Book Review (393): Before You Break (Between Breaths #2) - Christina Lee

Before You Break (Between Breaths #2)

by Christina Lee 

Publication: 7th October 2014

Publisher: NAL Trade

Pages: 304

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: New Adult

Buy It: Goodreads**Amazon**Barnes&Noble**Books A Million**Google Books**iBooks

New Adult sensation Christina Lee is back with a sexy and emotional tale about a bad boy on the edge and a good girl about to lose control....

A college baseball star isn’t supposed to have skeletons in his closet. But Daniel Quinn is hiding a past so dark, he refuses to let anyone get close. Except there’s something about Ella Abrams that goes beyond attraction—something that makes him want to open up.

Ella has suffered enough heartache to fill one of her psychology textbooks, but she keeps that part of herself hidden behind a bubbly exterior. Until she receives an anonymous call while working a suicide help line and the voice on the other end touches something inside of her that she can’t ignore.

Soon Ella and Quinn’s physical connection heats up, even as their revealing hotline talks intensify. But by the time Ella realizes that her seductive jock and her sensitive caller are the same guy, it might be too late to save him—or to stop herself from falling too far….

My Thoughts.

Before You Break is an emotionally sweet and at times heartbreaking contemporary romance, between two people who have lost someone close to them and blame themselves for the deaths.

Ella first notices Quinn whilst dating her no good loser boyfriend, she finds herself drawn to him and he to her, but Quinn carries a burden of guilt that has him unable to start a relationship with anyone, even Ella who he is immensely attracted to.

After the death of her brother she decides to become a psychologist and as part of her course she works at a suicide prevention hotline, it's here that she first takes a call from Daniel (which is actually Quinn) who is troubled and thinking of harming himself, Ella who answers the calls with her full name Gabrielle "Gabby" forms a connection with him, unbeknownst to each other about each's true identities.

Chemistry sizzles and sexual tension is in the air whenever these two are in the same vicinity, the romance is hot and so very well written, we have appearances from Avery and Bennett from the first book there is something here to please everyone.

This series is so good, so addictive and very enjoyable to read, I look forward to the next book in the series.

For fans of new adult contemporary romances this is one series you need to pick up.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys.

She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK and WHISPER TO ME available now, PROMISE ME THIS on October 7th, 2014.

Also Adult contemporary romance TWO OF HEARTS coming from Penguin/NAL on May 5th 2015.

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Book Review (392): Beauty And The Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #2) - Jessica Clare

Beauty and the Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #2)

by Jessica Clare 

Publication: 7th October 2014

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 304

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble + The Book Depository

The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society of six men who are incredibly wealthy—but not always so successful when it comes to love…
 
Real-estate tycoon Hunter Buchanan has a dark past that’s left him scarred and living as a recluse on his family’s palatial estate. Hunter is ready to give up on love—until he spots an enigmatic red-haired beauty and comes up with an elaborate scheme to meet her.
 
Gretchen Petty is in need of a paycheck—and a change. So when a job opportunity in an upstate New York mansion pops up, she accepts. And while she can overlook the oddities of her new job, she can’t ignore her new boss’s delectable body—or his barely leashed temper.
 
Hunter’s afraid his plan might be unraveling before it’s truly begun, but Gretchen is about to show him that life can be full of surprises…

My Thoughts.

I've always been a big fan of Beauty And The Beast re-tellings when it's told with an intriguing plot and loveable characters, and this is what I got in abundance whilst reading this book.

The second book in the Billionaire Boys Club series, I adored this book, I loved it so much more than the first book.

I think that definitely had something to do with the two leads, Hunter and Gretchen, Hunter who has been horribly scarred all his life hides himself away in his mansion where no one can see his scarred face, lonely and of the believe that no woman could ever love him looking the way he does, he comes up with a plan to lure Gretchen (whom he has only ever seen from a distance) to his home for a job writing a book incorporating some old letters he acquired.

Gretchen sees the man behind the scars and seeks to make Hunter trust and to believe in her, so the flirting begins between her and this shy virgin who's very awkward when she's around, this story soon heats up and Hunter soon comes to realise that what he has wanted all his life is this woman who has given him more in the time she's been there than anyone has his whole life.

These two were the perfect couple, Hunter has such a sweet and caring soul, that he hides from the world along with his face, and Gretchen is just the woman to help him become more confidant  in himself.

This series seems to go from strength to strength, and I'm eager for the next instalment, a new favorite, Jessica knows how to write a hot and steamy romance.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Jessica Clare is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author who writes under three different names. As Jill Myles, she writes a little bit of everything, from sexy, comedic urban fantasy to zombie fairy tales. As Jessica Clare, she writes erotic contemporary romance.

She also has a third pen name (because why stop at two?). As Jessica Sims, she writes fun, sexy shifter paranormals. She lives in Texas with her husband, cats, and too many dust-bunnies. Jill spends her time writing, reading, writing, playing video games, and doing even more writing.

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(ARC) Book Review (391): Kiss Kill Vanish - Jessica Martinez

Kiss Kill Vanish

by Jessica Martinez

Publication: 7th October 2014

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Pages: 432

Genre: Contemporary

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble + The Book Depository

Valentina Cruz no longer exists.

One moment, she was wrapped in Emilio’s arms, melting into his kiss. The next, she was witnessing the unthinkable: a murder in cold blood, ordered by her father and carried out by her boyfriend. When Emilio pulled the trigger, Valentina disappeared. She made a split-second decision to shed her identity and flee her life of privilege, leaving the glittering parties and sultry nightlife of Miami far behind.

She doesn’t know how to explain to herself what she saw. All she knows now is that nothing she believed about her family, her heart, or Emilio’s love, was real.

She can change her name and deny her past, but Valentina can’t run from the truth. The lines between right and wrong, and trust and betrayal, will be blurred beyond recognition as she untangles the deceptions of the two men she once loved and races to find her own truth.

My Thoughts.

Kiss Kill Vanish was one of my most anticipated books of the year, a standalone contemporary about a seventeen year old girl Valentina who witnesses her boyfriend Emilio murdering a man on the orders of her Father.

Running away and changing her name, she escapes to Montreal where she makes the acquaintance of Lucien and his brother Marcel, I really enjoyed the banter between Valentina and Marcel, I found myself laughing out loud quite a lot.

I can't write too much about the plot, you need to experience the surprises and twists that you don't see coming yourself, whilst I did find that the beginning of the book dragged a bit, that didn't take away how much I loved this book, the concept is what initially drew me in and while I don't read a whole lot of mystery books I thoroughly enjoyed this one, with a fresh take on your average murder mystery concept, this story is one of my favorites of the genre.

Jessica has written an edge of your seat mystery, that will have you dying to know what the outcome will be and leave you in suspense the whole way through.

This is the first book that I've ever read of Jessica's and it definitely won't be the last.

Highly enjoyable.

I give this 4/5 stars.

Biography

Briefly:

I was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. As a child I played the violin, read books, and climbed trees incessantly. I went on to study English and music at Brigham Young University, and since then I’ve been an English teacher, a symphony violinist, and a mother. I currently live in Orlando, Florida with my husband and three children.

My young adult novels are Virtuosity, The Space Between Us, The Vow, and Kiss Kill Vanish. I’m represented by Mandy Hubbard of D4EO Literary Agency.

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(ARC) Book Review (390): Kiss Of Broken Glass - Madeleine Kuderick

Kiss of Broken Glass

by Madeleine Kuderick

Publication: 9th September 2014

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 224

Genre: Contemporary

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It:  Amazon + Barnes & Noble

Madeleine Kuderick’s gripping debut is a darkly beautiful and lyrical novel in verse, perfect for fans of Sonya Sones and Laurie Halse Anderson. Kiss of Broken Glass pulses with emotion and lingers long after the last page.

