Phenomenal X (Hard Knocks #1) by Michelle A. Valentine

Phenomenal X was a good read if you like the Real Series by Katy Evans. The books are very similar but do have their differences. I liked this book just as much as I like Real. There is a sexy, frustrating, bad boy, pro wrestler that think he doesn't deserve anything good in his life. There is a good girl that wants to prove him wrong. There are chapters from Xavier's point of view but mostly the book is told from Anna's eyes. The book was a little slow to get to the good parts for my liking. I didn't like the build up too much. It seemed to drag on forever and then the book was over a chapter later. That sucked.

Anna is a good girl and has done everything her father has told her to do her whole life. She decides to leave town and meets Xavier also known as Phenomenal X on a plane. Anna wants to be independent and make her own way in life. Xavier is super sexy and turns her life upside down in the best way possible. He makes her feel things she has never felt before. She also can't seem to get him out of her head.

Xavier is taking a break from pro wrestling to figure so things out. He is on his way home when he meets Anna. He can tell she is good and innocent. He is instantly drawn to her goodness. He craves it. Xavier had a horrible childhood and doesn't let people in. 

 "There’s darkness inside me that no one should have to experience, and that’s what I’m trying to protect you from"

He doesn't want to get involved with Anna but he just can't stay away from her. She is different than all the other women he has ever met. She shows him it's okay to let his guard down.

Their chemistry was amazing. You could tell they both wanted each other and it was only a matter of chapters before they got together. They started out as friends. Anna doesn't want to be just another girl to Xavier. They decide friends is the best way to go while Xavier is in town for the week. They want to hang out together and be in each other presence. They make these silly rules up so they can stay just friends.

"You know, some basic rules so we don't give each other any mixed signals about moving past the friend zone."

The rules seemed like a good idea but those rules were broken within a day by Anna. I like the rule thing, but they didn't need it. I wanted them together from the second chapter and the friends rules prolong that from happening.

I think what bothered me the most about the story was Xavier constantly told Anna he wasn't good enough for her. For more than half the book, a weeks time to Anna and Xavier, he tells her countless times, he's not a good person, he doesn't deserve someone like her, he was too dangerous and he would destroy her goodness.

 "I'm the most undeserving motherfucker in the world...which is why I'm best suited to protect you from pricks like me."

However, right when he knows he's about to get it in, he tells her he will be a good man to her. He didn't care that he could potentially hurt her.

"I'll be a good man to you, Anna."

How can his mood change that fast? Did he have some kind of epiphany and decided he would be a good guy for a sweet girl like Anna? I don't see how he could just realized all of a sudden he could be with Anna and she would be enough. He warned her off of him like 2 days before.

Nash (Marked Men #4) by Jay Crownover

Synopsis:
Will their past determine their future?
Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down... and now he’s trying to do it again.
Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.
When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?

Teaser:

“Soooo?”

I jolted and sloshed the hot liquid over my fingers. I gave her a dirty look and found a paper towel to clean up the mess.

“So what?”

She rolled her eyes at me and poked me in the arm. “So how was the date with the doctor? You sounded exhausted this morning when I called, so I assume it went well. I bet you made a beautiful pair.”

I tried to keep my face impassive but I couldn’t keep looking her in the eye. Not when I had ditched the awful doctor and spent the rest of the night being thoroughly debauched by Nash.

“I ended the date early.”

Her eyes got big and she wrinkled her nose up at me. “You had him take you home early?”

I sighed and tossed my paper cup of now-lukewarm coffee into the trash.

“He was a jerk and so full of himself. His friends were appalling and the party was really just a group of people standing around trying to outdo each other. I was uncomfortable and bored, so I called a friend and left early. Dr. Bennet and I are really not compatible.”

She gave me a considering look.

“The guy with the nose ring?”

“What about him?”

“Is that the friend you called?”

I refused to feel bad about it or ashamed. There was nothing wrong with Nash. In fact there was so much right with him I was having a hard time remembering why I needed to watch my tender heart and fragile feelings around him in the first place.

“Yes.”

