Review: Hopeless

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Image from Goodreads

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever. 

(Blurb from Goodreads)

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So I thought that this was my first Colleen Hoover book, but I totally forgot that I had read Slammed and Point of Retreat a long while back. (Common mistake amongst huge readers like myself.)

I remember when I downloaded this book I had heard somewhere that it was a dark read, and yes it was. If you’re looking for a light young adult read-this isn’t it. It IS of course, very well done, the writing is great, the characters have depth, but it does get dark. I don’t want to say much more about the how or why it’s so dark because I don’t want to give anything away.

I loved Sky’s best friend, Six, and the moments that they have together. It just gives the story the extra push, and some humorous moments as well.

One thing that bothered me a bit was how far the story went. I felt like things just kept getting worse and worse to eventually unbelievable. Yes, I know it’s a book and fiction, but I felt like the story took it a little too far. I felt as though if one of those scenes was missing then it would be more believable. (Again, I’m being vague on purpose.)

That being said, it is a great book. Just make sure you’re in the right mood for it before you start.

My Rating: 4 stars

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Review: Risking Ruin

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Image from Goodreads

 

Marisa Tanner’s most important client, multi-billion dollar family-owned Brannon Company, has been sued by nine of its employees for sexual harassment. Marisa is a pro at handling sexual harassment allegations, but will she be able to handle the CEO’s prodigal son as well as she can handle the lawsuits? 

Clients are off-limits and Marisa could lose her law license and livelihood, but Memphis playboy Trip keeps making strong plays for her. 

Their attraction is undeniable and chemistry electric. Can she have her career and Trip, too, or will she have to choose? 

A steamy debut novel by Mae Wood, “Risking Ruin” is a stand alone novel that blends the tone of chick-lit and the sensuality of contemporary romance to create a landscape filled with strong characters in the lush environment of Memphis, Tennessee.

(Blurb from Goodreads)

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What a great debut novel by Mae Wood!! I love a confident protagonist, and Marisa was just that. The characters had depth and the story was believable. I had no trouble at all getting lost in the fictional world that Wood created, in fact, I looked forward to picking it up every night before I went to bed until I finished it.

I only have one teeny tiny complaint – the way that Marisa takes her coffee – milky white. I’m fine with this, I love coffee myself, but the words “milky white” where just mentioned a few too many times.

Other than that it was seriously a great read. Fantastic job Ms. Wood!

My Rating: 4 stars

04

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***I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.***

Book Blitz: Flawed and Damaged


 

Book Title:  Flawed and Damaged

Author:  Emily Krat

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance

Release Date:  July 22, 2014

Two people haunted by their past…
The collision of two damaged hearts…
Meet Elizabeth Williams. She is at the airport on an important work assignment. If everything goes smoothly, after three years of hard work, she’ll get a promotion and a much-needed raise. Elizabeth is putting her life back on track after it was ripped out from under her feet four years ago when she lost her parents along with all her dreams. Standing here, she believes her life is going to change for the better any moment now. Nothing can go wrong, right?
Meet Ryan Price. He came to Moscow on business. Right now, Ryan is standing at the airport looking at a ‘present’ from his brother, judging by the sign a beautiful young woman is holding. Damn his brother for not cancelling this arrangement as Ryan asked.
Miscommunications and misunderstandings and a love story begins.
There will be a scary flight, lovely breakfasts, long evening conversations, sharing a secret or two, discovering one another, a lot of laughter, tender moments and some tears, a fight and, of course, the I-am-ready-for-the-end-of-the-world kiss.
Somewhere along the way, they won’t be able to fight their feelings any longer.
For the first time in his life, Ryan will experience a different shade of lust. And for the first time in her life, Elizabeth will have to trust despite all of the times she has been hurt.
Will these two wounded lost souls find love, peace and comfort in each other or will they just break each other more? Is it a train wreck of a love story or a happily ever after?
 
“Ryan, I love you.” He looks confused, but relief is evident in his eyes, so I continue. “It was wrong of me to tell you about my feelings like I did yesterday. I was being a coward. I’m glad you shared all this with me. I won’t run, Ryan.”
“But, I don’t understand. How can you love me? Even after I told you about what I’ve done … How can you love someone so … horrible?” he says bitterly.
“You are not horrible, Ryan. I know it. I feel it.”
“How?” The desperation in his voice squeezes my chest.
I stare into the deep green pools that are his eyes and wonder how I can show him what I see.
“In here,” I point to my heart, “I believe my heart. And from what you told me, I can tell that you had no family except Mark. You were a kid at thirteen who didn’t want to lose his brother, you were a young man who sacrificed his own freedom for someone he loved the most. Now you are a big business mogul who may be harsh toward his employees, but puts them first even when seeking revenge. It’s an honor for me to love someone as devoted as you.”
“Liz, I’ve lied – ” I interrupt him.
“We are people, Ryan. We all make mistakes. You think I’m so pure? I wanted to use David to stay in Seattle. I agreed to marry someone for my own selfish reasons. Then I came to Russia and spent more than six months making my Granny’s life a living hell. She lost her only daughter. I never once thought about her feelings. She was old, she needed my care, and all I did was sulk for my old life. Even with you, how do you know I’m not using you? Maybe I just like this sense of fulfillment I feel with you that overwhelms the loneliness I’ve felt for so long. I am not a saint, Ryan. I also did awful things.”
Ryan contemplates my words for several minutes. Then says quietly, “I lied to you.”
I sigh. Now I don’t like the direction this conversation is taking. “You already told me that you didn’t need an assistant. There’s more?”
“I read your journal.” 
The blood drains from my face.
“You what?” My voice trembles.
“When we were in Nice – the night you got drunk with Mark – I saw your notebook and I read it.”
“I … I …” No words come out of my mouth because I don’t have any. I can’t believe he did it. I wrote my sacred thoughts there, poured some raw feelings on those pages. They were never meant for anyone’s eyes other than mine.
“I’m sorry I did it. I was at a loss, I couldn’t understand what I was feeling for you.”
“So you read my journal to understand yourself? Ryan, it’s private. I poured my soul there. How could you do this?” I may be screaming now, but I don’t care. Some boundaries can’t be crossed.
“That’s who I am, Elizabeth. I don’t care about people’s privacy.”
“I’m so mad at you right now. I don’t even know what to say. Is that all?”
“No.”
Oh God!
“Tell me.” He almost looks scared. That’s when I know there are so many more lies he doesn’t want to tell me about. “Now, Ryan. You are going to tell me every damn thing. You owe me this.”

 

 

 
 
Always an avid reader who consumes whole books in a single day, Emily Krat is ecstatic to now be on the other side of the page. For her writing stories and developing ideas for novels is a true passion and a dream come true. Emily is a chocolate junkie, “Grey’s Anatomy” fan, and admirer of good music. She loves summer rains, warm blankets on cold winter nights, as well as traveling, sleeping in late, watching TV shows, cooking, and baking. When she’s not writing or rewriting, she loves spending time with family and friends.
 
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Beautiful Failure Review & Giveaway

 

Title: Beautiful Failure
Author: Mariah Cole
Genre: New Adult
Publication Date: December 17, 2013

 

If you’re looking for a heartwarming story about a girl who falls deeply in love with a troubled boy who changes her life–a sob story with pretty metaphors and a million ways that’ll tell you how “broken” she is, STOP. Don’t read another word of this.

I’m not that type of girl.

My name is Emerald Anderson and I’m not going to bulls**t you: I flunked out of college after my sophomore year, I’ve been fired from every job I’ve ever taken, and I’ve never had a fully functioning relationship in my life.

I wish I could say that I had a cheerleader in my corner, someone who says, “No, Emerald–You’re great and you are good at something!” but I don’t. My grandparents are completely oblivious to my life, and my mother’s dying words to me were “You’re going to end up just like me one day. A beautiful nothing.”

She was right.

As I decide to start my life over and take two jobs that will forever change me–one from the inside, and one from the outside, I keep my mother’s words close to my heart so I can keep the sexy and mysterious Carter Black away.

He’s the first man who’s ever pursued me, the first man who seems bent on finding out why I am the way I am, but he’s wasting his time.

I’m not broken. I don’t need to be fixed. I’m perfectly fine being a beautiful failure…

Were you intrigued by the synopsis?  I sure was.  I thought, finally, a book that isn’t about a girl wanting to be rescued or even getting rescued.  And that’s part of what made this book so good.

