Showing posts with label contemporary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contemporary. Show all posts

Review: Forever Geek (Geek Girl #6) by Holly Smale

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/000757469X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=000757469X&linkCode=as2&tag=neverleavethe-21

Published: March 9th 2017 by HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks
Rating: 5 out of 5

✤✤✤✤

Available from:

AmazonBook Depository

✤✤✤✤

Synopsis:
My name is Harriet Manners and I’ll be a geek forever…

Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.

Modelling isn’t a sure-fire route to popularity. Neither is making endless lists. The people you love don’t expect you to transform into someone else. Statistically, you are more likely to not meet your Australian ex-boyfriend in Australia than bump into him there.

So on the trip of a lifetime Down Under Harriet’s to-do lists are gone and it’s Nat’s time to shine! Yet with nearly-not-quite-boyfriend Jasper back home, Harriet’s completely unprepared to see supermodel ex Nick. Is the fashion world about to turn ugly for GEEK GIRL?

It’s time for Harriet to face the future. Time to work out where her heart lies. To learn how to let go…


✤✤✤✤

Review: Head Over Heels (Geek Girl #5) by Holly Smale

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0007574657/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=albwormblogge-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0007574657&linkId=add21efa7f77bb9665375a4149c0ab71

Published: April 7th 2016 by HarperCollins Children's Books
Rating: 4 out of 5

✤✤✤✤

Available from:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EVAV77A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EVAV77A&linkCode=as2&tag=albwormblogge-20&linkId=ea92513938cc39286e1553af826d5485http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/words-once-spoken-carly-drake/1116804113?ean=9780857990822

✤✤✤✤

Synopsis:

“My name is Harriet Manners, and I will always be a geek.”

The fifth book in the bestselling, award-winning GEEK GIRL series.

Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.

She knows duck-billed platypuses don’t have stomachs.
She knows that fourteen squirrels were once detained as spies.
She knows only one flag in the world features a building.

And for once, Harriet knows exactly how her life should go. She’s got it ALL planned out.
So when love is in the air, Harriet is determined to Make Things Happen!
If only everyone else would stick to the script…

Has GEEK GIRL overstepped the mark, and is following the rules going to break hearts all over again?

Review: Sunny Side Up (Geek Girl #4.5) by Holly Smale

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A52I86A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=albwormblogge-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01A52I86A&linkId=072dc27c67cedc9fc1fd6df234ce1b21

Published:June 30th 2016 by Harper Collins Children’s Books
Rating: 3 out of 5

✤✤✤✤

Available from:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EVAV77A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EVAV77A&linkCode=as2&tag=albwormblogge-20&linkId=ea92513938cc39286e1553af826d5485http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/words-once-spoken-carly-drake/1116804113?ean=9780857990822

✤✤✤✤

Synopsis:

My name is Harriet Manners, and I am a geek.

A brand new summer story from the no. 1 bestselling and award-winning GEEK GIRL series!

Harriet Manners knows many facts.

And she knows everything there is to know about Paris… except what to do when you’re the hottest new model at Fashion Week.

Can Harriet find her je ne sais quoi or will it be sacré bleu! on the runway?

Review: All That Glitters (Geek Girl #4) by Holly Smale

http://amzn.to/2mPvqgQ


Published:  February 26th 2015 by HarperCollins Children's Books
Rating: 5 out of 5

✤✤✤✤

Available from:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EVAV77A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EVAV77A&linkCode=as2&tag=albwormblogge-20&linkId=ea92513938cc39286e1553af826d5485http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/words-once-spoken-carly-drake/1116804113?ean=9780857990822

✤✤✤✤

Synopsis:

My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek.

Harriet Manners has high hopes for the new school year: she’s a Sixth Former now, and things are going to be different. But with Nat busy falling in love at college and Toby preoccupied with a Top Secret project, Harriet soon discovers that’s not necessarily a good thing…

Review: Picture Perfect (Geek Girl #3) by Holly Smale

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006233364X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=albwormblogge-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=006233364X&linkId=c605e4a432a9f34aec208de065dfe342


Published: June 5th 2014 by HarperCollins Children's
Rating: 5 out of 5

✤✤✤✤

Available from:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EVAV77A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EVAV77A&linkCode=as2&tag=albwormblogge-20&linkId=ea92513938cc39286e1553af826d5485http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/words-once-spoken-carly-drake/1116804113?ean=9780857990822

✤✤✤✤

Synopsis:

"My name is Harriet Manners, and I'll always be a geek."

