Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

 3/5 Stars

Goodreads:

An ambitious intern. 
A perfectionist executive. 
And a whole lot of name calling. 

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard. 

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office. 

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other. 

Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over two million reads on fan fiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.

My Review:

I really was hoping for more with this. It was 3/4 sex and 1/4 story. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my smut. But I also like there to be a story. The story really didn't get strong until towards the end. It was cute, but I guess I was more in the mood to read a story rather than erotica.

I haven't read 50 Shades but I've heard enough about it. This seems similar but much more tame. 

I liked Chloe and Emmett. Chloe was a spitfire and Emmett gave it right back to her. I just wished there was more character development. I wanted more of a story to balance out the hot sex. 

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

 3/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning...

My Review:

I wish I loved this more. I loved loved loved Vampire Academy. I enjoyed Bloodlines, but just wish it drew me in more. 

Sydney's character was strong and I enjoyed her inner turmoil with her views on the Moroi and the typical alchemists' views. There were definitely parts that were predictable, but I also have high comprehension skills. 

I wished there was more Adrian. I guess he comes in more in the next book, but I was ready for him in this first book. 

Overall this was a good book and I'll definitely be reading the entire series. 

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

4/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

My Unfortunately QUICK QUICK QUICK Review:

I am so sad that I didn't write a review for this book. I love this series. I remember loving the dialogue and the banter between Daemon and Kat. It was all just so real and fresh. I remember not wanting to stop reading. I've only read the first 2.5 books because the cliffhangers drive me insane! I need all the books in the series to be out before I continue. So, the author needs to write faster.

Love the series!

4/5 Stars

This is actually the #.5 of the series. I read it after I read Lux #1.

5/5 Stars

#2 in the series

The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

3/5 Stars

Goodreads:

When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically.

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest.

My QUICK QUICK Review:

3 stars. I really liked this story. The only thing keeping me from rating it 4/5 stars were the scientific entries. I think the book would have been much much stronger without those.

Grayson is definitely swoon worthy. Favorite part was the college party.

Twisted Perfection (Perfection #1) by Abbi Glines

4/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Life outside of her house was a new experience for Della Sloane. The dark secrets of her past weren’t something she ever intended to share with anyone. They would never understand. No one would ever get close enough to find out. There was always a chance she’d go crazy sooner than they expected…

Woods Kerrington had never been one to be attracted to fragile females. They seemed like too much work. He wasn’t in it for the work just the pleasure. A night full of naughty fun had been exactly what was on his mind when he’d laid eyes on the hot little number that didn’t know how to pump gas and needed some help.

What he didn’t know was she was as fragile as they came. The carefree girl who spoke her mind and didn’t care what the world thought of her was more breakable than he could ever imagine…

My QUICK Review:

I read this book in 5 hours. I just didn't want to stop reading. I don't know what it was that kept me needing to know the ending when most romance books are predictable. But this did have another element to it besides just the romance. (Side note- HOLY HECK hot sex scenes!!!)

I think I would have liked more about Woods. Just felt it was missing a little something hence the 4 stars instead of 5.

Existence (Existence Trilogy #1) by Abbi Glines

5/5 Stars

Goodreads:

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules

My unfortunately QUICK QUICK QUICK Review:

I really wish I actually wrote a real review when I read this book because this is not going to do the book justice at all. All I can say is that don't judge the book by thinking, "It's about a girl falling in love with "death". Lame. I'm not reading this." Don't do that!!! Just give it a try. I am so glad I did because I feel in love with the series. I read all 3 books in 3 days. It was so good. The characters were amazing, the little twists here and there were amazing, and the whole plot itself was just great.

Honestly, read it!

5/5 Stars

5/5 Stars

These are the other two books in the series. I am not going to put what the two other books in the series are about because it just ruins the first book. But trust me, you'll want to read them.

Losing It (Losing It #1) by Cora Carmack

4/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

My QUICK QUICK review:

I really really enjoyed this book. It was almost a 5 star for me. It would have been a full 5 stars if there was more Garrick.

The character of Bliss was great. I loved how awkward she was at times. And the scene of her leaving the guy in bed... her excuse was hilarious. The writing was strong. The dialogue, the secondary characters, all the different scenes worked perfectly together. Great read.

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

5/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.

Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Each moan, spank, and–was that a meow?–punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O.

Enter Simon Parker. (No, really, Simon, please enter.) When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick…

In her third novel, Alice Clayton returns to dish her trademark mix of silly and steamy. Banter, barbs, and strutting pussycats, plus the sexiest apple pie ever made, are dunked in a hot tub and set against the gorgeous San Francisco skyline in this hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight.

My Review:

I loved loved loved this book. The banter between the two were just perfect. I loved it so much that I was nervous it would end once they got together. It did lessen, but it was still there.

The characters were amazing. I loved how they had constant banter back and forth for so much of the book. That was really my favorite part. I loved how quick they were with each other. There were definitely parts that had me laughing out loud. This is one I will definitely read again because of how much I loved the characters, dialogue, and just the plot itself.

