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**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
I love C.J. Duggan's books. She can write the heck out of New Adult contemporary romances. As an author on my auto-buy list, I was super excited to be a part of the Paradise City blog tour. Paradise City is the first book in C.J.'s Paradise series, which is a new adult contemporary romance series. Even though the main character is in high school, this had more of a new adult feel to it. Maybe younger new adult or a ya/na crossover. It is a little different than her Summer Boys series, in that each book does not work as a standalone. Here, you will need to read the series in order. And here, there is a cliffhanger. It caught me off guard because I have never experienced a cliffhanger in any of C.J. Duggan's other books, so I wasn't expecting it at all. And it is quite the cliffhanger, at that.
Cliffhanger aside, Paradise City is the same brand of feel good, fun and sexy romance that I have come to love from this author. I can't wait for the next book in the series already. Lexie grew up home schooled in a tiny Australian town. She is super smart, and for her 11th grade year in high school, her parents have finally agreed to let her move in with her aunt and cousin in the bigger town of Paradise. Lexie was so adorably excited about moving and going to a real high school. She was like a kid in the candy store when she got to Paradise. I loved it. She wanted ALL THE TEENAGE EXPERIENCES. And any good reader of new adult knows that means teenage romance.
I loved the way the students at school were divided into one of three different houses. I have no idea if that is how it is actually done in high school in Australia, but I would like to imagine that it is. Lexie totally got the best house too- Gilmore. (Gave me a total Gilmore Girls flashback) That is the house for the smart kids. The house for the beach bums, or cool kids was Kirkland, and that is where Boon and Luke and some of Lexie's cousin's friends are in. I knew right off the rat that most of the action was going to come from Lexie's interaction with this crowd. It took me a couple of minutes before I could get a read on Luke as a love interest, but once I did, I really enjoyed his interactions with Lexie.
Paradise City is a great romance with a great main character. I loved Lexie. A lot, a lot. And I liked the whole group of secondary characters as well. I am looking forward to seeing more of them in the next book, and getting to know them a little bit better. If you loved C.J. Duggan's Summer series, you should give Paradise City a try! And if you are new to C.J. Duggan's books, you need to get in the loop and grab all of her books. You will become addicted.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
I love C.J. Duggan's books. She can write the heck out of New Adult contemporary romances. As an author on my auto-buy list, I was super excited to be a part of the Paradise City blog tour. Paradise City is the first book in C.J.'s Paradise series, which is a new adult contemporary romance series. Even though the main character is in high school, this had more of a new adult feel to it. Maybe younger new adult or a ya/na crossover. It is a little different than her Summer Boys series, in that each book does not work as a standalone. Here, you will need to read the series in order. And here, there is a cliffhanger. It caught me off guard because I have never experienced a cliffhanger in any of C.J. Duggan's other books, so I wasn't expecting it at all. And it is quite the cliffhanger, at that.
Cliffhanger aside, Paradise City is the same brand of feel good, fun and sexy romance that I have come to love from this author. I can't wait for the next book in the series already. Lexie grew up home schooled in a tiny Australian town. She is super smart, and for her 11th grade year in high school, her parents have finally agreed to let her move in with her aunt and cousin in the bigger town of Paradise. Lexie was so adorably excited about moving and going to a real high school. She was like a kid in the candy store when she got to Paradise. I loved it. She wanted ALL THE TEENAGE EXPERIENCES. And any good reader of new adult knows that means teenage romance.
I loved the way the students at school were divided into one of three different houses. I have no idea if that is how it is actually done in high school in Australia, but I would like to imagine that it is. Lexie totally got the best house too- Gilmore. (Gave me a total Gilmore Girls flashback) That is the house for the smart kids. The house for the beach bums, or cool kids was Kirkland, and that is where Boon and Luke and some of Lexie's cousin's friends are in. I knew right off the rat that most of the action was going to come from Lexie's interaction with this crowd. It took me a couple of minutes before I could get a read on Luke as a love interest, but once I did, I really enjoyed his interactions with Lexie.
Paradise City is a great romance with a great main character. I loved Lexie. A lot, a lot. And I liked the whole group of secondary characters as well. I am looking forward to seeing more of them in the next book, and getting to know them a little bit better. If you loved C.J. Duggan's Summer series, you should give Paradise City a try! And if you are new to C.J. Duggan's books, you need to get in the loop and grab all of her books. You will become addicted.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Flirty Dancing is such a fun read. It kind of reminded me of the British Georgia Nickelson series. Laugh out loud antics with a refreshingly levelheaded main character. I don't know how to best describe Bea. She is her own person, she is nice, has a good little group of friends (most of the time), is quirky funny, has eclectic interests and is such a great big sister. She just seems like a well rounded girl that I would love to be friends with. And she brings Flirty Dancing to life. I loved watching her Jive. The more she jive danced, the happier she got. It was like she just started glowing as the book went on. I know that sounds kind of dramatic and strange, but dancing really brought Bea to life. It was lovely to see.
