**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net** 
4.5/5

Dirty Thoughts is the first book in a new New Adult series from Megan Erickson, called the Mechanics of Love series. I love Megan Erickson, so I was extremely excited that she had a new series out, and I don't know why I was a little slow on the uptake, but I only realized who this series was about as soon as I started reading the book. Remember Max and Lea from Make it Right? Remember Max's yummy older brothers- Cal and Brent? The Mechanics of Love series is their stories! Super exciting, right?

Dirty Thoughts is Cal's story. And it is a really sexy, fun and beautiful second chance love story. Cal was totally head over heels in love with his high school girlfriend, Jenna, and the feelings were mutual. For reasons that are revealed pretty early on in the story, they break up and Jenna moves away for ten years. Well, now she is back and Cal and Jenna's chemistry is stronger than ever. Cal is a stubborn one, so there are lots of ups and downs between the two of them. Even when they weren't "together" you could tell they could hardly resist each other. I am such a sucker for a good second chance romance with out of the world chemistry. And Megan Erickson can write chemistry like whoa.

Dirty Thoughts is told in dual narrative between Cal and Jenna, which as you know is my favorite narrative method for books that feature a strong romance element. I was thinking that Dirty Thoughts was going to be wonderful second chance romance with witty banter and out of this world sexual chemistry- and it totally was- but Megan Erickson threw a wrench in my nice easy plot when Asher showed up. So who is Asher? What does this mean for Cal and his family? What about Jenna and Cal? I will let you find out. But you do know right off the bat that it will be a fun and sexy journey with excellent writing, characters and of course top notch romance. The mechanics of love series is going to be another homerun for sure. I love it already! Give me more Megan!

 This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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3.5/5
Oh, holy hell! Black Iris is INTENSE! Leah Raeder certainly grabbed my attention with this book, that is for sure. I don't read books this dark and, well...messed up that often. Sometimes I will read a dark book. Or sometimes I will read a book with a totally f-ed up in the head main character, but I hardly ever read books that take it to the level that Leah Raeder did. Black Iris took me out of my comfort zone...and then some. And I have to say, I really, really liked it. Maybe that makes me a little dark and messed up too. I don't know. But what I do know, is that this book deserves every bit of attention it has gotten and more.

Black Iris is first and foremost a revenge story driven by the main character, Laney. From the moment, that Laney broke the "fourth wall" and told us that she was not going to be likeable or a hero, I knew I was going to like her. And her idea for revenge molts and changes so many times throughout the story. It really becomes a journey of self discovery, however unintentional that may have been for her. This book will not be for everyone. Laney is crass, and out there and so totally unapologetic in everything she does. I loved that about her, but I can see that she (not to mention the abundant drug use in Black Iris.) might be off putting to some. But Laney is Laney.

Black Iris is hard to explain. It almost took on a life of its' own for me. It is dark, and crazy, and so different from what I normally read that I just kept lapping up every well placed word Leah Raeder wrote. And let's talk about her writing for a second. I really really dug her writing style. It was all at once conversational, and then also metaphorical, abstract, poetic and kind of grandiose. I know that makes no kind of sense, but I swear that is what it seemed like while I was reading Black Iris. I felt like I was sitting in the same room as Laney watching the events unfold, and then in the next scene I was removed and watching something important unfold far away. Black Iris has layers, man. So many layers. If you are brave enough to take a dip in a deep, dark pool of depravity with truly beautiful writing, you should be reading Black Iris. But be warned, this is not just another contemporary new adult romance.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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You and Me and Him is a young adult contemporary that explores the age of old question of what happens when two best friends like the same guy. Will he come between the two friends? This review is going to be a bit different than my normal reviews because of the nature of the book, I don't want to give away any specifics, because I fear if I say something, anything at all it will give you some idea of how the whole Tom situation is going to turn out. And that would just not be any fun. So I will give you a basic rundown of You and Me and Him and leave the enjoyment of reading it and finding out what is going on with Maggie, Nash and Tom all for yourself.

First I need to start out by talking a bit about how much I love this cover. I think it fits the story perfectly, and I like that it isn't like multitudes of other YA contemporary covers out there. Ok, so the story. Maggie and Nash have been best friends forever. (and ever) They have an interesting friendship because their interests and personalities are pretty different. One thing they do have in common is their taste in guys. And whenever they see a guy that they like they calls dibs on him. (never mind asking the guy, if he himself prefers guys or girls. Maggie and Nash dibs away.) So when the new guy Tom shows up in town, they both spy him on the school bus and Nash calls dibs. And guess what...both Maggie and Nash end up crushing hard on Tom.

