REVIEW: Masquerade by Nyrae Dawn

Masquerade by Nyrae Dawn (Games #3)
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: January 7, 2013
Source: Netgalley via publisher
Rating: 5/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

A biker. A tattoo artist. A love to last a lifetime.

Maddox Cross has always had to be tough. When his father went to jail for murder, the teenager took care of his sister and mother. Now on his own and working security at a night club, Maddox wants to become a tattoo artist-a dream that comes closer to reality when he falls for the hottest, most tatted woman he's ever seen. She's wild and beautiful, and Maddox will do anything to be with her.

Bee Malone came to town to open up her new tattoo parlor, Masquerade. Since being kidnapped as a young girl, Bee has had trouble getting close to anyone. But when she meets Maddox, she sees that under his hard biker's body is the sensitive soul of an artist. What starts out as a sizzling one-night stand soon becomes so much more.

Bee wants Maddox to join her tattoo business, but letting him into her life means revealing all her most intimate secrets. And as the past begins to intertwine with her present, Bee fears their love may not be as permanent as their ink . . . 

My thoughts, feeling, and reactions

I swear each book that Nyrae Dawn comes out with just gets better and better. Masquerade has to be the best yet! Masquerade was just gripping, so emotional, and absolutely heart wrenching. 



Let me talk about Bee
.

I loved her for many many reasons. This girl was downright tough and outspoken. She was determined to live her life the way she wanted to and be exactly who she wanted to be. And while she seemed like this hard, brave girl she was not without pain and guilt. She struggled with wanting to be someone for herself, but also the daughter she thought that her parents loved and deserved. The guilt she felt at being torn in two, how she was just so closed off and didn’t know how to love made me want to just love her even more. I admired her strength and all the ways she endured even if it took her sometime to get where she needed to be. 



Now Maddox.


He was this hard-shelled, angry and guilt-ridden man that refused to forgive himself and let people in. Not matter what he said, I thought he was a good brother for Laney. It was so heartbreaking to see how much misplaced guilt he had on his shoulders for what happened in the past. And to see him finally break down all those walls and let go all the hurt was beautiful and freeing. Even though Maddox could be a complete jerk, the things he wanted in life for himself, for his sister and for Bee made him extraordinary. He may have been wrapped up in that guilt, but had an amazing heart through and through. And I have to mention Maddox was extremely sexy!



More than one glimpse.


I have to bow down and possibly tackle hug Nyrae for including Laney, Adrian, Colt, and Cheyenne into this one. They weren’t the stars in the book, but to see how they were and where they were going made me want to ball my eyes out in happiness. I was thrilled each time they were mentioned and I was even more taken by how these four wormed their way into Maddox and Bee’s life. 



The full story.


While all three books in the Games series have been about overcoming obstacles, opening up to loving someone, and dealing with broken people who thought they couldn’t be fixed, Masquerade kicks it up a notch. I thought out of all the books, this one stood out because of Maddox and Bee’s story, how they didn’t even realize they needed each other and how they just ended up loving one another when they thought they never could. I think Masquerade stood out from the rest, especially because of Bee. She was so different from Cheyenne and Laney, yet she was just as lost as they were. I just thought her story touched me even more so. Maddox and Bee’s love unfolded beautifully and to see them finally admit their feelings made me wish I was actually there to witness it in person.



Overall, Masquerade was stunning. The ending was perfect, the whole book was memorable, and the characters were just heartwarming. It’s one of those books that will rock your world and give you every feel possible. 

*Thanks to Forever for sending a copy for review. 

I was not compensated for my opinion.

REVIEW: Facade by Nyrae Dawn

Facade by Nyrae Dawn (Games #2)
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
Source: Netgalley eARC* 304 pages
Rating: 5/5 millionbilliontrillion stars!
Get it: Amazon / B&N

Can love save them?

After her father commits a crime that shatters her family, eighteen-year-old Delaney Cross is tired of pretending everything is all right. Packing up her car, she sets out to find the people her father hurt. Her search leads her to places she’s never been—and into the arms of Adrian Westfall.

To the outside world, Adrian is a sexy, charming ladies’ man. But his playboy persona is just an act. Secretly his soul is tortured by a memory too painful to share. Only Delaney seems to see through his façade to the real man underneath. And for the first time in his life, Adrian feels he can begin to open up about his past.

Together, Adrian and Delaney share a passionate love they never expected to find. Yet both still harbor their own secrets. When the dark truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together—or tear them apart forever?

My Review

Woah baby, hold the phone because Facade by Nyrae Dawn has kicked those piles of favorite books on my desk and just climbed its way on top! There was nothing better than having a book hurt so much and feel so good all at once and that’s exactly what Nyrae Dawn did for me in Facade. In one word, Facade was exceptional. It creeped into my heart and soul and completely wrecked me. I couldn’t have asked for a better novel.

Let me start with Laney. I love this girl because she was so freaking strong. She made me want to hold my fist high in the air at how incredible she was. The thing about Laney was that she never ever gave up. She endured, she understood, she accepted, and she was so patient. Her biggest strength was also her biggest weakness because she could not fix everything no matter how hard she tried. But she was admirable for apologizing when she had no fault, cared too much when that person didn’t care at all, and loved with all her heart even if it meant she would get hurt in the end. Laney carried the weight of her family’s faults, the burden in which she didn’t deserve and still managed to live every single day despite the ghosts in her eyes. 