In Flirty Dancing, a show like Britain's got Talent, was search for high school students all across the country. First up was dancing. And Bea's school was one of the schools on the auditions list, so naturally the whole school went crazy forming dance groups. First, of all I give Bea major props for even deciding to do a dance. She didn't have any training and she was already kind of picked on at school. And both of her best friends joined other dance groups, leaving Bea all alone. (I think if she really wanted to she could have joined Betty's group, but that is besides the point.) Just deciding to try out, won Bea huge points in my book. And then her grandma talked her into doing jive and swing dancing. I loved the throw back feel, plus I think Jive dancing is awesome. I had big band music playing in my head every time I watched Bea practice.
And then can we talk about Ollie?? And how awesome he is. This is a guy that is genuinely nice and doesn't care what anyone else thinks. I wish that more Ollie's went to my high school. He is a rare breed. He didn't even think twice about dancing with Bea, when his sister paired them up. He was never anything but totally nice and fun with her. I just loved Ollie. When Bea was made fun on right off the bat in the book, I was kind of worried that Ollie was going to take some warming up to her, because he was the hot guy, but that wasn't the case at all. Ollie is a gem.
Flirty Dancing is the first book in the Ladybirds series. The second book is already out in Australia and Britain, but I don't think we will get it until next year sometime. It is Betty's story. The Ladybirds is the name of the group that Bea, Betty, Kat and Pearl (the mean one.) formed when they were younger. I want to find out more about Pearl and Kat because I don't know what caused Pearl to turn into a mean girl, and Kat disappointed me with her sheep-ness in this book. But Jenny McLachlan is an author that I want to see lots more of. I love her writing style. Humor seems effortless in Flirty Dancing. I was smiling and laughing with every turn of the page. If you are looking for a Laugh out loud, flirty fun read, look no further than Flirty Dancing. It is great.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Flirty Dancing is such a fun read. It kind of reminded me of the British Georgia Nickelson series. Laugh out loud antics with a refreshingly levelheaded main character. I don't know how to best describe Bea. She is her own person, she is nice, has a good little group of friends (most of the time), is quirky funny, has eclectic interests and is such a great big sister. She just seems like a well rounded girl that I would love to be friends with. And she brings Flirty Dancing to life. I loved watching her Jive. The more she jive danced, the happier she got. It was like she just started glowing as the book went on. I know that sounds kind of dramatic and strange, but dancing really brought Bea to life. It was lovely to see.
In Flirty Dancing, a show like Britain's got Talent, was search for high school students all across the country. First up was dancing. And Bea's school was one of the schools on the auditions list, so naturally the whole school went crazy forming dance groups. First, of all I give Bea major props for even deciding to do a dance. She didn't have any training and she was already kind of picked on at school. And both of her best friends joined other dance groups, leaving Bea all alone. (I think if she really wanted to she could have joined Betty's group, but that is besides the point.) Just deciding to try out, won Bea huge points in my book. And then her grandma talked her into doing jive and swing dancing. I loved the throw back feel, plus I think Jive dancing is awesome. I had big band music playing in my head every time I watched Bea practice.
And then can we talk about Ollie?? And how awesome he is. This is a guy that is genuinely nice and doesn't care what anyone else thinks. I wish that more Ollie's went to my high school. He is a rare breed. He didn't even think twice about dancing with Bea, when his sister paired them up. He was never anything but totally nice and fun with her. I just loved Ollie. When Bea was made fun on right off the bat in the book, I was kind of worried that Ollie was going to take some warming up to her, because he was the hot guy, but that wasn't the case at all. Ollie is a gem.
Flirty Dancing is the first book in the Ladybirds series. The second book is already out in Australia and Britain, but I don't think we will get it until next year sometime. It is Betty's story. The Ladybirds is the name of the group that Bea, Betty, Kat and Pearl (the mean one.) formed when they were younger. I want to find out more about Pearl and Kat because I don't know what caused Pearl to turn into a mean girl, and Kat disappointed me with her sheep-ness in this book. But Jenny McLachlan is an author that I want to see lots more of. I love her writing style. Humor seems effortless in Flirty Dancing. I was smiling and laughing with every turn of the page. If you are looking for a Laugh out loud, flirty fun read, look no further than Flirty Dancing. It is great.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
3.5/5
Halfway Perfect is a young adult novel by Julie Cross and Mark Perini. It is about the not so pretty underside of the modeling world. I loved that Julie Cross paired up with a model turned writer to collaborate on this book. I thought that both Julie Cross and Mark Perini did an excellent job. I felt like I was at the castings with Eve, Elana and Alex. And while this book was darker than I initially thought it would be, it was a really good read.
Eve used to be an up and coming model when she was a young teenager, and then something happened and she walked away from the whole world right after she landed a huge designer shoot. It was scandalous. But Eve didn't care so much about the rumors that spread about her, and she starts the story enrolled at Columbia. I loved that she worked hard against everything working against her and got herself to an ivy league school. Props to her! In fact, overall I really loved Eve. There were a few minor incidents and things where I didn't agree with her decisions, but overall, I thought she was a great character. And the way that Julie Cross and Mark Perini slowly fed you more breadcrumb tidbits about her life and her past made it seem like we were always getting to know her better and better. I liked that. She was constantly developing as a character.
And her and Alex are so darn cute together. I loved the nicknames that gave each other in their phone. And I really liked how each of them interacted with Elana, who I thought was the most mature 14 year old in the world. I don't know how she did it all at such a young age. Halfway Perfect is part drama, part romance, part fictionalized expose, and totally addictive. I think this would make a great CW show. It has all the juicy drama that makes those shows fun. Halfway Perfect is a great read for those people that enjoy upper young adult romances with a side of drama and a dash of grit.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
3.5/5
Halfway Perfect is a young adult novel by Julie Cross and Mark Perini. It is about the not so pretty underside of the modeling world. I loved that Julie Cross paired up with a model turned writer to collaborate on this book. I thought that both Julie Cross and Mark Perini did an excellent job. I felt like I was at the castings with Eve, Elana and Alex. And while this book was darker than I initially thought it would be, it was a really good read.
Eve used to be an up and coming model when she was a young teenager, and then something happened and she walked away from the whole world right after she landed a huge designer shoot. It was scandalous. But Eve didn't care so much about the rumors that spread about her, and she starts the story enrolled at Columbia. I loved that she worked hard against everything working against her and got herself to an ivy league school. Props to her! In fact, overall I really loved Eve. There were a few minor incidents and things where I didn't agree with her decisions, but overall, I thought she was a great character. And the way that Julie Cross and Mark Perini slowly fed you more breadcrumb tidbits about her life and her past made it seem like we were always getting to know her better and better. I liked that. She was constantly developing as a character.
And her and Alex are so darn cute together. I loved the nicknames that gave each other in their phone. And I really liked how each of them interacted with Elana, who I thought was the most mature 14 year old in the world. I don't know how she did it all at such a young age. Halfway Perfect is part drama, part romance, part fictionalized expose, and totally addictive. I think this would make a great CW show. It has all the juicy drama that makes those shows fun. Halfway Perfect is a great read for those people that enjoy upper young adult romances with a side of drama and a dash of grit.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Hot @nd Nerdy is the compilation of the three books in the Hot @nd Nerdy trilogy by Shannyn Schroeder. I picked up this book to read the last story, Her Winning Formula and to have all three of the books in one place. I knew after I read the first book, Her Best Shot, that this was a series formula that I was going to love. First, I love that the books are told in dual narrative between each of the main guys and girls and I think you all know by now that is my favorite story telling narrative method. and Second, the trilogy follows a group of three friends. The books are each of their stories, BUT the cool part is that each of the books take place in roughly the same time period. For example, Her Best Shot is the story of Layla and Phin. Layla was on her way to spend spring break with her friend Felicity when her car broke down and she met Phin. The third book, Her Winning Formula is Felicity's story and it takes place on their spring break trip that Layla was supposed to go on. What a cool concept right? I loved reading them all and seeing how they each fit together.
Hot @nd Nerdy is the compilation of the three books in the Hot @nd Nerdy trilogy by Shannyn Schroeder. I picked up this book to read the last story, Her Winning Formula and to have all three of the books in one place. I knew after I read the first book, Her Best Shot, that this was a series formula that I was going to love. First, I love that the books are told in dual narrative between each of the main guys and girls and I think you all know by now that is my favorite story telling narrative method. and Second, the trilogy follows a group of three friends. The books are each of their stories, BUT the cool part is that each of the books take place in roughly the same time period. For example, Her Best Shot is the story of Layla and Phin. Layla was on her way to spend spring break with her friend Felicity when her car broke down and she met Phin. The third book, Her Winning Formula is Felicity's story and it takes place on their spring break trip that Layla was supposed to go on. What a cool concept right? I loved reading them all and seeing how they each fit together.Here are my full reviews of books 1 & 2 in case you want to check them out. I will be recaping them in this compilation:
Her Best Shot
Her Perfect Game
Her Best Shot, the first book, is the story of Layla and Phin. Layla is super smart. She picks up on things almost immediately, she loves to be in control and she hates losing at things. She is beyond your average nerd. I love that her dream job is as a code analyst. Phin could not be more different, where Layla likes to calculate odds and plan her moves out ahead, Phin is much more a fly by the seat of your pants kind of guy. And this is defiantly a story of opposites attract. Her Best Shot is perfect for when you are looking for a quick, pick me up read. The romance is great and the characters are likable.
Her Perfect Game, the second book, was almost completely about Charlie, Win, and Jonah. Her friends only showed up in phone call cameo's and the book was split between a con and hacking convention, both of which took place in Chicago over the same weekend. I loved that you had to passed a series of secret tests and challenges before you were even invited to participate in the hacking competition. Charlie is good. Really good. It was so cool to get a little insight into the things that she could do. I have no idea if these types of conventions exist for hackers, but I am so hoping that they do. And the fact that companies send people to scout them for jobs, is so freakin' awesome!
