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Review: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Great start to a promising new series by Laura Howard!

Allison O'Malley is a painfully shy young woman, living with her grandparents and her mentally ill mother in a small town. She avoids most social situations, only able to come out of her shell around her cousin, Nicole. She has an all-consuming crush on Ethan, the boy she's been in love with all her life, but she is so awkward around him that she avoids him like the plague. And if that wasn't enough, her mother is practically comatose, and Allison carries the guilt of putting her mother in that state - it is well known around town that Elizabeth O'Malley was once a vibrant, social butterfly, at least, until Allison was born. So, yeah, Allison has a lot against her and I don't envy her one bit. 

The story really kicks into gear when Allison's father comes to town. Nobody knows, except Allison, that Liam has any previous involvement in her mother's life, but it doesn't take long for Allison to become embroiled in all the drama of winning back her mother's sanity. Liam introduces her to the Tuatha de Danaan, a race more commonly known as faeries. Although some of the fae can help Allison and Liam, they are also all self-absorbed, and it seems like even the "good ones" are only partially good. Allison quickly learns that none of them are to be trusted.

I've read a few books and series about fae, and this is probably my favourite, although I think a few things could be improved upon. The names of the fae are impossible to pronounce (like I'm one to talk, with a daughter named Ailis!), so the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book would be extremely helpful. Even though I can relate to Allison and empathize with her situation, I didn't feel like she was a very dynamic or memorable character. She did show some growth throughout the novel, but as a quiet and subdued person, she was also a tad boring. I would have liked to see more humour injected throughout, even if it was just in Allison's thoughts. 

A couple of things I did notice and really liked were the cover (gorgeous!) and formatting - really liked the Celtic symbols throughout!

New Review: Where My Heart Breaks by Ivy Sinclair

Still trying to work out a design I'm happy with here, but there probably won't be all that many people reading this, so it'll be okay for the moment.

  

From Goodreads:

If there were a course in screwing up your life, Kate Spivey would get an A+.

Trust is in short supply for Kate at the start of the summer before her senior year of college. Her parents sentenced her to spend it under the watchful eye of her aunt at the famous Willoughby Inn. It was further proof that she was a prisoner in, and not the decision maker of, her life. Nothing she does is good enough to prove that she learned from the mistakes of her past.

Almost immediately, Kate finds that her new summer home holds another person who understands the unfairness of her situation better than most. Reed Black has had his own share of tragedy and regrets, but instead of trying to fight his reputation, he embraced it.

Sparks fly between Kate and Reed, but his mixed signals remind Kate that she needs to watch her step. He is one temptation she can't afford to indulge in, no matter how strong her attraction to him. If she isn't careful, she'll lose more than her heart.

And my review:

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Where My Heart Breaks before its release.

I finished quite a while ago, but here's a quick synopsis: it's your typical NA set-up, with damaged girl meeting damaged guy, falling quickly into lust, but it's never going to work out because they're both so damaged, blah blah, and blah. But, here's the twist: it's not so typical after all, because the characters are so beautifully drawn and the plot is perfectly paced. What more could a reader want? Oh yeah, a great setting! 

Well, let's start there, then. Kate Spivey has been exiled to work the summer at her aunt's hotel, the Willoughby Inn. There is a bit of mystery surrounding this spot, as the author of a famous novel stayed there while writing it. In this novel, there is mention of certain buildings and outdoor venues that can still be viewed and enjoyed today. Kate, at first, is a little bit intrigued about all this, but because she hasn't read the book, she really doesn't know what all the fuss is about.

Enter Reed Black. When he first meets Kate on the side of the road, sparks fly, but there's more to this picture perfect man than meets the eye. Not only is he buff and handy, he's smart, too. But... he's got a reputation. And everybody, from Kate's aunt to the bartender of the only watering hole in town, makes sure Kate knows that Reed is off limits. When Reed offers to show Kate around the town, as "just friends", Kate figures she's safe - although maybe she doesn't want to be!

Kate is a multi-dimensional character, too. She has messed up big-time, and she needs to work her butt off at the Willoughby or else her parents will not fund her last year of college. Dang! And her aunt does not make it easy - picture Cinderella's stepmother, but with trousers! But Kate's feisty, and a little bit sassy, and she's determined to make the best out of a crappy situation. 

That's just the two main players in a nutshell. I could go on for a while about the supporting characters, but how 'bout you just read this book for yourself? If you're looking for something in the New Adult genre, but are sick of reading the same ol' recycled characters and plot, try 
Where My Heart Breaks. I think you'll like it as much as I did!

New Blog and My First Review!

Welcome to Roxy's Reviews!  I've been messing around with my own blog design for ages now, and let me tell ya, it is soooooooo frustrating!  It's missing a whole bunch of important stuff, so just stick with me - I promise I'll have it under control very soon!

And now, for my very first book review, here it is:

New Adult/Contemporary Romance - recommended for ages 17 and up.

With one look, I’m his . . .

With one touch, he’s mine . . .

With one kiss, it changes everything between us . . .

I’ve been famous since I can remember. Singing, acting, dancing—I’ve done it all. The tabloids cover my every move, but I don’t want that anymore. I want to be normal, whatever that is.

When I leave Hollywood for college in Vermont, I’m on my own for the first time in my life. This is my chance to figure out who I am and what I want in life.

But it’s a lot harder than I expected. I can’t escape my image. Classes are difficult, and I’m struggling. And then there’s Caleb Fox.

Sexy, intriguing Caleb Fox.

Caleb is the one man who doesn’t want to use me. He breaks down my walls. He challenges me. He wants me. And I just don’t know if I can give him the same—or if he’ll stick around when he finds out my shameful secret that the tabloids haven’t managed to uncover.

Dating him is risky enough, but loving him could break me.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

Some of what I will write here could be considered spoiler-ish, so continue at your own risk.

More like 2.5 stars, so sitting right in the middle for me. There were things I liked, (the cast of secondary characters, for instance) but they were balanced out by the many things I didn't like.

There is a bit of mystery surrounding the main character, Hailey. She is some kind of megastar who has decided to finally leave the Hollywood limelight that she hates to pursue a college education. She keeps alluding to a "secret" that would be the ruin of all her current happiness. And yet, when the secret is finally revealed, everyone's reactions are kind of glossed over. There's been this build up around "the secret" throughout the WHOLE book, and then it just fizzles. Which leads me to the next big element that annoyed me: Caleb Fox. Now don't misunderstand me here, Caleb sounds like a real "fox" (haha, pun totally intended!) but he's a bit too good to be true. A lot, actually. There is never any conflict between him and Hailey. The only possible misunderstanding there is between the two is when Caleb tells Hailey his major. Big freakin' woop! Oh yeah, and also the "big secret", but of course perfect Caleb is oh-so supportive and understanding (and yes, I am being just a tad sarcastic here). He is perfect, his family is perfect, his friends are perfect, and if he wasn't so cute, I'd probably puke!!! 

Some of the writing sounded very juvenile to me. It reminded me of those Silhouette romances I used to read when I was a kid, only with sex. And speaking of the sex, there is one scene I should go back and read, because I had some questions about the location (gasp!) I really hope they didn't do it where I think they did it, because that would just be really grody! The edition I read is an ARC, so I'm crossing my fingers that somebody with influence will read this review and please, PLEASE take out that last sex scene - it is really too cheesy for words!

So would I read the next book in the series? Maybe. I think this author has a lot of potential, and that the series can only get better, especially when it includes the secondary characters who seem a lot more interesting than Hailey and Caleb.  Let's hope so!