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**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
The Undead: Playing for Keeps is the story of a girl that can raise the dead with a touch. And as an added twist, her family is the owner of the town funeral home. I thought that was a hilarious twist to the story. Because the daughter has no idea that she is the one bringing the dead to life, and the funeral home is getting into all sorts of trouble because the corpses keep going missing! And in a small town word gets around pretty fast.
Lyla was an easy girl to like. I have no idea why she was such a social outcast. She really only had one friend and the other kids at school either avoided her or made fun of her. I thought it was BS. She is a sweetheart, but I guess high school kids don't need a reason to be mean. I felt bad for her, and I totally understood why she was so skittish about everything,. It took her a long time to warm up to Eric, and I really admired that about her.
Eric is a reaper that shows up in town to find out who is raising the dead. What he doesn't expect is Lyla because people are turned into Samaritan (which is what she is) but they aren't already them. She is a special case. (which you will find out about in the story) Lyla is the main character of the story, but it is told in dual narrative between her and Eric, and as an added bonus we got to learn a lot more about his background. I wasn't expecting that at the start of the story and it took a while to dig into his past, but we do get to see glimpses.
I'm not sure if there is going to be another book or not, but it would be kind of cool if there was. The end of the book got really crazy and I would love for someone to kind of rehash all of that in the next book, if there is one. I think there is still a lot the author, Elsie Elmore, can do in this world of reapers and Samaritans. The Undead: Playing for Keeps is an interesting paranormal young adult read. If you are a fan of reaper books, this is a fun take on them that I think you will enjoy.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
The Undead: Playing for Keeps is the story of a girl that can raise the dead with a touch. And as an added twist, her family is the owner of the town funeral home. I thought that was a hilarious twist to the story. Because the daughter has no idea that she is the one bringing the dead to life, and the funeral home is getting into all sorts of trouble because the corpses keep going missing! And in a small town word gets around pretty fast.
Lyla was an easy girl to like. I have no idea why she was such a social outcast. She really only had one friend and the other kids at school either avoided her or made fun of her. I thought it was BS. She is a sweetheart, but I guess high school kids don't need a reason to be mean. I felt bad for her, and I totally understood why she was so skittish about everything,. It took her a long time to warm up to Eric, and I really admired that about her.
Eric is a reaper that shows up in town to find out who is raising the dead. What he doesn't expect is Lyla because people are turned into Samaritan (which is what she is) but they aren't already them. She is a special case. (which you will find out about in the story) Lyla is the main character of the story, but it is told in dual narrative between her and Eric, and as an added bonus we got to learn a lot more about his background. I wasn't expecting that at the start of the story and it took a while to dig into his past, but we do get to see glimpses.
I'm not sure if there is going to be another book or not, but it would be kind of cool if there was. The end of the book got really crazy and I would love for someone to kind of rehash all of that in the next book, if there is one. I think there is still a lot the author, Elsie Elmore, can do in this world of reapers and Samaritans. The Undead: Playing for Keeps is an interesting paranormal young adult read. If you are a fan of reaper books, this is a fun take on them that I think you will enjoy.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Books, Blogs and Reality follows four romance book bloggers. It was an interesting setup for a book. It was like reading a high school diary or watching a reality show about my contemporaries. Being a book blogger myself, a lot of the stuff were things and situations that I could directly relate with, but there were also parts of the book that made me want that kind of friendship with fellow bloggers. The four ladies became friends through their similar reading tastes. They commented on the same reviews and started up discussions, which led to a group chat. And they get online and talk to each other every night, about everything. I want that. I have always been a little jealous of the bloggers that make insta friends with other bloggers and become so close and talk all the time. So while I was reading Books, Blogs and Reality, it was really easy to imagine that these were a group of four real bloggers just chatting about books and their lives. It felt more scandalous for me that way. I liked it. :)
What struck me the most was how much these girls lied to each other at first. It shouldn't have surprised me. People do it all the time on facebook and instagram. They only post super happy pictures, and fabulous events and all the great things going on in their lives to make things seem better than they might be. But these four girls were supposed to be really good friends, so I thought they would be more honest with each other. So that kind of bummed me out a bit at first, but the cool part about the book was because it jumps back and forth between each of the girls "real lives" and then their conversations online, you could watch them start to open up more and more with each other as the story went on. That made me happier with their friendships.
I liked the flow of Books, Blogs and Reality. It alternated between each of the four girls, and in between each girls section, there was a nightly group chat between all of the women. It made the book a very quick and easy read and kept you engaged the whole time. I liked some of the girls more than others. Brooke and Lizzie were my favorites and it is very easy for me to say that Rachel was my least favorite. I thought she was a freakin' idiot. And I don't hate on characters too much, but I couldn't stand her. If you have read the book, please let me know because I would love to have a good rant session about her, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.
