Sizzling Saturdays: Pretty Smart Girls by Shae Ross

 

Title- Pretty Smart Girls

Author- Shae Ross

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/j5bNT4

Book Summery:

Team Ryan
Ryan Rose and her fellow Spartans are finalists in a high-profile entrepreneurial competition. They’re competing for life-changing money and for their futures. They have a solid plan to win. All they need to do is trounce the competition: rich frat boys from an archrival university. Easy, right?

Team Jett
Jett Trebuchet’s first mistake was not realizing that Ryan and her friends were the competition. His second was expressing his unabashed confidence in his team’s ability to win. After all, everyone knows the only thing MSU does better than U of M is produce beautiful, easy women…oh, and he almost forgot to say “dumb.” And boy, does his team pay for that one.

Game On
As each side tries to game the other, something else seems to be getting in the way—attraction. Now Ryan and Jett must keep their teams from getting distracted by the opposite sex…and each other. All is not fair in love and war when it comes to winning this game.

Book Review:

Pretty Smart Girls was one of those books that once I started reading it, I could not put it down. There were so many parts that I absolutely loved while reading as well! All the characters had such great chemistry together and there was great banter amongst them.

I liked that the romance wasn’t love at first sight, yes there was an attraction, but Jett and Ryan worked up to figuring out their feelings. I adored the photo booth scene, it was just too perfect!!! I also liked the Jett and Ryan’s teammates’ relationships with each other.

This is a read book that will engage the reader from the very beginning. If you like shows like the apprentice you will love this book!!!!

Read Me Friday: Title- Books, Blogs, & Reality by Ryan Ringbloom

Title- Books, Blogs, & Reality

Author– Ryan Ringbloom

Amazon– http://goo.gl/IJdZ4M

Book Summery

Life can suck…

When reality becomes overwhelming, seeking comfort in fictional fantasies keeps hope alive. And while this escape may be a little delusional, it’s also therapeutic.

Sharing secrets is daunting, but virtual friends don’t often judge and they are always ready to share a glass of wine…or three…while typing out life’s latest endeavors.

Brooke believes obstacles only add to romance, not detract. Rachael longs for a more intense relationship, or so she thinks. Lizzie misses the excitement in her life, but sometimes new situations find you when you’re not even looking. And Jess believes a tiger can change his stripes. It can’t.

Bound by a shared passion for blogging about happily ever afters, these four young women use keyboard therapy to work through their expectations, anxieties, and inadequacies, all with the hopes of achieving the perfection found in romance novels.

Completely blinded by what they think life should be, they navigate their unique paths in search of what they envision is right. But when reality taunts them with persistent curve balls, will they be strong enough to choose wisely? Or will their happy endings escape them?

My Review:

“All the books sound the same lately. Sex, sex, more sex….. it’s stupid. Maybe it’s time someone should write a book about how much work it is for bloggers to read and review all the shit author are constantly spewing about perfect love and even more perfect sex.”

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!!! When I began reading it, I thought I was reading a different book for review (the covers were extremely similar) and after I started I sat there thinking about how it was so much different from what I thought it would be, but in a good way!!!

Books, Blogs, & Reality had POVs from four different people, each were book bloggers that met online. I honestly didn’t think that I would be able to connect to all four since the book was only 200 pages, boy was I wrong. I think Ryan Ringbloom was able to form that connection for the reader. I also love how there was their online conversation and book reviews added in the book. There were sometimes that I was so engrossed in the character’s story that I didn’t want to change to read the next characters story, but the missing parts were filled in by some of their online conversations. I also love that the genre each character enjoyed is the reflected how they saw their love life. Rachel was into kinky stories and mixed that into her own love life. Jessica liked bad boy novels and had one of her very own that she thought she could change. Brooke just wanted to meet someone dark and handsome and enjoyed novels where the leads fell for each other. Then Lizzie loved romance as a whole and thought she was missing it in her own life.

I think readers will be able to relate to one of these characters if not more!!! I cannot wait to read more from Ryan Ringbloom!!