Phenomenal X (Hard Knocks #1) by Michelle A. Valentine

Synopsis:
Good Girl. Notorious Bad-Boy. One Phenomenal Love.
From the mean streets of Detroit rises the newest superstar of professional wrestling, Xavier Cold, better known as Phenomenal X. His muscular physique makes men cower before him and women lose their minds with desire.
Anna Cortez is fresh out of college and naive to the harsh realities of the real world. Tired of living under the thumb of her conservative family, she defies them when she accepts a job as the assistant to wrestling’s most notorious bad-boy. Phenomenal X has an animalistic nature that even good girl Anna finds hard to resist.
One night forced to share a bed in a sold-out hotel, lines blur between them and they quickly learn that one lustful night changes everything and neither one of them will ever be the same.

Teaser 1: 

“How did you know Jared put something in my drink?” I ask as we weave through the tightly parked cars in the downtown lot. At first he doesn’t answer, he just keeps walking straight ahead, pulling me along, so I decide to try again. “Were you watching me in there?”

Xavier licks his plump lips, and my mind instantly goes back to the thought I had on the plane about those lips, and what they’d be like to kiss. “I was standing right beside him when he ordered, and I saw him slip something in it.”

Teaser 2:

Maybe if I just have sex with her--get it over with—we’d both be able to move on. I’m just afraid if I ever get a taste of that sweetness that I’ll be a fucking goner.

I know me. Once I become addicted I won’t be able to let go, and I’ll drag her down with me. She doesn’t deserve that. She deserves more.

She deserves so much better than me.

The Beast (The Beast #1) by Jaden Wilkes

I don't know really how to feel about this book. I didn't like it but I didn't hate it. It was really... Different. Dark. Disturbing. I haven't read anything like this book before. It covered some pretty scary disturbing topics. I haven't wrapped my head around what I just read. The were parts I liked and parts I couldn't deal with and hated.

The synopsis of book was a little misleading to me. I thought the book was going to be a pretty girl confronting a man in his penthouse. He had a tragic accident and is disfigured now. He doesn't like people seeing him. They argue about some stuff and fight. She leaves. He can't get her out of his head and sort of stalks her. He wants her and tries everything to get her. And in the end they get together. Nowhere near what happens at all.

The Beast as he and everyone calls him seems really sexy, strong, powerful and rich but that pretty much it. He has had a crappy childhood and life. His beautiful face is messed up on the left side from a burn and he keeps himself locked away in his penthouse away from everyone. He doesn't want anyone to know who he is or to see him ever. He was in the mob sort of type of thing and they tried to kill him at some point. He's on the run and trusts no one except his best friend now. He has no emotions and doesn't like to feel anything except pleasure. He is a trained killer and kills for the trill of it.

The main girl Columbia was really messed up. She had a horrible childhood that involved a lot of unwanted sex from the hands of her step father. She is a cutter. It's her only way she knows how to deal with her life. She sneaks into the Beast's penthouse. He almost kills her but then decides to keep her as his pet instead. She doesn't accept this at first but then grows to want the Beast.

I don't see how someone how is being held captive, being used and mistreated would fall in love with the man doing all this to her. I didn't like the abuse- sexually or physically at all. It was disturbing to me. I did however like that the Beast killed the man that had hurt Columbia basically her whole life.

Bad For You (Sea Breeze #7) by Abbi Glines

Synopsis:
Addiction was something Krit Corbin accepted as part of his nature a long time ago. He decided to embrace it and flip his finger at the rules. Women had always been the number one thing on his list of addictions. He couldn’t get enough. Being the lead singer in a rock band had only made access to his favorite addiction that much easier.

Being alone was the only thing Blythe Denton understood. The small town minister’s family that raised her hadn’t accepted her as their own. The minister’s wife had always made sure Blythe understood just how unworthy she was of love. When Blythe is sent away to college and given a chance to finally be free of living as an unwanted burden, she looks forward to having peace in her life. Being alone isn’t something that bothers her. She escapes reality in the stories she writes.

However, the ridiculously sexy tattooed guy who keeps throwing parties in the apartment above hers is driving her crazy. For starters, he doesn’t treat her like she would expect a guy with a different woman always hanging on his arm to treat someone as uninteresting as her. She looks nothing like the gorgeous women she sees parading in and out of his apartment, but for some strange reason he keeps showing up at her door.

During a party at his apartment, Krit’s new neighbor comes to the door with her long brown hair pulled up in a messy knot and a pair of glasses perched on her cute little nose. She wants him to turn down the music, but he convinces her to stay.

