Saturday, July 11, 2015

Review of Toxic by Kim Karr + Giveaway!

"Promise me, no matter what, you won't give up. You'll see us through." - Jeremy McQueen

Toxic
Author: Kim Karr
Publisher: NAL (Penguin)
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Source: publisher for review

Buy Links: Amazon - B&N - iBooks - BAM - IndieBound - Google Play - Kobo
Add to Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Kim Karr turns up the heat in a smoking hot, emotionally compelling romance that takes you into the world of Manhattan’s elite.

Meet Jeremy McQueen, a sexy, intense, brooding entrepreneur who goes after what he wants, and Phoebe St. Claire, a socialite-turned-CEO who’s been drifting through life searching for something she thought she'd never find again—the right man to share her future.

Phoebe St. Claire has devoted herself to saving her family’s hotel empire—but her best efforts have not been good enough. With her whole world in turmoil, the tenacious go-getter turns to the once love of her life. Far from innocent, Jeremy McQueen was a guy from the wrong side of the tracks and her parents would never have approved. Their years apart have only made the sexy bad boy more irresistible than ever—and their reunion is explosive.

When she asks Jeremy to help her salvage her family business, he agrees immediately, with only one condition—he wants her in his bed.

But soon surprising circumstances leave Phoebe reeling. Was this fairy tale romance just too good to be true? Will Jeremy’s secrets pull them apart all over again?


Let me paint you a little picture. Here I am, on the verge of a reading slump when Toxic appears on my Kindle. I look at it...and I put it away. I have others to read first. Here comes the slump and suddenly, I'm not reading anything at all. I look at Toxic again... This time, I go with it and start reading... Two hours later, I'm still reading. Three hours later... Yep, still reading. Hallelujah! The slump has given way and before I knew it, I finished Toxic in one glorious day. There is something about a combustible sexual chemistry that just really ignites my Kindle. The characters and the intense attraction between Phoebe and Jeremy was phenomenal. Although the constant miscommunication and mistrust between them (mostly on Phoebe's end) got a little frustrating, I still loved the layers of depth it added to their relationship. It wasn't as if the hurdles were thrown in their path willy-nilly. The mistrust and miscommunication really stems from the relationships that surround them. It is from those relationships that they learn how to overcome and eliminate the toxicity that lies between them. Watching them learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others was wonderful. Life, however, will not be easy, but their connection and love for one another will forever pull them together. 

I don't normally say this, but I really want Jeremy's side of the story. I tend to be a little skeptical when a companion book is written in the opposite perspective because they can be a little repetitive. However, I want Jeremy's perspective. There were points in Toxic where I would have easily begged the author for some insight. We get a little glimpse inside his head during the epilogue, but that wasn't nearly enough. How did he feel about their initial break-up? What ran through his mind when Phoebe was suddenly thrust back into his life? Inquiring minds want to know!

There is just something about intense, over-the-top romances that make me salivate like one of Pavlov's puppies. Let's just say, I could have used a bucket... Toxic had me in its clutches from the moment I felt the fierce attraction between Jeremy and Phoebe and would not let go until I finished it. As my first foray into the works of Kim Karr, it had  me wanting more. I have added more of her books to my TBR and I'm looking forward to immersing myself into one of her books very soon.


I live in Florida with my husband and four kids. I've always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, I wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. I went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise my family. I currently work part-time with my husband and full-time embracing one of my biggest passions—writing. 

I wear a lot of hats! Writer, book-lover, wife, soccer-mom, taxi driver, and the all around go-to person of the family. However, I always find time to read. One of my favorite family outings use to be taking my kids to the bookstore or the library. Today, my oldest child is in college and my twins are juniors so they no longer go with me on these outings. And although I don't need to go to the actual store anymore because I have the greatest device ever invented—a Kindle, I still do. There's nothing like a paperback. So now my four year old and I make dates out of going to the bookstore--it's time I love and cherish.

I like to believe in soulmates, kindred spirits, true friends, and Happily-Ever-Afters. I love to drink champagne, listen to music, and hopes to always stay young at heart. <3 p="">

Kim Karr's Links


I'm giving away one paperback copy of Toxic. To enter, please check out the Rafflecopter widget below. Giveaway is opened to US and Canada only.

Good Luck!



6 comments:

  1. I love Historical Romance like A Blue Stocking Christmas by Monica Burns. Also books by Cristina Rayne Claimed by an Elven King.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I commented once but can't see it? LOL

    ReplyDelete
  3. ahh well geez theres that one I have no idea where the other went! I dont have time to retype the whole thing! sabrina york, monica burns, ker dukey, dh sidebottom yep love them all!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like just about any genre, but I can't think of a recommendation off the top of my head, though. >_<

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very nice review! I enjoy books that grab me and don't let go and sounds like this one may do that. Thank you. As for recommendations for intense reads . . . wow! You don't ask much. :D My reading is so all over the place, but the last "intense read" I did was Held Hostage by Morticia Knight. It was an M/m suspense romance. Loved. It. aka Becky

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love books that have intense attraction.Sucks you right in to the storyline

    ReplyDelete