It's the hilarious third book in the No.1 bestselling, award winning GEEK GIRL series!

Harriet Manners knows more facts than most. She knows that New York is the most populous city in the United States. She knows that its official motto is "Ever Upward". She knows that 28% of Americans believe we never landed on the moon.

But she knows nothing about modelling in the Big Apple, and how her family will cope with life stateside. Or how to "become a brand", as the models in New York put it. And, even more importantly, what to do when the big romantic gestures aren't coming from your boyfriend...

Does geek girl go too far this time?

The laugh out loud follow-up to award winning GEEK GIRL and MODEL MISFIT will have you in stitches.

Review: Geek Drama (Geek Girl #2.5) by Holly Smale

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0008113475/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=albwormblogge-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0008113475&linkId=46328e26fd0465048801e754c77d25d1

Published: February 26th 2015 by HarperCollins Children'sBooks
Rating: 4 out of 5

✤✤✤✤

Available from:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EVAV77A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EVAV77A&linkCode=as2&tag=albwormblogge-20&linkId=ea92513938cc39286e1553af826d5485http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/words-once-spoken-carly-drake/1116804113?ean=9780857990822

✤✤✤✤

Synopsis:

“My name is Harriet Manners and I am a geek.”

Harriet Manners knows that the hottest observed place on earth is Furnace Creek in Death Valley. She knows that dolphins shed the top layer of their skin every two hours. And she knows just how badly auditions can go, especially when you’re a model. But she has no idea what to do when her arch-nemesis decides the school play is the perfect opportunity to humiliate her…

Can GEEK GIRL survive the bright lights of the stage?

Review: All Wrapped Up (Geek Girl #1.5) by Holly Smale

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0008195447/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=albwormblogge-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0008195447&linkId=261f49cd9f606afee6754b3d8269b60f


Published:  November 5th 2015 by HarperCollins Children's Books
Rating: 5 out of 5

✤✤✤✤

Available from:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EVAV77A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EVAV77A&linkCode=as2&tag=albwormblogge-20&linkId=ea92513938cc39286e1553af826d5485http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/words-once-spoken-carly-drake/1116804113?ean=9780857990822

✤✤✤✤

Synopsis:

All I want for Christmas is… a new GEEK GIRL story!

Harriet Manners knows a lot about Christmas.

She knows that every year Santa climbs down 91.8 million chimneys.

She knows that Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was almost definitely a girl.

She knows that the first artificial Christmas trees were made out of goose feathers.

But this Christmas is extra special for Harriet, because four days ago she had her First Ever Kiss.

Now she just needs to work out what's supposed to happen next…

A romantic festive treat from the internationally bestselling award-winning author of the GEEK GIRL series. Also includes a BONUS previously unpublished GEEK GIRL short story TEAM GEEK!

Arc Review: Wishbones by Virginia Macgregor

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0008217297/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0008217297&linkCode=as2&tag=albwormblogge-20&linkId=fc13020dba557539530c4ed7639ed742



Expected Release: May 18th 2017 by HQ

Rating: 5 out of 5

✥✤✤✤

Available from:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EVAV77A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00EVAV77A&linkCode=as2&tag=albwormblogge-20&linkId=ea92513938cc39286e1553af826d5485http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/words-once-spoken-carly-drake/1116804113?ean=9780857990822

✥✤✤✤

Synopsis:

Feather Tucker has two wishes:

1)To get her mum healthy again

2) To win the Junior UK swimming championships

When Feather comes home on New Year’s Eve to find her mother – one of Britain’s most obese women- in a diabetic coma, she realises something has to be done to save her mum’s life. But when her Mum refuses to co-operate Feather realises that the problem run deeper than just her mum’s unhealthy appetite.

Over time, Feather’s mission to help her Mum becomes an investigation. With the help of friends old and new, and the hindrance of runaway pet goat Houdini, Feather’s starting to uncover when her mum’s life began to spiral out of control and why. But can Feather fix it in time for her mum to watch her swim to victory? And can she save her family for good?

[Going Back 10] Review: What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles

GOING BACK 10 is monthly blog Meme by Bookworm Blogger #YA (us!) aiming to pull some of those old great books back into the public eye.
Those ones released before blogs and vblogs and meme's were all the rage! If you'd like to join in, just send me an email with your link. The book you choose must be at least 10 years old.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BB#YA this week introduces:-




https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0316166391/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0316166391&linkCode=as2&tag=neverleavethe-21

Published: November 1st 2006 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 5 out of 5

Synopsis:

Kyle Kirby has planned a cruel and unusual revenge on Cass McBride, the most popular girl in school, for the death of his brother David. He digs a hole. Drugs Cass. Kidnaps her. Puts her in a box-underground. He buries her alive. But Kyle makes a fatal error: Cass knows the power of words. She uses fear as her weapon to keep her nemesis talking - and to keep herself breathing during the most harrowing 48 hours of her life.

A vivid, complex, and insightful work of suspense.

~~

Arc Review: The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1408869071/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1408869071&linkCode=as2&tag=neverleavethe-21



Rating: 2 out of 5

Published:January 31st 2017 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

~~

Synopsis:

For the perfect love, what would you be willing to lose?

It’s been a shattering year for seventeen-year-old Zoe, who’s still reeling from her father's shockingly sudden death in a caving accident and her neighbors’ mysterious disappearance from their own home. Then on a terrifying sub-zero, blizzardy night in Montana, she and her brother are brutally attacked in a cabin in the woods—only to be rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter they call X.

X is no ordinary bounty hunter. He is from a hell called the Lowlands, sent to claim the soul of Zoe’s evil attacker and others like him. X is forbidden from revealing himself to anyone other than his prey, but he casts aside the Lowlands’ rules for Zoe. As they learn more about their colliding worlds, they begin to question the past, their fate, and their future.

~~

Arc Review: One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1524714682/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1524714682&linkCode=as2&tag=neverleavethe-21


Rating: 5 out of 5

Expected publication:May 30th 2017 by Delacorte Press

~~
Synopsis:
One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

 ~~

ARC Review: The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32703429-the-secret-history-of-us



“Jessi Kirby’s books just keep getting better and better, and The Secret History of Us is her best yet. It beautifully touches on all the most important things in life—love, family, friendship, memory, and bacon. I loved it.”

—Morgan Matson, New York Times bestselling author of The Unexpected Everything


Rating: 4 out of 5

Expected publication: August 1st 2017 by HarperTeen

~~
Synopsis:

When Olivia awakes in a hospital bed following a car accident that almost took her life, she can’t remember the details about how she got there. She figures the fog is just a symptom of being in a week-long coma, but as time goes on, she realizes she’s lost more than just the last several days of her life—she’s lost her memory of the last four years. Gone is any recollection of starting or graduating high school; the prom; or her steady boyfriend Matt. Trying to figure out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was.

As Liv tries to block out what her family and friends say about who she used to be, the one person she hasn’t heard enough from is Walker, the guy who saved her the night her car was knocked off that bridge into the bay below. Walker is the hardened boy who’s been keeping his distance—and the only person Olivia inexplicably feels herself with. With her feelings growing for Walker, tensions rising with Matt, and secrets she can’t help but feel are being kept from her, Olivia must find her place in a life she doesn’t remember living.
~~

ARC Review: Grit by Gillian French


https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0062642553/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0062642553&linkCode=as2&tag=neverleavethe-21



Rating: 4 out of 5

Expected publication: May 16th 2017 by HarperTeen

~~
Synopsis:

His presence beside me is like heat, like weight, something I’ve carried around on my back too long.


Raw and moving, this contemporary realistic debut novel will leave readers of E. Lockhart and Gayle Forman breathless as it unflinchingly unfolds the tragic secrets being kept in a small, deceptively idyllic Maine town.

Seventeen-year-old Darcy Prentiss has long held the title of “town slut.” She knows how to have a good time, sure, but she isn’t doing anything all the guys haven’t done. But when you’re a girl with a reputation, every little thing that happens seems to keep people whispering—especially when your ex-best friend goes missing.

But if anyone were to look closer at Darcy, they’d realize there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface. Staying out late, hooking up, and telling lies is what Darcy does to forget. Forget about the mysterious disappearance of her friend. Forget about the dark secret she and her cousin Nell share. Forget about that hazy Fourth of July night. So when someone in town anonymously nominates Darcy to be in the running for Bay Festival Princess—a cruel act only someone with a score to settle would make—all of the things that Darcy wants to keep hidden threaten to erupt in ways she wasn’t prepared to handle…and isn’t sure if she can.
~~

Review: None of the Regular Rules by Erin Downing





My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Published November 20th 2012

~~

Sometimes, a few dares can change lives…

The weekend before the start of senior year, Sophie Erickson and her best friends, Ella and Grace, discover a handwritten list of dares tucked away in the glove compartment of Sophie’s beat-up old Toyota. But this isn’t just any list; it’s a dead girl's bucket list.