If you are a book blogger, you will get a kick out of this book. The romances are all cute and each have their own issues. They are a little predictable, but when thrown together with the friendship of the bloggers and all of the blog terminology it is a fun read. It felt like I was watching a book blogger reality romance show.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Books, Blogs and Reality follows four romance book bloggers. It was an interesting setup for a book. It was like reading a high school diary or watching a reality show about my contemporaries. Being a book blogger myself, a lot of the stuff were things and situations that I could directly relate with, but there were also parts of the book that made me want that kind of friendship with fellow bloggers. The four ladies became friends through their similar reading tastes. They commented on the same reviews and started up discussions, which led to a group chat. And they get online and talk to each other every night, about everything. I want that. I have always been a little jealous of the bloggers that make insta friends with other bloggers and become so close and talk all the time. So while I was reading Books, Blogs and Reality, it was really easy to imagine that these were a group of four real bloggers just chatting about books and their lives. It felt more scandalous for me that way. I liked it. :)
What struck me the most was how much these girls lied to each other at first. It shouldn't have surprised me. People do it all the time on facebook and instagram. They only post super happy pictures, and fabulous events and all the great things going on in their lives to make things seem better than they might be. But these four girls were supposed to be really good friends, so I thought they would be more honest with each other. So that kind of bummed me out a bit at first, but the cool part about the book was because it jumps back and forth between each of the girls "real lives" and then their conversations online, you could watch them start to open up more and more with each other as the story went on. That made me happier with their friendships.
I liked the flow of Books, Blogs and Reality. It alternated between each of the four girls, and in between each girls section, there was a nightly group chat between all of the women. It made the book a very quick and easy read and kept you engaged the whole time. I liked some of the girls more than others. Brooke and Lizzie were my favorites and it is very easy for me to say that Rachel was my least favorite. I thought she was a freakin' idiot. And I don't hate on characters too much, but I couldn't stand her. If you have read the book, please let me know because I would love to have a good rant session about her, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.
If you are a book blogger, you will get a kick out of this book. The romances are all cute and each have their own issues. They are a little predictable, but when thrown together with the friendship of the bloggers and all of the blog terminology it is a fun read. It felt like I was watching a book blogger reality romance show.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Icarus was a darker book that I have read in a while. Which is good because I like to mix it up and raw books dealing with some of the tougher issues always bring out strong emotions in me. I just like to put that out there so that people can be aware of it up front. Because I know, sometimes I need to be ready for a very emotional book, especially one that deals with abuse. Danika Stone uses very descriptive, sometimes bordering on flowery language.
The way that Icarus starts is interesting. The book starts you off with Tess in real time starting at a new school for her first day. And then it goes into a time lapse through her first few months at the school. It was a really effective technique that Danika Stone used because it allowed the reader to get to know Tess quickly. We picked up on facts about her, her life and her background because each of the "time lapses" stops and focuses on a different aspect of Tess or her life. Once she meets Drew and is partnered up with him in her science class, the book goes back to real time storytelling. The rest of the book is told alternating between real time and flashbacks of when Drew and Tess are children. It was interesting because you can put together kind of quickly that they knew each other as kids and they just each went by different names, but what I didn't get was why neither of them remembered the other. I know Tess has blue hair now but Drew couldn't have changed too much. And even if he did, Drew didn't really remember anything about that time, and I have no idea why. It wasn't really ever explained.
I loved the incorporation of the Greek myths into the story through Tess' English class journal. Seeing her thoughts in her journal entries was really emotional for me. Because it was pretty much the only outlet for her emotions and feelings that she used. She is such a closed off and guarded person. You could really tell that through her relationships with Kyle, her best friend, and Drew. Some of the things with Tess' father were hard to read. You wanted to reach out and help her so badly, but it was all part of the raw-ness and power in Icarus. This is a powerful story. I appreciated that about Danika's writing. She conveyed the power through her words. Icarus definitely affected me as a reader and I can see a lot of people really connecting with this story. It is not your run of the mill young adult story and that is so great about it. I wasn't crazy about the ending and I still have no idea why Drew didn't remember parts of his past, but overall the book as a whole resonated with me.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Icarus was a darker book that I have read in a while. Which is good because I like to mix it up and raw books dealing with some of the tougher issues always bring out strong emotions in me. I just like to put that out there so that people can be aware of it up front. Because I know, sometimes I need to be ready for a very emotional book, especially one that deals with abuse. Danika Stone uses very descriptive, sometimes bordering on flowery language.
