Review: Leo by Mia Sheridan

Leo
Mia Sheridan
Series: Sign of Love #1
Publication date: March 11th 2013
Rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads - Amazon

Evie and Leo met in foster care as children and formed a bond of friendship. As they grew, their bond turned to love and they vowed to make a life together when they turned 18 and were no longer a part of the system.

When Leo unexpectedly gets adopted as a teen and he moves to another city, he promises Evie that he will contact her as soon as he gets there and come back for her in a few short years. She never hears from him again.

Now eight years later, in spite of the odds, Evie has made a life for herself. She has a job, she has friends, she's content. Then a man shows up out of the blue, claiming that her long lost love, Leo, sent him to check up on her. The attraction between them is undeniable. But, should she trust this sexy stranger? Or is he keeping a secret about what his connection to Leo is really all about and why Leo disappeared all those years ago?

Evie and Leo were inseparable.

Both grew up in foster care after surviving horrible things as children and quickly became the best of friends. They knew they could rely on each other, and the friendship they formed served as the source of care and love they so terribly needed in their lives. But as they became older, their feelings for each other started to change.

As their friendship turned into something more, life decided to intervene. When Leo is fifteen and Evie is fourteen, Leo gets adopted by a family and ends up moving across the country, leaving Evie behind. Before he goes away, though, he confesses his feelings for her, promising to write her letters and come for her as soon as she turns eighteen so they can start their lives together.

And then Evie never hears from him again.

Now it's eight years later and Evie has worked hard to build a life for herself. She has a job, a home, and complete control over her life. She left behind all the hurt from her childhood and moved on to better things, but she still can't help but wonder what happened to Leo.

It's not until she meets Jake that she gets her answer.

He's been doing a terrible job of following her around, and when she confronts him she's shocked to discover that he's friends with the boy that used to mean everything to her. Jake's also not scared of making his feelings for Evie known, and as they relationship progresses and Evie lets herself get closer to someone, secrets that could destroy everything they've built for themselves are revealed.

Leo was a really great, if not somewhat painful, read.

Since the moment I first picked up the book until the moment I read the final sentence, I was feeling for Evie, Leo, and Jake. That's a really powerful thing in writing, when the author manages to make you want to cry in the first few pages of their book, and that's exactly how it was with this one.

Evie and Leo's story was heartbreakingly sweet, and the flashbacks throughout the story only served to make it even more so. I loved that the writing made it so that I didn't feel disconnected to what was happening whenever I went from Evie's present to her past. They kept me connected to what was happening while giving me important insight into who Evie was and how she dealt with what was going on with Jake, why she was reacting the way she did and why she was thinking certain things.

And the plot twist, oh my god.

Even though I had an idea of what was going on, I was still surprised when the big reveal was... well, revealed. It was like everything that we'd read since then finally made sense and aligned and just connected.  And at the same that I was super happy about it, when I found out about the reason it happened I just wanted to stab myself in the eye with a fork because that wouldn't hurt as much as what I was reading.

It was a lovely experience reading Leo. It was sweet, sad, and incredibly touching to get to know these characters and their stories, and to know that even though you were hurt by those who were supposed to stand by you, you still can find your happily ever after and have your dreams come true.

Review: Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder

Falling Into You

Jasinda Wilder
Series: Falling #1
Publication date: March 14th 2013 by Jasinda Wilder
Rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads - Amazon

I wasn't always in love with Colton Calloway; I was in love with his younger brother, Kyle, first. Kyle was my first one true love, my first in every way.

Then, one stormy August night, he died, and the person I was died with him.

Colton didn't teach me how to live. He didn't heal the pain. He didn't make it okay. He taught me how to hurt, how to not be okay, and, eventually, how to let go.

A little warning before the review. Falling Into You deals with self-harm as a form of coping with grief. If that's something particularly troubling for you but you still want to read the book anyway, just be careful.

Kyle Calloway is Nell's first love.

They grew up together and have been inseparable since they were little kids, so it's really to no one's surprise they end up together when they grow up. It just seems like the natural progression of their relationship, and everyone around them agrees they are perfect for each other.

But destiny has other plans, and on one stormy night Kyle was ripped away from Nell's life. For good.

Nell turns into a shadow of her former self, going through life like she's not really there, blaming herself for what happened to the first boy she ever loved. She's broken inside, numb to the world, restoring to desperate measures to make herself feel something, anything, to make sure she's the one still here and still  breathing and not gone out of this world.

Like Kyle.

And then Colton Calloway, Kyle's older brother, happens.

The first time Nell sees him is at Kyle's funeral. He's the complete opposite of who his brother was, the black sheep of the family with inked skin and a smoking habit. But more importantly, he understands what she's going through, knows exactly how much it hurts. So she can't help but lean into him when he offers her comfort, and then she also can't help but feel guilty about her reaction to him when the boy who holds her heart, Colton's own brother, is dead.

They don't see each other until two years later, but the memory of Kyle's death and the moment shared between them is still fresh on Nell's mind.

Colton can see her pain clear as day, mostly because he knows a lot about what is like to be hurting and not knowing how to deal with it. So he offers Nell his understanding, his time, and a shoulder to lean on when things get to be too much and the pain is almost blinding.

Together they learn that it's okay not to be okay, and that the only way to let go is to allow themselves to feel the hurt and guilt and pain and misery that Kyle dying brought them. They learn to count on each other, and that, sometimes, if you let it, something beautiful can come out of the worst things that ever happened to you.

Falling Into You was heartbreaking.

Get into it I knew it was going to hurt because of the premise of reading about a girl falling in love with someone only to have that person taken away from her too soon. I knew there were going to be tears and sadness and heartache, but I still put my big girl pants on and decided to keep going.

Colton and Nell were screwed up inside. They both had a lot happen to them that they didn't know how to or didn't allow themselves to deal with, and that messed them up deeply. But also brought them closer and closer together.

For both of them, being around someone who understood what they were going through and didn't try to make any excuses about it or tried to make it better was... Relaxing is not the right word, but it's the first that comes to mind. It was like they didn't have to pretend they had it together when they were around each other, they didn't have to pretend they were okay because they weren't and keeping up a facade was exhausting.

And that was beautiful.

It was such an experience to read about characters that weren't trying to fix each other at every bad turn, but instead were allowing themselves to tap into that hurt and grief they were so obviously still feeling. Colton not wanting to make Nell better, but instead telling her that there were no magic words or tricks he could say or do that would make her okay again and saying that he understood was amazing, okay?

He was just there for her, showing her that he wasn't going anywhere and that there was a light at the end of the tunnel of endless pain she was stuck in. Because he had been in that same tunnel and he came out on the other side of it. And yes, it was after a lot of heartbreak and misery and nights thinking that feeling hopeless and empty and broken was all that was to him, but he got out, and she could, too, if she wanted.

Falling Into You wasn't a story about healing, it was about learning how to take that step. It was about having something horrible happen to you, letting yourself feel it, and learning that it's okay not to be okay. It was about realizing that no one can help you unless you're willing to help yourself, but that there are people who still love you and are willing to hold your hand while you're trying to figure things out.

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: 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.

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: Romero by Elizabeth Reyes

This book is part of my 2013 TBR Pile Challenge.

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Romero
Elizabeth Reyes
Series: The Moreno Brothers #4
Publication date: October 24th 2011
Rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads - Amazon

Prim and proper middle school teacher Isabel Montenegro always runs the opposite direction from men like Ramon Romero. A foul-mouthed, uneducated, loose cannon has no place in her careful plans. But instead of running away, Isabel is completely captivated. The intensity of his nature, while a bit daunting, mesmerizes her in ways she can’t begin to understand. She’s unwilling to walk away—even when her instincts are screaming at her to run.

Romero has no idea what he's getting himself into when he first kisses Isabel. Shocked at the passion she invokes in him, he believes he can keep his usual short fuse under wraps. Falling fast and hard for someone so flawlessly sweet only makes him more aware that he’s far from perfect. If she is ever witness to his biggest imperfection, he’s sure she’ll bail. But when her meddling sister does the worst thing imaginable—bring other men between him and his Izzy—that fuse is lit and all bets are off.

Can two people who are worlds apart teach each other how to love, or will the reality of their differences drive them apart? 

I honestly didn't know if I was going to like this one. The idea of taking the focus off of the Moreno brothers to write a story about one of the family's closest friend was great, but I didn't think I was gonna be able to get into it, especially considering the way Romero didn't appeal to me in all the other books. I think that was one of the reasons why it took me so long to read this, but I am so freaking glad I finally did!

Romero was raised by his two uncles and lives a life full of women, alcohol, and parties. He has a bad temper and an even worse mouth, and he makes no excuses for who he is and where he came from. He worked hard to open his own business, and he's seriously proud to how far he's come in life by his own merits.

Isabel comes from a different world than Romero's. Her family has money and sometimes cares more about appearances than happiness, and her sister Pat makes Izzy's life hell trying to control who she dates and what she does. All to make sure their family's name is not shamed.

When Izzy and Romero cross paths, everything turns upside down. Romero learns that sometimes letting his anger get the best of him is not a good thing, and Izzy finds the strength to stand up for herself and fight for what she wants.

We see a lot of sides to all of the characters presented in the story, and I cracked myself up reading about Romero interacting with his uncles. This was a really fun read, and Romero ended up being my favorite book of The Moreno Brothers series so far!

Review: Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Walking Disaster
Jamie McGuire
Series: Beautiful #2
Publication date: April 2nd 2013 by Atria Books
Rating: ★★★★☆

Goodreads - Amazon

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. 

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

I fell in love with Travis while reading Beautiful Disaster, and when I found out there was going to be a book from his POV I almost died.

The best things about Walking Disaster were the extra scenes at the beginning and end and all the interaction with only Travis and Shepley and Travis and his family. It was the best thing to read about these little moments we didn't get to see, specially because they gave us some background to Travis' character and as to what he was thinking when things happened in the first book.

It was also really easy to get into Travis' head as the story goes along, and Jamie McGuire did a wonderful job in retelling all the events that lead to Travis and Abby getting together and then married. And the epilogue was amazing, with that little snippet of what the future of Mrs. and Mr. Maddox was like!

A little thing that I didn't really like about it was that a lot of the dialogue between Abby and Travis was cut, but I understand that was done so things wouldn't get too repetitive. It was still a wonderful book, and an even better end to the series.

Review: Wait for You by J. Lynn

Wait for You
J. Lynn
Series: Wait for You #1
Publication date: February 26th 2013
Rating : ★★★★☆

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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…

I'm a big fan of stories that give you little clues about what happened to the characters and made them who they are now, and also that have the whole going from friends-to-lovers and developing relationship aspect of things. This is exactly what Wait For You does.

We meet Avery as she rushes to get to her first class on her first day at uni, desperately trying not to be late. But instead of running straight through the door and into her seat so she can watch her Astronomy class, she ends up running straight into someone. A very male, very hot, very swoon-worthy someone named Cam.

After a meeting like that, it's not wonder Avery catches Cam's eye, not that she's willing to act on the way he makes her feel. Not after what she went through five years ago and not when doing that means giving up the control she has on her life.

It was lovely to read about Avery and Cam's relationship growing into friendship and then into something more. And how, with that, they learn to stop running away from their problems, how to accept past mistakes and its consequences, and to move on.

Review: Fallen Too Far & Never Too Far by Abbi Glines

Fallen Too Far
Abbi Glines
Series: Too Far #1
Publication date: December 14th 2012
Rating: ★★★★☆

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To want what you’re not supposed to have…

She is only nineteen.

She is his new stepfather’s daughter. 

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother. 

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

This was one of those books I didn't put down until it was finished, and then immediately went for the sequel to see what happened to the characters (one of the reasons why this is a double review), because I just could not help myself.

Abbi Glines never disappoints, and Fallen Too Far is a gripping and intense read that will keep you interested and on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Blair finds herself lost and without anyone to turn to after her mother passes way, packing up all of her belongings and going to live with her estranged father and his new family. What she doesn't expect is to get to the house and not only find her father gone, but her new stepbrother Rush present. And throwing a party.

What follows is a story filled to the brim with unresolved sexual tension of the best kind, Blair learning how to live her new life and find her place among her dad's new family, and Rush trying to balance who is is and what people expect him to be, all the while keeping a secret that is bound to turn their world's upside down as soon as it's out.

This book ends with one of the most surprising cliffhangers I've ever read!

The plot twist is so wonderfully written that instead of being mad about having to wait to see what's going to happen, it just makes you want to hug the author for a job well done.

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Never Too Far
Abbi Glines
Series: Too Far #2
Publication date: December 14th 2012
Rating: ★★★☆☆

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He had held a secret that destroyed her world. 

Everything she had known was no longer true. 

Blaire couldn’t stop loving him but she knew she could never forgive him.

Now, she was back home and learning to live again. Moving on with life… until something happened to send her world spinning once again. 

What do you do when the one person you can never trust again is the one that you need to trust so desperately? 

You lie, hide, avoid, and pray that your sins never find you out.

I picked up Never Too Far right after I finished reading the first book, and even though it was an enjoyable read I couldn't help but think that something was missing.

The story picks up where Fallen Too Far leaves off and it's told in dual POV (Blair and Rush's), with Blair's entire world crashing down on her. She has to learn how to live without the people who hurt her, away from all the lies and the pain and the boy she loves.

There's a bit of  twist that it sort of can be expected from book 1, and it basically ends up affecting the entire direction the story goes and the characters' decision making skills. And not necessarily for the best.

Everything felt a little too impulsive and melodramatic for me - from what the characters end up doing to the other turns that happen because of it -, and right as the book began to come to its close I got the feeling that things were being rushed, that a lot of loose ends weren't tied.

And then I found out there's going to be another book?! So I hope I can get my answers on the final installment of the Too Far series.

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Forever Too Far: First Sneak Peek!

Abbi Glines posted the first look of Forever Too Far, Rush and Blair's final story, on her blog!

You can read it here.

Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Pivot Point
Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point #1
Publication date: February 12th 2013 byHarperTeen
Rating: ★★★★☆

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Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

 Awe·some: adj. this book.

Addie has the ability to see the future. Well, sort of. The only future she can see is herself's, and only when presented with a choice. She has the ability to Search and see both outcomes of it, making her pretty good at avoiding any potential disasters or mistakes in her life.

Things change when her parents tell her they're getting a divorce, and suddenly she's faced with the choice of who she wants to live with - with her mom in the Compound and the only place she ever knew as home, or with her dad on the Outside with the "Norms", people who didn't have any special abilities. So when her best friend Laila tells her to do a Search to find out which path is best for her, Addie can't see why not. But as she comes back from her Search she's faced with a difficult choice - none of the futures she saw were particularly good ones.

Each chapter of the book tells you a story from one reality's perspective. One in which Addie still lives at home and is the quarterback's girlfriend and the other where she's adjusting to life outside of the Compound and meets Trevor, a cute boy with amazing artistic skills and a bad shoulder.

I have to give congrats to the author for this, because it was a pretty neat and interesting way to organize a book, and it kept me hook until the end. The plot itself, with all the time tricking and whatnot, was really well written and I could always tell what was happening and how it related to things on the other reality.

It was a really fun and original read, and I'll just sit here and wait until the sequel comes out!

Review: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Altered
Jennifer Rush
Series: Altered #1
Publication date: January 1st 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4 stars

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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.

Altered is one hell of a roller coaster ride.

There are four boys living in the lab below Anna's house. Sam, Nick, Trev, and Cas are genetically altered to be the perfect soldiers - smarter, stronger, and faster than the average guy -, and they're all being held, monitored, and treated by Anna's dad as part of a project founded by the Branch. Anna doesn't know why they're there, what the government plans to do with them, or whatever happened to the boys before they got to her house without any memory of who they were.

When the Branch decides to terminate the project, the boys are presented with an opportunity to escape the confines of the lab and go in search of answers about themselves and what lead them to become what they are now. What they don't plan for is Anna being forced to come with them, after their attempt to free themselves doesn't go as well as they hoped. And as they look for clues about the mess they're in, Anna and the boys discover that some things aren't what they seem, and that they're more connected to each other than they all originally thought.

The idea of genetically altered eighteen-year-old boys, who age at a much slower pace than normal human beings, being held up in a lab underground and monitored by a Doctor and his daughter is so different from what's out there that I was instantly attracted to this book. The plot twists during the story are all well thought-out and written, the characters endearing, and it all comes together in what is an incredibly fun and interesting read!

