Wheels of Steel Books 1, 2, and 3 by Pepper Pace

óóóóó (So worth the lost sleep)

Ok - Pepper Pace did it again for me. Because I was a fan of “Juicy”, I decided to read this series.  I lost one night of sleep over it but is was totally worth it.  Well how do I began...  I pulled an all-nighter to finish this; it was a good, very fast paced read and I wanted to know what was going to happen next.  I seldom get a read in which I just have to read the whole series at once but this one got me.  Let me tell you the story line...

Jason, better known as Top, is an up and coming DJ.  He’s a white guy that knows more about Hip Hop than most and he also has cerebral palsy.  His group Wheels of Steel is comprised of self-proclaimed misfits that are made cool by their talent. But despite his talent and popularity, Jason is plagued by issues of trust and anger.

Robin is a shy black girl that takes a job as his home healthcare aid. Her crippling nervous condition makes everything difficult for her, not just her bad tempered client with cerebral palsy, but also his close knit friends, and even her mother with her best intentions. Their saga takes them along a musical journey of self-discovery and love.

This story line made me very courous about it and started read book one. I was caught at the beginning; loving hip hop myself, I think you hip hop listeners will enjoy all the artists they speak of. Once again I learned something new and totally connected with the charioteers of the book. I am sure you can see yourself in at least one of them. She hits on the subjects of depression, Crohns disease, learning disabilities, cerebral palsy, fear of being hurt, cancer, death and dying, and on a lighter note, the love for hip hop and music ranging from the 70’s Motown and up.  It brought back memories of “beat street” and other movies that age me.  The characters find a way to either overcome or work with what God gave them to their advantage.  Once again Pepper Pace develops characters well and takes you on a journey about this misfit group that seem to work well together in the end.  There ups and down are very common to all but yet you do not think about those who have special needs have them too; the author puts you with them to feel their journey with the character.  You will be rooting for Top (Jason) and Sweetheart in the HC (Robin) and riding the roller coaster of their lives.  Cry, laugh, roll your eyes and neck and scream while reading the series.  I guess now I can go sleep and get ready for the next book ride. 

This is an adult read, with adult language and content.

Juicy by Pepper Pace

✩✩✩✩✩  

I loved this book. This book came to me via recommendation from another blogger.  I was not sure about the book at first when I read the intro, a black girl who is taught white people are the devil, meets white guy who is a bum on the street and they fall in love.  So I was really like, 'ok let’s see how this book ends and hope it entertains me in the process'.  Well yes it did!  I was pleasantly surprised on how the chapters were so developed and you could get a real since of who they are and their back story.  The story was not so typical, but was very real and I laughed and cried at points of the book.

Funny J

“Why did that nurse call me Mrs. Cracker?”

“Oh yeah that. You’re my wife, Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to site here and keep an eye on you” He paused in his chewing to giver a long look. “And since you named me Mr. Cracker, it’s your name, too.”

If you do not get the joke in this, you will when you read this book; I was dying laughing.  There were also times that made me feel a little mushy over things when this was said.

Tears of Sadness statement:

“Troy you have choice here. I can take you to the hospital. They’ll stitch you up, give you a shot of antibiotics, and ask for a police report.” Here he gave Troy a pointed look. “.. and then send you on your way.  Or I can take you to a church I know. They help guys that are down on their luck. They have doctor on board that will look you over real good then they’ll give you a meal ticket and a place in one of their boarding houses to sleep. Once you are feeling better they will help you get on your feet.” He was driving as he talked. The low humming voices coming across the police radio made a perfect backdrop to Kelly’s deep baritone. “Which will it be, son?”

You have got read the book to know what the above is talking about.

This book takes you on a nice ride in life; it is rich in charter development and understanding on real accounts on real situations people deal with day to day.  It is a love story that you would never put together otherwise, but very entertaining and meaningful.  If you want learn something new and expand your reading horizon this is the book for you.  This an adult read with sexual content and some racial slurs.    

Groupie the Series; A Rock Star Trilogy  

This review will cover the entire three part series of “Groupie”. Just yesterday, I got this that yummy installment of the series called “Mogul”. I was waiting for the last book, and I was oh so happy with the finished product. This story starts off with a lady named Andy who’s an up and coming writer, who was asked to cover this new up and coming band. Of course, she falls in love and the roller coaster begins. It was a page turner; I did not know where this story was going. I rolled my eyes so much at Vanni, I thought my eyes were going to come out - he was working my last nerve with his decisions. I will not give the book away, but it was like you wanted to walk away from the book but you just couldn’t because you had to know what was next.

This story had all the ups and downs and gut busting moments; I definitely enjoyed the series. If you like bad boy rock stars with not the typical leading lady, this is the book for you. I was up all night trying to finish “Mogul” and finished in a day - I just could not but it down. So, if you have not read the first book and plan to, carve our three days of reading because you will not want to stop.