Teaser 1:
“Blythe,” I said, liking just a little too much the way her name rolled across my tongue.
She turned her head to look at me. “Yes?”
I took a step toward her and then stopped. She would spook easily, and that wasn’t what I wanted. I also didn’t want her getting the wrong idea, because there was no way in hell I was taking on someone like her. I didn’t do relationships. I had tried to have one, and I had fucked it up. Jess had been in love with someone else, so it hadn’t mattered, but it had just about killed me.

Teaser 2:
He reached over and pulled my hand away from my mouth gently, then moved in closer. His eyes never leaving my lips. My heart rate picked up and I nervously bit my bottom lip wondering if I should move or say something.
“I’m going to kiss you,” he told me, and before I could let what he said register, his mouth was on mine.
It was my first kiss. His lips were warm and tasted like the mint of his chewing gum. I wasn’t sure what I should do. I was curious about kissing, and I liked Linc—he was nice—but he was my boss’s son. We were also in a church.

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May 27th

The Last Man On Earth (The Graysons #1) by Tracy Anne Warren

I absolutely loved this book. It seemed a little off the first couple of chapters but it picked up. It was pretty long. I kept thinking the book was over but it kept going. I thought after the couple had their problem, broke up, it was a couple of days later they realized they couldn't be apart and got back together. However, that wasn't the case. The book went on with the couple trying to get over each other and moving on. It seemed realistic to me. The book is from multiple point of views. I lost count of all the different people's head I was in.

Zack and Madelyn work together for the same company with the same titles. They're constantly fighting over wanting the bigger accounts. Zack is a supposedly man-whore, who sleeps and flirts with everyone. Madelyn is a good girl that is trying to make it in a man's world. She can't stand Zack. She also just got out of a serious relationship. She wants commitment, her last boyfriend was willing to give her that but something was off to her. She wants the passion and love that her ex-boyfriend just didn't do for her.

Zach was suppose to be sexy player that didn't want any kind of commitment. He told Madelyn from the beginning it was just about sex. But it seemed like from the very beginning he was falling for her.
He didn't mess around with other girls, he didn't want to share Madelyn with other men. He stop the flirting with females. He spent all his free time with her. He is always thinking about her and even wants to help her with some of her work problems.

Madelyn and Zack get together by accident the first time. It was New Years and they had both been drinking. Zack confesses he has wanted Madelyn from the moment he met her. They decide to start a sex only relationship with a bunch of rules. One of the rules is it has to stay quiet. Madelyn doesn't want anyone to know about them. They are suppose to treat each other the same at the office. The spend months sneaking around outside of work. One weekend on Madelyn's birthday, she tells Zack she loves him. He seems freaked out. He distances himself from her for a couple of days. When he does pop back up, Madelyn thinks he is going to break up with her.

Instead, Zack wants their relationship out in the open. He's tired of hiding and sneaking around. Madelyn thinks that means marriage. Zack doesn't want the marriage, house or kids. He just want Madelyn in his life for however long that is. Madelyn breaks up with him. The go through the break up stage. The ignore each other. But something isn't right with either one of them. The miss each other. Madelyn trying to move on, accepts her ex-boyfriend James' marriage proposal. He can give her everything she wants even if she loves someone else that can't.

The book goes on with Madelyn planning the wedding and missing Zack. She cheats on James with Zack on an over night business trip. Zack thinks that means they're back together but Madelyn still wants everything he can't offer. Zack becomes miserable. The wedding day comes and Madelyn realizes she can't be with James. She wants Zack and whatever he has to offer her. Zack comes to the wedding to tell Madelyn how he feels. They get back together and Zack asks for her hand in marriage. He realizes he wants her and only her. He will be miserable without her.

I did have a couple of problems with the book. Madelyn tells Zack at the beginning of the book right before they hooked up the first time, she has a boyfriend. He still sleeps with her. Later he says, he won't share her. But he never asks her if she broke up with James. Zack is supposedly a man whore but all you ever hear about is the rumors. He never confirms it and he didn't even seem like a man whore. He has sex with Madelyn once and it always about her after that. They never met at Zack's apartment, nor do when met or hear about Zack's sister. She is just mentioned once or twice as him having a sister. Shouldn't the people they work with know something was going on. The had the same days off. The were always busy on the weekends and they're weren't that mean to each other anymore.

I liked the book and I can't wait for the next one. I hope it's better than this one.