• Home
  • Reviews
  • Ratings
    • 3 Stars
    • 3.5 Stars
    • 4 Stars
    • 4.5 Stars
    • 5 Stars
  • About Us
  • REVIEW POLICIES AND DISCLAIMER
  • Our Rating System
  • Contact
  • New Releases

TheBookBellas

  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Ratings
    • 3 Stars
    • 3.5 Stars
    • 4 Stars
    • 4.5 Stars
    • 5 Stars
  • About Us
  • REVIEW POLICIES AND DISCLAIMER
  • Our Rating System
  • Contact
  • New Releases

Review: JUNIPER SMOKE: PARTS I and II by SADIA ASH

January 29, 2017

 

Synopsis:

 

In an age of casual hook-ups, can love survive the test of time?

Juniper and Kyle meet when she is dangling forty feet from a museum scaffolding.

Juniper Mills is a straitlaced but sassy curator at a History Museum. Raised by her mother to hate men, she worries she’ll die a frigid scholar in a musty house with an army of cats and a lake of books.

Kyle Paxton is an intense and intimidating inventor of a successful micro camera from San Francisco. He schedules dating like his work—with robotic precision. This helps him cope with the dark memories of his ex-girlfriend, who still haunts him. Not looking for love, he only hooks up with Amazonian models.

When he joins the museum board, Juniper falls for him. She wants him, but knows it’s going to be as hard as catching the ocean in a teacup. Juniper becomes Kyle’s obsession, but the tragic secrets of his past cloud his feelings.

Juniper manages to knock Kyle’s world off its axis and their galaxies collide in this very unfairy tale. But can they overcome their differences and stop a hateful and vindictive person from tearing them apart?

Juniper Smoke is a smoking hot read with fun twists, dark secrets and edge-of-your-seat drama. Nothing is as it seems and no one behaves as you would expect.

 

My Review:

 

4.5 Amazing Stars!!

When a trusted author friend recommended this book to me, I immediately downloaded it and dove right in. Wait, I thought, this book is how long??! ‘Juniper Smoke’ is an odyssey, a fantastic, sexy, funny, smart and heart-stopping journey that I never wanted to end.

“I, Juniper Mills, always run away from the people I love. It is the story and sequel of my life.”

There is just so much to love about this book that I want to yell from the rooftops for everyone to read it! Juniper might be one of the sassiest, wittiest and smartest heroines I have read in a long time. She is simply a breath of fresh air. And Kyle Paxton, OMG KYLE!! Where do I even begin. In a sea of billionaire bachelors and dark heroes, he is a standout. I will never forget him. Poor, wealthy, lonely Kyle. Forget everything you know about reading contemporary romance novels because Sadia Ash just threw it all out the window. Her characters are fresh, damaged, strong, lonely and smart.

“Will you please leave? And stop looking up.”
“Give me a reason to stop looking up.”
Great. A Comedy Central reject. “Are you one of the waiters?”
“Hmm. Telekinesis. I think I’ve found my soul mate.”

There is so much to say about this book. The basics are that Juniper (yes, named after the tree) is a junior curator at a museum in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Kyle Paxton is a wealthy investor who founded a tech start-up company at a very young age. He is sexy and gorgeous and geeky and does not have normal relationships with women. But Juniper is basically a goner from the minute they meet.

“He laughed and it was a pleasant deep-throated sound. He held me so close, it vibrated in my body. Wow. If I could record and harness Kyle’s remarkable laugh all the world’s babies would stop crying and maybe the adults would be moved to work for peace. I felt happiness I had never known before. Then I got sad, for very soon I would never see this hot and mysterious stranger again.”

Lonely Juniper has been raised by a single mother who has had a hard life and so taught Juniper that men and relationships were to be avoided. So she finds herself unable to connect with men at the ripe old age of 26. Friends, yes, a great job, yes, but this geeky girl runs in the other direction where men are concerned.

See, I was raised to hate men. My mother didn’t raise me to believe in fairytales. Only unfairy tales.