The Third book, Her Winning Formula is Felicity's story. In it we finally get to travel on that spring break trip that was promised in book 1. Felicity is the only one of the three friends that actually makes it on the trip. Felicity is a science whiz. These ladies are the coolest kind of nerds. I loved how diverse their interests were, but they were still such great friends. Felicity's story has great romance and characters too, and it fits in great with the other two. I'm not sure whose story I liked more Felicity or Charlie's. It's a toss up. I love how Shannyn Schroeder has created the perfect blend between a shorter story that reads really fast, and enough detail to make the story feel full and complete.
I am really hoping for a fourth book that has all the girls together. Maybe the can finally go on that trip together that they always wanted. Or maybe it could be an NSA/computer security issue that Charlie, Layla and Jonah need to tackle. I just want more. If you like new adult, this is a series that you should be reading. But like I said before, the real winner here is how Shannyn Schroeder structured the trilogy. I just love that all of the stories take place in the same time frame. The Hot & Nerdy series is a very cool concept, one that I would like to see more of in New Adult. I want to read 50 more books like these.
Hot & Nerdy Trilogy
Her Best Shot #1
Her Perfect Game #2
Her Winning Formula #3
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
4.5/5
Getting Lucky Number Seven is my favorite kind of new adult contemporary romance. I love the flirty nature of the friends to something more trope, I love the URST, I love nerdy humor, and I love a good college bucket list. So I knew this book was meant to be for me. And I loved it just as much as I was expecting to. It was such a fun read. I was so sure that I would love this book that I signed up for two blogs tours for it by accident. Opps. Sometimes I get a little overly excited for a book. But I was happy that I did for Getting Lucky Number Seven. I loved cute and adorable awkward science nerd Lyla. And I beyond loved her friendship with hot and smart hockey/science guy Beck. It was a winning formula for me.
Lyla is an awesome girl, but she feels a little invisible to guys. When her roommate set her up on a group date at the start of the book and she overheard those mean comments, something inside of me broke a little for her. She didn't deserve that at all. So I don't blame her for wanting to try some new things. So she created her college bucket list. I don't feel like she was changing herself for a guy because she was still the same girl. She changed her clothes, but as she pointed out, she wasn't even sure that what she was wearing before was her style. She just wore it to hide. Lyla is a strong girl, and I don't think she would do anything that she didn't want to do for herself. I loved her journey of self discovery. And of course, I loved her interactions with Beck.
Beck is an awesome friend. Lyla was his lab partner, and since then they have developed a completely platonic sunday movie night tradition. Beck is a solidly great guy. He drops everything for Lyla- always. And watching him squirm while she checked off items on her bucket list had me giggling. They are just too cute. Don't worry, there are roadblocks, and character discoveries and development that make Getting Lucky Number Seven more than just a fluff read. Beck's family situation is very tough, in a non-conventional way. I think Getting Lucky Number Seven has something for everyone.
If you like romance or romantic comedy books at all, Getting Lucky Number Seven is a must read for you.
4.5/5
Getting Lucky Number Seven is my favorite kind of new adult contemporary romance. I love the flirty nature of the friends to something more trope, I love the URST, I love nerdy humor, and I love a good college bucket list. So I knew this book was meant to be for me. And I loved it just as much as I was expecting to. It was such a fun read. I was so sure that I would love this book that I signed up for two blogs tours for it by accident. Opps. Sometimes I get a little overly excited for a book. But I was happy that I did for Getting Lucky Number Seven. I loved cute and adorable awkward science nerd Lyla. And I beyond loved her friendship with hot and smart hockey/science guy Beck. It was a winning formula for me.
Lyla is an awesome girl, but she feels a little invisible to guys. When her roommate set her up on a group date at the start of the book and she overheard those mean comments, something inside of me broke a little for her. She didn't deserve that at all. So I don't blame her for wanting to try some new things. So she created her college bucket list. I don't feel like she was changing herself for a guy because she was still the same girl. She changed her clothes, but as she pointed out, she wasn't even sure that what she was wearing before was her style. She just wore it to hide. Lyla is a strong girl, and I don't think she would do anything that she didn't want to do for herself. I loved her journey of self discovery. And of course, I loved her interactions with Beck.
Beck is an awesome friend. Lyla was his lab partner, and since then they have developed a completely platonic sunday movie night tradition. Beck is a solidly great guy. He drops everything for Lyla- always. And watching him squirm while she checked off items on her bucket list had me giggling. They are just too cute. Don't worry, there are roadblocks, and character discoveries and development that make Getting Lucky Number Seven more than just a fluff read. Beck's family situation is very tough, in a non-conventional way. I think Getting Lucky Number Seven has something for everyone.
If you like romance or romantic comedy books at all, Getting Lucky Number Seven is a must read for you.
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Reap and Repent is the first book in the Reaper Series. It is an urban fantasy series about reapers and about a new mysterious untrained reaper. I love the concept of the book, and I think the rest of the series has potential, but the first book was a little bumpy for me. I still liked it, but I didn't love it as much as I initially hoped that I would. I read another book (I can't remember the name) about a girl that could see aura colors for different paranormal creatures and I was fascinated by that idea. So when I found out that this main character, Ruth could see aura colors and could use that to determine when someone would die and what they were feeling, I was super excited to see what kind of world Lisa Medley had created with her reapers. And I did really like the world of her reapers.
