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**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Wilder is the first book in the new adult sports romance ( but a different kind of sports- think x games, not football or hockey) by Rebecca Yarros. It is also the first book in the Renegades series. The Renegades are group of extreme sports junkies that are youtube stars. I can't wait to read the rest of their stories. I love that the renegades are a mixture of guys and girls. That will make for a great series, I think. Every now and again you read a book that gets you really excited for the books to come. Wilder is one of those books.
Wilder is told in dual narrative between Paxton Wilder and Leah. Pax and Leah stole my heart! The book starts out great, but it is the slow burn romance sizzling between these two that really kicks it up a few notches in my book. First of all, the book is set on a year long school study cruise going around the whole. Umm, can we just pause for a moment to digest that? Is that not THE COOLEST THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD?! Where was that option when I was in college? Man, I feel like I really missed out. Pax is on the cruise filming a documentary to capture the renegades stunts all over the world, but also keeping his grades up to keep his dad appeased. That is where Leah comes in. If you are thinking this is just a fluff book, you are wrong.
Yes, it is a lot of fun, but Wilder has a depth that really surprised me. Both Leah and Pax's backstory surprised me. The multifaceted sides to all of the characters personaliities pleasantly surprised me. Overall, I just flipping loved Wilder. This book utterly captivated me. There were so many surprise elements that I didn't see coming. Yes, there are hints about Leah's "secret" but I was still surrpised. And Wilder was the biggest surprise of all. I just love this book. If you are on the fence about picking this one up or not, pick it up. Read it now. You will thank me for it. Wilder is another one of my top picks for 2016 books.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Wilder is the first book in the new adult sports romance ( but a different kind of sports- think x games, not football or hockey) by Rebecca Yarros. It is also the first book in the Renegades series. The Renegades are group of extreme sports junkies that are youtube stars. I can't wait to read the rest of their stories. I love that the renegades are a mixture of guys and girls. That will make for a great series, I think. Every now and again you read a book that gets you really excited for the books to come. Wilder is one of those books.
Wilder is told in dual narrative between Paxton Wilder and Leah. Pax and Leah stole my heart! The book starts out great, but it is the slow burn romance sizzling between these two that really kicks it up a few notches in my book. First of all, the book is set on a year long school study cruise going around the whole. Umm, can we just pause for a moment to digest that? Is that not THE COOLEST THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD?! Where was that option when I was in college? Man, I feel like I really missed out. Pax is on the cruise filming a documentary to capture the renegades stunts all over the world, but also keeping his grades up to keep his dad appeased. That is where Leah comes in. If you are thinking this is just a fluff book, you are wrong.
Yes, it is a lot of fun, but Wilder has a depth that really surprised me. Both Leah and Pax's backstory surprised me. The multifaceted sides to all of the characters personaliities pleasantly surprised me. Overall, I just flipping loved Wilder. This book utterly captivated me. There were so many surprise elements that I didn't see coming. Yes, there are hints about Leah's "secret" but I was still surrpised. And Wilder was the biggest surprise of all. I just love this book. If you are on the fence about picking this one up or not, pick it up. Read it now. You will thank me for it. Wilder is another one of my top picks for 2016 books.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
The Possibility of Somewhere is a young adult contemporary romance by Julia Day. I loved The Possibility of Somewhere. It is a fantastic young adult standalone novel, that will make you fall in love with the characters and will have you genuinely wondering how the story will turn out. It is the kind of story that you know does not guarantee a happy ending. This is a book that I would re-read in a heart beat. I can't wait to read more from Julia Day. She has really impressed me with her skill.
I don't often reach for young adult dramatic contemporaries anymore, because often the characters play into stereotypes, and I find them lacking...something. I have been turning more and more to new adult for my contemporary romances. But, sometimes I love a good dramatic read. The key word here being good. I don't like drama for drama's sake. I don't like it to feel forced, but I never felt that way with The Possibility of Somewhere. And there is a lot of drama packed into this book. But strangely enough, even though at times it felt a bit over the top and well, too dramatic, it still worked. It is a high school book, and I think high schoolers have a flair for the dramatic in the first place. But Eden has to deal with a lot in her life. There is school drama, college drama, money drama, parental drama, guy drama, popularity drama, race drama, so on and so forth. It is a lot, but it is all so well done. I was totally absorbed with the story and characters in The Possibility of Somewhere. I don't remember being this absorbed in a contemporary young adult drama in a long, long time.
