Book Review: Solo (Symphony Hall #1) by Lauren E. Rico

When graduate student Katherine Brenner walked into my class, I couldn’t stand her -- all perfect skin and big, blue eyes -- just like the woman who broke my heart.

If it wasn’t for that blizzard, if her car hadn’t broken down outside my house, if she hadn’t looked amazing by the firelight, I never would have kissed her. No matter how hard I try, every excuse I make not to see her comes up flat.

I can’t stop thinking of her lips. Or the way her curves fit perfectly in my hands. There’s a million reasons why this won’t work. I’m her professor. It’s against university policy.

And if this gets out, I could lose everything.

Before I even start talking about what kind of marvelous things are going on between these pages, I think that we need to have a moment of silence for this cover because ... DAMN. 

Moving on! There's always been something intriguing about the college student/teacher romance thing AND when you throw in how these two start off ... this book was the perfect storm of disasters for the characters. I just couldn't put this book down!!

The story was absolutely fabulous. It wasn't too heavy and weighted down with details that I couldn't care less about. The author just dives right into the story and then barely gives you a second to buckle up for the ridiculously exciting plot. There were more exciting twists in this romance novel than I experienced with the last thriller that I read! Every time I turned around, there was some shocking plot twist that knocked me on my ample butt. 

OMG. The characters. I absolutely loved Katherine. I think maybe it was because I saw a bit of myself in her. Each time she would turn the other cheek, I loved her character even more. She was spunky when she needed to be and entirely too humble for her own good. And then the men in the book ... I don't want to spoil anything with names ... but the men in the book were written just as fabulously as Katherine. You hated some, loved some, loathed others ... they were all perfect. I found my views on each gentleman in the story changing as the novel chugged along. I definitely have my favorite but I'm not telling!! 

I read this one in one sitting and I wanted to start it all over again after I finished the last sentence. I positively adored this book. I'll definitely be picking up other books by this author!

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review *

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Book Review: Blind Trust (A Novel) by Felisha Antonette

Loving someone has never been so deadly.

Valerie Harper has one assignment, one mission. Assassinate her mark and everyone he loves. But what happens when she finds that she loves him too?
Her instructions are simple; do not fraternize with your target, observe at a distance, and never engage with the enemy. However, as things take an unexpected turn in Val's world, these simple instructions begin to change.

Refusing to be a puppet, Kyle Shultz walks away from his old life and settles into the college routine. But the life of a student is more difficult than he imagined. Making friends and attending parties are as foreign a concept as showing a target mercy.

The lines between the state of the job and the affairs of the heart are blurred as Valerie and Kyle’s worlds collide. 

With a maze of enemies and hit lists to navigate, will these two young adversaries proceed wide-eyed and alone into the fray? Or will they blindly trust the feelings they can no longer ignore?

 

This is the first book that I've read by this author and unfortunately, it's probably the last also. It wasn't any one thing that didn't do it for me with this book. It was a varied combination of basically every aspect of the book. Honestly, I didn't even finish the last 60 or so pages because I just wasn't invested in the story and I didn't really care how it ended. 

One of my biggest issues was with the conversations between the many characters in the book. They didn't seem authentic - they were stiff and the wording was sometimes weird. At one point, I even wondered if the author was from a different country because maybe something was literally lost in translation. Unfortunately, that wasn't the explanation ... well ... unless Arizona seceded from the union and they were able to establish their own language in the last 3 or so years. 

Right along with the conversations comes the inner dialogue for the characters. This was also dry and stiff and because of that, I felt like I never really got to know the characters. It was almost like the book was being written from an unemotional pov. Which would be fine ... but that wasn't established within the story and it just doesn't make sense. Now this isn't a direct quote but let me give you an idea of how the story read: He was mad. He stomped his foot. He didn't like what was going on. He was so mad.

