Hold on Tight by Serena Bell

Fighting for his country gave Jake Taylor’s life shape and meaning. Now as an injured war hero he struggles to find purpose, until he runs into the gorgeous woman he dated briefly—and disastrously—before being deployed eight years ago. Turns out Jake doesn’t just need to figure out how to be a civilian . . . he also needs to learn how to be a dad.

Eighteen, pregnant, and totally lost, Mira Shipley couldn’t track down the soldier who fathered her child, so she put college on hold and focused on making a good life for her son. Now she’s determined to be something more than Sam’s mom, her parents’ daughter, or Jake’s girl—as hot as she finds her old flame’s take-charge attitude in and out of bed. Soon Mira and Jake realize that their passion didn’t disappear when Sam was conceived—and that instead of running away, sometimes it’s better to hold on tight.

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So not only does Jake come back from war with an injury that truly changed his life, but he also gets thrown a big *wtf* when he bumps into Mira, a woman he briefly, many moons ago. I don't know how anyone would handle finding out that they have a child they did not know about. I find that I love stories of soldiers returning home from their duties. I find their struggles add to a story and make them that much more interesting and, for the most part, to read. Hold on Tight does this well. Jake's struggle with learning to live without a leg added to his struggle with learning he has a son gives the story roots and makes it feel more real. Mira and Jake's relationship develops (or, in this case, re-develops) as the book goes on, each dealing with their own struggles to try to make a happily-ever-after work. They do not lack any steam despite their problems, though! Definitely loved this book and recommend it to anyone who loves a good romance laced with an intense army-return storyline.

Shatter by Erin McCarthy

Kylie Warner prides herself on being optimistic, but after finding her best friend in bed with her boyfriend and flunking chemistry, her upbeat attitude has taken a dive. Even an impromptu hook-up with her sexy new chemistry tutor only brightens her mood slightly. After all, it’s not like she’ll ever see the tattooed scholar again…

While he’s a whiz at complex equations, Jonathon Kadisch has trouble when it comes to figuring out women. So when Kylie tells him that she’s pregnant after their night of passion, he’s at a complete loss. He’s prepared to be a good father—unlike his own deadbeat dad—but he’s less prepared to fall for the genuine and alluring blonde bearing his child.

With emotions running high, Kylie wonders if Jonathon’s devotion is out of growing love or looming obligation. And when heartbreak threatens to tear them apart, Jonathon will have to fight for the only girl who’s ever made him feel whole…

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Having read the other books in the True Believers series, I was a bit taken aback by this book. It was definitely not the story I expected. I guess I didn't expect this series to take the unexpected-baby route! That being said, I wasn't disappointed by how this book turned out, either. It was nice to see how Kylie was able to conquer life's curveballs and, with the support from loved ones around her, was able to really rise above. Shatter had similar calibre of hot and heavy as the other books in this series and, really, who doesn't find a smart, good looking guy sexy? I think Jonathon played the stand-up guy really well--he is truly one of the good ones, standing by Kylie (who was pretty much a stranger) through everything she goes through with the unexpected pregnancy. I think I just ended up loving him more and more as the novel progressed. Shatter ended the series off on a good note--one that had a bittersweet ending!

Blog Tour: You Turn by Marion Croslydon

"I was the little girl who loved you from afar. I was the woman who gave herself away for you and ended up losing a lot of who she was."

"Then allow me to give back some of what I stole."

After being dumped by her fiancé, Eleanor Carrington flees to Paris to stay with her self-medicated mother. While keeping her mom from popping pills like gummy bears, Eleanor launches a new, no-strings-attached life plan with absolutely NO falling in love whatsoever. On her part at least, because her self-esteem could do with one or two Frenchmen going un peu crazy for her.

What she doesn’t need is for her first Grand Amour to burst back into her life. What she doesn’t need is all-American Zachary Murdoch—or a more mature and sensitive version of him—to schmooze his way into her heart again. She grew up loving the/this/that man until he dumped her five summers ago. Whatever shit-show/life drama she’s just been through was a stroll. What Zach put her though was a climb up Mount Everest. Barefoot. In a bikini.

Now a club-owner in Paris, Zach is intrigued by the troubled woman who was once the sweet girl he had to give up. Offering a shoulder for her to cry on is what he owes her. Loving her is what he lost the right to. Because there’s a reason he broke up with Lenor and that reason is why she’s in Paris.

But Paris is called the City of Love…

Will he be her turn at love?

*** You Turn is a contemporary adult romance and part of the Second Chances series. However, Lenor’s story can be read as a stand-alone novel. There is no cliffhanger. ***
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So I read You Turn as a stand-alone without having reading the other Second Chances series and it definitely held it's own. I was actually surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. Though you knew that Lenor and Zach were, inevitably, going to end up together in the end, their story was not at all boring. There was a lot of history with the two of them and that just added to the chemistry that was evidently still bubbling away.