Kyle is as smitten with Juniper as she is with him. But this delicious, slow-burn romance takes its time with the characters and the story and by the time these tow get together, I was addicted to their story.

Okay, there it was. I was outed in my mind. I want Kyle Paxton. And getting him was as easy as collecting the Pacific Ocean in a teacup. I was screwed.

Sadia Ash’s writing is sharp, biting, funny and verrrrry sexy. In fact, the only complaint I have about ‘Juniper Smoke’ is that it ended! I even liked Kyle, although at many times he came across as cold and calculating. It was part of his charm but he did frustrate me at times.

His expression grew distant again. “No. I’ve already said too much. Don’t read too much into it, Juniper. I make my decisions on human capital quickly. When I meet people, I know at once if I want to work with them and if I want to be with them.”

There is a lot to absorb in this book but I absolutely loved the how the settings changed, from frosty Michigan to California and back again. Every chapter was richly drawn and seemed vital to the story. The connection between Juniper and Kyle was as breathtaking as it was tinged with sadness. I really felt the emotional connection between the characters here and the author made them come alive for me.

A lump formed in my throat, for despite the blank way he spoke, I felt the ache in his voice, the loneliness in his words, and the vulnerability in his eyes. I had never seen him falter from his alpha-male façade at any time, and so this fragmented man in front of me was fascinating. Intriguing. Complex. Just my type. Danger bells again.

The story was creative and unexpected and surprised me at every turn. It is filled with people, places and things that all have meaning. I was completely taken aback at the ending and cannot wait until the next part of Juniper and Kyle’s story comes out! I will read anything that Said Ash writes. If you are looking for a book that is far and away different from any other romance out there, then read ‘Juniper Smoke’ and prepare to fall in love with these characters!

“Real life has tears and stupid emotions and mess and dirt and filth and drama that go with every beautiful thing we do. There is beauty in everything that falls. Like this.”

Categories : 4.5 Stars, Contemporary Romance, Reviews, Romantic Comedy, Series

« NEW RELEASES: Week of January 22, 2016 *UPDATED*
NEW RELEASES: Week of January 29, 2017 »

Categories

  • 2 Stars
  • 2.5 Stars
  • 3 Stars
  • 3.5 Stars
  • 4 Stars
  • 4.5 Stars
  • 5 Stars
  • Action Romance
  • Adult
  • Adult Coloring Book
  • Adult Romance
  • Adult Suspense
  • Alpha male
  • Alpha- hero
  • Angsty
  • Anthology
  • Audiobook
  • Author Interview
  • Author Signing
  • Autobiography
  • BDSM
  • BDSM – Dark and Angsty
  • Biker
  • Billionaire Romance
  • Biographical Fiction
  • Biography
  • Bisexual Romance
  • Blog Hop
  • Blog Tour
  • Book Blast
  • Book Blitz
  • Book Launch
  • Book Tour
  • Charity
  • College
  • College Romance
  • Coming of Age
  • Contemporary
  • Contemporary Erotic Romance
  • Contemporary Fiction
  • Contemporary Gay Romance
  • Contemporary Homoerotic Romance
  • Contemporary M/M Romance
  • Contemporary Queer Romance
  • Contemporary Romance
  • Contemporary Western Romance
  • Courtroom Drama
  • Cover Reveal
  • Cowboy Romance
  • Cozy Mystery
  • Crime
  • Crime Romance
  • Dark
  • Dark and Twisty
  • Dark Contemporary Romance
  • Dark Erotic Romance
  • Dark Erotica
  • Dark Humor
  • Dark Romance
  • Diverse
  • Domestic Fiction
  • Domestic Suspense
  • Domestic Thriller
  • Dominant
  • Dystopian
  • Enemies to Lovers
  • Erotic
  • Erotic Humor
  • Erotic Romance
  • Erotic Romantic Comedy
  • Erotic Suspense
  • Erotic Thriller
  • Erotica
  • Erotica/Sci-Fi
  • Events
  • Family Drama
  • Family Saga
  • Fantasy
  • Fashion
  • Feminism
  • Fiction
  • Fighter
  • Financial Thriller
  • Forbidden
  • Giveaway
  • Gothic
  • Gothic Romance
  • Guest Post
  • Hispanic American Literature
  • Historical Fiction
  • Historical Romance
  • Holiday Fiction
  • Holiday Romance
  • Horror
  • Horror Romance
  • Human Sexuality
  • Humor
  • Legal Thriller
  • Lesbian Romance
  • LGBQT Science Fiction
  • LGBT
  • LGBT Romance
  • LGBTQI
  • Literary Fiction
  • Literary Saga
  • M/m
  • M/M Contemporary Romance
  • Mafia Romance
  • Magical Realism
  • Mature YA/NA
  • MC Romance
  • Memoir
  • Ménage
  • Mental Health
  • Military Romance
  • MM Romance
  • MMA
  • Movie Star Romance
  • Multicultural Romance
  • Mystery
  • Mythology
  • Nature
  • New Adult
  • New Adult Contemporary
  • New Adult Contemporary Romance
  • New Adult Romance
  • New Adult Romantic Comedy
  • New Adult Romantic Suspense
  • New Release
  • Non-con
  • Non-Fiction
  • Novella
  • Office Romance
  • Organized Crime Thrillers
  • Own Voices
  • Paranormal
  • Paranormal Romance
  • Political Romance
  • Post-Apocalyptic
  • Prequel
  • Psychological
  • Psychological Thriller
  • Release Blitz
  • Reviews
  • Rock Star
  • Rock Star Romance
  • Rocker
  • Romance
  • Romantic Comedy
  • Romantic Erotica
  • Romantic Suspence
  • Romantic Suspense
  • Romantic Thriller
  • Romantic Women's Fiction
  • Satire
  • Sci-Fi Romance
  • Science Fiction
  • Second Chance
  • Second Chance Romance
  • Self-Help
  • Serial
  • Series
  • Shifter
  • Short Story
  • Single Dad
  • Slow Burn Romance
  • Small-town Romance
  • Speculative Fiction
  • Sports
  • Sports Romance
  • Sports-Hockey
  • Spotlight
  • Spotlight Tour
  • Standalone
  • Student-Teacher
  • Suspense
  • Taboo
  • Tattooed hero
  • Teaser
  • Teaser Tuesday
  • Thriller
  • Time Travel Romance
  • Trailer Reveal
  • Uncategorized
  • Urban Erotica
  • Waiting on Wednesday
  • Western Romance
  • Women's Fiction
  • Women's Studies
  • Young Adult
  • Young Adult Contemporary Romance
  • Young Adult Fantasy
  • Young Adult Fiction
  • Young Adult Romance
  • Young Adult Thriller
  • Young Adult Time Travel
  • Young Adult-New Adult

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Favorites:

Search The Book Bellas

New Posts Delivered Straight To Your Inbox

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 37 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • HELLO BEAUTIFUL by ANN NAPOLITANO
  • PINEAPPLE STREET by JENNY JACKSON
  • SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES by JOJO MOYES
  • MS. DEMEANOR by ELINOR LIPMAN
  • WOMEN ARE THE FIERCEST CREATURES by ANDREA DUNLOP
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Archives

Find us on GoodReads

Goodreads: Book reviews, recommendations, and discussion

Grab our Button


Tags

4 stars 4.5 stars 5 stars A.L. Jackson Aleatha Romig Alessandra Torre alpha male BDSM Bella Jewel Blog Tour Book Blitz Book Launch Cat Porter Chelle Bliss contemporary romance Cover Reveal Erotica Erotic romance Excerpt Giveaway Jane Harvey-Berrick K. Bromberg Karina Halle Katy Evans Kristen Ashley Laurelin Paige Mara White Nelle L'Amour New Adult New Releases Pam Godwin Penelope Douglas Penelope Ward Pepper Winters R.S. Grey Release Blitz Review Reviews S.L. Scott Skye Warren Tarryn Fisher Tessa Bailey Tia Louise Vi Keeland Young Adult

Copyright © 2023 · Annabelle Reloaded Theme