Like I said, that's not a direct quote but do you kind of see how you read it in your head with that monotone, robotic voice?!? That is how the book sounded in my head with every single word. Is that the author's fault? Not necessarily. But I'm pretty sure my inner reading voice isn't broken because as I type this and talk in my head, I sound pretty awesome. This robotic read issue could very well be me. But that doesn't take away the fact that the book just fell extremely flat for me. 

I thought that the plot trudged along slowly. I think that my attention would have been captured if it had moved just a bit more swiftly. Basically, this just wasn't the book for me. The characters didn't grab me, the plot didn't grab me and I didn't even care enough to finish the book (which hardly ever happens, btw). On to the next one. 

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *

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Book Review: The Heartbeat Hypothesis by Lindsey Frydman

Audra Madison simply wanted to walk in the shoes of Emily Cavanaugh, a free-spirited teenager who died too young. After all, Audra wasn’t supposed to be here.

Thanks to Emily, Audra has a second chance at life. She’s doing all the things that seemed impossible just two years ago: Go to college. Date. Stargaze in the Rocky Mountains. Maybe get a tattoo. You know, live.

Jake Cavanaugh, a photographer with mysterious, brooding gray eyes, agrees to help chronicle her newfound experiences. She makes him laugh, one of the only people who can these days. As they delve into each other’s pasts – and secrets – the closer they become.

But she’s guarded and feels like she can’t trust anyone, including herself.
And he’s struggling with the fact that his beloved sister’s heart beats inside her.

 

I don't know anything about this author, this is the first book I've read by her and I believe her first mass-published book. Not that that matters ... this chick just writes an amazing college student ... like she just went through this or is still in college or something. Totally in touch with that age group. Kind of a random comment to start off a review. That's kinda how my brain works when it's before 5am. 

Anyhow ... I liked Audra. At first. I don't know what in the world happened. I was really digging Audra and Jake and then the bottom kind of fell out of that. While I found Audra and her situation intriguing, after the first half of the book was over, I just didn't feel the same connection to her that I had felt before. I ended up finding her more irritating than endearing. 

There could be a strong correlation between my change in feelings towards Audra and what happened in the middle of the book because those two things seemed to happen very close to each other. I get about halfway through this book that is moving at a nice and steady pace and then it's like I hit quicksand. Everything slowed down to a snails pace and just almost hesitatingly, trudged along. That's when my attention span started to diminish. This slow down happened (what felt like) very suddenly and while I tried to push through and feel that same magic that I felt in the beginning ... it was gone. 

It took me a while to like Jake. I think it would be more accurate if I said that it took me a while to like Jake AGAIN. I liked him in the beginning, he was mysterious and broody with a hint of orneriness. But like the middle of the book, it felt like Jake began to disengage from the plot. Weird assessment, right? It honestly felt like he wasn't as involved in the book as he was before. I mean, he was on the pages but towards the middle, I just didn't get those same feelings (as a reader) from him that I did at the beginning. 

Unfortunately, the middle of the book seems to have been the death of this one for me. Pretty unfortunate, I liked how the beginning was going.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review *

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Book Review: Red Water by Kristen Mae

He was trying to kill her, too…

Malory Shoemaker would prefer just about any place over the beat-up trailer she’s had to call home since her mom died, so even her tiny dorm room feels like an upgrade. And though she sometimes still hears her father’s whispers in her mind, she’s excelling at school, making new friends, and has even attracted an enigmatic admirer.

But when her new love interest begins to reveal his more unsavory appetites, Malory finds herself a hapless participant in sick games that force her to confront her nasty inner demons. As the game intensifies, so do the whispers in Malory’s head. Now she must decide: accept the fate she’s always believed inevitable, or risk losing the only person who ever made her feel like she was worth fighting for. But how do you let love in when the only thing that feels right is pain?

Erotic and disturbing, Red Water slithers under your skin with its dark, unflinching examination of the psychology of self-loathing and the secret, unspeakable lust for depravity that lies dormant within us all.

 

This is probably the most difficult review I've had to write in a long time. In all reality, probably the hardest review I'll have to write for years to come. 