I loved that instead of being scary that within the first (really second) meeting between Ruth and Deacon, he was calming her down. I would love to have him send some of his calming juice my way. That is a cool little trick. I also love the aura aspect and how it fits into their role as a reaper. Plus, there are plenty of other paranormals in the mix to keep this story fresh and exciting.
My bumps came from Ruth and Deacon's connection. I liked Ruth and I liked Deacon, and I even liked them together. But, I didn't really believe Deacon's initial connection and attachment to Ruth. It felt rushed to me, and because of that I couldn't enjoy many of their early scenes together. They certainly jumped together pretty quickly. I think the next book might be better because we have gotten to know the characters and the foundation has been laid, but it was a jumpy start for me.
I did really like the concept and the world, so I think I will give the next book in the series a go. The nice thing about this series is that the first three books are already out. They were each released within a week of each other, and the first book is currently free. So if you like urban fantasy and are interested in a reaper romance, grab a copy of Reap and Repent for free now.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Reap and Repent is the first book in the Reaper Series. It is an urban fantasy series about reapers and about a new mysterious untrained reaper. I love the concept of the book, and I think the rest of the series has potential, but the first book was a little bumpy for me. I still liked it, but I didn't love it as much as I initially hoped that I would. I read another book (I can't remember the name) about a girl that could see aura colors for different paranormal creatures and I was fascinated by that idea. So when I found out that this main character, Ruth could see aura colors and could use that to determine when someone would die and what they were feeling, I was super excited to see what kind of world Lisa Medley had created with her reapers. And I did really like the world of her reapers.
I loved that instead of being scary that within the first (really second) meeting between Ruth and Deacon, he was calming her down. I would love to have him send some of his calming juice my way. That is a cool little trick. I also love the aura aspect and how it fits into their role as a reaper. Plus, there are plenty of other paranormals in the mix to keep this story fresh and exciting.
My bumps came from Ruth and Deacon's connection. I liked Ruth and I liked Deacon, and I even liked them together. But, I didn't really believe Deacon's initial connection and attachment to Ruth. It felt rushed to me, and because of that I couldn't enjoy many of their early scenes together. They certainly jumped together pretty quickly. I think the next book might be better because we have gotten to know the characters and the foundation has been laid, but it was a jumpy start for me.
I did really like the concept and the world, so I think I will give the next book in the series a go. The nice thing about this series is that the first three books are already out. They were each released within a week of each other, and the first book is currently free. So if you like urban fantasy and are interested in a reaper romance, grab a copy of Reap and Repent for free now.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is a young adult contemporary romance about a seaside town on the jersey shore. I really liked that the story takes place after the vicious hurricane Sandy because I thought it added a lot of depth to the story. There were some parts of The Summer After You and Me that I really liked, but overall this book was not a hit for me. And those of you that are familiar with my reading preferences will know what a bummer that was for me because I love contemporary romances so much. First, I am going to talk about the things that I did like about The Summer After You and Me and then I will talk about what didn't work for me.
I loved that Lucy wants to be a marine biologist and how much time she spends studying and helping the marine life at her beaches. I thought that aspect of the book was beautifully done. And I love that 1) she was doing a junior thesis in high school and 2) I loved the topic of her thesis "What's Love Got to Do with It? The Dating and Mating Habits of North American Sea Life." Each chapter started with a mini excerpt from her thesis and they were each about a different marine animal. I loved that, because they were really fun to read and I learned a few facts along the way. Lucy was trying to prove that monogamy wasn't necessary in marine life, and then try and parallel that to humans. I also liked Lucy herself. I thought she was a girl with her head on straight and she was a sweetheart. And I LOVE the cover of the book. It is just so pretty.
It was everyone else that I had a problem with. Lucy's twin brother was a jerk wad for almost the entire book. And her friends were awful. I can't believe some of the things they did. The only one that I remotely liked was Meghan because she at least checked in with Lucy after everything at prom went down. Why everyone took the guys side is beyond me. I would have been pissed if I were Lucy too. That is just unacceptable. And then to have everyone turn their back on Lucy was plain crazy. It actually was crazy. The longer it went on, the more annoyed at everyone I got. I liked Conner, but I had no idea why everyone, and I do mean everyone was so against him. I understood her brother's dislike of him and Andrew's but no one else. Even her parents hated visitors. He was there every summer, the whole summer long. You would think that if he wasn't just a week end-er people would take the time to get to know him and not just hate him on sight. I didn't get it.
The Summer After You and Me had so much potential for me. With the marine biology set up and a likeable main character Lucy, and a good love interest, this book should have been a slam dunk, but the friends and brother killed it for me. I just couldn't get past how awful they were to Lucy. Normally I can see that situations are not black and white and that each side has merit, but I was totally on Lucy's side on this one. What happened at prom was not her fault at all, and I don't blame her for wanting to get out of there. I would be hurt and betrayed too. And then her friends just wouldn't let it go that Lucy left. No thank you. I am over them. It was a shame, but Kiki and Lucy's brother Liam made it so I couldn't fully enjoy The Summer After You and Me. I hope other people don't have that issue and that they are able to enjoy this summery romance. I will absolutely try another book by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski because the writing and scene setting was great, I just couldn't click with some of these characters. But I can tell from the bones of the book that she is a talented author.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is a young adult contemporary romance about a seaside town on the jersey shore. I really liked that the story takes place after the vicious hurricane Sandy because I thought it added a lot of depth to the story. There were some parts of The Summer After You and Me that I really liked, but overall this book was not a hit for me. And those of you that are familiar with my reading preferences will know what a bummer that was for me because I love contemporary romances so much. First, I am going to talk about the things that I did like about The Summer After You and Me and then I will talk about what didn't work for me.
