Love Me for Me: Review

 

  

Author: Kate Laurens

Series: Safe Havens #1

Date Published: 3/27/13

Genre: New Adult

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The Story:

A fresh start…

It’s been three years since Serena King learned to say no—no to the boys that were a desperate cry for help, no to the extra weight she put on in self defense, and most of all no to the abuse that has haunted her since she was fifteen. Now a sophomore in college, all she wants is to be normal.  The last thing she expects is a guy who can make her want… make her want everything.

A new guy…

Alex Blackthorn is a bundle of contradictions, a sexy dark haired badness who goes slow… deliciously slow. And despite the iron will that has gotten her through the last few years, Serena finds herself unable to ignore the heat that sizzles between them whenever they’re together.

A dark past…

Serena never thought she could be involved in a relationship, but Alex makes her long for things she thought were out of her reach forever. When he finds out her secret… when he finds out what she did to keep herself sane… will he still want her, or he will treat her just like everyone else?

And Alex has a secret of his own.

Recommended for mature readers aged 17+ due to language and sexual content.

What I Thought:

Wow, talk about two people who have a lot of baggage! Alex and Serena could use a whole train to carry around everything that they have going on.  They seem to be magnets though and be drawn to each other.

The chemistry between them is unmistakable though and they really seem to click. I love them together. The hotness that comes from them together, its a wonder that they don’t burn the building down!

I really enjoyed this story… it takes a while to build up their trust and commitment to each other, but once they do, watch out.

Kate Laurens creates a great tale about learning to trust again and moving on and building a life after things have fallen apart in your life.

Rating:

4/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Hidden Depths: Review

  

 

Author: Aubrianna Hunter

Published By: Create Space Independent Publishers

Date Published: 1/23/13

Pages: 236

Genre: Erotic Romance

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The Story:

She is pierced, dyed and tattooed, born on the wrong side of the tracks. He is a traditional white knight born of the proverbial silver spoon. Their meeting was an accident, the fact that they became even the most tentative of friends, an anomaly. The only real thing they had in common… chemistry. Lots of chemistry. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough and Gia knew it. Now, if only she could convince her body…

Josh had always walked the line, lived the life he was expected to live. He had, by all accounts, the perfect life; a corporate lawyer, a beautiful home, a family empire to run, and the perfect fiancee. He was well on his way. The only question he had… was that really where he wanted to go? Plagued by dreams, Josh fought all his natural instincts, denying not only what he truly wanted but who he was deep down inside. Until one crazy night when he gave in to his desires…

Could these two polar opposites have more in common than even they realize?

This is a Erotic Romance, definitely 18+

What I Thought:

So this one is sizzling!

Yep, a yummy, definitely for fun, I needed this one after the week I’ve had, kinda book. I admit I read a lot less of these, but you know some times I feel like just reading something that is total fluff and doesn’t mean anything other than well… yeah, that. This was it.

The story actually was pretty good in this one. Josh and Gia had a lot of interaction and definite chemistry. And there was also a lot of laugh out loud humor in the book too!

I will say, it is mentioned above and I want to emphasize it since this is mostly a YA blog.  This is SO not a YA book.  This book is scorchin’ HOT! A definite fun read though and I really enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong!

Rating:

4/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Altered: Review

 

 

Author: Jennifer Rush

Published By: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Date Published: 1/1/13

Pages: 323

Genre: YA

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The Story:

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

What I Thought:

I am going to state straight out that I love this book.

Its not straight contemporary which is what I love, but for some reason I just loved this one.

The whole group revolves around Anna.  Anna and the boys that she has taken care of for years, none of whom realizes how connected that they all are, or what a team they all are.

This book hooked me from the first page and I couldn’t put it down until I finished the last page. It was such a great story. The interaction between the characters was what made the story flow with the action.

The coolest thing? this was Jennifer Rush’s debut novel, and the sequel comes out in January of next year.  I can’t wait to read the second book!

Rating:

5/5

That Time I Joined the Circus: Review

 

 

Author: J.J. Howard

Published By: Scholastic, Inc.

Date Published: 4/1/2013

Pages: 272

Genre: YA Contemporary

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The Story:

Lexi Ryan just ran away to join the circus, but not on purpose.

A music-obsessed, slightly snarky New York City girl, Lexi is on her own. After making a huge mistake–and facing a terrible tragedy–Lexi has no choice but to track down her long-absent mother. Rumor has it that Lexi’s mom is somewhere in Florida with a traveling circus.

When Lexi arrives at her new, three-ring reality, her mom isn’t there . . . but her destiny might be. Surrounded by tigers, elephants, and trapeze artists, Lexi finds some surprising friends and an even more surprising chance at true love. She even lucks into a spot as the circus’s fortune teller, reading tarot cards and making predictions.

But then Lexi’s ex-best friend from home shows up, and suddenly it’s Lexi’s own future that’s thrown into question.

With humor, wisdom, and a dazzlingly fresh voice, this debut reminds us of the magic of circus tents, city lights, first kisses, and the importance of an excellent playlist.

What I Thought:

So, who doesn’t think about running away and joining the circus?

Lexi joins the circus after her father dies.  She ends up in Florida looking for her mother. You can’t help but feel your heart breaking for her.  She has lost her best friends and her dad and has no idea where her mom is. So she ends up in Florida working on a circus.  And there, she finds a different kind of family.  And, there she starts to heal.

As for the circus characters… I wanted to join this circus! You meet the whole cast of this small circus.  I will say it sparks slightly of being a little unrealistic.  We are told that many of them can take a while to warm up, but the next thing we know, Lexi is moving in and becoming part of the family, literally. But on the same token, they seem to be just what she needs to heal.

Oh, and the romance! All I’m going to say is that I was totally not cheering for the guy that she ended up with, but, I didn’t write the story, so, I don’t get to call that one.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story.  I was a bit quirky in places but fun. And seriously, it makes me want to runaway and join the circus… at least for a little while!

Rating:

4/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! So, I get to talk about books I’m reading, planning on reading or just finished, and books I’m excited that are coming out this week (kind of my week in review and what’s coming up!)

I haven’t made this post in a LONG time.  It has been a crazy few weeks.  I’m not going to post all the books that I’ve read, but I will post a few of the highlights (I read these over the last month or so, plus MANY others!!!)

What Are You Reading? is hosted by One Persons Journey through a World of Books.

Finished:

                          

This is What Happy      The Kissing Booth          My Life After Now       The Art of Wishing

Looks Like 

 

                         

 

 

The Trouble with          Taste Test                       That Time I               Riptide

Flirting                                                               Joined the Circus

 

                    

Things I Can’t Forget                Dare You To

Currently Reading:

                    

The Game Changer                   The Reese Malcom List

Next In Line:

eleanor & park

New Releases This Week That I’m Excited About:

A pretty slow week as far as releases, here are a few that intrigue me!

I have Date Me on the calendar for next week! Can’t wait to dive into that one, and Kingdom Keepers, well, if you know me you know what a HUGE Disney fanatic I am, so it is one of the series that I am dying to dive into! And Rump, well, it intrigues me!

                                               

Date Me                                       Rump                                         Kingdom Keepers #6

The Keatyn Chronicles #3                                                              Dark Passage

Taste Test: Review

 

Author: Kelly Fire

Date Published: 8/27/13

Pages: 352

Genre: YA Contemporary

Goodreads   |   Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble

The Story:

If you can grill it, smoke it, or fry it, Nora Henderson knows all about it. Her father owns one of North Carolina’s most successful barbeque joints and she’s been shredding pork and basting baby back ribs since she could reach the counter. When Taste Test, a reality cooking show for teens, accepts her for their fifth season, it’s a chance for Nora to get out of her humble hometown and break into the big leagues of the culinary world. When she shows up on set at the North American Culinary Academy, however, it’s not just the New England weather that’s ice cold. Fights with her high-society roommate and run-ins with the son of a famous chef force Nora to work even harder to prove she’s a force to be reckoned with. But, despite winning challenges and falling for a fellow contestant, Nora can’t ignore the mysterious accidents that are plaguing the kitchen arena. It seems like someone is conducting eliminations of their own and Nora’s determined to get to the bottom of the mystery before she, or anyone else, is “86ed” for good.

What I Thought:

I was so excited when I saw this book.  I couldn’t wait to read it.  And when an ARC of the book fell in my hands? I did a happy dance (a dancer I am not, luckily my kids are still young enough that they are not easily embarrassed, but let me tell you, the day is coming, and I am not about to stop dancing in public!) I couldn’t wait to dive into this one, but unfortunately, other commitments made me have to hold off for almost a month.  But FINALLY! I have been able to read it.  Cue the happy dance music.

So, I fell in love with Nora immediately.  I mean she has spunk.  She is not intimidated by anyone on the show and she is loyal to a fault to her friends.  Who wouldn’t want a friend like that? And to be honest? Christian? the main male lead, wasn’t seeing the attraction.  But, he grew on me.  A lot.  I’ll admit that by the end I was really cheering for him and Nora.  But we won’t go into details cause that would be spoiler-ish, and we all know that I don’t do that! Nora’s friends are great too.

I also loved the concept of the book.  I admit it. I’m a closet reality show junkie.  My hubby hates it, but I will watch any of them.  My current favorite is the voice (I mean Adam Levine? YUM!) So this was right up my alley! And teenagers competing and cooking is amazing. And even cooler? Kelly Fire includes ACTUAL recipes in the book.  Of actual stuff that the contestants cook on the show!

And my favorite part, the cover is adorable and totally sets the tone for the whole book!

Yeah, this book was AMAZING. I try not to give out my 5 ratings to often to make them mean something, but this book totally eared it.  I couldn’t wait to get to the end and find out who was behind all the accidents on the sets, and I promise its probably NOT who you thought it was either!

(Kelly also sent me the coolest swag with the book, but I promise that had nothing to do with the review but may have had a lot to do with all the dancing that was going on in my house! I would take a picture of the spatula set that she sent, but I’m pretty sure that my daughters have confiscated them as I haven’t seen them lately! but the bookmarks totally rocked!)

Rating:

5/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Challenge Update!

So, since it is April, (and I just updated the page!) I thought it seemed like a good time to updated on my challenges.

Okay, I will admit that of my 3 Challenges I set for myself I haven’t done so well on two of them and am working to correct that and going to my calendar to start on this!

However, I have done a fair bit on the third challenge (at least I think I would have done pretty good if I would quit adding to it, durn this book obsession!) For the Debut Author Challenge, I have at last count, 37 books on my list to read.  Of those books, I have read 9 of the books, and reviewed 4 of those 9! Since the challenge calls for 12 books total, I think I am going to make it! However, there are so many good books to read that I can’t seem to help myself!

Anyway, I am reading away here in Virginia, but not this weekend as it is going to be beautiful and my strawberry patch needs some serious help if I am going to get any strawberries this year! Enjoy your weekend!

What Debut Author books are you looking forward to? Oh, and check out the updated page here, I worked hard on this one!

Me, Him, Them, and It: Review

 

 

Author: Caela Carter

Published By: Bloomsbury USA

Date Published: 2/26/13

Pages: 320

Genre: YA

Goodreads   |   Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble

The Story:

ME is Evelyn Jones, 16, a valedictorian hopeful who’s been playing bad girl to piss off THEM, her cold, distant parents.

HIM is Todd, Evelyn’s secret un-boyfriend, who she thought she was just using for sex – until she accidentally fell in love with him. But before Evelyn gets a chance to tell Todd how she feels, something much more important comes up. IT.

IT is a fetus. Evelyn is pregnant – and when Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn has no idea who to turn to. Can a cheating father, a stiff, cold mother, a pissed-off BFF, and a (thankfully!) loving aunt with adopted girls of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow?

What I Thought:

I was so excited to read this one.  And it wasn’t that I was disappointed to read it, I just don’t know that it totally hit everything that I was hoping for, or that it could have done. But I do think it shows the emotional roller coaster that teenage pregnancy can put you on.  Evelyn faced a lot of choices, and finally chose to move in with her aunt for the duration of the pregnancy until the baby could be adopted. Teenage pregnancy is such a touchy, crazy topic and I do think that Carter handled the pregnancy part of the novel really well.

I just felt the overall tone of the book in places was a little rough and unpolished. I didn’t feel like I connected with Evelyn like I hoped that I would. I wanted to feel sympathy for her, or some sort of emotion and it just wasn’t there.

However, I did like a lot of the book and the overall story was great, which is why I gave it such a high rating!

Rating:

4/5

Don’t Forget to Breathe: Review

  

Author: Charles Sheehan-Miles

Published By: Cincinnatus Press

Date Published: October 15, 2012

Pages: 280

Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult

Goodreads   |   Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble

The Story:

Alex Thompson’s life is following the script. A pre- law student at Columbia University, she’s focused on her grades, her life and her future. The last thing she needs is to reconnect with the boy who broke her heart.

Dylan Paris comes home from Afghanistan severely injured and knows that the one thing he cannot do is drag Alex into the mess he’s made of his life.

When Dylan and Alex are assigned to the same work study program and are forced to work side by side, they have to make new ground rules to keep from killing each other.

The only problem is, they keep breaking the rules.

The first rule is to never, ever talk about how they fell in love.

What I Thought:

This book is a really powerful story.  Alex and Dylan broke up due to a misunderstanding.  The misunderstanding fuels the entire story. Add in the injuries that Dylan gets in Afghanistan and the issues of guilt and other things that Dylan has to learn to deal with from the war and the thought of restoring their relationship seems almost impossible.

I have to say that I truly couldn’t put this book down. I really was so engrossed in Alex and Dylan’s story.  I know it was a fictional story, but I truly could see it happening.  We hear so many stories about the veterans returning from the war and the issues that they face. I think this book was a great portrayal of this.

Besides that, this was a great story. I loved Alex and the emotion that she portrayed, and, honestly, I loved Dylan.  One of my favorite scenes is his reaction after they broke up.  This book is not light by any means, but by the same token, it is a great read.

Rating:

4.5/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Waiting on Wednesday

Tags

Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine.

 

 

Name: Our Song

Author: Jordanna Fraiberg

Release Date: 5/7/13

Summary From Goodreads:

Olive Bell has spent her entire life in the beautiful suburb of Vista Valley, with a picture-perfect home, a loving family, and a seemingly perfect boyfriend. But after a near-fatal car accident, she’s haunted by a broken heart and a melody that she cannot place.

Then Olive meets Nick. He’s dark, handsome, mysterious . . . and Olive feels connected to him in a way she can’t explain. Is there such a thing as fate? The two embark on a whirlwind romance—until Nick makes a troubling confession.

Heartbroken, Olive pieces together what really happened the night of her accident and arrives at a startling revelation. Only by facing the truth can she uncover the mystery behind the song and the power of what it means to love someone.

Why I’m Waiting (most impatiently!):

There is something about putting car accidents, memory loss, and boy friends in the same story and I’m hooked.

This one is completely up my alley.  Can’t wait for this one! So excited!

 

 

Name: A Summer to Remember

Author: Jessica Gunhammer

Release Date: 5/2013

Summary From Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old Ava knows this summer is going to be one of the best ones yet, but it isn’t going how she originally planned. Her life takes an unexpected turn on graduation day, when Jason, the love of her life, suddenly dumps her. Blindsided and feeling betrayed Ava is determined to win him back at the end of year frat party. Something that was not in her plan, however, was being sidetracked by a complete and total stranger. Caught off guard by this unexplainable attraction, she can’t figure out why she’s having such a hard time forgetting about him.

Adrian had one thing on his mind that night. It was to get through the summer and not have to worry about anything, but working with his dad and getting the hell out of this small town. When he meets Ava his whole world is turned upside down. He doesn’t know why but he knows that this is the girl he’s supposed to be with. The only problem is going to be trying to convince her of the same thing…

Why I’m Waiting (most impatiently!):

So, this is one that I stumbled upon.  Beyond the fact that the main character shares a name with me (how cool is that?) The whole premise of the books sounds amazing!

I am super excited about this one.  Give me a good contemporary romance! Whoo-hoo!

What are you waiting on?