I think the thing that I most want to communicate with people who decide to read this review is that it's not that I don't like this book. When I first picked it up, I really didn't know what to expect. I've never read anything by this author before and I was really in the dark as to how this might play out. I was immediately a fan when I found out that the main character, Malory, played the cello. I've played the cello since I was 9 years old ... holy crap ... that's almost 3 decades! So I completely understood what Malory was going through with the trials and tribulations of that. I think it's difficult for people who don't play an instrument or sport, for that matter, to understand the dedication and constant turmoil you put yourself through as you try to master something that seems so daunting at times. 

Unfortunately, I connected with Malory on another level also. Dating a guy that is abusive, no matter in which way, can be difficult. My dark times also happened in college, just like with Malory. I'm not totally for sure if that was the reason I had to skip paragraphs and pages of this book or what. But I'm sure that's not too far off base. Malory gets herself into this psychologically, emotionally and physically abusive relationship. Thinking that this was a romance novel with a twist was not anywhere near the truth. This is a novel about that abuse. It's about a chick's need to be in an abusive relationship because she thinks the kind of treatment she's getting is love. She accepts it. Craves it, even. 

This was a very dark, very disturbing read. If I was basing my rating just on how this book made me feel, I wouldn't give it any damn stars. I would have used it for kindling in a trashcan fire. That was my first instinct. But then I finished the book and I stopped and really thought about it. How amazing is an author if they are able to evoke such strong emotions from the reader? If she can make you absolutely HATE a character, make your stomach turn, make you want to cry ... that's got to mean she's pretty badass, right? I think so. 

So maybe this wasn't a book that I would read again. Ever. But that doesn't mean it wasn't well written. It doesn't mean that the story wasn't this deep, dark, black hole that sucks you in and won't let go. And it most certainly doesn't mean that it wasn't a good book. It was ... if you really enjoy the perversion that plagues some of our most inhumane population. While I'm glad that I read it, I'm also glad that I'm done.

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *

Available: April 19th, 2017

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Book Review: Reckless Hearts (Reckless Hearts #1) by Heather Van Fleet

Between boot camp and two TOD’s in Iraq, my buddies Max, Gavin and me have been through some serious hell. So the last thing I ever expected was to find the biggest challenge of my life back home.

My girlfriend died. I couldn’t even attend her funeral, let alone tell her goodbye or that I’m sorry I wasn’t there like I should’ve been.

But she left me a gift. The best and scariest one I could’ve ever asked for. One I didn’t think I could handle…until the day I saw her tiny blues looking up at me in that airport. Chloe.

Now here I am, raising my baby girl—with the help of my two best friends. Things couldn’t be better. Until she walked into my life.

All I wanted was a nanny. Someone to take care of my girl when I couldn’t. What I didn’t count on was Addison, the brown-eyed temptress with a body of sin, and everything I didn’t need, but suddenly wanted.

This was the first book I've read by Heather Van Fleet and I don't know if it will be the last. This book was ... okay ... it didn't blow my skirt up but it kept my attention for the most part. 

I think that my biggest beef with this one was how damn cheesy I thought that it was. There was an abundance of eye rolling going on on my part when I was blowing through this one. And it wasn't just a couple of times. This started at the beginning of the book and went straight through to the end. So I guess it's a good thing that it's so consistent? I don't know. It also wasn't just either words OR actions. It was both. From both main characters but mostly from Collin. He's this single father veteran and he is corny as hell. It made it difficult to take him seriously with what he was thinking and saying. He's the kind of guy that would try to pick up a chick at the bar with, "Do you have a map? Because I'm getting lost in your eyes." Gag me. 

While Collin is described as a cute guy, these kinds of words and actions instantly make him a freaking weirdo. Then that makes it difficult to see what Addison sees in this apparently desperate loser. Why should I root for Addison to like this dude when I can't stand him myself?