The author also had done it again and at the end of “Mogul” you will be introduced to her new book series that kinda spins off from this trilogy can’t wait to read that one too.

I give this series 5 stars!
✩✩✩✩✩

Book order:

1. Groupie

2. Rock Star

3. Mogul

The Complete Groupie Trilogy

Remember When by T. Torrest

This book came to me via searching amazon; I read the book storyline and jumped on so I can too be reminded of my high school years.

Ever wonder how often Brad Pitt’s high school girlfriend must ponder jumping off a bridge? Ever think about the girl that had her hooks in George Clooney before he took off for TV stardom? How about Leonardo DiCaprio’s ex, or Johnny Depp’s first groupie, or any number of young women who got left behind when their boyfriends set off for greener pastures and eventually achieved unfathomable Hollywood fame?

My name is Layla Warren and I don’t need to wonder about any of those things. I already know. Because years before Trip Wiley could be seen on movie screens all over the world, he could be seen sitting in the desk behind me in my high school English class.

This was back in 1990, and I cite the year only to avoid dumbfounding you when references to
big hair or stretch pants are mentioned. Although, come to think of it, I am from New Jersey,
which may serve as explanation enough. We were teenagers then, way back in a time before
anyone could even dream he’d turn into the Hollywood commodity that he is today.

In case you live under a rock and don't know who Trip Wiley is, just know that these days, he’s
the actor found at the top of every casting director’s wish list. He’s incredibly talented and
insanely gorgeous, the combination of which has made him very rich, very famous and very
desirable.

And not just to casting directors, either.

I can’t confirm any of the gossip from his early years out in Tinseltown, but based on what I
knew of his life before he was famous, I can tell you that the idea of Girls-Throwing-
Themselves-At-Trip is not a new concept.

I should know. I was one of them.

I could not help but think back to my high school years, and yet there weren’t any
superstars that came out of my class, but there were some who did graduate from my high
school. I thought after reading this, ‘I wonder if their ex’s had the same experience.
Anyway, this book was a very easy read and very relatable; I thought she was talking
about my high school. It was a very sweet teenage love story, but the main
character “Trip” - who Layla calls “Chester” - had some depth to him. I felt the
author was holding back on this story in anticipation for the next book because there were still a
lot of questions not answered, and I can tell whatever the hidden story was would tells us why Trip was the way he is. Layla, who is described as a popular girl who’s open to all types of people, but has her own demons she’s trying to manage in the book. I don’t think she knows how much she has helped Trip along the way with his demons, and I can’t wait to find out more in the next book. There were some moments (spoiler alert) when the high schoolers went to a beach house with no supervision; during that time in my life there’s no way my parents would be
fine with what happened. This very cute and sweet story of 1990‘s high schoolers who delt with real life situations while maintaining an active social life. The book has a bit of a cliffhanger, I so hope the author is done or almost done with the next book. Without giving away the book, I want to know will this be a happily ever after ending, or a I-knew-him-when-he-was-at-the-end. We shall see...

4.5 stars
✩✩✩✩ ½


What I read after Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Ok, Ladies and Gentleman: after reading this one this is when my Contemporary
Romance addiction started. Good morning America was talking about this book on their
show and I just had to check it out, and I got hooked! Wow - the Christian and Anastasia story
hide me hard; I was surprised that it had a lot erotic scenes and there was a story line -
so action packed that I couldn’t put the book down, and found myself just going crazy with the
ups and downs and the big freakin’ cliff hanger after the first book.

I sent this book to my friends and they would call me at all hours wanting to talk about
what was going on with this book. I had one friend that made me promise to not tell her
husband, for she was afraid he was going to make her do some of the things Christian
wanted Anastasia to do. I had friends that were asking why is Ana liking this “Hooker”
anyway and I would just tell them to keep reading. It made me laugh, it made me bounce
my leg up and down during the action scene and made me feel for Christian Gray and
his human experience in this story.

So, now what do I read after this? Well, here’s a list of what I read and loved:

• Beautiful disaster and Waling Disaster (out March 2013) by Jamie Mcgure
• Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
• Easy by Tammara Webber
• Bared to You, Reflected to you, and Entwined to you (comes out spring 2013) by Sylvia Day
• Gabriel’s Inferno and Gabriel’s Rapture by, Sylvian Reynard
• Thoughtless, Effortless, Reckless (will be out later 2012) by S.C. Stephens Series
• Mystery Man, Wild Man, Law Man, and Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley Series
• The Gamble, Sweet Dreams, Lady Luck, and Breathe by Kristen Ashley Series
• Collide by Gail McHugh Series
• Rule by Jay Crownover Series
• On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
• Black Butterfly by Sienna Mynx
• The Devil’s eyes, The Devil’s Revenge, and The Devil’s Son by Jennifer Loren Series