Book Review: Love, Lattes and Mutants by Sandra Cox

Title- Love, Lattes and Mutants

Author– Sandra Cox

Publisher- Kensington Books

Release– February 27, 2015

Amazon- http://goo.gl/xdWsai

BOOK SUMMERY:

Finding love is hard, even when you aren’��t a mutant.
Like most seventeen-year-olds, Piper Dunn wants to blend in with the crowd. Having a blowhole is a definite handicap. A product of a lab-engineered mother with dolphin DNA, Piper spends her school days hiding her brilliant ocean-colored eyes and sea siren voice behind baggy clothing and ugly glasses. When Tyler, the new boy in school, zeroes in on her, ignoring every other girl vying for his attention, no one, including Piper, understands why…

Then Piper is captured on one of her secret missions rescuing endangered sea creatures and ends up in the same test center where her mother was engineered. There she discovers she isn’��t the only one of her kind. Joel is someone she doesn’��t have to hide from, and she finds herself drawn to the dolph-boy who shares her secrets. Talking to him is almost as easy as escaping from the lab. Deciding which boy has captured her heart is another story…

MY THOUGHTS:

Love, Lattes and Mutants is a cute YA fantasy book about a girl named Piper who isn’t what she seems, instead she is a mutant. She doesn’t have any special powers, but she is part dolphin. She is able to stay underwater for about 20 minutes and she swims pretty quickly.

At first I couldn’t tell if Tyler truly liked her for herself or because he saw her without her “nerd” clothes. Then I read more and more and I truly liked them together. I also loved Gramps! He was too adorable and was always looking out for his granddaughter!

My biggest issue with this book was the pace of it all. I felt that were rushed in meeting the main character, but then the next 74% dragged on with them. I was waiting for the whole book to see what happens when Piper gets kidnapped. Since there was only 26% of the book left, I felt that part was rushed as well. The test center was very intriguing and I want to know more about it and see what will happen next.

I have never read a story where the main character was a mutant or one that had mermaid qualities. I am looking forward to book two to see where Piper will end up next!

Cover Reveal: CLEAR: A Death Trippers Novel by Jessica Park

Check out the gorgeous cover for CLEAR: A Death Trippers Novel by Jessica Park!

Title: CLEAR: A Death Trippers Novel

Age: NA

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Author: Jessica Park

Cover Designer: The Cover Lure

Release date: February 17, 2015

Goodreads

Book Summery

Stella Ford’s grasp on reality is already loose, and it’s about to come undone.

When the college junior flees Chicago and leaves her toxic family behind, she heads for coastal Maine to find the one person who brought her peace years ago: Sam Bishop. But the Sam she once knew now has painful secrets.

Stella is determined to heal them both. Healing, however, is a challenge when the walls of her everyday existence collapse. And when Sam’s best friend is his worst enemy.

When the line between life and death blurs.

When an end is just a beginning.

When lust and rage rule.

Yet during extraordinary chaos, there can be extraordinary love, even if that love comes with a twist.

Welcome to death tripping.

A thriller, a paranormal, and a passionate romance, CLEAR crosses genres and breaks boundaries.

About the Author:

Jessica is the author of LEFT DROWNING, the New York Times bestselling FLAT-OUT LOVE (and the companion piece FLAT-OUT MATT), and RELATIVELY FAMOUS. She lives in New Hampshire where she spends an obscene amount time thinking about rocker boys and their guitars, complex caffeinated beverages, and tropical vacations. On the rare occasions that she is able to focus on other things, she writes.

Please visit her at jessicapark.me and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicapark and Twitter @JessicaPark24

Book Review: Cut Me Free by J. R. Johansson

Title- Cut Me Free

Author- J. R. Johansson

Publisher- Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

Release- January 27, 2015

Amazon- http://goo.gl/8Vcf0s

BOOK SUMMERY:

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte barely escaped from her abusive parents. Her little brother, Sam, wasn’t as lucky. Now she’s trying to begin the new life she always dreamed of for them, but never thought she’d have to experience alone. She’s hired a techie-genius with a knack for forgery to remove the last ties to her old life. But while she can erase her former identity, she can’t rid herself of the memories. And her troubled history won’t let her ignore the little girl she sees one day in the park. The girl with the bruises and burn marks.

