All of You by Christina Lee

Avery has perfected the art of the one-night-stand. She's got her tactics and they work just fine for her. That is, until Bennett comes along. Bennet was the hot-boy she eyed at a frat party...seemingly, the only guy who did not seem at all interested in her. WTF? She can't figure it out...until she finds out that he's the anti-Avery--he's all about commitment and REAL relationships. 

Bennett is super-attracted to Avery. She's hot, she's got this dangerous edge to her...yet, she's everything he doesn't want. Even still, he can't seem to stop thinking about her. She's completely consumed his thoughts day and night plus their paths keep crossing. But she's all for one-night-stands--so this could never work, right?

Avery and Bennett are both products of their sordid pasts--single moms who made one bad decision after another. They've both taken it upon themselves to care for their younger siblings. They are both  also skeptics of love...can they prove each other wrong?

Fantastic novel. It's emotional, it's heart-wrenching, it's sexy. The characters are captivating, the intense chemistry between Avery and Bennett is hot. Bennett is the perfect guy--he's got stand-up morals which compliments his hot-boy-tattoo-artist side...I think I want him for myself ;)

You can purchase the Kindle edition of All of You at amazon.com or the Nook edition at barnesandnoble.com!

Unspoken by Jen Frederick

"You show a woman you love her by what you do for her, from opening her door to making sure that bumps in the road of life are smoothed out. That she wants and worries for nothing...That every day you remind her that she's the first thought in your mind when you wake up and the last thought before you drop off to sleep." 

--Bo

AM made some mistakes in her freshman year at Central College. She partied a little too hard and crossed paths with the wrong guys. She's avoided campus since the rumours started flying and hasn't been back (outside of class) since. AM meets Bo in biology class and is finding his off-beat charm a little hard to resist. Things don't get easier for her when Bo volunteers himself as her lab partner for the year. Bo is an underground fighter with daddy-problems. He finds AM very intriguing as she's quiet, keeps to herself and isn't quite like the girls he usually associates with. We watch this unlikely pair get together and and see their romance blossom in Unspoken.

I appreciated that the author took her time to develop these characters. You don't find much depth in a lot of characters these days, but you definitely do with AM and Bo. Even smaller supporting characters have a bit of substance to them, which is nice. Also, unlike your typical romance where guy and girl meet, fall in love and live happily ever after, we get a little bit more of AM and Bo's story after they overcome some roadblocks and end up together. 

If you don't like fighting, this book isn't for you--it's got quite a few scenes of ruthless violence. For those of you who enjoy it--there are even a few references to the UFC thrown in! 

Good read, in general with a bit of spice when AM and Bo get a little hot'n'heavy ;)

Purchase the Kindle edition of Unspoken on amazon.ca!

How to Date a Nerd by Cassie Mae

Zoe is a closet nerd trying to keep her real self from coming out so she can maintain popularity, and, off the bullying radar. Having had enough of being tormented in middle school, she gave herself a makeover and stuffed her old self behind some roll-y shelves.

Zak is Zoe's neighbour, King Nerd and the object of Zoe's obsession. Unlike Zoe, he has no interest in pleasing others and is completely comfortable with being a "loser". He knows the old Zoe and can't wait for her to return...but is he waiting for something that will never happen or will he be rewarded for his patience and insight?

I hated high school. This book reminds me of precisely why I did. The existence of labels, cliques, and just plain mean people made and continue to make school a horrid place to be. Though I don't blame Zoe for wanting to fit in, I hate her for humiliating Zak in order to "stay on top" of the food chain. That hatred extends towards and is more amplified with the people Zoe considers her friends--what kind of friends use each other and are not ok with who you really are? (A: people you consider friends when you're in high school, apparently)

ANYWAYS. Well written, loved how all over the place Zoe is--the on-going monologue in her head is hilarious. I'm totally on 'Team Zak', though, I really felt for him a lot throughout the novel and wanted to kick Zoe in the pants for what she put him through. He's so nerdy, yet, awesome--there's an air of attractiveness to him (could it be his heroic actions throughout the novel?) I can definitely appreciate.

...annnnd I'm off to read it again--I have a feeling this one is going to become a favourite re-read. It's an easy, light-hearted read that I think just about anyone can relate to in some way or another!

The Kindle and Nook editions of How to Date a Nerd are now available!

How to Date a Nerd Blog Hop!

Can't say I've ever done a Blog Hop before...but it sounds like fun!

...here goes...

The nerdiest thing(s) about me:

Totally dressed my 1 year old up in a Yoda costume last year and will definitely be finding another Star Wars character for this year before she can come up to me and say, "Mommy, I want to be a princess!" (ughhhh boring!!!); oh, and I also have my library categorized by genre and then alphabetical by author!!

In case you're wondering what all this hype is about...How to Date a Nerd by Cassie Mae is hitting (e-)shelves September 24th!! I can't convey how excited I am about this book! I've been waiting to read it since I finished another of Cassie's novels (Friday Night Alibi). Here's the official book blurb:

Zoe has a great pair of legs, perky boobs, and wears exactly what she needs to show it all off. She works hard for the easy sleazy 'you only wish you were me' reputation, burying who she really is--an all-out nerd.

The only time Zoe gets to be herself is when she hides under her comforter to read X-Men comics, sending jealousy stabs at everyone who attends Comic-Con. Keeping up her popular rep is too important, and she's too insecure to care about the consequences. But when Zoe's sister takes her car for a 'crash and burn into a tree' joyride, her parents get her a replacement. A manual. Something she doesn't know how to operate, but her next door neighbour Zak sure as heck does.

Zak's a geek to the core, shunned by everyone in school for playing Dungeons and Dragons at lunch and wearing "Use the Force" t-shirts. And Zoe's got it bad for the boy. Only Zak doesn't want Popular Zoe. He wants Geek Zoe.

She has to shove her insecurities and the fear of dropping a few rungs on the social ladder aside to prove to Zak who she really is and who she wants to be...if she can figure it out herself.

Now, if only I can figure out how to do this side-bar thing...not nerdy enough, I guess! LOL.

Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen

"The feeling of it calms me down because it reminds me that there's life in the world, and that hearts do keep beating even after they break."

--Quinton

Nova is home after a difficult freshman year of college. She's still trying to cope with the suicide of her boyfriend, Landon. Things haven't gotten any better for her and, in fact, things are exacerbated being back home where everything is a constant reminder of him. In trying to move on with her life, Nova finds herself lost more than ever before. We watch her  go down a treacherous road of self-destruction in her search of a path of healing and moving on.

Quinton is new in town. Having been disowned by his own father, he seeks refuge with his cousin, Tristan, and his cousin's housemate Dylan. Like Nova, he's grieving his own losses. Quinton was driving the vehicle involved in an accident responsible for the death of his girlfriend (Lexi) and cousin (Tristan's sister). We follow Quinton in his inner struggle with grief of loss and guilt of being the one responsible.

Do Nova and Quinton find themselves and find a way to move on? Do they find refuge from the pain in each other or do they send each other into spirals of destruction?

Simply put, I loved Breaking Nova. It left me in tears, it made my heart ache for Nova and Quinton, it left me me wanting more. The stories of Nova and Quinton are just so heart-wrenching and I loved every bit of it. I cannot begin to imagine being in either of their places. How can one possibly heal when the one you love chooses to leave you in a permanent way? How does one move on and live life when, even if unintentionally, you're the one responsible for taking the lives of not one, but two people that you love?

Death and suicide is prevalent in both plots and throughout the entire novel--Landon's suicide leaves Nova alone and feeling abandonned; and Quinton's desire to end his own life after having, unintentionally, taken the life of his girlfriend and cousin. If you want to be thrown into a mixed bag of sad, emptiness, loss, depression, abandonment, attraction and confusion (just to name a few, y'know) this book is for you!! I think I must have felt a million things while reading this novel. Usually, I hate books that have no finite ending (what can I say, I hate not knowing what happens next!). I find that Breaking Nova ties up Nova's story nicely and leaves me wanting to read the next book to find out what happens to Quinton.

Purchase the Kindle edition of Breaking Nova on amazon.ca!