Very Bad Things by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Review by Jen

I have been really reading a lot of new age romance books lately (which I will get into later), and I really wanted to find a stand out. So, after hearing tons of buzz about this in the blogosphere, I decided that I would jump into this head first without really even knowing the synopsis. Yes, I know.....rebel.

So, we open the story with Nora, the daughter of two very wealthy people. Her mother works in television and her father is never around. When the story begins, she is at her school Open House (she goes to one of those elite private schools where you can only imagine Katie Couric dropping her kids off) at Briarwood Academy, where she is standing at the podium waiting to give her speech to perspective and new parents. She is the quintessential perfect roll model for any new student. She is on the debate team, she plays the piano, she is in line to go to Princeton University.......everything is perfect......or so it seems. What ends up coming out of Nora's mouth at that said podium will change the course of her life forever. Standing up there she realizes that her life is in shambles.....and a farce. Therefore, she creates a list of the top "bad" things she wants to do in order to destroy her perfect image and free her from her life of excessive responsibility.

Leo has no intention on ever committing to a girl. His past has guaranteed that. Happiness in that way just isn't in his cards....or his thoughts. He has his brother to take care of, his band, and a business that requires a lot of attention. To go with all that, he has a selection of women whom are happy to oblige his sexual needs with no strings attached. But while visiting the open house at Briarwood Academy, for which his younger brother will be attending, he hears Nora's unforgettable speech creating a chain of events that happens to bring the two of them face to face.

Nora quickly attaches to Leo and expresses her desire to him immediately....in part because she is hoping to check one item off the list, but in part because she is so drawn to him that she has to have him. Leo, on the other hand, is stirring with desire for her, but knows that he would break her heart. For one, she's too young,in fact, his brother's age. For another, he can't stand spoiled rich girls.

Leo's brother Christian (my favorite character-I'm always good for loving a sidekick!) quickly becomes Nora's best friend, which brings her increasingly closer to Leo. Their back and forth sexual frustration builds throughout the book.....which for me was one of the best things about the book. The chase. We've all done it. We all claim to hate it. But it makes everything that much more attractive. And that's what Leo is for Nora......she is chasing him....until she realizes, He's. Not. Giving. In.

While you are cheering for them to have a HEA (Happily Ever After), there are a few things that are likely going to frustrate you along the way. For one, Nora's backstory is intense.....possibly too intense. While it is possible to believe things like that can happen among the wealthy, it just seemed like it was not well thought out, as her backstory just kept growing and growing. Then, the storyline later in the book with her father seemed out of the blue, since there was not much mention of him early in the book. I just wish their relationship could have been developed a little more because there are moments between them that are sweet and enlightening.

While I might seem somewhat cryptic, I apologize now. There are so many details about this book that I can't reveal. Moments that catch you by surprise are there and about halfway through the book there was a scene where my breath actually hitched because I was so happy. It was a moment where you want to yell out, "YES!" like a crazy person. Nora finding happiness for herself is something you aren't sure is ever going to happen. But like watching your own children make mistakes and hoping they learn from them, you feel the same for Nora as she struggles through that odd age of being an adult, but not quite yet feeling like an adult.

Although there are some glitches in the book, I had a very difficult time putting the book down, always wanting to know where the story was going to go. I rooted for Nora to grow up and love herself and find herself worthy. I rooted for Leo to grow up and realize that only you have the power to change how your future ends. And mostly I rooted for the two of them to realize that they could not go on without each other.

And PS- I think I am planning to read a non-romance book next to give us a change of pace and widen our variety a bit. Having all these book boyfriends, I'm having a hard time keeping them all straight. Maybe after the dust settles I will be able come up for air and find a few more........

Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin

Review by April:

I have to admit that while I preach “don't judge a book by its cover” to my children, I don't always practice that myself...but only with regard to actual books of course, I don't judge people that way...so I'm not a total hypocrite, phew! Anyhow, Forever My Girl is a prime example of that, not that I haven't enjoyed the plethora of bared six pack abs and bulging biceps on a lot of recent book covers too, but truth be told it also makes them all run together a little bit for me, so this one definitely stands out! I'm also both a guitar lover and a photography lover, which is why this artsy picture alone had my mouse immediately hovering over the 'purchase' button during my daily Kindle book perusal...and I only got as far as the first line of the book abstract before clicking the button all the way!   I was never supposed to be a rock star....our leading man is a humble rock star?! Yes, please!

Liam Westbury had a perfectly stereotypical life as a football star in small town Beaumont, Texas before leaving his college scholarship, childhood best friends, and high school sweetheart behind to become Liam Page, Hollywood's, newest rock star. Upon the death of his once best friend, he returns to Beaumont for the first time in a decade and realizes its time he reconcile the life he's been living with the life he could have had, and begin creating the life he wants with the girl he never stopped loving. Of course ten years is a long time to be away, and he's not the only one who's changed....and therein lies our endearing story!

The one thing that stood out for me in this book were the flashbacks, which McLaughlin uses to bridge the time span story gaps for the reader, but the added bonus is we also get to know the character of Mason this way, the best friend whose death brought Liam home. Those flashbacks in particular will tug at your heartstrings, I really don't cry...like ever...but I had to swallow around a particular lump in my throat a few times while reading about the little family left to miss this sweet guy!  More than that though, its how McLaughlin chose to insert the flashbacks themselves; I'm more used to chapter breaks that bounce readers back and forth across a time frame but I now much prefer being brought along directly with the story in real time with the quick, italicized flashbacks McLaughlin used to portray the characters daydreaming about the past. I felt like the story had a much more realistic feel and was more tenderly written with the characters reminiscing in that way rather than having the past and present written in separate chapters and the readers blending them together themselves. 

I truly enjoyed this book and was happy to download the next in the series, My Unexpected Forever, right away too {no worries, Forever My Girl comes to a full conclusion, My Unexpected Forever has another set of main characters}.  I did, however, have a wish list when I finished reading!! I wish we'd been given more reasons as to what Josie and Liam loved so much about each other ten years ago to convince me their connection was strong enough to withstand the decade of separation. I felt they seemed like typical hormone driven teenagers in their flashbacks, whereas I was expecting to *sigh* at their deep true love! I also wish the reason for Liam leaving had been a little stronger, the whole story centers around him walking away from everything without ever looking back and the reason we eventually find out just seemed pretty weak overall to be the driver of such a drastic decision, especially given his age at the time. But you know, as fiction goes, it wasn't the most unrealistic pill to have to swallow either and it really was a great light read with plenty more reasons to warrant highly recommending that you spend an afternoon in the quaint little town of Beaumont {for real, I want to live there just so I can keep saying that town name...or put it in a whimsy font on my address label!}.  

Real Challenge by Kemmie Michaels

Review by Jen

Real Challenge is the second book of the trilogy: The Atlanta Series. If you read the review of Unlikely Hero, this story picks up right where it left off in the epilogue, with Cassie and Scott hitting it off at Erin and Marcus's housewarming party. I didn't go into Cassie in my first review because honestly I didn't realize she would be such a major player in the series and you only get to know her in small snippets in the first book.

Cassie Walker is Marcus's little sister and her protector in all ways. He has shielded her from their difficult past and made sure she was successful in life, even compromising in his own life to provide for her. She is quirky, funny, and definitely has a style all of her own. So when Scott, a co-worker of Erin's from the accounting firm, comes into the party-Cassie takes her fun originality to a new level. Scott, is a college athlete who also swam in the Olympics. In fact, that was one of his best pick up lines. He is a pretty boy in every sense. He has nice clothes, comes from a good family, and is working his way up the ranks in a white collar accounting firm. So when Cassie decides to mess with him through her sarcasm, she expects the same reaction she gets from most guys, which is an eye roll and comments about being obnoxious. But Scott finds her fun and interesting.

Cassie lives her life looking only for joy. Scott lives his life looking only for moving forward and up. As they begin their relationship, Cassie asks Scott who he is. This is the theme throughout the book. Cassie wants to show Scott a life he never pictured for himself. They become extremely close and have amazing physical chemistry-but Cassie realizes at times that Scott is trying too hard to be impressive and not letting his natural self come through. As Cassie challenges him more and more, he becomes increasingly frustrated. And when they run into a corporate accountant who Scott is trying desperately to impress, it is the turning point in their relationship because Cassie sees Scott for who he really is.

What comes next is an exploration of what it means to truly find yourself and what makes you happy in life. Does Scott decide that being the youngest partner in his accounting firm is his true desire? OR....does he try to solve Cassie's puzzling question of who he is-which is something different than he's ever known.

In all honesty, I enjoyed Book #1: Unlikely Hero. It was a quick read and kept my interest, and I liked Erin and Marcus. But Book 2: Real Challenge is by far the better book. The feelings felt deeper in the book than in book #1. Maybe I relate more to a character, I'm not sure. But I can say that throughout this book....I could truly feel what she wanted the reader to feel. Finishing up the trilogy, Book 3: Breaking Through, is being written now.

If you read Unlikely Hero and didn't like it, please give Real Challenge a chance. There is a scene that I love so much from the book, I have to post the graphic for it. Enjoy! Oh, and grab this book......quickly!

Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken

Buddy Review by Jen and April

Jen:

I was in need of another book to read and was searching the newsfeeed of our blog Facebook page and happened to come across this book. I had passed it a couple times before and it caught my eye, which is why I think I was drawn to it when it was time for me to choose. Coincidentally, April had also read this book last week! (See, we bloggers sometimes read so many books that we forget to tell each other the books we are reading!) Anyway, we decided since it was still fresh in our minds that we would do a joint blog about this book. This is our first one, so bear with us....

We start the story with Kiersten who is attending college. She is a beautiful red-headed co-ed (this happens to be my second book in a row with red-haired female characters-odd...) with a smokin' bod and a lot of interrupted sleep. You see, her past has been troubling her and she isn't really living her life and has been plagued with nightmares. At something that I assume would only be comparable to school orientation for all the fresh meat freshman, she happens to bump into Weston (quite literally actually-his 8 pack and all). Wes is the star football quarterback, a hottie, and just happens to be the son of one of the wealthiest men on the west coast. He is immediately smitten with her adorable questions and overlooks her obnoxious staring at his amazingly toned abs. The trouble with Wes is that he is keeping a secret from the entire campus that would most likely change the way everyone sees him.

Wes, wanting to get to know Kiersten more, tells her to talk to her dorm RA about any further questions....and it just happens that Wes is her RA! They form a quick friendship and spend lots of time just being "friends."

We are also introduced to her roommate Lisa and her cousin Gabe (which Gabe was actually my FAVORITE character in the book!) who are like the funny sidekick and humor relief. As Wes and Kiersten get closer and closer, Gabe steps up as Kiersten's good friend to make sure she will not get hurt.

Kiersten and Wes take off on a journey to try and live their lives to the fullest while trying to fight their demons both past and present. While the book does have areas that could be unbelievable, if you are willing to look past that and just enjoy where the story takes you, you will be gearing up for what you see coming for chapters and holding your breath to see how the ending plays out.

I went to bed that night thinking about the book (and luckily the auther had published an extended epilogue to the book right before I finished reading, so I jumped up at midnight and downed that as well), and woke up the next morning still thinking about the book. There is a slight spiritual aspect towards the end of the book that I truly appreciated, which I love the quote she wrote:

I loved this book, I read it very quickly (like in 2 days) and would recommend it to any of my friends!

April:

When Jen suggested a buddy review of this book because we'd both read it recently and we felt a little differently about it, I thought it was a great idea!  But after staring at this computer and having to erase everything I want to write because it gives away too much, I'm quickly realizing I drew the short straw on this one!!  Ruin would make an excellent book club choice for this very reason, there is a lot of good discussion to be had with this one, once you can talk about it in full disclosure!!  There's that, and then there's also the cover picture in case you need another convincing reason!

Van Dyken does fun loving flirty banter well, and it makes for a great opening to her books as the characters get to know each other.  Earlier this year I read The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken and the character quips was the one thing that stood out for me in that book and I would say that remains true with Ruin as well.   Some authors do back and forth banter so well it makes you want to grab your popcorn and head to their real house to be a fly on the wall around their family dinner table! 

While Jen and I agreed that this book grabs you hook, line, and sinker right away, our opinions started to part ways around the middle of the book.  The point at which we began to uncover Wes' secrets is the point I found myself starting to detach from him and my excitement for the book started wane.  I told Jen that even though I know I'm reading fiction, I don't necessarily want a constant reminder that it is fiction {with the exception of paranormal stories} and instead want to be able to feel the emotions of the characters as their story unfolds because they are written to be so real and their story so believable.  In the absence of that believability, even in fiction, I am left keeping a book at arm's length, enjoying it for the creative story it is, but not really losing myself in it so much that I can physically smile, laugh, gasp, or tear up with each turn of the page.

Jen mentioned that there is a spiritual element entwined to bring Wes and Kiersten's story full circle, and ironically that is actually not what I am referring to with regard to believability, it was more trying to reconcile the life Wes leads with the struggles we learn he is facing and the impossibility of that, along with the timeline of events.  Again, like I said, I don't even know that this makes much sense at all because I'm purposely not discussing specifics so that I don't ruin Ruin {ha, you knew that was coming at some point!} because it was definitely an entertaining read from the very talented Rachel Van Dyken!

Unlikely Hero by Kemmie Michaels

Reviewed by Jen:

So, I was contacted by this author with the offer to read her book. I had never heard of her before, but looking at the pictures from her facebook page, I was intrigued (please stop by and visit her-she is doing giveaways and freebies all the time! Kemmie's FB page ) I accepted the offer and began reading that night. As Kemmie and I began to talk, we realized that we certainly had much more in common than ogling over scrumptious looking men. But this is a review, and true to form, I will be as impartial to my new author friend as I can be.

The beginning of the book introduces us to Erin. Let me state that it has been awhile since I've read a story told through narrative versus the character's point of view. While I do find that you can reach much deeper into the character's feelings through personal point of view, you are much better able to be equally fair to EACH character's point of view through a narrative.

Anyhoo, Erin is the main female character in the story. She is the quintessential sounding Irish girl. She is thin, fit, with red flowy hair, and a back story that is sure to make you relieved that college parties weren't nearly as bad for you. Erin is scared to let herself out, she has cocooned herself within and lives a life that would be considered beyond hermit. After seeking therapy to help her through her fear and self doubt, she was encouraged to write her feelings in a notebook. Although doubtful it would do much, she embarked on trying to change how she lives her life. And what that notebook does changes her life forever.

Next we meet Marcus Walker. He is the main male character. He suffered through a terrible childhood with his twin sister and is filled with so much rage and anger, his life should have been spent in juvenile prisons and in a jail cell. But then a man by the name of Bill finds him and introduces him to an outlet that would help bring Marcus some peace. It is through MMA (Mixed Martial Arts for us lay folk) that he finally has an appropriate outlet for his anger.

When Marcus stumbles upon Erin's notebook, what he does changes the course of his and Erin's life. (And is beyond excusable and makes me want to apologize to my kids now for probably doing the same thing to their diary in the future.) Their connection through the notebook is beyond incredible and helps bring them something they both need in their lives: each other.

To say that Erin and Marcus's relationship heats up would be an understatement. The sex scenes in the book are fairly graphic, so if you aren't into a little couch and bed action, this isn't the book for you. However, she is so graphic in her writing of the sex scenes that it almost feels like you are there (I guess in an awkward fictional threesome-ha!). I could feel their passion through her writing and that was a wonderful thing when laying in bed with your book-especially when your husband is downstairs watching preseason football.

As their relationship moves on....Erin learns to find herself and how to love and trust again. And Marcus learns that he can control his fire filled rage, using it only when fighting within the walls of the MMA cage. Although Marcus is not quite the bad boy that many other books use to lure their readers in, he is a badass with the heart of gold. This alone, along with this own insecurities over money, help you feel for him and his whole backstory. In one scene in which he gets into an argument over money with Erin, it feels so real because anyone just starting their life understands the need to not be looked down upon. However, I wish Kemmie would have run with that idea a bit more because you can see trails of that insecurity throughout the book, especially in a scene with her parents later in the story.

With all that being said, if I had to choose a song for this book, it would most definitely be Christina Aguilera's song "Fighter," as it certainly fits the words in this book. It was a quick paced story and very fun to read. It has been a pleasure getting to know this author and I am happy that I got a chance to read Erin and Marcus's story. They are a couple I will definitely be interested in following through to marriage, and I am happy to recommend this book to my reader friends!

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Reviewed by April:

I knew I would like Slammed before I even downloaded it because I had just finished reading another of Colleen Hoover's books, and I could just tell throughout that book that the sense of humor that had me literally laughing out loud while reading was inherent to the author and not just the characters. What I didn't know I would find in this book was a fondness for poetry I never remotely had while suffering through many an English Lit class growing up, or a new favorite band I had never heard of but have since burned through my iTunes credit downloading their songs!

We are first introduced to Layken, known by those closest to her as Lake, as she is forced to pack up and move north with her mother and little brother, after the passing of her father, and finish out her senior year as the new kid on the block. Anyone who survived high school can certainly understand the surly vibe she gives off as she makes this trek. But she quickly wins our hearts, and that of our leading man, Will Cooper, as he witnesses her soft spot for her brother with an Emmy worthy performance of “Attack of the Zombies” while both of their brothers play in her new front yard, directly across the street from his front yard. With a smile, a handshake, and a “Welcome to Ypsilanti” our new neighbors are on the fast track to coupledom. As an aside, kudos to any reader who can pronounce this Michigan town without having to rely on Wikipedia like me {Ypsilanti (/ˌɪpsɨˈlænti/, often mispronounced /ˌjɪpsɨˈlænti/), commonly shortened to Ypsi}. Alas, this is not Mr. Rogers' neighborhood (but a song about Ypsi would have been perfect to whistle along with), thus our more-than-friendly neighbors have a few obstacles to overcome and as their story unfolds and you will find yourself craving grilled cheese and chocolate milk on the rocks, cheering on the plight of one very ugly Halloween costume, tearing up over pink balloons and the sweetest birthday moment ever, and wishing your name was capable of being used as a double meaning in poetry like “so you keep your ocean, I'll take the Lake”. By the time you come to the final page (very likely not long after you start the first page, because you just can't put it down!) you will know how Slammed became a New York Times Best Seller and optioned for the big screen (which means we will certainly be discussing over on our Facebook page whom we'd like to see play all of our favorites!). Speaking of the end, while the book does not end with a cliffhanger, that doesn't mean you won't be left wanting more of Will and Lake, and Colleen Hoover does indeed deliver in a big way with a second book, Point of Retreat, which is one of the few sequels one could argue actually trumps its predecessor. In other words, you'll find a review of it here soon too!

Finally, if you are unfamiliar with a poetry slam, you will be thoroughly initiated and quite probably hooked by the time you finish reading Slammed. Hoover depicts this art form at its very best throughout all of the major, and some particularly endearing minor, plot twists and turns but definitely strikes a pleasant balance of 'just the right amount' so as not to turn off those readers who may still be too scarred from high school poetry assignments to really embrace it, so please don't let the poetry deter you from reading Slammed if that's not your thing, I am pretty confident Will Cooper can erase any and all bad English poem memories! 

And as an added bonus, when Lake goes to Will's laundry room to get his sewing kit, play this Youtube video of The Avett Brothers performing Laundry Room while you read what transpires...you can thank me afterwards!!


Alright now...ready, set, read!! And then come back and tell us in the comments or on our Facebook page what you think of Slammed!

Remember When by Tina Torrest

Reviewed by Jen:

It only felt right to start with this book considering Tina Torrest was the author who motivated us to start this blog. So with that being said.........

I was first introduced to this book by April. She told me in these exact words, "You will love it. There are so many 80's references. I was cracking up." So, without a clue of who this author was, I decided to download it. For $3.99, I couldn't go wrong. Right? And knowing this book was the first in a trilogy, I knew if I liked it, that I was in for the long haul.

As I downloaded it to my Nook, I didn't know what to expect, but the cover was very cute. I don't like to base a book by it's cover, but lets be honest here.....a cute cover has never hurt anyone! So, as the book was opening, I held my breath and started on the first page.

The book takes place in what I would assume is the mid 80's. Layla (which just happens to be one of my FAVORITE names-bonus!) is the main female character. She has paired up with her much girlier neighbor, Lisa, who has brought Layla into the popular crowd. Lisa, the ever popular best friend is tall, pretty and goes to parties dressed in all the right clothes. Layla on the other hand is one outfit away from being a Joan Rivers joke on Fashion Police. Layla is sweet and kind and has been dating the same boy (Coop) off and on throughout her high school career. When low and behold a new kid comes into her English Lit class. And this is where we are introduced to Trip. (AKA: Chester-you have to read the book to find out why.)

At first Trip seems to be the same type of guy who hooks up with all the beautiful girls at the parties. But what you watch unfold throughout the book is a beautiful friendship between Layla and Trip. Too scared to tell him how she feels, Layla holds in her inner feelings and decides to just deal with the friendship card that has been dealt. And watching her best friend, Lisa, canoodle with her boyfriend doesn't help matters either. But on the night of her prom, she decides to stay home and that's when Trip decides to (insert spoiler alert-stop reading if you havent read it yet!) give her an idea of how he really feels for her.

I don't want to ruin the book for you, that is certainly not the intention of this blog. But I will say this, the journey is worth the long trip (pun intended) to get there. What you see is how magical a relationship can be when it's based on friendship first. I think I have a particular emotional connection to this book because my husband and I were friends for most of my junior high, all my high school and college days. So I know what that type of relationship can look like.

The bonus of the book is the journey to a time that was so great it was almost surreal. The 80's. No matter how much I explain to my kids the greatness of it....they will just never really "get it." So, to be reminded of some of the products I used to use and to laugh out loud about them....well that's just an extra little guilty pleasure about the book.

What I haven't mentioned is how it's not only Layla who falls in love with Trip, but you the reader will go right along with her. His laid backness and easy going demeanor along with super star looks are like a gravitational pull right to him, and you can't help but feel some type of connection with him.

I've had a lot of character crushes in my day....but for now, I have to say that Trip is my absolute favorite.