The way that Icarus starts is interesting. The book starts you off with Tess in real time starting at a new school for her first day. And then it goes into a time lapse through her first few months at the school. It was a really effective technique that Danika Stone used because it allowed the reader to get to know Tess quickly. We picked up on facts about her, her life and her background because each of the "time lapses" stops and focuses on a different aspect of Tess or her life. Once she meets Drew and is partnered up with him in her science class, the book goes back to real time storytelling. The rest of the book is told alternating between real time and flashbacks of when Drew and Tess are children. It was interesting because you can put together kind of quickly that they knew each other as kids and they just each went by different names, but what I didn't get was why neither of them remembered the other. I know Tess has blue hair now but Drew couldn't have changed too much. And even if he did, Drew didn't really remember anything about that time, and I have no idea why. It wasn't really ever explained.
I loved the incorporation of the Greek myths into the story through Tess' English class journal. Seeing her thoughts in her journal entries was really emotional for me. Because it was pretty much the only outlet for her emotions and feelings that she used. She is such a closed off and guarded person. You could really tell that through her relationships with Kyle, her best friend, and Drew. Some of the things with Tess' father were hard to read. You wanted to reach out and help her so badly, but it was all part of the raw-ness and power in Icarus. This is a powerful story. I appreciated that about Danika's writing. She conveyed the power through her words. Icarus definitely affected me as a reader and I can see a lot of people really connecting with this story. It is not your run of the mill young adult story and that is so great about it. I wasn't crazy about the ending and I still have no idea why Drew didn't remember parts of his past, but overall the book as a whole resonated with me.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Taken by Storm is a standalone new adult book by Tamara Mataya. I have read another two of Tamara's books, The Best Laid Plans and Just Breathe and I loved both of them. They were hot and steamy and really well developed and everything that I look for in my romance books. I liked Taken by Storm as well, but I didn't love it as much as I loved the other books. It didn't feel as full as they did. That may sound weird, but once I was done, I sat back and thought about what it was that made me feel like this one left me wanting a bit more compared to her other two books. The romance was great. I really liked the characters and the natural disaster element was one that I have not encountered in a lot of books. I came away with the realization that I just wanted more book. It wasn't long enough for me.
Now it may be possible that I am holding this book to a little bit of a high standard because I enjoyed Just Breathe so much, but that is what I have come to expect from Tamara. And Taken by Storm had all the makings of a truly wonderful story, and I really enjoyed reading it. I just wanted like 75-100 more pages. Taken by Storm clocked in at 156 pages, which may really appeal to readers who are looking for a quick romance. I wanted to savor Ryan and Leilani.
But now let's talk about everything that I loved about Taken by Storm. And there was a lot that I loved. I really liked the history between Ryan and Leilani. They knew each other in high school and throughout the story we get little glimpses into their past, which was pretty cool and let me see how much they each changed in that time. And obviously their chemistry together was great. Tamara Mataya knows how to write fantastic romances. She really does.
Another thing I really liked about Taken by Storm, was the actual storm. It was terrifying to watch all of the damage that the flood did. When everyone was in the restaurant and the wall of water came rushing at them, I was genuinely scared. I felt like I was there with them. The writing felt very real, which made the book hard to put down. It also could be why I breezed through this book and wanted more. Because I read it in one sitting.
Taken by Storm is told in dual narrative, which worked really well with the flow of the story. Especially since Ryan is a fireman and so much of the story deals with him dealing with and handling the disaster. It was really nice that this book was a standalone as well. It was good to break up all the series I have been reading lately with a "one and done" book.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Taken by Storm is a standalone new adult book by Tamara Mataya. I have read another two of Tamara's books, The Best Laid Plans and Just Breathe and I loved both of them. They were hot and steamy and really well developed and everything that I look for in my romance books. I liked Taken by Storm as well, but I didn't love it as much as I loved the other books. It didn't feel as full as they did. That may sound weird, but once I was done, I sat back and thought about what it was that made me feel like this one left me wanting a bit more compared to her other two books. The romance was great. I really liked the characters and the natural disaster element was one that I have not encountered in a lot of books. I came away with the realization that I just wanted more book. It wasn't long enough for me.
Now it may be possible that I am holding this book to a little bit of a high standard because I enjoyed Just Breathe so much, but that is what I have come to expect from Tamara. And Taken by Storm had all the makings of a truly wonderful story, and I really enjoyed reading it. I just wanted like 75-100 more pages. Taken by Storm clocked in at 156 pages, which may really appeal to readers who are looking for a quick romance. I wanted to savor Ryan and Leilani.