The Possibility of Somewhere is told entirely from Eden's point of view, but despite that, I really feel like I got to know Ash as well. That is not as easy as it sounds. Ash stood out as a main character without having his own narration. I loved Eden and Ash. And I loved that they were so fiercely competitive, so matter what their relationship with one another was. They are two individuals that will always go after their goals. I did feel like The Possibility of Somewhere was a little race heavy. It was very integral to the storyline, but I at times would have hoped that it wouldn't be the thing in the foreground with Eden and Ash. (and everyone really) Other than that, I couldn't find any faults with this book. I really loved it. I loved Mundy. I would absolutely love for her to have her own story. I loved Raj and Kurt and Eden's relationship with them. It was pretty cool to watch this completely isolated girl form connections in her life. All different kinds of connections.
Bottom line: The Possibility of Somewhere is a stunning novel. I have not heard people talking about this book nearly enough. More people need to read The Possibility of Somewhere. It is breathtakingly fantastic. Although, if you are not a fan of young adult drama, it might not be your cup of tea. If you are a fan of well written young adult standalone novels that touch on friendship, special needs, race, school, college, acceptance and love, this is a story you should not miss. I loved The Possibility of Somewhere.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
The Possibility of Somewhere is a young adult contemporary romance by Julia Day. I loved The Possibility of Somewhere. It is a fantastic young adult standalone novel, that will make you fall in love with the characters and will have you genuinely wondering how the story will turn out. It is the kind of story that you know does not guarantee a happy ending. This is a book that I would re-read in a heart beat. I can't wait to read more from Julia Day. She has really impressed me with her skill.
I don't often reach for young adult dramatic contemporaries anymore, because often the characters play into stereotypes, and I find them lacking...something. I have been turning more and more to new adult for my contemporary romances. But, sometimes I love a good dramatic read. The key word here being good. I don't like drama for drama's sake. I don't like it to feel forced, but I never felt that way with The Possibility of Somewhere. And there is a lot of drama packed into this book. But strangely enough, even though at times it felt a bit over the top and well, too dramatic, it still worked. It is a high school book, and I think high schoolers have a flair for the dramatic in the first place. But Eden has to deal with a lot in her life. There is school drama, college drama, money drama, parental drama, guy drama, popularity drama, race drama, so on and so forth. It is a lot, but it is all so well done. I was totally absorbed with the story and characters in The Possibility of Somewhere. I don't remember being this absorbed in a contemporary young adult drama in a long, long time.
The Possibility of Somewhere is told entirely from Eden's point of view, but despite that, I really feel like I got to know Ash as well. That is not as easy as it sounds. Ash stood out as a main character without having his own narration. I loved Eden and Ash. And I loved that they were so fiercely competitive, so matter what their relationship with one another was. They are two individuals that will always go after their goals. I did feel like The Possibility of Somewhere was a little race heavy. It was very integral to the storyline, but I at times would have hoped that it wouldn't be the thing in the foreground with Eden and Ash. (and everyone really) Other than that, I couldn't find any faults with this book. I really loved it. I loved Mundy. I would absolutely love for her to have her own story. I loved Raj and Kurt and Eden's relationship with them. It was pretty cool to watch this completely isolated girl form connections in her life. All different kinds of connections.
Bottom line: The Possibility of Somewhere is a stunning novel. I have not heard people talking about this book nearly enough. More people need to read The Possibility of Somewhere. It is breathtakingly fantastic. Although, if you are not a fan of young adult drama, it might not be your cup of tea. If you are a fan of well written young adult standalone novels that touch on friendship, special needs, race, school, college, acceptance and love, this is a story you should not miss. I loved The Possibility of Somewhere.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**See this full review and more at http://bookbriefs.net**
I have wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the cover months ago. I was so curious about these dragons and I loved the sky in the background behind the girl. This is a really hard review for me to write because there are so many things that I really loved about this book. But there were two things that didn't work for me, and they were fairly large things. I'm going to start with what I loved.
Cait is super spunky, sassy and fiercely independent. The story takes place in the future when supernatural creatures are mixed in with humans in the United States. In fact, the king is a vampire. Even though the story takes place in the future, it had a very old world feel to it. The laws, meant to "protect" women from being taken advantage of from supernaturals, were very restrictive, and even the writing had an old, historical feel to it. The writing was one of the things that I loved about this book. I thought Melissa Petreshock's writing style was wonderful. It was very rich and full bodied. Does that even make sense? I love how creative the writing can get in fantasies.
The story is driven by the fact that Cait had to petition the court to be able to live alone. She has a lot of money from her dead uncle, but the laws state that she must be betrothed to a man. The court does not allow her to be left alone but it does give her the option of choosing between three men. 1) the king- a vampire 2) Theo- a dragon that has sworn to protect Cait and 3) Dante- a demigod that turns out to be the original vampire. (Think Klaus or maybe Michael, his father.)