It wasn't a BAD book ... the premise was interesting ... Collin and his two buddies raising Collin's daughter but the cliche way in which he acted and talked just totally tanked the book for me. Not to mention how the book completely missed its natural ending about 5 times, in my opinion. It could have had a super clean ending 50-75 pages sooner but these new conflicts kept conveniently popping up and then the characters would have to work through that crap. I'm telling you, this author could have made a ten book series just out of Collin and Addison. It is what it is. Not my favorite for the year but not the worst either. 

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review *

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Book Review: The Keeper by Jillian Liota

Soccer goalie Rachel Jameson is in her final year at Glendale College on academic and athletic scholarships. It’s quite the achievement for a young woman who grew up in a home filled with drunken abuse, who barely made it out of high school alive.

But she’s smart, dedicated, and has her eyes set on that cap and gown next spring. Nothing’s going to get in the way of a hard-fought battle for the freedom and independence she’s so desperately craved.

Until she meets Mack.

He stumbles into her world with a flirty smile and warm eyes – a man that pushes Rachel out of her comfort zone and into his arms. Their chemistry is swift and undeniable, and soon after meeting the two recognize the depth of their connection.

But an unfortunate circumstance forces the two to abandon their romance before it has truly begun. Rachel’s carefully planned life begins to shake like an unstable house of cards, and when she risks losing Mack completely, she has to decide what’s more important.

Her future.

Or theirs.

When author, Jillian Liota, first approached me about giving her book a read, my initial reaction was a resounding HELL NO. Was it because of the author? Nope. Was it because of the cover? Negative. Was it because of the blurb? Not entirely ... I saw the word "soccer" in the blurb and my stomach started to turn. Weird thing to refuse a book for a word, right? Well of course it is. Unless you decided to play soccer when you were around 10 years old and it was the most horrific two weeks of your life. Horrific may be a stretch. But it was bad. Anyway, I actually asked Liota how much soccer was actually in the book - everything hinged on that answer. Luckily, she said that it was just a small smattering of soccer nonsense (my words, not hers) and that I could easily replace those soccer moments with softball moments (my preferred sport) instead. So that's what I did and dude. Couldn't be happier that I made that decision because I found a new author to book-stalk! 

If I'm completely honest, those few soccer moments weren't too difficult to digest because of how talented of a writer Liota is. She made me forget my intense hatred of soccer and just enjoy the book. I didn't think that would happen. The story was engaging from the very first page and I soon found myself not wanting to do anything but read because I couldn't wait to see what would happen between Rachel and Mack. 

Those two ... man. I loved their story. I liked the push and pull between them that Liota created in this taboo relationship. This story is much deeper than just a romance - there are hurdles that Rachel has in her life that are heartbreaking and it's a bit difficult to read about. Not because it wasn't written about well but because it was written TOO well. It was realistic and absolutely plausible. This was the case with all of the characters and situations throughout the book. The characters burrow themselves into your heart and they soon feel like old friends. I liked all of the secondary characters almost as much as I loved Rachel and Mack. Fine. Mostly Mack. Because well ... he's Mack. You'll see. 

Everything really seemed to play out like a movie as I was reading, nothing was lagging or long winded and the story moved along at the steady pace that I love. Because of all of these things and about a million more, I had an awesome reading experience and I can't wait for the next Liota book.

This was just a great story. One that I won't soon forget and I believe that this is Liota's debut novel. If that's the case, holy crap. I can't wait to see what the next book is like because if it has just a smidgen of the spark that this one had, it's going to be amazing.

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *

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Book Review: Addicted to You (Port Lucia #1) by Renita Pizzitola

In a sweet, sexy novel for fans of Abbi Glines, Monica Murphy, and Christina Lauren, the author of Just a Little Kiss tells the story of two friends who each want more—and the love triangle that’s holding them back.

In the sleepy fishing town of Port Lucia, everyone knows everyone, but Isla Diaz really knows Colby Callahan, with his blue-gray eyes and the tousled brown hair always tucked sexily into his cap. After all, Isla has been crazy about Colby ever since she can remember—even if he treats her like a kid sister. Now, without her best friend, Felicity, around, Isla spots a golden opportunity to take things to the next level . . . or at least wrangle a kiss out of Colby.

By random chance, a tropical storm is headed toward the coast, leaving them stranded together overnight—and there’s nothing to do but drink. As the evening wears on, Isla gets the feeling that her not-so-secret crush may finally release her from the friend zone. With her dreams finally coming true, Isla isn’t about to pump the brakes, but is this just a one-time thing? What if the next morning, she needs more than Colby’s prepared to give?

Little does she know, Colby would like nothing more than a real relationship with Isla. She’s always been the one. But there’s a very good reason he’s been keeping his distance. Someone else loves her too, someone who also means the world to Colby: his brother.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I've never read this author before but I will again! I haven't been reading many New Adult Romance novels lately and this book makes me question that decision. This review is going to be a bit short ... I don't want to give away anything in the plot and the more I talk about it, the more likely that is going to be. 

Renita Pizzitola seems to channel her inner young lady. She writes about boy troubles like she just went through them the other day and they are fresh in her mind. It really brought me back to my teenage years and the crushing second-guessing that girls seem to do when a cute young man is involved. The characters - especially Isla - were refreshingly realistic and wonderfully well written. It's because of the characters and how completely they were fleshed out that I kept coming back to the story and it stayed with me for a while after I read it. 

The ending though ... was a bit sappy sweet. I didn't think that it fit the rest of the book in the tone that it was but it wasn't so off kilter that it ruined the book. It just didn't feel right to me. 

And the epilogue ... it was completely surprising to not have the epilogue be from Isla's POV but I absolutely adored the change in pace. I loved it and it kind of redeemed the ending for me. 

I've already added more of Pizzitola's books to my ridiculously long TBR pile but I'm pretty sure that I'll be getting to them sooner rather than later. Glad I've found another author to follow.

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *

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Book Review: Rule Breaker (Unbreakable #2) by Kat Bastion with Stone Bastion

Racial Tensions Flare as Hot as the Passion in RULE BREAKER,
a Modern-day Romeo and Juliet Story

Leilani Kealoha wants to be set free. Of family expectations. Of generations of prejudice.

Chafing at rules made by the proud Hawaiian men in her family, she yearns to discover herself and hungers to explore the world. Her adventuresome heart? Longs for something even greater, deeper.

The last thing she expects is an East Coast haole surfer to hold the key to everything.

Mason Price is done walking his parents’ path. Done with social acceptance—with cold politics.

On a surfing quest to reinvent himself, Mase finds an exotic beauty standing on his towel. But it’s her feisty bargaining that catches him off guard. When he challenges her with a “Truth or Shots” drinking game, she unwittingly reveals more than she’d intended about herself…and him.

The raw truth stuns him: She’s suffered like he has, is lost like he is—keeps secrets like he does.

But will young love and shared situations be enough to conquer racial and cultural divides?

Lines in the sand…were meant to be crossed. 

 

Rule Breaker is the second book in the Unbreakable series by Kat Bastion and Stone Bastion. The first book is called Heartbreaker and I read it earlier this year. I enjoyed that one and when I was asked to read this one, I couldn't have been more excited. Unfortunately, it was just not my thing this time. 

I really wanted to just fall in love with this book and I almost did at first. When I got started, I enjoyed getting to know Leilani and Mason and I thought that the heat between these two was almost palpable. Leilani is a bit spunky and that made her a fun character to get to know. Mason is devastatingly handsome (how all leading men should be, of course) and he marches to the beat of his own drummer. That's also a great quality for a character to have because you really get to see what makes them tick and that just makes for an entertaining story. These two together was awesome. I liked the chemistry between them and it's what pushed me to continue reading. 

