March 28, 2014

The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry

Kate's going through some rough patches. Her perfect boyfriend dumped her out of the blue, she's having one hell of a time dealing with the recent diagnosis of her diabetes. Along comes her bff's cousin, Aidan--a veteran back home from Afghanistan dealing with the loss of his arm. Older, good looking, seemingly interested in her--the perfect distraction from her problems, right?

I think Jolene hit Kate's character spot on. She's your typical seventeen year old who thinks she's invincible. Diabetes can't keep her down--if she ignores it, it'll just go away, right? She does NOT have the time or energy to devote to maintaining this disease. She's self-absorbed, she's blunt and to the point--I love it. She reminds me of me when I her age. I was totally right there with her while she was dealing with her feelings post-break-up with Shelton. I, too, hit a breaking point when my perfect highschool boyfriend broke up with me...

Aidan is a war veteran at the young age of nineteen. He's got his whole life ahead of him but he cannot feel anymore lost after returning home (less an arm) from Afghanistan. He's going through the usual frustration of trying to figure out what to do with himself for the rest of his life. On top of the usual problems, he's got the added stress of dealing with the affects war has had on him--both physically and mentally. He's a strong fellow and it was nice to see him work things out--it doesn't always work out so well for everyone.

I definitely enjoyed The Summer I Found You. It was not too deep but it had enough of an interesting/different kind of story to keep a reader interested. The story hosts relatable characters (hi, Kate is living my seventeenth year of life, I swear!!) and focusses on real life problems (dealing with diabetes). Kate and Aidan are two young and fresh teens and they're falling in love--and who can hate on that?


My Rating: 4 Stars - LOVED IT


Purchase the Kindle edition of The Summer I Found You now:
 

March 26, 2014

Blog Tour: Sex on the Beach series


ARE YOU READY FOR SPRING BREAK!!?! ...because I'm surely ready for some sun, beach and warm weather! Be ready to be whisked away to Key West for one week as three best friends, Mackenzie, Quinn and Cassie take off on a week that will change their lives forever (duh duh duhhhhhhh). These three novellas make up the Sex on the Beach series by three awesome authors (who all happen to be named Jen lol). Enjoy today's triple review!

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Between Us by Jen McLaughlin

Mackenzie is a famous country singer labelled America's Sweetheart. She's spent a lot of her life in the limelight doing all that she can to keep her image clean. Hoping to get lost in the crowd during spring break, Mac takes her two best friends, Cassie and Quinn, to Key West for a week of uninhibited fun. She's ready to let loose and finally lose her virginity to some Spring Break guy...so long as he can prove that he's able to keep his mouth shut and not sell her out to the tabloids. Local bad boy--and talented singer, to boot--Austin seems to fit the bill perfectly. He seems just as secretive about his own past and he is hot as hell so why the heck not? Things are perfect until she starts to fall for him and realize that she may want something more than a no-strings-attached vacation fling. 

Austin can't believe that his luck finally seems to be changing. After being dealt a shoddy string of it where he ended up being a young guardian to his kid sister, he's given up his dreams and ambitions to care for her. So when Mackenzie Forbes walks into his life and takes him by storm, he's ready for a short and sweet fling like she offers but is anything but prepared when he realizes that he likes her--a lot. He'll never be good enough or have anything to offer to a girl like Mac, so what's he doing?

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Between Us was a cute story and the first I read in this series. I liked this one--two people trying to have a good time thinking that they can both keep their pasts hush until they both realize that they want more--and that means letting the other person in. As secrets start to slowly leak out from either side, the two are forced to get to know one another and complicates things. AH. Spring break fun never stays easy peasy, ever, does it!!?

My Rating: 4 Stars


Purchase the Kindle edition of Between Us now:
 

About Jen McLaughlin


Jen McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, came out September 2013. She also writes bestselling Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts.Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Connect with Jen McLaughlin on:
    

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Beyond Me by Jennifer Probst

Quinn has always been the taker-carer of her family and friends. She's putting herself through school while working two jobs and finds herself in the care-giving role more often than she's been taken care of. When her best friend Mackenzie and Cassie drag her down to Key West for spring break, she's not so convinced she can let loose and have a good time. Taking a step out of her comfort zone, she heads out to a house party by herself where she meets James. When she quickly finds out that he's hiding things from her, she walks away--one thing she can't stand are lies. 

James has all the money in the world but no real aspirations in life. So when he meets Quinn, he's stunned at her beauty, direction and ambition--there's no way he could ever be worthy of her. When he friends put up a bet for him to try to get her into his bed, he has no qualms until he starts chasing her and realizes that he wants her to himself, all bets aside. Is it truly possible that he's finally met someone who's inspired him to take a handle on his life and create himself a future? 

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I'm generally not a big fan of novellas because I find that they're rarely well developed and I normally crave so much more from a book and its characters. Beyond Me is short and sweet--Jennifer does not disappoint. I found that, of the three novellas, this one is a bit more emotional in the sense that there's a whole sob story behind James (though, really, who feels sorry for the rich boy who's got everything at his hands but just isn't smart enough to do anything with it?). Maybe because I relate to Quinn where she just wants to help and fix people, I just felt a need to help James out and, well, I might have married the tattooed bad-boy but I've always had a thing for the preppy frat boys ;) Definitely enjoyed this one most out of the three. 

My Rating: 4 Stars


Purchase the Kindle edition of Beyond Me now:
 

About Jennifer Probst


Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.

She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon's Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team.

Connect with Jennifer Probst on:
    

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Before You by Jenna Bennett

Cassie is down in Key West for Spring Break with her two best friends Mackenzie and Quinn. Out of the three girls, she is the most out of her comfort zone. Being the preacher's daughter, she's really stepping outside of her usual comfort zone to try to meet a guy (at the suggestion of her bffs) and have the time of her life. Her sweet and innocent nature is zoned in on by Tyler almost immediately. She hits it off with this mysterious hot guy and he's more than caring but :o he has a girlfriend, OF COURSE. Cue pining. But then things get serious when they start discovering girls that are being drugged and assaulted. As they embark on on their week filled with drugs, cops and trying to find out who's committing these crimes, Cassie tries to remain indifferent to Tyler's hot and cold attitude towards her but things get interesting quickly (well, they have to, these novellas have a one week time span, ok??!)

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To be completely honest, I didn't like this one as much. I think maybe because I really didn't care for Cassie's character. She seemed much too naive for her age (yes, I get it, she's the sweet and innocent preacher's daughter...but some of things that come out of her mouth have me asking *wtf, did she seriously just say that!!?*) and I found it harder to enjoy because of how awkward I found her. I didn't get what was so awesome about her, but that could just be because I don't love people who have no clue (sorry, Cass, I know you're not a ditz but there was just something about you...). I also found that because of their story and how Tyler can't act on anything because of his job, etc., when they finally got together at the end, it seemed really all of a sudden and almost forced. Almost as if there was an *oh, shit, forgot the sex scene--here it is* moment... The story was enjoyable, though, because it was different from the other two and it was nice to read something different but it threw me off a bit because it wasn't the kind of story I expected.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars


Purchase the Kindle edition of Before You now:
 

About Jenna Bennett


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett (Jennie Bentley) writes the Do It Yourself home renovation mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Cutthroat Business mysteries for her own gratification. She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace. 

Connect with Jenna Bennett on:
    

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The series as a whole was decent. It's relatively easy to get through and overall a great read despite a few *wtf* moments. And, common, it's gearing up for Spring Break so what's not to love (I'm sitting here typing as the SNOW is falling outside) and dream of!? I loved how the three novellas had a few scenes in common that tied the three together without being annoyingly repetitive. The point of views were definitely interesting--you get more than three which is nice (I almost always love reading the stories in the eyes of the guys). Definitely worth the read--it won't take you long to get through!

Overall Series Rating: 4 Stars




Blog Tour Organized By:

March 24, 2014

Thrown for a Curve by Sugar Jamison


when you're a big girl
Cherri has often wished she were thin and graceful like a ballerina instead of being a six-foot-tall blonde with curves that require serious caution. Surely a charming Irishman like her new boss Colin, with his throaty brogue and to-die-for bod, would never go for someone like Cherri. Unless maybe he’s looking for the exact opposite of a delicate lass?  

there’s more of you to love

When Colin hired Cherri to work in his furniture-restoration shop, he had his eyes, first and foremost, on her artistic talents. But now he can’t help but see Cherri for the lush, spirited beauty that she is…and, soon enough, he finds himself mixing business with pleasure. But Cherri turns out to be more vulnerable than she appears. Is she in need of more than Colin can give? Or could it be that a feeling stronger than lust has him thrown for a curve?



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Thrown for a Curve started off two people unlikely to end up together. In a series of events, it morphed into a story of two people making a life together. I think there was too much story going on. I felt that it dragged on at times. Cherri leaned on Colin in a time of need and fell in love. Most of the story is about her growing up and finding her place in life (she is fairly young). Colin is also the her first. For Colin, it was seemingly love at first sight (though he felt way too old for her, he couldn't stay away). After being shattered by his cheating ex-girlfriend who won't leave him alone, Colin comes from a terribly effed up emotionally. The two of them have a lot to work through between his problems and her naivety.  I found that all the back stories going on with Cherri's grandmother's death, then Cherri's unplanned pregnancy, their shotgun marriage, Colin's father coming back into the picture...it just seemed like there was too much going on. It wasn't a horrible book by any means but it didn't grab hold of me.

My Rating: 2.5 Stars



Purchase the Kindle edition of Thrown for a Curve now:
 

March 21, 2014

Cover Reveal: The Real Thing by Cassie Mae


So, this book... it's about this girl.


And she loves her online time.


Her phone is her buddy.


And her favorite app is her Kindle, because she also LOVES to read.


Read a lot.


Then there's this boy.


He's best friends with this bookworm girl.


He sort of has a thing for her.


But, he's also got major anxiety.


And isn't sure how to make a move.


So when they end up rooming together for the summer, this guy tries to get this girl to put the screen away long enough for him to win her over.


But of course, it's not easy to unplug. Especially for an internet junkie.


Hmm... that girl sounds pretty familiar ;)


And here's the hawt cover for it! 








And here's the actual blurb, and not my picture version :)
Eric Matua has one friend—his best friend and childhood sweetheart, who needs a place to stay for the summer. Mia Johnson has thousands of friends—who live in her computer. Along with her email chats and Facebook notifications, Mia also devours romance novels, spending countless hours with fictional characters, dreaming of her own Romeo to sweep her off her feet. When she starts receiving supersweet messages from a stranger who thinks she’s someone else, Mia begins to believe that real love is possible outside her virtual world.
When the two friends become roommates, Mia finds herself falling harder than she ever thought she could. But Eric keeps his desires locked away, unsure of himself and his ability to give his best friend what she deserves in a boyfriend. As her advances are continually spurned, Mia splits her time between Eric and her computer. But she soon realizes she’s about to lose the only real thing she’s ever had.

About Cassie Mae :)

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. She’s the author of the Amazon Bestsellers REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND and HOW TO DATE A NERD, and is the debut author for the Random House FLIRT line with her New Adult novels FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI and SWITCHED. She spends time with her angel children and perfect husband who fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.