Sophie's beloved aunt Suzy died as a teenager in a fatal fall, leaving Sophie with an overly cautious family, a few fading photographs, and a bucket of bolts that barely passes for a car. But now, Sophie has Suzy’s list of the things she wanted to do in her last year of high school. Sophie can't help but wonder: What would happen if she tried to fulfill Suzy’s last wishes, to live out the longed-for life of her aunt, her hero?

As Sophie and her friends attempt to knock off the things on Suzy's list of dares, love blossoms in unexpected places and Sophie begins to feel that her life is finally coming together...when in fact, everything is slowly unraveling around her. When the truth about a long-held family secret threatens to shatter everything she believed to be true, Sophie is forced to question everything she knew about the life and people she believed in, and ultimately herself.

~~

Review: 

This book was a case of good, slow, quick, quick, slow, good, great. We have mostly a story about Sophie and her friends, and how they all react to this bucket list that's found. While Sophie is good friends with Ella and Grace they all have their quirks, their little secrets and they all are typical high school kids. And that's refreshing because many books try to create characters far too old for high school. These girls were it. And because of that I enjoyed the story more. There was also an extra bit of romance thrown in, and Ella and Grace have their own problems when it comes to the love side of the story.

Review: Remember When 2: The Sequel (Remember Trilogy #2) by T. Torrest


Published on: June 20th 2013
My Rating: 4 out of 5
From: Bought

~~

Synopsis:

You know how sometimes, your high school crush grows up to be an insanely famous movie star? Okay, probably not. But I do.~Layla Warren


Back in high school, Trip Wiley’s fanbase only encompassed the denizens of the nothing little suburb of Norman, New Jersey.

Ten years later, all that is about to change.

In the summer of 2000, Layla Warren is enjoying her career as a journalist in New York City (well, sort of), while Trip spends most of his time grabbing Hollywood by the balls. In the days before what will turn out to be his skyrocketing fame, they’ll find themselves confronted with some life-altering choices.

Remember When 2 is the second story in an NA romance trilogy. It will bring you back to that exuberant and riotous time of life in your twenties when you struggled to figure out your place in the world and the person you were meant to be…

…and the person you were meant to be with.

~~

Review:

10 years after Remember When and we find Layla working for a Sunday pullout magazine Now! she done college, living like an adult in her own apartment, and keeping up with Lisa, her bestie. Turns out that her job is going nowhere because her boss won't allow her any freedom to expand her journalistic skills for the magazine, perfering to keep her on classifieds. Also turns out that she's just got engaged to her boyfriend of 2 years, who is..also her boss. Yes, the very one who is keeping her back.

While her romance is okay, it isn't the sparks-that-fly type of romance she had with Trip. The very same high school romance that even now she still thinks about and dreams about. He's a hot actor now on the verge of hitting it big time. that's not to say he isn't famous. He has the smile, the good looks, and the talent. He's a hot commodity in a break neck game, but he's working hard and playing hard. Well, that's what the rumours say anyway.

Layla and Trip's relationship petered out a few years back when he stopped writing to her. But he's back in town filming locally. And this gives Layla the perfect idea to see him. Once she's got the green light from her boss/boyfriend it's all set up. She takes on the role of an actual journalist and puts her reporting skills to good use...finally.

The one problem is...Layla meeting Trip again begins a rolling ball of uncertainty on both sides. For a brief moment they're both teenagers again in high school enjoying each others company. Then it starts getting personal. Layla has to figure out who she is, and what she wants from life. Trip, despite his charm and self assuredness is a heavily concealed powder keg underneath. He realises that the one thing in the world he wants is not his for the taking.

And then everything spirals out of control.

What I loved most about this sequel was that it was set so far into the future from the first. So much has changed for both characters but underneath they're both the same people. And for Trip, Layla is the only person who actually sees him for who he really is. Layla struggles with her doubts and fears for the future, especially feeling guilty when it comes to her fiancé, but is Trip just playing with her? Does her fiancé really love her?

