Here Kitty Kitty by Jardine Libaire

Here Kitty Kitty by Jardine Libaire

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Published by: Hogarth Publish Date: February 27, 2018
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.25 Stars
New York at night is an urban playground where glamour and danger are just flip sides of the same thrilling coin. The tough, beautiful player at the heart of Jardine Libaire's acclaimed first novel is Lee, the consummate party girl. Lee has the right designer clothes, the right job managing a stylish restaurant, and the right lover, who finances all her bad habits. As the lights go down at closing time, the energy of the city is a call Lee cannot resist, even when her Cinderella-like existence begins to unravel.

The descriptive narrative style the author uses reminds me very much of Emma Forrest's breakthrough novel, Thin Skin. The difference? I found Forrest's tale more interesting and ultimately meaningful. Here Kitty Kitty is more of a pale, whiny version of the 90's movie, Party Girl, starring Parker Posey.

Lee is a spoiled brat who's never had to rely on herself for anything. She takes no responsibility in her actions, knowing someone will bail her out of her messes, as they always do.

She's come to a crossroads in her life. Her best friend, and former partner in partying, has grown up and settled down. Her much older sugar daddy of a boyfriend has a health scare which prompts him to put a ring on her finger. Still, she's spending money like she has it, ignoring her rent, drinking and drugging her days and nights through, and assuming it will all just go away if she wills that to happen hard enough.

While there is a brief turning point when a new guy enters her life, it is unbelievable. She suddenly decides to sober up and even breaks it off with the guy because she realizes she needs to learn to be on her own. The catalyst for this 180 turnaround was just not enough for me to get behind this change in her behavior. I just felt "meh" about the whole thing.

If you are looking for a character study, this honestly isn't it. It's more of a showcase for the author's quick-witted word-smithing rather than an actual plot piece. While I admire the style, I wanted more. I gave it 3.25 stars for the actual writing. That's all I could muster.

Waking Olivia by Elizabeth O'Roark

Waking Olivia
by Elizabeth O'Roark

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Published by: Amazon Digital Publish Date: March 12, 2016
Genre: New Adult
Rating: 4.5 Stars
A college track star with nothing to lose.
A coach who may lose everything to save her.

Will Langstrom has a failing farm, his father’s debt and a struggling college track team. The last thing he needs is Olivia Finnegan, a beautiful but troubled new transfer student.

Olivia Finnegan is her own worst enemy, with a past she can't seem to escape, and the last person she wants help from is a cocky track coach she can never seem to please.

Refusing to be pushed away, Will is determined to save her.
And determined to resist an attraction that could destroy them both.

I read this book as an ARC quite some time ago via NetGalley, but I just realized I never reviewed it on here. It was one of my favorite New Adult novels, so I knew I needed to get this review up on my page.

This is a character piece with a well-built relationship arc between Will and Olivia written in. I could tell the author spent a lot of time planning the narrative before she began writing. That's the mark of a truly great writer, in my opinion.

Both Will and Olivia are fully-realized with back stories that shape themselves and their relationship to one another. I liked the comparison to Olivia as a track star and the fact that in her sleep, she literally runs away from her demons, sleep-running only to wake up and not know where she is. Will decides to help her by letting her sleep at his family's farm so that he can prevent her nightly escapes. He truly cares about her and wants her to succeed in track and in life.

The romance between them was slow brewing which made it more believable and less taboo than most authors have the talent to portray. I was rooting for them the whole way through.

If you like new adult fiction, do yourself a favor and read this one immediately. You won't regret it.

Cross Your Heart by Kierney Scott

Cross Your Heart
by Kierney Scott

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Published by: Amazon Digital Publish Date: April 25, 2018
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Three young girls are missing. All of them cold cases. All of them forgotten. But when Detective Jess Bishop identifies a disturbing link between them, she’s determined to find out what happened, and fights to re-open their cases. At the scene of each abduction the kidnapper left a clue – a small bag of candy – in place of the missing child. And then a fourth child is taken. Eight-year-old Ava is snatched from her hospital bed and when a bag of candy is found in her room, Jessica knows it’s the same kidnapper. As the pressure to solve the case pushes Jess and her team to breaking point, Jess takes a personal risk she fears she’ll live to regret. But she has no choice. Out of hospital, Ava can only get sicker: Jess is running out of time. Can she find Ava before it’s too late?

I typically like thrillers about detective work, cold cases, missing persons, and protagonists with a past. This book had all of those elements, so I was looking forward to reading it.

