Before He Was Gone (Starstruck #2)
Becky Wicks
Pub.: August 25, 2014

Sometimes, you have to get lost to find yourself...

When her rock star boyfriend breaks things off out of the blue, Alyssa applies to hit reality TV show Deserted and to her shock she gets through. Abandoned on a remote island with a bunch of strangers and none of the luxuries she’s become accustomed to, it’s not long before an undeniable attraction to the mysterious Joshua starts complicating things even further.

Joshua's different to everyone she's ever known - a traveler, a man with no plan, a world away from the celebrity life she's left behind. As a series of challenges test their wits and weaknesses, things start heating up in paradise, but in a game designed to break people down, it soon becomes clear that Joshua is hiding a painful secret - one he won’t risk anyone finding out.

Struggling to know where she belongs, Alyssa will have to choose - a life she once loved that wants her back, or a brand new reality that heartbreakingly may just have its limits. 

Virgin by Radhika Sanghani (ARC)

Virgin
Radhika Sanghani
Pub.: August 5, 2014

Okay, I admit it…I didn’t do it.

Yet.

This is normal, right?  I mean, just because everyone I know has talked like they’ve already done it doesn’t mean that they’re telling the truth…right?

It’s not like I’m asking for that much. I don’t need the perfect guy. I don’t need candlelight or roses. Honestly, I don’t even need a real bed.

The guys I know complain that girls are always looking for Mr. Right—do I have to wear a sign that says I’m only looking for Mr. Right Now?

Sooooo…anyone out there want sex? Anyone? Hello? Just for fun?

I am not going to die a virgin. One way or another I am going to make this happen.

Hey, what have I got to lose? Besides the obvious 

 

Ellie is a twenty-one year old virgin. GASP!

Yeah, no, it's not really a of an big issue, but for Ellie it is. She had a traumatizing moment four years prior that has made her feel like she's cursed when it comes to guys. Guys like her. Guys are willing to kiss her. But guys aren't willing to take her home with them. Like a gigantic V is inked on her forehead and they don't wanna deal with breaking her in to the sexual world. Of course that isn't true, but it sure as hell feels like it, right? So Ellie makes a plan to lose her virginity by college graduation, even if it means losing it to a one night stand. But when she finally gets a guy to take her to bed, it's a deja' vu experience. Will poor Ellie ever find someone willing to shag her?

Reading this made me recall my own path to de-virgination, although I wasn't stressed or bothered enough to actually map out a plan to make it happen like this poor girl. Like Ellie's dilemma, people were talking about doing things, but not really explaining what that thing was. Lots of words confused me back then but hell if I was gonna ask! But unlike her, I didn't have the internet to fall back on. It was too new and you sure as hell wasn't going to find these topics gracing the infinite cloud or hanging out in a library book. Nope. No pornos to put on, no downloadable how-to BJ video so you knew what to do ahead of time. Nope. We were all on our own. Isn't the internet nice peeps? So private - sort of...

Virgin definitely some laugh-out-loud and shameful moments that some people may be able to relate to - hopefully no one will relate to that horrible bathroom scene though! It was a fun read but Ellie came off a bit desperate at times to lose her V-card. Seriously, it's not that big of a deal peeps. If you're still a virgin, rock on. It'll happen when it happens. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you.

ARC provided by Berkley for honest review.

Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin (Indie)

Dearest Clementine (Dearest #1)
Lex Martin
Pub.: May 25, 2014

Twenty-year-old Clementine Avery doesn't mind being called bitchy and closed off. It's safe, and after being burned by her high school sweetheart and stalked by a professor her freshman year of college, safe sounds pretty damn good.

Her number one rule for survival? No dating. That is until she accidentally signs up for a romance writing class and needs material for her latest assignment. Sexy RA Gavin Murphy is more than happy to play the part of book boyfriend to help Clem find some inspiration, even if that means making out...in the name of research, of course.

As Gavin and Clem grow closer, they get entangled in the mystery surrounding a missing Boston University student, and Clem unwittingly becomes a possible target. Gavin tries to show Clem she can handle falling in love again, but she knows she has to be careful because her heart’s at stake…and maybe even her life.

*** 4.5 dreamcatchers ***

Sweet, sexy and mysterious. I needed this shiny little jewel.

Clementine Avery has been burned in love. Her high school sweetheart and lifelong friend cheated on her with her best friend, then her college professor/mentor stalked and aggressively attacked her. It's no wonder why she's downright rude to the opposite sex. So when Gavin Murphy makes his appearance, even his hotness doesn't save him from the brushoff.

 

 

To make things worse, her father is all about the job in another country, and her mother disowned her once she lost that honey of a quarterback in high school - because hey, mommy didn't put you on the pill for nothing! You're supposed to put out! And now you've totally ruined this perfect marriage between two high society families with a boy talented enough to pick up the Heisman. "Thanks Mom..."

So while her twin continued to receive financial and tuition assistance, Clem had to go it alone. So what's a girl to do? Write a best seller about her life of course! But under the safety net of a pen name and that lovely fiction tag on top of what was mostly autobiographical.

 

So with her angry, stand-offish mentality, Clem's been labeled a bitch by most outside her circle. But you know what?

And she's still strong despite it all, so that's not really an insult to her.

Two years later, even with her job, the money's running out and she needs to push through the writer's block that's been hanging over her head since that sick mentor of hers damaged it. When she realizes she accidentally signed up for a Romance writing class instead of one more suitable for her genre, it's too late to switch. And unfortunately, her new teacher wants her to pull from her life experiences and write some angsty, intense love story that'll get even the prudes to spread their legs.

 

Well, shit...

 

 

Needless to say, her first installment bombs because has no idea how to write romance, let alone how it's all suppose to work. Enter Gavin again, who's managed to invade her life without her even knowing it. He's now a guitarist in her friend's band, so they're constantly running into one another and hanging out with the group. Turns out he's not only easy on the eyes, but incredibly easy to talk to. When she learns Gavin is a journalist himself, she mentions her new sucktastic class. Gavin offers to help, not only by telling her where she went wrong in her scenes, but willing to show her how it should've gone down (ie. pretend to be her book boyfriend - yeah, pretend my ass. This boy is all sorts of smooth.)

 

Of course it all begins with:

 

but quickly escalates to flirting

and all sorts of dirty imagery.

Fuels the writer, you know?
But before things can really take off, Gavin begins to have secrets, which Clem flat out can't deal with.

 

And at the same time, that twit of a professor has come back from his (cough) sabbatical and is teaching at her school again, having no qualms of harassing her now that her restraining order can't be renewed. And her ex-cheater, who's her twin's best friend, keeps trying to come around to see her too. Then the damn professor goes public with Clem's identity and accuses her of plagiarizing his work!, giving the press an absolute field day. The poor girl's about to go off her rocker - where are the damn anxiety pills?
 

Breakdown aside, will Clem ever be able to get it together, forgive Gavin and let it get back on the road to this?

Guess you'll have to read to find out. I know I'll be jumping on the bandwagon for the companion novels! I'm curious to see Jax's and Daren's stories too.

Novel provided by author for honest review.

He Belongs With Me by Sarah Darlington (Indie)

He Belongs With Me
Sarah Darlington
Pub.: February 28th, 2014

Two girls. One Leo. Identical twins, Maggie and Clara Ryder, both grew up with Leo Maddox, billionaire playboy, apparent alcoholic, and heir to his grandfather's world-famous Maddox hotel empire. Their roles were cemented long ago: Maggie, as his best friend and Clara as his childhood nemesis. But when a simple twist of fate changes everything and both girls start to fall for the lean, mean, ridiculously sexy and seemingly spoiled Leo... which girl will win his heart? Throw in a little mischief, drama, and one smoking-hot bartender and lines are sure to blur. But one thing's for certain, neither good-girl Maggie nor rebellious Clara will be satisfied until they each figure out where they belong.

This was a cute story. After reading the first two chapters you go in thinking you know the two girls and are probably already choosing sides - but you're probably choosing wrong! Two twins, who have been clashing their entire lives because of different personalities, oddly enough seem to find the same men attractive. Maggie is down to earth, classy and responsible. Clara is spunky, eclectic and a little more lazy with it comes to taking responsibility seriously. But oddly enough, it's actually Clara who is more protective of her twin and not the other way around.  

 

I found Clara captivating. Her story was so raw and honest I could see why Leo always secretly longed for her, waiting like a wallflower for her stubborn ass to see the light day already. I actually found myself rooting for the pathetic train wreck that is Clare's mentality, who's been planning her escape from these people since childhood.