Adrian Westfall was something else entirely. Under his cool, charming, party boy facade was someone so broken and guilt-ridden. Someone who was irreparably changed and damaged by an accident that he continued to put blame on himself. God, he was so broken and so hurt, I was gasping in the pain he was always experiencing and crying because an incredible person like Adrian didn’t deserve any pain brought onto him. Despite Adrian being damaged goods, he still cared deeply about Colt, Chey and Laney. He read and wrote to escape and loved when he thought his heart had run away. He was the type of guy to write poems, who buys and leaves a caramel apple at your door, and has a certain tattoo with great significance that makes your heart ache and sing simultaneously. Even when Adrian was rude or an ass or even playing the game, it was hard to stay angry with him because he was so sweet and his flirty lines just put a smile on my face. I was floored by how much he loved a certain someone and even more gutted when I learned the truth. Adrian Westfall, you own my heart and I’ll be damned if you return it.

Oh, Nyrae Dawn, you completely slayed me. All the hurt and pain in the book rivaled with all the sweet and tender moments, I couldn’t decide which I loved more. Facade was so beautifully written, so damn real, I cried for Laney and I cried for Adrian. Just when I thought I had the whole story figured out and I knew where things were headed, Nyrae throws in that devastating twist that left me speechless and had me bawling my eyes out. This whole book was stunning, especially how much depth and emotion was put into it. It’s a book that grasps you and stays with you for days after. I was so thoroughly impressed by this novel I don’t even really know how to give it the justice it deserves. The emotional journey that I was put through because of these two characters was priceless. What I really love most about Facade was how it showed to learn to heal, to forgive, and to keep on trying for yourself and for those that love and care for you. 

Overall,  Facade was a remarkable book with well developed characters and a storyline that focuses on love and healing that touches the heart in every way. 

*Thanks to Forever for sending a copy for review purposes

I want not compensated for my opinion

Favorite Quotes

"It's crazy the things people see if they take the time to look."

"That in a world full of people who are just as fake as me, there's something about her that feels so fucking genuine."

"I see the pain in his eyes and I want to extinguish it. To fight it until there's nothing left to hurt him."

"She stands amongst the stars of night..

They look back at her and envy her light.

For none of those stars shine bright as she.."

"Your heart beats so strong, I feel it against my chest. You make mine want to catch up, to match the rhythm."

"She's the fire in my veins, the breath in my lungs, and the glue trying to hold each of my scars together."

"You are so much more than you see, Adrian."

"I can't get you out of me. Your smile's in my head and your voice in my ear."

REVIEW: Charade by Nyrae Dawn

Charade by Nyrae Dawn (Games #1)
Publication Date: October 22, 2013
Format: Kindle ebook, 344 pages
Rating: 5/5 stars
Get it: Amazon / B&N

Nineteen-year-old Cheyenne tries to portray the perfect life to mask the memories of her past. Walking in on her boyfriend with another woman her freshman year in college threatens that picture of perfection.

Twenty-one-year-old Colt never wanted college and never expected to amount to anything, but when his mom's dying wish is for him to get his degree, he has no choice but to pretend it's what he wants too.

Cheyenne needs a fake boyfriend to get back at her ex and Colt needs cash to take care of his mom, so they strike a deal that helps them both. But what if Cheyenne’s past isn’t what she thought? Soon they’re trading one charade for another—losing themselves in each other to forget about their pain. The more they play their game, the more it becomes the only thing they have that feels real.

Both Cheyenne and Colt know life is never easy, but neither of them expect the tragedy that threatens to end their charade and rip them apart forever.

My Review

I’m totally regretting not picking Charade up sooner because oh my sweet sugar, this book was hitting my heart with ALL THE FEELS. Nyrae Dawn is so good at smashing my heart into a million tiny pieces and patching it up all nicely with love and care at the very end. 

Cheyenne and Colt. Wow, they were not fooling me one bit. I knew these two were playing for real before they even realized they weren’t playing the game anymore. My heart twisted and reached out to these two so much. It was so painful to see how the abandonment of Chey’s mother affected her relationships with other people and how Colt thought he could never amount to anything while he watched his mother wither away. I have never wanted to grab a hold of two characters before and wished for their anguish to go away. In Cheyenne, I saw a girl broken down trying her hardest to not need anyone, but who was stronger and in control even when she didn’t believe it. And in Colt, I saw a boy who was devoted and loving son ,who would do anything for his mother no matter how hurt he was feeling. Both of them struggled to let people in and to open up. In their game of charades, it became real and scary, but damn, it was exactly what they needed. 

I have to say that this book was really hard to read because of what Cheyenne and Colt go through. I’m more like Cheyenne when it came to the mommy issues. The abandonment messes you up and I felt a connection with Chey on that standpoint. It’s hard to believe someone loves you when they leave you and that part of the story really resonated with me. With Colt, I wanted what he had with his mother. I thought his relationship with his mother was what truly brought tears to my eyes. I thought it was so unfair the situation he was in and I was angry and hurt at how cruel the world was to good people. What I do love most about what Nyrae brought in Charade was hope. She didn’t just give Chey and Colt hope, but she gave readers (like me) hope too. 

Like always, Nyrae’s writing is spot on. Chey and Colt’s voices were authentic and the situations they were put it were completely realistic and relatable in every sense. I truly loved the whole idea of how a game becomes the real deal. I thought it was a good way to bring these two characters together considering how they showed themselves to the world. And I also have to commend Nyrae on the awesome romance. I absolutely adored Chey and Colt’s bickering and banter. I love how their relationship developed over time, how they never wanted or expected to fall in love and how they embraced it in the end.

And while I’m still debating whether or not I need Nyrae to replace my achy breaky heart because of this one, I loved that she made my heart hurt, made me feel so utterly helpless for these characters, and how she totally upped the angst, but never made it feel over the top. 

All in all, Charade is a testament to Nyrae’s extraordinary talent at writing and story telling. She never ever disappoints!