I absolutely loved this book! It was deeply emotional and moving book. I completely fell in love with these characters and can't wait for more.

This book was my introduction to the author and I really enjoyed the book! It was a new & fresh perspective on the traditional love story, with the diversity of characters. I plan to read future novels by this author!

Thirsty is a wonderful book, and for me drew me in from the beginning and I was sad that it actually had to end. Salvador Rosas is on parole and is also working at staying away from the gang that his father started. Now being kicked out of the house he is staying at because one of his home boys messed up with his woman. He is looking for a place. It is this beginning and the way Mia Hopkins draws you into the story with her words that you feel like you are one of the neighbors watching the scene of cloths and yelling that is going on, yet like someone that has been through this before Salvador is yes getting dressed out on the sidewalk, and yes this actually happens in real life not just the movies. The difference here is you don’t lite his things on fire because you don’t know when the fire is going to arrive and there is a greater chance you will be charged with a crime, not the case in other neighborhoods or in the movies. Now Salvador walking and is called by a women that has lived in the neighborhood forever and is given the chance to stay, rent out the small garage. He of course must clean it, and he asks about the granddaughter Vanessa who he remembers, but the grandmother says she will handle it. Well it is not handle until after Salvador is watered down with the garden hose by Vanessa because she knows who he is and does not want him there. Grandmother over rules and he stays. Now begins there working out things from the past. Salvador also meets a man who does not judge him and they build on his budding interest into making craft beer. This man who makes beer and begins to show him how it is done is really the first person other than Vanessa to actually help him. Everything is going good until one night when it all goes sideways with some of his old gang, and then the next morning trouble is brought to her house, and now he has more trouble. The author takes you on a ride that is fantastic with this story. The characters are very life like along with how they speak, and with the gang life she even has parts of that down as well. There is enough action to keep the story moving along, and I think she even sets up for the next book. I don’t want to give away the ending but this is a very good book.

I enjoyed this one. It had the potential to be very formulaic and predictable, but wasn't. I enjoyed the characters and the realistic setting.

**3.5 Fiery Hearts!**

*I received an ARC of this book free from Barclay Publicity in exchange for an honest review*

Salvador’s life didn’t turn out exactly like he wanted, but he did his time and now he’s trying to get his life together…that is if the ESHB will allow it. He struggles between doing what he thinks is right and what he thinks he’s obligated to do. One will bring joy into his life and the other will bring nothing but pain. But when you are working two jobs and living in a garage you don’t have many options.

Vanessa already fell for one homeboy. He gave her an adorable daughter. He also made her a widow for said daughter was born. Now she spends her time between working, studying, and being a mom; there is no time for a man. Let alone another homeboy who could destroy her life.

With no place to go Vanessa’s grandmother lets Salvador move into her garage. He gets cheap rent and she gets a handyman who will clean all of her deceased husband’s stuff out of the garage. What he didn’t expect to get was Vanessa. She didn’t like him being there and had no problem telling him, but she is also a very lonely woman who finds it hard not to fall for someone who’s trying his best to make a better life for himself.
Thirsty will bring you down into the hood, into the middle of gang life, and show you how it feels to try to escape it.

I liked the storyline, but there were a few things that kept me from loving the book. One, if you don’t speak Spanish (like me) then there’s a lot of words and conversations you won’t understand. Stopping to try and understand what was being said kept interrupting my reading flow. Two, there’s an underlying story where the ESHB is concerned, one that includes a rival gang moving into town, but it’s all left up in the air. Maybe there will be some more to it in the next book, Trashed. And lastly, is it just me or was there no chemistry between Salvador and Vanessa? I mean yes they have great sex and an occasionally deep conversation, but for the most part it was hard to tell if she even truly liked him most of the time.

Great read. I enjoyed this book. I was provided a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

I read this back in February of this year and have no clue where my in-depth review went but here's a concise one ....

Read.This.Story.

Everything single moment in time of life can be split down to a choice. There is always a choice. Sometimes, the choices are just shit either way. That thought was a constant in the back of my mind when I read this journey. Man, you guys are gonna feel this book down to your bones and it will be worth it. #TRUST

The unique cover drew me in and the pages inside just sucked me into a vortex of constant reading till much too late in the night! I regret nothing!

Copy provided via NetGalley for review

Great cover and blurb but sadly the story just missed being amazing for me. I felt there was a lack of connection in between Sal and Vanessa. I never really got invested into their relationship.

gangster hiding from his past. A single mom fighting for her future. Can she show this bad boy the man he’s meant to be?