That’s when Charlotte begins to receive the messages. Threatening notes left in her apartment–without a trace of entry. And they’re addressed to Piper, her old name. As the messages grow in frequency, she doesn’t just need to uncover who is leaving them; she needs to stop whoever it is before anyone else she loves ends up dead.

MY THOUGHTS:

 

There are not many books that I need to take a couple minutes to process them after reading, but this was one of them! Cut Me Free is a dark, gripping story about human trafficking and abuse. Piper was locked in her attic with her little brother by her parents and they were physically abused by them. This concept reminded me of the story, “Flowers in the Attic”, and this could have been what happened if there were only two children and only one escaped.

After recusing a girl who was sold to an abusive man, Piper has been finding threatening boxes with a note inside each of them. Throughout most of the book Piper tries to figure out who is leaving these boxes while keeping her new friend, Cam, away from it all. I will admit the beginning of the book was a bit slow moving for me, but once Piper saved Sanda I was completely engaged and flew through this book!

I like that this book stayed true to the YA genre, there were no inappropriate scenes between Cam and Piper. Although, sometimes I got frustrated with them, but I understand that Piper came from an abusive household so it was hard for her to trust anyone. Cam’s cousin, Lily, kind of made it seem as though Cam falls for the young girls her helps often, which made me dismiss his sincerity at times. Although, the ending was perfect.

I do recommend this book to anyone who would like get chills and a thrill while reading it.

Mad Mondays: Foolproof by Jenifer Blackwood

Title: Foolproof

Author: Jennifer Blackwood

Publisher: Entangled Embrace

Release Date: January 26, 2015

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23941343-foolproof?from_search=true

Book Summery:

A summer of seduction…Jules Carmichael needs to get her life together. Pronto. School’s been hell, there was that tiny stint in rehab, and worst of all, she’s lost her cushy summer job. The only available work is at Office Jax, home of horrid 90s music and the biggest jerk on this side of the galaxy…

Recovering from a brutal break-up and taking a hiatus from college, Ryan DeShane has just discovered the “6 Ultimate Steps to the Perfect Summer Fling.” It’s a brilliant distraction, and Jules is a tantalizing target. But the “steps” work a little too well, because he and Jules are definitely, uh, flinging. And it’s only a matter of time before Ryan’s foolproof plan starts to seriously unravel…

My Review:

Foolproof is the second book in the Drexler University series, but the book can be read out of order. I never read Unethical, but that did not stop me from enjoying Foolproof, it only made me want to read the first installment to find out more about Blake and Payton.

When Ryan and Jules first meet they have the worse first impressions of each other. Ryan thinks that Jules is a stuck up princess like his cheating ex-girlfriend and Jules think that Ryan is an asshole. After Ryan reads an article about a summer fling, he decides Jules is the perfect girl for the job. I loved all the corny jokes between Ryan and Jules, it was something I would do and using parts of song made them even better.

Foolproof was a very sweet romance, I like that wasn’t a lot of drama, they were just two normal college students with normal problems. Who brought out the best in each other, and helping read other along the way.

Purchase Foolproof

 Amazon: http://amzn.to/1BJ7xUM
B&N: http://bit.ly/1xT70m3
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1tKSqpM
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1Is4jrf
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1tKSBkU

 

 

Excerpt

 Shifting in my seat, I pulled off the hoodie, my shirt creeping up with the sweatshirt. I turned to Jules, whose mouth had shaped in a very attractive O, her gaze roaming over my exposed abs. She glanced up and quickly looked away when she saw I’d noticed her stare.

Caught you.

She was interested. Time to reel her in. “See something you like?”

She cleared her throat and, even in the darkness of the truck cab, I noticed the deepening blush that splashed across her cheeks. “I’ve seen better.”

There wasn’t a lot about my body that I was overconfident with, but I’d done enough sit-ups and burpees to earn my eight-pack. “You must see a lot of abs then. Have a rating system?” I snapped my fingers. “No, wait, a spreadsheet.”

“If that were the case, you’d be a mid-lister.” Her mouth quirked into an innocent smile.