I loved that Lucy wants to be a marine biologist and how much time she spends studying and helping the marine life at her beaches. I thought that aspect of the book was beautifully done. And I love that 1) she was doing a junior thesis in high school and 2) I loved the topic of her thesis "What's Love Got to Do with It? The Dating and Mating Habits of North American Sea Life." Each chapter started with a mini excerpt from her thesis and they were each about a different marine animal. I loved that, because they were really fun to read and I learned a few facts along the way. Lucy was trying to prove that monogamy wasn't necessary in marine life, and then try and parallel that to humans. I also liked Lucy herself. I thought she was a girl with her head on straight and she was a sweetheart. And I LOVE the cover of the book. It is just so pretty.
It was everyone else that I had a problem with. Lucy's twin brother was a jerk wad for almost the entire book. And her friends were awful. I can't believe some of the things they did. The only one that I remotely liked was Meghan because she at least checked in with Lucy after everything at prom went down. Why everyone took the guys side is beyond me. I would have been pissed if I were Lucy too. That is just unacceptable. And then to have everyone turn their back on Lucy was plain crazy. It actually was crazy. The longer it went on, the more annoyed at everyone I got. I liked Conner, but I had no idea why everyone, and I do mean everyone was so against him. I understood her brother's dislike of him and Andrew's but no one else. Even her parents hated visitors. He was there every summer, the whole summer long. You would think that if he wasn't just a week end-er people would take the time to get to know him and not just hate him on sight. I didn't get it.
The Summer After You and Me had so much potential for me. With the marine biology set up and a likeable main character Lucy, and a good love interest, this book should have been a slam dunk, but the friends and brother killed it for me. I just couldn't get past how awful they were to Lucy. Normally I can see that situations are not black and white and that each side has merit, but I was totally on Lucy's side on this one. What happened at prom was not her fault at all, and I don't blame her for wanting to get out of there. I would be hurt and betrayed too. And then her friends just wouldn't let it go that Lucy left. No thank you. I am over them. It was a shame, but Kiki and Lucy's brother Liam made it so I couldn't fully enjoy The Summer After You and Me. I hope other people don't have that issue and that they are able to enjoy this summery romance. I will absolutely try another book by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski because the writing and scene setting was great, I just couldn't click with some of these characters. But I can tell from the bones of the book that she is a talented author.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Dream of Me is the first book in the young adult (potentially young new adult) paranormal romance series, called the Dream Maker Series. Lately, I have been really drawn to paranormal books that feature different or new creatures. Something that I haven't read a bunch of times before. And 2015 has been great for that. So far I have read my first Genie book and now I have a sandman book to add to my lists. The idea of the sandman is interesting and I have to say, I kind of love what Quinn Loftis did with him
The sandman doesn't visit every person every night. That is a myth. People are capable of generating their own dreams. But, instead in Quinn Loftis' dream world, the sandman visits people that he is told will have some sort of big impact and his job is to give them a hint or glimpse of their potential destiny. Things don't always world out as planned though, because people still have free will. He has no influence on their waking actions.
And then when you insert the romance aspect of the story, it gets really interesting. Dair has become more than infatuated with the kind hearted Serentiy and wants to make himself known to her. I liked Dair a lot. He is very old fashioned and a perfect gentleman. Serenity is a sweet heart too. I liked them together and she is right, their chemistry is off the charts. Together they seemed almost too polite and too proper. But it worked for them. But there is more to the story than just the romance. There is also a bit of a mystery with Serenity and another young girl Emma that shows up in dreams as well. I thought that was a cool addition to the story.
I liked Emma, but she seemed wayy too old for an eight year old. I know she is supposed to be some kind of genius, but she didn't seem like a child at all. She seemed like a worldly woman in her 40s. I wish she still has some remnant of the eight year old she was in her genius little brain. Putting that aside, Dream of Me is a solid start to an interesting series. Plus, look at that cover? I just love to stare at it. I know this sounds silly, but I hope the next book has another wow worthy cover. If you are looking for a new paranormal creature to learn about, try dreaming about the sandman.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Dream of Me is the first book in the young adult (potentially young new adult) paranormal romance series, called the Dream Maker Series. Lately, I have been really drawn to paranormal books that feature different or new creatures. Something that I haven't read a bunch of times before. And 2015 has been great for that. So far I have read my first Genie book and now I have a sandman book to add to my lists. The idea of the sandman is interesting and I have to say, I kind of love what Quinn Loftis did with him
The sandman doesn't visit every person every night. That is a myth. People are capable of generating their own dreams. But, instead in Quinn Loftis' dream world, the sandman visits people that he is told will have some sort of big impact and his job is to give them a hint or glimpse of their potential destiny. Things don't always world out as planned though, because people still have free will. He has no influence on their waking actions.