“Mia Hopkins is an imaginative author who doesn’t take the easy road to a formulaic book.”—USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog

My name is Salvador Rosas. Back in the barrio, my past is written on the walls: ESHB. Short for East Side Hollenbeck, my father’s gang—my gang. Hell, it’s a family tradition, one that sent both my brothers away. They used to call me “Ghost” because I haunted people’s dreams. Now I’ve got nothing going for me except a hipster gringo mentoring me in a new career. An ex-con making craft beer? No mames.

Still, people in this neighborhood look out for one another. That’s how I became Vanessa Velasco’s unwelcome tenant. Chiquita pero picosa. She’s little, but with curves so sweet they’re dangerous. I remember Vanessa from the old days, the straight-A student with big plans. Plans that were derailed by another kid stupid enough to think he was bulletproof. Now Vanessa knows better than to believe in empty promises. There’s fire in her . . . and if I touch her, I might get burned.

I’m trying everything I can to go straight. But when East Side Hollenbeck comes calling, I might have to risk it all to find out if there’s a future for Vanessa and me. Because she’s the only one who can quench my thirst for something real.

This is my first Mia Hopkins book and she is now a one click author for me. Her writing is so beautiful and it flows so smoothly. I read the book in one setting. From the first page you automatically get hooked in and need to find out what goes on in the rest of the story. The way she describes the characters you can't help but love them and feel for them. I can't wait to see what Ghost and Vanessa future holds the rest of the series.

Thirsty is about a boy who grew up in an East LA gang and landed in jail as he was becoming a man. When Sal gets out of jail he is worried about getting drawn back into the gang lifestyle, he knows there is no easy way out but doesn’t want to go back in. Vanessa is the good girl in school; the one who everyone knew would escape their neighborhood and make something out of her life. Vanessa was on the right track until she got involved with a gangster and ended up pregnant, than a widow all by the age of 18, not a quitter she decided to go to the local college and get the degree to allow her to provide more for her daughter.

Thirsty is about Sal’s road to discovering how to live and make a living outside of gang life as well as how he will be able to “retire” out of the gang. Along his journey he falls in love with Vanessa and has to win her trust because of her history with her late husband.
Told from Sal’s POV, I really enjoyed Thirsty, it is a refreshing break from billionaires. Sal is not as confident as you would think a gangster would be, he thinks he is not worthy of a woman like Vanessa. Vanessa is a strong single mother, she knows what she wants out of life and she knows that she wants Sal. Neither thinks they want forever but they cannot fight their attraction or feelings for each other.

Vanessa’s grandmother and daughter are cute and great additions to the story. There are some interesting supporting characters that I imagine, and hope, we will see more of as the series progresses.

The only thing that would have made this story better would have been dual POVs, Vanessa and Sal. I wanted to know what was going through her head while she was falling for Sal and during the moments when they had major roadblocks in their budding relationship.

Thirsty is a sweet and SEXY romance about two imperfect people who are perfect for each other.

What a cute and fun read. I’m new to Mia Hopkins as this is the first book of hers I’ve read, and what a way to be introduced. I wanted to read this book because the synopsis caught me right away, and that cover. It did help me want to see who this mysterious man was.

This is the story of Vanessa and Salvador. One a good girl and one a gangster trying to make a new life. They knew each other in high school, where Sal though Vanessa was the good girl, and Sal was definitely the bad boy. The story starts with Sal looking for a new place to live while trying to lay low from his gang after getting out of prison. He ends up in Vanessa’s garage offering to fix it up for her grandmother. Without giving too much away Vanessa does not want him there but they strike a deal to allow him to stay, especially since he will be gone most of the time at his two night jobs.

Sal is really trying to turn his life around, he’s saving up to get a place to stay and makes some interesting friends along the way. Eventually him and Vanessa strike a deal of their own, two months together, no strings then it’s over. Until something happens to mess that up and ends sooner then either would like.

What I liked about this story was that it felt real to me. You could see where they both were coming from and how they tried to make the most out of their lives while dealing with personal issues. Vanessa with the road her life had taken and Sal with his constant trying to be good. Not just for Vanessa but for himself as well.

All and all a cute love story with an ending I did not see coming. I’m going to assume that with the ending another book is coming.

This is a new to me author but not the last one I read. Sal Rosas is newly paroled and now homeless thanks to his homie getting kicked out of his girls' home when Vanessa's grandmother takes pity on him and makes him a deal. He can stay in the garage for 2 months while cleaning it out. This works out since he is only there during the day to sleep and gone at night working. This a well written and brings to life the Eastside of L.A. and trials of trying to stay out of the gang. Will Sal be able stay away from the gang or will they bring him back in? He has a good thing going with Vanessa but she will not put up with him going back with the gang. This was a good one and I look forward to more from this author.