I suddenly wanted to dropkick every single guy on that list. What kind of guys did she date if I was a “mid-lister?” Bodybuilders? Thor?

I needed to flip the brakes of this freight train thought process speeding on a direct route to don’t go there, dipshit. Her dating history didn’t matter, because in a few weeks I’d be back in Texas. A few times of hooking up, and I’d have this girl out of my system. “Good thing I’m not just another guy on your list.”

She cocked a brow, a clear Payton-ism, her gaze wandering everywhere but my direction. Her fingers etched across the earrings running up the perimeter of her ear. I wanted to run my tongue over each one of the piercings, pin her down in the truck, and explore every inch of her skin. My cock twitched in agreement. I shifted in my seat, adjusting my raging erection.

“You wouldn’t even qualify, DeShane.”

“Is that so?” Damn, she was cocky. And I loved it.

“Not even for the thirty-day trial period.”

“I wouldn’t need thirty days to convince you,” I said.

“And how many would it take?”

Lowering my voice, quiet enough for Blake and Payton not to hear—not that they paid either of us any attention—I said, “I could have your toes curling in twenty seconds flat. Two minutes, and I’d be at the top of that spreadsheet of yours.

Giveaway

Signed print copy of Unethical

$5 Amazon gift card

Click HERE to enter

Book Review: Click Date & Repeat by K. J Farnham

Title- Click Date & Repeat

Author– K.J Farnhan

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/aIgFVH

Book Summery:

These days, finding love online is as commonplace as ordering that coveted sweater. But back in 2003, the whole concept of internet dating was still quite new, with a stigma attached to it that meant those who were willing to test the waters faced a fair amount of skepticism from friends and family. Such is the case for Chloe Thompson, a restless 20-something tired of the typical dating scene and curious about what she might find inside her parents’ computer. With two serious but failed relationships behind her, Chloe isn’t even entirely sure what she’s looking for. She just knows that whatever it is, she wants to find it. Based loosely on author K. J. Farnham’s real-life online dating experiences, Chloe’s foray into online dating involves a head-first dive into a world of matches, ice breakers and the occasional offer of dick pics, all while Chloe strives to shake herself of the ex who just refuses to disappear. Will she simultaneously find herself and “the one” online, or will the ever-growing pile of humorous and downright disastrous dates only prove her friends and family right? There’s only one way to find out… Click. Date. Repeat.

My Book Review:

“My Final thoughts before falling asleep have to do with what I learned this time around. I can’t change any of it now. The timing just wasn’t right, and you know what they say….. Timing is everything”

K. J. Farnham took us on a journey with online dating through the eyes of Chloe Thompson. I like how down to earth Chloe was. Yes, she had some standards when it came to dating and picking out the guys that she would meet in person, but who wouldn’t? Chloe was able to move past some of these standards, showing how much growth she went through. I also liked how K.J Farnham had some of the other characters show growth, I think that Chloe’s friends learned some things as well. Then there are all the different guys that Chloe met and dated. I have to admit I did like two of the guys a lot and they seemed like such great guys.

The ending was a little bit of a surprise and I wish there was a little more to it. I would love to see where Chloe is now and how she is doing with the man she chose. This story was a great chick lit book which had some really great moments!!

 

Sizzling Saturdays: Some Like it Sizzling by Robbie Terman

Title- Some Like it Sizzling

Author- Robbie Terman

Release Date- January 12^th, 2015

Amazon- http://goo.gl/JYolnX

BOOK SUMMERY:

Former model and restaurateur Jenna Rawley has a plan. Marry the man who looks best on paper, and live the secure life she craved as a child. But when her fiancé runs off, with her money, Jenna’s left with nothing but the past she’s spent years outrunning. With no other options, she’s forced to move back home, find a second job, and come face-to-face with a man who has every reason to distrust her.

Firefighter Luke Kearney never forgave Jenna for leaving town after he proposed in high school. So, he’s not especially happy when he’s forced to plan their fifteen-year-reunion with her. Jenna is the last person he can trust. But the more they work together, the more Luke realizes that the girl who broke his heart might have become the woman he could love forever.