Tom seems like a genuinely nice guy, right off the bat, which I totally loved about him. I can easily see why Maggie and Nash like him so much. I am not going to say who I wanted Tom to end up liking, but I will say that the book is told entirely from Maggie's point of view, so it is kind of hard not to connect with her a little more- at least in the beginning. (and really the whole thing for me, but me liking Maggie more didn't necessarily influence who I wanted Tom with.) Have I confused you yet?

You and Me and Him is a really cute book about friendship and guys always inevitably seem to worm their way in between friends. Those high school years are rough. So yes, there are some immature moments, and some general teenage brattiness, but overall You and Me and Him is a great read that I would recommend to a wide range of fans of young adult. People that like overall light reads that will make you smile. Did you and Me and Him blow me away and change my life? No, but I did really enjoy it. I have really been into books with interesting friendship dynamics and You and Me and Him is a great book for that. That was my favorite part of the story, and I think Kris Dinnison did a fantastic job with Maggie and Nash.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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Oh, how I love a good match maker story! And Miss Match is a great one. I loved the back and forth head butting/banter between Andrea and Blake. Miss Match is told in dual narrative between Blake and Andrea. Sometimes it was hard to decide whose point of view it was, but I always caught on pretty quickly. Miss Match is a perfect summer read- funny, light and of course, a great romance.

Andrea is strong willed and very intuitive and perceptive. I really like people with those qualities, and Andrea is no exception. Or maybe I should call her Drea like Blake seemed hell bent on doing at first. (I thought that was super cute.) And along with the inevitable (oh come on, you so knew it was going to happen!) romance between her and Blake, we also get a really great sibling relationship with her and Lacey. I loved watching the siblings go at it back and forth. She reminded me of me and my sister sometimes.

If a romance is going to win me over, it needs to be endearing and have great chemistry. Banter and URST never hurt either. And Miss Match has all of those elements and more. I really liked Blake's point of view, because it humanized him more to me. As soon as the book started out I thought he was a big jerk just like Andrea initially thought, but during his first voice passage, he broke down my resolve to dislike him a bit, and the more I heard from him the weaker my resolve got, until I was just a big ole puddle of a Blake fan.

Miss Match will be a great read for fans of match maker stories. It is a trope that never gets old with me. Yes, you know what is ultimately going to happen (maybe.) but so what that is half the fun for me in a feel good summer read. Miss Match was a really good time.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**Shadowshaper is the first book that I have had the pleasure of reading from author Daniel José Older. It was a real experience. I don't get the chance to read a ton of very diverse young adult books. Sure, I will read books with a diverse character or odd element thrown in, but a truly diverse cast of characters featuring rich cultures that are different than my own...I don't read as many of those books as I should. And if you are anything like me, then you need to read Shadowshaper. It is a young adult Urban Fantasy where paintings literally come to life. Which was both creepy and utterly cool. The cover fits the book perfectly. I couldn't have imagined anything better for Sierra and the shadowshapers.

I both loved and was frustrated with the way the book started out. From reading the summary, I knew that the main character Sierra, was part of a secret order called the shadowshapers and that her ability stemmed from art. And then in the first page of the book Sierra saw a painting crying. I was pumped to get started on this journey that promised to be like Cassandra Clare. But it took a while to get going. And here is where my love and frustration came from. I really like the set up in a paranormal or urban fantasy book where the main character gets some mysterious clue. In this case it was a message from Sierra's not so lucid grandfather. And that message sets them off on a quest, which unveils said magic in the world around them. I love that set up, but I was just so darn excited to get to the fantasy element that I got a little impatient with the set up part.

But I still loved Shadowshaper. Once the ball gets rolling and Sierra gets in touch with Robbie, the plot speeds off and this book becomes so absorbing that you will have a hard time putting it down. The Latin american culture is one that I am only vaguely familiar with, and one that I have not read enough about in stories. Shadowshaper had me dusting off my 4 years of high school Spanish frequently. Don't worry, you can get by with context clues, but there are a lot of Spanish dusted throughout the story. I loved that though. It made the characters, and the voice, feel so authentic. Sierra and her friends also had a, let's also say, authentic dialect among them. It took me out of my comfort zone and took me a little longer to connect with them because it is kind of jarring, but I ended up loving all of the characters.

Shadowshaper is one of those books that I am just so happy that I read. Daniel José Older's writing is all his own, and I loved seeing such a distinct personality come through the pages of his story. This is a great example of not only a really well done book featuring a culture that should get more attention in young adult, but also just a really solidly good book. And yes, the urban fantasy was kick ass! That needs to be said. I want to go back to this world in Brooklyn with the shadowshapers. So freakin' cool!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net** 

Entangled's line of "Bliss" books always put me in a good mood. They are feel good romances- plain and simple. keeping Mr. Right Now was great! It was the perfect mixture of sweet, sassy romantic fun that I needed. I find myself turning to these happy romantic "feel good" reads when I am particularly stressed, and Keeping Mr. Right Now did the trick, planting a big smile on my face the whole time I was reading it. The plot is a rather simple one, but when it is well done it is a plot line that works spectacularly for me. Hot guy is used to getting any girl he wants and is kind of a player. He is the "big man on campus" or in this case, a world class surfer. Enter a quiet and reserved girl that is so far from his normal type. There is normally some awesome clashing of characters and lots of chemistry.  Call me a sucker, but I just love watching a guy meet the girl that makes him want something more permanent.