Immediately, I felt as if I should have read Book 1 in the series prior to reading the Book 2. I received this one as an ARC and was slightly confused about the references to the first installment, including what exactly happened to Detective Bishop to cause the mutilation to her hand. The author mentioned she cut it on glass while trying to escape from the perpetrator in the first book, but it was very foggy and unclear. I would have liked more of an explanation to tie it to her issues of PTSD in present day.

While she was on leave from her injuries, Det. Bishop spent time looking over cold case files. She found 3 cases in which there was a common denominator: blue cotton candy under the fingernails of the deceased children. Predictably, upon her return to work, none of her colleagues believe there is a serial killer out there targeting children by giving them blue cotton candy. Even more predictably, the next day, a fourth child is taken and blue cotton candy is found at the scene.

With those obvious issues with the beginning of the story, I was tempted to stop reading. I was worried that the plot would be transparent and wouldn't keep my interest. However, I pressed on.

Ultimately, I never saw the ending coming. The identity of the killer was surprising and unique. I enjoyed that twist.

While I found the story driven and surprising, I only gave this 3.5 stars as I don't think I'll be reading any more books in the series. I fear I'd have to go back and read the first one in order to really know what's going on in the overall arc.

More Than Comics by Elizabeth Briggs

More Than Comics
by Elizabeth Briggs

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Published by:  Elizabeth Briggs Publish Date: February 23, 2015
Genre: NA, Romance
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.

They're best friends online - but can they be more in real life?

Writer Tara McFadden has been best friends with artist and drummer Hector Fernandez for years, long before his band became famous on reality TV – yet they’ve never met in person. They finally have a chance to connect offline when they’re both sent to Comic-Con to promote the graphic novel they collaborated on.

Hector's secretly been in love with Tara for as long as he can remember, and once they meet, she sees him in a new light. All the years of longing lead to an incredible night of passion after one of his concerts, but neither is sure if their online relationship can translate into a real life romance – or if this will ruin their friendship forever.

Over four crazy days at Comic-Con, Hector and Tara must decide if they want a future together. But when their story seems to be over, it’s up to Hector’s entire band to make sure he and Tara get their happy ending.

I was privileged to review More Than Music by Elizabeth Briggs earlier in the year, so I jumped at the chance to read this novel as well. I'm so glad that I did!

I, myself, have met quite a few online friends in real life. I've had some good experiences and two really horrible experiences that literally changed my life forever, yet, the concept of this novel really intrigued me. Although I don't let it show, I think I'm a romantic at heart and really wanted to read a happy ending to the internet friends to real life situation. I was very pleased with how this book arced.

The setting was Comic-Con, something I don't know much about in real life, but I really enjoyed the way the author laid it out. It was the perfect setting and time period (4 days) to give the main characters time to adjust to one another in person, and also create background detail. It was rather brilliant.

Tara had absolutely no idea that she liked Hector as more than a friend, but as she thought about it, she realized that he was the first person she thought of every day, the person she talked to every day and the person she told her secrets too. Perhaps she had been in love with him the entire time, but just didn't know it.

I really liked Hector. He wasn't your typical white alpha male main character and it was refreshing. Although he was a softie on the inside, he was a man of few words on the outside. You never really knew what he was thinking. His band of friends (pun intended) were like a family to him and pushed him out of his comfort zone to get him to go for what he truly wanted.

Overall, the plot arc had a depth that you don't usually find in the new adult genre. The main characters, as well as the peripheral characters, were well-defined and unique to furthering along the story in their own way. Everyone had an integral part in the joining of Tara and Hector. I'm definitely game for reading the next book in the series!

No One Knows by JT Ellison

No One Knows
by JT Ellison

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Published by: Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books Publish Date: March 22, 2016
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
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.

The day Aubrey Hamilton’s husband is declared dead by the state of Tennessee should bring closure so she can move on with her life. But Aubrey doesn’t want to move on. She just wants Josh back. It’s been five years since he disappeared, since their blissfully happy marriage—they were happy, weren’t they?—screeched to a halt and Aubrey became the prime suspect in his disappearance. Five years of emptiness, solitude, loneliness, questions. Why didn’t Josh show up at his friend’s bachelor party? Who anonymously sent Aubrey her favorite cocktail at the bar where Josh stood her up? Was he murdered? Did he run away? And now, all this time later, who is the mysterious and strangely familiar figure suddenly haunting her new life?

As her heroine faces the possibility that everything she thinks she knows about herself, her marriage, and her husband is a lie, New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison expertly peels back the layers of a complex woman who is hiding dark secrets beneath her unassuming exterior. In a masterful thriller for readers who love Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins, Ellison pulls you into a you’ll-never-guess merry-go-round of danger and deception. Round and round and round it goes, where it stops…no one knows.

This is a hard book to review. I thought the book was well-written overall, the 3-dimensional characters, the conflict among them viable, and the mystery that kept me interested. I won't say anything more as I don't want to give anything away. For my taste, then end was . . . well . . . a little too Gillian Flynn Gone Girl for me. It seemed rushed, and while their were clues along the way that vaguely explained what happens to Aubrey at the end, I just didn't buy it. I didn't buy any of it. You'll have to read and decide yourself.

Schooled (Travesty Book 1) by Piper Lawson

Schooled (Travesty Book 1)
by Piper Lawson

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Published by: Piper Lawson Books Publish Date: June 1, 2015
Genre: New Adult, Witty, Romance
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.

A sexy story about smart girls, big dreams, and best friends’ little brothers who just keep. Coming. Back...

Twenty-one-year-old Alexis Caine is so close to her dream she can taste it. And it tastes like validation and Häagen-Dazs.

In a few months the self-admitted control freak will graduate with a shiny new business degree and launch a fashion label with her best friend Ava. All the planning, dedication, and saying ‘no’ to every distraction will pay off.

Then Dylan Cameron, Ava’s tall, dark and broody younger brother, returns from the East coast as a sophomore at Lex’s San Diego college. Lex has hardly seen him in years. Given his reputation for partying and girls, that’s fine with her.

Now Dylan’s all grown up. And a night of unplanned confessions for both of them threatens to tear Lex’s carefully constructed world off its axis.

Dylan may be new on campus, but he's making it clear he wants more than Lex's attention. Their shocking chemistry is too hot to ignore. But is Lex willing to put her dreams, her best friend and her heart on the line?

I really, really enjoyed this book. The author imbibed wit, charm, and likability into each of her characters. I cared about who they were, what they wanted, and what they had to say. Oftentimes, I put down new adult books because they are written in too juvenile a manner for me, but Piper Lawson renewed my faith in NA writers with Schooled. I can't wait to read her next installment!

This standalone book also had a well-plotted arc and realistic conflicts. Again, those are not very prevalent (in my opinion) in today's new adult genre. I didn't feel as though the author was using old, tired conflict to create tension between Lex and Dylan. Everything that happened was natural. I would have made the same assumptions she did.

I won't give too much away other than to say READ THIS BOOK! I can't wait until the second book in her Travesty series comes out. :)

A Mess of Reason by A. Wilding Wells

A Mess of Reason
by A. Wilding Wells

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Published by: Henry Holt & Company Publish Date: July 2, 2015
Genre: New Adult, Friends-Turned-Lovers
Rating: 3.5/4 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.

There are three sides to our story: mine, hers, and the truth.

Best friends since age 15, Scout and Tess, have always loved one another as more than friends, but never took a chance on the other. This is the story, told from both points of view, of love finally finding a way.

This is a hard book to review for me, because there are parts that I really loved and parts that I could've done without. I'll just spell it out for you:

You Won't Like This Book If:

• Flowery, wordy metaphors aren't your thing. If you can just get past the first chapter (where it's REALLY bad), I assure you that it tones down a bit. The metaphors are still present, but not as bad as the first chapter. If that kind of thing bugs you, you won't be able to swallow this book. And speaking of swallowing . . .
• MCs drinking shots as if they're drinking water doesn't sit well with you. I don't mind some drinking once in awhile, but I often found myself wondering how their relationship would be if there wasn't so much alcohol involved. They both verged on alcoholism in my opinion.
• The Male MC spends a lot of time carrying around the Female MC and/or pulling her on his lap and/or describes her constantly as tiny and/or calls her "Baby" a heck of a lot doesn't ring true for you. No explanation needed there, although I never thought of a 5'7" female as tiny. That's taller than me and I don't feel tiny.
• The MCs spend a lot of their time kissing in the name of friendship isn't realistic to you. I've had some male friends in my day and never did we ever kiss each other unless we were officially fooling around. The MCs spend a lot of time kissing in the name of friendship, pretending that that's normal - then wondering "Gee, I don't know if they like me as more than a friend." If they're constantly trying to make out with you, they probably like you as more than a friend.
• The female MC spends a lot of time crying and/or pushing away the male MC is annoying to you. It was sometimes annoying to me and sometimes not.
• You'd sometimes just like the author to GET TO THE POINT in a scene AKA although I like sexual tension, sometimes the scene just went on for too long in my opinion.
• It bugs you when author's throw something super random into an otherwise well-detailed scenario AKA what happens at the wedding in this particular book.