I really enjoyed getting to know each of the three guys. They are all very drawn to Cait, and I loved seeing how different they viewed romance. I was surprised at how much I ended up liking each of them in their own way. I thought for sure, it would be a clear pick for me. And it was, but it ended up being much closer than I thought. The romance in the story was great as well. very swoonworthy and I was rooting for Cait to be happy.
But now for the stuff that didn't work for me. We were just dumped into this world and they were throwing words and phrases and languages around without much explaining. It felt very jarring at the beginning of the story. I wish there was more back story into the creatures, the world, and the dragons before Theo claimed Cait as his ward. It would have helped things not seem so sudden. But my biggest problem was how crazy every went over Cait. I liked Cait too. I loved how sassy and independent that she was, but these were three ancient beings. They have been alive for thousands of years and all of a sudden this 21 year old shows up and they are all acting like she is the first woman they have ever seen in their lives. It was a little crazy. I just thought it should have been toned down a little bit.
I am certainly interested in reading the next book because I can't wait to see what is going to happen. This prophecy that the dragons kept glimpsing with Cait is going to play a big role and I feel like that is going to make more sense of things. When I was done with this book I was so torn with what to rate it. On one hand, I loved the romance and the writing and getting to know each of the well developed characters, but on the other hand all of insta-loves surrounding Cait felt forced to me. In the end, the romance won out. Once I was able to tell myself that Cait was just a really special woman because of her mysterious destiny, I was able to accept all of the hype surrounding her and I was able to just enjoy the story.
I have wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the cover months ago. I was so curious about these dragons and I loved the sky in the background behind the girl. This is a really hard review for me to write because there are so many things that I really loved about this book. But there were two things that didn't work for me, and they were fairly large things. I'm going to start with what I loved.
Cait is super spunky, sassy and fiercely independent. The story takes place in the future when supernatural creatures are mixed in with humans in the United States. In fact, the king is a vampire. Even though the story takes place in the future, it had a very old world feel to it. The laws, meant to "protect" women from being taken advantage of from supernaturals, were very restrictive, and even the writing had an old, historical feel to it. The writing was one of the things that I loved about this book. I thought Melissa Petreshock's writing style was wonderful. It was very rich and full bodied. Does that even make sense? I love how creative the writing can get in fantasies.
The story is driven by the fact that Cait had to petition the court to be able to live alone. She has a lot of money from her dead uncle, but the laws state that she must be betrothed to a man. The court does not allow her to be left alone but it does give her the option of choosing between three men. 1) the king- a vampire 2) Theo- a dragon that has sworn to protect Cait and 3) Dante- a demigod that turns out to be the original vampire. (Think Klaus or maybe Michael, his father.)
I really enjoyed getting to know each of the three guys. They are all very drawn to Cait, and I loved seeing how different they viewed romance. I was surprised at how much I ended up liking each of them in their own way. I thought for sure, it would be a clear pick for me. And it was, but it ended up being much closer than I thought. The romance in the story was great as well. very swoonworthy and I was rooting for Cait to be happy.
But now for the stuff that didn't work for me. We were just dumped into this world and they were throwing words and phrases and languages around without much explaining. It felt very jarring at the beginning of the story. I wish there was more back story into the creatures, the world, and the dragons before Theo claimed Cait as his ward. It would have helped things not seem so sudden. But my biggest problem was how crazy every went over Cait. I liked Cait too. I loved how sassy and independent that she was, but these were three ancient beings. They have been alive for thousands of years and all of a sudden this 21 year old shows up and they are all acting like she is the first woman they have ever seen in their lives. It was a little crazy. I just thought it should have been toned down a little bit.
I am certainly interested in reading the next book because I can't wait to see what is going to happen. This prophecy that the dragons kept glimpsing with Cait is going to play a big role and I feel like that is going to make more sense of things. When I was done with this book I was so torn with what to rate it. On one hand, I loved the romance and the writing and getting to know each of the well developed characters, but on the other hand all of insta-loves surrounding Cait felt forced to me. In the end, the romance won out. Once I was able to tell myself that Cait was just a really special woman because of her mysterious destiny, I was able to accept all of the hype surrounding her and I was able to just enjoy the story.
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
12 Steps to Mr. Right is a fantastic romantic comedy by Cindi Madsen. I really, really loved this book. It reminded me of a mash up of (the sister of) How to Lose a Guy in 10 days and He's Just not That into You. I think 12 Steps to Mr. Right is screaming to be made into a movie. Savannah's voice would make an amazing rom com movie character. If you are a fan of romantic comedies, this is a must read book for you. (and if you are like me and stuck in a hurricane watch/state of emergency, this is the perfect book to snuggle under the covers with and watch the rain and wind blow all around you.)
