Seven New Adult Free/Cheap E-book Mini-Reviews

So, I haven't done much of this kind of thing, other than with novellas or series.  But recently, I've started downloading free or very cheap New Adult/Romance ebooks.  And they are pretty quick to read, for me.  There isn't that much to the story that they require you to make sure you read every word. And really, I'm kind of just reading it for the romance (sexy parts), so that makes it a little quicker to get through as well.  I also downloaded the Kindle app to my laptop, so sometimes I can sneak in a little reading when I have an extra minute or two at work.  :-)  I also am going to consider this a little bit of research to help me with the story that has been percolating in my brain. The one that I intend to work on when I take a little writing retreat at the end of June.  Anyway, here goes with all the reviews!

Back to You:  A Hudson Family Series - Book 1 - Synclair and Reece by Chontelle Brison

So, this was a very fun, quick read.  The beginning started out in a similar way to how the first book in the After series ended, but the story went a much different way, and the characters were totally different.  I loved the characters though, I liked the way the story went, and I kinda want a Hudson boy of my very own now.  Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:
Synclair Patrick is having a crap week. A drug dealer burned down her bar and her apartment above it, a gigolo tried to rob her and to top it all off, she gets panicked text messages from her barmaid, begging for her to save her. So ending up in Carson City, Nevada- in the hands of the man that broke her heart fifteen years ago is enough to make this Vegas chick start swinging.

Reece Hudson has his hands full. With a successful Veterinarian practice, an ex-wife that won’t go away, three brothers who always seem to be into something and a baby sister who still believes in fairytales, Reese is shocked when the woman he loved fifteen years ago falls into his arms, Literally! He never got over Synclair and now that he has her in his arms, he’s not letting go. But Synclair wants nothing to do with him. He knows Synclair feels the chemistry between them. It will take every dirty Hudson trick in the book, a little blackmail and his whole family getting involved, but Hudsons never give up on one of their own and Synclair is a Hudson, she just doesn’t know it yet.

Baby Mine!:  A Hudson Family Series - Book 2 - Lucas and Sara by Chontelle Brison

I actually finished this one a little later.  While the first one was free, this one cost, not much, but enough that I signed up for a free trial of Kindle Unlimited for a month so that I could read it for free. I loved all the Hudson brothers being back, as well as Synclair.  I have to say that knowing what Lucas did to Sara, man I wanted to smack him!  And then later, when Reece kind of did the same thing to Synclair, well the not believing/trusting bit, I wanted to smack him too!  But you gotta love the brothers, spying on the girls when they were mad at them, and then going to beat up the guy that had hurt their baby sister.  I hate that I'm going to have to wait till July for the third book now!  Here's the synopsis of this from Goodreads:
Lucas Hudson is kicking himself. After watching his brother Reece get a second chance with Synclair, now Lucas is looking for his own happy ending with Sara Wilmington. Three years ago Lucas's best friend Travis convinced him that Sara had willingly had sex with him. Even after it had come to light that Sara was drugged and assaulted by Travis, Lucas couldn't get past what happened. To make matters worse, Sara found out she was pregnant not long after. Now, after three years, Lucas is tired of living without the woman he loves. Deciding to no longer stand on the sidelines of his life, he makes a full court press for her. Sara has every right to be mad, when she needed him to accept the child that came out of that terrible night, he couldn't do it. Lucas may not deserve a second chance, but he's determined to get one. With the help of the Hudson clan and his new sister in law Synclair, Lucas plans to rope himself the angry, gun shy beauty, even if he has to hog tie her!

Sara Wilmington gave up on Lucas Hudson years ago. At least, she thought she had. Now that she was partnering with his brother's fiance in a restaurant, it seems Lucas is everywhere. Sara refuses to give Lucas the time of day; she has a son to raise, a business to run and the last thing she needs is the arrogant, Lucas Hudson trying to weaken her resolve with his stolen kisses. Sara knows that Lucas is relentless when he's going after something, now it looks like he has her in his sights. Her brain has no problem shutting him out, after all, he hurt her terribly, if only her heart and body would pay attention. 

 Becoming Us (London Lovers #1) by Amy Daws 

This was another free ebooks that sounded really good. And honestly, at first I didn't understand the "London Lovers" part of the title.  But after reading the sneak peek at book two, I definitely do.  And since it was payday, I went ahead and spent the high price of $3.99 to get book two, because there is quite a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this one.  I loved the story, the whole being friends with someone and them not really wanting more for some reason.  And as someone who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, all the talk about this city, as well as other places in both Missouri and Kansas, was so cool for me!  Now the little bit of a cliffhanger at the end did, once again, remind me of something that happened in the After series, in the last book I think.  Anyway, here is the synopsis for this one from Goodreads:
The dreaded friend-zone... The last place I ever want to be with college basketball God, Jake LaShae. I am losing my mind trying to figure out what this gorgeous and confident man wants from me. I need to break through his walls. What is it about me that makes him not go there? What am I lacking? When a mind-blowing betrayal knocks the wind out of me, and I think I can't feel any lower...Brody stumbles into my path-barefoot no less, and sexy as hell. His direct and mouth-watering swagger is a breath of fresh air. The feelings this man gives me are like nothing I've ever experienced. But Brody has a past. A past that makes it nearly impossible for him to trust me and let us become us in whatever capacity that may be. Just when Brody and I truly connect, just when I think that finding my soul-mate in college isn't a total joke, Jake comes back into my life...and messes things up...possibly for good.