You Will Like This Book If:

• T-T-T-Tension (to quote Rocky Horror) between two people is more fun to read about than actual sex scenes (although there are plenty of those). I happen to like this and felt the author employed very creative ways of achieving this.
• H*O*T not-sex-but-almost-sex scenes make up much of the book giving you something to look forward to when they FINALLY make love. Kind of related to the above bullet point, but I figured this deserved its own line.
• Surprise secrets thrill you. Yes - secrets are supposed to be private thus making them secretive, but we've all read 100 books in which the MC has a "secret" that always turns out to be a secret we've already read about. Writers just aren't creative these days. I was taken aback and delighted that AWW created her own unique secret. Bravo!

Now, while my pet peeves list is greater than my like list, overall I really liked this book and gave it a pretty high rating. While not up to the level of my favorite NA books, the International Series by Chanel Cleeton, this book was a good runner up to what I liked about those books. I think I may purchase one of AWW's other books on my own. :)

Fever: A Ballroom Romance by Tonya Plank

Fever: A Ballroom Romance
by Tonya Plank

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Published by: Dark Swan Press Publish Date: June 10, 2015
Genre: Romance, Dance
Rating: 2 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.

Rory’s once promising ballet career was destroyed by family tragedy and illness. She turned her life around and became a lawyer. Now at the start of her legal career, she lacks passion in her work and self-confidence in her abilities. But when she meets gorgeous, mysterious Russian ballroom dancer, Sasha, at a firm holiday party, her passions for life and dance are immediately re-kindled. Since being torn from his Siberian family as a child, Sasha’s life ambition has been to be world ballroom champion, a path he was destined for until his former partner pulled the plug on their partnership. She went on to win the world title, leaving him, without a partner equal in ability, forever in second place. The instant he lays eyes on Rory, he recognizes the depth of her passion and talent, and falls hard for her in more ways than one. But she also reminds him of great pain from his past. He must not only overcome his own demons but convince her to leave her demanding law career, and all that she has worked for in her adult life, to train with him full-time in order for their partnership – both on and off the dance floor – to work. This is part one in a continuing three-book series.

I really wanted to like this book. I did. The first chapter didn't grab me, but I decided to press on. I was glad I did, because the story, and the writing, became much more interesting. I'm a former dancer and I identified with the main character longing for what "might have been" had she been able to pursue her career in dance. And then, the book got annoying again. I'm 36% of the way through on my Kindle, but I can't go on. So far, the MC has spent the first 36% of the book stalking a hot ballroom dancer. It's just creepy. I've been stalked and it isn't a fun, romantic gesture. Plus, every time she makes eye contact with him, she gets, um wet "down there." So basically, we've spent the first quarter of the book stalking someone and being wet. I can't go on. I'm honestly sure this book would be fine for a lot of people, so I won't give it no stars; it just isn't for me.

The Lost Child by Ann Troup

The Lost Child
by Ann Troup

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Published by: Carina UK Publish Date: May 19, 2015
Genre: Mystery, Light Romance
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.

Mandy Miller disappeared from Hallow’s End when she was just 3 years old. She was never found.

Thirty years on, Elaine Ellis is carrying her mother’s ashes back to Hallow’s End to scatter them in the place that she once called home. Elaine has never been there, but it’s the only place Jean talked about while she was growing up – so it seems as good a place as any.

As Elaine settles into her holiday cottage in the peaceful Devonshire village, she gets to know the locals; family she never knew she had, eccentric and old-fashioned gentry, and new friends where she would least expect them. But she is intrigued by the tale of the missing girl that the village still carries at its heart, and which somehow continues to overshadow them all. Little does she know how much more involved in the mystery she will become…

Lately, I've been hard-pressed to finish a book. Almost every time I pick up a new one, I can't seem to get past the first chapter. The writing has been juvenile, the plot predictable from the start. The Lost Child, however, immediately captured my attention. Although the solving of the mystery wasn't earth-shattering, the story kept my attention due to the characterization the author created.

Although Elaine herself wasn't overly fascinating to me, nor was Dan - her love interest - Brodie and all of her extended family flew off the page, right at me. Each was engaging and I wanted more from each of them.

Besides the secondary characters, my other favorite part was the glue that held every scene together, like a bread crumb trail: Jean's ashes. Elaine went to Hallow's End to scatter her mother's ashes. Unfortunately, she dumps them right away and leaves a dusty trail behind her wherever she goes in the novel. The writer did a fantastic job of weaving every scene together by adding a dusting of Jean here and there.

The reason I gave it a 3.5, though, is due to the author's love of run-on sentences. For example: "None of us realise how crap this thing might turn out to be, this is the only beginning, and it might get worse, it might get better, but we'll do it together, OK?" Now I love commas and all (as you can tell from this review) but i don't enjoy run-on sentences broken up by commas. I'll let you count for yourself how many sentences were smooshed into the above.

Overall, I enjoyed it.

Pulse and Prejudice by Colette L Saucier

Pulse and Prejudice: The Confession of Mr. Darcy, Vampire
by Colette Saucier

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Published by: MAM Books LLC
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Jane Austen re-telling
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.

When the haughty and wealthy Fitzwilliam Darcy arrives in the rural county of Hertfordshire, he finds he cannot control his attraction to Elizabeth Bennet – a horrifying thought because, as she is too far below his social standing to ignite his heart, he fears she must appeal to the dark impulses he struggles to suppress.

Set against the vivid backdrop of historical Regency England, this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice follows the cursed Mr. Darcy as he endeavours to overcome both his love and his bloodlust for Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Although Pulse and Prejudice adheres to the original plot and style of the Jane Austen classic, it is neither a “mash-up” nor "fan fiction" but an imaginative, thrilling variation told primarily from Mr. Darcy’s point of view as he descends into the seedier side of London and introduces Elizabeth to a world of passion and the paranormal she never knew existed.

If you're familiar with my blog at all, you'll notice a pattern. I try to read every Jane Austen re-telling I can get my hands on. I love love love the original, Pride & Prejudice as well as vampire novels. I just KNEW I was going to love this one. Well, the verdict is in: I did!

Ms. Saucier kept true to the P&P story plot while adding in a fantastic element: Mr. Darcy has become a vampire. The interesting part in reading this book, was that the author explained away a lot of Darcy's standoffishness and rudeness as merely a result of him being a vampire. He felt left out of the crowd due to his difference from the carefree humans at town dances and household meetings. He felt different because he was different.

No longer a human, many things changed in his life. He had decided he no longer wanted to marry and had no interest in any women since his transformation. All of that changed when Elizabeth Bennet entered his life. Could he possibly still feel human emotion? Could he still want a woman in a human way?

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

The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

The Summer After You and Me

by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
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Published by: Sourcebooks Fire - May 5, 2015
Genre: YA, Romance
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.

For Lucy, the Jersey Shore isn't just the perfect summer escape, it's home. As a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in during Memorial Day weekend, crowding her coastal town and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Still, she can't help but crush on charming Connor Malloy. His family spends every summer next door, and she longs for their friendship to turn into something deeper.

Then Superstorm Sandy sweeps up the coast, bringing Lucy and Connor together for a few intense hours. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm, and Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and her broken home. Time may heal all wounds, but with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, Lucy's summer is sure to be filled with fireworks.

I love a good summer tale, especially when the previous summer ended in conflict between the MCs. This quick-read YA novel fit the bill.

Lucy grew up on the Jersey shore with her parents and twin brother Liam. There's growing tension between her and Liam just as there is with her ex best friend Meghan. Then there's Connor - the boy of her summer dreams - the one she spent an intense few hours with - the boy who never called her again.

This summer Lucy is back and ready to face her fears, her enemies, and the truth about it all.

Waiting for April by Jaime Loren

Waiting for April
by Jaime Loren
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Published by: MAM Books LLC
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Reincarnation
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.

April Fletcher has died nineteen times... but she doesn't know it.

As far as April is concerned, she's just a normal seventeen-year-old, looking forward to spending spring break with her friends and going to college in the fall. April doesn't know she has never lived past her eighteenth birthday, nor does she realize that Scott Parker, her best friend, is actually her childhood sweetheart and fiancé from her very first life.

For nineteen-year-old Scott Parker, spending quality time with his soul mate has proved difficult ever since her tragic death in 1729. Since then he has lost her an additional eighteen times—each of her deaths more devastating than the last, and each of her births wiping the slate of her memory clean. Unable to save her but unwilling to give up, Scott has to hide the fact he's immortal—and will be until April confesses her love again.

But this time, things have changed. April has denied her feelings for him, is dating someone else, and with her eighteenth birthday fast approaching, their friendship is falling to pieces. Fearing their souls are irrevocably drifting apart, Scott must race against the clock to win her heart and save her life.

Or risk losing her forever.

Although I will read an occasional ghost story or a good vampire series (Vampire Academy NOT Twilight), I don't tend to read about reincarnation and people from past lives connecting in the present. The synopsis of Waiting for April, however, sucked me in so I tried to give it a try.

I enjoyed the way the author slowly revealed the background of these characters and how they fit together with one another, both in the present and in past lives. When the author finally leads you to the reason April died 19 times, you begin looking for an answer among the wealth of interweaved characters. I wasn't sure who was good and who was bad. I like not knowing until the end.

That said, there are a couple things I just didn't understand. Nowhere in the synopsis did this say this was the first in a series, but that's exactly what it felt like at the end of this book. There was no HEA, which was fine for me (although I know a lot of people will want one), but there was also no explanation of what was happening to this group of people and why. I'd go into specific names, but I don't want to give anything away if you're going to read it.

If anyone else has read this, how did you feel about the ending? Were you still wanting answers? Is there a sequel?

Waiting for April

Everything Has Changed by Mia Kayla

Everything Has Changed
by Mia Kayla
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Published by: MAM Books LLC
Genre: 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.

Imagine finding the love of your life at the age of six.

Bliss Carrington did.

Bliss has known Jimmy Brason since first grade. He took on the role of the big brother Bliss never had, breaking Bliss out of her shy shell, encouraging her to have fun in high school, and pushing her to live her life to the fullest. They have always been friends—until one day, Bliss wanted more. Now seeing women everywhere swooning over Jimmy, head quarterback of the New York Cougars, is enough to drive her to madness.

Jimmy has been in love with Bliss forever, but she doesn’t know and she can never find out. In all the craziness of his fast track to fame and money, Bliss is the one person who has kept him sane. He firmly believes that history repeats itself and with his tainted past, he’s afraid that he’s fated to hurt her if he allows himself to follow his heart.

Bliss has watched Jimmy grow from a boy into a man, and it’s not fair that someone else will get to keep him when she knows in her heart that he only belongs to her.

When they tiptoe on the edge of love, can their friendship remain intact with both of them ignoring the rumblings that’s threatening to explode?

Le sigh. Oh how I love my besties-turned-lovers books. AND this one wasn't full of teen angst like so many are. I highly recommend it!

Bliss and Jimmy are intricately likable characters who we learn about as the author weaves the present time with the past like an expert. It's not a high-powered sex-crazed book like most new adult offerings out there today, but it is a natural love story. It progresses naturally, showing two people who know each other so well and are so close that they can't actually see that the other loves them as more than a friend. Read this. You'll enjoy the journey.

The Good Girl's Guide to Bad Guys by Katie Hart

The Good Girl's Guide to Bad Guys
by Katie Hart
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Published by: Carina UK
Genre: NA, Romance
Rating: 2 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 feisty break dancer Andrea left for university, she thought she was ready to step into the real world. But she wasn’t prepared for meeting her new neighbour, Hunter.

Arrogant, dangerous and a bit too sexy, Hunter’s everything Andrea knows she should resist…and can’t.

But when she gets swept up into Hunter’s dark, mysterious family, it seems that falling for a seductive rebel might not be all it’s cracked up to be. Is this good girl really ready to take on a bad boy?

I've read some really good books off of Wattpad, but I just didn't love this one by author Katie Hart. This Wattpad book turned published work still needs a lot of work. The writing style was juvenile and I honestly just couldn't get into it. I wanted to like it - the synopsis hooked me in - but the story itself just couldn't hold me.

Never Smile at Strangers by Jennifer Jaynes

Never Smile at Strangers
by Jennifer Jaynes
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Published by: Amazon Publishing
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
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.

When nineteen-year-old Tiffany Perron vanishes without a trace, the residents of rural Grand Trespass, Louisiana, launch a desperate search to find her. But few clues are unearthed, and before long another young woman disappears.

As locals continue to vanish, residents begin to discover that they might not know those closest to them as well as they had thought. Lies and insecurities quickly surface, leading everyone to question one another…and their involvement in the disappearances.

Meanwhile, an unstable, twisted killer is hiding quietly in their midst. Ever since his mother’s murder four years earlier, he’s been forced to raise his disturbed teenage sister. He’s terrified of her—and of women in general—and his world revolves around his fear of and obsession over them.

Small town secrets die hard in this novel. Alcoholism and adultery are just two vices weaving in and around the inhabitants. Hitch-hiking is perfectly normal and conversations with drifters is common. What isn't common? Murder.

The book was sometimes written from the (unknown) killer's perspective. I really liked seeing inside his head and wondering who he really was. Each character was expertly drawn, giving them a 3-D quality you don't often find in books these days.

If you're looking for a good afternoon diversion, this thriller fits the bill.

Buzz Books 2015: Young Adult Spring

Buzz Books 2015: Young Adult Spring
Published by: Publishers Lunch Buzz Books

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.

I was super excited to get my hands on this as it holds 40 excerpts from 2015 Spring/Summer books! Here are a few that sound good to me and are going on my wishlist:

99 Days by Katie Cotugno - From the author of How to Love comes another stunning contemporary novel, about a girl who returns to her hometown for 99 Days—to face the two brothers she loved and left.

Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything. She has every right to hate me, of course: I broke Patrick Donnelly’s heart the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.

Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”

Day 12: Gabe wouldn’t quit till he got me to come to this party, and I’m surprised to find I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me. Eighty-seven days of summer to go, and history is repeating itself. The last thing I want is to come between the Donnelly brothers again . . . but the truth is, the Donnellys stole my heart a long time ago.

Kissing Ted Callahan (and other guys) by Amy Spalding- With a voice similar to MTV’s breakout hit “Awkward” and a set-up reminiscent of E. Lockhart’s The Boyfriend List, Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys) is an addictive YA read about the soaring highs and embarrassing lows of dating in high school.

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie - Book One is about an “adorkable” teenager living in a haunted house. Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Sunshine Griffith and her mother Kat move to the rain-drenched town of Ridgemont, Washington. Sunshine and her mother have always shared a special bond, but from the moment they cross the Washington state line, Sunshine feels a mysteriousness she cannot place. And even if Kat doesn’t recognize it, Sunshine knows something about their new house is just… creepy. In the days that follow, things only become stranger, as Sunshine is followed by an icy breeze, and eventually, the child’s voice she hears on her first night evolves into sobs. She can hardly believe it, but as the spirits haunting her house become more frightening—and it becomes clear that Kat is in danger—Sunshine must accept what she is, pass the test before her, and save her mother from a fate worse than death.

Buzz Books Spring/Summer 2015

Buzz Books 2015
Published by: Publishers Lunch Buzz Books

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.

I was super excited to get my hands on this as it holds 40 excerpts from 2015 Spring/Summer books! Here are a few that sound good to me and are going on my wishlist:

Gonzo Girl by Cheryl Della Pietra - Alley Russo is a recent college grad desperately trying to make it in the grueling world of New York publishing, but like so many who have come before her, she has no connections and has settled for an unpaid magazine internship while slinging drinks on Bleecker Street just to make ends meet. That’s when she hears the infamous Walker Reade is looking for an assistant to replace the eight others who have recently quit. Hungry for a chance to get her manuscript onto the desk of an experienced editor, Alley jumps at the opportunity to help Reade finish his latest novel.

After surviving an absurd three-day “trial period” involving a .44 magnum, purple-pyramid acid, violent verbal outbursts, brushes with fame and the law, a bevy of peacocks, and a whole lot of cocaine, Alley is invited to stay at the compound where Reade works. For months Alley attempts to coax the novel out of Walker page-by-page, all while battling his endless procrastination, vampiric schedule, Herculean substance abuse, mounting debt, and casual gunplay. But as the job begins to take a toll on her psyche, Alley realizes she’s alone in the Colorado Rockies at the mercy of a drug-addicted literary icon who may never produce another novel—and her fate may already be sealed.

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll - As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret.

There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.

The Reluctant Psychic by Suzan Saxman & Perdita Finn

The Reluctant Psychic
by Suzan Saxman & Perdita Finn
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Published by: St Martin's Press
Genre: Memoir, Supernatural
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.

We all, as children, had our imaginary friends and monsters in the closet. But for Suzan Saxman, those friends and monsters didn’t go away—and they weren’t imaginary.

From an early age, Suzan knew instinctively that she had to hide her true self. She couldn’t talk about the specters who haunted her, waking and dreaming. In bed with a childhood fever, winged beings guarded her; bullied and friendless at school, she ate lunch silently under the steps of St. Theresa’s with the ghost of a nun; paralyzed with fear, she woke each night to see a man with no eyes, watching her; and she kept watch at the window, every day, while her real father was at work and Steve, her other father, was with her mother. It was the 1960s in suburban Staten Island and she tried to hide it all—to silence the spirits, ghosts and her own developing abilities to tap into people’s futures. She tried to be a daughter her mother could love.

I love memoirs that are easy to read, yet get to the heart of the matter. The Reluctant Psychic is just that kind of memoir. It's about a very gifted oracle and not only the story of her life here in this incarnation, but those of her past incarnations. She has a knack for telling people what they need to hear and for staying in touch, lifetime and lifetime again with the same souls.

This book reveals her journey to the partial understanding of her gift, finding her soul mate, and her mistakes along the way. An excellent read if you are interested in what makes a psychic tick.

The Line Between by Tamsyn Bester

The Line Between
by Tamsyn Bester
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Published by: Tamsyn Bester - January 15, 2015
Genre: 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.

There’s a fine line between love and hate, so fine that you don’t know you’ve lost balance until it’s too late. I’m not sure exactly when I lost my balance, all I know is that he was to blame. Dane Winters. The boy who’d spent most of his life hating me for reasons I never understood.

** ** ** ** ** **

It was no secret that I hated her, but only I knew why. She was off-limits. And then our separate worlds collided with one tragedy. It wasn’t her fault, I knew that, but I wanted her to hurt the way I did, and I needed someone to blame. She was an easy target. Kennedy Monroe. The girl I’d picked on all our lives. And the woman I barely tolerated. Until the line between love and hate was no longer visible…

Although I'm really not a fan of angsty novels, I really loved this one. Yes, there is a lot of back and forth, fighting and trying to one-up each other, but it didn't bother me. I liked it. It was written well.

Dane wasn't the easiest to like in the beginning. He did some very very mean things to Kennedy over the years and they weren't of the "I like you so I'm going to tease you" variety. They were downright nasty. So, when Dane and Kennedy reconnect in college, I wasn't so keen on her liking him just because their was crackling attraction between them. I understood why he didn't like Kennedy at first, but I was never really sold on the extent of the hateful things he pulled on her. And while I do believe there's a thin line between love and hate, I hated Dane more than liked him. He did, however, begin to grow on me.

Overall, I found myself cheering for Dane and Kennedy to get together. They were better working together than fighting each other to keep apart.

I really loved the secondary characters of Reid and Jade. I hope the author's next book is about their relationship. I'd totally read that.

Sparrow 59 by Devon Ashley

Sparrow 59
by Devon Ashley
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Published by: Devon Ashley - December 14, 2014
Genre: NA, Thriller, Mystery
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.

The Bourne Identity meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith for the new adult crowd.

Members of the CIA’s specialized team Sparrow were all murdered in one quick sweep. But when Samantha finds herself suspiciously spared and Drew missing, she doesn’t want to believe what the CIA claims – that Drew is not only alive and has defected from their organization, but is facilitating the deaths of prominent research developers worldwide. Now the only member of Sparrow who hasn’t been killed off, Samantha finds herself under serious investigation by association – and a prisoner within her own home.

Just when she’s on the verge of being labeled a murderer and a traitor herself, Drew activates a beacon only she can see, taunting her from across the world. He knows she’s watching, and she knows he could be gone forever if she doesn't oblige his silent request. With nothing left to lose and everything to gain, Sam goes rogue to track him down and clear her good name. But when she finally catches up to her partner of four years, he hasn’t a clue who he is or what he’s done, and the men chasing him down suddenly want to acquire her as well.

Frantic yet determined, Samantha is forced to protect a man she no longer trusts in order to learn why he went astray – and why his associates are determined to retrieve him. But is Drew really a victim himself in a much greater scheme, or will his memories prove lethal, leading Sam into harm’s way like a lamb to slaughter, ultimately risking the life of the only member of Sparrow he managed to save?

This is the first book in the Coalition series by Devon Ashley. I've never read anything by her anymore, but I'll certainly look into her other books, as she is an amazingly entertaining and informative writer.

I happen to love espionage, mystery and thrillers with a dash of romance, and this book had it all. The storyline kept me guessing and the pace was continuous, never slowing for a moment. Each character was drawn to 3-D life and I felt like I knew them and how they'd react to certain situations before even they knew what they were going to do.

The ending is intense, but the promise of the beginning of the next book has me excited. She can't put out the second installment soon enough for me!