12 Steps to Mr. Right is told from Savannah's point of view, and I absolutely LOVED her. She is smart, and driven and so poised. Not to mention she has a great sense of humor. That was what I liked the most about the dynamic between her and Linc. They could joke around with each other and spar back and forth in a friendly way. I am like Savannah in that regard. I need that in a relationship. Linc is pretty great too, but it is hard to hold a candle to Savannah. I did still love Linc though.
I was super interested in seeing how their past would be addressed, but buckle in because you don't get that answer for a while. First, you get to see them get adjusted to how they fit into each other's lives in the present, which was a lot of fun as well. I really was digging Savannah's workshop sessions as well. Can you tell that I pretty much loved everything about this story? Because I so did. 12 Steps to Mr. Right is the kind of story that I would shush people for interrupting me. My poor boyfriend got shushed a good 6 times before he finally got the hint that I was "do not disturb while reading" mode.
Bottom line: Before I get too gushy, just let me leave it at this. Read 12 Steps to Mr. Right. Trust me. If you like romantic comedies, you will love this book. It has great characters, a great storyline and a really engaging romance. This is going on my re-read shelf for sure. Thank you Cindi Madsen! 12 Steps to Mr. Right is one of my favorite reads of 2016.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
12 Steps to Mr. Right is a fantastic romantic comedy by Cindi Madsen. I really, really loved this book. It reminded me of a mash up of (the sister of) How to Lose a Guy in 10 days and He's Just not That into You. I think 12 Steps to Mr. Right is screaming to be made into a movie. Savannah's voice would make an amazing rom com movie character. If you are a fan of romantic comedies, this is a must read book for you. (and if you are like me and stuck in a hurricane watch/state of emergency, this is the perfect book to snuggle under the covers with and watch the rain and wind blow all around you.)
12 Steps to Mr. Right is told from Savannah's point of view, and I absolutely LOVED her. She is smart, and driven and so poised. Not to mention she has a great sense of humor. That was what I liked the most about the dynamic between her and Linc. They could joke around with each other and spar back and forth in a friendly way. I am like Savannah in that regard. I need that in a relationship. Linc is pretty great too, but it is hard to hold a candle to Savannah. I did still love Linc though.
I was super interested in seeing how their past would be addressed, but buckle in because you don't get that answer for a while. First, you get to see them get adjusted to how they fit into each other's lives in the present, which was a lot of fun as well. I really was digging Savannah's workshop sessions as well. Can you tell that I pretty much loved everything about this story? Because I so did. 12 Steps to Mr. Right is the kind of story that I would shush people for interrupting me. My poor boyfriend got shushed a good 6 times before he finally got the hint that I was "do not disturb while reading" mode.
Bottom line: Before I get too gushy, just let me leave it at this. Read 12 Steps to Mr. Right. Trust me. If you like romantic comedies, you will love this book. It has great characters, a great storyline and a really engaging romance. This is going on my re-read shelf for sure. Thank you Cindi Madsen! 12 Steps to Mr. Right is one of my favorite reads of 2016.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Chasing Truth is the first book in the young adult mystery suspense series, called Eleanor Ames by Julie Cross. I have read 3 or 4 books by Julie now, and I have to say, not a single one of them was the same. She is a very diverse author. I love that she has no problem changing genres and writing such unique and different books. Chasing Truth is a book that will have you engrossed and wondering what is going to happen next until the very last page. I think this book is perfect for fall and the month of October. This is the time of year that I like to transition into some suspense and horror books. And you all know that I love a prep/boarding school setting. For some reason, I think it lends itself really well to mysterious atmosphere rife with secrets. What could be better than that?
Chasing Truth a book better left for you to discover on your own. I am not going to spoil it for you, but I will say that the characters are my favorite part about the book. The suspense and atmospheric writing are all excellent as well, but I really loved the characters. Eleanor is super interesting because she is a former con artist. The lines between good and bad get all kinds of blurred in this story, which is what makes it so fascinating to me.
If you are like me and you like prep school secrets and mysteries. , this is a great book for you to check out. There is romance in Chasing Truth, but it is a little light so far. It might pick up in the books to come. Another thing I loved about Chasing Truth is that it is going to be a series! I love series that are named after/follow a character. Like the Robert Langdon series, or the Sharpe series, because you can follow that character through different places, situations and adventures. I cannot wait to see what Eleanor Ames has in store for us next. This series might be my very favorite read from Julie Cross. 
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Chasing Truth is the first book in the young adult mystery suspense series, called Eleanor Ames by Julie Cross. I have read 3 or 4 books by Julie now, and I have to say, not a single one of them was the same. She is a very diverse author. I love that she has no problem changing genres and writing such unique and different books. Chasing Truth is a book that will have you engrossed and wondering what is going to happen next until the very last page. I think this book is perfect for fall and the month of October. This is the time of year that I like to transition into some suspense and horror books. And you all know that I love a prep/boarding school setting. For some reason, I think it lends itself really well to mysterious atmosphere rife with secrets. What could be better than that?
Chasing Truth a book better left for you to discover on your own. I am not going to spoil it for you, but I will say that the characters are my favorite part about the book. The suspense and atmospheric writing are all excellent as well, but I really loved the characters. Eleanor is super interesting because she is a former con artist. The lines between good and bad get all kinds of blurred in this story, which is what makes it so fascinating to me.
If you are like me and you like prep school secrets and mysteries. , this is a great book for you to check out. There is romance in Chasing Truth, but it is a little light so far. It might pick up in the books to come. Another thing I loved about Chasing Truth is that it is going to be a series! I love series that are named after/follow a character. Like the Robert Langdon series, or the Sharpe series, because you can follow that character through different places, situations and adventures. I cannot wait to see what Eleanor Ames has in store for us next. This series might be my very favorite read from Julie Cross. This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
In Ruins is the first in a new, new adult contemporary romance series by Danielle Pearl. The series is called the Something More series. I really enjoyed this one. It is told in dual narrative and jumps back and forth between multiple different time lines, so sometimes it was a little hard to keep track of the stories, but it was nice that we got to see the couples relationship throughout childhood, high school and then college.
In Ruins in told in dual narrative between Tucker and Carleigh. It is really a second chance romance story, but this one packs a real punch. I think most of that is due to the fact that their first chance romance is in the not so distant future. They broke up the summer before they started college for a big mysterious lie (this lie had me so capitvated and fascinated. I could not for the life of me figure out what it was going to be for most of the book!) and the book takes place during their freshman year. So the breakup is very fresh. And still very much an open wound. Which makes In Ruins a very emotional read. I loved that.
There is a lot of jumping back and forth between different phases in Tucker and Carl's life. (and can I just say I don't love the nickname Carl for a girl...) I was much more interested in the present day timeline, but the backstory timelines were very important for character and story development, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't try and read those chapters just a little bit faster. I tried to savor the present day chapters more. I felt the emotion on every single page of In Ruins. I was so rooting for Carl and Tucker. I loved Carl, which made the whole she is a lying dirtbag tirade Tucker was on very weird to me. I just couldn't imagine what Carl could have done that was so bad, because she is such a sweetheart. (Nope, I am not telling you a thing!) And Tucker is so great. I just wanted them to get together every page of the story. Danielle Pearl does an excellent job captivating the reader. I so easily could put myself in both of the characters shoes. I felt like I was right there with them, at every college party, through every fight, and that is the magic of In Ruins. It is why I am super excited to continue on with this story. I can't wait to see what In Pieces is going to bring because Danielle Pearl is so great at writing romances full of emotion, a bit of angst and drama but so full of heart. This book will tug on your heartstrings. Because sometimes there is a lot of junk and heartbreak that goes along with a breakup and sometimes a second chance is really hard to give.
In Ruins will have you wondering just what happened between Carl and Tucker and it will really have you rooting for them. I loved this book. I would recommend it to everyone who like a well written emotional romance.
In Ruins is the first in a new, new adult contemporary romance series by Danielle Pearl. The series is called the Something More series. I really enjoyed this one. It is told in dual narrative and jumps back and forth between multiple different time lines, so sometimes it was a little hard to keep track of the stories, but it was nice that we got to see the couples relationship throughout childhood, high school and then college.
In Ruins in told in dual narrative between Tucker and Carleigh. It is really a second chance romance story, but this one packs a real punch. I think most of that is due to the fact that their first chance romance is in the not so distant future. They broke up the summer before they started college for a big mysterious lie (this lie had me so capitvated and fascinated. I could not for the life of me figure out what it was going to be for most of the book!) and the book takes place during their freshman year. So the breakup is very fresh. And still very much an open wound. Which makes In Ruins a very emotional read. I loved that.
There is a lot of jumping back and forth between different phases in Tucker and Carl's life. (and can I just say I don't love the nickname Carl for a girl...) I was much more interested in the present day timeline, but the backstory timelines were very important for character and story development, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't try and read those chapters just a little bit faster. I tried to savor the present day chapters more. I felt the emotion on every single page of In Ruins. I was so rooting for Carl and Tucker. I loved Carl, which made the whole she is a lying dirtbag tirade Tucker was on very weird to me. I just couldn't imagine what Carl could have done that was so bad, because she is such a sweetheart. (Nope, I am not telling you a thing!) And Tucker is so great. I just wanted them to get together every page of the story. Danielle Pearl does an excellent job captivating the reader. I so easily could put myself in both of the characters shoes. I felt like I was right there with them, at every college party, through every fight, and that is the magic of In Ruins. It is why I am super excited to continue on with this story. I can't wait to see what In Pieces is going to bring because Danielle Pearl is so great at writing romances full of emotion, a bit of angst and drama but so full of heart. This book will tug on your heartstrings. Because sometimes there is a lot of junk and heartbreak that goes along with a breakup and sometimes a second chance is really hard to give.
In Ruins will have you wondering just what happened between Carl and Tucker and it will really have you rooting for them. I loved this book. I would recommend it to everyone who like a well written emotional romance.
Books in the Something More Series:
Series Page on Goodreads
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Make Me Stay is the first book in the Men of Gold Mountain series by Rebecca Brooks. Make Me Stay is an adult contemporary romance. I really enjoyed the first book in the Men of Gold Mountain series, and I can't wait to read the next book. It is a new spin on a familiar concept, one that I have seen done more in romantic comedy movies rather than in books, so it was fun for me to read about it. In this case Sam Kane was a developer wanting to buy land on the mountain to develop a ski community and finish out her father's dream, but the concept can be used for anything. It goes like this, two people have never met but one is mad at the other one because that other one is trying to make them do something they don't want to do (in this case sell his land). Two individuals meet but one or both of them don't know who the other is. They like each other. Then they find out who the other one is, and disaster ensues.
I like the concept a lot and I really liked watching Sam and Austin get to know each other without him knowing it was Sam. That being said, I always kind of think the other person should just introduce themselves sooner rather than later. I feel like Sam would have gotten so many more brownie points if at her first meeting she said who she was. She was meeting Austin on good terms and I think he would have respected that, but it never seems to happen that way. Either way, watching them two of them interact before, during and after they knew who the other one was, was a lot of fun. Make Me Stay is a very well written and well executed story, and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.
Austin is such a stand up guy. He is my favorite kind of guy actually. Sure, he is a little bit stubborn but he has a kind streak a mile wide. And Sam is kind too, even if she doesn't want to admit it. Austin is good for Sam. Make is Stay is a delightful read, though a little predictable in concept, this book is very well done and it will surprise you. I really enjoyed this one.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Make Me Stay is the first book in the Men of Gold Mountain series by Rebecca Brooks. Make Me Stay is an adult contemporary romance. I really enjoyed the first book in the Men of Gold Mountain series, and I can't wait to read the next book. It is a new spin on a familiar concept, one that I have seen done more in romantic comedy movies rather than in books, so it was fun for me to read about it. In this case Sam Kane was a developer wanting to buy land on the mountain to develop a ski community and finish out her father's dream, but the concept can be used for anything. It goes like this, two people have never met but one is mad at the other one because that other one is trying to make them do something they don't want to do (in this case sell his land). Two individuals meet but one or both of them don't know who the other is. They like each other. Then they find out who the other one is, and disaster ensues.
I like the concept a lot and I really liked watching Sam and Austin get to know each other without him knowing it was Sam. That being said, I always kind of think the other person should just introduce themselves sooner rather than later. I feel like Sam would have gotten so many more brownie points if at her first meeting she said who she was. She was meeting Austin on good terms and I think he would have respected that, but it never seems to happen that way. Either way, watching them two of them interact before, during and after they knew who the other one was, was a lot of fun. Make Me Stay is a very well written and well executed story, and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.
Austin is such a stand up guy. He is my favorite kind of guy actually. Sure, he is a little bit stubborn but he has a kind streak a mile wide. And Sam is kind too, even if she doesn't want to admit it. Austin is good for Sam. Make is Stay is a delightful read, though a little predictable in concept, this book is very well done and it will surprise you. I really enjoyed this one.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Legendary is the first book in the young adult fantasy, the Legendary Saga by author L.H. Nicole. The Legendary Saga is a tale about King Aurther. I love Arthurian stories, so I knew this one would be right up my alley. I think this series will be perfect for fans of the tv show Merlin. That was the kind of King Arthur tale I was getting while reading Legendary.
Legendary is a quest story. It starts out in the time of King Arthur and we watch the faerie queen put a spell on him to put him to sleep until the destined one can come and awaken him. Then we flash forward a couple hundred years when the destined one stumbles her way into Avalon. Then it becomes her quest to get Arthur's helpers to get Arther. I love a quest story. For a while I felt like this was just going to be a solo mission, with Aliana venturing out on her own the whole time. But she is soon joined by Magic (a dragon) and Loyal (sir Galahad). I will warn you now that there is a love triangle. I know you can tell from the summary, but I am reserving judgment as to this triangle because I think it is going to be pretty flippy floppy during the Saga and I don't know whose side I am on yet.
Something I found very interesting with Legendary is the fact that each of the chapters start off with a little bit of thoughts from various characters in the story. It was a cool way to slip into the different characters heads and see what they were thinking about Aliana. I have never seen that done before and I really liked it. The book is told from Aliana's point of view so that was a cool touch.
Bottom line: If you are a fan of King Arthur tales, give the Legendary Saga a try. It starts off with a very classic King Arthur vibe, but as the book goes on there are modern spins thrown in. Some I really dug, some I thought were a bit weird, but overall it worked. I will be continuing this series for the simple fact that L. H. Nicole made me interested in what is going to happen next. If you are a looking for a new King Arthur/prophecy/quest story, try out Legendary and the Legendary Saga.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Legendary is the first book in the young adult fantasy, the Legendary Saga by author L.H. Nicole. The Legendary Saga is a tale about King Aurther. I love Arthurian stories, so I knew this one would be right up my alley. I think this series will be perfect for fans of the tv show Merlin. That was the kind of King Arthur tale I was getting while reading Legendary.
Legendary is a quest story. It starts out in the time of King Arthur and we watch the faerie queen put a spell on him to put him to sleep until the destined one can come and awaken him. Then we flash forward a couple hundred years when the destined one stumbles her way into Avalon. Then it becomes her quest to get Arthur's helpers to get Arther. I love a quest story. For a while I felt like this was just going to be a solo mission, with Aliana venturing out on her own the whole time. But she is soon joined by Magic (a dragon) and Loyal (sir Galahad). I will warn you now that there is a love triangle. I know you can tell from the summary, but I am reserving judgment as to this triangle because I think it is going to be pretty flippy floppy during the Saga and I don't know whose side I am on yet.
Something I found very interesting with Legendary is the fact that each of the chapters start off with a little bit of thoughts from various characters in the story. It was a cool way to slip into the different characters heads and see what they were thinking about Aliana. I have never seen that done before and I really liked it. The book is told from Aliana's point of view so that was a cool touch.
Bottom line: If you are a fan of King Arthur tales, give the Legendary Saga a try. It starts off with a very classic King Arthur vibe, but as the book goes on there are modern spins thrown in. Some I really dug, some I thought were a bit weird, but overall it worked. I will be continuing this series for the simple fact that L. H. Nicole made me interested in what is going to happen next. If you are a looking for a new King Arthur/prophecy/quest story, try out Legendary and the Legendary Saga.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
The Fix Up is a standalone contemporary romance by Kendall Ryan. Even though this book works as a complete standalone it is a spin off novel of Kendall's Hitched trilogy. It takes place in the same universe and the characters are friends of the main couple from Hitched, Olivia and Noah. Trust me, when I say you don't need to read Hitched to enjoy The Fix Up. However; hitched is a great trilogy on its' own and I would definitely recommend that you read it.The Fix Up is a really great read. I think I still enjoyed Hitched a little bit more, but this comes in as a close second.
The Fix Up follows along in the same vein as Hitched, but in this case the main guy is British. He has recently come into a rather large inheritance (we are talking $50 million large) but there is a hitch (he-he) in order to receive the inheritance, he must be married. (again, let's put aside the actually legality of this, and pretend this is a valid way to pass along an inheritance, because it makes the story so much more fun.)
One thing I want to point out is that I found the summary to be a bit misleading. I thought that the two main characters, Camryn and Sterling would be really good friends turned more, but in reality they didn't know each other all that well. They had met at their mutual friends wedding and maybe a couple of other odd times, but nothing more substantial than that. It didn't really affect the story, I was just expecting them to know each other better starting off. either way, Camryn is a PR expert and she steps in to help Sterling find a suitable wife so he can secure his inheritance. Sterling has other ideas. Namely, Camryn. This was such a fun read. I love books where one person is so clearly pursuing the other person. Probably because I love determination, and Sterling certainly is determined.
Bottom line: I think everyone knows that Kendall Ryan is an excellent author, so obviously The Fix Up is excellently executed and well written. The characters are life like and fully fleshed out and the chemistry and romance can't be beat. It is really great. The Fix Up is perfect for fans of the Hitched series who want more! I want more!
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
The Fix Up is a standalone contemporary romance by Kendall Ryan. Even though this book works as a complete standalone it is a spin off novel of Kendall's Hitched trilogy. It takes place in the same universe and the characters are friends of the main couple from Hitched, Olivia and Noah. Trust me, when I say you don't need to read Hitched to enjoy The Fix Up. However; hitched is a great trilogy on its' own and I would definitely recommend that you read it.The Fix Up is a really great read. I think I still enjoyed Hitched a little bit more, but this comes in as a close second.
The Fix Up follows along in the same vein as Hitched, but in this case the main guy is British. He has recently come into a rather large inheritance (we are talking $50 million large) but there is a hitch (he-he) in order to receive the inheritance, he must be married. (again, let's put aside the actually legality of this, and pretend this is a valid way to pass along an inheritance, because it makes the story so much more fun.)
One thing I want to point out is that I found the summary to be a bit misleading. I thought that the two main characters, Camryn and Sterling would be really good friends turned more, but in reality they didn't know each other all that well. They had met at their mutual friends wedding and maybe a couple of other odd times, but nothing more substantial than that. It didn't really affect the story, I was just expecting them to know each other better starting off. either way, Camryn is a PR expert and she steps in to help Sterling find a suitable wife so he can secure his inheritance. Sterling has other ideas. Namely, Camryn. This was such a fun read. I love books where one person is so clearly pursuing the other person. Probably because I love determination, and Sterling certainly is determined.
Bottom line: I think everyone knows that Kendall Ryan is an excellent author, so obviously The Fix Up is excellently executed and well written. The characters are life like and fully fleshed out and the chemistry and romance can't be beat. It is really great. The Fix Up is perfect for fans of the Hitched series who want more! I want more!
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
I have loved the Imperfect Love trilogy by Kendall Ryan from start to finish. It is the perfect summer series, and in fact it is one of my favorites of the year! It is a fun, flirty and more than a little sexy read. Noah and Olivia are the kind of couple that you just know in your heart of hearts are meant for each other. Now that is not to say that they are great towards each other. They aren’t, and they have so many road blocks, I am sure they will have some whiplash and neck injuries from all of this up and down they are going through. But it is all worth it in the end.
Hitched Volume three picks up shortly after Hitched Volume one leaves off, which is to say it starts off in a cluster shank. Volume two left off at an awful spot, so I was cringing just starting book three. I will say that I think volume three was my least favorite in bunch, but I think most of that has to do with the fact that now is the time that Noah and Olivia really have to buckle down, get to business, and face the really hard stuff. One of the things that I have always appreciated about the Imperfect Love series, and volume three is no different, is that Kendall Ryan takes the time to highlight and develop not only the in private/at home relationship with Olivia and Noah, but also their at work relationship. They are each such dedicated workers that I really enjoyed watching them interact in a professional setting. (it also made for some, let’s just say interesting scenes.)
Bottom line: Hitched and the Imperfect Love series gets under your skin. You can’t help but love the characters, and root for them. Mrs. Ryan has really turns up the heat with Noah and Olivia, and I loved it! Sure, they can be infuriating, but there is just something about them that has me smiling, has me rooting for them and has me absolutely desperate for more. I am addicted to these two. I love Kendall Ryan’s writing. She writes banter and flirty fun so well. The Imperfect Love series is a top read of 2016 for me. I think everyone should check it out. But be warned, don’t start volume one unless you have some time on your hands because you are immediately going to want books 2 and 3.
Hitched Volume three picks up shortly after Hitched Volume one leaves off, which is to say it starts off in a cluster shank. Volume two left off at an awful spot, so I was cringing just starting book three. I will say that I think volume three was my least favorite in bunch, but I think most of that has to do with the fact that now is the time that Noah and Olivia really have to buckle down, get to business, and face the really hard stuff. One of the things that I have always appreciated about the Imperfect Love series, and volume three is no different, is that Kendall Ryan takes the time to highlight and develop not only the in private/at home relationship with Olivia and Noah, but also their at work relationship. They are each such dedicated workers that I really enjoyed watching them interact in a professional setting. (it also made for some, let’s just say interesting scenes.)
Bottom line: Hitched and the Imperfect Love series gets under your skin. You can’t help but love the characters, and root for them. Mrs. Ryan has really turns up the heat with Noah and Olivia, and I loved it! Sure, they can be infuriating, but there is just something about them that has me smiling, has me rooting for them and has me absolutely desperate for more. I am addicted to these two. I love Kendall Ryan’s writing. She writes banter and flirty fun so well. The Imperfect Love series is a top read of 2016 for me. I think everyone should check it out. But be warned, don’t start volume one unless you have some time on your hands because you are immediately going to want books 2 and 3.