In the next seventy-two hours, Kenna may lose everything—her friends, her freedom, and maybe even herself. One kiss of the blade was all it took to get her sent to the psych ward for seventy-two hours. There she will face her addiction to cutting, though the outcome is far from certain.

When fifteen-year-old Kenna is found cutting herself in the school bathroom, she is sent to a facility for mandatory psychiatric watch. There, Kenna meets other kids like her—her roommate, Donya, who’s there for her fifth time; the birdlike Skylar; and Jag, a boy cute enough to make her forget her problems . . . for a moment.

My Thoughts.

Kiss Of Broken Glass is a contemporary story based around fifteen year old Kenna's 72 hour lockdown in a psychiatric ward after she is caught cutting herself with the blade of a pencil sharpener at school, what started as something to fit in with the group of girls she hangs out with who also cut themselves, she becomes addicted, we get to see her struggles almost like withdrawal symptoms whilst locked away.

We get to meet some interesting fellow patients in Donya, Skylar and Jag, and learn about their reasons for being admitted.

Written in verse as a diary of her time in there and through Madeleine's writing you almost feel like you're there with Kenna, as she comes to the conclusion that what she does isn't normal and that she needs help, although the book finishes once she leaves the psych ward after the 72 hours are up we get the sense that she wants to stop cutting and maybe just maybe she's on the road to recovery.

Cutting is a serious problem of youth and even adults around the world today, I don't read a lot of realistic fiction but this brings home just how unhappy people can be and just what they'll do to make themselves feel better even if it's only for the amount of time it takes to cut themselves and draw blood.

This is my very first book I've read in verse and it won't be my last, I flew through this story, both interesting and informative I look forward to Madeleine's next book, her writing is enjoyable and I was intrigued the whole way through.

I give this 4/5 stars.

Who I Am

I grew up in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, and loved every pulsing beat of the place except for the snow which fell like 11 months a year. Now I live on Florida’s Gulf Coast where shoes and coats are optional. Along the way, I’ve picked up jobs and training and college degrees. But none of them had a single thing to do with writing.

Which just goes to show –

You don’t always get where you’re meant to be by following a straight path.

                                   Sometimes it’s kind of crooked.

          And full of potholes.  

What I Write

          Contemporary YA fiction. Which means –

                           no wizards, no vampires, no post-apocalyptic worlds.

Because real life is nuclear enough…

I like writing about underdogs. Even the ones who snarl and don’t want to be rescued. Because let’s face it, underdogs are a lot more interesting than those fluffy pedigrees with pom poms and perfect teeth.

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(ARC) Book Review (389): Chained By Night (Moonbound Clan Vampire #2) - Larissa Ione

Chained by Night (MoonBound Clan Vampire #2)

by Larissa Ione

Publication: 30th September 2014

Publisher: Pocket Books

Pages: 416

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: Amazon | Powell’s | B & N

THE FUTURE OF HIS TRIBE
Leader of the vampire clan MoonBound, Hunter will do what he must to save his people from extinction or worse, a torturous eternity as vampire slaves and subjects of human experimentation. To keep his enemies at bay, he has agreed to mate a rival clan leader's daughter in return for peace between the clans and an ally in the looming war with the humans.

THE LOVER OF HIS SOUL
But survival comes at a price. First, Hunter must break an ancient curse by successfully negotiating three deadly tests. Then he must resist the searing passions of the gorgeous vampire warrior he despises but is bound to mate. Will Hunter stay true to his word? Or will he risk everything for the woman he really loves: the vampire seductress's identical twin sister?

My Thoughts.

Chained By Night was such an exciting instalment in the Moonbound Clan Vampire series, this book was so much more enjoyable than the first one.

The main storyline of Chained By Night is the arranged mating of Moonbound's clan chief Hunter to the enemy clan Shadowspawn chief''s eldest daughter Rasha, traveling with her is her twin sister Aylin who has been shunned her entire life by their clan for a deformity that she was born with and is treated poorly.

When Hunter mistakes Aylin for Rasha and she thinks that he's someone named Roger, sparks fly and the chemistry goes through the roof, until reality sets in and the realisation of each others true identities come to light, fighting their attraction to one another while Hunter finds his future mate Rasha abhorrent, when Hunter is made to complete three deadly tests to defeat an ancient curse he finds himself accompanied by Aylin after Rasha refuses, which only makes his decision to distance himself from her even harder.

With a greater threat of humans trying to hunt them down and destroy them and a traitor inside the clan, this is on it's way to being one of my favorite series, I have high hopes that the third book will be Myne's, the slivers of story we got of his past has me in dire need to read his story.

A great series by a fantastic author.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Many writers will tell you they began writing stories the moment they learned to wield a pencil. I’m no exception. But even as a child, I didn’t write “kid” stories. I preferred something more dramatic. Something that didn’t include Dick, Jane, and a dog named Spot. I wanted my dogs to have names like White Fang or Cujo. I’ll always have my parents to thank for that. They never censored my reading material (though I suspect that if they had truly known what was between the covers of some of the books, they’d have been a little more careful,) so when other girls my age were reading Laura Ingalls Wilder and Judy Blume, I was immersing myself in Stephen King and Jack London.

Considering my fiction preferences, it came as no surprise to anyone that my first short stories were tales of horror, and my first novel, penned at the age of 12, was an Alaskan wilderness story with a wolf hero.

Eventually, my interests changed. Oh, I still enjoy a good Stephen King novel, and Jack London remains a favorite, but I discovered some new favorites while I was in college. Robert Jordan. Marion Zimmer Bradley. Mary Stewart. Oh yes, I’d found fantasy. I devoured every novel I could find, and in time I started writing my very own fantasy novel. That novel is still a work in progress, thirteen years later.

Eventually, after I’d read just about every fantasy novel published, I had to switch to something else. That something else was straight historical fiction. Again I exhausted my supply, but my longtime friend from my Air Force days, Karen, came to the rescue with something I never thought I’d read. Something I made fun of her for reading.

She made me read a historical romance.

Thus began a passion for, well, passion. I wanted to write romances, and I wanted to see them in print. To help fulfill that dream, I joined RWA, writers’ lists and critique groups. In order to build some writing credits, I worked on some military and National Weather Service technical manuals. As my writing improved, I began to sell my work to print magazines like The Canine Journal and Dog Fancy, and to online publications such as Writing-World.com.

Then, in early 2006, while in the middle of recovering from hurricane Katrina (and after nearly giving up on writing,) I inked a 3-book deal with Bantam Dell with my collaboration partner, Stephanie Tyler. We write together under the pseudonym of Sydney Croft.

I also sold a series of dark paranormal romances to Warner, a sale that was extremely satisfying because I was finally able to combine my love of romance with the darkness that creeps into my voice, thanks to my youthful and still-present love of horror novels and dark fantasy. This sale also cemented my ability to write full time, a dream come true because of my husband's Coast Guard career and frequent moves. I can take my job with me! And happily, in March of 2009, the second book in this series hit the USA Today Bestseller list, and in April, the third book, Passion Unleashed, hit both the USA Today AND New York Times bestseller lists.

I've also written for Samhain, a wonderfully supportive publisher with a great list of authors.

Most recently, I sold a vampire series to Pocket Books…and I hope there are more to come!

For more on my journey, check out my FAQ page and my For Writers page under articles.

Oh, and the friend who got me addicted to romance? I paid her back by getting her hooked on Star Trek. Live long and prosper, Karen! (One day I WILL write that Star Trek novel!)

Website + Facebook + Twitter + Goodreads

Book Review (388): Bound By Night (Moonbound Clan Vampire #1) - Larissa Ione

Bound by Night (MoonBound Clan Vampire #1)

by Larissa Ione

Publication: 24th September 2013

Publisher: Pocket Books

Pages: 392

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: B & N | Amazon

Larissa Ione's bestselling Demonica series has captivated fans with its sensual blend of dark passion and demonic fury. Now she takes you to another intoxicating world—where a dangerous clan of wild vampires rules the night...

A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD

Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE

A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever.

My Thoughts.

I'm a huge fan of Larissa Ione's Demonica series, so I didn't expect anything less than an action packed, paranormal romance with extremely likeable characters plus an amazing plot, and that's exactly what I got!

The Moonbound Clan Vampire series is about a group of warrior vampires that are trying to live their lives without being captured and used as slaves by humans, Riker second-in-command has a big problem with humans, stemming from twenty years ago when his mate Terese was caught and made a slave for the Martin family whom are responsible for creating the Daedalus labs that experiment and torture vampires, after her death Riker doesn't believe that there's good in any humans, so when he kidnaps Nicole the heir to the company (after most of her family were slaughtered by their vampire slaves when she was younger) in return for a female vampire Neriya , he discovers that not only will Nicole's brother (her last remaining relative) betray her, but just maybe he may find something in her that he has been missing since Terese's death.

The interaction between these two is interesting, there's no insta-love here, at first they both hate what one another is for obvious reasons, and then a slow forming attraction gives way to sizzling chemistry and a passion that neither have ever experienced before,

The concept and world-building of this series is what kept me unwilling to put down this book, I cannot wait to see what happens in the rest of the series.

Larissa is an author you need to start reading a.s.a.p if you haven't already, this lady knows how to write great paranormal romances.

A great start to this all new take on vampires.

I give this 4/5 stars.

Many writers will tell you they began writing stories the moment they learned to wield a pencil. I’m no exception. But even as a child, I didn’t write “kid” stories. I preferred something more dramatic. Something that didn’t include Dick, Jane, and a dog named Spot. I wanted my dogs to have names like White Fang or Cujo. I’ll always have my parents to thank for that. They never censored my reading material (though I suspect that if they had truly known what was between the covers of some of the books, they’d have been a little more careful,) so when other girls my age were reading Laura Ingalls Wilder and Judy Blume, I was immersing myself in Stephen King and Jack London.

Considering my fiction preferences, it came as no surprise to anyone that my first short stories were tales of horror, and my first novel, penned at the age of 12, was an Alaskan wilderness story with a wolf hero.

Eventually, my interests changed. Oh, I still enjoy a good Stephen King novel, and Jack London remains a favorite, but I discovered some new favorites while I was in college. Robert Jordan. Marion Zimmer Bradley. Mary Stewart. Oh yes, I’d found fantasy. I devoured every novel I could find, and in time I started writing my very own fantasy novel. That novel is still a work in progress, thirteen years later.

Eventually, after I’d read just about every fantasy novel published, I had to switch to something else. That something else was straight historical fiction. Again I exhausted my supply, but my longtime friend from my Air Force days, Karen, came to the rescue with something I never thought I’d read. Something I made fun of her for reading.

She made me read a historical romance.

Thus began a passion for, well, passion. I wanted to write romances, and I wanted to see them in print. To help fulfill that dream, I joined RWA, writers’ lists and critique groups. In order to build some writing credits, I worked on some military and National Weather Service technical manuals. As my writing improved, I began to sell my work to print magazines like The Canine Journal and Dog Fancy, and to online publications such as Writing-World.com.

Then, in early 2006, while in the middle of recovering from hurricane Katrina (and after nearly giving up on writing,) I inked a 3-book deal with Bantam Dell with my collaboration partner, Stephanie Tyler. We write together under the pseudonym of Sydney Croft.

I also sold a series of dark paranormal romances to Warner, a sale that was extremely satisfying because I was finally able to combine my love of romance with the darkness that creeps into my voice, thanks to my youthful and still-present love of horror novels and dark fantasy. This sale also cemented my ability to write full time, a dream come true because of my husband's Coast Guard career and frequent moves. I can take my job with me! And happily, in March of 2009, the second book in this series hit the USA Today Bestseller list, and in April, the third book, Passion Unleashed, hit both the USA Today AND New York Times bestseller lists.

I've also written for Samhain, a wonderfully supportive publisher with a great list of authors.

Most recently, I sold a vampire series to Pocket Books…and I hope there are more to come!

For more on my journey, check out my FAQ page and my For Writers page under articles.

Oh, and the friend who got me addicted to romance? I paid her back by getting her hooked on Star Trek. Live long and prosper, Karen! (One day I WILL write that Star Trek novel!)

Website + Facebook + Twitter + Goodreads

(ARC) Book Review (387): Scratch - Rhonda Helms

Scratch

by Rhonda Helms

Publication: 30th September 2014

Publisher: Kensington

Pages: 240

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: New Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble + The Book Depository

The most painful scars are the ones you never see. In her DJ booth at a Cleveland dance club, Casey feels a sense of connection that's the closest she ever gets to normal. On her college campus, she's reserved, practical-all too aware of the disaster that can result when you trust the wrong person. But inexplicably, Daniel refuses to pay attention to the walls she's put up. Like Casey, he's a senior. In every other way, he's her opposite. Sexy, open, effortlessly charming, Daniel is willing to take chances and show his feelings. For some reason Casey can't fathom, he's intent on drawing her out of her bubble and back into a world that's messy and unpredictable. He doesn't know about the deep scars that pucker her stomach - or the deeper secret behind them. Since the violent night when everything changed, Casey has never let anyone get close enough to hurt her again. Now, she might be tempted to try.

My Thoughts.

Scratch is a compellingly written new adult contemporary romance, that is emotionally heartbreaking, devastating and sure to have you in tears, but it's not all doom and gloom, it's about a girl who finally learns to let go of her guilt and anger that she has held onto since she was thirteen.

Casey is an introvert, the only time she'll leave her apartment is for classes, her deejaying job on the weekends and her weekly dinners with her grandparents, she doesn't really have any friends, emotionally closed off ever since the incident that changed her life all those years ago, she also suffers panic attacks quite regularly as well.

Then one night while on a break at work, Daniel a guy from her Philosophy class starts up a conversation with her, and it's from this moment that she starts to come back to life, with neither unable to stop thinking about the other, they with reluctance from Casey go out a few times, mostly these times out together don't exactly end on a good note but Daniel perseveres, so when the relationship starts to get serious and  Casey still hasn't told Daniel her secret it will start to drive a wedge between them, can she trust Daniel to not look at her with pity once he knows, and how can she possibly move on with her life when she still hasn't let go of the past, of her anger and grief which is slowly killing her inside.

Casey's past made for such a tragic back story, her life was shattered and torn apart at the age of thirteen, and the girl that she was died that day and in her place was a hollow shell of the girl that she used to be, Daniel so easy-going was able to help her live again, and while things were worked out at the end between these two, I would have loved and epilogue just to see where these two end up and where they are in life.

But that's just a tiny thing, all in all I adored this book, I read it in one sitting, I just couldn't put it down, Rhonda has herself a new fan, I will read anything she writes.

A fantastic story, one I'll definitely be re-reading.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Rhonda Helms started writing several years ago. She has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. She also edits for Carina Press (an imprint of Harlequin Publishing) and freelance edits.

When she isn't writing, she likes to do amateur photography, dig her toes into the sand, read for hours at a time, and eat scads of cheese. WAY too much cheese.

Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her family.

Website + Facebook + Twitter

Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her family, dog, and a very loud c