Review: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Madman's Daughter
Megan Shepherd
Series: The Madman's Daughter #1
Publication date: January 29th 2013 by Balzer + Bray
Rating: 4 stars

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In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

I took a chance reading this book, considering I'm not a big fan of historical fiction or Gothic novels, but I'm kind of glad I did.

The Madman's Daughter started out slowly and a little bit hard to get into, but took a disturbingly turn for the best and it kept going until I was left wide eyed and gaping. It was full of mystery, intrigue, and secrets, but I guess that's what you get when you have a mad doctor stuck in an island and free to do whatever he wishes and experiment!

Juliet was a great character - smart, strong, and a little twisted and crazy when needed - expect for the times when she went along with what her father told her to do. He was the man who abandoned her and her mother in London to go to an island work on his experiments, using the islanders as his subjects. Her not lashing out and confronting him for not caring about what had happened to her after he ran away did not sit well with me.

As for Dr. Moreau, the author was able to portrait his madness brilliantly. Every time I read about the type of things he was doing to the people there, the way he talked about his work like it was some kind of gift to humanity, I got a little bit sick to my stomach - but in a good way! She as able to create some pretty grotesque scenarios that only made reading the story even more enjoyable.

The love triangle is also something worth mentioning, but that's because you can't really tell who Juliet is going to choose: Edward or Montgomery. I wasn't entirely on board with how things played out, because I thought the situation on the island was more important than who would win Juliet's heart, but it was still fun to read about her reacting to both boys. Especially with how things ended.

Overall, it was book that grasped my imagination and left me wanting to know what would happen next.

Review: Fall From Grace by Christine Zolendz

Fall From Grace
Christine Zolendz
Series: Mad World #1
Publication date: July 22nd 2012
Rating: 4 stars

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I'm finally home after struggling through my brother's illness and death. But, home is definitely a bit different. My best friend (the only person alive now that knows my secret) has a new boyfriend; and he has a friend. Shane Maxton: bad boy, tattooed rock god, eye candy extraordinaire. He is also New York City's most arrogant, self-serving, son of a, well, a definite one-night stand kind of a guy.

But, it doesn't matter to me because I've spent my existence looking for the love of my life, my angel. And, there is nothing that Shane Maxton can do to change that. 

This was a bit of a surprise for me.

I had this book sitting on my Kindle for so long it even had the old cover, and I went in blind. I now regret not having read it before, because it was such a great story.

You were kept in the dark about Grace's secret until it served the plot right. It was lovely to have all the paranormal aspects as a secondary thing, and being giving little hints about what it could be throughout the whole story. The beginning read like any other contemporary romance book, which only made it even more enjoyable to discover what was really happening.

The music scenes were amazingly written. I felt like I right there with Grace and Shane while they played and sang. Even though some of those shows led to some pretty heavy sexual tension that was left unresolved, mostly because Grace kept fighting herself when it came to her attraction to Shane. And that was one of the things that made me really frustrated with her character, just wanting to scream at her to stop being difficult.

Otherwise, I had so much fun reading this and I can't believe it took me so long to do it. Amazing story, even though it ended with a cliffie, and I can't wait to read the sequel!

Review: Rule by Jay Crownover

Rule
Jay Crownover
Series: Rule #1
Publication date: December 30th 2012
Rating: 4 stars

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I had loved Rule Archer since the first moment I ever laid eyes on him. He was everything I shouldn't want and the only person I went out of my way to not try and please. He only saw me as a brat, and an entitled, stuck up princess but worse than that all he saw when he looked at me was his deceased twin's girl. It broke my heart because as much as I had loved Remy Archer there was never anything romantic between us and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that loving Rule was a terrible idea, my poor heart just wouldn't listen. We tolerated each other, barely and had forged an uneasy alliance until one night I had too much to drink and changed the way we were forever. Suddenly life long secrets were no longer hidden and the one thing I always wanted for myself seemed obtainable as long as I was willing to go through hell to hold onto it.

Shaw Landon was a class act and I had no idea what to do with her. She was tied to my family, tied to the person that was my other half so I tolerated her and her haughty attitude when I didn't have any other choice. What I didn't know was that a short skirt and too many cocktails on her birthday was going to change my outlook on her for the rest of my life. Some people thought I hid behind all my tattoos and piercings, that I tried to distance myself from my dead twin, Shaw saw through it all and wasn't scared of what was underneath. We weren't supposed to be together, weren't supposed to be anything but uncomfortable acquaintances but that all changed in the blink of an eye. Now I had to figure out just how a girl like her and a guy like me were supposed to be in love without destroying each other. Add in her custom made ex and two disapproving sets of parents and the whole situation sounded like it was more trouble then it was worth.

 Rule is the ultimate bad boy.

And the best thing about this book is that he stays that way until the end, no matter how many people want him to chance. Because Shaw likes him just the way that he is, inked up all over and with piercings on his face.

That was my most favorite thing about the book, they way they both struggled not to fit into the mold other people set for them. They stood true to who they were and didn't meet anyone's expectations other than the ones they set for themselves.

Shaw learns how to be comfortable in her own skin, and that just because you love someone you shouldn't let them take over your entire life. And Rule discovers that he doesn't need to be just like his brother to be loved, that people will like him for his obnoxious hair, tattoos, and piercings.

This was a really really good read, and I absolutely cannot wait for the second installment telling us the story of Jet and Ayden!

Review: Down To You by M. Leighton

Down To You
M. Leighton
Series: The Bad Boys #1
Publication date: September 21st 2012 by Smashwords
Rating: 4 stars

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The scorching tale of one girl, two brothers and a love triangle…that’s not. Olivia Townsend is nothing special. She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business. She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain and simple. Black and white. But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport. They’re brothers. Twins. 

Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his bed at any cost. He turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good for her. Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate. But he’s taken. Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin. That doesn’t stop Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though. With just one touch, he makes her forget why they can never be together. 

Black and white turns to shades of gray when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved. And in love. With both of them. Both brothers make her heart tremble. Both brothers set her body on fire. She wants them both. And they want her. How will she ever choose between them?

This started out great and ended up being even better.

I was hooked by the first chapter; Olivia meeting Cash in the way that she did, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to both of them. And then enters Nash, and I can say I wasn't expecting that one.

Twins.

That's right.

Cash and Nash, twins.

They both turn Olivia's world upside down and she finds herself being torn in two by the brothers. On one hand she has Nash, who is everything she's always hoped for, but on the other she has Cash, bad boy, who represents everything she ever fell in love with.

But in an unexpected plot twist that I absolutely loved, it turns out that choosing which brother is best for her won't be as hard as she thought it would.

Great story, great characters, and I can't wait to read the sequel!!

Review: Tidal by Emily Snow

Tidal
Emily Snow
Publication date: December 14th 2012
Rating: 4 stars

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Now that Willow Avery is out of rehab, she's got one chance left to prove herself before she’s officially on every producer’s shit list. At least, that's what her parents and agent are claiming. She doesn't really give a damn if she never makes another movie or not—she just wants to get on with her life, get back to her friends, and find her next escape. But Willow is broke. And whether she likes it or not, acting is the only job she knows how to do.

When she accepts the lead in a beach drama, Willow finds herself in Hawaii. And in Hawaii, she finds Cooper, the gorgeous surfer hired to train her for her new role. With the bluest eyes she’s ever seen and the sexiest Australian accent she’s ever heard, Cooper’s different from the men she’s used to. He doesn’t want to use her. And he refuses to let her fail. But when an old friend re-enters Willow’s life—a friend whose toxicity she’s been drawn to time and time before and whose presence brings about the painful memories she's tried so hard to suppress—Willow will have to choose between the girl she was and the person she’s becoming. The lifestyle that helps her forget the pain and the guy she’s falling hard for.

It took me a while to really get into the story - Willow was a little hard to like and relate to at the beginning -, but halfway through it it hooked me and I couldn't put the book down.

A big part of the plot is Willow's relationship with pills, how she hit rock bottom, and if she's going to be able to keep herself clean now that she's out of rehab. Reading about her struggling with her addiction and learning that she's stronger than she realizes it was great, and once the author hinted about what made Willow turn to drugs I couldn't stop reading. I needed to know what happened, and things just got so much more interesting.

The way Cooper relates to it all was icing on the cake for me. He calls Willow on her shit and helps her deal with what she's going through. And we actually find out that the reason he does it might be a little more personal than we all thought.

The end was also all kinds of amazing and sad, and I might have shed a tear or two. It was a great book.