Review: The Return (Titan #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: The Return (Titan #1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4 of 5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS

My friend Jeanne said in one of her reviews, that "sometimes you just need a book that makes you happy". And Return had such effect on me. I was absolutely giddily happy, with lightness in my heart and smile on my lips, when I closed this book. Don’t you think it’s worth something?

Warning: some minor spoilers for Covenant series ahead.

I admit I had my reservations about this book. Return is a spinoff of Covenant series. I’ve read it when I was just discovering YA. Wide-eyed and inexperienced in this genre, I loved it. Seth played a big role in Covenant, and I can’t say I was his fan. Firstly he made some pretty bad decisions with consequences. Secondly, I was Aiden team.

But Seth was very different in The Return. And it didn’t feel forced. Events in the last books of Covenant changed him. While he continued to keep his arrogant “I don’t care” façade, inside he blamed himself and he was so lonely. In Return we got to see vulnerable, gentle and caring Seth. Seth, who longed to be loved and to love. I fell in love with him.

Seth assigned to protect Josie, a mortal girl, and he was not happy about it. She was a wonderful heroine. She lived an average life of a college student, she studied, had fun with her best friend and had family problems. Then she was suddenly thrust into this new world with Greek Gods, dangerous creatures and she was told that she had a dangerous mission. She took it all in with admirable strength.

I loved their relationship with Seth. Josie stood her ground and I liked how she teased Seth. While Covenant is YA, The Return is NA through and through. There were a lot of delicious steamy scenes in this book. I loved chemistry between Seth and Josie. Jennifer Armentrout like no one can write amazing sexual tension. There was an element of forbidden romance and I admit I wanted more in this aspect. I think they gave up too easily to their attraction. I’m a fan of forbidden romance and I would love to be left hanging a little longer (like it was in Covenant, there was a huge forbidden romance).

Those of you who loved Covenant would be pleased to meet familiar characters. And there was a lot of fun in this book.

Jennifer Armentrout surprised me with her ability to make me look at a character from a new angle, to go beyond familiar. She did it with Seth and she did it with another character. If you've read Covenant, I’m sure you remember furies. I wasn’t a big fan of these dangerous creatures. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I just say that the author absolutely changed my view of them.

You don’t need to read Covenant before The Return, the author went over the most important events of Covenant. Though I personally think that those who’d read Covenant would enjoy The Return more. Advice: if you intend to read Covenant, the reading order is Covenant first, The Return next.

Of course The Return is not without flaws, there are a lot of usual NA tropes and world building is pretty weak, but you know what? I don’t care! I enjoyed this book immensely. It made me smile, it made me swoon, and it made me care for the characters. I didn’t have luck with several recent releases from Jennifer Armentrout, in truth I began to wonder that maybe she’s not the author for me anymore. This book made me realize that I still love her works and I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

Audiobook review: Confess by Colleen Hoover

Title: Confess
Author: Colleen Hoover
Narrator: Sebastian York, Elizabeth Louise
Story rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Audio rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Overall rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS

I have a confession: I’m a hopeless audiobook addict. I’m not kidding. I listen every chance I get, even if it’s just ten minutes commute; I listen while I’m cooking, I listen while I’m cleaning, I listen while I’m walking, sometimes I even listen while I’m applying make-up. You get the picture. So it’s not a good sign when this happens:

• I’m cleaning and I’m listening to music instead of an audiobook.

• During my commute instead of an audiobook I’m going for the radio.

• I’m walking and instead of plugging my ear buds in, I’m, well, just walking.

• I’m applying my make-up, and I’m thinking “It’s just several minutes, why even bother with an audiobook, I don’t have “enough time to listen”.

This is exactly what happened here. I think it took me twice as long as usual to listen to Confess because I found more interesting things to do. I had my doubts before starting this book, and unfortunately it didn’t work for me at all. It’s been ages since I’ve read a book by Colleen Hoover. I’ve read and loved her Slammed and Hopeless, but my book tastes changed drastically since then. So I don’t think I would give those books high ratings now. In truth the reason why I decided to read Confess is that the audiobook is narrated by Sebastian York. I’ve heard A LOT about this narrator. It looks like everyone praises his voice. So as a self-proclaimed audio addict I needed to hear him for myself. My thoughts about the narration later, now I want to talk about the book.

I was bored out of my mind. I think if I read this book instead of listening I would DNF it.

