Review: Frosted Over by Amy Rachiele

I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Amy Rachiele from her Mobster series, and was excited to get a copy of Frosted Over for review. It was a very enjoyable novella, and my only complaint is that it could have been longer with some more details on the falling in love side.

Frosted Over is the story of three friends taking a weekend vacation to Mount Carter for a cross country ski trip. Libby, Cassie, and Jill have no idea what is really in store for them. A freak snow storm and an avalanche may not be their worst nightmares.

But there is a good side, too. They meet three guys, Kyle, Randy, and Alex, that might be their only salvation through the nightmare. This was a little too instant love for me, which is why I wish the story was extended a little to more of after escaping the storm, but it was still very sweet. The boys were definitely swoon worthy and doting.

This was a great quick story to read, and I look forward to future books by Amy.

Review of Elite by Rachel Van Dyken

Elite by Rachel Van Dyken

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Suspense

Published July 9, 2013 by Forever

Received a copy for review through NetGalley

 

 

 

My thoughts:
I received this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

I found Elite to be an entertaining page turner. When I think about it I think some of it is a little ridiculous, but it was well written ridiculousness that left me wanting more. Trace has won a scholarship to attend a school for the rich and sometimes famous. When she arrives she is right away tormented by the schools Elect that tell her a bunch of rules she needs to follow. And this Elect is ruled by the class president, Nixon. Nixon comes off as the biggest jerk ever, but he keeps playing hot and cold. And before you know it they are in love.

But it is not all fun and games, and people will get hurt. It is an emotional roller coaster of a journey for Trace as she tries to deal with the prejudices of school and finding out she may not be who she thinks she is. And no one else is either. This came with many surprises that keep you guessing throughout the story.

The one thing I found really irritating was the triangle that came up near the end. I love a good triangle, but this one hit a nerve for me. It will be interesting to see where it goes in the sequel, and I will definitely be reading the sequel. I recommend this to the New Adult lovers out there.

Review: Losing Hope by Collee Hoover

Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Received an ARC from Atria Books through NetGalley

Published July 8, 2013

 

 

I was so excited to get my hands on Losing Hope since it was one of my most anticipated sequels this year. Colleen Hoover is such an amazing writer that invokes such strong feelings in her books. And I was not disappointed with this one.

 

Dean Holder is the voice of Losing Hope. His story is a little rougher on the language and behavior since he is a guy, but I loved his story. We get to hear his side and Colleen did an amazing job at getting us into his head and feeling his emotions. We learn what he has been going through since losing Hope so many years before and then how he battled with losing his sister, Les. One of my favorite parts was reading the journal entries he was writing to his sister in the empty notebook. That probably gave the most insight into what he was going through.

 

A lot of the stuff that happens after he meets Sky was a little repetitive, but since we get to know what is in his head and a little of how he feels about her it makes it seem not so much. It was hard to read about what he was feeling about hoping Sky and Hope were not the same person, because I could just feel how hard this was going to be on him to let her know.

 

Wonderful book written in a male perspective, and I would recommend Colleen's books to 18+ readers. Contains moderate language and bedroom scenes.

 

My Rating: 5 stars



Blog Tour: Love Exactly by Cassandra Giovanni

Today I am excited to be participating in the blog tour for Cassandra Giovanni's new book Love Exactly. There's a great giveaway as a part of the tour! Don't forget to hit each blog each day for extra entries by searching for the bold term and entering it in the rafflecopter!

Book Description:

Emma Walker was a writer who'd lost herself to someone else's anger--who had given up on ever feeling like herself again.

Evan Levesque was a rock-god--the one all the woman wanted, but he'd never gotten used to the loneliness between the stage and real life.
With just one cup of coffee they'll begin a journey of self-discovery at each others sides, but can Emma handle Evan's fame while dealing with her own demons? Emma's checkered personal past, a bad relationship that haunts the edges of her memories, threatens to make everything implode on them when Evan takes matters into his own hands.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words...they'll destroy my soul--Can Emma handle being put back together and facing who she's become because of it?

GENRE: New Adult and Contemporary Romance

Mild to moderate sexual content



Excerpt from Chapter 1:

Evan shrugged as he grabbed our drinks and headed in the direction of the lounge area. He sat down in a love seat and nodded for me to join him before handing me my coffee.

