Before You by Amber Hart

Before You

by Amber Hart

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Published by: Becky Wicks Books on May 29, 2014
Genres: Romance, NA
Source: ARC from Author
Rating: 4 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

It will haunt me. It will claim me. It will shatter me. And I don't care.

Faith Watters has a picture-perfect life. She's captain of the dance team, popular, happy. She even spent her junior year traveling the world before returning to Oviedo High School for senior year. But she's living a lie.

Diego Alvarez hates his new life in the States, but staying in Cuba is not an option. Covered in tattoos and scars, Diego doesn't stand a chance of fitting in, and doesn't want to. His only concern is his secret past--a past, which if it were to surface, would cost him his life.

Everyone knows that Faith and Diego don't belong together. But fate has its own plan. All they want is to be free. What they get is something different entirely.

Love--it will ruin you. . .and save you.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Diego and Faith. There are tons of books about guys from "the wrong side of the tracks" but this one has meat. The author writes with grit, heat, compassion, and love. I was sucked in straight from the start and emotional all the way through. It was a roller coaster ride I didn't want to get off of.

Both lead characters are 3-dimensional plus! Faith works very hard to maintain a good-girl image. She's a pastor's daughter with a shady past no one knows about. It's interesting to watch her mask fade away as she lets Diego into her world.

Diego, on the other hand, is pretty up front about who he is, besides one tiny "little" secret. He's rough and smooth and isn't afraid of anything. Mix that with Faith who's afraid of everything and you'll either get a train wreck or a lasting love. Read the book to find out!

Before He Was Famous by Becky Wicks

Before He Was Famous

by Becky Wicks

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Published by: Becky Wicks Books on May 29, 2014
Genres: Romance, NA
Source: ARC from Author
Rating: 3.5 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Falling in love with your best friend isn’t always a great idea, especially when he’s Noah Lockton - the sexiest, most famous new talent on the planet. When 21-year-old small-town photographer Chloe Campbell is offered the chance of a lifetime – to join her celebrity childhood friend Noah on tour as an exclusive blogger for a New York magazine – she’s certain both have put what happened four years ago behind them. But his eyes still burn; his voice is still a jackhammer to her heartstrings; all his songs are about her. Is it possible that that night still haunts them both?

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love books about best friends falling for one another. Add in the music industry, and I'm a total sucker.

Noah and Chloe are friends+ who can never seem to get on the same page. Noah's now a famous rock star and Chloe, a blogger hired to follow him on tour. Will they finally get together already?!!

Chloe gets a bit much at times. While I understand her need to push Noah away to protect her heart, sometimes the author takes that too far. It gets a tad tiring. Other than that, this is a perfect NA read!

Kiss the Girl by Melissa Brayden

Kiss the Girl

by Melissa Brayden

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Published by: Bold Strokes Books Inc on July 14, 2014
Genres: Romance, LGBT
Source: ARC from Author
Rating: 3.5 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Sleeping with the enemy has never been so complicated.

Twenty-eight-year-old Brooklyn Campbell is having a bad day. A speeding ticket, a towed car, and a broken heel are all working against her laid-back vibe. To top it all off, her birth mother, whom she's never met, has requested contact. The only bright spot is an impromptu date with a beautiful and mysterious brunette.

Jessica Lennox is what you would call a high-powered executive. She's the head of a multimillion-dollar advertising firm in New York City, and it didn't happen by accident. But when the blonde head turner from the wine bistro turns out to be her number one competitor, her life gets infinitely more complex.

Is New York big enough for both Brooklyn and Jessica? Maybe it's just time they experienced it together…

This is the classic story of rivals falling for one another - or so you'd think. While that is the premise, neither Brooklyn or Jessica know they rivals when they meet after a particularly grueling day for both. Brooklyn is reeling over the revelation of her birth mother's first contact while Jessica is lonely and looking for the right person. An adorable romance in which two flawed but well-written characters defy the odds and fall into the arms of the other.

Accidentally Married by Victorine E Lieske

Accidentally Married

by Victorine E Lieske

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Published by: Author on June 6, 2014
Genres: NA, Romance
Source: ARC from Author
Rating: 4 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Madison Nichols, aspiring actress, is floundering. Her rent is due and she needs a job. Desperately. After getting a tip about an open position, she rushes to Jameson Technologies and meets CEO Jared Jameson. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, she is put in the awkward position of pretending to be his girlfriend. Not the job she was applying for. And when she finds out Jared lied to her to get what he wanted, she decides to get back at him. In front of his family.

Jared is stunned when Madison announces they are getting married. She pushed her revenge too far. How can he tell them it’s all a lie? And when his sick aunt asks them to be married before she dies, Madison comes up with a hair-brained plan to hire an actor and stage a fake wedding.

What they both don’t know is Jared’s father has found out about the fake wedding. And he’s got his own hair-brained plan.

Victorine Lieske certainly knows how to write a delicious character! I adored Madison from the start! She was vivacious, charismatic and lovely. As an actress myself, I felt the author had a great handle on the type of character traits a true actress would have. I loved it. Madison was comedic and I found myself actually laughing out loud several times.

Madison's character opposite is certainly Jared, a guy who doesn't crack a smile and would rather pay someone to go on a date with him than form a meaningful relationship.

The book arcs nicely, showing the relationship change between Madison and Jared. Although I didn't always like the way Jared handled things with Madison, it just made their relationship more realistic. I highly recommend this light, fun, sexy read!

Homecoming by Jackie Sexton

Homecoming

by Jackie Sexton

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Published by: Moon Flower Press on June 22, 2014
Genres: NA, Romance
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 3.5 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Ariane Michaelson is always the quiet girl in the room, the one that her kooky mother and three sisters lovingly call the wallflower. After graduating from college she finds it more than a little difficult to find the graphic design job of her dream...or any job, really. She’s more than given up on painting, and a terrible run-in with her twin sister’s fiancé makes each day harder to keep a life altering secret.

Liam Ashdown was just the moody small town nobody, with one friend and a busted pickup—until he moved to LA. The life Liam once knew is turned upside down with models and mayhem...and there isn’t much down time in-between. The only thing that keeps him sane is the paintings. Beautiful ocean portraits that remind him of home, painted years ago by some friend of a friend.

What he wouldn’t give to know her. To tell her that her art saves him everyday.

The engagement of his childhood friend, Todd, brings him back home to Craryville, to deal with a drug-addicted mother and an ailing grandmother. But it also brings him hope—somewhere in the bridal party is the woman who has been his calm and respite in the storm of fame.

The only question is, can she save him?

This light new adult romance fed my need for adult sexual content, instant attraction and opposites attracting. The author did a wonderful job keeping the theme of art flowing throughout the novel, tying the MCs inextricably together. My only complaint is that the ending seemed a bit too easy. Yes, we all want a happy romantic ending, but don't we also want a realistic ending? As long as you're okay with an unrealistic ending, this is a great book.

Mean Streak by Sandra Brown

Mean Streak

by Sandra Brown

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Published by: Grand Central Publishing on August 19, 2014
Genres: Thriller, Mystery
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 4 Stars

NOTICE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Dr. Emory Charbonneau, a pediatrician and marathon runner, disappears on a mountain road in North Carolina. By the time her husband Jeff, miffed over a recent argument, reports her missing, the trail has grown cold. Literally. Fog and ice encapsulate the mountainous wilderness and paralyze the search for her.

While police suspect Jeff of "instant divorce," Emory, suffering from an unexplained head injury, regains consciousness and finds herself the captive of a man whose violent past is so dark that he won't even tell her his name. She's determined to escape him, and willing to take any risks necessary to survive.

I requested this book as soon as I saw that it was by best-selling author, Sandra Brown. Having enjoyed many other thrillers by her, I was eager to see where this new one lead me. I was not disappointed.

To describe this book would be to give away the many twists and turns, so I am not going to do that. I will admit that 64% of the way through (via kindle), I thought, "Well, the story should be over. Why is there still almost 40% left?" It was pretty silly of me to think that as no sooner had the thought escaped me than the real plot began. Sandra Brown is a master storyteller and this book is one not to be missed!