And then when you insert the romance aspect of the story, it gets really interesting. Dair has become more than infatuated with the kind hearted Serentiy and wants to make himself known to her. I liked Dair a lot. He is very old fashioned and a perfect gentleman. Serenity is a sweet heart too. I liked them together and she is right, their chemistry is off the charts. Together they seemed almost too polite and too proper. But it worked for them. But there is more to the story than just the romance. There is also a bit of a mystery with Serenity and another young girl Emma that shows up in dreams as well. I thought that was a cool addition to the story.
I liked Emma, but she seemed wayy too old for an eight year old. I know she is supposed to be some kind of genius, but she didn't seem like a child at all. She seemed like a worldly woman in her 40s. I wish she still has some remnant of the eight year old she was in her genius little brain. Putting that aside, Dream of Me is a solid start to an interesting series. Plus, look at that cover? I just love to stare at it. I know this sounds silly, but I hope the next book has another wow worthy cover. If you are looking for a new paranormal creature to learn about, try dreaming about the sandman.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
I bow down to Brighton Walsh. She is offically one of my favorite New Adult authors. And the Caged in Winter series is one of my favorite New Adult romances. I loved Cage and Winter so hard last year, and now Tessa and Jason have stolen my heart! I don't even know who I liked more, and that is something that I did not expect to say before reading Tessa Ever After. I expected to love the book because Brighton Walsh writes amazing romances, but Cage and Winter were one of my favorite book couples of last year, so I didn't think that Tessa and Jason would come close to topping them. But they did. I love them both. And before I just start to fan-girl over Brighton Walsh, I will tell you why I actually loved Tessa Ever After.
Tessa is Cage's sister, and she has had to grow up rather quickly. She got pregnant with her daughter Haley when she was 17, and it was just Tessa and her brother taking care of her. When Cage moved away to become a chef, Tessa is left juggling a million different hats, and she is finding out just how hard it is to maintain a house, a full time job that barely pays the bills, and a very, very energetic little girl. Thank goodness for Jason. He is so good to Haley and Tessa. I liked him right off the bat. He is always there for her. And poor Tessa is doing a great job juggling everything, but all she can focus on are her mistakes or the areas where she doesn't think she is measuring up as a mom. I can relate because I am probably a little too hard and critical of myself too. But Jason and her friends were a wonderful support system for Tessa. I loved the group of people she surrounded herself with. And I loved the chemistry that her and Jason have.
Oh boy, do they have chemistry. I need to stop for a moment and fan myself. Jason and Tessa have known each other for years so they already had a great and solid friendship foundation. He knew Haley and they loved each other. I am not a kid person, and I don't typically like to read about them in my books, but Haley is just too cute to dislike. And I loved how Jason was with her. There didn't seem to be a as much drama as there was in the first book. And when there was drama it came from Jason's family. It was kind of interesting and I wanted to know how the whole family foundation was going to work out. It complemented the romance very well.
I want there to be more books in this series! The Caged in Winter series is one that I would recommend to everyone. Whether you are a fan of new adult or not, you need to read this book. Each book works as a standalone so you can totally start with Tessa Ever After and follow the story and characters just fine, but if you can, I would suggest starting with Caged in Winter and then read Tessa Ever After. They are both such wonderful books. Brighton Walsh has now cemented herself on my 'read-anything-by-her,-auto-buy-author' bookshelf. She is incredible. Tessa Ever After is on my favorites of 2015 list for sure.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
I bow down to Brighton Walsh. She is offically one of my favorite New Adult authors. And the Caged in Winter series is one of my favorite New Adult romances. I loved Cage and Winter so hard last year, and now Tessa and Jason have stolen my heart! I don't even know who I liked more, and that is something that I did not expect to say before reading Tessa Ever After. I expected to love the book because Brighton Walsh writes amazing romances, but Cage and Winter were one of my favorite book couples of last year, so I didn't think that Tessa and Jason would come close to topping them. But they did. I love them both. And before I just start to fan-girl over Brighton Walsh, I will tell you why I actually loved Tessa Ever After.
Tessa is Cage's sister, and she has had to grow up rather quickly. She got pregnant with her daughter Haley when she was 17, and it was just Tessa and her brother taking care of her. When Cage moved away to become a chef, Tessa is left juggling a million different hats, and she is finding out just how hard it is to maintain a house, a full time job that barely pays the bills, and a very, very energetic little girl. Thank goodness for Jason. He is so good to Haley and Tessa. I liked him right off the bat. He is always there for her. And poor Tessa is doing a great job juggling everything, but all she can focus on are her mistakes or the areas where she doesn't think she is measuring up as a mom. I can relate because I am probably a little too hard and critical of myself too. But Jason and her friends were a wonderful support system for Tessa. I loved the group of people she surrounded herself with. And I loved the chemistry that her and Jason have.