"Welcome to Heaven on Earth," he toasted before taking a sip.
I took a sip before pulling my knees up to my chest and turning so I was facing him.There was a crooked grin as he looked over the top of his coffee at me. “So what’s it like being Lois Lane?”I looked down at my own cup as a smile I couldn’t prevent spread across my lips. I glanced back up at him as I answered, “I don’t get to work with Superman, but I get to cover stuff like Mister Whiskers being stuck in a tree, the newest cookie flavor at Betty’s Baker, and of course, the basketball games.”
"What did you really want to be?" he asked as he leaned back in the chair with his eyes searching mine. It felt like he really cared even though every part of me cried out for me to believe otherwise because of who he was.
"I wanted to write young adult novels—I wanted to be the next Stephanie Meyer...a best seller over night and rich as all hell—to just do what I loved."
"Meyer is a lot older than you. You still have a shot at that."
"Yeah..."
"Besides being rich as hell isn't all it's cracked up to be...it's hard to make real friends that way."
"I could understand that."
"So who stomped on your hopes and dreams? Some big shot agent?"
I shrugged. "Let's put it this way, I spent forty grand on a school loan that amounted to nothing...I used to be afraid to say that my degree was useless...because then I would be saying it didn't teach me how to write—""It didn't though; it’s just like no one could teach me how to really write music."
"So you had no formal training?”
“I had a little—just like you, but it never seemed to matter… either I was a musician or I
wasn’t—simple.”
“I wish it was that easy with writing,” I said with a sigh, my fingers tapping the top of my coffee.
“Why isn’t it?”
“The publishers didn’t give a crap about my degree, but they wouldn’t listen to me without it.” I shook my head. “I read an article once that said to be a best seller you need to sleep with a publisher. That didn’t really appeal to me, though.”"I can’t even tell you how many people have asked me who I slept with to get where I am. I was freaking  sixteen—I’d never even touched a bra before!”
As I started to laugh my cell phone began to ring out one of his songs. I gritted my teeth together as the blush rushed up my chest and to my face. "Oh, this is embarrassing," I muttered as I fumbled to shut it off.
When I looked up our eyes met; his were narrowed over the top of his coffee, paused in halfway
to his mouth.
"You know who I am then?" he asked, lowering the cup.
I nodded in response, trying to gauge his reaction—did he really believe I didn't know who he was? Maybe that was why the shock and awe he instilled in the barista agitated him."Why did you act normal and not squeal and stop breathing?"
I let out the breath I had been holding and laughed. "Seriously? I don’t do that. You're still a human
being—God of poprock or not."
"I wouldn’t refer to myself as a god," he retorted, rolling his eyes.
I took a sip of my coffee and nodded towards the girl still trembling behind the counter. She was holding her permanent marker as if she wanted to ask but knew she shouldn't.
"I think she’d disagree," I teased.
"Ugghh..." was his deflated answer.

Novel Playlist:

1. Never Gonna Leave This Bed-Maroon 5

2.  One More Night-Maroon 5

3.  Payphone-Maroon 5

4.  Use Somebody-Kings of Leon

5.  Sweetest Goodbye-Maroon 5

6.  Mirrors-Justin Timberlake

7.  Make This Go On Forever-Snow Patrol

8.  Daylight-Maroon 5

9.  Secret-Maroon 5

10. If You Could Only See-Tonic

11. Inside Out-Eve 6

12. Smoke and Mirrors-The Audition

13. The Way You Move-The Audition

14.Southern Girl-Incubus

15.Eyes-Kascade (Ice Mix)

16. Love Somebody-Maroon 5

17. Just a Feeling-Maroon 5

18. Sunday Morning-Maroon 5

Spotify:

Love Exactly Playlist

	Anyone with the link
	Anyone who has the link can access. No sign-in required.

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Book Links:

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Paperback $12.99

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Author Biography:  Cassandra doesn't remember a time when she wasn't writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character's stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1) and Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children's novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1). Cassandra will also release her first New Adult novel, Just One Cup, in the Spring of 2013.

Cassandra is a freelance professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios, a photography and publication marketing company that designs covers and marketing materials for authors utilizing the company's photography. She is currently studying to receive a degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

Author Links

www.cgiovanni.com  Blog  FaceBook
Goodreads

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/Y2VhZWNiYTlkM2I1YTcwM2ExNTQ3YjkyNmY2N2EwOjU=/

Review: Georgetown Academy: Season One

Georgetown Academy: Season One by Alyssa Embree Schwartz and Jessica Koosed Etting

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Received a copy from the author for an honest review

 

 

Georgetown Academy is a high school story about teenagers whose parents are into politics i.e. the senate, congress, or even political ties. It is the story of all the drama and politics that go on in their own lives. The book follows the lives of Ellie, Brinley, Evan, Taryn, Hunter, Gabe, and Brooks.