The story is set in New York and apart from small cameos from Lisa, Pick and the gang, is mostly Layla and Trip trying to work out their feelings. There is a cliffhanger where you're left wondering what happens next. Your heart will be in your mouth near the end hoping and waiting for that epic moment but....it's in book 3! 

-CBx

~~

You can reach T. Torrest  here:



Review: Remember When (Remember Trilogy #1) by T. Torrest



Published on: January 1st 2013
My Rating: 4 out of 5

~~

Synopsis:


Years before Trip Wiley could be seen on movie screens all over the world, he could be seen sitting in the desk behind me in my high school English class.

This was back in 1990, and I cite the year only to avoid dumbfounding you when references to big hair or stretch pants are mentioned. Although, come to think of it, I am from New Jersey, which may serve as explanation enough. We were teenagers then, way back in a time before anyone could even dream he’d turn into the Hollywood commodity that he is today.

In case you live under a rock and don't know who Trip Wiley is, just know that these days, he’s the actor found at the top of every casting director’s wish list. He’s incredibly talented and insanely gorgeous, the combination of which has made him very rich, very famous and very desirable.

And not just to casting directors, either.

I can’t confirm any of the gossip from his early years out in Tinseltown, but based on what I knew of his life before he was famous, I can tell you that the idea of Girls-Throwing-Themselves-At-Trip is not a new concept.

I should know. I was one of them.

And my life hasn’t been the same since.
~~

Review:


There's something very refreshing about reading a book set in the '90's. If you think about it, it isn't that long ago but boy, how little things have changed. No mobile phones, no internet, no IM's. Talking to someone means you use a landline phone or speak to them in person. And to get to know someone you actually have to have a conversation with no stalking their fb page or following them n twitter.


The '90's wasn't the greatest era for fashion either. Banana clips, MC Hammer trousers and big hair are mentioned among the plethora of memories forgotten.

Layla Warren has lived her whole life in the same area of New Jersey. Most of the kids from school have known her since kindergarten. Known her or know of her. Everyone knows her mother left the family home when she was 12. Everyone hears the stories that followed as to why she left. Layla was left with the knowledge that her mother just didn't love her enough to stay with her, her brother, Bruce and definitely not her father. But the family survived and got on with life.

Excitement spills around the school, especially among the girls when new boy, Trip Wilmington arrives. A kid whose moved around a lot thanks to his fathers hotel business, Layla is excited when she finds out Trip won't be moving away again. He's enticing, incredibly gorgeous and they forge a small but tangible connection on his first day.

For the next few weeks and months Layla and Trip grow together as friends even though Layla may have stronger feelings for him. she's not stupid. He got a girlfriend soon after arriving. Someone who's equally tall, gorgeous and rocks an awesome body, just like Trip. Beautiful people come together like magnets in Layla's eyes and there's no way she can compete so she settles for being friends. But Trip gives out signals that confuse her.

When her friend Lisa finally puts perspective to Layla's apparently transparent crush, Layla decides enough is enough. She's done with being the puppy following something she can't have. And so Trip and Layla fall out. And remember, this is the 90's. They can't make up unless they actually make the effort.

So was Layla right in her thinking that Trip just saw her as a conquest, someone to keep on her toes and ensure she still follows him? Does Trip really think Layla is worth breaking down the barriers to attempt a relationship? Time is running out as graduation and college dreams loom.

And no one and nothing will ever be the same again.

The first book in the Remember Trilogy is an engrossing trip down memory lane of the Senior year variety. Based mainly at school the story brings to light all the emotions, ego's, and reminds us how important it was to be a senior and fall in love with the one guy that everyone else wants.

The romance between Trip and Layla will keep you reading, no matter the time of day or night, wanting to know more. 

-CBx

~~

You can reach T. Torrest  here:




Review: The Moment We Began (Fairhope #2) by Sarra Cannon



Published September 15th 2013 by Dead River Books
From: Net Galley
Rating: 2 out of 5

~~

Synopsis:

The moment they both believe all hope is lost is the moment something real finally begins. I have loved Mason Trent for years, but I've only been sleeping with him for one.

None of my friends know about our secret passion. He's in my bed one night and in the arms of someone else the next. And it's tearing me apart.

