bond, in the next book.

This is a short, quick cute standalone and book 2 is of another couple.

Ok, so let me begin by saying this should even be classified as book in length. More like novella/very short BEGINNING of a story. This is one of those series that takes, what I would deam as, one story and cut it up into multiple. So considered yourself warned.

You can be anyone for a night...
While on a break for a group she just can't be around (due to one sided interest in one of men attending), Alicia doesn't expect to find herself against the wall going at it with a total stranger. It's so out of character, but she can't help but to respond. Still reeling from a broken heart of his own, rock star Dex Callahan: isn't ready to let go of her either. And when she reluctantly agrees to get to know him better, he refuses to let her walk away.

It's really hard to give an opinion on something you just felt like you were "cracking open" as it ended. The story and the steam started and was building before it was cut off. It was interesting enough but just not enough story to get my hooked. For that alone, I can't give it many stars however if you enjoy this type of series, this may be your thing.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review for Netgalley.

This book will gut you emotionally, put you back together, and then do it all over again. I didn't want it to end. I literally was this close to tears reading it this morning. Fantastic story. I have a feeling there's a story to be told about Brit though ;-)

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

There are some things in life we know to be true, beyond logic or reason, science or faith. Irresistible truths, they’re called, the things we seem to instinctively grasp, as if the knowledge were imprinted deep in our DNA, written on the very fiber of our souls.

Right from the beginning, from the first glance at the cover, you are instantly swept away on a romantic adventure. You may not know what is in store for you, or what lies ahead, but the truth remains glaringly obvious it will be life-affirming and unforgettable. Set beneath the gorgeous backdrop of Rome, come visit a place that time all but forgot. To a land where the culture and history is as rich as the gelato that will melt on your tongue. A place where, try as you may, you cannot help BUT fall in love. Sometimes you find the love of another, but once in a while, if you are lucky, you learn to love yourself.

We don’t dance to be happy. We dance because we must.

With Every Heartbeat is the romantically delicious coming of age story about Annalise and Raphael. All Annalise has every known is ballet, her entire life being consumed by the drive to be the best, to be perfect no matter what she does. Despite her best efforts, she continues to stay hidden in the shadows of her over-bearing literal prima donna ballerina mother. And Mother with expectations so high, Annalise can never hope to live up to them. Feeling as though this is her last chance to make it big, she jets off to Italy for a summer residency in a ballet company in Rome. It is here that we are introduced to Raphael.

Raphael. The face of a saint, the body of a sinner. And Oh, how I long to see him again.

Oh Raphael……. Just the sound of his name rolling off my tongue induces pleasured shivers, thoughts of a subdued yet honest romance. Raphael too knows of over-bearing parents and living and the unrelenting quest of living up to expectations. Not wanting to play that game, he left home 5 years ago to embark on his own destiny and dreams. Though we are led to believe that our couple meets by coincidence, when two souls are fated to be together, can anything TRULY be by chance? At what point do you stop questioning how things came to be and just realize that they are as they are because surely there could be no other way. Surely a world does not exist in which we don’t encounter and live out our days with our other half, be they next door or halfway across the world.

I have to close my eyes, to feel the soft touch slowly ripple through my entire body. I don’t understand the spell he’s cast over me, how one minute I feel perfectly normal, and the next, it’s like I’ve leapt off a tall building, in total free-fall towards the ground-and loving every second of it.

Have you ever been sure of what you were meant to do in life? Continuing to live day by day, existing solely under the weight of what is expected of you, yet not really having any real direction. Believing with all your being that this one thing, your passion, if you don’t do it, you will cease to exist. This is how Annalise and Raphael feel about dancing. They breathe the movement, yearn for the slightest of touch, and revel in the fluidity of limbs. To have such belief in knowing exactly what makes your life true and worthy, to know what you were put on this earth to do and feeling it all the way to your core, that’s what this book is about. Finding your passion. Even when we may think we know what our avenue in life will be, destiny throws us a curveball and we are left deliriously happy, despite the outcome. Whether you believe it at the time, it was meant to happen, and that can’t be all that horrible, right?

The intensity in his eyes makes my heart stop. There’s a naked hunger there, consuming, and I feel it ripple through me, an answering ache rising in my very core.

Though the beginning started a tad slow for me, once I was pulled in, I connected so deeply with the characters. I think everyone will be able to understand the points they are at in their life, as we all go through similar situations. If nothing else, Annalise and Raphael will show you that it is okay to go after your dreams, to always be true to yourself, and once in a while, the love of a lifetime is just around the corner.

A sweet, quick read about young/first love with two characters who share a similar wound (alcoholic parents) and are drawn to each other. It flows nice and easy.

I read this one after reading Unbroken. You can probably read it before or after but I think it works better afterwards. This is the story of that summer where Juliet meets Romeo....ooops sorry I mean Emerson and their love ignites. Juliet and Emerson pretty much skipped the whole dating with sparks flying and went straight into a full blazing bonfire of hot loving goodness. It's a short and sweet story and you get a chance to see more about their pasts and to watch their mutual attraction turn into love. I was going to give this one 4 stars because while it was very good I was hoping for more backstory. I wanted the book to go further and would have liked more scenes past where it ended such as when Emerson accidently opens Juliet's shed door and ruins all of her photographs as mentioned in Unbroken but then I got to thinking that not only was the book for free but I felt that the story ended perfectly. My wanting more was just a personal thing so I gave it five stars. I try to only grade a story on it's own merits and I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend this one to anyone who like's romance. Whether you've read Unbroken or not this is a great story. It's free so you have nothing to lose! Plus Juliet is just so awesome, seriously if I thought I could take Emerson I'd totally be hitting on her :) Of course we all know she only has eyes for Emerson and this novella shows exactly how and why.

Great Story About Second Chances!!! Unbroken is the aptly named story of two broken people trying to pick up the pieces, to find what they had once thought was lost forever and about allowing yourself the right to love others along with giving someone else the chance to love you back. It's about lost love, that one true great love of your life that no others can compare to, wounded hearts and taking that one risk that's so far in the back of your mind that you're not even fully aware that it's there until you're pulling into Beachwood Bay after four long years. Juliet and Emerson met the summer before Juliet is going off to college. Her mom drags her to the small seaside town in order for their family to have one last summer together. Juliet's family is dysfunctional at best. Her dad is an alcoholic and professor wannabe who spends most of his time hanging with his rich sophisticated crowd, trying to keep up and spending money that he doesn't have. He's written one book years ago which he likes to talk about and is always telling people about his "new book" which he will never actually write. Juliet's mom is starved for affection which she never gets from her husband and when he does notice her it's to make fun of her while pretending to be joking. Juliet's sister cares only about bagging that rich husband and hanging out with her friends so Juliet isn't particularly thrilled to spend the whole summer with them but this will be the last summer before she's free to go to art school and start her new life over. On the way up they get into a minor accident and Emerson enters the picture.

"I'm Emerson,' he calls. Then he smiles, a flash of something true and reckless, so darkly beautiful I feel my heart stop all over again. This is what they write stories about, I realize, as if from far away. All those books and movies and poems I've read, this is what they all were preparing me for, the day when a strange man smiles at me, and makes me forget who I am.

Emerson has had an even harder time than Juliet. His dad ran out on them when he was young and his mom has battled with addiction for years leaving Emerson to practically raise his younger brother and sister. Eventually his mom just altogether abandons them and Emerson who wants nothing more than to get away from Beachwood Bay and to start his own life is stuck working several jobs to raise his siblings. He's damaged, he's his mother's son and eventually after hearing the whispers behind his back from those who live in his small town he starts to believe that he's no good, worthless and quits fighting to prove them wrong. So he drinks, he fights and he has a lot of sex but then one day a chance encounter out of the blue he meets Juliet and for once he starts to believe that maybe he is worthy, a good person after all. The two of them share their love during that summer and make plans together. They belong to one another and nothing can tear them apart and they live happily ever after. At least that was how it was meant to go but then tragedy strikes and on the worst day of Juliet's life their fledgling love is over.

Four years later Juliet is trying to pick up the pieces, to get on with her life. She's almost finished with college: she's an accountant now and has a nice, safe and wonderful boyfriend but she has to go back to Beachwood Bay to take care of some business but once there can she deny the love and attraction she's always had for Emerson. Does she even want to? Does she dare to take another chance on the man who broke her heart after all she's got a nice boyfriend, a good life planned out but deep down there's only ever been one person for her and she's never been able to move on no matter how much she tries to convince herself that she has.

Because I realize now, that's the way it works. That if you're lucky, you might get to fall in love so hard and so deep, that it changes you. That love seeps its way into every atom and molecule in your whole being, so that even if it's over, or the two of you are forced apart, you'll always carry the imprint of their soul with you, steady as a heartbeat. Forever. But you have to decide: give yourself up and surrender to a force far greater than you will ever understand, or turn and walk away-live the rest of your days safe on dray land, knowing that when it mattered most of all, you weren't brave enough to risk it. You weren't brave enough to love.

This was a great story of love and second chances. Juliet and Emerson were both passionate and you can't help but feel their mutual love and attraction as you read each page. The side characters are all great additions that enhance the storyline. It was well written, had just the right mixture of angst and love, hope and despair along with some nice sexy scenes. I had a blast reading this book! Emerson and Juliet make a great couple and after you get over wanting to slap some sense into each of them you can't help but cheer them along as they rediscover the meaning of true love. I highly recommend this book along with the rest of the Beachwood Bay series. Each book works well as a stand alone novel, they're light, easy to read and just all around fun. Take a trip to Beachwood Bay, kick back, put your feet in the water and take a chance on finding love.....again

Review to come..

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

I didn't really love Untamed Hearts. I thought that I would, because all of Melody Grace's covers are so pretty - I'm a cover whore. I can't help it. I snatched this up on a freebie day, only to find out that... I didn't love it. It was too rushed. I generally like prequel books, but I found that I just couldn't believe that after one night they were in love.

Their relationship is based entirely on sex. That's obviously why they're in love. THIS is my face: -_- I don't feel like you can base an entire relationship on a physical connection. That just doesn't ring true. I want more depth to the romance that I read.

I found it interesting that there was a cameo of Emerson, and I liked the way that the stories kind of intertwined with Unbroken, but that just wasn't enough. I found Brit, our main character, to be an idiot. There's no other way to describe her for me. She runs away from everything, and she never even ventured to make an attempt at trying. That's why I didn't like her.

The love interest wasn't all that great either. I don't understand why everyone has to have problems to fall in love. Is there no people out there without the drama of a death or pressures or anything? All in all, this just wasn't the read for me, and I don't want to spend any more time dwelling on it.

I liked the story, would love to have the original love story from their first summer together!

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

Unbroken is really a hard call. While I enjoyed it a lot, I don't really feel like there was much love connection in it. The smexy scenes were hot, hot! But the rest of it was just kind of meh. They don't ever seem to really talk. It seems like their relationship is built off of sex, to tell you the truth. I was disappointed by that. Even in the novella before, Untouched, it was mostly about the sex.

Jules and Emerson were still the same people as before, which was a bit of a surprise. They were just older, more experienced, and less inclined to believe in happy endings. Juliet is stuck in a dead end "nice guy" type engagement, but she's strong as all get out. The only problem is that she doesn't know it, so she's trying to be exactly what they want her to be. Emerson is just doing his own thing, living a completely angst filled existence, and I guess he spent most of his time wanting her back, because that's all we ever see of him. I wish that there had been more character development for both of them.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked the angst in this one-- I enjoy romantic angst. I just wish that it hadn't been all about the sex. I want a relationship to read about, you know? I also very much enjoyed Melody Grace's writing. She has a whole bunch of epic quotes that I highlighted on my kindle, and I just liked the read in general.

All in all, Unbroken is a good new adult read, but for romance I like it to be more about talking/falling in love than sex all the time.

Cover Talk: I think that this one is cute, and communicates the feel of the book pretty well. I like the double title treatment, and they look cute together, out in front of the ocean.

Review posted under Nerd Alert

Review posted under Nerd Alert