But Keeping Mr. Right Now is so much more than just a simple cliche. Robin Bielman delves deep into her character development. I loved both Sophie and Zane. Getting to know them and watching them really get to know the person beneath the surface in each other was beautiful. Sophie became more comfortable with herself and sassier as each page went by. You could see her peeling back layer by layer and letting her quick witted and thoughtful personality shine. And Zane had a lot of family issues to deal with throughout the course of the book. Sophie got under his skin slowly, but surely and I think it took Zane completely by surprise. I loved the natural progression to their friendship and something more that Robin Bielman created. It was very fluid and organic.

Keeping Mr. Right Now stands on its' own, but it had inklings of being the start for a standalone contemporary series that each book focuses on a different set of characters. Zane had a couple of male friends that were single and Sophie met a super awesome secondary character while she was on her job/vacation. It is a series setup that I have been noticing more and more of this year, and one that I am really loving. It is told in dual narrative so you get both the guy and girl perspective throughout. It is contemporary romance, but the main characters are young enough to fall into the New Adult Category, so it really could go either way.

I loved the insecurities that the author gave the characters, but Zane in particular. He was worried that he wouldn't be considered smart enough for the charitable organization that wanted to work with him. (he dropped out of school to surf full time.) I thought it gave an interesting perspective and layer to Zane. I thought Robin Bielman dealt with it wonderfully, as well. If you like fantastically written fun summer romances, you will absolutely love Keeping Mr. Right Now. Even if you are not a fan of the traditional "romance" book, you should give this one a try. I think Zane and Sophie will win you over.  This book is so much fun.

 This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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My Thoughts

Jesse's Girl is the 6th standalone book in the hundred oaks series. The hundred Oaks series are each young adult contemporary feel good romances. In Jesse's Girl we meet Maya, who is the younger brother of Sam (from Catching Jordan.) Sam and Jordan show up throughout the book, which I am sure will be a fan favorite, but I haven't read catching Jordan yet. Please don't stone me. I have read Breathe, Annie, Breathe and I plan to read all of the rest of the books in the series. Someday. I liked Jesse's Girl even more than I liked Breathe Annie Breathe. Miranda Kenneally does such a wonderful job with contemporary romances. Her books just make me feel good.

Maya is a tough cookie, but also one of the sweetest people ever. She wants to be a musician, but she has a little issue with stage fright when she sings solo. I liked that she wasn't this super talented, super amazing- no faults kind of girl. I really liked that she had some talent issues to work through. It made her seem more real. And I loved her with Jesse.

Maya and Jesse each have their own trust issues, for their own reasons. But watching them bicker until they couldn't help but get along was just way too cute for me. Yes, even though they had a hard time initially trusting one another, once they moved past it, they were both so supportive of the other. And that was heartwarming for me to read about. Each one of them had multiple times where they could have reverted, but Miranda handled every road block wonderfully, in my opinion.

Jesse's Girl is a great feel good read. This is the kind of read that I want to come home to after a long day of work, or a read that I want to pull out poolside. I really do need to read the rest of the series because I know that I will love them all. If you are looking for a well done young adult contemporary romance, try one of Miranda's books. This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**Tangled Webs is one of those books where it was love at first glance. As soon as I saw the cover I fell in love. (side note: this is a beautifully designed book. Each of the chapters even has black and white lace designs on the pages. A wonderfully intricate touch, I thought.) I knew I wanted to read it. And then as soon as I saw the summary, and found out that Tangled Webs was about a blackmailer in historical London, called Lady A who collected secrets, I was even more excited! How amazingly cool does that sound? And then the plot thickens. When I finished Tangled Webs, I liked it and I thought it ended in a good place for a standalone. But then I went on goodreads and saw that it is the first in the Tangled Webs series. Whaaa? Now I am very intrigued to see where Lee Bross is going to take the next installment. I honestly thought it was wrapped up as a standalone, but I am interested to see what is going to happen next. My mind is already spinning with possibilities.