The only change I would make was that the last part with the cat wasn't in the book. I'm ignoring it which is why it's still a 5 star for me.

Amazing amazing read.

He's With Me by Tamara Summers

2/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Just in time for summer comes the perfect beach read! Humor and romance abound in this fresh, fun take on summer love.

Lexie has always had a crush on Jake, her brother Colin's best friend. But she knows Jake thinks of her like a sister, and has never made a move. But when beautiful alpha girl Bree McKennis sets her sights on Jake, he has to come up with a plan to turn her down...without incurring the wrath of the most popular girl in school. That's when Colin comes up with the plan: Lexie can pretend to be Jake's girlfriend. But Lexie has never had a real boyfriend, let alone a pretend one! Can she manage to convince Jake that they're meant to be...and avoid getting killed by Bree McKennis?

My QUICK QUICK QUICK Review:

This is definitely a young adult book. It would be perfect for 7th and 8th graders who are young. This book was very basic.

Night School (Night School #1) by C.J. Daugherty

4/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Allie Sheridan’s world is falling apart. Her brother’s run away from home. Her parents ignore her. And she’s just been arrested.

Again.

This time her parents have had enough. They cut her off from her friends and send her away to boarding school, far from her London friends.

But at Cimmeria Academy, Allie is soon caught up in the strange activities of a secret group of elite students.

When she’s attacked late one night the incident sets off a chain of increasingly violent events. As the school begins to seem like a very dangerous place, she finds out that nothing at Cimmeria is what it seems to be.

And that she is not who she thought she was.

My QUICK QUICK Review:

I would say this is an older young adult- more a teen book. Great read. I saw 1 stars all the way up to 5 stars with this book. I gave it 4. I really enjoyed it. The characters were real, and there was enough mystery for me not to be able to predict everything. It did keep me guessing. I'll definitely read more in the series.

Thrown by a Curve (Play by Play #5) by Jaci Burton

3/5 Stars

Goodreads:

She thinks she knows this player—but he has a few surprise moves.

For Alicia Riley, her job as a sports therapist for the St. Louis Rivers baseball team is a home run—until she becomes the primary therapist for star pitcher, Garrett Scott. Out of the lineup with an injury, he’s short-tempered, hard to handle, and every solid inch, a man.

Right now, the only demand he’s making on Alicia is that she get him ready to pitch in time for opening day. Except the sexual chemistry between them is so charged, Alicia’s tempted to oblige Garrett just about anything. But both their careers are at stake—one bad move and it’s game over for both of them.

Garrett also feels the hot sparks between them, and the way he figures it, what better therapy is there than sex? Now all he has to do is convince the woman with the power to make the call.

My QUICK QUICK Review:

A cute read. Alicia was a little fire-cracker. The story line was light and made it a perfect beach read.

Anything But Sweet by Candis Terry

3/5 Stars

Goodreads:

HE’S STUBBORN AND THOROUGHLY MALE . . .

If Charlotte Brooks thinks she and her TV makeover show can turn Reno Wilder’s hometown upside down, he’ll be happy to prove her wrong. The x-Marine has seen too much turmoil and he likes Sweet, Texas, just the way it is. Traditional. Familiar. A little dull. Everything Charli isn’t. But instead of backing off from his scowls like everyone else, Charli digs in her skyscraper heels.

SHE’S TENACIOUS AND WICKEDLY TEMPTING . . .

Reno Wilder is a one-man unwelcoming committee, but Charli isn’t budging. It’s clear the gorgeous cowboy needs an overhaul just as much as Sweet. Someone needs to break him out of that gruff shell and show him how fun and rewarding a little change can be.

THEY’RE ABOUT TO FIND THAT LOVE IS ANYTHING BUT PREDICTABLE.

My QUICK QUICK review:

I really liked the interaction between Charlotte and Reno. Both are pretty stubborn which made some really cute parts. Overall a really cute beach read.

Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend by Cassie Mae/ Becca Ann

1/5 Stars

Goodreads:

It’s stupid to fall for your brother’s ex. It’s even worse to enlist another’s help to win the ex over. But Brody is desperate and Hayley, his partner in American Sign Language, is more than willing to lend him a few tips.

She’s the school’s matchmaker,’ and with her bizarre and positive personality, Brody finds her easy to talk to, even about the most awkward situations. Hayley’s tips seem to be working, but as Brody learns more about his matchmaker, he starts finding reasons to spend time with her, and not the girl he thought he was in love with.

But Hayley isn’t ready to fall for anyone. Labeled the “Funny Fat Friend” within her group, her self image makes it impossible for Brody to share his feelings without Hayley shrugging it off as a joke.

Convincing her Brody can, and did, fall for the “Funny Fat Friend” turns out to be harder than simply falling in love.

Written by Cassie Mae under the pen name Becca Ann

My QUICK Review:

I almost gave up on this book because it just didn't have the "real" vibe. Maybe it was the dialogue, maybe it was the prose. Not sure exactly. The writing just all seemed pretty juvenile. Then I looked at the authors and saw their ages. That may play into it a little.