 

So why only 3.5 stars? Maggie. Had this just been Clara's story, I probably would've 5 starred it. It wasn't that Maggie's story wasn't interesting to read, it's just that it seemed sorta flat compared to her sister's. Where I felt like I got to know the raw, internal workings of a misguided, semi-neglected twin with Clara, I didn't feel that way about Maggie. With Clara, I got to watch as she put the pieces together and realize her attraction to Leo wasn't all of sudden, but something that had been building through the course of their lives. Maggie? A boy who stole her heart when she was younger comes back for her, baggage in tow, and she more or less accepts it and is happy. Which is good, but I guess I longed for that boy to put in a lot more effort into the chasing since he uprooted his life to finally makes his way back to her. Instead, he kinda sat back and just awaited her decision. And I guess I expected her father to add a little friction to their relationship, given the way that boy was kicked out of their lives to begin with. Maggie's story came together like a pretty little bow. Clara's bow, albeit tied after awhile, looked like it had been yanked, stretched and shredded by the family cat.  

 

Read it. Clara's story makes it worth it alone.

Novel provided by author for honest review.

The Dare by Hannah Jayne (ARC)

The Dare
Hannah Jayne
Exp. Pub.: July 1, 2010

Two jumped off the pier that night...but only one came back alive

Bryn did everything with her best friend Erica. So when someone dared Erica to jump off the pier one night at Harding Beach, Bryn was right by her side. But when Bryn made it back to the surface, Erica was nowhere to be found. Bryn tries to make a fresh start by burying her memories of that awful night. But when a Twitter post from "EricaNShaw" pops up on her feed and a chilling voice mail appears on her phone, she realizes that someone isn't ready to let go of the past...

One night, a group of friends playing games on the beach led to a dare, one with deadly consequences. Besties Erika and Bryn jumped off the pier and into the chilly ocean, but only Bryn made her way back out again. After drowning her grief with drugs and alcohol and forced by the court to go through a mandatory stay at rehab, her parents move her an hour away to start over at a new school. High school was hard enough just being the new girl, especially when you suffer from a heavy case of survivor's guilt, but when messages begin pouring in from Erika's old account, Bryn completely loses it. Now she keeps seeing her best friend everywhere - and it's making her absolutely nuts!

Sorry, but this one just didn't work for me. Bryn came off wimpy and weak, and when someone clearly began screwing with her, she wouldn't tell anyone. Not her friends, not her parents. And she felt everything that happened to her was Erika's doing - who she didn't believe was a ghost, but alive somewhere pissed that Bryn moved on with her life. Her new friends turned out to be anything but. One is an office aid and snoops through Bryn's file, and when Bryn argues she didn't have the right to do that and needed to keep it to herself, she was mad! Like it's a huge inconvenience for her to keep her trap shut now that she knows some things about Bryn's past - who's trying to leave a tragedy behind and start a new life. And when a flyer goes around teasing a friend about something the entire school seems to know anyways, all but one of her so-called friends blame her - without any kind of evidence - and absolutely throw her under the bus. Great friends you've got there.

 

Also, I'm not entirely convinced of Bryn's phobia. As a competitive swimmer from the age of four on, being in the water was second nature to me. Sorry, but if a friend of mine got sucked out by a riptide, I might develop an aversion for swimming in the ocean, but what does that have to do with a pool? I'm not going to fear walking because I tripped and broke my ankle. And I'm not suddenly going to fear drowning in a pool when I'm the experienced swimmer than I am. It was awful luck, but riptide's are fierce, and even the best swimmers can struggle getting out of them. And speaking of riptides, how come all the adults seemed to know about it, but their kids didn't? Tell your freakin' kids people! You live near the beach and you know eventually they're gonna go swimming at night!

 

I also felt the ending was really abrupt. Some things were left unanswered and I find that highly unsatisfying. For instance, we never truly learn who wanted the punch spiked, because if a certain student did it at request of someone else, it would've had to have been a student at school to get him to agree. We're never told how it is all these phone calls and tweets and such were being sent to Bryn. When she dialed one of the phone numbers harassing her, she was told the line couldn't dial out. And I'm not a tweeter, but wouldn't these leave a trace over the internet? Even if they were private, wouldn't she be able to show them as proof of harassment if she didn't delete them? And her own phone is apparently used to get her old friends in trouble. Is the person hounding her some kind of hacker? Hell if I know, because nothing is ever explained. And we're told a certain family member of Erika's had an unhealthy obsession, but we were never really given any kind of insight on that. Like why? What kind of obsession? Jealousy? Sexual interest? There's a meaningful story there somewhere but it goes completely untouched. And as for the eye witness to the account, how could someone who couldn't swim and hanging out on the pier go unnoticed by all that night? Doesn't make much sense to me, because it was never addressed.

 

For me, Dare bobbled in the ocean for a bit, then shot straight to the bottom like an anchor. Too many plot holes made me feel unsatisfied, and at times, straight up annoyed. I do have a couple of Hannah Jayne's others novels, and I can only hope those will make me feel better about her work. 

 

ARC provided by Sourcebooks Fire for honest review.

Before He Was Famous by Becky Wicks

Before He Was Famous (Starstruck #1)
Becky Wicks
Pub.: May 25, 2014

One guy, one girl. One in the spotlight. One in the shadows.

Falling in love with your best friend isn’t always a great idea, especially when he’s Noah Lockton - the sexiest, most famous new talent on the planet. When 21-year-old small-town photographer Chloe Campbell is offered the chance of a lifetime – to join her celebrity childhood friend Noah on tour as an exclusive blogger for a New York magazine – she’s certain both have put what happened four years ago behind them. But his eyes still burn; his voice is still a jackhammer to her heartstrings; all his songs are about her. Is it possible that that night still haunts them both?

The music industry is a machine, spinning hype and rumors as much as his records. It’s not just Noah’s girlfriends who’ve got it in for Chloe (there’s no stopping the Twitter-obsessed, cat-loving pop-star Courtney Lentini for starters). Pretty soon, the jealousy and media frenzy surrounding these so-called-friends takes a life-changing turn and it seems making love means making enemies at every turn. When tragedy threatens to pull the final curtain on their relationship, both Chloe and Noah must make a choice. As much as this world leaves them starstruck, is living their dream really worth living without each other? 

Two people friends since childhood, both in the love with the other but not wanting to ruin the relationship already established, only to be silently miserable watching the other take on different lovers as their relationship statuses never seem to hit single at the same time.

 

Chloe finds herself caught up in the limelight of Noah's new life. The latest winner on a reality singing show, he's off to start recording and touring from the get-go. But he wants his best friend to move to New York with him, and urges her to apply for a job with a magazine to be a photographer. Of course she lets it slip during her interview that she's besties with the suddenly famous Noah Lockton, and the magazine is drooling to use her to scoop the other magazines. So much that Chloe runs a daily blog on the life of Noah Lockton, as she follows him every where he goes. But not only is she forced to watch the guy she loves in a relationship with the runner-up, she herself gets pulled into the public drama and begins to get some nasty death threats being the one true thing Noah Lockton wants in life.

 

I will say that I liked the romance grow between the two, as it seemed heartfelt and natural, but I think two friends who knew each other so well should've been able to see through the crap that was happening between and around them. For me, this was just an okay novel, as it lacked originality in the new adult market these days. But all in all, it was still a sweet read that I breezed through in a single night, so don't let that deter you from checking it out for yourself.

 

 

Novel provided by author for honest review.

Unspoken by Jen Frederick (ARC)

Unspoken (Woodlands #2)
Jen Frederick
Pub.: September 13, 2013

Whore. Slut. Typhoid Mary.

I've been called all these at Central College. One drunken night, one act of irresponsible behavior, and my reputation was ruined. Guys labeled me as easy and girls shied away. To cope, I stayed away from Central social life and away from Central men, so why is it that my new biology lab partner is so irresistible to me?

He's everything I shouldn't want. A former Marine involved in illegal fighting with a quick trigger temper and an easy smile for all the women. His fists aren't the danger to me, though, it's his charm. He's sliding his way into my heart and I'm afraid that he's going to be the one to break me.

Impulsive. Unthinking. Hot tempered.

I allow instinct to rule my behavior. If it feels good, do it, has been my motto because if I spend too much time thinking, I'll begin to remember exactly where I came from. At Central College, I've got fighting and I've got women and I thought I was satisfied until I met her.