Arista is the mysterious Lady A. I really liked Arista. She is a survivor, but her years of fending for herself didn't make her overly hard and jaded. Sure, she was distrustful, but then again she is a blackmailer- so I guess it goes hand in hand with her business. But she wasn't corrupted to her core. She is still a good person, and I think Lee Bross does a great job of showing Arista's softer side through her interactions with her friend Becky. I loved how protective Becky and Arista were of each other. I also really enjoyed Arista's blooming friendship with Sophia. It was such a surprising treat that Sophia took Arista to the salons to see Voltaire. That was a great enlightenment element woven into the story. I hope we get to see more bits of history in the next book.

There were a couple of little things that I wish I had seen more of in Tangled Webs. Not really things I wanted done differently, because I rather enjoyed Lee's writing and storytelling, but some elements I wanted to see more of. Like the secrets Lady A traded in, for example. I wanted to know what the actual secrets were. We got to know one about the first exchange she had and then we got to find out one at the end of the book, but other than those two there weren't any other big (or even little) secret reveals about her "customers". I also wanted to see more romantic development between Arista and Grae. I love Grae to pieces, but it was basically instant infatuation between him and Arista. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of them together, and I really liked their shared passion of travel and the sea, but I thought there was a really great opportunity for some building blocks to be laid between the two of them when Arista found herself staying with Grae's father and family by happenstance. We didn't really get that. I just saw Grae totally besotted with Arista from start to finish.

Overall, Tangled Webs was a very good read. I loved the setting and the characters and the plotline was different than so many of the books I have been reading lately. Very refreshing. And while I do wish we got to see more in the way of slow build romantic development between Grae and Arista, as well as more secrets that Lady A collected, I think that these things will resolve themselves in the next book. I can't wait to see what Lee Bross has for us next.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

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Dare is the first book in a new, new adult paranormal romance series, called The Nox. I have read, and loved, a bunch of T.A. Foster's new adult contemporary romances, but I have never read any paranormal book from her. So I was really excited to see about the Nox. Dare is the leader of the Nox, a group of panther shifters that protect the town of Sullen Grove. I really enjoyed the concept of Dare. The nox are formed of all female panther shifters that don't want to fulfill the destiny laid out for them by the council (the ruling body for shifters). Basically in shifter land, each female shifter is destined to a male shifter of some kind, and when they marry, or bond, the male shifter takes over their land and moves on to get his next wife. And then when the female shifter becomes pregnant with his cub, she loses all of her power to that cub. Totally not cool.

Dare doesn't want to give up her territory, or lose her powers and ability to shift. She she gathers a group of other girls and tries to rebel, which is the set up for Dare. I love this idea and I also loved the more intricate details of the council and the bonding, which you will have to read to find out for yourself. I was fascinated by the way the magic worked with the shifters in this regard. T.A. Foster did an excellent job making Dare flow right along, and with making the nox her own.

Not to mention is has an addictive romance. I love T.A. Foster's romances, and I was happy to see that this was was just as wonderfully satisfying as her contemporary romances. Dare and Zac totally melted my heart. I love the way they were so drawn to each other. And I have to say, T.A. Foster really surprised me with several of the plot twists. Normally, I am pretty good about pinning down what is going to happen in books that are not thrillers or mysteries. And I had my idea of how this one was going to end in my head for about the whole second half of the book. But holy cow, I was totally off base! And I kind of loved that. T.A. Foster, you continue to surprise me in all the best ways! The Nox is already one of my favorite new adult/adult shifter series.This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**There needs to be more books like Forever For a Year. This book is so good, that I am sure my review will not do it justice. It is a story of first love, and the realization that even if we really want it to, that it may not last forever. I heart the heck out of this book. It made me feel every range of emotion, and I had to put it down multiple times just because I didn't want to finish it. I wanted to savor Forever for a Year.

Forever For a Year is told in dual perspective between Trevor and Carolina. It starts off right at the tender age of 14, where everything changes because they are starting high school. But Trevor and Carolina each approach the new school year with their own set of baggage and their own unique perspective to things and to life. I love Trevor and Carolina. My very favorite part of the book was their oh so unique voices. The writing style changed dramatically when the chapter and point of view switched. B.T. Gottfred did such a masterful job with the prose and personalities of Trevor and Carolina. It really was beautiful to read. Even when he was kind of breaking my heart.

Forever For a Year is a book that I want everyone to experience for themselves. Who doesn't love a story of first love from two characters that you want to hang out with, hug and just spend some more time with. I lived in Trevor and Carolina's world, and I became them while I was reading this book. That takes talent. There is a difference between reading a story about two people falling in and out of love, and reading a story so vivid and so real that you become them for 430 pages. That is the magic of Forever for a year. I know a lot of people on goodreads have less than positive things to say about this book, and the biggest claim is that the characters are immature. Umm, hello...does anyone remember being 14 years old? They are young. So yes, they act like 14 year olds. It didn't bother me. I thought it was incredibly realistic. Forever For a Year is a great example of a realistic look at first love. This review was originally posted on Book Briefs