The story line should push readers to keep going but this storyline was just not one that I connected with at all. I don't know if it was because of all of the Hawaiian words and slang that made the book difficult to read for me or what. It's not like the authors didn't explain what these words meant, they did. But the words and explanations happened so often that it felt like the story was being put on hold each time there needed to be a definition. I won't even bring up all of the times that there were words that had previously been defined and I had completely forgotten what in the world that they meant and then I had to stop and either look it up or search for it in my book again. To top it off, I found myself trying to read things phonetically because I was subconsciously reading these character's words with a Hawaiian accent. Again, it just slowed the story down to the point where it felt like you're trudging through some Louisiana marsh and your shoes keep getting filled with mud and it's becoming increasingly difficult to take a step. That sounds super harsh but the marsh thing was exactly what I made a note of as I was reading. 

In the end, after taking all of that stuff into account, I just couldn't find it in me to enjoy the story. Eventually, the characters became stale because I felt like I couldn't just read about them and their situation and instead I was trying to decipher what they were even saying. Either I'm too old to read this one or too closed minded with my books. It's probably a little of both, I guess. Don't take my word for it, read some other reviews and check this one out yourself because I did enjoy the first book and I know that these writers know their stuff. We just didn't mesh this time. So on to the next one!

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *

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Book Review: A Rose By Any Other Name... by Helen Bell

When insecure sophomore Emma gets a part-time job, she’s thrilled. The job is a six-week long project where she’ll be coding a website for a martial arts studio. For Emma, a computer science major, it’s perfect—a great way to gain some real world experience. But her excitement quickly evaporates when she finds out that her boss is Ryan Damon, the mean, arrogant guy she has slammed into, twice.

Ryan Damon, the son of the famous, late movie star Bruce Damon, suffered a great tragedy at the age of seventeen. When he was vacationing in Europe, a schizophrenic man, who had been hearing voices in his head telling him to kill Bruce Damon, broke into the Damons’ residency in Manhattan, New York, and murdered Ryan’s father, his mother, and his ten-year-old sister. Now, with his heart cold as ice, Ryan doesn’t let anyone in. But when Emma enters his life, everything changes—for both of them.

 

Sometimes the book gods are smiling on me when I'm introduced to a new author. To think that this is the first book by Helen Bell is just ... astonishing. This is one of the best books I've read this year! 

I absolutely adored the main character, Emma. She's this shy and closed-off college girl that has a super sharp tongue and she will flay you with a simple sentence. Well, she would if she weren't terrified. You get to go on this journey of self-awareness and discovery with Emma as she learns to trust others and more importantly, herself. And her boss ... Ryan ... this dude is a tad bit infuriating with all of his crass comments and crude behavior but he just doesn't care what others think. He's going to do what he's going to do and if you don't like it, you can just go somewhere else. I didn't really like him at first until he started going caveman and saying "you're mine" and then I forgot that he irritated me and I just wanted her to be his. For some reason that possessiveness is sexy as hell. This isn't like boiling bunny kind of possessiveness ... it's the sexy kind that makes you wish YOU were part of the story. 

I could go on and on about Ryan and Emma but more important than the characters is the story. Going into a book by a new author, you just really don't know what to expect. This is going to sound horrible but I really didn't expect the story to have so many facets to it. I really thought that this was going to be a straight romance novel but it's so much more than that. The story takes you through the past of both Ryan and Emma and the horrors that are lurking in the distance. I didn't expect the small doses of suspense at all. That was a nice surprise! There were quite a few massive twists that came out of no where and really threw me for a loop. Because of that, I read this book in one day. I just couldn't put it down. I'm already ready to read it again. 

There was one extremely tiny issue I had with the book and the only reason I bring it up is because I took the time to jot a note down when I was reading and that means it bothered me to some extent. Emma is in college, she lives in a dorm and all of the girls that she knows have names that end in the sound 'ah' ... Kayla, Hannah, Jenna, Mia and then Emma and I think there were some more but anyway ... for some reason, that rubbed me the wrong way. Why? Who freaking knows. Maybe it was because they sounded the same or maybe it's because I have a screw loose ... there's no telling. It is what it is.

So. Great book, AMAZING new author and just an overall awesome reading experience. I can't wait to see what Bell has in store for her next novel ... there better be a next novel and I have no doubt that I'll be a big fan when it comes out. You just really need to read this one. 

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *

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