She's everything I didn't realize I wanted and the more time I spend with her, the more I want her. But she's been hurt too much in the past and I don't want to be the one to break her. I know I should walk away, but I just can't. 

AnnMarie just wants to finish her last few years at college in stealth mode, slipping through her classmates with her head down and camping out in the back of every class. False rumors have been cruel, and with schools as small as this one, everybody seems to know her business - or at least a story of what didn't happen. But gossipers love a good scandal, so she knows there's no point in trying to fight it because it'll only fan the fire. Her first day back for the year has her running late to class and unfortunately, earned her a spot in the front row, right next to a beef cake who seems interested from the start. So not interested in dating anyone from Central ever again, she brushes him off. But Bo isn't a guy to be ignored. Saying no only piques his interest and lands him as her permanent lab partner. At first, Bo was just looking for another quick pickup, but as AnnMarie began to she her many complicated layers to him, he found himself wanting more and more - which was just something he'd never wanted before, nor knew how to handle.

 

I really liked Unspoken. It was a questionable friendship from the start and finally turned into a messy relationship. Which was real to me. They had actual issues to overcome before they found their groove, and together they made each other evolve and deal with the sins of the past. If you haven't read the first Woodlands novel, it doesn't matter. I hadn't. I now know it was about two characters who are in the background of this novel, but you need not know their story to enjoy this one. Pick it up - this is more realistic than most new adult novels out there these days. And thank God! The author didn't feel the need to put in a pregnancy, an engagement or a marriage. Thank you, thank you, thank you! So few novels just end it letting us know these two will get there one day without shoving it down our throats by the last page. I'll read this version any day!

ARC provided by Pear Tree for honest review.

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy (ARC)

Side Effects May Vary
Julie Murphy
Pub.: March 18, 2014

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy’s Side Effects May Vary is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality. 

This girl's got one hell of an atonement issue now.

Well, I can honestly say I'm glad I'm neither a friend or foe of Alice's, because everyone seems to get treated like crap alike. One year ago Alice began having dizzy spells. A month later she found out why. Leukemia. And even with treatment, her outlook wasn't promising. She'd come to terms that she was on death's doorstep, so she decided to make a lasting impression on her way out. You see, Alice is one of those people who always have to have the last word. She enlists her on again - off again friend Harvey to help her get back against her ex-boyfriend and nemesis. I'll admit the two never did anything one wouldn't expect high school kids to do. He cheated, and she was simply her competition in ballet and typical queen bee ruling the school. The sad part? Alice was better off without the two in her life as she spent her remaining year at home. But being the bratty, teenage girl that she was, she just couldn't help herself. Unfortunately for Alice, once her revenge was done, her body went into remission and she was forced to return and accept the wrath they were willing to throw back at her now she wasn't terminal anymore.

 

Oh, Harvey, how I love thee. You deserved so much better. By far the sweetest guy ever, he'd always put up with Alice's dominant type A personality and suffered painful whiplash from her undecided interest in him. She'd given in to him when she was sick, but she only found the courage to because she knew she wouldn't be around to actually deal with the fallout of letting him love her. Once in remission, she pulls the breaks so fast Harvey is thrown from the car without protection. She does everything she can to alienate and hurt him, just like she did with everyone else. And you just wanna smack the crap out of her, because she's one of those girls who ruins guys for other girls, leaving them so damaged they're hardly functional anymore.

 

I'm sorry, but her illness was no excuse to kick the bitch-o-meter up to full blast. Yeah, people screwed you over. It's high school. People are shits and that happens. Karma will always find a way to get back at them for you, so be the bigger person and move on with your life (or I guess death in this case), knowing the ones doing it are far more screwed in the head than you are and will probably be miserable their entire lives. Side Effects May Vary was well-written and kept my attention enough to read it in one sitting. The MC will annoy you to death, but it's definitely worth the read.

ARC provided by Harper Collins for honest review.

Going Rogue by Robin Benway (ARC)

Going Rogue (Also Known As, #2)
Robin Benway
Pub.: January 14, 2014

Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver.

Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux.
Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo.

Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names.

Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.

I'm a huge fan of Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway, so I'm willing to try her other books. Going Rogue, like Also Known As, was a cute novel perfect for young teenage girls. After completing her last mission, Maggie has settled down into normal life awaiting her next assignment that requires her stellar safecracking skills. But what she gets instead is the knowledge that her organization, The Collective, wants her and her family out over the last debacle. Her parents have been accused of stealing rare gold coins by the very man they know must have them for himself. But now that her parents have been compromised, Maggie and Angelo must work privately to clear their names. Tension rises not only at home, but between Maggie and her civilian boyfriend and best friend, who know what she is and become bitter when she shuts them down as well. But Maggie can't help but be the spy that she is, and if risking the stability of her relationships will keep everyone safe, she take the continuous hits they feel the need to dish out. Unfortunately, nothing goes as planned and stealing back the coins has everyone fleeing the country for their very lives, even the civilians. Will Maggie and Angelo be able to stabilize the situation before losing someone they love, or will The Collective succeed at bringing them down on a permanent basis?

 

ARC provided by Walker Childrens for honest review.

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill (ARC)

Being Sloane Jacobs
Lauren Morrill
Exp. Pub.: January 7, 2014

Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.

Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.

When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself .

One Sloane Jacobs is having trouble landing her triple spin, another Sloane Jacobs is having trouble shooting the puck. Both are having personal problems and neither are fond of going to Montreal for a month long camp in their respective sports. So when they literally bump into one another at the hotel, it occurs to them that they could each take a break from their lives for a bit. Sure, they'd have to pick up a new sport rather quickly, but neither of them want to face their real issues at the moment.

 

Release Day: FALLING UPWARD (Falling #2.5)

 

 

Yep, today's the day! The guy Jenna didn't choose is getting his own happily ever after novella. You didn't seriously think I'd leave you guys hanging, did you? For all the newbies to my novels, Falling Upward can be read as a standalone, but it will contain some spoilers from Falling in Between and Falling Away, most importantly, who Jenna ends up with in the end.

Pick up Falling Upward at the following platforms:

eBooks available on Kindle US, UK, DE, FR, IT, ES, CA, BR, JP, MX; Nook and Kobo.

Anywhere by J. Meyers (ARC)

Anywhere
J. Meyers
Exp. Pub.: August 25, 2013

Skye Whitcomb is running from her troubles, and where better to run than Europe? Fresh out of college, she makes quick plans with her best friend Paige and hops on a plane.

Of course, nothing ever goes as planned—at least not for her. First, Paige has to bail, and Skye’s left to travel alone. Then she meets sweet and sexy Asher Benedict in Paris, and sparks fly after a night together on the train to Rome. He’s all kinds of perfect for her, but the timing couldn’t be worse since she was running from the altar when she left—so the last thing she wants right now is a relationship.

But Skye’s about to discover that no matter how far you run, love can find you anywhere.

.

Okay, so I've totally been this girl. Not the runaway bride part, but the girl in the exact same train station in Paris where not a lick of English is anywhere, all by her lonesome, trying to figure out what the hell to do next. It's weird, it's uncomfortable, but it's also a rush. However, I would've been a hell of a lot more suspicious of a sexy guy trying to talk to me. And if he asked me where I was going, only to follow it up with, "Me too," little red flags would've been popping up all over the place! Hey, I've seen Taken! And I had way to many single guys coming up to me on my trip that I made it my number one rule to always be where others were and never by myself. But hey, that's real life and this is a book, so of course Skye is going to be relieved to have someone to talk to on the train. :)

So Skye has just bailed on her fiancé several days before the wedding, fleeing to Paris with her best friend to spend several months backpacking across Europe. Couldn't blame her really. She spent her entire life being told what to do by her overbearing mother, that she just couldn't marry a guy that had already began treating her the exact same way. The guy had their entire life planned out, including a place in the city (which she vocally said she didn't want) to the number of kids they'll have and when. Hello Stepford Wife. I'd get the hell out too. Unfortunately, Skye's best friend has her own dilemma that sends her packing for home, leaving Skye all alone to begin her journey. On the very first day, she meets Asher, an American guy that's also lost his backpacking buddy, heading in the same direction Skye is. Figuring it's just company on the train, Skye opens up to this sweet stranger and immediately feels the relief of having someone alongside her that allows her to actually be. Asher is the sweetest guy, letting her vent, cry and and letting her make some decisions without telling her how very wrong she is, which poor Skye has spent a lifetime without. The two become inseparable as they journey city to city, country to country, living on a whim. The more time passes, the more they both realize they're meant to be. But with Skye needing to go home soon and Asher already committed to returning to an ex-girlfriend, will these two ever admit what their hearts have already declared?

