RIOT: JAMIE SHAW

I am easily recommending this read, but not to everyone. You might enjoy this if you love those sexy NA books, especially when they are done well. The characters in this book reminded me a lot of Travis and Abby in Beautiful Disaster. I love a good passionate drama story when it is done well and this one really was. I don't know what it was about it, I just really enjoyed it.

This is a second book in a series, this I did not know when I started but it easily stands alone. If this series interests you, you might want to start with book number one, although I haven't read it and I don't think reading them out of order spoils anything really.

BOOK BLURB:
When Dee Dawson meets sexy mohawked guitarist Joel Gibbon, she knows it won’t be long before she has him wrapped around her finger. No guy has ever been able to resist her… but Dee’s met her match in a player like Joel.

Dee’s not the relationship type—not after seeing the pain “love” has caused her friends and family—yet she’s desperate to make Joel want her more than anyone else. He quickly becomes an obsession, and when a reckless attempt to make him jealous ends in disaster, Dee turns into the damsel in distress she never wanted to be. With her carefree world crashing down around her, the last thing she needs is Joel’s pity.

But Joel is suddenly determined to prove he cares, and no matter how hard Dee tries to push him away, he refuses to let her shut him out. Now the girl who swore she’d never say those three little words must choose between guarding her heart and losing Joel forever… or falling head-over-heels for the tattooed rock star of her dreams.

You can read more about it HERE.

UNFIXABLE: TESSA BAILEY

So I've been over the whole New Adult genre for awhile now, I'm not sure what made me want to read this one, but I did...and surprise surprise...it was actually pretty good. 

It is pretty sexy (as the cover suggests), but it has some heart to it. I just really loved reading about our two lovebirds and their tension filled drama. It did take me a minute to get into this because it seemed a bit silly for my tastes at first, but I just went with it and it was a perfect mindless read. A new adult book that fits the purpose of the genre to a tee.

I haven't read any of Tessa Bailey's other books, but there are some old characters you get to see again if you like to catch up with your old flames.

BOOK BLURB:

Willa Peet isn’t interested in love. She’s been there, done that, and has the shattered heart to prove it. Ready to shake the breakup,she heads to Dublin, Ireland. But there’s a problem. A dark-haired, blue-eyed problem with a bad attitude that rivals her own. And he’s not doling out friendly Irish welcomes.

Shane Claymore just wants to race. The death of his father forced him off the Formula One circuit, but he’s only staying in Dublin long enough to sell the Claymore Inn and get things in order for his mother and younger sister. He never expected the sarcastic American girl staying at the inn to make him question everything.

But even as Willa and Shane’s fiery natures draw them together, their pasts threaten to rip them apart. Can Shane give up racing to be with the woman he loves, or will Willa’s quest to resurrect the tough-talking, no-shit-taking girl she used to be destroy any hope of a future together?

You can read more about it HERE. Thanks NetGalley for the read.

CROSS MY HEART: KATIE KLEIN

Of all the self published Amazon books that I've had my eye on for a long time, this has been my favorite so far. Honestly, I can't really pin point why I enjoyed it, I just know I did. I loved the main characters and I found their budding relationship fascinating. It does drag a bit in the end with unnecessary wedding details of an older brother, but even with that I would still give it a very strong recommendation.

BOOK BLURB:

True love can blossom in unexpected places. This is Jaden pretending not to notice. . . .

Jaden McEntyre and Parker Whalen are a wrong fit from the start. Jaden is driven and focused, Harvard Med School within reach. Parker has a past-a reputation-and the rumors about his mysterious habits abound. So there's no reason why, when they're assigned to work together on a project in English, they should discover they have anything in common, or even like each other, and they definitely shouldn't be falling in love.

As they bond over Edith Wharton's tragic novella, Ethan Frome, the "bad boy" vibe Parker plays begins to dissipate. Soon, Jaden finds herself shedding her own "good girl" image: sneaking around to be with him, confiding in him, and ultimately falling hard for this leather-wearing, motorcycle-driving loner who plays into the rebel stereotype.