This story is about Auburn Reed. She has recently moved to Texas, she has undesirable job, feels very lonely and in need of money and new job. Then one day she comes across Owen Gentry’s studio. He is an artist and his project is very unique. People anonymously send him their confessions, and he uses them as an inspiration for his works. He needs an assistant and Auburn jumps at the offer. They feel an instant attraction, but of course there are a lot of obstacles on their way.

First of all I want to say that Owen freaked me out in first chapters. He came across as a stalker who somehow knew Auburn from the past and was obsessed with her. Then of course there was insta-love which annoyed the hell out of me. I do believe in insta-lust. But in this case Auburn and Owen weren’t just physically attracted to each other. After knowing each other for a few days they felt so much so deeply, that it was over the top. I find it hard to believe that a woman in Auburn’s position would risk it all, risk to lose the most important thing in her life for a guy she had just met. As for the Owen I find his obsession on Auburn bordering on unhealthy. All in all I couldn’t connect with the characters, I didn’t feel any chemistry between them and their insta-love annoyed me a lot.

There were several twists in the book, but my mind was wondering. I usually love suspense, I love when the author keeps me in the dark, but in this case I was bored. I was so annoyed with the characters, that when all secrets were revealed I just didn’t care.

My thoughts about the audiobook

Elizabeth Louise, who narrated Auburn, is a new to me narrator. She was ok, I guess, but I don’t think I’ll be in search of audiobooks performed by her.

Here comes Sebastian York. Well, I wasn’t impressed. There, I’ve said it. Probably my extremely high expectations were the cause of my disappointment. I don’t know what I expected; everyone mentions that his voice is sexy and sinful. Sebastian York is a good narrator, but I don’t get all this fuss around him, though this can be just my personal preference. I also had another issue. As I understood Owen was in his early twenties, but Sebastian York sounds like a man in his thirties. At first I wanted to check out how old Sebastian York is; maybe he is twenty and he just has an older voice. But you know what? Narrator’s real age doesn’t matter, because listeners hear only his voice. It really annoys me when narrator’s voice is not age-appropriate.

As you can see Confess was a big disappointment for me. It’s a shame really because I find the concept of this book very interesting (the author included confessions from real people and some of them were heartbreaking). I also wonder if my feelings toward Confess would be different if read a paperback instead of an audiobook. Many readers mentioned gorgeous art-work. All in all it seems like Colleen Hoover is not an author for me anymore. I think it’s time to part our ways.

AUDIO SAMPLE:

Review: The Mistake (Off-Campus #2) by Elle Kennedy

Title: he Mistake (Off-Campus #2)
Author: Elle Kennedy
My rating: 3 of 5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS

A while ago all I’ve seen in my feed was this book: updates, quotes, reviews and comments nonstop. I decided to wait until the hype would wear off a little before picking it up.

The book started off well. Elle Kennedy’s writing is engaging and easy-flowing. I was really enjoying the first third of The Mistake, but gradually I began to lose interest and became annoyed.

This book is about Logan, whom we know from the first book. He’s in love with his best friend’s girlfriend. He’s ashamed of it and copes with it with a stream of girls and meaningless sex. One day he stumbled into Grace’s dorm room by mistake. She is a freshman who has been worshipping hot hockey-player Logan from afar. One thing led to another and she almost gave her V-card to him. But Logan ruined the evening with his behavior. Now summer is over and with school year starting Logan has all intentions to win Grace back. Only will she let him?

I really liked Logan and Grace together at first. Their interactions were believable and the chemistry definitely was there. However when they met again after their fall out my interest began to waver.

I didn’t get why Logan was so obsessed with Grace. Why he decided that she was the one for him. It was like one moment he was hang up on Hannah, and the next it was all about Grace.

There was another thing that grated on my nerves. How Logan described himself in his POV. Here an example for you. Logan’s mother called him right after he had a shower:

“Hey, Mom,” I greet her, gripping the edge of my towel as I head for the dresser.

“Hey, Mom,” I greet her, gripping the edge of my towel as I head for the dresser.
And later during the same call from his mother:

I set the phone down and drop my towel, then yank a pair of sweatpants up my hips. My hair is still wet, sprinkling droplets down my bare chest, so I rub the towel over my head before picking up the phone again.

I found this ridiculous. I get that the author wants us to drool over Logan’s hotness, but wasn’t there another way to do it? Like maybe in Grace’s POV…

I also wasn’t happy with how Logan’s family issues were handled. Some serious topics were raised in this book, but it was like the author just used Logan’s situation at home just to make him more interesting. It all felt forced and not genuine. And this abrupt half-baked resolution didn’t help either. The last scene between Logan and his father made me roll my eyes.