I've done everything I can think of to make him mine, but the more I cling to him, the harder he pushes me away. I'm spiraling out of control, not sure how much more of this I can take. A girl can only bend so far until she breaks. And when I do, I break completely. I'm talking about one night of bad decisions, all leading to a my-world-will-never-be-the-same kind of moment. A moment where I need Mason more than ever. True to form, though, he's running.

But I intend to go with him this time. I'm willing to leave my money, my family, my friends behind for this one last chance to see if he could ever really love me the way I deserve to be loved. I'm willing to sacrifice forever if it means one real moment with him.

~~

Review:

Sometimes you can't help who you love. In the case of Penny, she's loved Mason for what seems like forever. Mason doesn't love her. They spend nights together but then he's with a different girl two days later.

Some men are mean't to break our hearts. It's how we cope with it after that builds us into the people we are now.

I was excited to continue Cannon's Fairhope series. I really enjoyed the first book so my intrigue wanted to know how Penny and Mason's relationship would pan out. I think Sarra has done a great job of leaping from YA to NA. Her writing is still very very good and reaches new climbs that she wouldn't have been able to get to in YA.

Unfortunately I wasn't enamoured with this story. I enjoyed it to a certain extent. I had hopes for a fun, diverse road trip but it panned out to be a little too safe.

The first thing that I really enjoyed when reading about Penny's growth of character was when she decided to help Delores gain more financial stability with regards to the diner. This showed all of us that Penny was bright, courageous for sticking her neck out, and was definitely a brain with many talents. I thought this would be the way of the story and as Mason and Penny drive a swarth along their map into the unknown, Penny would reach out and help people along the way and learn that not everything profits even if you throw money at it. In this scenario her parents would hear of her great adventures and the good she was doing for ordinary people. She would be redeemed.

Sadly it didn't even get this far. Even more sadly an incident regarding Mason and the girl under the pier happened and I felt misguided. 

The story turned sallow, selfish, and a little too blinkered. As we reached the end Penny ended up being someone who runs a charity and does exactly what her parents had been doing all along i.e. funding charities and holding events. None of the Penny with a brilliant brain and an eye for turning businesses around stuck with her. In my honest opinion the author did Penny a discredit but I did like how Mason turned out. As a character he did show his merit.

Haven't read the first book, The Trouble with Goodbye (Fairhope, #1)? Read my review here.

-CBx

~~


You can reach Sarra Cannon here:






Review: Very Bad Things (Briarcrest Academy #1) by Ilsa Madden-Mills


Published September 9th 2013 by Little Dove Publishing
From: Net Galley
Rating: 4 out of 5

~~

Synopsis:

Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She’s an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She’s perfect...

Leaving behind her million-dollar mansion and Jimmy Choos, she becomes a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex. 

Then she meets her soulmate. But he doesn’t want her.

When it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about... until he meets Nora. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.

As they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy... where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad Things.

~~

Review:

I lost a lot of sleep by reading this book. It kept me up until well after 3am this morning. Does that mean its good? Well, for the most part, yes.

We're brought into Nora's world very abruptly. Early on we begin to see the relationship between Nora and her mother. How patronising the woman is, and completely uninterested in Nora in any way, shape or form, other than a walking human doll to dress up and tell how to act. And then Nora did what she did and blew me out of the water.

We get introduced to Leo at this point. Leo is a lot older than Nora. When it began I did have this skeevy feeling because of the age gap. I thought it wrong. But gradually as the story continued this didn't bother me.

Nora and Leo DO have an insta-lust thing going on from the start but it doesn't amount to much when Leo puts the brakes on any kind of relationship happening between them other than friendship. As we continue through Nora's days and weeks we see a side of her character actually bloom. The freedom of getting over her guilt (her step-brother did a terrible thing to her) and her mother's denial of the incident. 

One thing that stood out to me when I finished was that Leo was entirely right to stay away from Nora in the beginning. Nora grows leaps and bounds in this book. Almost like going through the stages of grief. Finally at the end she becomes someone else. Someone who is well grounded, someone who has a family as such who help her and nurture her, someone who has learnt by her mistakes. 

 I loved the romance, the will-they-won't-they. I loved how Nora and Leo became this 'entity' even before they became a couple. There were moments when I thought Leo was an idiot and he didn't appear to have any friends of his own age. But the ending rounds everything up nicely. Yes, we don't know why her mother treated Nora so badly, and we don't know who her mother was before she became Mrs Anchor-woman. But, frankly, I couldn't care less!

~~

You can reach Ilsa Madden-Mills  here: