A Thousand Boy Kisses (Tillie Cole)

 
One kiss lasts a moment.

But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime.

One boy.
One girl.

A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade.

A bond that neither time nor distance can break.

A bond that will last forever.

Or so they believe.

When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation?

Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come. 

Shun me! I’m a minority. Or a realist. Whichever you prefer.

This cover. It’s another one of those “OH! The cover sold me on the book!” I three starred this one, however. I don’t think it’s a bad thing in this case though. I had a lot of pros and cons. The cons just sadly outweighed the pros.

This book is YA. I don’t care what anyone says. You follow these two people from the time they are 5 years old to the time they are 18. That’s young adult. The dialogue and the events were also very teenish. I’m not a huge fan of YA so I am afraid that tarnished my view point on this book.

Tillie’s writing. Damn. It was wonderful. It flowed. It was poignant. I found myself getting so lost in it. It was a huge pro for me. One of the biggest.

(I can’t say anymore because SPOILERS).

The alternate POV and the time frames were written out so diligently and smoothly. I think I had a couple of complaints on how the two main characters acted at times or how they REacted rather but I can’t explain why without spoilers. Other than that, not a complaint.

This book was almost TOO depressing. I should ate a whole bottle of Xanax throughout this whole book.

Yes. That is a con. I wish I was kidding but I’m not. Not at all. From the get go it was sad. In the middle it was sad. The parts in between we’re sad. Sure there was some happy moments. But I definitely think the sad outweighed the good. And I mean come on, who wants to be sad during a whole book?

Also, this book strangely resembled another emotional book. Like, freakishly resembled. Even down to Poppy’s attitude and outlook. I was floored. The second part of this book was not original in some parts.

The ending. WHAT? I had major issues with the ending. Like, tell me answers or I’ll combust. I don’t even understand. What happened? Why? Why did Tillie do that? WHY TILLIE WHY?

So to round it all out: this was a decent read for ME. But you know what? I cried at the end. I did. Are you happy? My eyes got all glossy and I couldn’t see. Because Tillie’s writing draws you into these characters and their lives. Sucks you in. I felt so enveloped and weaved into these people’s lives. I was just….sad.

If you want a nasty, ugly cry and some YA this book is for you. Most definitely.

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Roots and Wings (M. Mabie)

 
Welcome to Wynne, population 3,401.

No billionaires. No professional athletes. No celebrities.

In this small town, current events are pondered in mirrors at the local salon or around crowded tables at the diner, and there’s a new couple to gossip about. A rough and tumble woman who works in her dad’s garage, not yet ready to spread her wings, shows the new guy in town what it’s like to finally have roots.

It’s your run-of-the-mill, sexy, Astro van driving dentist meets smart-ass, bass fishing tomboy in a story of real-life romance.

Low on drama. High on love.

 Pull up a chair and stay a while. 

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Before you even ask, NO…this book is nothing like her Wake Series books. But you know what? I think that is a good thing. One: because it would be hard to even come close to that angsty series and two: this one is in a realm of its own with its uniqueness.

With Roots and Wings we get a real nice slow-burn every day romance with a normal hero and heroine. Nothing over the top or over exaggerated. In regards to the romance aspect, I literally sat there thinking “OMG GIVE ME SOME ACTION!” that’s how slow burning this was. Which in my case is a great thing. Because insta-love is a big fat NOPE. The tension that develops is impalpable. I don’t even think I can come up with a word to describe it at this point. But when it hits you, damn does it hit you.

And let me tell you, I have never encountered a heroine like Mutt. I’ll be darned. She was everything I look for in a heroine and she is so headstrong I wanted to high five her at least 10 times. She was just so cool. Vaughn was definitely swoon worthy and a couple of the secondary characters snagged my attention as well. With this book we get alternate POV’s through Mutt and through Vaughn. Which I really enjoyed. Especially on certain parts 😉

The book was very easy get into and the dialogue and plot flowed very nicely. It’s a REAL love story. There is no forcing or staging anything. M. Mabie gives us Mutt and her inner dialogue and wraps it around us like a warm blanket and you just never want to emerge from it. I got so lost in Wynne with Mutt and Vaughn I didn’t even want to come back to the real world. Roots and Wings is a light and fun romance. I was hooked from the start and I laughed and I awed. No drama. Just a good time read that keeps you reeling and smiling.

 

Collared (Nicole Williams)

 
When a seventeen-year-old girl vanishes,

A community is shaken.

Parents turn desperate.

Friends hold vigils.

And the boy who loves her searches.
When a year goes by,

The community is recovering.

Parents feel hopeless.

Friends feel helpless.

And the boy who loves her continues his search.
When ten years go by,

The community has forgotten.

Parents cling to the past.

Friends move toward the future.

And the boy who loves her . . .

Brings her home.

Jade Childs spent ten years in captivity, but now that she’s back, the real battle for survival begins. The media shadows her. Flashbacks haunt her. Her old life evades her. Her so-called new life rejects her. She spent too many years in the dark to recognize the light. She spent too long repressing her feelings to remember how to express them. She spent a decade abandoning hope and cannot dare letting it back into her life. Jade’s not just defined by what happened to her—she’s collared to it.
When the twenty-seven-year-old woman is found,

A community wants to know the story,

Parents want to forget the story,

Friends want to be a part of the story,

And the man who still loves her faces the greatest challenge yet: letting her go.

The cover. That’s what sold me on this book. It did me in. It’s beautiful. Also, I have never heard of this author before so I went in blind. But please don’t mistake my three stars for a terrible review and rating. Let me explain:

First and foremost…Why was the ending so open ended? I mean, what? Why? What’s going on? I hate feeling like I missed something. Unless you plan on picking up where that left off I usually don’t care for those types of endings.

And can we talk about her way of going about everything? I mean, one day after and she is ready to take on the world and conquer it all. I appreciated how it backfired for her though. I feel like it taught her to slow down and take it all one day at a time. But, I’m also selfish. I want these things. TELL ME.

Also, I feel like we needed MORE time in her captivity. More feelings. And definitely more of her POV in captivity. I needed more of the past. More validation. TEN years and I only know a handful oif things that happened in said ten years. I feel like she was so over dramatic at some points because I didn’t know what exactly was making her tick or triggering her.

I did enjoy the story line. I enjoyed the title and how fitting it was. I enjoyed the metaphors the author used. And I appreciated her take on the elephants. I am glad I got to see Jade transpire into what she needed.

DO NOT READ THE BLURB!!

Collared follows not only Jade and her struggles, but it also follows her self-discovery AND recovery. She is a survivor. Never a victim. This story was told in a quick moving tempo and it definitely kept me reading and interested. It moves at just the right speed. It isn’t rushed and it doesn’t drag. It’s definitely one of those books you don’t want to put down until you have reached the end.

But then the ending *side eyes*

Breaking Her (RK Lilley)

BLURB TO COME.

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Typically I think I am blessed on a day to day basis. But when I received this ARC I just knew I did something right in my past life. Or maybe RK just got tired of me whining. Yeah, that’s probably it.

At the end of the first book, I didn’t know how my life would go on. WHAT? OMG! WHERE ARE MY ANSWERS? Don’t you worry, sweet child. Answers you shall get and some of them are whammy’s. Big ones. I went back and read my review on the first book and I can honestly say that all of my questions were answered. I feel as if RK did a superb job in her back tracking and making sure she covered everything and left no holes to be found.

My ONLY complaint you will hear from me about this book was how slow the first part (present time) was. It was very slow and dragging to me and I found myself wanting to be lost in the past time more than the present. I didn’t skim. I wanted to for a while but I didn’t. So that is all I will touch on the negative aspect of this book.

The relationship in this second book was still vicious and twisted and it was still mixed up with their explosive tempers. But Scarlett. I love her. I love her wit and I love her inner dialogue. I want to be just like her when I grow up. And can we talk about Dante’s redemption? I am just kidding, we can’t. Because spoilers. But let me just add this: it wasn’t just Dante who had a killer redemption. Nope. You will be surprised…

AND THAT ANGST. And the ENDING. OMG THAT ENDING. RK will rip you apart and give no sh*ts along the way. And I LOVE THAT.

What made this book (and series) so great was the fact that I still got my smut and my romance but at the same time I had to use my brain. I had to learn characters and memorize their actions and motives. It was just beautiful. And nothing screams beautiful quite like the forgiveness in this story. And RK’s creative writing. I dig it. I love it.

The Fire Between Hi & Lo (Brittainy Cherry)

There once was a boy, and I loved him.

Logan Francis Silverstone was the complete opposite of me. I danced while he stood still. He was quiet, and I was always running my mouth. He struggled to find a smile while I refused to frown.

The night I saw the darkness that truly lived inside of him, I couldn’t look away.

We were broken together, yet somehow whole. We were wrong together, but always right. We were the stars that burned across the night sky, searching for a wish, praying for better tomorrows.

Until the day I lost him. I threw us away with one hasty decision—a decision that changed us forever.

There once was a boy, and I loved him.

And for a few breaths, a few whispers, a few moments, I think he loved me, too.

Brittainy writes truth. Every time. I don’t think it really even matters what she is writing about. Everything she writes will hit you right in the core. And with every book she releases, she just keeps getting better and better.

Please be aware, some of this book might be hard for you to read. Trust me, I cringed and gagged and hurt a lot. But all of the good and the highs were will be worth it. You might cry, but hey! You’ll smile too! You just have to get past the ugly and the scary.

This was a slow burning friends to lover book (one of my faves). No instalove. Complete trust and love was evolved and broken for us as reader to see. And trust me when I say: you WILL feel the hurt. Don’t even act like you don’t. Don’t fight it. I think Brittainy wants to strip us bare and make us nice and vulnerable before she drops that BIG FAT WHAMMY and poof…your heart is dust.

The secondary characters. I can’t. I think I loved them and their stories more than Alyssa and Logan’s. There was just SO MUCH more to this book than Alyssa and Logan. So many stories. Lessons. Healing. Each character had redeeming qualities but at the same time each character had an obstacle they has to over come at some point. There are highs and lo’s but the best parts are the in between moments. Their healing and clarity moments.

The plot was solid. I didn’t see a single hole or missing conclusion. All of your questions were answered and then some. I loved their internal dialogue as well as the alternating POV’s so that is always a plus.

By 10% I was already committed to giving my heart over to Brittainy…point blank. Take it and destroy it. She didn’t let me down. She did just that but at the same time she was able to heal me. I didn’t know anything was broken in me until this story. Until Logan. Until Alyssa.

At this point, the element series has turned out to be some of Brittainy’s best work hands down. I can only hope that she will keep progressing. Who am I kidding? Every book she released is better than the last in some sort of way. She won’t ever let me down.

Ginger’s Heart (Katy Regnery)

Once upon a time there were two cousins:

one golden like the sun,

one dark like midnight,

one a protector,

one a predator,

one a Woodsman

and

one a Wolf…

both owning equal,

but different,

parts of a little girl’s heart.

In this modern retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood,” the woodsman and the wolf are cousins, and Little Red is the girl with whom they both fall in love.

Beautiful Ginger McHuid, daughter of Kentucky’s premiere horse breeder, grows up on her family farm, best friends with Cain Wolfram, the son of her father’s Stallion Manager, and Cain’s cousin, Josiah Woodman, son of a local banker. Throughout their happy childhood, the three are inseparable friends, but as they mature into adults, complicated feelings threaten to destroy their long history of friendship and love.

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3 stars

I rated this one a solid three stars. I enjoyed this read but not completely and wholly. I adore Katy and her writing and plots. I do! But still yet, nothing of hers has hit me as hard as Never Let You Go. I am not sure why. I think with saying that, my expectations for her books have been extremely high. High for the hurt, and the feels and the angst.

Some things that I didn’t care for in this story were the repeating of scenarios in the first half of the book. It was actually rather exhausting and I skimmed a bunch if it. When something happened you got it through Ginger’s POV, then you got either Josiah’s or Cain’s. It was redundant and not necessary in my opinion. And nothing was different in the POV’s. It was unnecessary repeating.

I also did not care for the way the slang and their speech was written. Were they in the 21^st century? Were they in the south in the 60’s? But then things like frozen pizza and cell phones and Wi-Fi would be brought up and I wouldn’t have a clue as to what timeframe I was in. It was very mind boggling to me. Plus, we don’t sound like that in the south.

I had a hard time with the way things happened in this book. Not all of them but some. I wish I could go into more detail but I can’t because I don’t like when people spoil stuff. Some of Ginger’s decisions I really struggled with. A lot. But I liked the story line. It wasn’t your typical story line and there was a lot of OMG moments that were extremely emotional and even well written. I even second guessed myself on a couple of things.

Katy, however, has some of the best writing I have come across still to this day. With this writing she makes you feel and hurt but her words also have the power to heal you. All in one book. How magical is that?

Elastic Hearts (Claire Contreras)

Victor Reuben.

Most sought out divorce attorney in LA.

Nicole Alessi.
Soon to be ex-wife of Hollywood’s biggest star, Victor’s latest client and his boss’s daughter. 

In such a high profile divorce, they can’t afford any extra drama. Luckily, neither one of them has anything to hide. 
Unless you count the mind blowing sex they had… 

Once… 

Twice… 

Three times all those years ago. 

As long as they leave the past where it belongs, they’ll be fine. But with her wearing those tight dresses and him giving her those heated glances, keeping their hands to themselves is proving to be more difficult than either one of them realized. 

It won’t be long before the paparazzi start to smell smoke, and where there’s smoke…

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Tension. Sex. Forbidden romance. Second chances. Mix all of that up and what do you have? The recipe for a perfect book! Well, in my opinion. I hardly ever have a complaint about Claire’s writing or her story lines and I loved the other two books in this standalone series tremendously. But, I did end up rating this book only 3 stars…

Here’s why: I think these characters have been drawn out long enough. I respect the fact that Claire wanted to finish out the series with the last set of characters but this book was almost strenuous to me; forced. Like she had to just find things for Oliver and Jensen and Mia to do. Just sticking them here and there and then POOF! Gone. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, and I have seen it happen with other books as well. I just think it’s best to let it all rest. I was happy this would be the last book.

Also: grammatical errors. I highlighted a bunch. It was painful! But, I can deal. It wasn’t a make or break for me

This book was the LESS angstiest of the series but Claire’s sexual tension and NON insta-love type of romance was well worth the read to me. The way she built Victor and Nicole up was well worth the thrill and the ride. I would catch myself holding my breath, just waiting for a piece, and then loooong exhale. But then when you get what you are looking for, your heart smiles. And you have a cheesy grin on your face.

Once again I scored with the secondary characters. I loved them. From the driver to Quinn to Talon (that’s right). I can’t stress enough how enjoyable these type of characters are for me so I was beyond thankful for the time put into them.

There was no real conflict. I mean there was but it was more so just a forbidden thing. I wont delve into details (in fear of spoiling) but there was not a true climatic part. Maybe a couple of GASPS here and there and some AWWS thrown in but that is about it.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read. Victor was hot. I am talking SPICY hot. Nicole was tolerable. She didn’t drive me to the brink of insanity (that’s always a plus). The story line was superb. I didn’t skim. I am just glad it’s over with. I look forward to reading what Claire can whip out next and move on to.

Midnight Lily (Mia Sheridan)

Holden Scott is the prince of professional football. At least he was before he lost it all . . . or more to the point, before he threw it all away. Now he’s out of a job, out of the public’s good graces, and perhaps just a little out of his mind. So when a friend offers up his remote lodge in the wilds of Colorado, giving Holden some time away to get his life back on track, he can hardly say no. The last thing he expects is to see a beautiful girl in the woods—one wearing a white, lace dress who appears in the moonlight, and leaves no footprints behind. Is she a dream? A ghost? A product of his muddled imagination? Or something entirely different?

Midnight Lily is the haunting love story of two lost souls reaching for each other in the dark. A tale of healing, acceptance, and the worlds we create to protect our own hearts. It is a story of being lost, of being found, and of being in the place between.

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Alright, here is the dealio. Mia Sheridan=win win for me. I have never met a Mia Sheridan book that I didn’t like. And this one, although getting tons of negative reviews, was actually one of my favorites of hers. Mainly because it was so different.

Here is my only advice: GO IN BLIND. Do what I did. BE LIKE ME! Don’t read the blurb. Don’t do it. And don’t read reviews. I am going to try and keep this one more “feelings” based so that I do not spoil this book in any way for any person.

“We will never be without flaws, the lives we’ve been given are not like that. But, Lily, in my heart, you are perfect for me. Perfectly mine. And I’m yours.”

  
I don’t have a complaint about any of the main characters. I do, but not any that effected the way I took this book in. I do want to add this; the two main characters are two very lost souls that completely reach to each other in the darkness of their lives. And despite all of that, I still found them to be beautifully written characters. Completely.

This book is so much more different then Mia’s other books she has published. In every page and every chapter we see the connection between Lily and Holden. A validated connection. Not none of that instalove junk. This book does have romance in it but it also explores the vastness of humanity. It explores mental disorders, and much much more.

Let me just end this by saying: THIS BOOK WILL BLOW YOUR MIND. Whether you liked it or not, you will be so surprised and in complete shock. Don’t even fight it or lie about it. You will be.

And to the people writing SPOILER reviews, shame on you. BAD BAD.

Hidden Bodies (Caroline Kepnes)

In the compulsively readable follow-up to her widely acclaimed debut novel, You, Caroline Kepnes weaves a tale that Booklist calls “the love child of Holden Caulfield and Patrick Bateman.”

Hidden Bodies marks the return of a voice that Stephen King described as original and hypnotic, and through the divisive and charmingly sociopathic character of Joe Goldberg, Kepnes satirizes and dissects our culture, blending suspense with scathing wit.

Joe Goldberg is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him.

In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They re-emerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: truelove. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend—he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice…

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Caroline’s writing always enthralls me. I’m captivated by her sense of creativity and pictures she creates with her writing. HB ranked higher for me that what YOU did and I’m not afraid to say it. Being in Joe’s head and being with Joe isn’t just creepy, twisted, and beautiful. It’s exciting and thrilling. Bravo, Kepnes. Joe takes the cake in Hidden Bodies.

Honestly, a year ago when everyone was hyping YOU I was in the minority which means I was not enjoying it or the hype. So when I hopped on NetGalley for the ARC of Hidden Bodies I didn’t expect much. But I was in total shock by the time I finished the first go around. I just finished a re-read so I could blog it and I was even more in love.

In Hidden Bodies we get Joe back. THE Joe. The one thing I have noticed about Caroline is that she evokes every single emotion into Joe. He’s intellectual, he is emotional, he’s sexual, he’s human, like all of us. He’s a killer, but he is so easy for us to latch onto and soak ourselves into him. Or maybe it was just me…am I crazy too?

Also, can I just add that Joe’s inner dialogue is fantastic? It’s witty and charming and I couldn’t get enough of it. I didn’t want it to stop.

I really enjoyed Hidden Bodies much more than I did YOU. Reasons being: The characters. The multitude of characters we encounter and that Joe meets makes for a much more interesting story. Also, Joe was in a much more different environment than he was in YOU so it was fascinating to see him adjust to his surroundings and adapt to all of the changes.

“Fucking and killing are the same damn thing.”

We aren’t just in the mind of a killer in Hidden Bodies. We are embracing Joe for what he is and what he does to us as readers. We are letting Caroline entrap us in the mind of a place none of us have ever thought we would be in. Although this isn’t a realistic book (I hope anyways) it was completely entertaining and much more enjoyable than YOU was.

The main thing I would like to do is thank Caroline for being able to snatch up the mind of her readers and not let go until the last page has been read.

Burning Muses (JR Rogue)

I’ve burned muses.
I’ve felt little remorse.
I stored our tales.
I sold them for this life—
this luxury,
this ease.
Their sighs and lies
led me to believe they
enjoyed the dance too.
I’ve burned muses.
I laughed at those tales.
Then I met him.

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Writing reviews is tough. It really honestly is. Do you be honest? Do you just sugar coat everything? Sometimes you read a book that you liked but found some quirks that you found rather distracting. It happens. Embrace it.

Burning Muses is JR Rogue’s debut novel. I have read quite a few first time author books and I notice the same thing every time: wordy-ness and over descriptiveness.

It’s the same story every time for me. The author uses so much detail and inner dialogue you literally know everything that character is feeling and thinking or even sometimes you can predict what they’re going to do. Some readers enjoy that. Some readers want to discover things on their own. I don’t judge either way. But I prefer to learn on my own.

“My words were only for Chace. He was in every one of them. I sang for him. I bled for him, and the vein was heavy.”

Sera. With her inner dialogue she was a character that was easy to figure out. She was witty and closed off and a very different character. However, she is an open book to the reader. You know everything, past present, and future and you know those things very vividly as you read along. Some things are irrelevant. Chace. I don’t how I feel about him because the first part was centered so much around Sera and her thoughts that I couldn’t dissect Chace for myself. But the epilogue semi made up for all of my misconceptions and lost thoughts of Chace.

The story line is great. And JR Rogue has a way with words. There’s no instalove. This love was a slow burning and slow sinking love. I appreciated the details for this aspect alone. The plot was hook, line, and sinker. I kept checking how much of the book was left and I would internally panic when I felt there wasn’t enough time in the book left. Solid ending. The last few chapters were so beautifully written.

“You hold this darkness deep inside your ribcage. I know how that feels. I have it too. It isn’t the same as yours, I know that, but your darkness is fucking blinding, Sera. It’s beautiful and it’s part of you. Use it.”

One word: POETRY. Yes!