MY REVIEW:

There are a lot of second chance books out there and it’s a type of book I really enjoy reading. During this book I was able to see both main characters Luke and Jenna grown and change, and that is something I love seeing. I also loved Luke! Well, I loved him until he turned into a jerk toward the end! I’m not really sure how I felt about Jenna, she was very frustrating and I just wanted her to explain why she left all those years ago. I had my suspicions and I ended being half correct!

It was very interesting to have Luke’s wife’s POV while reading the story, not sure it was to set up the next book in the series or just to get more perspective on Luke. It did allow me to realize how much Luke loved Jenna, even if he didn’t see it himself. Olivia was a very likeable character but having her point of view showed how she wasn’t really there to break anyone up.

Read Me Fridays: Her Backup Boyfriend by Ashlee Mallory

Title- Her Back up Boyfriend

Author- Ashlee Mallory

Release Date- January 19^th, 2015

Amazon- http://goo.gl/s2ukH8

BOOK SUMMERY:

One little white lie leads to more than she planned…

Straight-laced lawyer Kate Matthews always plays by the rules. But when her ex gets engaged and a big promotion is on the line at work, she blurts out that she has a new boyfriend. And now that she’s proved she “has a life” outside of work, everything is perfect. Except for one teeny little detail―there is no boyfriend. And now Kate’s liable for her little white lie…

Dominic Sorensen is hot, charming, and very definitely not Kate’s type. But not only does Dominic want to help Kate renovate her home, he’s also willing to play “boyfriend.” All he wants in return is a little pro bono work for his sister. Now instead of Mr. Right, Kate has a delectable Mr. Fix-It-Right―and some unbelievable sexual chemistry. And if falling for Dominic is a breach of contract, Kate is guilty as charged…

MY REVIEW:

What a sweet story!!!! I am a huge fan of Entangled Bliss stories and this one did not fail me. I think this story had the right amount of passion and cute moments. Even though it was the type of story where I basically knew what was going to happen, it didn’t keep me from enjoying it. I loved how Kate changed and grew as a person, finding what she really wanted in life as appose to what she thought she wanted. Dominic, I do not know what to say about him, he had the biggest heart and a big contender for a book boyfriend!!!! His family were quite a group of characters as well! I cannot wait to read more stories about them and hopefully seeing how Kate and Dominic are doing.

This is the type of book that I know I will be reading again and again when I want to curl up with a cute love story.

Book Review: Glad I Did It by Cynthia Weil

Title- Glad I Did It

Author- Cynthia Weil

Release Date- January 27th, 2015

Amazon- http://goo.gl/FCgfCN

Book Summery:

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and songwriting legend Cynthia Weil’s extraordinary YA debut opens the secretive doors of the Brill Building-the hit factory that changed history. Part Mad Men, part Grace of my Heart, part murder mystery, I’m Glad I Did is a coming-of-age story at an unforgettable cultural tipping point: the summer of 1963.

JJ Greene, a gifted 16-year-old songwriter, defies her lawyer parents by secretly applying for a job in the famed Brill Building-the epicenter of songwriting for a new genre called rock-n-roll. But their warnings about the evils of the music industry prove far darker than she imagined when she finds herself at the heart of a cover-up that involves hidden identity, theft, and possibly murder.

My Review:

I’m Glad I Did It was such a nice, clean young adult story; I thought it was extremely age appropriate. I was originally draw to the cover of this book and only skimmed the book summery. This made me a little surprised when I stumbled upon the mystery element, which I really enjoyed reading. I just found it a little unrealistic that two recently high school graduates would be able to investigate a murder without getting in trouble. Also, it bothered me that it never seemed like JJ was actually working, she seemed to be caught up in Luke and a murder case.

While reading this story I kept forgetting it didn’t take place during the 2000s, I kept asking myself, “Why does she have to get all her phone calls at the office? She doesn’t have a cell phone?”. I think it’s great that the author stayed true to the time period of the 1960s; she had demos cut on records and addressed race differences in a very tasteful way. There was a wide range of issues that were talked about that might allow a wide range of children to relate to, even though it took place in a different time period.

I would recommend this book to the older children I know and tutor with hesitation.