But now let's talk about everything that I loved about Taken by Storm. And there was a lot that I loved. I really liked the history between Ryan and Leilani. They knew each other in high school and throughout the story we get little glimpses into their past, which was pretty cool and let me see how much they each changed in that time. And obviously their chemistry together was great. Tamara Mataya knows how to write fantastic romances. She really does.
Another thing I really liked about Taken by Storm, was the actual storm. It was terrifying to watch all of the damage that the flood did. When everyone was in the restaurant and the wall of water came rushing at them, I was genuinely scared. I felt like I was there with them. The writing felt very real, which made the book hard to put down. It also could be why I breezed through this book and wanted more. Because I read it in one sitting.
Taken by Storm is told in dual narrative, which worked really well with the flow of the story. Especially since Ryan is a fireman and so much of the story deals with him dealing with and handling the disaster. It was really nice that this book was a standalone as well. It was good to break up all the series I have been reading lately with a "one and done" book.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Life in the No Dating Zone was like a comedy of errors. It was a matchmaking mishap game, a little like the play that they describe in the book- cyrano de bergerac. I thought it was a really cute take on the you start out liking one person and end up with someone else. (i'm sure there is a name for that romance trope, but I don't know what it is.) I really liked the main guy Gray. The main character, Claire, grated on my nerves a bit, but we eventually worked things out. Life in the No Dating Zone is told in dual narrative between Claire and Gray.
Gray really liked Claire's popular friend Lindsey since forever, and he turns to Claire for help. Which Claire is more than happy to do because she doesn't date (because of a pact) and she feels left out by her friends that each have boyfriends. She wants to break Lindsey and her current beau up. This was my problem with Claire. She acted really childish sometimes. Her immaturity and self centered attitude really bugged me for a large part of the first half of the book. And my real problem was that she would have these moments of such nice-ness that I wanted her to be that nice girl more. I wanted that to be who the real Claire was, but I wasn't sure if she was more nice, or more immature. She eventually won me over, but I wouldn't say that I loved her. I liked her.
Gray on the other hand, I adored. He is just the sweetest shy guy ever. I loved how quiet and pensive he was. But the more he was around Claire and her friends the more he came out of his shell. And I also liked reading his point of view chapters because you could see him growing more and more fond of Claire, and it was so funny to try and see when he would finally open his eyes and realize he liked her.
Claire's no dating pact took a while to fully develop the reasoning behind it. I had no idea why she made the pact for most of the book. She gives a surface reason for not dating, but we don't get to the real meat of the issue until later on. I think that was my favorite part of Claire's character- watching her grow and come to terms with her pact and the reason behind it. Life in the No Dating Zone was a cute read. It was fun to watch the slow burn romance blossom between these friends. Claire might get on your nerves a time or two, but she will make up for it in the end.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Life in the No Dating Zone was like a comedy of errors. It was a matchmaking mishap game, a little like the play that they describe in the book- cyrano de bergerac. I thought it was a really cute take on the you start out liking one person and end up with someone else. (i'm sure there is a name for that romance trope, but I don't know what it is.) I really liked the main guy Gray. The main character, Claire, grated on my nerves a bit, but we eventually worked things out. Life in the No Dating Zone is told in dual narrative between Claire and Gray.
Gray really liked Claire's popular friend Lindsey since forever, and he turns to Claire for help. Which Claire is more than happy to do because she doesn't date (because of a pact) and she feels left out by her friends that each have boyfriends. She wants to break Lindsey and her current beau up. This was my problem with Claire. She acted really childish sometimes. Her immaturity and self centered attitude really bugged me for a large part of the first half of the book. And my real problem was that she would have these moments of such nice-ness that I wanted her to be that nice girl more. I wanted that to be who the real Claire was, but I wasn't sure if she was more nice, or more immature. She eventually won me over, but I wouldn't say that I loved her. I liked her.
Gray on the other hand, I adored. He is just the sweetest shy guy ever. I loved how quiet and pensive he was. But the more he was around Claire and her friends the more he came out of his shell. And I also liked reading his point of view chapters because you could see him growing more and more fond of Claire, and it was so funny to try and see when he would finally open his eyes and realize he liked her.