The best aspect of The Mistake for me was the bromance between the guys. Their teasing and banter make me smile and laugh out loud. It’s apparent that they cared about each other and when one of them was in trouble, others were ready to help.

I realized that my review sounds more negative than I intended. It’s just that there were several aspects that annoyed me a lot, but overall my feelings after finishing this book were positive. Though The Mistake was just an ok read for me, in comparison to many bad NA it definitely stands out. This was an entertaining, lighthearted story with steamy romance and a lot of funny, laugh out loud moments. If you liked The Deal, I definitely recommend The Mistake to you.

Mini-review: Captive (Captive #1) by Brighton Walsh

Title: Captive (Captive #1)
Author: Brighton Walsh
My rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

SUMMARY (from Goodreads)
He’s the most dangerous man she’s ever met…and she’s falling in love with him.

Madison Frost is desperate to escape her life. Daughter of a prominent businessman, she has everything a girl could ask for. Except for a family who’s present in her life, and anyone to talk to outside the four walls of the prison she calls home. Madison dreams of one day leaving her life behind. She never thought being kidnapped is how it would happen.

Now she’s being held captive by a man who’s as frightening as he is sinfully gorgeous. Enormous, muscular, and filled with secrets, the man they call Ghost is an enigmatic mercenary, and Madison is trapped with him. She doesn’t know who hired him or why, but the more time she spends at his mercy, the more she realizes he’s not what he seems. Beneath his rough exterior lies an unexpected gentleness and a heart as broken and battered as her own.

But as Madison lets down her walls, Ghost holds tight to his, hiding secrets that could destroy everything.

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve read this book a while ago and wasn’t in the mood to write a review right away. Now some details are a little bit foggy, so it will be a mini-review.

Captive was such a mood read for me. I wanted a brain-candy and I got one.

Despite the fact that this book is about kidnapping, Captive is a sweet love story at core. Romance is the strongest aspect of this book. My favorite part of romance is prelude. Build-up, furtive glances and touches, fighting their feelings, gradually increasing sexual tension; these are elements that make great romance for me. And Brighton Walsh delivered it all. I loved romance between Madison and Ghost.

I found both main characters interesting, but I would like them to be more fleshed out.

As for the plot it was rather weak in my opinion. I think fans of suspense and thrillers would be disappointed. There were many little inconsistencies and gaps, as for the big revelation, I personally found it far-stretched and unbelievable.

My final verdict: if you want romantic suspense with unpredictable realistic plot, you should probably look elsewhere. If you are looking for a romance with amazing chemistry and sexual tension, grab Captive right now.

Captive was my first book by Brighton Walsh, but won’t be my last. I think I’ll check out the next book in this series, also I’ve heard a lot of positive things about another series by this author Caged in Winter which is on my tbr-list.

Review: The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy

Title: The Deal (Off-Campus #1)
Author: Elle Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS

Why the hype? Don’t get me wrong I liked this book; I gave it 4 Stars after all (though I feel like I was a little bit too generous). I just don’t get this buzz surrounding this book. Recently it seems that everywhere I turn someone praises The Deal. Yes, The Deal is very entertaining and addictive. I couldn’t put it down, the characters were likable and the romance was great, but at the core The Deal was the usual average NA with many tropes.

At age fifteen Hannah was raped (it’s not a spoiler since we’re told about it on the first page). Now she’s a junior in college and after years of therapy she is ready to leave it all in the past. She wants to date. One big problem: a guy she has a crush on doesn’t notice her. So she needs to do something to draw attention to her. Enter Garrett. He is a captain of the hockey team and a big player on hockey field and off it. Garrett has a problem. He needs to keep his grades high in order to stay on the team, but he failed his Ethics. So he needs someone who can tutor him as soon as possible. When he finds out that Hannah has A in this class he is very persistent. Finally these two make a deal. Hannah tutor Garret and in exchange he fake-dates her to make the other guy notice her.

Like I said before The Deal is very addictive. If I had more time I would read it in one day. I really liked the romance. Hannah and Garrett’s relationship progressed gradually from acquaintances to friends to lovers. It was slow and oh so amazing. There was a great chemistry between the main characters, and a lot of steam is waiting for you.

I loved main characters. Hanna is such a wonderful heroine. She is a strong intelligent girl with a great sense of humor. I also liked the author’s approach to the topic of survivor of sexual assault. Hannah portrayed in very optimistic way. She had therapy, she had time to cope; now she dates and wants a relationship. Yes, she has some issues but she looks forward positively. Nowadays NA authors often make the heroine a broken victim and use it to add more drama and angst and I’m glad this is not a case here.

Garrett. What can I say? He totally won me over. When we first met him he came as a cocky arrogant womanizer. But he is actually kind, caring, smart and funny guy.

I loved funny banters between Hannah and Garrett. Their teasing made me smile and there were moments when I laughed out loud. The scene where Hannah stormed in the locker room was hilarious.

The story was told in dual POV and there was something that annoyed me. When we switched to Garrett’s POV I had a feeling that the author intentionally added swearing to emphasize Garrett’s manliness. It’s not swearing itself that bugs me. It seems like many NA authors thinks that if they throw several F*ck words they would have a distinct male voice. Oh, also the guy should think a lot of sex. The first author who comes to my mind is Abby Glines. Her typical hero portrayed the same way. Do real guys think in such manner? Maybe I’m just getting too old and know nothing about college boys.

The other thing that annoyed me was the line with Justin.

From the first time he appears in the book I had the feeling that something was wrong with him. The author gave the readers the little signs that he was the bad guy. I was expecting the usual scene “the bad guy tries to rape our heroine and the hero saves her” at any moment. But at the end Justin ended up as a normal guy, he actually became Hannah’s friend. I’m really curious if anyone else noticed this or it’s just me being ridiculous.

Also I tired of main characters broken by their awful past. I want something new. Maybe I just need a break from NA for a while.

Despite my complaints I really liked The Deal. When I read this kind of books my main focus is on the romance. If the romance works for me I can look past many flaws. So if you’re like me I wholeheartedly recommend The Deal to you.

Review: Trade Me (Cyclone #1) by Courtney Milan

Title: Trade Me (Cyclone #1)
Author: Courtney Milan
My rating: 4 of 5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve meant to read Courtney Milan’s book for a while. Both Keertana from Ivy Book Bindings and Sarah from Clear Eyes, Full Shelves praised her historical romance, but as I’m not a big fan of this genre and other books came into the way. When I’ve heard that Courtney Milan was releasing a NA novel I was quick to pick it up. I’m so glad I did it.

Before I tell you how much I loved this book I want to mention this amazing author’s note, where Courtney Milan gives readers insight into what was happening behind the scene. I’m very curious about why the author decided to write a book this way, what he or she was thinking while writing and what research had been done. So it was a very pleasant addition to the book.

Don’t let the blurb fool you. It makes Trade me sound like an average NA full of tropes and silly drama. Trade me is a well-written novel with complex and absolutely lovable characters, believable romance and amazing family dynamics. Though I admit that plot is a little unbelievable.

Our heroine Tina Chen is a daughter of Chinese immigrants. She is a college student who’s juggling studying, working and trying to support her parents and little sister who is ill. Her life is hard, but she doesn’t give up. Tina is amazing character. It’s difficult not to root for her. And then we have Blake. He is not an average student; he is the son of owner of Cyclone Technology. During discussion about poverty Blake makes an off-handed remark which Tina just couldn’t ignore. So she loses her temper and tells him he couldn’t last a month living her life. To her shock Blake offers her to trade their lives.

Tina assumed Blake is the rich and spoiled guy, who has all he wanted. But as she accepts his offer and begins to live his life, she discovers that Blake is not that simple. He is caring, hardworking and he has his own secrets.

Romance was sweet and touching. Tina was hesitant to start anything with Blake. Though there was undeniable mutual attraction between the two of them from the start she tried to stay away emotionally. I can totally understand her motives but I found myself wishing for them to be together.

Blake’s father Adam Reynolds is a very interesting and complex character. At the first sight he is this awful cynical swearing demanding billionaire, gradually the other side of this ruthless businessman revealed to us. He is loving and protective father. Their father-son relationship with Blake was one of my favorite aspect of Trade me. It is a complex and bittersweet mix of love, caring, loyalty and at the same time fear to disappoint, pressure from father and resistance from son.

My one but rather big complaint is how Adam Reynolds’ issue was handled. When this big thing about Blake’s father was revealed I was shocked, because I didn’t see it coming. Also I was curious about what would happen next. But I was disappointed and even angry because of how it was tackled. I mean what was the message? If you have big money you can just pff… make it all go away? Just like this? I don’t like this message. I think the guilty party got off too easy.

Tina’s relationship with her family is another great aspect of this book. Tina’s parents are constant source of worry, sometimes they embarrass her, but it’s obvious how much they love her. When Tina needed help, her mother dropped everything and came to the rescue.

So if you want character driven contemporary romance with diversity Trade me would be a perfect choice. Speaking about diversity, wait for the second book in this series. It would be about Tina’s trans friend Maria Lopez and an Asian hero. Just look at its cover!

Mini-review: Last Will and Testament (Radleigh University #1) by Dahlia Adler

Title: ast Will and Testament (Radleigh University #1)
Author: Dahlia Adler
My rating: 2 of 5 Stars

MY THOUGHTS

Last will and Testament could be so much better. Despite it being the forbidden love story and I’m a sucker for this kind of stories, this book didn’t work for me at all.

The life of Lizzie Brandt, college student is spiraling down. She is partying, drinking and on top of that she is sleeping with Trevor, who has a girlfriend. Sudden death of her parents brings a jarring stop to her life. Now Lizzie is a guardian to her two little brothers and she needs to keep her scholarship which means to straighten her grades. Here comes Connor Lawson. He is TA in Lizzie’s class. Unexpectedly Connor helps Lizzie to find an apartment and helps her to study. The more time they spend together the more difficult it is to stay apart.

The first thing that didn’t work for me was writing style. Actually it remained me of Price of a Kiss (Forbidden Men, #1) by Linda Kage. The same upbeat style with swearing, which made very difficult for me to connect with Lizzie. I wanted to feel her feelings, but she came as this shallow, too optimistic person.

My next complaint is how grieving was portrayed. Lizzie just lost her parents, so I expected to feel for her loss, her pain. But I didn’t. The same was about her brothers.

The romance didn’t work for me either. There was no chemistry between Lizzie and Connor. This was a forbidden romance: he is a teacher, she is a student. There was so much at stake for both of them. I wanted a big conflict; I wanted turmoil of emotions… But there was none of that.

Also there was all that unnecessary angst. As I’ve told not once I like angst. But, and it’s a big BUT, I don’t like angst for the sake of angst. I want my angst to have some purpose in the book. I don’t like when the author brings some bitchy ex-girl who makes unbelievable stuff to tear apart our couple.

All in all this wasn’t a book for me.

Review: To Professor, with Love (Forbidden Men #2) by Linda Kage

Title: To Professor, with Love (Forbidden Men #2)
Author: Linda Kage
Publication date: April 26th 2014
My rating: 2 of 5 Stars

SUMMARY (from Goodreads)
Junior in college. Star athlete. Constant attention from the opposite sex.

On this campus, I’m worshiped. While seven hundred miles away, back in my hometown, I’m still trailer park trash, child of the town tramp, and older sibling to three kids who are counting on me to keep my shit together so I can take them away from the same crappy life I grew up in.

These two opposing sides of myself never mix until one person gets a glimpse of the true me. I never expected to connect with anyone like this or want more beyond one night. This may be the real deal.

Problem is, Dr. Kavanagh’s my literature professor.

If I start anything with a teacher and we’re caught together, I might as well kiss my entire future goodbye, as well as my family’s, and especially Dr. Kavanagh’s. Except sometimes love is worth risking everything. Or at least, it damn well better be because I can only resist so much.

MY THOUGHTS

I think this is where Linda Kage and I go our separate ways. I’ve read her another book Price of a Kiss (Forbidden Men, #1) and didn’t like it much either. When I read the blurb of To Professor, with Love, I was intrigued. I usually cannot walk away from a story with forbidden romance and I’ve read a lot of books with student/teacher romance. Never the less I found this one unique, because I’d never read a book where the teacher is female and the student is male. In truth, I wasn’t expecting much from To Professor, with Love. I wasn’t expecting depth and meaningfulness, I wanted my dose of romance, angst, steam, real characters and I wanted to feel emotions. Instead I found myself irritated, more than ones I found myself rolling my eyes. One particular scene was so stupid that I wanted to close my book and mark it as “did not finish”.

I think my main problem with Linda Kage’s books was that I couldn’t connect with her characters. I didn’t feel compassion for them and their problems, for that matter I didn’t feel any emotion toward them.

My other complain is that this book deals with a very serious problem, and the author throws this issue at the reader only to add more drama. Also there is the usual: “our heroine meets her prince who miraculously solves all her problems”.

In To Professor with Love the reader meets with Reese Randall and Mason Lowe, main characters of the first book in this series Price of a Kiss. Actually we meet them a lot; several scenes especially featured their problems. In my opinion they didn’t add anything good to the book; on the contrary they distracted me from the main story.

All in all To Professor with Love wasn’t a book for me. But if you liked Price of a Kiss, probably you would like this book.

Mini review: Broken (Redemption #1) by Lauren Layne

Title: Broken (Redemption #1)
Author: Lauren Layne
Publication date: September 2nd 2014
Publisher: Flirt
My rating: 5 of 5 Stars

SUMMARY (from Goodreads)
When Olivia Middleton abandons the glamour of Park Avenue for a remote, coastal town in Maine, everyone assumes she’s being the kind do-gooder she’s always been. But Olivia has a secret: helping an injured war veteran reenter society isn’t about charity—it’s about penance. Only, Olivia’s client isn’t the grateful elderly man she’s expecting. Instead, he’s a brooding twenty-four-year-old who has no intention of being Olivia’s path to redemption . . . and whose smoldering gaze and forbidden touch might be her undoing.

Paul Langdon doesn’t need a mirror to show him he’s no longer the hotshot quarterback he was before the war. He knows he’s ugly—inside and out. He’ll do anything to stay in self-imposed exile, even accept his father’s ultimatum that Paul tolerate the newest caretaker for three months or lose his inheritance. But Paul doesn’t count on the beautiful twenty-two-year-old who makes him long for things that he can never have. And the more she slips past his defenses, the more keeping his distance is impossible.

Now Paul and Olivia have to decide: Will they help each other heal? Or are they forever broken?

MY THOUGHTS

Last year I loved Isn't She Lovely by Lauren Layne. I thought it was a standalone so I was really excited when I found there would be two more books in this series. Broken is Olivia’s story. Though she was sort of a villain in the previous book, I was intrigued by her and wanted to know more about this character. Also I was intrigued by this war veteran damaged emotionally and physically idea. Actually I’ve read several books with similar premise, but they always were lacking something. Broken by Lauren Layne was what I wanted from Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins and Making Faces by Amy Harmon. It had two great main characters, it was filled with passion and sexual tension, and it also shows us growth of our characters. Broken had great pacing and I couldn’t put it down.

PS. I love cover-changes, because the cover of Isn’t She Lovely was awful.

Review: Isn't She Lovely by Lauren Layne

Title: Isn't She Lovely
Author: Lauren Layne
Publication date: October 28th 2013
Publisher: Flirt
My rating: 5 of 5 Stars

SUMMARY (from Goodreads)
Stephanie Kendrick gave up her whole summer to ace her NYU film school screenwriting course, so she's pissed to be stuck with a preppy, spoiled frat boy as her writing partner. Then again, with her piercings, black-rimmed eyes, and Goth wardrobe, Stephanie isn't exactly Ethan Price's type, either. He's probably got his eye on some leggy blonde with a trust fund... or does he?

As the summer scene kicks off in the Hamptons, Ethan is desperate to make his snobbish mother forget the pedigreed girl who broke his heart. While Stephanie's a stretch as a decoy, the right makeover and a pastel cardigan just might do the trick. She may not love the idea of playing Ethan's brainless Barbie girlfriend, but the free rent and luxurious digs make a tempting offer. So does the promise of a ready-made screenplay idea inspired by their charade.

But when Stephanie steps into Ethan's privileged world, the "acting" begins to feel all too real. The kissing and touching that were intended to fool the Hamptons crowd wind up manipulating "them." And Stephanie faces a question she's too afraid to ask: Is Ethan falling for the real her or for the dolled-up princess he wants to see?

MY THOUGHTS

This was wonderful.

Wanting to read something light and romantic I picked up Isn't She Lovely. I just wanted to be entertained but this book took me by surprise. It is so much more than I have initially thought. Yes, this book is light and very enjoyable, but it’s not your usual fluffy and forgettable read. Isn't She Lovely has great romance, well-fleshed characters, witty banters; it also deals with family issues.

Stephanie Kendrick is a Goth girl: piercings, eyeliner, black clothes and attitude. Ethan is a rich preppy boy. When two of them are paired up for a summer film project, they are not thrilled. Later they decide to change Stephanie’s makeover, find her “right” clothes and introduce her as Ethan new girlfriend. But as they pretend, the acting begins to feel too real and Stefanie asks herself if Ethan falling for real her or for the girl she is pretending to be.

At first glance Isn’t She Lovely is romance of opposites attract; a story that I’ve heard so many times before. But Lauren Layne’s writing is wonderful. So while the idea in this book is unoriginal, the execution is very good.

The romance was the main reason I loved this book. There was the great build-up and anticipation between Stephanie and Ethan. The relationship developed at a slow nice pace (with many swoony and steamy moments).

Despite the romance being one of the focal points of this book, it was also about Stephanie and Ethan dealing with their family problems. Ethan found out that his mother cheated on his father. Stefanie’s father remarried after her mother’s death and their relationship is not great. During the book both Stephanie and Ethan grow up and face their difficulties.

I really enjoyed this book and could barely put it down. This was my first book by Lauren Layne, but I’ll definitely check her other books.

PS. The cover is awful. It doesn’t make justice this book at all.

Mini-Review: Price of a Kiss (Forbidden Men #1) by Linda Kage

Title: Price of a Kiss (Forbidden Men #1
Author: Linda Kage
Publication date: August 15th 2013
My rating: 2 of 5 Stars

SUMMARY (from Goodreads)
I don’t care what my cousin says; I am not the queen of impossible relationships. I mean, just because my last boyfriend tried to kill me and left a bit of a scar on my neck, then forced me to move across the country and legally change my name to Reese Randall to escape him, does not mean—

Oh, who am I kidding? For a freshman in college, I have to have the worst dating track record ever.

It’s no wonder love is the last thing on my mind when Mason Lowe enters my life. But the chemistry between us is like bam! Our connection defies logic. And he’s just so freaking hot. Being around him makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before. I even like bickering with him. He could be my soul mate...except for one teeny tiny glitch.

He's a gigolo.

Boy, do I know how to pick them.

MY THOUGHTS

Rating 2.5 stars.

The main reason I didn’t like this book is the annoying obsession Reese with Mason. He is the only thing on Reese’s mind.

Her thoughts, when she sees Mason for the first time: “His dark, wavy hair called to me – Reese, Reese! Run your fingers through my wild, gorgeous, untamed mane.”

They made eye contact for the first time: “I was electrocuted from the inside out. My fingertips sizzled and toes curled as if an invisible, kinetically charged bolt tethered me to the hunk fifty yards away, who seemed to bind us together with his stare alone”

Mason was going to walk right by Reese on his way to the school: “Nothing but ten feet of dead air was going to separate him from me. Dear Lord in heaven, please deliver me. Could I survive such close proximity? I honestly didn’t know. My chest heaved from the sudden unsteady rhythm of my breathing.”

And it were only first 30 pages, and they didn’t actually meet yet!

On the positive side Reese was funny with sense of humor. Her internal monologs and comments were hilarious.

My second problem with this book was execution of the theme of male prostitution. I’ve read several books with a similar topic and there are two types of stories among them. The first one shows what a struggle is to escape this kind of life for a person. The second one is a glossed up story with a neat ending. Unfortunately “Price of a Kiss” falls in the second category (another example is Just for Now by Abbi Glines). If you want romance which show male prostitution in more real light try Finding Home by Lauren Baker, Bonnie Dee or Fallen from Grace by Laura Leone.

Review: Lifers by Jane Harvey-Berrick

Title: Lifers
Author: Jane Harvey-Berrick
Publication date: February 7th 2014
My rating: 4 of 5 Stars

SUMMARY (from Goodreads)
After eight years in prison, twenty-four year old Jordan Kane is the man everyone loves to hate.

Forced to return to his hometown while on parole, Jordan soon learns that this small town hasn't changed since he was carted off to juvie all those years ago. He is the local pariah, shunned by everyone, including his own parents. But their hatred of him doesn't even come close to the loathing he feels every time he looks in the mirror.

Working odd jobs for the preacher lady, Jordan bides his time before he can leave this backwards town. But can distance erase the memories that haunt him? Trapped in the prison of his own mind Jordan wonders if the pain of living will ever subside?

Torrey Delaney is new in town and certainly doesn't behave in a way the locals believe a preacher’s daughter should. Her reputation for casual hook-ups and meaningless sex is the talk of the town. Add that to her budding friendship with the hardened ex-con handyman, and the good Reverend is less than thrilled with her estranged daughter’s path.

As friendship forms, is it possible for two damaged people who are afraid to love take their relationship to the next level? Can Torrey live with Jordan’s demons, and can Jordan break through Torrey's walls? With the disapproval of a small town weighing heavily on them, will they find their place in the world? Can they struggle against the odds, or will their world be viciously shattered?

Is love a life sentence?

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve read several books by Jane Harvey-Berrick and she continues to surprise me. She creates very different characters and does not repeat herself. Many authors are guilty of using similar characters in each of their books, but not Jane Harvey-Berrick.

So our main characters:

Jordan Kane returned to his judgmental small hometown while on parole. He is twenty-four years old and he spent eight of them in prison. Everyone including his own parents hates him. He is alone until he meets Torrey Delaney. Torrey is a daughter of a local preacher. She only recently came to live with her preacher mother and she definitely does not behave as a saint. Her meaningless sex is the talk of the town. These two form unlikely friendship which progresses to much more.

Torrey is a character which not often portraits in New Adult and Young Adult. She is confident and does not suffer unnecessary complexes about her appearance. She is pretty and she knows it. She has a carefree attitude about life, including sex. She loves sex, has sex and she doesn’t afraid to talk about sex (Yes, I know, I used the word “sex” three times in this sentence). So those of you who hates slut shaming should give Lifers a try if only for its main female character. This is what Jordan says about Torrey: “You’re just so fearless, a real straight shooter. You don’t take shit from on one, and you say it like it is”.

Jordan is such a wonderful main male character. He suffered so much in his life, but he is kind, sweet and caring. Torrey says about Jordan: “Through and through, Jordan was an intriguing mix of contradictions: his hard body, his soft lips; his serious, sensible nature; his wild and passionate side; the scary, prison demeanor he could switch on; his gentle soul”.

Romance in this book, although somewhat insta-love, was wonderful. I was rooting for these two. I liked how Torrey never takes advantage of Jordan – emotionally or physically, because he is very vulnerable. She is very supportive of him. Everyone hates him and blames him, but most of all he hates himself. He feels so much guilt and pain. Meeting Torrey helps him to leave this destructive path.

I should warn you there are quite a few graphic sex scenes. So if you like clean romances, this book is not for you.

This couple faces many hurdles and usually I am very skeptic of the future of such relationship. Yes, they love each other and together they fight against the world. But what happens few years in the future? I wasn’t skeptic in this case. I just know that Jordan and Torrey will find their HEA. And the main reason I’m so sure of it is Torrey’s personality. She is so vibrant and alive, she is honest and fearless, she is a real fighter and she’ll make it all work.

Jane Harvey-Berrick also draws attention to a serious topic in this book. Adaptation to “normal” live for ex-con is very difficult. So often these people return to prisons because they don’t fit. Also it’s very scary how just a little mistake can be fatal in someone’s life.

Overall, Lifers was a pretty decent read.

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Review: A Modern Love Story by Jolyn Palliata

Title: A Modern Love Story
Author: Jolyn Palliata
Publication date: April 1st 2013
My rating: 2 из 5

SUMMARY (from Goodreads)
After the death of her parents, Robbie Byrne is put in foster care where she meets her exact opposite, Luc Cintrone. Abandoned as a small child, Luc is a foul-mouthed rebel who takes it upon himself to be her defender, whether she likes it or not. As they grow up, they fumble through their different roles in each other's lives—family, confidants and then, ultimately, lovers.

Just as the couple is settling into their newfound relationship, they encounter a beautiful lawyer, Payten, who is immediately taken by Luc's rough edges. But he denies her, making him absolutely irresistible in her eyes. Payten is a woman who has grown accustomed in her privileged life in obtaining whatever she wants, no matter the cost or sacrifice. And she is fairly confident Luc will eventually see things her way…one way or another.

MY THOUGHTS

First 30% of A Modern Love Story was good. My rating for this part is3.5 Stars. It was sweet, romantic and innocent story about two foster kids: Robbie, whose parents died, and Luc, whose parents abandoned him. We see their relationship move from reluctant partnership to friendship to love (though at first only Robbie felt this way). I liked how every chapter was a quick glance in their 12 years old, then 14 years old and so on. I think this story had potential but after about 30% it all went wrong and by the end of the book it became only worse.

My first problem with this book was cheating. I usually avoid this theme, so if I knew beforehand there would be cheating in this book I wouldn’t pick it up. Although cheating is not my theme I can appreciate it if it tackled well, which I can’t say about this A Modern Love Story. Luc never redeemed himself in my eyes. Rather big portion of the book is about cheating, and author can’t make readers invest their emotions and time in these cheating scenes and later make some quick excuses for hero. Luc says he is sorry and he is forgiven.

My second problem was the plot and characterization of Payten. Plot was unbelievable. Payten was pictured as an evil villain, who stops at nothing (and I mean nothing) to have Luc. The things she did to ruin Luc and Robbie’s relationship were so ridiculous and unbelievable, that they make me roll my eyes.

The one thing I really appreciate in this book is portraying of the foster parents. Not all of foster parents are abusers, sadists or rapists (this picture we often see in Young Adult and New Adult nowadays).There is actually caring and loving foster parents. I adored Leah and Lawson. I wish they were more fleshed-out.

All and all A Modern Love Story is not the greatest book. While there are parts I liked, this was a disappointment.