Book Review: The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

July 18, 2015August 18, 2015Leave a comment

Genre:

New Adult, cost Contemporary, price Romance

Pages:

297 pages

Part of a Series?:

The second novel in the Off Campus Series

Release Date:

April 28th, viagra order 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

Book Depository

GoodReads Summary:

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

My Review:

While this review will NOT contain spoilers, I cannot guarantee there will NOT be spoilers for The Deal. Please read that review here.

Okay so when I read The Deal by Elle…I thought, I love this book. This book is amazing and she won’t be able to top it because I just totally love this book and I just love it. I finished it and was like, in heaven, and I’ve been shoving it down all my friend’s throats and NO ONE HAS READ IT YET. Lame. Its okay. But anyway, I love The Deal.

So when The Mistake released, I got it on release day. I needed it. I adored what little we saw of Logan in the first book and I had to read his story, especially knowing the feelings he has for his roommate Garrett’s girlfriend, Hannah, the couple in the first book. I didn’t know that I would love it even more than I loved the first book.

First off, I love Grace. I love how bumbling she is and how she’s kind of trying to figure boys out, and she’s intimidated by Logan and his experience and his charm…but she’s also strong as hell and she doesn’t let anyone, including him, walk all over her and that’s badass as hell. She’s a feisty person, even when she doesn’t believe it and I adore her.

But I really love Logan. Because he’s kind of an idiot. Its obvious he’s attracted to Grace and its obvious that he genuinely likes her too. Sure, he just kind of uses her to get Hannah out of his head but he actually likes her and anything with a brain and a pair of eyes can see that going down. So watching him totally screw it up…you kind of want to pat him on the head and say “Oh, Logan” with a big sigh. Because you also can’t help but love him. He has the hockey player thing down, and he wants nothing more than to be drafted, and Elle just creates sexy hockey players. Seriously. Why am I not more into hockey…I need to rectify this and soon…

All in all, great romance, steamy scenes, both characters are absolutely amazing, loving all the hockey parts in it and I seriously can’t wait for another book in this series because Elle has me totally hooked.

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: Rule by Jay Crownover

July 11, 2015July 11, 20152 Comments

Genre:

New Adult, tadalafil Contemporary, for sale Romance

Pages:

327 pages

Part of a Series?:

The first novel in the Marked Men Series

Release Date:

December 30th, this site 2012

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight-A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want—and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

My Review:

I’m going to admit it. This book was incredibly hard for me to get into. I’m not sure if it was because my friends had built it up so much for me so I had a hard time being like “OMG YES” or what. But it took me a long time to get into this book.

I like the story and I like the premise. I like the characters a lot. I think the biggest problem that I had with each of them was how incredibly broken both of them are. I like my characters broken, for sure, because you need character development and you need them to get better, and fix each other, especially in a romance but there were times when I just wanted to punch both of them in the face because they were just TOO broken for me. I think I like my characters a little less broken haha. I’m not really sure what I mean by that but I guess it was just maybe too dramatic for me.

That being said, I did like the romance between the two main characters, despite the drama outside of that with both of their families. I liked that there was this give and take, this back and forth. You kind of want to scream at them because they’re so different and on paper, they make absolutely no sense whatsoever but they’re so perfect at the same time and they see it but they sabotage it. Its a fantastically written romance. That is something that Jay just rocks at. She creates this incredibly sexy characters, characters that you really do love and she creates this heartbreaking romance between the two and you just want to scream, I SHIP IT and MAKE IT WORK ALREADY. Literally. That’s how I feel.

And those sex scenes? Holy. Crap. Someone fetch me a bucket of cold water because a mere splash on my face is just not going to be enough for me at all. She creates these just incredible scenes. Now that I’m writing my own new adult romance, I know exactly who to go to for inspiration for sex scenes. Seriously. My. God.

Plus tattoos. Oh god tattoos. Nothing sexier than a tattooed one. She really won me over with that. And piercings! I never thought I’d be into that but yes. Definitely yes.