Claire's no dating pact took a while to fully develop the reasoning behind it. I had no idea why she made the pact for most of the book. She gives a surface reason for not dating, but we don't get to the real meat of the issue until later on. I think that was my favorite part of Claire's character- watching her grow and come to terms with her pact and the reason behind it. Life in the No Dating Zone was a cute read. It was fun to watch the slow burn romance blossom between these friends. Claire might get on your nerves a time or two, but she will make up for it in the end.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Fiancee for Hire is the second book in the Front and Center series, but each book is a complete standalone. I have not read the first book, Marine for Hire yet, but now that I caught a glimpse of the characters that it is about, I can't wait to read it! I am really loving series that have each book work as a standalone that focuses on a different set of characters. The overall series links together by the character connections. It is pretty cool. I normally never read a series out of order, but I have noticed that I have been doing it a couple of times lately with series that are structured like this, and each time has been a positive experience and left me wanting to read the other books. Fiancee for Hire is no different. I loved it and I can't wait to read Marine for Hire. Tawna Fenski writes a great romance.
Mac is a serious work work work guy. And his work is top secret and super high risk, so when he needs a Fiancee that is quiet and compliant for his next job to work, his sister thinks it will be hilarious to suggest her best friend, Kelli. Kelli has had a crush on Mac since they were teens, and she is anything but quiet and submissive. But she is just what Mac needs to shake up his life. As you can guess, this book is a lot of fun. Tawna Fenski has a knack for setting up funny scenes. I can see her working on movies or tv shows with ease. Fiancee For Hire would be great as a movie.
Neither Mac nor Kelli are the long term commitment type, which makes their story all the more interesting. You can see their tensions warring with their attraction towards each other. The more they get to know the other, the more nervous they get. I loved watching Kelli at the pet clinic. I thought it was great how much her job as a surgical vet was worked into the story. And I loved watching Mac watch her be badass in her own way. Mac is so used to be the big bad Marine, so I think he was both surprised and impressed when he watched Kelli save so many animals doing her thing.
Fiancee For Hire is a funny, sweet, yet sexy read. I really enjoyed it. I think entangled's Lovestruck line is one of my favorites yet. I have read two titles from the line so far and both of them are exactly as they were advertised. As great and satisfying romances. If you are a romantic junkie like me in the summer, or anytime really, you need to check out Fiancee For Hire and Entangled's whole Lovestruck line! I can't wait to see what books they have for us next, and I can't wait to read the next Front and Center book in the series.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Fiancee for Hire is the second book in the Front and Center series, but each book is a complete standalone. I have not read the first book, Marine for Hire yet, but now that I caught a glimpse of the characters that it is about, I can't wait to read it! I am really loving series that have each book work as a standalone that focuses on a different set of characters. The overall series links together by the character connections. It is pretty cool. I normally never read a series out of order, but I have noticed that I have been doing it a couple of times lately with series that are structured like this, and each time has been a positive experience and left me wanting to read the other books. Fiancee for Hire is no different. I loved it and I can't wait to read Marine for Hire. Tawna Fenski writes a great romance.
Mac is a serious work work work guy. And his work is top secret and super high risk, so when he needs a Fiancee that is quiet and compliant for his next job to work, his sister thinks it will be hilarious to suggest her best friend, Kelli. Kelli has had a crush on Mac since they were teens, and she is anything but quiet and submissive. But she is just what Mac needs to shake up his life. As you can guess, this book is a lot of fun. Tawna Fenski has a knack for setting up funny scenes. I can see her working on movies or tv shows with ease. Fiancee For Hire would be great as a movie.
Neither Mac nor Kelli are the long term commitment type, which makes their story all the more interesting. You can see their tensions warring with their attraction towards each other. The more they get to know the other, the more nervous they get. I loved watching Kelli at the pet clinic. I thought it was great how much her job as a surgical vet was worked into the story. And I loved watching Mac watch her be badass in her own way. Mac is so used to be the big bad Marine, so I think he was both surprised and impressed when he watched Kelli save so many animals doing her thing.
Fiancee For Hire is a funny, sweet, yet sexy read. I really enjoyed it. I think entangled's Lovestruck line is one of my favorites yet. I have read two titles from the line so far and both of them are exactly as they were advertised. As great and satisfying romances. If you are a romantic junkie like me in the summer, or anytime really, you need to check out Fiancee For Hire and Entangled's whole Lovestruck line! I can't wait to see what books they have for us next, and I can't wait to read the next Front and Center book in the series.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
One Song Away is a standalone new adult romance novel that is perfect for people looking for a really sweet friends to lovers/second chance at love type of read. I loved it for all of those reasons. I had a few minor issues with the book, but the overall feel of the story made me happy- which is kind of the whole point. I loved Jake most of all. This guy is a teddy bear if I ever did see one. It was so clear to me from the start that he had real serious feelings for Sophie-Claire. (who I only saw as Claire because that's what Jake called her.)