Oh boy, do they have chemistry. I need to stop for a moment and fan myself. Jason and Tessa have known each other for years so they already had a great and solid friendship foundation. He knew Haley and they loved each other. I am not a kid person, and I don't typically like to read about them in my books, but Haley is just too cute to dislike. And I loved how Jason was with her. There didn't seem to be a as much drama as there was in the first book. And when there was drama it came from Jason's family. It was kind of interesting and I wanted to know how the whole family foundation was going to work out. It complemented the romance very well.
I want there to be more books in this series! The Caged in Winter series is one that I would recommend to everyone. Whether you are a fan of new adult or not, you need to read this book. Each book works as a standalone so you can totally start with Tessa Ever After and follow the story and characters just fine, but if you can, I would suggest starting with Caged in Winter and then read Tessa Ever After. They are both such wonderful books. Brighton Walsh has now cemented herself on my 'read-anything-by-her,-auto-buy-author' bookshelf. She is incredible. Tessa Ever After is on my favorites of 2015 list for sure.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Fall For Me is the first book in the Ladder Company Series. The Ladder Company Series is a group of new adult standalone contemporary romances each about a different brother (or sister) in a family of 14 firefighters. I think there are 4 Hayes siblings currently working at Ladder Company One. I like this series style and I think it works best with a large group of friends or a family dynamic so I am predicting great things for the Ladder Company Series. Told in dual narrative between the main guy and main girl it is sure to be a hit with fans of new adult contemporary romances.
I read a lot of new adult contemporary romance and I read them in all romance tropes. But I have to say, one trope that I do not read that much is one where one of the ultimate couple to be is in a relationship with someone else for much of the book. Because it can leave me feeling conflicted. This was not a cheating book. Jameson and Mel only shared one kiss and both of them felt awful about it, but it was clear that they had feelings for each other. So that made me feel a little better about the setup. And Jameson's girlfriend was a crazy B. But still I did feel kind of bad for her at some points in the story, but then she would go and do something so crazy that I kind of wanted to kill her and I was back to wanting her out of the picture, like, yesterday.
Mel is beyond great. I loved her as the main character of Fall for Me. She is a sweetheart, and freakin' hilarious. She is great, it is no wonder that the entire Hayes family is half way in love with her as soon as they meet her. She has a streak of crazy in her but it is the interesting kind of crazy, not the kill you in your sleep kind of crazy. Which makes her a perfect match for Jameson.
Jameson and Mel are great. I did want to shake Jameson about a million times though. I have no idea why he continued to stay with his crazy girlfriend. There were no feelings there, not even really friendship. They were just awful to each other, so I didn't get why he continued to stay. But to each their own. The story line of Fall for Me was a really cool mix of romance, a dash of drama and even a bit of suspense thrown in. I love that the mystery aspect was not solved in this book and will most likely be something that is carried over into the next book. I would read these books in order for that reason.
This is a great steamy and flirty new adult contemporary romance with a good amount of humor thrown in. I think it will be great for fans of Sawyer Bennett. This was my first JC Emery book, but I know it won't be my last. Not by a long shot.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Fall For Me is the first book in the Ladder Company Series. The Ladder Company Series is a group of new adult standalone contemporary romances each about a different brother (or sister) in a family of 14 firefighters. I think there are 4 Hayes siblings currently working at Ladder Company One. I like this series style and I think it works best with a large group of friends or a family dynamic so I am predicting great things for the Ladder Company Series. Told in dual narrative between the main guy and main girl it is sure to be a hit with fans of new adult contemporary romances.
I read a lot of new adult contemporary romance and I read them in all romance tropes. But I have to say, one trope that I do not read that much is one where one of the ultimate couple to be is in a relationship with someone else for much of the book. Because it can leave me feeling conflicted. This was not a cheating book. Jameson and Mel only shared one kiss and both of them felt awful about it, but it was clear that they had feelings for each other. So that made me feel a little better about the setup. And Jameson's girlfriend was a crazy B. But still I did feel kind of bad for her at some points in the story, but then she would go and do something so crazy that I kind of wanted to kill her and I was back to wanting her out of the picture, like, yesterday.
Mel is beyond great. I loved her as the main character of Fall for Me. She is a sweetheart, and freakin' hilarious. She is great, it is no wonder that the entire Hayes family is half way in love with her as soon as they meet her. She has a streak of crazy in her but it is the interesting kind of crazy, not the kill you in your sleep kind of crazy. Which makes her a perfect match for Jameson.
Jameson and Mel are great. I did want to shake Jameson about a million times though. I have no idea why he continued to stay with his crazy girlfriend. There were no feelings there, not even really friendship. They were just awful to each other, so I didn't get why he continued to stay. But to each their own. The story line of Fall for Me was a really cool mix of romance, a dash of drama and even a bit of suspense thrown in. I love that the mystery aspect was not solved in this book and will most likely be something that is carried over into the next book. I would read these books in order for that reason.This is a great steamy and flirty new adult contemporary romance with a good amount of humor thrown in. I think it will be great for fans of Sawyer Bennett. This was my first JC Emery book, but I know it won't be my last. Not by a long shot.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs