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Savage Start: A High School Bully Romance Prequel (Hidden Valley Elite Series) by Isla Vaughn – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Savage Start (Hidden Valley Elite #0.5)Savage Start by Isla Vaughn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Savage Start is the prequel to the books Savage Lies and Savage Truth in the Hidden Valley Elite Series. It is an enemies-to-lovers, new adult, high school bully romance with drama, mystery, angst, and toxic family environments. As the prequel to the series, it is best to read the remainder of the series to have a full understanding of the characters and their continuing stories. This book introduces the reader to Riley and Cole and explains how they first met. Riley is an interesting character that I felt empathetic towards because of her upbringing. Her entire life has been spent planning the next con with her mom as they move from place to place. Riley and her mom constantly look over their shoulders anticipating the moment when they will be caught. Cole is a character that might look tough on the exterior and comes across as just another spoiled rich kid however, deep down he has a big heart. He comes from a toxic family environment where his parents are constantly fighting, and his dad is cheating on his mom. Cole’s mom suffers from depression, and it is up to Cole to be there for her when she has breakdowns. Riley and Cole meet momentarily at a party and share a passionate kiss that leaves Riley wanting more. A great read with some intense moments that took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and left me reaching for the box of Kleenex.

View all my reviews@tarab

Seed on Fire (Moore Family Saga Book 1) by Michele Sims – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Act I: Seed On Fire (Moore Family Saga, #1)Act I: Seed On Fire by Michele Sims
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Seed on Fire is Book One in the Moore Family Saga series of books. We are introduced to Kaiden, a musician, and Alicia Moore, a young couple that fall head over heels in love and soon become married after a whirlwind romance. Alicia unexpectedly becomes pregnant on their honeymoon, something which threatens to tear Cade and Alicia apart. Kaiden, or Cade as his friends call him, and Alicia, or Lecia as her close friends call her, find their relationship put to the test with this revelation.

Cade never expected to settle down but that all changed when he met Lecia. He is now struggling with the sudden life changes and his impending fatherhood. Lecia finds herself overjoyed and cannot wait to become a mother but is struggling with the loss of her career because of her impending motherhood. These life changes cause a rift between Cade and Lecia but soon a series of horrific events not only threatens to break them apart but also puts the life of their unborn child in danger. Will their love be strong enough to endure the threats and hardships put before them?

This book was full of action, adventure, romance, danger and ultimately the family ties that bind. The author does a great job of tackling the difficult topics of the sacrifices and the often-difficult concept of forgiveness that most couples are faced with throughout their relationship. The characters of Kaiden and Alicia were described so well so you could not help but feel that you knew them. I loved the relationship that they had and the lengths that they would go to remain together. No matter what they went through and who tried to tear them apart their love for each other was undeniable and unbreakable. From the very first few pages I was hooked, and I needed to learn more about this couple and what was going to become of them and their relationship and ultimately what would become of their unborn child. I was hooked and not only quickly devoured Book One but immediately moved onto Book Two in the series, Playing With Fire, followed up by the next few books in the series. I highly recommend the Moore Family Saga series of books.

View all my reviews @Tara Johnson Barnes