Still, Jaden can't shake the feeling that there's more to Parker than he's letting on. He's hiding something from her, and discovering the truth means reconciling the Parker she's grown to love with the person he really is. Because it's possible that his life inside the classroom-everything Jaden knows-is one, massive lie.

It is cheap on Amazon, or you can read about it HERE.

BAD BOY HOP: FREEFALL BY MINDI SCOTT

 

I freaking love bad boys (in books only, in real life? no thanks), so of course I had to be a part of the Bad Boy Hop! Freefall by Mindi Scott is one of my favorite bad boy books. First of all, the best bad boys aren't bad boys at heart. They are good deep down inside they just need a little nudge in the right direction. Our hero in Freefall is just that. Scott's writing is really wonderful, in this book she captures the male voice so well I completely forgot I was reading a book by a girl. Plus the utterly swoony moments don't hurt this book one bit.

BOOK BLURB:

How do you come back from the point of no return?

Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend Isaac alive, and the first to find him dead. It was just another night, just another party, just another time where Isaac drank too much and passed out on the lawn. Only this time, Isaac didn’t wake up.

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend’s death, Seth is torn between turning his life around . . . or losing himself completely.

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he’s ever known. But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth will soon realize he isn’t the only one who needs saving . . .

Read more about this book HERE. 

I'm going to send one winner a copy! Yippee Skippee!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BEAUTIFUL DISASTER: JAMIE McGUIRE

I have been curious about this book for awhile now, back when the cover looked like this:

AHHH! Scary I know! :) The new cover is much improved!

I would read other reviews about this book and I felt like I wanted to read it, but it sounded so scandalous. I just wasn't sure if it would be for me. Can I say quickly right here that there are NOT enough books about girls in college?! Ok, I got that out now for why this book was awesome.

Is it well written? No, not really. Is the romance healthy and sweet and acceptable? No. Does it suck you in like crazy and keep you reading until the wee hours of the night? YES! At least it did for me.

Beautiful Disaster was actually a huge surprise for me. It has some surprising layers and you learn that there is more to the characters than what you think at first. I admit I had pre-judged this book because of reviews I had read, and I was surprised at the depth of this book. But let it be known that the relationship in this book is kind of abusive and nuts. I'm not sure if the author is condoning this kind of dependent, overly passionate relationship or if she is merely telling a story. Either way, I couldn't get enough of Abby and Travis. Before I read this book, I was expecting a story about a sweet girl that meets a bad boy who is bad for her. But actually both characters are kind of edgy and maybe good for each other? I don't know. Can you tell I am conflicted?

BOOK BLURB:

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

I may have expected a trashy read that I was going to enjoy as a guilty pleasure, but in the end I liked it a lot more than I expected. It has drinking, smoking, talk of drug use, and it is steamy so be warned.

Read more about it HERE. 

Thanks NetGalley for the read!

JOHNNY BE GOOD & BABY BE MINE BY PAIGE TOON

I have been going through a real British chick-lit phase these days. I don't know what it is about them, but I can't seem to get enough. I recently read and reviewed and LOVED Paige Toon's Chasing Daisy. I couldn't wait to read another one of her books, so I bought myself a copy of Johnny Be Good. And guess what? It doesn't have a real ending! I was totally furious until I realized that three years after Johnny Be Good came out there was a sequel, Baby Be Mine. And I tell you, I was so glad I didn't have to wait three years to see what happened next. (I did however, have to wait for the book to be shipped...which was torture!)

In my normal life, I never like the bad boys. However in books I love them, and Johnny Jefferson is the ultimate bad boy. I also love reading about relationships that I cheer for, even though I think maybe they shouldn't work out. That is why I enjoyed these two books more than Chasing Daisy. There is nothing more perfect in the summer than getting lost in a Paige Toon book, and you can quote me on that. :)

BOOK BLURB: (for Johnny Be Good)

If your boss was the hottest rock star on the planet, would you mix business with pleasure?

I'm Meg Stiles. This is my leaving party. And that song we're making a mockery of? That's written by one of the biggest rock stars in the world. And I'm moving in with him tomorrow.

Seriously! I am not even joking. Well, maybe I'm misleading you a little bit. You see, I haven't actually met him yet...

No, I'm not a stalker. I'm his new PA. His Personal Assistant. And I am off to La-La Land. Los Angeles. The City of Angels—whatever you want to call it—and I can't bloody believe it!

Celebrity PA to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg's glam new life in sun-drenched LA is a whirlwind of showbiz parties and backstage passes. Cool, calm Christian, in town to write his famous friend's biography, helps keep Meg's feet firmly on the ground. But with Johnny's piercing green eyes and a body Brad Pitt would kill for, how long will it be before she's swept right off them again?

As a note Toon has scattered use of foul language, but not a ton. She also does not write overly descriptive love scenes.Also reading about Baby Be Mine will give away a few plot points so read about that book with caution if you don't like spoilers.

Read more about Johnny Be Good HERE.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME: SARRA MANNING

Since I loved Sarra Manning’s YA novel Let’s Get Lost, I didn’t waste much time getting me a copy of You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me to see how she writes for adults. This book is long, and I loved that getting lost in the length. I was able to enjoy the day to day events of Neve and they weren’t boring to me because I think Manning is a great writer. It reminded me of how I felt reading One Day by  David Nicholls (without the part that made me so mad I wanted to throw the book across the room), because I got such an intimate glimpse in a friendship and relationship. 

BOOK BLURB:

Sweet, bookish Neve Slater always plays by the rules. And the number one rule is that good-natured fat girls like her don’t get guys like gorgeous, handsome William, heir to Neve's heart since university. But William’s been in LA for three years, and Neve’s been slimming down and re-inventing herself so that when he returns, he’ll fall head over heels in love with the new, improved her.

So she’s not that interested in other men. Until her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she's an experienced love-goddess and not the fumbling, awkward girl he left behind, then she’d better get some, well, experience.

What Neve needs is someone to show her the ropes, someone like Celia’s colleague Max. Wicked, shallow, sexy Max. And since he’s such a man-slut, and so not Neve’s type, she certainly won’t fall for him. Because William is the man for her… right?

Somewhere between losing weight and losing her inhibitions, Neve’s lost her heart – but to who?

This book has some saucy scenes. They are not written in “bodice ripping” style, but just a straight forward “this was how it was" way. And it might be too much for those who don't care for romance books, but I personally prefer the tell it like it is approach to the flowery fake one when it comes to love scenes. 

Read more about this book HERE.

THE DIARY OF A CRUSH TRILOGY: SARRA MANNING

I have discovered another favorite author and I have been found drowning myself in her British tales for some time now. After reading and loving Sarra Mannings' Let's Get Lost, I dug up a copy of one of her adult novels (which I will review here soon) and realized that I freaking love the way she writes.

But today I am going to chat about the Diary of a Crush series which first started out as something she wrote for a magazine and then after the end of the magazine run they were published into books. All three of these were desperately hard for me to put down. Especially since it is in a diary format and I kept thinking: "I'll just read another entry." Then that entry would turn into another one, and another one, and another one. It got a little out of hand at times.

BOOK BLURB: (From book #1)

When Edie and Dylan first see each other in photography class, an instant attraction draws them together. But true love never does run smoothly—the two spar as much as they can’t keep their hands off each other. Then comes the college trip to Paris: Edie’s willpower will be tested to the limit! In between furious arguments and trips to the Louvre, the two share some passionate moments—but will it last?

I think Manning's later stuff is more polished, but I'll tell you why these were so great to me. First of all I love Edie who is our voice for the three books. I love how she grows up and matures in the books. I love that she has the same weakness for moody art boys that I had when I was her age. I love all the kissing. I love the Britishisms that Edie uses in sassy ways to make me laugh. I love that this is a story about two people you cheer for, but aren't quite sure they are that good for each other either. 

Ok I am going to say it: I have a crush on these books. 

Check out book one HERE on goodreads.