The book is told entirely from Sophie- Claire's point of view. I found myself wishing for some Jake POV thrown in, but it was easy enough to figure out what he was thinking and feeling, so it never really detracted from the story. I mostly wanted some of his point of view because I liked him more than I liked Claire. I had a hot and cold relationship with Claire. On one hand, she really did grow on me as a character. There are so many things that I did like about her. I loved how loyal she was to her friends. In fact, the friendship between Claire and Sloane was my second favorite part of the story, after Jake himself. I loved how she was not afraid to be her own person and to own the person that she was. That was really inspiring. But that kind of fed into the thing that I didn't like about her. She claimed to absolutely love herself all the time, but she second guessed herself and had a flair for the dramatic a lot. At times, it seemed like you couldn't win with her. Jake was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't.
Jake and Claire start out having a fake relationship to get her momma off her back. And Claire finds herself wanting the real thing with Jake (ummm...hello! who could blame her??!) So she is sad when she doesn't have the real thing, but then when it looks like Jake might really like her, she gets super upset?? I had no idea why, but she totally freaked out. When girls do things like that it bugs me, so Claire and I had an annoyed moment. But she won me back over by the end of the book. I can completely see why people love Sophie-Claire so much. (and they do love her! Just take a look at goodreads.)
One Song Away is really nicely written. It was a lighter read with almost no angst. And Jake is a show stealer. I just want to hug him and make him hang out with me all the time so he can be super sweet to me. He is so considerate. If you are a fan of the sweet new adult romances with swoon-worthy male leads and great secondary characters, One Song away is the book for you.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
One Song Away is a standalone new adult romance novel that is perfect for people looking for a really sweet friends to lovers/second chance at love type of read. I loved it for all of those reasons. I had a few minor issues with the book, but the overall feel of the story made me happy- which is kind of the whole point. I loved Jake most of all. This guy is a teddy bear if I ever did see one. It was so clear to me from the start that he had real serious feelings for Sophie-Claire. (who I only saw as Claire because that's what Jake called her.)
The book is told entirely from Sophie- Claire's point of view. I found myself wishing for some Jake POV thrown in, but it was easy enough to figure out what he was thinking and feeling, so it never really detracted from the story. I mostly wanted some of his point of view because I liked him more than I liked Claire. I had a hot and cold relationship with Claire. On one hand, she really did grow on me as a character. There are so many things that I did like about her. I loved how loyal she was to her friends. In fact, the friendship between Claire and Sloane was my second favorite part of the story, after Jake himself. I loved how she was not afraid to be her own person and to own the person that she was. That was really inspiring. But that kind of fed into the thing that I didn't like about her. She claimed to absolutely love herself all the time, but she second guessed herself and had a flair for the dramatic a lot. At times, it seemed like you couldn't win with her. Jake was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't.
Jake and Claire start out having a fake relationship to get her momma off her back. And Claire finds herself wanting the real thing with Jake (ummm...hello! who could blame her??!) So she is sad when she doesn't have the real thing, but then when it looks like Jake might really like her, she gets super upset?? I had no idea why, but she totally freaked out. When girls do things like that it bugs me, so Claire and I had an annoyed moment. But she won me back over by the end of the book. I can completely see why people love Sophie-Claire so much. (and they do love her! Just take a look at goodreads.)
One Song Away is really nicely written. It was a lighter read with almost no angst. And Jake is a show stealer. I just want to hug him and make him hang out with me all the time so he can be super sweet to me. He is so considerate. If you are a fan of the sweet new adult romances with swoon-worthy male leads and great secondary characters, One Song away is the book for you.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Best Man For Hire is the third book in the Front and Center series, but each book is a complete standalone. I still haven't read the first book, Marine for Hire yet, but I have read the second book, Fiancee for Hire. I loved Mac's story and I was really glad to see him pop up again throughout the book. I am obsessed with the Patton brothers. I really love that each of the brothers are named after US generals. Even the sister! My history nerd side geeked out a bit over that.
And then there is Grant himself. Is he for real?? I mean, seriously, how could he ever possibly be hard on himself? He is so unbelievably good to the core. He is a boyscout personified. It was so easy for me to see that he is a way better person than he gives himself credit for. Both Grant and Anna think that if you have made any mistakes at all in your life, then you are not a good person. It was crazy. But watching them together was so much fun. It was nice to see them kind of open the other's eyes to how great they were. Because Grant could easily see how awesome Anna was and vice versa. They just needed to convince themselves to believe it.
Anna's job as a "nontraditional wedding planner" was super cool. She did a paintball wedding a red riding hood wedding and a fairy wedding. I can only imagine the kinds of offbeat things people can come up with, especially with her as a wedding planner helping them out. It seems like such a fun job. Nothing is ever the same as something else you have put together. That makes it exciting for her. I totally get that.
I am such a fan of Tawna Fenske's writing for the Front and Center Series. She knows how to infuse really sweet and steamy romance with humor and so much personality. All of the books in the Lovestruck imprint from Entangled are great because you know you are going to get an easy to read and quick romance that is satisfying. And the Front and Center series is a great one for you to try. If you liked Mac, get ready to fall even more in love with Grant. He is so awesome. Best Man For Hire comes out at the end of December and it is one that you should keep an eye on. Start with this book, start with the first one, it doesn't matter. This series will put a smile on your face.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Best Man For Hire is the third book in the Front and Center series, but each book is a complete standalone. I still haven't read the first book, Marine for Hire yet, but I have read the second book, Fiancee for Hire. I loved Mac's story and I was really glad to see him pop up again throughout the book. I am obsessed with the Patton brothers. I really love that each of the brothers are named after US generals. Even the sister! My history nerd side geeked out a bit over that.
And then there is Grant himself. Is he for real?? I mean, seriously, how could he ever possibly be hard on himself? He is so unbelievably good to the core. He is a boyscout personified. It was so easy for me to see that he is a way better person than he gives himself credit for. Both Grant and Anna think that if you have made any mistakes at all in your life, then you are not a good person. It was crazy. But watching them together was so much fun. It was nice to see them kind of open the other's eyes to how great they were. Because Grant could easily see how awesome Anna was and vice versa. They just needed to convince themselves to believe it.
Anna's job as a "nontraditional wedding planner" was super cool. She did a paintball wedding a red riding hood wedding and a fairy wedding. I can only imagine the kinds of offbeat things people can come up with, especially with her as a wedding planner helping them out. It seems like such a fun job. Nothing is ever the same as something else you have put together. That makes it exciting for her. I totally get that.
I am such a fan of Tawna Fenske's writing for the Front and Center Series. She knows how to infuse really sweet and steamy romance with humor and so much personality. All of the books in the Lovestruck imprint from Entangled are great because you know you are going to get an easy to read and quick romance that is satisfying. And the Front and Center series is a great one for you to try. If you liked Mac, get ready to fall even more in love with Grant. He is so awesome. Best Man For Hire comes out at the end of December and it is one that you should keep an eye on. Start with this book, start with the first one, it doesn't matter. This series will put a smile on your face.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Before You Break is the second book in the Between Breaths series. It is a new adult series from Christina Lee, and each book works as a standalone. I am on the blog tour for the 4th book in the series coming up, and I wanted to try out one of the earlier books to see if I could catch a glimpse of Nate or Jessie before their story in Promise me This. (P.S. I did catch a glimpse of Nate, but not Jessie) I have read a lot of new adult contemporary romances and it is no secret that it is currently my favorite genre of books. After a reading your 100th or so contemporary college romance sometimes they can blend together, but not Before You Break. This book spoke to me on different levels. It is a short novel, at around 250 pages but there is so much goodness packed into its’ pages. Christina Lee impressed me with the emotion she wove into her writing and the connection she forged between the main characters, Quinn and Ella.
There are some dark issues and themes involved in Before You Break. A suicide hotline plays a big role in the story, and these are not issues to be taken lightly. I loved the way that the author dealt with them. It was so tasteful and heartfelt. Ella and Quinn both of demons in their past haunting them, and they each deal with them in very different ways. You can’t help but to root for them through it all though because there are no two people with bigger hearts. This is not a story of opposites attracting. Ella and Quinn are so similar and I loved seeing two sweet and caring people find their happiness. Watching Quinn with Ella and Gabby, on the suicide hotline broke my heart so many times. Not for any of the reasons you are probably thinking. I just hated how much guilt and blame he carried around, but I really commended him for continuing to call in.
Quinn and Ella connected on so many levels. And while there was a very real and very strong physical attraction, I really admired that they didn’t sleep together until they each had their own stuff figured out. Don’t get me wrong, there is tons of unresolved sexual tension between the two of them and the romance is sexy and hot, but they didn’t take it there until they were ready. It was really well done in my opinion. If you like new adult romance, Before You Break and the Between Breaths series is one you will not want to miss. I can’t believe that this series is the debut series from Christina Lee. That blows me away.
There are some dark issues and themes involved in Before You Break. A suicide hotline plays a big role in the story, and these are not issues to be taken lightly. I loved the way that the author dealt with them. It was so tasteful and heartfelt. Ella and Quinn both of demons in their past haunting them, and they each deal with them in very different ways. You can’t help but to root for them through it all though because there are no two people with bigger hearts. This is not a story of opposites attracting. Ella and Quinn are so similar and I loved seeing two sweet and caring people find their happiness. Watching Quinn with Ella and Gabby, on the suicide hotline broke my heart so many times. Not for any of the reasons you are probably thinking. I just hated how much guilt and blame he carried around, but I really commended him for continuing to call in.
