Look Behind You by Sibel Hodge

Look Behind You
by Sibel Hodge
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Published by: Thomas & Mercer June 10, 2014
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars

Chloe Benson wakes up kidnapped and bound in an underground tomb with no memory of how she got there.

She manages to escape but no one believes her story—not the police, not the doctors, and especially not her husband, Liam.

When she suspects Liam is lying to her, Chloe is forced to retrace her past, following in her own footsteps to find the truth and stay alive. But who is following Chloe?

Look behind you. You never know who's out there.

As soon as I started reading this, I knew it had a Gaslight feel to it. While I was not completely convinced Chloe's husband Liam was her kidnapper, I did believe that he was trying to make her appear crazy. He had her questioning her sanity when, afflicted with amnesia, she had no way to prove she wasn't.

The author presented several possible people who could've been her kidnapper, if, indeed, a kidnapping even occurred. I wasn't, however, surprised by the ending.

TTT: Top Ten Books I Read in 2014

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Top 10 Books I Read in 2014!
1. Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward -
Elec: "I never had a problem with the way you look at me. My issue is the way it makes me feel when you look at me: things I'm not supposed to feel, things I can't let myself feel for you. At the same time ... nothing felt worse than when you stopped looking at me, Greta."

2. Chanel Cleeton's International School Trilogy starring Maggie, Samir, Fleur & Max. Yummy.

3. Finding It by Cora Carmack -
A graduate traveling through Europe to escape her painful past. Throw in some swoons and some theatre, and you'll be sold.

4. The Remember When Trilogy by T Torrest -
Book 1 tells the high school friendship between Trip and Layla, from their first meeting to their first kiss near the end of the book. Book 2 picks up several years later when Trip is a famous actor and a household name - of course, he's never forgotten his first love.

5. Conduct Unbecoming by L.A. Witt -
One of my first m/m sexy romances and I just loved it!

6. Talania: A Trip Down Memory Lane by Crystal D Spears -
Evelyn Beaumont can't remember anything from the time she was 14 until she was 19. She lost five years of her life because of brain cancer. Now she is a 20 years old survivor and enrolled in college, determined to reclaim her life. There she meets Tristan Monroe, but it isn't the first time they’ve met. In fact, Tristan and Evelyn were once in love.

7. Dream Chaser by Angie Stanton -
With time on her hands, she auditions for a musical production directed by a Broadway choreographer. Just as things are looking up, Willow discovers she will be performing opposite Eli McAvoy, the best friend she abandoned three years before.

8. Phantom's Dance by Lesa Howard -
Because I'm talented, I accidentally erased the review I just did of this one. Ugh. It's a re-telling of Phantom of the Opera from a dance perspective. I highly recommend it if you like YA books centered on dance.

9. Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park -
This is one of those books that changes your views on everything, from family to love to friendship. Read. It.

10. Before You by Amber Hart -
A wrong-side-of-the-tracks romance with depth.

The Billionaire's First Christmas by Holly Rayner

The Billionaire's First Christmas
by Holly Rayner
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Publisher: Amazon Digital - December 8, 2014
Genre: NA, Clean Romance, Christmas
Rating: 4 Stars

Aaron Winters, the gorgeously handsome billionaire CEO and philanthropist has always hated Christmas; for him, the festive season holds too many tormenting memories...

Robyn Hurst is one of his many dutiful employees, but won't let anything - or anyone - cancel Christmas for her.

Aaron hasn't celebrated Christmas since he was 8 years old. Robyn's favorite holiday is Christmas, and she's going to spend the season trying to change his mind.

After Aaron bids on Robyn as a "Slave for a Day" at a work charity auction, he has her dress up like an elf and deliver presents to childrens' homes and orphanages. He even makes her deliver gifts to each department at their workplace. Robyn loves donning the costume and giving to others. If only the mysterious man who is her master for the day would tell her his name . . .

That night, at dinner, Robyn is pleasantly surprised to find Aaron Winters, himself, the CEO of her company. Where Aaron is uptight, Robyn is carefree.

This book is a light romance with tons of Christmas activities. Can Robyn turn Aaron back on to Christmas after all these years?

I Need You by Jane Lark

I Need You
by Jane Lark
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Published by: HarperImpulse - October 23, 2014
Genre: NA, Romance, Illness, Mental Health Issues
Rating: 3 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.