Emerald is what she is, who she is, and she isn’t sorry for it.  Her mom did a royal job of screwing her up though.  I usually hate blaming the parents, but I feel that it really was her mom’s fault.  Not only was her mom a prostitute, but also an alcoholic.  A habit that she shared and encouraged with Emerald at way too young an age.  Anyways, her mom commits suicide (I’m not giving anything away, this happens right at the beginning), and leaves Emerald practically alone.

Emerald does go to live with her grandparents, her mother’s parents.  They’re good people, but kind of oblivious and extremely religious.  I commend Emerald for going on after her mom’s suicide, I really do.  She can’t keep a job, but hey, at least she tries.  Then one day working as a barista at Starbucks, she meets a good looking guy named Carter.  She also makes her first real friend, even if she doesn’t know it at the time, Sarah.   She notices that Sarah has a lot of really expensive things and learns that she works for an exclusive strip club.  Emerald ‘interviews’ there and the patrons love her.  And guess who she runs into.  Yep, Carter!  And on the side, Emerald has to attend court ordered AA meetings because she got in a little trouble.

So as you can see, Emerald’s been through hell.  But she is such a strong character for it.  Although she’s not always in the right, she definitely stands up for what she believes in.  And the confidence this girl has, can I have some?

She is definitely wary of Carter, and it takes her a long time to warm up to him.  And just when you think you know where the book is going, you don’t.  I’d normally be a bit peeved at a cliffhanger ending, but I really can’t wait to read the next one!

It’s because it’s not all puppies and rainbows that I really enjoyed this book, and I definitely recommend it.  And if you read it, read the author’s note at the end.  It cracked me up.

 

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

04

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from Dreams Come True Promotions, in exchange for an honest review.*****

 

 

 

 

Starbucks Addict. New Adult author. Dreamer.

 

* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mariah-Cole/522717034482807

* Author Website: http://unapologeticmc.blogspot.com/

* Author GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7319309.Mariah_Cole

* GoodReads Page for Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18625288-beautiful-failure

* Purchase Beautiful Failure from Amazon

* Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beautiful-failure-mariah-cole/1117736123?ean=2940149071050

 

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The Echoes of Love Review

 

Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  The Echoes of Love

Author:  Hannah Fielding

Published:  2013 by London Wall Publishing

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Purchase The Echoes of Love from Amazon

 

 

Venetia is in Italy working to restore and save old paintings and relics.  Life is simple; and she is single, still haunted by her past love.  Venetia meets an Italian man, Paolo, who is definitely interested in her.  However, Venetia can’t get past her old love, even though it was a decade ago.  Eventually she gives Paolo a chance, just to change her mind and decide to be single again.  She goes back and forth with her feelings for a while, but eventually Paolo wins her heart.  His love does not come without some mysteries of his past being revealed however.  Will these revelations bring them closer together or tear them apart?

This book is enjoyable if read at a leisurely pace.  For instance, if you have nowhere to go, you’re relaxed, and you have nothing to do.  Read it then.  It felt like that kind of book; very relaxing if you will.  That being said, it was a little slow.  There was some major action near the end of the book, and I wished there was more of that throughout.

Venetia got on my nerves a bit with how she couldn’t decide whether to be with Paolo or not.  I understand that she was in love before.  But it was over ten years ago.  Be happy.  Give the guy a chance.  It’s a wonder to me that Paolo didn’t give up on her beforehand.

I really like the character Venetia meets, a Chinese man named Ping Lu.  He gives Venetia some good advice,

The grief a person goes through causes a change in his perception of himself or his lifestyle, and some sort of adjustment is required to avoid being haunted by the pain.  You must choose what to remember from the past, cherish the joys of the present, and prepare for a future – you must look forward, my child.  That is the only way. (p. 82)

Great advice!  I just wish Venetia didn’t take so long to follow it.

Ultimately, it would have been nice if Paolo and Venetia got together a little earlier in the book; I felt like when they did the pace of the book picked up.  Other than that though, it was a good read.  And look at the cover; beautiful!

 

My Rating:  3 1 /2 out of 5 stars

~Pam

*****I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.*****