Overall the story line was good -- that has potential. But the writing itself, not so much.

Rule (Marked Men #1) by Jay Crownover

4/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight--A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want--and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

My QUICK review:

I read this a bit ago, or this review would be longer because of how much I enjoyed the book. Rule has made it into my fictional boyfriend group. Great story with great, strong characters. Yes, there were definitely predictable parts, but that stuff in "romance" books doesn't bother me. The relationship between the family and Shaw was great. I loved Rule as a character. He with his best friend did remind me a bit like Travis from Beautiful Disaster but not as desperate. This was definitely a great read.

The Game Changer by Marie Landry

4/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Melody Cartwright has never had a problem with change, but for the first time in her life the changes are beyond her control—she suddenly has a niece she never knew, but has to prove herself to; her best friend is making huge life changes of her own; and she has to deal with her ex and his crazy new girlfriend who has stalker tendencies.

When Melody meets confident, sexy Julian, she’s not interested in a relationship. He tells her it’s possible for a man and a woman to just be friends, and despite his ultra-charming ways there’s something about him that makes Melody believe he could be right.

During a time of change and turmoil, it doesn’t take long for Julian to become everything Melody never knew she needed in her life. But is it possible for them to remain ‘just friends’ or will Melody be a game changer for Julian the playboy?

My QUICK review:

I loved this book. The characters were real, the situations were real, it was all just real. I loved Julian's character and how the whole "just friends" played into it all. There were parts when my heart hurt, and when that happens I know that the characters, events, and plot are believable. Great characters and great plot.

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning

1/5 Stars

Goodreads:

Sweet, bookish Neve Slater always plays by the rules. And the number one rule is that good-natured fat girls like her don't get guys like gorgeous, handsome William, heir to Neve's heart since university. But William's been in LA for three years, and Neve's been slimming down and re-inventing herself so that when he returns, he'll fall head over heels in love with the new, improved her.

So she's not that interested in other men. Until her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she's an experienced love-goddess and not the fumbling, awkward girl he left behind, then she'd better get some, well, experience.

What Neve needs is someone to show her the ropes, someone like Celia's colleague Max. Wicked, shallow, sexy Max. And since he's such a man-slut, and so not Neve's type, she certainly won't fall for him. Because William is the man for her... right?

Somewhere between losing weight and losing her inhibitions, Neve's lost her heart - but to who?

My QUICK Review:

I really really really wanted to like this book. It had the potential; the plot caught my attention, but... it was horrible. The author rambled on and on. I found myself skipping so much. I also was extremely annoyed with the main character. I didn't feel anything real from her. There were little parts here and there that I enjoyed, but overall... horrible.

On the Plus Size by Tabatha Vargo

4/5 stars

Goodreads:

Big girls need love, too, but at what cost?

Lilly is loaded, not only with money, but with weight. Both things she could do without. But even with her undesired millionaire status, she doesn’t hold on to false hopes of finding true love. So when a sexy stranger comes into her life dripping with seduction, she finds it hard to resist. The bigger they are the harder they fall and Lilly falls straight through the floor in love with Mr. Sexy. Too bad he’s there for all the wrong reasons.

The chance of losing it all will make you do some crazy things and Devin’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep his life together. All seems lost when out of nowhere he’s approached by a Millionaire Momma with an offer he can’t refuse. But even a womanizer like Devin has a heart and when the short, chunky girl with the carefree attitude breaks through his icy façade, he finds that losing everything takes on a whole new meaning.

***Warning: this book contains graphic language, sex, and violence. Mature readers only. Not intended for young adult readers.***

My QUICK Review:

I loved this book. This may be due to me being a plus-size girl, but either way, the characters were strong. Lilly was funny, emotional, and strong. At first I thought some of her emotions were a bit too much, but then I put myself in her shoes and realized they were real emotions. She puts herself down a good amount, which some people may say is annoying, but again, it's something a plus-size girl would do (I know not all would , but a good amount would). I wanted to hate Devin at first, but I just couldn't. He reacted to the "plus-size" girl the way I would think many fit, attractive guys would. What I loved were the moments when he started liking her and then feeling odd about it. I'll definitely be reading the series.

I'm back! Personal post

Well, it's been over a year since I updated this beloved book blog (yay, alliteration!). It hurt me to neglect this blog, but unfortunately, it had to be done. I was diagnosed with Graves' disease/hyperthyroidism and have been very sick for over a year now. I didn't actually find out I was suffering from it until last June. I didn't get treatment (that actually would work)until September. The doctors said it could take up to a year before I "got better". Well, that year is almost here and I'm a lot better. Unfortunately, I will never be as I was before the Graves' decided to show its ugly face, but that's just something I'll need to deal with. I have been keeping up with my goodreads account, but more so just to track what I've read and give it a star rating. There really hasn't been an "in-depth" review. I need to get better at that. :) So, I haven't stopped reading, and I am hoping to now get back into reviewing.