Wanting his best friend's girlfriend is a cliché Billy knows well - it's the tightrope he's walked for years.

But now Jason and Lindy have broken up and Billy can't help but be there for the girl he's loved from afar for so long. She's hurting.

Fighting to find a road to the future, Lindy's heart hurts. She's trying to escape the truth, but Billy keeps making her face it - and it's ugly. How can she keep living when everything is made of glass and it keeps shattering?

Her one constant is Billy. Only, rebound isn't his style and when Lindy starts to see him in a different light, he just can't trust her. He's no one's second best.

I'm not quite sure how to rate this. The author did a wonderful job of describing Lindy's hatred of her body, herself and the projection of those things onto her surroundings and the people around her. I used to hate my body and spent many years "letting" men have sex with me rather than "wanting" to have sex with them. Her friend Billy, who's loved her secretly, forever, makes it his mission to help her accept herself and learn to "want" and not "let" sex happen. He teaches her to be a willing participant and learn to enjoy intimacy. Let me make this clear: Lindy wasn't continually assaulted. That's not what I mean by "let." She was a willing participant, but did not know how to "want" with her body.

The relationship between Jason, Lindy and Billy was well-characterized. The marriage of Jason to Rachel brought a new element, showing Lindy just how much she'd been missing in her old relationship with Jason.

I admit that after things started to resolve, I was ready for the end to come. It dragged out a bit for me.

The In Between by Olivia Pierce

The In Between
by Olivia Pierce
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Published by: Full Fathom Five - November 12, 2014
Genre: YA, Romance, Death, Supernatural
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.

Tara Jenkins and Justin Westcroft used to be childhood BFFs. Now in high school, Justin’s a popular, all-star athlete, and Tara spends her days admiring him from afar. But when Tara saves Justin from nearly drowning in a freak accident, he’s unable to get her out of his mind. In no time at all, Tara and Justin fall deeply in love. And even though it’s only high school, they seem destined for a Happily Ever After.

Until tragedy strikes—and this time, Justin’s not so lucky. Tara passes through her days as a shell of her former self: Justin’s dead, but she can still feel his presence, and she can’t seem to let him go.

But there’s a reason for that, and it’s not just grief: Justin is In Between, and he’s still holding on.

They say that when someone saves you, you’re tied to them for life. But what about in the afterlife?

I love reading young adult books even though I'm 37, but this one, and those of it's kind, are a bit too young for me. As someone with a lot of life experience, it was really hard for me to believe the whole 180 Justin did and believe just how "in love" and inseparable he and Tara became in just a short time. Yes, there was a back story friendship. Yes, young love is intense. But, I just didn't feel it. Due to this, it was hard for me to understand why Justin couldn't let go of Tara in the "In Between."

I think that if you're a younger teen, you'll love this book and see it for the romance it's meant to be. It just wasn't right for me.

One Song Away by Molli Moran

One Song Away
by Molli Moran
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Published by: Molli Moran - December 1, 2014
Genre: NA, Music, Friends-Turned-Lovers
Rating: 4.5 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.

She needs a fill-in boyfriend. He needs a favor. It’s the perfect, no-strings arrangement until they both realize it’s too real…
Sophie-Claire Wright’s life is like a bad country song on repeat. She keeps running into her cheating ex, her songwriting career isn't taking off, and her roommate just kicked her out of their apartment. With nothing to lose, she decides to do the one thing she said she’d never do: she moves back home. She left her small Southern town with big dreams, but now she’s going home with empty pockets.

Life moves at a slower pace in Sophie’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hometown, but her well-meaning, matchmaking mama doesn't have a slow gear. Sophie invents a boyfriend to hold off her mother’s efforts, but she’s out of luck when her mom wants to meet him. Sophie panics until she runs into Jake Cooper. Her high school crush (and former best friend) is back in town, too, and when he asks her for a favor, she agrees...on one condition. He says he’ll be her fill-in boyfriend, so it should be simple: re-introduce him to her family and then “break up” with him after a few weeks.

Sophie is sure she’ll be able to resist Jake this time. Sure, she was in love with him years ago, but that was then. This is now, no matter how great he looks, or how she feels around him. But she didn't bargain for moments that feel all too genuine. Dates that don’t seem fake. Kisses that leave her shaken and wanting more. Sweet moments where she forgets they aren't really dating. And she didn't count on old feelings resurfacing and complicating their arrangement—which is starting to feel less like acting and more like the real deal.

Soon, Sophie can’t tell which kisses are real or fake, but she knows she’s in deep...and she thinks Jake is, too. When she gets a chance to go back to Nashville and chase her dreams again, she has a choice to make: stay or go? Continue hoping that the life she wants is one song away, or finally write her own song?

Many books I choose to read involve music and/or friends-turned-lovers settings. One Song Away by Molli Moran gloriously combined both! I've read F-to-L books that have annoyed the crap out of me, but this author does it naturally, expanding upon a foundation of friendship (and possibly more) from their high school years.

Sophie is OOAK and Jake is just adorable. I spent the entire book rooting for their "fake" relationship to become a real one. Again, the author does a fantastic job or finding "turning points" in their relationship several times in the book that allow us to see the natural progression of their feelings for one another.

While there is a sex scene in the book, "Claire" and Jake take their time getting to know one another physically before that ever happens. It was sweet, romantic and intimate. I personally think the intimate foreplay worked for the story as two friends found their way to becoming more.

I'm not a huge fan of the guy on the cover, but other than that, it was a fab book!

Can you tell I really liked this one? Go read it!

A Moment by Marie Hall

A Moment
by Marie Hall
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Published by: Marie Hall Publishing - March 12, 2013
Genre: NA, Childhood Sexual Assault, Romance
Rating: 3 Stars

A chance meeting... Life didn't turn out the way I'd ever hoped it would. I got pregnant at 14. Same year my mom got diagnosed with MS. Dad bailed on us and my life felt like it suddenly started to spiral out of control. I'm 21 now, I go to college, I work hard, trying to make something of myself. I wasn't supposed to be at that burlesque bar Valentine's Day. I wasn't supposed to meet Ryan Cosgrove, but I did. And now nothing will ever be the same. Love born from pain... I'm a retired Marine, an MMA fighter, and when I was younger something terrible happened to me. Life is hard and I'm so tired of pretending its not. I'm in a burlesque bar, drowning my sorrows, trying to shut out the demons breathing down my neck always reminding me I'm not good enough. Then I see Liliana Delgado and something inside of me- something I'd thought long dead- stirs to life. I wonder... can she save me? I hope she can, because I don't think I can save myself. This is our moment...

It's the typical story of the retired Marine with demons and the girl who saves him UNTIL you realize it's a sexual abuse survivor who finds healing from a woman with an Autistic child. It's poignant, loving and intense all at once.

This book is free right now on Kindle!

TTT: Top Ten New To Me Authors from 2014

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Top 10 New to Me Authors from 2014!
1. Chanel Cleeton (I'm obsessed) - I See London, London Falling, French Kissed. If you like Anna & the French Kiss but like things a bit spicier, you'll love this new adult series!

2. Jessica Park - Flat-Out Love. I want to read Flat-Out Celeste too. Has anyone read that one? Did you like it?

3. Cora Carmack - Finding It, Losing It, Faking It - I love the theatre theme that weaves them all together.

4. Shannon Hale - Austenland & Midnight in Austenland. Truth be told, the first installment, although a BRILLIANT idea, was a tad dull. The movie version starring Keri Russell really brought the characters to life. After the movie was written, Ms. Hale wrote the 2nd book, and it was teeming with intrigue and vivacious characters unlike the drippy characters from the first book. Thanks go to the writers of the movie for sparking better characters for Ms. Hale in the second book. I loved it!

5. Amber Hart - Before You. A wonderful spin on the wrong-side-of-the-tracks love, but MUCH more emotional and action-packed. Diego and Faith are a force to be reckoned with.

6. Juliet Madison - Haunted Ever After. Loved this quirky book about a soon-to-be wed girl who is haunted by the ghost of her fiance's ex-gf. Hilarious. I see that she has another funny one coming out soon, The 12 Daves of Christmas (which sounds a lot like the movie, "Letters to Juliet"). I must read that one too, especially since I'm dating a Dave.

7. Peter Monn - The Before Now & After Then. A wonderful coming-of-age LGBT novel.

8. Crystal Spears - Talania: A Trip Down Memory Lane. I love first love, teen, coming-of-age books! While I probably would've titled the book something shorter and sweeter, I absolutely adored this book!! I'd love to read more of her but her Breakneck series about a crime family or her new book Orlando about the porn industry don't interest me.

9. L. A. Witt - Conduct Unbecoming, Starstruck, The Walls of Troy etc. I never knew I'd enjoy m/m romance until I started reading her books!

10. Penelope Ward - Stepbrother Dearest and My Skylar. Stepbrother Dearest was . . . I just loved it! My Skylar wasn't on the same calibur but it was still good. If she has another SD-type calibur book out there, count me in! Should I try her debut, Gemini?

Perpetual Page Turner's End of the Year Survey!

Number Of Books You Read: 89 Arcs + whatever else I read . . .
Number of Re-Reads: The International Series by Chanel Cleeton (2)
Genre You Read The Most From: New Adult

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?
Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?The Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead since I loved the VA series. Still loved Adrian, liked Sydney, but hated the other characters and the plot. Couldn't finish it.


3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014? Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher. Who knew someone could write a clever story only told through memos? Julie totally did!


4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014? The International School series by Chanel Cleeton, beginning with I See London. LOVED LOVED LOVED! I'll have my review up tomorrow for the 3rd and final installment, French Kissed!

5. Best series you started in 2014? I loved Chanel Cleeton's International School series as well as T. Torrest's Remember When series.


6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014? I could certainly gush on and on about Chanel Cleeton, but I also like New Adult author Cora Carmack.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? Conduct Unbecoming by LA Witt. I'd never read M/M romances, but I really like hers.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? The Girl with All the Gifts by MR Carey. While I usually don't like Dystopian stories, this one was amazing.

9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
I'd probably re-read either The Before Now and After Then by Peter Monn. A good coming-of-age m/m young adult novel.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?
Not sure - maybe Before You by Amber Hart.

11. Most memorable character of 2014?
Samir from I See London

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?
Then & Always by Dani Atkins

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?
What She Lost & Found by ML Garcia

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? Vampire Academy!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2014?
I am not a novella fan, so I avoid those at all cost. The longest was probably The Girl with All the Gifts by MR Carey.

17. Book That Shocked You The Most?
Dear Nobody probably. I love memoirs, but this collection of diary entries were explicit and not what I was expecting.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) Maggie & Samir from the International Series by Chanel Cleeton!!!

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year:
Julie & Celeste from Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park. Has anyone read Flat-Out Celeste? I'm trying to decide whether to read it or not.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously:
The only books I read this year by the same author were sequels, so I can't really pick one.

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Just finished the first book. Haven't written the review yet.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?
Again, Samir from the International Series.

23. Best 2014 debut you read?
I'm honestly really bad at figuring out if an author is a first-time writer or not, so I can't answer without googling every single one of my faves.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Mara Dyer

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
Turning 16 by Perie Wolford. It was basically a re-telling of the movie "Sixteen Candles" with Sam as a gay high school boy. Loved it. Oh the nostagia!

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?
Talania by Crystal Spears. Cancer? Amnesia? First love? Reminding the first love with amnesia about said love? Tearjearker in the best way!

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning. I need to write a review for it. It's a long book that shows how a selfish playboy and a self-professed "big" girl grow together and grow in love. Loved it.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
See #27.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?
The Austenland books by Shannon Hale. I also highly recommend seeing the movie starring!

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad?
Above by Isla Morely. I really hated that the MC spent most of her life underground and, when she finally escapes, she finds a dystopian society.

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014
It's not a total book blog, but Melbourne on My Mind. We have a lot of the same taste in books & movies.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014?
All of them? lol

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
I recently started doing Mish Mash Mondays featuring things going on in my life and/or things on my mind.

4. Best event that you participated in? The blog tours for Chanel Cleeton!

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?Getting my hands on the sequels for I See London by Chanel Cleeton.!

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? My Mish Mash Posts.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love? My reviews in general. I don't get a ton of traffic.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? Bookish items on Etsy! Love finding unique ones.

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year? No

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015? The Walls Around Us - Nova Ren Suma

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)? Macdeath - Cindy Brown - 1/20/15

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? I suck b/c I'm not bookish enough to know which are debuts and which aren't!

4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015? I want to keep reading the Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout - I'm very behind.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015? Have more time for reading!

6. A 2015 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone: I can't find one that I read that I really, really like.

Monday Mish Mash

Random things going on in my life . . .

Two words: Orphan Black!

The short synopsis? "A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her." ~IMDB

The longer synopsis? Clones and one talented actress that can pull that off!

I finished Season 1 in a flash and am on Season 2. It's a BBC show filmed in Canada, and the 3rd and final season will be airing in 2015. It's a nail biter! I highly recommend it!


On Being a Survivor . . .
With all the Bill Cosby talk in the news lately, and with the 14-year anniversary of a bad event in my life occurring the week before Thanksgiving, I've had a lot on my mind.

While there are many things I can say about surviving sexual assault (and stalking), I want the following to be known:

1. Just because a victim doesn't report her assault doesn't mean it didn't happen. There are many reasons why this may not happen.
a. The victim may be terrified of retribution from the perpetrator or their friends or family.
b. They may be afraid of public opinion.
c. They may feel that people will judge them and say, "Well, you were wearing this or you shouldn't have been drinking or or or . . ."
d. The perpetrator may have been grooming (pg 16 of the doc) the victim for a long time and the victim may feel that they are complicit in the situation.

2. Psychopaths/Sociopaths are very good at what they do. While a lot of assaults are a one time deal, I was stalked/abused for several years by someone. The key to this, and to why I STILL don't speak of it, was mind control. Psychopaths are mind control machines. There is brainwashing involved so that you believe you are a willing participant in events that you don't want to do. This has happened to me. I don't talk about it, because I don't think the vast majority of people would understand or even try to understand that. In their minds, you either fought your abuser or you wanted it. Abuse is not that simple.

I don't feel like writing anymore right now. I hope someone who reads this will at least listen and try to understand.

French Kissed by Chanel Cleeton - Release Tour & Review!

French Kissed by Chanel Cleeton

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Published by: Chanel Cleeton - December 1, 2014
Genres: NA Romance
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.


SYNOPSIS:
On the surface Fleur Marceaux has it all—if only the façade matched reality. With one year left at the International School in London, Fleur’s struggling to graduate, her love life is a mess, and she can’t stop thinking about Max, her ex-boyfriend’s best friend. But all of that pales compared to the blackmailer determined to destroy her.

There’s a social hierarchy at the International School, and Max Tucker is outside the velvet ropes. After watching Fleur break his friend’s heart, Max knows to stay away from trouble—despite the crush he’s had on her since freshman year. But when they’re partnered on a project, Max learns there’s more to Fleur than meets the eye, and she just might be worth the wild ride.

The more time they spend together, the further Max falls. And when a kiss awakens a passion Fleur never imagined, she’s unable to resist Max, who she thought was wrong for her, but might be the only thing that’s right.

But will he stand by her when her secrets are revealed?

Have you ever read a story that had you so captivated, you re-read it right after completing it the first time? For me, that story was I See London and my introduction to the intensity that is Maggie & Samir. Not only are they the hottest couple in the literary planet, but they're each well-drawn, unique characters that could hold my interest even if they weren't together. Combined, they are a big fireball of heat. 5 stars!

After I completed (and greedily re-read) I See London, I was granted a sneak peak at the London Falling arc, the sequel and end to the International School books. I couldn't wait to see how the intense love story between Maggie & Samir ended. I finished their sequel in no time and was thoroughly pleased with the result. 5 more stars! It's SUPER rare that I like a sequel at all, let alone rate it with 5 stars. I usually find that they're so off-base in the reprise of the character's personalities they ruin the first installment for me. I tend to not read them and leave my favorite characters behind in that happy after-glow (of reading) one gets when they loved a book.

During what was supposed to be the final book in the series, a strange energy emerged between two of the secondary characters: Fleur and Max. He called her "The Ice Queen" and she hated him for it. A lot of fans felt like there was a story there and one we wanted to read. The author was only too obliging and created a third (and seriously final) book to the International School series, French Kissed starring Fleur and Max.

When I began the book, I wasn't sure if I was going to love it. In between the sparse dialogue between the MCs was a ton of exposition and inner-thought. If what was written truly happened in real life, it would've taken 15 minutes to spit out 6 sentences of dialogue, there was so much introspective thinking written in. That was a bit off-putting and I greatly hoped the rest of the book didn't read like that. Fortunately for me, it didn't!

Fleur and Max are pushed together as partners for a project in one of their classes that will make up 80% of their grade. Fleur needs the class to graduate and Max needs good grades for his future in banking. It's clear that this is the main antagonistic curve ball in the story - two people that "hate" each other forced to get along to pass the class (even though we know they really like each other). The second is the mysterious blackmailer who plagued Fleur in the previous book. Will her secrets threaten the relationship she eventually has with Max?

Although I love Chanel's writing and enjoyed the plot line, I wanted their push/pull to last a bit longer than it did. I guess I wanted a bit of Maggie and Samir, which probably isn't fair as they're different people. Regardless, after one kiss, they pretty much become a couple. I wanted a bit more of a struggle before that happened. I also felt like the reader knew who the blackmailer was (it was pretty obvious in the prior book) and although the things the blackmailer did to Fleur were embarrassing, they weren't anything (I think) that would ruin a relationship between Max and Fleur. I didn't find Max's initial reaction plausible and like his character at all. I felt like the author was trying to create more tension in the story but used a tactic or a reaction that didn't really fit in line with her characters.

Those two critiques aside, I loved the book and devoured it within a day. I loved that we found out what happened to Maggie & Samir as well as Max & Fleur down the road. A very satisfying ending to the series. It also makes me want to re-read London Falling. I think I just might!

There is also a Rafflecopter giveaway of a $10 Amazon GC, 1 Ebook of I See London, and 1 Ebook of London Falling (US winner only due to gifting constraints- sorry!).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Forced Disappearance by Dana Marton

Forced Disappearance
by Dana Marton
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Published by: Montlake Romance - November 18, 2014
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.

When wealthy American businessman Glenn Danning goes missing in Venezuela, investigator Miranda Soto volunteers to track him down. It’s her first assignment for the Civilian Personnel Recovery Unit, but this mission is about more than salvaging the remnants of her shattered military career. Glenn was Miranda’s best friend and first lover, and she’ll do anything to save him from danger…especially since she just lost everything that mattered to her.

Glenn barely survived being kidnapped and tortured as a suspected spy, but the shock of seeing Miranda again gives him a new lease on life. Their still-simmering attraction grows hotter as the couple races through the treacherous jungle. Determined to reach safe ground, they must stay alive long enough to stop the terrifying enemy who still hunts Glenn. And even if they survive, Miranda’s dark past could jeopardize their future together…

Billed as a romance, this book was all action. There was romance (and sex), but it was truly an engaging action book with a lot of research and hard work put in by the author. She gave a lot of detail about the setting and really made you feel like you were interned somewhere in the middle of the rain forest yourself.

The action was non-stop, the foils many, and every time the heroes had freedom within reach, there was a wrench. I loved it.

If you can get past the fact that Miranda just happened to get assigned a missing persons case for her long-lost love or the sex scene that takes place after Glenn hasn't showered in over a month (ew), you will love this book! It has romance, action . . . it has it all!

When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill

When Joss Met Matt
by Ellie Cahill (YA author Liz Czukas)
Add to Goodreads | Purchase on Amazon
Published by: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - February 24, 2015
Rating: 3.75 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.

What if after every bad breakup, there was someone to turn to “cleanse your palate”—someone who wouldn’t judge you, who was great in bed, someone you were sure not to fall in love with? “Sorbet sex” could solve everything—as long as it never got too sweet.

Joss and Matt have been friends since freshman year, meeting one night after Joss is dumped by her high school boyfriend. After few drinks, Joss nearly gives it up to an even drunker frat boy. Matt humors her with a proposition: that he’ll become her go-to guy whenever she needs to heal a broken heart. In return, she’ll do the same for him. The #1 Rule: They’ll never fall in love with each other. People scoff at the arrangement. But six years later, Joss and Matt are still the best of friends . . . with benefits.

Through a string of boyfriends and girlfriends—some almost perfect, some downright wrong—Joss and Matt are always there for each other when the going gets tough. No strings. No attachments. Piece of cake. No problem. After all, since they wrote the rules, surely they can play by them. Or can they?

A better title for this new adult novel would be, "Sorbet," in my opinion. The given title was a bit long and didn't capture the essence of the story. That said, I really enjoyed the book and would definitely keep Ellie Cahill on my list of authors to read new material from.

The story moves back and forth between the past and present in a very clear way. Sometimes authors don't know how to use this technique to its full benefit, but this author certainly does. She captured the initial sorbet contract between Joss and Matt as freshmen coeds and weaved it in well with a dinner at Matt's house, several years in the future. Joss is all set to tell Matt (FINALLY) that she's in love with him at dinner, when the next words out of his mouth are that he's moving away. After six long years of soothing broken egos and hearts, has Joss lost her own?

You'll have to read to find out, and I highly recommend you do!

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