 

This Academy had enough love triangle going on to make my head spin. Everyone wanted to be with someone that was taken, or was with someone they didn't want to be with. It was annoying. And the politics drove me crazy. I researched the book before agreeing to read it for review, but I should know better than to sign up for a book involving politics.

 

I found most of the characters hard to like. Everyone was playing a game to get ahead. The last season brought me some peace, as some of the relationships finally turned for the better. There was so much drama with Gabe and Ellie that wanted to be together but couldn't since their parents were enemies. I think I liked Brooks the best. He seemed the most honest out of all of them. Taryn wanted to do right but her attitude annoyed me. And Evan worked with news and usually made the right choice, but I was afraid she wouldn't all the time. I don't like it when people dig low to find dirt on others to ruin them.

 

If you love politics, high school drama, and finding out all the details of what the rich are wearing then this book is for you. I found it to be well written, it just wasn't for me.

 

My rating: 3 Stars

Review: Runes

Runes by Ednah Walters

Young adult, mythology, fantasy

Published May 20, 2013

Received an eARC from Firetrail Publishing through Netgalley for an honest review

This was an interesting spin on mythology that reminded me of Thor as I read it. It's funny because I just barely watched the movie Thor a few days ago and then I read this book and recognized a bunch of the mythology.

Runes is about a girl named Raine whose dad has been missing and never recovered from a plane crash, and she thinks she is in love with her best friend, Eirick. A stranger moves in next door named Torin St. James and she finds herself strangely drawn to him. He is mysterious and hot as all get out with blue eyes that she has a hard time resisting. Torin may not be all human, and she struggles to discover what he is and what he and his mysterious friends are hiding. And why all of a sudden she sees runes all over the place. And a bad case of the Norns are there to screw things up a bit, and add to the fun.

I almost found Torin as the only thing likeable about the story. The tension between him and Raine was delightful, exciting, and flutter inducing. But the triangles that seemed to be going on all over the place irritated me. I love a good triangle, but it was like everyone had a crush on someone else and nobody wanted to admit their true feelings. Except maybe Torin, but even he had a game he was playing.

The end revealed many surprises, and a few I did not expect. I was kind of mad about a big one between Raine and Torin, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the sequel.

I enjoyed that this book was different than any other I have read and was a new surprise on mythology. It was a good start to a series that I may continue.

My rating: 3 stars

Buy Runes at:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Review: The Human

The Human by Keary Taylor

Genre: Dystopia, Sci-Fi

eARC received from the author for an honest review.

 

 

 

Synopsis:

 

The city of New Eden is cleared, but it won’t stay that way forever. The Bane continue to advance in horrific ways that will wipe humanity from the face of the Earth. A storm is coming, one none of them could have dared imagine.

When a group of outsiders come to the city, everyone is on edge. They have too many questions and not enough answers about where they are from or what they want. Just because they are human doesn’t mean they can be trusted.

Eve made a choice–one that could have deadly repercussions. Desperate hearts bring about desperate actions. Now she must make another decision as her world continues to crumble: come to terms with who she really is, or risk her sanity. She thought she had unlocked all the secrets from her past, but there are truths still buried that leave her questioning what is real and what is not.

 

My Review:

 

I loved this sequel. It had a lot more action than The Bane. My complaint is that it ended with such a cliffhanger! And I have to wait until next year for the next book. I enjoyed the end, and it didn't leave me screaming, I just need to know what is going to happen now.

 

New Eden is cleaning up the city after they let off the Pulse in book one to destroy the Bane. Eve feels out of place and like she has nothing to do, and no use in the city. She yearns to be back in the outdoors. But then new humans come to the city and they are suspicious as all get out. They are ruled by Margaret. I hate Margaret. She never improved and only earned more hate as the story progressed. She is up to know good and is ruled by revenge and desperation.

 

West has recovered the best he could from his infection, but desperation causes him to make some unwise decisions that harm more than himself. And Avian is just as wonderful as before. He is not perfect, but he is perfect for Eve.

 

The Human was full of action and was hard to put down once I started. I took 2 days to finish since my eyes insisted on closing for bed. I love the dystopian future that Keary Taylor has created and can't wait until the third book is released in hopefully January.

 

My Rating: 5 stars

 

About the author:

 

Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of the Fall of Angels trilogy, Eden, and What I Didn't Say. To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com

 

Purchase The Human:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon