Review: Lost & Found by Nicole Williams

Lost & Found

Nicole Williams
Series: Lost & Found #1
Publication date: May 7th 2013
Rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads - Amazon

There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling.

After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing.

Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded.

Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right-now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls.

When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself.

Rowen has been spiraling down the road of self-destruction for the past five years in an attempt to numb the pain her distant mother has caused her. She hides behind her dark clothes, boys, alcohol, and an attitude that makes it hard for people to want to be closed to her. But for Rowen, that's kind of the point.

She's shipped off to spend the summer helping out at her mother's friend's ranch, where she meets the gorgeous cowboy Jesse Walker and his super tight jeans. Only Jesse doesn't seem that scared of her when they meet, which is certainly new for Rowen who's used to people giving her side-way glances and calling her a freak behind her back.

While in the ranch Rowen learns what is like to have people show genuine affection and concern towards her without expecting anything in return, that mother's don't always know best, and that sometimes you have more in common with the people you never thought you would than your own family.

Lost & Found's plot is not original. The entire bad-girl gets shipped off to a ranch in the middle of nowhere by her mother and meets and falls in love with the owner's son isn't something we haven't seen before, but Nicole Williams still managed to turn it into an entertaining story.

I had a blast reading about Rowen's interactions with Jesse and the easy way they bickered and tease each other. Especially when she tries her best to get Jesse to stay away from her by being overly sarcastic and rude, and all he does is smile at her and offer a witty comment right back.

The only thing that bothered me was Rowen's fear of letting people get close to her, and when they did, push them away. That aspect made for some pretty predictable situations throughout the story where I just knew she was going to do or say something mean and mess up the good things she had going for her.

It was still a really sweet story about life's ups and downs and learning to accept yourself for who you really are, and it only served to cement my undying love for anything written by Nicole Williams.

Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

This book is part of my 2013 Young Adult Contemporary Challenge.

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Dare You To
Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits #2
Publication date: May 28th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads - Amazon

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

Like a lot of people who have been following the series, I was so confused when I read the blurb to Dare You To and saw that this story was about Beth but not about Isaiah. From the little insight we had about Beth's life in Pushing the Limits we already knew Isaiah and her were super close, so it was really not a stretch to think this book would be about them.

Well...

It wasn't.

It was still about Beth. It was still about how the only real concept of family she has is two boys and the basement of someone's house, how dealing with an alcoholic mother who has an abusive boyfriend made her a more than a little skeptical and closed off, how she's used to people only wanting to use her and then forgetting all about her.

And then there was Ryan.

Ryan had what others thought it was the perfect life: he had money, popularity, and a bright future ahead of him. But life at home was not like everybody thought it was with Ryan's parents barely speaking to each other, his dad pressuring him into a career he doesn't know if he wants for himself, and the painful absence of his brother during family dinners.

Beth and Ryan couldn't be more opposites, but as they say: opposites attract.

What follows is Beth trying to evade Ryan's every move, believing that if she lets him get too close to her she's only going to end up hurt. It makes for a very frustrating plot device, because every time you think something's going to finally happen... Beth runs!

It's understandable, though, especially with what's going on in her life. We also learn more about her family and have the introduction of her uncle Scott, who plays a really important part in getting Beth the help she needs. Noah and Echo make an appearance, not letting us forget what we already went through to get to Beth's story.

I actually liked this book a lot more than I did Pushing the Limits. The realness of all the characters and the situations they found themselves in hooked me from the beginning, and I couldn't put the book down until I found out what happened to all of them. It was one fabulous written sequel, and I can't wait to read what comes next.

Review: One Week Girlfriend & Second Change Boyfriend by Monica Murphy

One Week Girlfriend

Monica Murphy
Series: Drew + Fable #1
Publication date: January 10th 2013 by Monica Murphy
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads - Amazon

Temporary. That one single word best describes my life these last few years. I’m working at a temporary job until I can finally break free. I’m my little brother’s temporary mother since our mom doesn’t give a crap about either of us. And I’m that temporary girl all the guys want to get with because I give it up so easily. According to the rumors, at least. 

But now I’m the temporary girlfriend of Drew Callahan, college football legend and all around golden guy. He’s beautiful, sweet—and he’s hiding way more secrets than I am. He’s brought me into this fake life where everyone seems to hate me. And everyone seems to want something from him. The only thing he seems to want though is… 

Me. 

I don’t know what to believe anymore. All I know is, I think Drew needs me. And I want to be there for him. 

Forever.

When college football star Drew Callahan asks Fable to be his temporary girlfriend, Fable thinks this is some kind of a joke. That or that he listened to all the rumors going around that she gives it up easily and he wants something. What she doesn't expect is to be offered money to spend an entire week with him up at his dad's house with him and his stepmother.

A lot of money.

The kind of sum that would mean she wouldn't have to worry about paying rent or bills or making sure her little brother is okay, at least for a while.

So Fable agrees.

She figures that whatever reason Drew has for wanting her to tag along couldn't be worse than her own problems at home. If she can put up with her mother never being around and having to take care of her brother by herself, then whatever it is Drew is hiding from will be a piece of cake for her to deal with.

Fable couldn't be more wrong.

And not only Drew's secret is much darker than she thought, she also has to come to terms with her new-found feelings for him. Because as messed up as their lives are, Drew needs her. And she might need him right back.

One Week Girlfriend is a roller coaster of a book.

The entire pretend relationship aspect of it is one of my favorite things in fiction, and it was wonderfully written in the book. It was so much fun reading about Fable and Drew testing the waters and trying to make their fake relationship real, and ending up creating something between them.

It's not really hard to figure out what Drew's hiding, but to read it all as Fable puts the pieces of the story together and reading about Drew's reactions to certain situations had me hooked. As a reader, I could really see how Drew was struggling with everything around him, and I personally think that the way the author dealt with the kind of trauma he went through was really good. It was believable and it felt real, and it was one of the reasons why I liked this book so much.

Fable was lovely.

There was not a moment in the story where I wanted her to stop or do something different or just go away. I don't necessarily agreed with some of her choices throughout the story, but I could still relate to her and what she was going through and understand where she was coming from. And her relationship with her brother always brought a smile to my face.

Even with its darker edges, One Week Girlfriend was an amazing book and I'm really glad I picked up it.

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Second Chance Boyfriend
Monica Murphy
Series: Drew + Fable #2
Publication date: April 6th 2013 by Monica Murphy
Rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads - Amazon

Lost. That one single word best describes my life at this very moment. I lost the last games of the season and both my team and my coach blame me. I lost the last two months because I drowned in my own despair like a complete loser. And I lost the only girl who ever mattered because I was afraid being with me would destroy her.

But now I realize how truly lost I am without her. She has become my story…and even though she acts like she’s moved on, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. She’s beautiful, sweet—and so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is help her. Be there for her.

Love her…

If only I could convince Fable to give me a second chance. Then I wouldn’t feel so lost anymore, and neither would she. We could be found together.

Forever.

Second Chance Boyfriend  picks up about two months after One Week Girlfriend ends, and it deals with the fallout of Drew leaving.

No need to say everything is a mess and everyone is miserable, with Fable trying to move on with her life and support her brother and Drew trying to come to terms with what happened to him and finding a way to help himself.

But it's not until Fable gets a new job working at a restaurant and Drew bumps into her while at a party at the same place that things start looking up.

Fable is a little hesitant to give Drew the time of day after the way he left her, but she can't deny her feelings for him and how much she misses him. All the while Drew realizes how stupid he was to walk away in the first place and tries his best to make it up to her and show her that now he's there for her, for whatever she needs.

So I have to say that, much like Fable and Drew's relationship, this book is kind of a mess. But, in my opinion, it all works out for the best and it was a very entertaining read.

We get Fable and Drew embarking on a new relationship after everything that happened to them. Both are still dealing with the aftermath of Drew living and Fable learning about his secret, all the while trying to figure out how they work as a couple. Seeing as they only had that little time together before everything turned upside down.

But what we don't see much throughout the book is Fable and Drew being a couple, doing silly couple things, learning how to be together and what works for them as a couple. What we have instead is a lot of drama and life throwing things their way for them to deal with.

I felt like there were some aspects of the plot that could have been explored to a greater extent, and the fact that they weren't left me feeling like something was missing in the story. Or maybe I'm just so used to having the other shoe drop when things seem to be okay that when they don't I get the feeling like something's not quite alright.

Despite all of that it was still a really good book, although not as good as the first one, with a satisfactory ending to Fable and Drew's story. And maybe all of the answers I think I'm missing will be answered on Three Broken Promises, where we'll learn everything about Colin and Jen's relationship.

Waiting on Wednesday (6): Fire Inside by Kristen Ashley

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Fire Inside

Kristen Ashley

Series: Chaos #1

Publication date: June 4th 2013 by Forever

Goodreads - Amazon

Lanie Heron isn’t looking for love—no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club...

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She’s too polished and too classy for his tastes. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can’t say no. And he doesn’t regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that’s ever happened to him—in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

We got a little sneak peek of Fire Inside at the end of Own the Wind and also some background info as Shy and Tabby's story went along, and I am so excited to see where Hop and Lanie's story goes.

I'm especially looking forward to people finding out they're together and their reactions to their relationship.

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Connect with the author

Kristen's Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!). 

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up. 

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better

Top Ten Freebie: Favorite Book Covers

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Top Ten Freebie (Anything you want! Top Ten Favorite Paranormal Creatures! Top Ten Books Set in Paris! Top Ten Books I Wish I Never Read! etc. etc.)

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Since this week's topic is anything I want, I'm gonna go ahead and choose last week's topic and make it my Top Ten Freebie:

Top Ten Favorite Book Covers of Books I've Read

Smokeless Fire by Samantha Young

If it wasn't for the originality of the plot, I think I would've bought this book solely because of it's cover. At the time, it was just so different from everything I'd seen while browsing books on Amazon that I remember stopping just so I could stare at it and gush about all the colors and how smoky and put together everything was.

And as it turned out, the story ended up being just as freaking amazing as the cover art for it was.

The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines

I have to admit that I only ended up reading The Vincent Boys because I saw the cover for The Vincent Brothers and almost died. It was just so cute. And it also had this really neat feeling about it with just the girl's lips pressed against the green apple, and I  just really loved the way it looked.

I know both books now have new covers, but this one will always be the one I think about whenever someone mentions this story to me.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I liked this cover more than I liked the actual story of the book.

I just remember being at the bookstore and staring at it with my eyebrows raised because the cover interested me that much. Not that the story was bad, it just wasn't enough to keep me hooked most of the time.

The book looks damn good on my shelf, though, so there's that.

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

I only loved this so much because of the blood spatters on the left upper corner of the cover.

They're so badass. And subtle. And awesome.

Just like the story.

Seriously. It's amazing and everyone should read it and embrace the violence that is the zombie apocalypse.

Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley

I love bikes. So it's a given that I'll love anything with bikes in them. Also, the boots. And the road. And just everything really.

The fact that this awesome cover comes with a good story is just a plus for me. And that it was written by Kristen Ashley is like the whipped-cream on top. The cover to the second installment of this series is just as good, but since I haven't read it yet I couldn't mention it here.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

I remember the day the cover was revealed and me sitting in front of the computer with my mouth gaping because it was just so pretty. The girl and the dress and the glowing book. They all came together beautifully and I loved it.

The only bad thing about this cover is that it's the cover for the final book on the Infernal Devices series, so it was sad to see all of the characters go. But still, amazing cover.

Rant by Chuck Palahniuk

This cover doesn't make any sense???

Which I guess it makes all kind of sense when you consider the plot of Rant.

This book is one of my favorite books ever, and I guess the weird cover just makes me love it even more. I don't know. I get a smile every time I see it, I just like it so much.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

The first time I read Beautiful Disaster the book still had that cover with the red lips and the tongue sticking out. Remember that?

So when they updated the cover to this one, it was about just the most beautiful cover I had ever seen. Mostly because it was such an improvement from the old one, but also from how simple and delicate it looked.

The cover from Walking Disaster is also awesome, but this one is my favorite from the series.

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

I know they changed the cover, but I don't know why.

This one is so beautiful and its significance to the story is so much bigger than the cover they updated it to. Aaahhh!

Anyways, yes. This cover. I loved it because of how it shows us a little bit of the story with the all of these coins under water. It actually refers to a really cute moment in the book, which kind of just makes me like it even more.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

This cover art works perfectly with the title of the book, because whenever I look at it I instantly think about winter time and snow. Also, it's cute.

The fact that this is also a great part of the story just makes me like this even more, even though the edition I have at home is the UK one with it's black and white cover.

Sad face.

Review: The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

The Secret of Ella and Micha
Jessica Sorensen
Series: The Secret #1
Publication date: October 4th 2012
Rating:★★★★☆

Goodreads - Amazon

A rule-breaker with a fiery attitude, Ella always wore her heart on her sleeve. Then she left everything behind to go to college, where she transformed into someone who follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. Now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home. But once there, Ella fears that everything she's worked so hard to bury might resurface-especially with Micha living right next door.

Smart, sexy, and confident, Micha can get under Ella's skin like no one else. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. If he tries to tempt the old Ella to return, he will be impossible to resist. But what Ella doesn't realize is that when she left, she took a piece of Micha's heart with her. Now he's determined to win back the girl he lost, no matter what it takes.

Ella ran away to college because she wanted to forget. She wanted to forget her old life, her old self, and the boy who gets her like no one else ever has. So she really should have known better than to drive back home during break and expect things to go down smoothly, expect the walls she build up around herself and her new persona to hold and not break.

Micha hadn't seen Ella since she left eight months ago, right after he finally decided to make his move and kissed her. They grew up together and were the best of friends, so Micha can't help but be a little surprised when the Ella that comes back to their town looks anything but like the Ella he'd always known.

Determined to bring his old friend back, and maybe convince her that they're perfect for each other, he begins the slow process of showing Ella that there wasn't anything wrong with who she was before. And that just because she changed the way she looks and acts, it didn't mean she changed who she really was inside.

The Secret of Ella and Micha was such a fun read, with its endearing and strong-minded characters. Jessica Sorensen did a great job with writing and giving us a very clear insight into both Ella and Micha's point of views in the book, making me relate to what I knew about them and still keeping me hooked and wondering about all of the things that I didn't.

I just fell in love with the characters and their stories, even though the ending kind of left me feeling cold all over. But thank god for the epilogue to give me all the warm feelings again! It made me so excited to find out what happens to Ella and Micha, and I'm glad I won't have to wait forever since the release date is set for tomorrow!

Review: Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino

Sweet Thing 
Renee Carlino
Publication date: April 14th 2013 by Renee Carlino
Rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads - Amazon

Mia Kelly is a twenty-five-year-old walking Gap ad who thinks she has life figured out when her father’s sudden death uproots her from slow-paced Ann Arbor to New York City’s bustling East Village. There she discovers her father’s spirit for life and the legacy he left behind with the help of an old café, a few eccentric friends, and one charming musician.
Will Ryan is good-looking, poetic, spontaneous, and on the brink of fame when he meets Mia, his new landlord, muse, and personal heartbreaker.
A story of self-discovery and friendship, Sweet Thing shines light on the power of loving and letting go.

"I wonder if she knows that sometimes we figure things out and then life changes and we have to figure it all out again. I'm sure she'll learn that soon enough and I'm sure she'll have her own story to tell..."

Sweet Thing starts out very differently from any book I've ever read. The prologue is just so original and and frames the story so nicely that I thought this story was going to be just as amazing, if not more.

And in a way, it was.

We meet Mia just as she's packing up all of her things and moving to New York to look after her father's business after he died. On her way, she ends up meeting Will, a struggling musician who is, by the way, super gorgeous, and they spend their flight to NY talking about music and their love for it.

When she learns that he's looking for a place to live, it turns out she happens to have a room for rent up at her father's apartment. It's really not a surprise to anyone when Will ends up moving his things there and becoming her roommate.

And that's when they most frustration relationship ever starts developing.

There's no way to avoid getting closer to someone when they live in the room at the end of the hallway, and Mia and Will become close friends really fast. Only Will wants more from her than just friendship, and every time he tries to make a move Mia stops him.

“My real fear was that I would fall in love with Will or that I already had and then he would just leave me alone, broken and pathetic.”

Mia is so scared of letting herself feel that she's not really living the life she's supposed to. She's letting things slip away from her because she doesn't want to get hurt, but what she's not realizing is that she's hurting the people she cares about in the processes.

And that's where my favorite characters comes into play.

Jenny, Mia's best friend, was my absolute favorite character in the entire book. She was there for Mia and she needed her, but she also always gave her a piece of her mind when she thought Mia was doing something wrong.

"Every man has hopes and dreams for his future, Will is no exception. You know so little about him and you've already concluded that he's worthless because he plays a guitar. That seems so hypocritical of you."

Jenny is the best, that's all I have to say.

It was so refreshing to read about a best friend that just didn't stand there saying nothing or took her best friend's side because that's what friends do.

And Will.

I don't really have an opinion about him? I mostly just think he was wicked funny and charming and way too good for Mia, but that's about it. It didn't feel like his character was developed much along the story, but I still had a good time reading about him and about the way he was with Mia and their friends.

"... he planted a hard, ridiculous closed-mouth kiss on my lips. Then he said, "Baby, that's a great idea!"

"Will!" I shouted at him.

Still holding my face, he cocked his head to the side. "What? This is how I am with my friends." Just then Jenny walked in the door. Will immediately stalked over to her, grabbed her face and planted the same kiss on her..."

So Sweet Thing had some parts where all I wanted to do was punch someone in the face - all of them courtesy of Mia being her frustrating self - and others where I could't help but laugh or squeal out loud.

All in all it was a pretty sweet book about taking chances, heartache, good music, and falling in love with the last person you thought you would.

It was a great debut novel, and I'll be sure to keep my eyes open for more Renee Carlino books in the future.

Review: Find You in the Dark by A. Meredith Walters

Find You in the Dark
A. Meredith Walters
Series: Find You in the Dark #1
Publication date: October 10th 2012 by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads - Amazon

Maggie Young had the market on normal. Normal friends, normal parents, normal grades...normal life. 

Until him.

Clayton Reed was running from his past and an army of personal demons that threatened to take him down. He never thought he had a chance at happiness.

Until her.

Maggie thought their love could overcome anything. Clay thought she was all he needed to fix his messy life. 

That together, they could face the world.

But the darkness is always waiting. 

Sometimes the greatest obstacle to true love is within yourself.

Maggie has lived a normal life, and she can't help but feel like she deserves something better than just the ol' boring plans she has set up for her life, like she's destined for something bigger and greater than that. Clay has grown up with anything but normal in his life, with parents who neglected him and didn't offer him the assistance he needed when dealing with his illness.

Clay is interesting and gets to Maggie in a way no one has ever done before, and she's determined to make a place for herself in his life. Whether as a friend or something more, she doesn't really know yet. But as they begin to get closer and closer to each other Maggie starts worrying about Clay's mood swings, not really knowing or understanding what's happening until he tells her about his illness.

I had no idea what I was in for when I started reading Find You in the Dark. I didn't know the book dealt with mental illness, so it was kind of a really big surprise for me when I found out Clay suffered from bipolar disorder. One that I really enjoyed once I got to know Maggie and Clay's story.

In my opinion, the ending was perfectly written. I don't think I would have accepted for the story to go any other way than it did, especially with how Clay is described along the book.

I still have to read the sequel and see what happens, but I can't wait to read about Clay and Maggie after everything they've been through together and seeing if they can make things work between them.

It's a heavy and dark story that pulls you in and breaks your heart, only to give you a shimmer of hope again. It shows you that loves is not capable of fixing everything, that one must face his demons before fully giving himself to another, and that, sometimes, admitting to yourself that you need help requires more personal strength than you ever thought possible.

Review: Fallen Crest High by Tijan

Fallen Crest High
Tijan
Series: Fallen Crest High #1
Publication date: October 31st 2012
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads - Amazon

Mason and Logan Kade are two brothers who did their own thing. They were rich and expected to attend her school, Fallen Crest Academy. They chose public school and now Samantha has to live with them. The problem is that she doesn't care at all: about them, about her friends, about her cheating boyfriend, or even about her parent's divorce. But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe change is a good thing.

This is probably one of the most underrated books I've read in a while.

The summary absolutely does not do justice to how freaking amazing Fallen Crest High is. I have to say I wasn't expecting much when I saw it on my Amazon recommendation list, but I was still intrigued enough to buy it and give it a chance. And oh. My. God.

Fallen Crest High is edgy, dark, and so messed up that you won't even know which side is up when you're done. It'll hook you from beginning until end, and it'll leave you wanting to know more about the lives of the Kade brothers and Samantha.

Logan and Mason live like they're the kings of their own world, which I guess it kind of makes sense. They are gorgeous, rich, the stars to their public school's football team, and they can get any girl they want. But they're also known by their bad temper, the fights they get into, and their general attitude as complete and utter jerks.

Sam meets them after her mother cheats on her father and moves them in with Logan and Mason's dad. But just because they're no step-siblings and live under the same roof, it doesn't mean they acknowledge each other, that is until one of the brothers takes an interest in Sam after seeing how utterly detached from her life and everything that happens in it she is.

What comes after is a story filled with fist fights, casual sex, lots of drinking, even more cheating, and one of the most dysfunctional family dynamics you'll ever have the pleasure of reading about. Every single character in this book is messed up in some way, and they do equal messed up things. The adults are actually more screwed up than all of the teenagers put together, if I'm being honest.

Fallen Crest High was just so freaking good that when I was done all I wanted was to have more of it. Forever. The author did such a wonderful job in developing the characters and their individual stories that when it all came together in the plot just made me want to roll around on the floor and sigh in contentment. It became, hands down, one of my favorite books ever.

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Fallen Crest High has a sequel coming, and its name is...

Fallen Crest Public.

You can read the first four chapters of the story right here.

Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

This book is part of my 2013 TBR Pile Challenge.

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Starcrossed
Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed #1
Publication date: May 31st 2011 by HarperTeen
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Goodreads - Amazon

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

I originally rated this as a 3 stars book but upon reviewing and rereading some parts I had to change it to 2.

A funny thing happened when I picked up Starcrossed and sat down to read it for one of my reading challenges. I didn't really notice it at first but some parts felt weirdly familiar to me, like I had read them before, and it wasn't until I was around chapter three that I realized that was really the case. Apparently I tried reading this a couple of months after it came out but gave up halfway through and didn't touch it again.

Until now.

And I'm kind of wishing I had left it alone.

The beginning went by so freaking slowly for me, it was like I was dragging my feet trying to get through this story. I was bored. I didn't get pulled in by the story or its characters, and the only reason why I kept reading it was because I was hoping it would get better.

Not that it did, not really.

The Greek mythology part of the story had its moments, so did Helen's best friend Claire. Both aspects kept me entertained for the most part - and are also the reason why this book is getting 2 stars -, that is until Helen and Lucas' relationship was mentioned. And oh my god what a freaking mess their story was.

I'm getting kind of tired of reading about the whole girl-meets-boy-and-instantly-feels-a-connection-to-him-only-to-find-out-they-can't-be-together story. That's exactly what happened in Starcrossed, with Helen meeting Lucas and not being able to stay away from him even when the gods themselves told her to.

And the twist on their relationship and final reason of why they can't be together was such a communication failure. Like, if both of them just stopped for a second to think about what was said to them as to why their relationship shouldn't happen and then looked back at facts and dates and just thought about it, they'd know people were lying to them. I love misunderstandings in stories, especially the angst that it brings, but this was too much.

In conclusion, I wished I had left this book alone and went on with my life.

Review: Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan

Undeniable
Madeline Sheehan
Series: Undeniable #1
Publication date: Octorber 7th 2012 by Madeline Sheehan
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Goodreads - Amazon

Warning: This is not a "typical love story". This is an all-consuming, soul-crushing, tear-your-heart-into-pieces story. It’s intense, gritty and raw, dark and disturbing, and it doesn’t happen overnight. This is an epic love story that knows no boundaries and has no time limits. It grows and develops—with hurt, sacrifice, and heartache—over the span of a lifetime. 

Eva Fox is the princess of the Silver Demons Motorcycle Club. Growing up with bikers in the club lifestyle is all that she knows. When she’s a young girl, Eva meets the reason for her existence. Deuce West is the sexy, biker bad-ass of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club. Like Eva, he was born and raised in the club—but that’s where the similarities end. Their first meeting is innocent, but as Eva matures into a woman, their chance reunions evolve into a fit of lust and love. Fate continues to bring them together time and time again, but their twisted journey is filled with pain, betrayal, and bloodshed that could tear them apart. Eva sees in Deuce what he cannot see in himself—a man worthy of love—and Eva spends her lifetime proving to him that her undeniable love is the one thing he can’t live without. 

This is Eva and Deuce’s story. 

It wasn’t easy. 
Nothing worth doing ever is.
And love is worth everything.

This book is so messed up I don't even know how I'm going to write a review for it. Not that messed up means that it wasn't good, because it was. There were just so many not okay things happening throughout the story that left me with my mouth hanging open, and I wasn't really sure what to make of any of it so I could rate it properly, so I went for the three stars review and hoped for the best.

The warning at the beginning of the blurb should be taken seriously. I cannot stress that enough. Certain situations that happen along the story can be triggery to some readers, so you should be careful when reading Undeniable. Maybe check out some other reviews before you decide to pick this book up and make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

We get the whole scoop on Eva and Deuce's relationship from when they first meet until they finally get together, and let me tell you, it is not a pretty story.

I would say that when Deuce and Eva met, it was love at first sight. That is, if she wasn't a child and he wasn't in his early-twenties. They're both from rival motorcycle clubs with Eva being the daughter of the president of the Silver Demons MC, and Deuce stepping in after his father goes to jail as the leader of the Hell's Horsemen.

Their story is kind of like the Romeo & Juliet of motorcycle gangs, only with a lot more cheating, sexual assault, statutory rape, and men in bikes.

These characters are screwed up, so most of the things they do follow that line. The author doesn't make any excuses for their behaviors or tries to give them any redeeming qualities or redemption arcs. They are who they are because of the things they went through and the environment where they were raised, and the way they stay true to themselves was actually one of my favorite things about the book.

Undeniable is not for everyone. It's a difficult read and a really hard book to like, but the job the author did with creating this messed up biker universe was amazing. I'm still not sure of how much I liked this story or if I'm going to pick up the sequel, but I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to read this one.

Waiting on Wednesday (5): Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Spirit

Brigid Kemmerer

Series: Elemental #3

Publication date: May 28th 2013 by K Teen

Goodreads - Amazon

With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…

As much as I love the Merrick brothers, I can't wait to read about Hunter!

I'm really excited about reading about the perspective of someone from the outside of the Merrick family, and the new powers that Hunter brings with him.

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Can't wait to read Spirit?

Amazon

Breathless (Elementals #2.5) is a novella that gives us a little bit of insight into the world of Nick Merrick and the secret he's been hiding.

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Connect with the author

Brigid's Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Brigid Kemmerer finds the time to write somewhere between caring for her family and working at her day job, but sometimes she ends up mothering her coworkers and managing her family. Storm: The Elemental Series is her first novel.

Teaser Tuesday (4): The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm not reading anything at the moment, so have a teaser from one of my favorite books:

Goodreads
Amazon

“There are so many things that can break you if there's nothing to hold you together.”

Musing Mondays (5): Books I Bought

Weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits. 
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s). 
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it. 
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us! 
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

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I kind of just discovered the wonders that are M M Romance books while browsing Goodreads, and I have to say that some of those titles have the best plots ever. They're all so original and intriguing that I feel like I've discovered a new world filled with all of my favorite things: alpha males, action packed plots, witty and sarcastic and strong-minded characters that take no shit from anyone, and all the  romance!

The books I bought this week have all of that, and they're actually all part of a series as opposed to stand-alone stories.

Cut & Run series:

(Just click the covers to be redirected to their Goodreads page.)

This series revolves around the lives of Special Agent Ty Grady and Special Agent Zane Garrett of the FBI, the messes they make, the trouble that seems to keep following them everywhere they go, their incapability to do their jobs without someone trying to kill them, and the growing hate/love relationship between them as they save each other's lives and get to know each other better.

So this is my haul for the past week. I'm reading Stars & Stripes as I write this, and my lobe for Ty and Zane just keeps growing more and more with each passing book. :D

Review: True Love Story by Willow Aster

True Love Story
Willow Aster
Publication date: February 17th 2012 by Willow Aster
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Goodreads - Amazon

Sparrow Fisher is transforming. No longer dressed up in antiquated clothes and ideals, she is finally trying on her freedom.

Before she moves to New York City, she meets Ian Sterling, a musician Sparrow has dreamed about since she first saw him. The attraction is instant, but their relationship isn't so simple.

Over a five year span, Sparrow and Ian run into each other in unusual places. Each time, Sparrow has to decide if she can trust him, if he feels the same for her, and finally, if love is really enough.

True Love Story begins five years into Sparrow and Ian's relationship - or lack of thereof, really. Sparrow is flying back home to a wedding when she bumps into Ian at the airport, and it takes all of her self-control not to jump him or punch him in the face.

Things only get worse when she gets to her seat only to find out that Ian is sitting beside her on the plane, and that she'll have to deal with his company, good looks, and the feelings she still has for him for the duration of the flight.

As we read, we learn about how Sparrow and Ian met five years ago, about the instant connection they both felt towards each other. We get to see their relationship develop into something else, and how they keep falling more and more in love with each other until the story goes along.

That is, until Ian breaks Sparrow's heart.

The way the plot was written - beginning five years after Sparrow and Ian meeting and then taking us back to everything that happened between them - actually made me like this book more than I actually did, if that makes sense. The story itself didn't really grasp my attention, but the way it was presented made True Love Story more enjoyable than I thought it would be.

Most of the characters weren't all that relatable or likable to me, and Sparrow and Ian's relationship came out as little bit shallow - with the entire insta-love thing they had going on, and later with what Ian did to screw everything up.

And Ian's cheesiness was just... no. There's only so much sweet we can take before it starts giving us a toothache, okay?

As realistic as this book managed to be, what Ian did to Sparrow and how she forgave him for it all after a life of misery a few years later was also a big no-no for me. Maybe it's because I would have never ever done the same thing Sparrow did, so I can't really understand how she could.

I cannot stress enough that the way this was plotted and shaped was my favorite part of it all, and it was still a pretty good story to read and submerge myself into. It dealt with second chances and learning to forgive those who hurt us, and it gave the characters a happy ending after all the messed up things they did and went through.

And really, who doesn't like happy endings?

Review: Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley

Own the Wind
Kristen Ashley
Series: Chaos #1
Publication date: April 2nd 2013 by Grand Central Publishing
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Goodreads - Amazon

Too hot to handle...

Tabitha Allen grew up in the thick of Chaos--the Chaos Motorcycle Club, that is. Her father is Chaos' leader, and the club has always had her back. But one rider was different from the start. When Tabby was running wild, Shy Cage was there. When tragedy tore her life apart, he helped her piece it back together. And now, Tabby's thinking about much more than friendship...

Tabby is everything Shy's ever wanted, but everything he thinks he can't have. She's beautiful, smart, and as his friend's daughter, untouchable. Shy never expected more than friendship, so when Tabby indicates she wants more--much more--he feels like the luckiest man alive. But even lucky men can crash and burn...

I was super excited for this new series because bikers, but in the end I was left with the feeling that something was missing.

But first things first.

Own the Wind is the first installment in the Chaos series and it can definitely be read as a stand-alone, but most of the characters that appear in this book are from Kristen Ashley's Motorcycle Man. Own the Wind is actually a spin-off from that book/universe, so it would be interesting for you to read it first just so you can experience the deliciousness that are men in bikes.

Not that this book doesn't have that too, because it does.

Shy Cage was looking for a place to belong to when he found Tack Allen's Motorcycle Club, Chaos. From recruit to full-member, he proved his loyalty to the Club time and time again, building a reputation for himself as a guy who got the job done and kept things quiet.

That is, if you weren't referring to all the women that came in and out of his room at the Compound.

But because he's known to keep his mouth shut, he's usually the person the brothers call whenever they find that Tack's daughter, Tabby, is about to get herself into trouble.

Tabby grew up around bikers. She grew up with them having her back and always helping her out whenever she needed it, because otherwise they'd have to deal with her dad's wrath. Her dad is the reason why Tabby is off-limits to every member of the Club.

So when Shy learns that Tabby is running wild again, he doesn't hesitate to try and teach her a lesson. It mostly works, but more because he hurt her deeply and less because he made his point. And things only get more complicated when he finds himself caring about Tabby's feelings and her sudden absence from all things Club related.

What follows is Shy and Tabby's relationship throughout the years, how they go from not really liking each other very much to friends and then finally to lovers.

I think I didn't like this book as much as all the other ones was because there really wasn't that much drama? Don't get me wrong, there were some really sad situations in the story, and some scenes where all I wanted to do was grab Tabby and Shy by the neck and force them to confess their feelings for each other, but there wasn't that whole danger vibe the other books had. No Tabby getting kidnapped or shot at or stalked or fighting for her life and all the other dramatic things I like so much.

Even so, Own the Wind still left me wanting more of Kristen Ashley's writing and the world of Chaos Motorcycle Club, and I cannot wait for Hop and Lanie's story in Fire Inside!

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Want to read the first two chapters of Own the Wind?

Kristen Ashley was nice enough to make them available for download here!