Quinn and Ella connected on so many levels. And while there was a very real and very strong physical attraction, I really admired that they didn’t sleep together until they each had their own stuff figured out. Don’t get me wrong, there is tons of unresolved sexual tension between the two of them and the romance is sexy and hot, but they didn’t take it there until they were ready. It was really well done in my opinion. If you like new adult romance, Before You Break and the Between Breaths series is one you will not want to miss. I can’t believe that this series is the debut series from Christina Lee. That blows me away.
I have seen a few reviews of Stitching Snow that said the book was good, but not great. That the book didn’t overly impress them. I didn’t see any of these reviews until after I was done reading the book, and for that I am glad. I was really surprised. I loved Stitching Snow. I had a few minor glitches with it early on, but I soon got swept up in the story. I absolutely loved that this was a complete story. And you get a really full story packed into this novel. There is non-stop adventure, a very imaginative new world, cool characters, and lots of feeling. Not to mention to get to follow the adventure on page one and have it all wrapped up by the end of the book. Normally fantasies and epic adventures of this scale are 4 or 6 book series, so there was something so satisfying that I got to wrap everything up in this one book.
Snow, or Essie as she prefers to be called, lives on a mining settlement on one of the less prosperous planets. (I think.) I loved the setup of this story. Snow is in hiding and she loves tinkering, or stitching as she calls it, with machinery. The seven dwarfs are drones. But these are special drones that I got the feeling no one else has ever seen in any planet. Essie has managed to infuse personalities into them, and I really loved them. Obviously I loved Dimwit the best, but I think that is partly due to the fact that we got to see him the most. I wish we got to see more of all seven of them throughout the book. Once Essie is off on her “adventure” there are only two dwarfs with her- Dimwit and Cusser. I wanted them to all go.
The world -building in Stitching Snow grew as the story built. At first, I was a little disappointed in the explanation of the worlds. I had a bunch of questions. Things would be said like the fact that she had to dye her hair. And then no further explanation was given. Why did she have to? What was her original hair color? Was it unique? And then there were actual questions about the set of their planets and governments. But soon the story and action starts to boom and as you go on, you get more and more answers and background on the worlds and planets.
I got so wrapped up in Stitching Snow. Like really caught up. I loved R.C. Lewis’ writing. I didn’t want to put this book down. I loved how techy Essie was, and I loved watching how her brain worked. Not to mention the action in this book was intense. There is a full on war going on throughout the story. And plenty of evil queen plotting to give you the fairy tale flair. I liked the romance most at the beginning and the end. The middle was a little murky for me on the romantic front and my feelings were muddled. I Don’t want to say why, but you will very clearly see when you read the book. If you like young adult fantasy, I think Stitching Snow is a must read book. I know there were a lot of middle of the road reviews, but this girl right here loved it.
Snow, or Essie as she prefers to be called, lives on a mining settlement on one of the less prosperous planets. (I think.) I loved the setup of this story. Snow is in hiding and she loves tinkering, or stitching as she calls it, with machinery. The seven dwarfs are drones. But these are special drones that I got the feeling no one else has ever seen in any planet. Essie has managed to infuse personalities into them, and I really loved them. Obviously I loved Dimwit the best, but I think that is partly due to the fact that we got to see him the most. I wish we got to see more of all seven of them throughout the book. Once Essie is off on her “adventure” there are only two dwarfs with her- Dimwit and Cusser. I wanted them to all go.
The world -building in Stitching Snow grew as the story built. At first, I was a little disappointed in the explanation of the worlds. I had a bunch of questions. Things would be said like the fact that she had to dye her hair. And then no further explanation was given. Why did she have to? What was her original hair color? Was it unique? And then there were actual questions about the set of their planets and governments. But soon the story and action starts to boom and as you go on, you get more and more answers and background on the worlds and planets.
I got so wrapped up in Stitching Snow. Like really caught up. I loved R.C. Lewis’ writing. I didn’t want to put this book down. I loved how techy Essie was, and I loved watching how her brain worked. Not to mention the action in this book was intense. There is a full on war going on throughout the story. And plenty of evil queen plotting to give you the fairy tale flair. I liked the romance most at the beginning and the end. The middle was a little murky for me on the romantic front and my feelings were muddled. I Don’t want to say why, but you will very clearly see when you read the book. If you like young adult fantasy, I think Stitching Snow is a must read book. I know there were a lot of middle of the road reviews, but this girl right here loved it.