A Broken Us (London Lovers #2) by Amy Daws:

This is the sequel to the book above.  It is one that I gave up and purchased for the $3.99 that it cost because the way the first one ended I had to know what would happen next.  Actually, I feel like I ended up  liking this one a little more than I liked the first one! It still had a little story plot part that reminded me of the After series again, but I was still okay with that.  I like that we get a happy ending for the characters, and I like that we get a look at the characters who book 3 will be about.  Now while I'm eager to read about those characters, it won't be as immediate of a need to read it as it was with this one.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads for this one:
The moment those words come out of the doctor’s mouth, I feel sick.
So sick.
The life I have dreamed of…obliterated.
And Brody.
God, Brody.
How will he look at me?
How can he accept me?
He'll know what I hid from him.
He'll know everything.
It’s over. It’s completely over. I can't tell him "I love Us" anymore.
Even though I do.
Even though it will kill me.
I can't tell him anything. Everything is ruined. Pummeled. Broken.
I have to leave him. I have to give up us.
I know he'll come after me.
I just have to do something to make him not want to.

 Inside Her - Book One by Lucia Jordan:

This was a ridiculously short, 45 page novella, and it ended so abruptly.  The sex was definitely steamy, but I don't know if I'll go back for more of the series.  I could buy the whole series for like $2.99, just don't know that I will.  Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
Cleo Cantrell leads an unassuming life as the owner of indie-bookstore Happily Ever After, but on the side, she writes best-selling romance novels under the pen name Dominique Darling. When A-list actor-director Tony Markson contacts Cleo about turning one of her novels into a movie, she initially rejects his offer. Tony’s gorgeous and hot as hell, but Cleo’s pretty sure he uses his looks to make up for a lack in IQ, and she’s been burned by pretty boys before.
Tony truly is a great actor, though, and he’s been trying to act around his looks his entire career. When he and Cleo finally meet, his sensitivity, intellect, and uncanny insights into the characters in Cleo’s book quickly overcome her defenses. But there’s still one thing: no one but Cleo’s agent—not even her parents or best friend—knows that Cleo is Dominique Darling.
Can their shared passion in Cleo’s novel turn into something more? And what sort of feelings will Tony elicit when he decides to act out a scene from Cleo’s novel?

Lick - Stage Dive #1 by Kylie Scott:

Now this was a pretty good read.  At first I was ready to not like the main love interest, David, as he seemed to be a jerk when Evelyn woke up and didn't remember what had happened the night before. He should have realized just how drunk she was!  Anyway.  He soon made up for it, and let me tell you the sex scenes were HOT!  I grew to love the story, and even teared up at the end.  I fell in love with David, and even though one of the covers made him totally  not attractive to me, the one that I feature here is a good one of him.  I'm kind of wanting my own rock star again!  I'm looking forward to reading the others in the series, especially book two about Mal, who I really liked him.  But while this one was free or cheap, the next one is $4.99, so I will wait for an Amazon gift card probably.  Here is the blurb for this from Goodreads:
Waking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this.

Evelyn Thomas's plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man in her room, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened.

One thing is certain, being married to one of the hottest rock stars on the planet is sure to be a wild ride.

What I Really Learned In College - With Honors Series Book 1 by Addison Winters:

I thought this might be fun.  I'm a bit of a cougar myself, even though unlike the main character I don't have kids and have never been married.  The story wasn't horrible, and the sex scenes were good for the most part, BUT, and this is a big but for me.  The main character, Alex, was taking a bunch of psychology classes, and one of them had to do with sexuality.  And so she tried out these things on the younger guy, Mason, that were just too weird for me.  Like making it so that he didn't ejaculate?  And weird prostate stuff too.  Sorry, some people might enjoy that, just didn't do anything for me, and made it a creepy kind of read really.  It was a free ebook, so that's good.  I'll let you read the synopsis from Goodreads and see if you're interested:
Alex Rose is a 32-year-old divorced mother of two, looking for a better life for her and her sons. In search of answers, she returns to college to finally get that degree she’s always dreamed of. What she finds is something she wasn’t even looking for.

Mason Brooks is every girl’s dream: 21 years old, tall, with dirty blond hair that curls when it’s wet, sea-blue eyes, and dimples. Hot, sexy…and deliciously naïve and innocent.

Enter a tantalizing world where an average soccer mom utilizes her newfound knowledge of psychology to make life just a little more interesting. Follow along as Alex educates Mason on the art of seducing and pleasing a woman. Take notes as she introduces him to a whole new level of intensity and sexual pleasure. Study the sensual art of tantric sex as Alex creates her own style of silk and lace female dominance.
This little tryst will never survive past college–but Alex is determined to enjoy it the fullest while it lasts.

Those are the free/cheap ebooks that I've read in pretty much the past week.  Like I said, these are quick to get through, and are really putting me ahead on my Goodreads Reading Challenge!

Have you downloaded free or cheap ebooks before?  Did they turn out to be good, like most of the ones I described above?  Or did they turn out to be more like the last one here, and you could see why they were free?