So in the end, I definitely liked this book. I didn’t totally love it but I did like it. It didn’t make me rush out to read the other books which is hilarious because I actually ended up loving the second book, Jet, so much. But anyway. Great story and romance and all that but a little too dramatic for my tastes. Check out my review for Jet to see more ;) Plus I’m currently reading book 3, Rome!

Rating:

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: The Heir by Kiera Cass

July 9, 2015Leave a comment

Genre:

Young Adult, side effects Romance, visit this site Dystopian (?)

Pages:

352 pages

Part of a Series?:

The fourth novel in the Selection series

Release Date:

May 5th, ailment 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she’d put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess’s life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can’t escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn’t expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn’s heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.

My Review:

I was so insanely excited for this book. I remember it took me ages to read The Selection and when I finally did, I blew through it and The Elite and devoured The One when it came out. To read a book about America and Maxon’s children? UGH. I was dying. I love that we get to see more of Kiera’s world without stretching the story out too far. Its like Tammy Pierce; we get to see the world of Tortall but underneath the banner of other characters. I think when you can do that, its just wonderful.

And Kiera really accomplishes that. She takes this world she created and expands under Eadlyn’s point of view. The problems that are left unsolved at the end of The Heir are being answered about eighteen years later and I think its incredible. It shows that things aren’t so easily wrapped up. Sure, in the first trilogy, they vow to abolish the caste system and all that but its not that simple, and you see that struggle and the problems that come with abolishing a system that had been in place for so long and I think that’s awesome. I love that things don’t end up happily ever after. That’s the mark of good world building, knowing that you can’t wrap up everything in a bow. Its fabulous.

Plus we get to see so many old characters and its just awesome. Its fun to visit old characters, see where they are at and all of that.

The one issue I had with the book is that it was hard to love Eadlyn at first. I think she’s very much a product of her environment and how she was raised and so sometimes you have to remind yourself that but she is SO spoiled and its hard to deal with it. I kind of want to punch her sometimes. But I love all the boys (its so hard to choose; I don’t know who I want her to end up with!) and I like the interactions she has with people. And I love that she is genuinely good person who just might be a little bit too naive.

I’m really excited for the next book. I think Eadlyn is a great character and I think the fact that we aren’t quite sure who to root for is both frustrating and exciting! Now I just have to wait patiently for the next book!

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

Dear Jennifer L Armentrout and All Of You: My Reaction to Scorched

June 17, 2015April 10, 20203 Comments

I was originally going to send this directly to JLA. But then I realized how much that I wanted to share this with everyone. I’ve kept a lot of this stuff secret for awhile now and I’m ready for it to not be a secret. The main character of JLA’s new release Scorched really inspired me to be more open about myself and so that’s what I’m doing. I also want to warn you that there will be mild spoilers for Scorched in this letter. Thank you.

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Book Review: What We Saw (ARC) by Aaron Hartzler

May 9, 2015May 7, 2015Leave a comment

This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy of the novel obtained through Edelweiss at the permission of Harper Teen. This is in no way had an effect on the integrity of my review. Please note that published novel will differ from this ARC.

Genre:

Young Adult, and Contemporary

Pages:

336 pages

Part of a Series?:

Standalone Novel

Release Date:

September 22nd, 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.

But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?

This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.

My Review:

I knew immediately that this was a book I needed to read. It sounded amazing for one thing, and I absolutely adore Aaron and his writing and his writing style. I knew that it would be good. I just didn’t know how good it was going to be.

This book completely blew my mind. As soon as I had downloaded it onto my Nook, I couldn’t stop reading. It was like a train wreck, you couldn’t look away. When it came down to it, I think the realism of this story, the fact that this is based on a true story and based on real events that happen all the time, I think that’s what drew me in and kept me there right away.

Kate is faced with an incredibly difficult obstacle. She was at the same party as Stacey. She was drunk, and yet she made it home and Stacey didn’t. Or so Stacey says. But she’s torn because the guys accused of raping Stacey are basketball royalty, the entire town worships the ground they walk on. There’s no way they did this…and even if they did, Stacey deserved it. She dressed provocatively. She’s from the “wrong” side of town. Its everything we face in the news, on Facebook, everywhere, all the time right now, and watching it through Kate’s eyes was hard to take.

