Book Review: Forever with You (ARC) by J Lynn

August 8, 2015August 2, 2015Leave a comment

Genre:

New Adult, viagra Contemporary, Romance

Pages:

384 pages

Part of a Series?:

Book #5 in the Wait for You Series

Release Date:

September 29th, 2015

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Some things you just believe in, even if you’ve never experienced them. For Stephanie, that list includes love. It’s out there. Somewhere. Eventually. Meanwhile she’s got her job at the mixed martial arts training center and hot flings with gorgeous, temporary guys like Nick. Then a secret brings them closer, opening Steph’s eyes to a future she never knew she wanted—until tragedy rips it away.

Nick’s self-assured surface shields a past no one needs to know about. His mind-blowing connection with Steph changes all that. As fast as he’s knocking down the walls that have kept him commitment-free, she’s building them up again, determined to keep the hurt—and Nick—out. But he can’t walk away. Not when she’s the only one who’s ever made him wish for forever . . .

My Review:

I read this book incredibly fast. Maybe in a few hours. There are two reasons for this. One of the reasons is this: we went to an event in Las Vegas where J Lynn was signing and she had 30 copies of this book to give out. I got the very last copy. Being the fabulous friend I am (I’m so modest haha), I wanted to share it with my friends. I knew that I was the fastest reader and I had to finish it so I could pass it around.

I also read through this book because I think this may have become my favorite of the series. Okay, not really because I still say Be With Me is my favorite BUT this one is a seriously close second. Like by a minimal percentage between the two.

I was excited to read Stephanie’s story. Stephanie is someone we barely know through other people but I was hooked on her right away. Yeah, she’s hooked up with a few dudes, but once she is there for Tessa when Tessa comes home to find her dead roommate, I knew that she was going to be important and that I would just love her.

A few pages in and I was already so totally sure. There’s a quote from her in the beginning that immediately made me love her.

“I’ll never really understand it, I realized as I sat there, staring at the red and green flecks of the leftover peppers, why others’ sexual habits bothered people — especially other women — so much. Of all people, you’d think women would be more tolerant of other women’s choices, but sadly, a lot aren’t. In a lot of ways they could be worse than the guys. It wasn’t like I was sitting in judgement over those who waited for marriage or believed sex automatically equaled love. I could care less if someone had two partners or fifty. So why did they have to?”

That’s when I fell in love with Stephanie. She felt really similar to me. She wants to find love. She wants to settle down and have a relationship. But in the meantime, she’s going to have fun. She’s safe and all that but comfortable in her own body and if she sees a guy that she’s attracted to…she goes for it and doesn’t feel one ounce of guilt about it. And I absolutely love it. There should be no guilt for that. Its just perfect as hell.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Nick as well. And I love the story that they have. I love that an unexpected situation brings the two of them together. I love what came for the two of them from that. I love their story. I love Nick. Oh I adore Nick. I love how we have this view of him but when things change for him and Steph…he just steps up and becomes this person and I just fall madly in love with him. I love Nick.

But this book was amazing to me because of Stephanie and her story. I felt connected with her right away. And what she goes through in this book has happened to me. I know the sort of feelings it leaves, I know how it never really goes away and I know the feeling of disappointment in leaves in yourself, like you should have known, you should have done something more. I know that’s vague but spoiler free, remember? Especially since there’s still a TON of time until this book is out and I don’t want to ruin it for everyone. But I loved this book and the characters and I love Stephanie. If there was a character that was so like in J Lynn’s series, I would say Stephanie. I thought Tessa for awhile and I’m definitely still like Tessa but Stephanie…I bonded with her right away.

I’ll just say this too: we get a lot of really awesome news for other couples we’ve fallen in love with over the past few books and we see some super awesome things for them and it was allllll the feels. Such a beautiful book. Sigh. If you’re a fan of this series, definitely pick this up at the end of September!

Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: Be With Me by J Lynn

July 10, 2015July 10, 2015Leave a comment

Genre:

New Adult, mind Contemporary, Romance

Pages:

365

Part of a Series?:

The second book of the Wait for You series

Release Date:

February 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

Check your local bookstore!

GoodReads Summary:

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…

My Review:

I love love love love love love love love love this book. I can’t even begin to describe this book. I have read this entire series, including the novellas now, and I still love this one the most. I don’t know if its because I feel a connection to Tessa, if I understand Jase and the way he pushes away Tessa and the familiarity I have with that feeling, the connection I have with Jase’s secret, or the fact that he brings her freakin’ cupcakes all the time…but this book blew me away. I absolutely adore the first book, but its definitely this book that completely sold me on the whole series.

First off, I love that there’s a dynamic between Jase and Tessa right away. I love that. I love that there’s no build up; you jump right in. Immediately there is a connection between these two, so you’re hooked and you want them to be together from the very beginning, from the very first moment that they talk to each other. I adore the both of them so much.

And they both drive you insane. Well, not Tessa. I adore Tessa. I love that she’s been through so much. She really has. She has loved someone who treated her so terribly and she’s lost the ability to do the one thing she’s really wanted to do. And yet she keeps moving. She has this resilience that is just incredible. She keeps pushing forward and she still believes in taking risks and she still believes in falling in love. That’s incredible and admirable and I love Tessa. Being compared to Tessa by my friends meant the world to me because I love her as a character.

And I connected with Jase because I want to punch him in the face and make out with him at the same time because he’s so frustrating! He has things going on his life and he holds back, not realizing that a person who truly loves him is going to handle all of that, is going to be there for all of that, despite and because of the faults in himself and his life. And I was going through such a similar thing when I was reading that book and I was like OMG YES TESSA and OMG JASE NO!

Plus I just love JLA. She writes great characters, fantastic stories, she makes laugh, both because she’s funny and she also writes the most ridiculous things in her novels (for realsies?) and I just absolutely love her. Her sex scenes make any person want to jump into a cold shower. That scene where they please each other in Jase’s car on the side of the road. My. God. It kills me. It KILLS me. JLA makes me want to have an exciting sex life because she just writes these beautiful love stories.

Lastly, Jase brings Tessa cupcakes and cupcakes are, like, the best things in the entire world and I probably would marry anyone who brought me cupcakes like that. I’m just saying ;)

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.