**Received this ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

Salvador Rosas spent his time in jail and now he is back. He is trying to live life on the straight and narrow but it is hard with his gang East Side Hollenback at the door. He has been working two jobs and saving money for a place but when life hits a snag he finds himself renting a room from an unexpected source. However it also puts him in the path of single mom Vanessa Valesco. Her hot temper has Salvador wishing he had a chance with her, maybe he does but will his past ruin everything?

This was not what I expected it was better. I thought Salvador's story was realistic and thought he was doing the best he could under the way he was raised. Vanessa is a firecracker, I liked that she was tough as nails and that she could see past Salvador's past even if it took a little bit to realize it. Great read, look forward to more in the series.

This is the first book I've read by this author. I was drawn in by the synopsis when tour invites were sent out. There's something interesting about gang life to me. One of my top favorites movies is Boyz in the Hood. I cried buckets of tears watching that movie.
In Thirsty, the main character is Ghost and the story is totally in his first person pov. . Ghost is just out of prison and is so determined to stay clean, get his own place and be able to have stability when his brother Trouble gets out soon.
Things start off with a dramatic flare where Ghost is suddenly brought into Vanessa's life when her grandmother does some scheming. I really loved the humor Chinita brought to the story. Vanessa and Ghost had massive chemistry and they set the pages on fire.

Ghost had the biggest heart although it was cracked down the middle due to his own sense of shame and regret. He didn't always make the best choices but in the end he was really a good friend, brother and man to Vanessa. I enjoyed the added mystery at the end. I'm definitely looking forward to more in this series. I'd like to add that as I'm a safety reader, I was very pleased that there wasn't any unnecessary other woman intimate scenes. Ghost was loyal from the moment he met Vanessa again. I really hope the rest of this authors heroes will be one woman men from the start of their stories.
4 sexy and emotion filled stars.

*DNF

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this story. I stopped, tried going back later, and just found it's not a book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

Oh man, I wanted to like this book so much. That cover? That blurb? All of it sucked me in. Unfortunately, what's beyond that just didn't manage to engage me.

Six months out of jail, Salvador "Ghost" Rosas is trying to get his act together. His brother will be out in a couple of months, so he's trying to save up some money so they can get a place together and stay out of trouble. Working two jobs and staying in Vanessa Velasco's garage is where he spends his time.

Vanessa Velasco is the neighborhood good girl. However, in high school she fell in love with one of the members of the local gang. Young love also brought with it an unexpected pregnancy. Five years later and Vanessa is a single mom and widow. But she hasn't let any of that stop her from pursuing her dreams.

Told entirely from Sal's first person POV, I couldn't quite get into this story. Normally I'm not one who really has any issues with first person POV, but here it just didn't work for me. Too much internal monologue to keep me interested. I found myself bored way too many times.

Also, the writing is very choppy and stilted. I like to find a rhythm to my reading and I just couldn't get that here. The transitions from one scene to the next were sloppy as well. I'd check back to see if I missed reading a sentence that moved me from one scene to the next or from one day to the next, but alas, it would turn out I didn't.

And while I really wanted to root for Sal and Vanessa, I just didn't feel any spark between them. Nothing really clicked. I could sympathize with Sal and his battle with trying not to get pulled back into the gang life and becoming the man he wanted to be, and that he thought Vanessa deserved, but the author just didn't pull much more emotion out of me.

I also really couldn't wrap my head around Vanessa. She didn't feel like a fully developed character. I wanted more information about what she wanted out of life. What kind of future did she want for her and her daughter? She both was and wasn't hesitant with Sal. I don't think the inner turmoil the author wanted to portray with her getting involved with another gangbanger came through. At least not for me. BUT, I will give her major props for being a total sex kitten between the sheets. She's was up for anything. And I love a woman who owns her sexual cravings.

The whole brewery aspect of the story felt forced and out of place. I didn't understand its inclusion here. It didn't really add much to the story or to the development of Sal's character. I'm kind of left scratching my head when it comes to that.

Finally, I will add that this book is not a standalone. While the relationship aspect is fully resolved, there are still issues with the gang and other things which I won't spoil that will carry over into the next book (which will be Sal's brother's book).

Overall, this was a story that I really wanted to like, but just couldn't get invested in. It bums me out because there was a lot of potential here.

I was so excited to read Thirsty. I have a weird fascination with romance novels that feature ex-cons. Plus, the characters in this book were POC, so I was definitely looking forward to reading it. I was surprised to find that the book was told entirely in Salvador's POV. I haven't read many romance novels that have been told in the hero's POV so I was excited to read more. Sal was a great guy, which I know is such a weird thing to say about a criminal who just got out of jail, but trust me. He was a hard worker and willing to go to lengths to make those around him happy. He was also trying his very best to make sure that he was living an honest life now that he was out of prison. Those are great qualities for a romance hero to have. I liked Vanessa, the heroine, too. She was feisty and fun, and perfectly balanced out Salavador's personality. Together their chemistry was potent. We also get to watch them connect emotionally throughout the book. Vanessa has a daughter and I would have liked to see Sal connect more with her as well. So what went wrong for me if the characters were decent enough? The storyline. I didn't think it was all that exciting and I thought it dragged, especially in the beginning chapters. I wanted more romance and more of the brewery, which really didn't come up until the end. I also was put off by the sex scenes in this book. I was screenshotting scenes to Ari because I couldn't believe how weirdly descriptive they were. I didn't like a lot of the word choices the author used to describe these sex scenes, and there was quite a few of them, which I ended up skimming. As you can tell, my reasons for not fully enjoying this book were definitely personal, but I'm sure there will be authors who will enjoy this one. Give it a shot if it's your jam! :)

fun, sexy read. I loved the characters and the story line. It's much more than a typical romance story.
But I feel like something was missing or maybe I just wasn't that into it as much as I wanted to be.
At first I wasn't into it.
I'm glad I finished it.
Honestly, the last 20% of the book made me really reconsider the book as a whole and how truly amazing this story is, the characters are well developed.
CLIFFHANGER!! omg! I'm actually looking forward to the next book.

“The human heart. It needs to be soft enough to feel things but hard enough to survive them.”
I love when you start out reading a book, thinking you’re going to get one type of story, but instead get something different. Something SO much better, and Thirsty may just be the best book I’ve read so far this year. With its unique plot and compelling characters, this was a book I had a hard time putting down.

Salvador Rosas was recently released after a five year stint in prison. It’s not anyplace he’d like to return to, so he’s keeping his nose clean, working two part-time jobs. When he gets tossed from the couch he’d been sleeping on (through no fault of his own), he ends up making a deal with a neighborhood grandmother – exchanging garage-cleaning services for a place to sleep.

However, Vanessa – the granddaughter – is not pleased to have a former gangbanger, ex-felon, living in her garage. Not at first, anyway. She’s already had her heart broken by a former member of Sal’s gang, and with a daughter to raise, she’s not interested in playing that song and dance again. But she sees something different in Sal, and soon becomes his strongest support and his biggest reason to make a new life for himself, away from the gang.

Sal is the best kind of hero. Strong and determined, he wants a better life than what he has. He’s not perfect and makes mistakes, but doesn’t make excuses for the bad choices he makes. And those bad choices? He’s wedged between a rock and a hard place, with no real way out. This is Sal’s story of learning how to be the kind of man he wants to be, and that while the love of a good woman is an excellent motivator, you ultimately have to make those choices for yourself. Sal and Vanessa’s relationship is equal parts sweet – as two young people who are falling in love can be, and steamy – as you would expect from two young people who have already lived a lifetime’s worth of sorrow in the gang-infested neighborhoods of Eastside Los Angeles.

The whole book is told from Sal’s point of view. I laughed at his internal monologue, I cheered his determination, I happy-sighed when he found happiness and peace with Vanessa, and I ached for him when he made a mistake and things fell apart. I think it’s worth noting that I frequently don’t like first-person point of view narrations – they lend themselves to being too much in the character’s head, and tend to repeat the same thoughts over and over. This was not the case here, and I loved being inside Sal’s head. From beginning to end his story was beautiful, hopeful, and uplifting.

I’ve never read another story with a plot anything like this one – and I’ve literally read hundreds of books. The writing was superb, the character’s voice was refreshing, real, and at times raw. And the chemistry between Sal and Vanessa was off-the-charts hot. I loved every page, every paragraph of this book, and it’s been a long while since I’ve said that. I can hardly wait for the next book in this series!!!

* thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept for proving an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I am now a big fan of Mia Hopkins! This book was hot, hot, hot! I loved Sal and Vanessa’s story. This book read very true to life about a second chance and life and true love after being incarcerated. I know about gang members and even went to a high school with gangs. However, I was pulled in with the story because of the in depth details of the gang and how they work. Once a member always a member. Vanessa a clean cut girl (accountant) living in the bario has somehow not been involved with the gang with the exception of her first husband. I highly recommend Thirsty for all who want to broaden their knowledge of gangs and romance.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I’ve expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.