This book was incredibly emotional for me. I felt so many different emotions at once. I felt sick and angry and anxious as hell. Its been awhile since I’ve had such a visceral reaction to a story and I felt this one all over. I cried, I got angry, I felt helpless, even though this is all fictional. But is it? I was so angry because this sort of thing happens and this sort of thinking-that a girl deserves it, that she should have taken care of herself, she shouldn’t dress that way or drink that much-exists all over the place and its WRONG. But because of the rape culture we have…people are confused. And Kate is confused. She’s torn between her feelings for Ben Cody, and for his friends and for the popularity they have.

I think the thing I had the most visceral reaction to was everyone’s thoughts about the boys and Stacey. The way they built up the boys, the way the boys acted like it was a joke, the way they tore apart Stacey…it made me feel awful every single time I read a line. People genuinely think this way! They do, and its just terrible and to read a book about something like this, something that actually really happened…it was hard to stomach.

But I think what makes this book as great as it is is that Aaron provides a beacon of hope about this. Sure, you feel hopeless at times, you realize how close to home this story hits because of how incredibly real it is. But at the same time, you have Kate. And Kate is the light in this story because you see her journey through uncertainty and confusion and determination and finally, resolution. She’s the light, she’s the hope. She’s the good. She gives you the hope that there are so many people out there that know to do the right thing. That’s what makes this book so beautiful. Kate. She’s an incredible character and you follow her through this book, experiencing the same emotions as her, wanting to reach into the pages and hold her hand and tell her its going to be okay, even if you’re unsure its going to be. She’s the beautiful bright spot of the novel and she’s what makes this book SO incredibly good.

This book doesn’t come out til September, and I’ll definitely repost the review closer to release day. I just wanted to share this now because I want to build up talk for this book NOW. It blew my mind. The writing, the characterization, everything…its just amazing. I already was impressed with Aaron from Rapture Practice and now I’m a complete convert. This is a one of a kind novel and I know that we will see more of this incredible talent in the future.

Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: Wait for You by J. Lynn

April 28, 2015April 24, 2015Leave a comment

Genre:

New Adult, about it Contemporary, Romance

Pages:

384

Part of a Series?:

The first in a series

Release Date:

September 3rd, 2013

You Can Find the Book At:

Check your local bookstore!

GoodReads Summary:

Some things are worth waiting for.

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago–an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe–please God–make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing.

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet.

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for.

My Review:

A couple months ago, I was lucky enough to win a giveaway held by the lovely ladies of the BookNerdBabes and got my hands on a copy of this book. I love Jennifer Armentrout very much and I was so glad to read this book by her. I figured if I was going to start diving into more new adult, a book by her is a good way to start.

And I’m so glad I read this one. I’ve read several NA books since completing this one but I absolutely adore this one and it holds a special place in my heart for sure. Cam and Avery have a beautiful story and I love them the entire book.

First off, let’s talk about Avery. What I’ve noticed a lot about NA books is that the main characters tend to have tragic or dramatic pasts that keep them from trusting members of the opposite sex. And sometimes it can fall very flat and be incredibly boring. But that’s the thing about Avery…everything she is, everything she does, all feels incredibly genuine and I love her. I love her vulnerability and her determination and her humor and her tenacity and all of her.

Then we bring in Cam. Who is one of those boys that you both want to smack upside the head and also make out with. A lot. Sigh. He’s frustrating and charming and it’s what makes him feel real as hell. He obviously wants Avery, but he never pushes. He teases for sure but he never pushes her further than she feels comfortable and I love that about him. He genuinely cares for her and that’s what makes me want them together more than anything.

I’ve been looking for some really good NA romances lately and I was so pleased when I found this one. The story of Cam and Avery is real and believable. It’s sweet and sexy and I get torn between going “awwww” and rushing to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. It’s exactly what you want in a good romance and Jennifer delivers on every page.

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars