Review: "Fix You" by Christine Bell

Olivia Beckett’s once-charmed life is falling apart. Her family is about to lose everything, and she has almost no chance of continuing her college education. She can't even seek solace from her high school sweetheart. He's changed. She doesn't recognize the boy she used to know— his violent behavior is escalating and it scares the hell out of her. Her whole world is crumbling, and she has no one to turn to…… Sebastian “Bash” McDaniels is an up and comer in the boxing world working nights at the local college bar until he can land the fight of his dreams that will get him the hell out of Boston and away from his family's tragic past. He’s weeks from his goal when Olivia Beckett comes tumbling into his life in a flash of silky dark hair and haunted eyes. When he saves her from a potentially brutal beating, they begin to grow close, but Olivia's ex isn’t ready to let her go so easily. Bash can't bring himself to walk away, but fixing Olivia just might leave him broken…

We've all heard this story before, right?  Girl gets in trouble with big strong man, another big strong man steps in to save the day, and girl and man #2 fall in lust/love.  Sound familiar?  The funny thing is, I was reading "Easy" by Tammara Webber immediately before "Fix You", and I'm in the middle of another book for review with almost the same premise as we speak.  What keeps "Fix You" from becoming another walking, talking cliche is the solid writing and the characters.  I actually care about Sebastian and Olivia and what happens to them, and I'm interested enough to want to read book 2.  

Christine Bell does a fantastic job of building the tension between Olivia and Sebastian (I have to call him Sebastian, unfortunately I think "Bash" is just a ridiculous name!)  The chemistry between the two of them is palpable!  There's also some real suspense in the form of Olivia's boyfriend, who the reader can tell is a loose cannon.  And although there are some definite parallels with other books I've read recently, I can tell that "Fix You" is merely an introduction and that the story as a whole is headed in a completely different direction.  

This is my first book by this author, and I'm looking forward to reading more from her!

My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: "He's Come Undone" by Theresa Weir

Penniless and behind on rent, college student and once famous child actress Ellie Barlow takes on the role of a lifetime when she's hired by a group of young women to break the heart of the campus player who cruelly dumped them. Transformed from slob slacker to jaw-dropping beauty, Ellie is dressed, styled, bleached and waxed, her chunky glasses exchanged for violet contacts. Along with physical prepping, she's coached on Julian's obsessions, which include long-distance running, Doctor Who, and J.D. Salinger. In no time, Julian is in pursuit of his custom-made next victim, but when Ellie goes off script and begins to fall for her target the newest broken heart in this risky game could be her own. Heat: 7 out of 10

Thank you to Netgalley and Belfry Press for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

Wow!  This book grabbed me right from the start, like an octopus with tentacles and suction cups - see, this is why I'm not a writer! - and didn't let me go until the very end.  Even now, days later, I"m still thinking about Ellie and Julian and their tragically sweet story.  My first Theresa Weir book, "He's Come Undone" will definitely not be my last!

Let's start with Ellie.  I really liked her!  She's dealing with some interesting baggage, what with being a child actress and then having her mother steal all her money.  She's really struggling financially, and this puts her in a precarious enough situation to take a job that she might otherwise have turned down.

Which brings us to Julian.  The guy sounds like such a dog!  You wonder how any girl could fall for his routine, but then you see him work his magic on Ellie, and yeah, it's totally believable.  He's got his own justifications for his actions, and when we get his back story, click!  Things start to slip into place, but they only get more complicated from here. 

With perfect pacing, an in-depth plot, and characters you'll feel an emotional connection to, "He's Come Undone" is a definite standout in the field of contemporary New Adult romance.

My rating:

Release Day Blitz: "Deep Surrendering (Episode 3)" by Chelsea M. Cameron

Deep Surrendering (Episode 3) by Chelsea M. Cameron

May 2014

BOOK SUMMARY:

Marisol's days with Fin are dwindling and they still haven't discussed where they stand, and that's not the only thing Marisol doesn't know about him. They've continued to trade secrets for sex, but when Fin reveals one particularly traumatic secret, will Marisol be able to handle it? Or is it better call it quits before she falls even deeper?

BUY LINKS FOR DEEP SURRENDERING - EPISODE 3:

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1nKPdHR

Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/1qDM3ra

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1goRKoL

BUY LINKS FOR DEEP SURRENDERING - EPISODE 2: 

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1eS7N8l

Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/1h4y7Ma
Kobo:  http://bit.ly/1iqcpqT

BUY LINKS FOR DEEP SURRENDERING - EPISODE 1: 

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1fI3LP2 

Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/1hCqMWa
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1gALqDA 

Author Information

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)

Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, LIsten coming out in 2014.

Website: http://www.chelseamcameron.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chel_c_cam 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chelsea-M-Cameron-Official-Author-Page/304422529610919 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752359.Chelsea_M_Cameron

Review: "Sea of Shadows" by Kelley Armstrong

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

What a thrill this was!  "Sea of Shadows" totally exceeded my expectations.  I'm not sure why, but I was anticipating something more middle-grade, but this definitely wasn't.  Lots of gore and non-stop action in a world that Armstrong creates meticulously.  I could clearly picture each character and every action taken as I raced through this book.

With an alternating point of view, we get to know Ashyn and Moria equally well, and I'd be hard pressed to pick a favourite of the two.  Ashyn is more shy than Moria, and she really doesn't have much in the way of self confidence, which is too bad because she's just as brave as her twin and extremely caring and loyal.  Moria is more outgoing.  She's also impulsive and brash, but this just makes her more endearing.

There was a bit of romance, but it was absolutely not the focus.  If Armstrong's intention was to make me fall for the "love interests", well, she did a fantastic job.  Once again, I'd have a hard time choosing between the two, but I think Ronan wins by a nose.  I just loved his wit!  Gavril was a lot more serious and stalwart.

The girls end up getting separated by circumstance and enduring different dangers as they travel across their kingdom to seek help.  We learn a lot about their myths, and it turns out that some of these myths are based firmly in reality, contributing to the danger and action.  

All in all, I would highly recommend "Sea of Shadows" to anyone looking for their next YA fantasy!

My rating:

Review: "The Here and Now" by Ann Brashares

An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to. Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love. This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves. From Ann Brashares, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Here and Now is thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking—and a must-read novel of the year.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

So, I liked this book okay, overall, but...

I really liked the middle - there was some action, some romance, the plot was really taking off, and then the end kind of fizzled out.

One weird thing I noticed - a lack of contractions.  I don't know about you, but when I read, I kind of speak the words in my head.  With fewer contractions, there was a lack of flow - everything seemed stilted.  At first I thought this was deliberate - since Prenna is from the future, it makes sense that she would speak differently.  But Ethan spoke that way too.  I don't know.  Like I said, weird.

How about the characters?  Again, they were okay.  Prenna had some feisty moments.  Ethan also had a few "wow" moments, but I definitely didn't fall in love with either of them.  I'm not sure if there will be a sequel, but if there was, I probably wouldn't read it, simply because I don't care enough about Prenna and Ethan.

My rating:

2014 "Real" Book Challenge - April Update

How many "Real" books did you read this month?  I'm talking books with actual covers, and pages, and that weird smell that only real books have?  

I read three, and all three were FANTASTIC!  I'm so happy to be actually reading the pretty books I have on my shelf - ever since I got my Kobo almost two years ago, I've been pretty bad about neglecting my "real" books, so this challenge is exactly what I need!

Anyhoo, enough gabbing!  What "real" books did I read last month?

So, all in all, I'm quite pleased with myself!  Are you in on this challenge?  There's still time if you're not!  Just click the button in my sidebar to take you where you need to go!  

Review: "The Tryrant's Daughter" by J.C. Carleson

From a former CIA officer comes the riveting account of a royal Middle Eastern family exiled to the American suburbs. When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations? J.C. Carleson delivers a fascinating account of a girl—and a country—on the brink, and a rare glimpse at the personal side of international politics. *Bonus Backmatter includes a note about the author's CIA past, and a commentary by RAND researcher and president of ARCH International, Dr. Cheryl Benard. Recommendations for further reading are also included. From the Hardcover edition.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

Leila has a heavy load to bear, and I fully admire the strength with which she fights her daily battles.  The relationship Leila has with her mother is very complex - we can see the love, but there's also a lot of animosity and misunderstanding.  It was nice to see Leila make some friends - I loved how she shocked them with one of her "barbaric" fairy tales from home, it was kind of funny/sad - and even a boyfriend, but through it all, I knew she was never going to fit in completely.  And I guess that's where Amir comes in.  Amir's character was really well done - I thoroughly  enjoyed watching his and Leila's relationship evolve from outright hostility to understanding and a friendship of sorts. 

Where this novel excels is in its subtle comparisons between life in the Middle East and America.  I loved the scene right at the beginning where Leila's little brother is having difficulty choosing what cereal he's going to eat, because in his former life, there weren't any options.  All of these comparisons were so beautifully written, it wasn't like the author was beating the reader over the head with them - I really appreciated that.

This whole book was a real surprise, including the ending - I wasn't expecting "The Tyrant's Daughter" to be as good as it was.

My rating:  3.5 stars