You have Lenor who's trying to jump-start her life after being dumped by her fiance and then you have Zach who's more than made a life for himself in Paris. Even though they are old friends/neighbours, you get a foreboding feeling that something odd is going on in the background with their family history. Maybe it was just me but I found Zach's "reappearance" in Lenor's life a bit fishy from the get-go. Even still, it was nice to see a first love rekindle itself. I was pleasantly surprised as the story unfolded. Definitely worth the read if you're a romantic and you like lovers redeeming themselves the second time around!

About the Author

Marion loves to share happy vibes, talk book crush, fictional boyfriends and sexual chemistry with like-minded people. And because she spends most of her days on her own deep inside her writing cave—and under the grey London sky—, you are welcome to come and say ‘hello’ from time to time. Just to make sure she doesn’t sink into insanity. Her friends, family and arch-enemies (there are quite a few) will be forever grateful for your help.

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Perfect for You by Ashelyn Drake

Seventeen-year-old Meg Flannigan isn’t very self-confident, but what girl would be after her sophomore-year boyfriend dumped her by making out with another girl in front of her locker?

Now a senior, Meg catches the eye of not one, but two gorgeous guys at school. Sounds good, right? What girl wouldn't want to be in Meg's shoes? One cute boy happens to be her boyfriend, and the other? Well, he wants to be. And Meg? She't torn between Ash, the boy she's been with for nearly five months, and Noah who is pretty irresistible.

But Meg is playing with fire. Pitting two boys against one another, even if she doesn't intend to, could end badly if she isn't careful. PERFECT FOR YOU is a teen romance from bestselling author Ashelyn Drake, where one girl will risk everything to find her perfect match.

Perfect For You is available for purchase:

  

I found that Meg's bouncing between Noah and Ash almost painful to watch. Granted, it makes sense for her age but the fact that she can't figure out what is and what isn't real is very frustrating. It's a continual battle between two guys that, truly, I don't think are a good match for her. I don't see that she really matches either of them. She's young and immature--two things that, when mixed together, can be disastrous.  Ash isn't much different--he seems to play into the "stupid boy" role too easily with his inability to control his jealous over Noah. Noah, though a bit more cocky and sure of himself, was the one character I was able to really be okay with. He may be the bad guy in it all, ruining Meg's "happily ever after" (but, really, do we see her and Ash working out in the long run?) but he was easily the character in this book I was able to like. Were his intentions clean and clear? Probably not...but he didn't give off an annoying sense of "high school" like Meg and Ash did for me...

There was just too much back and forth for me, I didn't enjoy the story as much as I thought I would. I was able to get through it, though. The story was a bit too angsty for me (oh my, whoever thought they'd ever hear me say that!!?) with all the drama that was going through Meg's head and between Meg and Ash and all the other characters contributing to their relationship demise. All in all, this wasn't what I was expecting it to be. Too many twists to an ending I didn't quite agree with. However...I may be the only one who feel this way!

Blog Tour: Loving Eden by T.A. Foster

Have you ever thought of packing up everything you own and moving halfway across the country?

I’m talking about leaving your entire life behind—friends, family, school—with no turning back. No? Me either, but that was before a week of spring break changed my life forever. Before I did something I never thought I’d do at twenty-two. Before I fell in love with Grey.

Sometimes happily ever after isn’t always what you think it will be.

Loving Eden is available for purchase:

     

Great read, though, I actually enjoyed the first book in this series more (Kissing Eden) maybe because the initial falling-in-love stages tend to be a bit more exciting. That being said, I always enjoy reading onwards about a couple--sometimes, I just hate when a story is left untold! Though it was based on an insta-love between Grey and Eden, this story had an interesting turn of events I didn't expect. Actually, for once, most of what I thought would happen, didn't! 

I can say that I didn't hold Eden on the highest pedestal. I sort of looked at her character warily--who falls in love with a stranger so quickly and then moves across the country for him? It's all a bit crazy to me. However, my respect for her grew as she stuck by Grey through so much in Loving Eden. She may have made a crazy decision but she, at least, stuck by it and saw it through. 

Grey, of course, was the brooding star of the show in this series. There's just so much to him that we don't know. I know I savoured every little bit that was learned as the book progressed. I think seeing someone, who's been dealt a shoddy hand in life, making life work for them is a refreshing change. 

I'm a sucker for happy endings and with this book, I didn't seem to get it. It seemed to be a bit of a TBC ending so I'm hoping there's a third book down the line. I feel like Grey and Eden's story isn't really finished quite yet. That being said, Loving Eden definitely solidified a relationship that could have really gone either way after the first book. It was easy to get through, I would definitely recommend you read this if you liked Kissing Eden!

About the Author

T.A. Foster once spent a monthlong spring break on South Padre Island, where she soaked in the Texas sun, beach, and learned what real Texas country music is. Sometimes fiction does spring from reality.

She grew up catching rays and chasing waves along the North Carolina Outer Banks and now resides in the state with her adventurous pilot husband, two children, and two canine kiddos. 

T.A. has an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University. When she’s not chasing her two-legged and four-legged children or trying to escape for date night, you can find her reading, writing, or planning her next beach trip.

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