4.5 Stars – Elite Hall Culture & Media

October 17, 2020

DEFYING GRAVITY (Shattered Cove Series #3) by A.M. KUSI

‘Maybe they were both broken. But just maybe their shattered pieces could come together and make something whole.’

A.M. Kusi managed to tell a sensitive and difficult story without demonising or generalising, instead, relying on our bonds with the characters to make their point, which they did beautifully. This is a story that will make you ache; it will break your heart and heal your heart and hopefully, it will make you think and more importantly, make you care.

This love story was a slow burn, emotional and complicated, but it was also relevant and thought-provoking. Beautiful, ugly, honest, and raw, which can be read as a standalone.

September 30, 2020

MUSES & MELODIES (Hush Note #3) by REBECCA YARROS

What a series! What a finale! Standing ovation!

‘Loving him was a force so strong there was nothing I could do to protect myself.’

Heartache, emotion, passion, angst, Rock star swagger and some serious swoon. These are just some of the things Rebecca Yarros served up in Muses & Melodies, and boy didn’t we just eat it up! Nixon certainly gave us some heart stopping moments. His pain was a raw, palpable beast and we felt every single piece of it. It was as though we were standing on the precipice with Nixon, hearts braced in nervous anticipation as we wondered if he would once again slide into oblivion. If only Nixon would believe the love that surrounded him from his band mates. This complicated man stole our hearts completely!

Rebecca Yarros beautifully blended forbidden romance, small town, rock star and angst into an edgy slow burn romance with some hate to love in the mix. With these elements, and the superb emotionally raw prose of this author it was bound to be a hit!

September 27, 2020

RIFTS & REFRAINS (Hush Note #2) by DEVNEY PERRY

'You were supposed to let go when your first love ended. You were supposed to look at the past and smile at the memory.
You weren't supposed to hold it so close that it wound into your very existence, making every moment impossible to forget.'

You know what? Rifts & Refrains might just be one of our favourite books by this author to date. Devney Perry takes the small town second chance romance theme she does so perfectly and infuses it beautifully with the single Dad and rock star trope, bringing the warmth and love we yearn for in her stories. We absolutely loved it, and we’re loving this series as a whole.

If you love small town second chance, if you love rock stars and if love single Dad stories, this book will have you squealing with delight! Devney Perry delivers all the warmth, wit and familiarity we love about her stories. We felt as though we were a part of Quinn and Graham’s families, and once again, we revelled in taking in the exquisite Montana landscape Devney Perry so famously and vividly feeds into our imaginations.

September 14, 2020

PERFECT WRECKAGES (Wrecked #2) by CATHERINE COWLES

'I'd been left in wreckage, broken pieces that would never fit together perfectly again.'

Perfect Wreckage is the second standalone in the Wrecked Series by Catherine Cowles. We're loving our journey through the series, getting to know the characters through each book, and you can bet we'll be here for the whole series! A small town emotional romance that encapsulates friendship, love with a powerful message about not letting your past define you. Not to mention the wonderful writing!

Anyone who loves stories with a breathtaking setting, wonderfully relatable characters are written with heartfelt emotion, wit and endearing prose then you need to add this series to your TBR's! As the walls crumbled, so did our hearts. What a fabulous series! We're officially hooked!

August 30, 2020

LIGHT MY FIRE (Sex. Rock. Mafia #1) by JESSICA RUBEN

‘He isn’t beautiful or handsome. Nico is too rugged to be described with those words. He’s dangerous, chiselled and raw. He is physically everything a man should be. Tall, broad, and lethal.’

Light My Fire by Jessica Ruben had everything we love in a mafia romance. It was gritty, dark and bold. It was passionate and enticing. It also highlighted the realities of war and oppression, family, love and loyalty. It highlighted the work of freedom fighters. It was brilliantly written and had that ultimate suave bad arse mafia boss we love so much, as well as a sweet but feisty heroine! The way in which this slow burn romance was written was on point. Especially to be able to build the foundation of love in childhood, which can so easily go wrong. Jessica Ruben managed to build a connection so early on which grows and matures naturally. We fell in love with falling in love.

August 28, 2020

THE REALITY OF EVERYTHING (Flight & Glory Book 5) by REBECCA YARROS

‘She had a broken heart, and I had a kid whose heart I couldn’t risk.’

Wow! What a fabulous read! We loved this story of second chances with one of the most gorgeous book boyfriends you could meet! Single dad Jackson Montgomery swept us off our feet, with his patience, strength and understanding wooing us completely!

The Reality of Everything by Rebecca Yarros was…well…everything! We fell in love with Jackson (how could we not) our hearts ached for Morgan and we were regaled with the antics of gorgeous five-year-old Finley Montgomery. We love books with children but have found some to be unbelievable with the child coming across anything but childlike. Not so with Finley, Rebecca Yarros wrote this little lady to perfection, and the love between Finley and her Coast Guard pilot Dad was beautiful, sweet and funny. As we said, perfection, and now we want to read all of this standalone series!

August 23, 2020

HEART BONES by COLLEEN HOOVER

“You can fill your life with nice things, but nice things don’t fill the holes in your soul.”
“What fills the holes in a soul?”
Samson’s eyes scroll over my face for a few seconds. “Pieces of someone else’s soul.”

We can’t envisage a time when we’re not overcome with excited anticipation at the release of a Colleen Hoover book. We’ve been overwhelmed with emotion so many times by her phenomenal writing, been enveloped in love with her beautiful characters, had our hearts soaring and crushed by her stories, oh and yes, we’ve even shocked to the core by her suspenseful thrillers! What an incredibly gifted storyteller this lady is.

Colleen has a way of delving into real emotions. You become so acquainted with her characters, their pain becomes your pain. And in Heart Bones, she has once again wormed her way into our…well… our heart bones, brilliantly manipulating our emotions, and we love it!

Read more here:
HEART BONES by COLLEEN HOOVER

August 13, 2020

TROUBLEMAKER by KAYLEY LORING

I can’t wait until my kid is old enough to actually tell me to fuck off, because that’s what his face is saying to me right now.’

Troublemaker by Kayley Loring was just what we needed. We just couldn’t stop laughing at the hilarious inner musings of both Emilia and Alex, as well as their brilliant banter and quick liners. And let’s not forget the sexual tension and connection which was on point! Kayley Loring nailed the romantic comedy and single dad aspect, so much so we are lining up the next one. Her sense of humour is completely in line with ours!

We seriously fell in love with the characters in Troublemaker, every single one had that special something we immediately connect with. Emilia was such a quirky and lovable heroine. She was adorable, nerdy, funny, sarcastic and surprising. We felt like she became a friend whilst reading. She’s certainly a match for the gorgeous, dry humoured, Alex Vega. Alex Vega….ALEX BLOODY VEGA!!!!! What a man, what a PERFECT man! Not only is he a great single dad and one of Hollywood’s hottest bachelors, he’s got a wicked sense of humour, he’s swoooooony and yeah…we immediately fell in love with him!!!

Read more here:
TROUBLEMAKER by KAYLEY LORING

July 10, 2020

LIAR, LIAR by T.L. MARTIN

‘She watched me before she caught onto me watching her. She listened before she knew I played for her. She was mine before I showed her she was mine. She consumed me before I even touched her.’

Liar Liar by T. L. Martin is a dark standalone high school romance which is not for the fainthearted. Whilst high on drama and angst, the story of Easton and Eva is actually quite beautiful. What begins as something tragic and harrowing is followed by the realisation of a deep connection between them. From incredibly heart-breaking and violent beginnings to a wildly passionate love story of survival. Liar Liar is intensely emotional and upsetting, yet it has a beating heart filled with love against the odds.

In many ways, this dark ‘forbidden’ romance reminded us of the books we read and loved back in the day and it had a familiar aspect which we’ve definitely missed. We couldn’t put this books down; compelled by the writing and the characters. Without question, if you’re a fan of those provoking dark romances that at times are uncomfortable to read you will love Liar Liar by T. L. Martin.

Read more here:
LIAR, LIAR by T.L. MARTIN

June 18, 2020

TREACHURY (Antihero Inferno #1) by LILY WHITE

‘You see, that’s what happens when you make a deal with evil. Everything goes fine until the day comes when he calls in his debt.’

We devoured this book, it was everything we love in the dark antihero romance trope. Treachery was evocative in its twisted intrigue and was written so passionately that we fell in love with every single character. The thin line between love and hate almost undetectable. The intricate web of the Inferno was chaotic and a tad confusing at times, so we can’t wait to learn more of why these nine men are the way they are, why they do the things they do and how far they are willing to go.

Lily White really doesn’t hold back. Her characters have no shame in their arrogance and no scruples in the ruthless hunt where these broken souls leave scattered bodies and broken minds in the dust of their inferno. Wickedly delicious!