This was such a sweet story. Seriously. I whipped through it in one sitting, practically salivating over Asher. Where was he when I found myself in Skye's position, huh? Asher was everything Skye needed to become her own person, and I loved watching her grow stronger and more confidant throughout the novel. Pick it up peeps, it'll have you going aww.... when you turn the last page.

...and I'd love to see some bonus material for the very special day that I don't wanna mention here. Hint hint! That would be a great scene seeing if and how Skye handles herself.

ARC provided by author for honest review.

Dare You To by Katie McGarry (ARC)

Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)
Katie McGarry
Pub: May 28, 2013

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

 

Beth's life sucks. Except for the few friends that've got her back, her life isn't one to envy. Her mother is always high or drunk and utterly refuses to leave her drug dealer boyfriend Trent, who makes it habit to beat up on Beth and her mother. Beth, in particular, he would kill in an instant if she ever came around again. Ryan is a star pitcher, looking to perfect his craft and earn his way into the majors after high school. But life throws him a curveball when he figures out his writing ability is good enough to make a living off of too, despite his father's disgust of him going on to college first. (Heaven forbid an athlete should get an actual degree and have a fall-back plan in case an injury comes along to squash his chances, right?)

 

Like all immature guys in high school, Ryan and his friends like to make bets to one-up one another and maintain a sense of pride. When Beth enters the fast food joint one night the guys are there, Ryan's new dare is to obtain the unattainable - her phone number. Of course Beth isn't gonna give him the time of day no matter his looks, because she can see right through him. After Beth goes off one night trying to help her mother, she gets caught trying to smack Trent unconscious with a baseball bat and is forced to go live with her uncle in a nearby town. And when Ryan realizes the girl that rejected him is now attending the same high school, his damaged ego is determined to still win the bet she'd cost him that night.

 

Boys and their bets, right girls? It's been awhile since I've been at high school, but I'm sure the stakes are still the same. Luckily Beth is smart enough not to be a victim from that nonsense but it doesn't keep her from involving herself with those that are playing. Kind of hard not to I suppose, when the guy practically stalks her to insert himself in her life. Which is pretty easy since her uncle is a famous baseball player and Ryan's new mentor. And since Beth is troubled, her uncle is happy that a kind, decent young man can look after her and be a positive influence in her life. Bleh. I feel for the girl, truly I do, because she was only in that spot because she'd tried to keep Trent from beating up on her mother.

Her mother. Lord it was annoying how much Beth fought for this woman, who clearly didn't deserve so much as the time of day. But I can't fault her for trying. I've witnessed this issue in real life, and much to my annoyance, I understand a person's need to keep their mother or father in their life no matter the heartache. That desire to be loved by family members will drive them to the end of the earth no matter how much these people hurt them. I just wished so hard that she'd let her mother go and do what was good for her for once. She even took the blame for the damage to Trent's car because her mother was already on probation. Hence the reason she was forced to move away...

 

As for the romance, I'm still not sure why these two got together. Did I like the scenes as their relationship grew? Yes. Did I like the relationship once it got going? Yes. But I'm still not happy about how they formed to begin with because it just doesn't make any sense. He's a jock. She's a little emo. Beth knew from the minute he approached her that he was only trying to score some points with his buddies by talking to her, and she was a complete you-know-what for some time to come because of it. So he was using her for a bet and she was just mean and angry all the time around him. So why the attraction? Thinking the other is cute is not enough to build a relationship. And if you're already wounded to begin with, this particular person is not the one you're gonna lean on and confide your deepest, darkest secrets to. Just saying...

 

All in all it was a good read. I won't read it again but I don't regret reading it either. It's got a little romance, a whole lot of heartbreak and some darkness surrounding the unhappy family dynamics all around. So if you liked Pushing the Limits, you're probably going to like Dare You To as well.

ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for honest review.

TOUR STOP & GIVEAWAY - The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski (ARC)

The Edge of Never
J.A. Redmerski
Pub.: November 15th

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

I laughed, I cried, I perfected my O face. And I was completely jealous that Andrew Parrish wasn't mine.