Review of Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens

For almost two years now, Kiera's boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she's ever wanted: loving, tender and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart.

Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source – a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes...and none of them will ever be the same.

***** 5 STARS:  This series is my favorite and Kellan Kyle is my most favorite book boyfriend!
This book comes down to one question: Do you choose safety/comfort/trust or passion/fire/chemistry/excitment in a relationship?

“I want to be someone's everything. I want fire and passion, and love that's returned, equally. I want to be someone's heart.”

 I really liked this one, although the subject matter/relationship could be uncomfortable for some people (it's a love triangle with cheating involved). I thought it was realistic though as these types of situations happen a lot (although maybe not with someone as HOT has Kellan Kyle). Stephens did a wonderful job portraying the raw emotions, moral battles, and consequences involved in such relationships. I equate reading this book to riding an extreme roller coaster at an amusement park...full of extreme highs and extreme lows. I was drained when I finished reading it (it is a somewhat long book too).

I completely fell in love with Kellan, the lead singer of the D-Bags and total hottie with a tortured past. He's lonely, has so much heart and is hopeful for love.  He's a bad boy rock star with a "history" with women and unmistakeable magneticism. Stephens did a great job explaining why Kellan acts the way he does. It had me grabbing for the tissues a few times. The scene towards the end in the Space Needle had my emotions all over the place. I think Kellan Kyle is my favorite hero of all-time at this point (sigh).  Really, Ms. Stephens, could you have created a character any hotter, sexier, sweeter, I don't know...more "sex on a stick"?  Ugh.

“Our reconnection was intense and deeply emotional, like much of our relationship had been. He muttered things to me while we made love—how beautiful he thought I was, how much he’d missed me, how much he needed me, how empty he’d been, how much he loved me. I couldn’t even speak to tell him I felt the exact same way. I was too overcome by the emotion in his voice. Then he said something that tore me.
“Don’t leave…I don’t want to be alone.” He had actual tears in his eyes as he looked down on me. “I don’t want to be alone, anymore.”

I liked Denny, but I found him to be a little too "good" for my taste and too work-obsessed. He treats Kiera like a queen and is a total care taker, but he almost does it to a fault. I don't want to give away too much here, but I'll just leave it at I liked Denny, but he just didn't "do it" for me.  I felt badly for him, but I don't think he and Kiera were fated to be together.

Kiera, oh Kiera. I found her completely frustrating and annoying 80% of the time. I realize she is young and naive (and dealing with two attractive and attentive men), so I'm giving her a 20% leeway because of that. Otherwise, I found her indecisiveness and game playing to be completely exhausting after a while. She kept leading Kellan on and deceiving Denny.  There were quite a few times I literally wanted to punch her.  I was slightly sympathetic to her for the first half of the book (which by the way, is very slow to start, but keep with it, it's worth it) and I could see her dilemma, but after a while, I just keep screaming "C'mon girl, wake up and smell the coffee" (literally as she talks about the smell of coffee a lot in this book)! She is very insecure, which I can understand being that her sister is a Hooters girls and completely hot in addition to girls constantly throwing themselves at Kellan. But, honey, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!  She was under a lot of stress over the course of this book, but she had a lot of "help" working it out...

The secondary characters in this book are good as well. I love Evan and Jenny, and how can you not love and crack up at Griffin. I love the scenes he is in. He's completely inappropriate and crude, but he's hiliarious.  This series keeps getting better with each book.  Next up is Effortless.

Review of Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley

Lauren Grahame has spent her whole life thinking something special was going to happen. She didn’t know what it was, she just knew it would one day be hers. But she learned the hard way that special wasn’t on offer.

So, after divorcing her cheating husband, Lauren searched for nothing special and she thought she found it when she landed a job as a waitress in a biker bar in Carnal. It was perfect: a nothing job in a nowhere bar in Nowheresville.

Then Tatum Jackson walked in. Part-owner of the bar, he took one look at high-class Lauren and wanted nothing to do with her. And he made this known, loudly.

Tate’s angry insults seared in her brain, Lauren decides the feeling is mutual and she doesn’t want anything to do with the gloriously handsome Tate Jackson. The clash of the bartender and barmaid begins but, even though Tate makes his change of mind clear (in biker-speak, a language Lauren is not fluent in), Lauren is intent on going her own way.

Until a serial killer hits Carnal and Lauren finds out Tate isn’t a bartender, he’s a bounty hunter. He stakes his claim for Lauren before he goes on the hunt for a killer but Laurie doesn’t speak biker nor does she understand bounty hunters and Tate comes back from the hunt to find his old lady has moved on.

Life throws curveball after curveball at Laurie and Tate. As secrets are revealed, women are brutally murdered, and Lauren tries to find her inner biker babe.

***** 5 STARS:  I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I really can't write a review to do this book or its characters justice. I'll just say that if you like alpha males, humor, steamy love scenes, and a little suspense...DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK. Tate is the ultimate alpha male: sexy, possessive, tough, rude, demanding, crude, hardworking, devoted, and an ex-football player/ex-cop/bounty hunter/biker. After reading this and The Gamble by K. Ashley, I'm seriously considering moving to the Colorado mountains! Damn, you gotta love those macho Colorado mountain men! I really liked Lauren's character as well (much more than Nina in The Gamble). She was interesting, smart, funny, sweet, and fun to watch evolve over the course of the book and I loved her makeover.

The book was self-published, which means there is room for a lot of editing and cutting back on some scenes, BUT Ashley's writing is first rate.  Her character development is vivid and amazing.  Her stories have humor, suspense, drama, sexy/steamy/erotic scenes, and a wonderful secondary cast of characters.  She creates a whole town with eccentric people (hippies, bikers, business owners, cops, bounty hunters, psychopaths, cute children, etc.) and they all jump off the page at you. 

Here's my Tate:

Review of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

***** 5+ STARS:

I freaking LOVED this book! I have a huge crush on Travis now...he was just swoon-worthy. I found Abby to be annoying at times, but I think her character made the story even more realistic as we were dealing with young college aged kids. I found the dialogue to be realistic and the way the relationship evolved to be very true-to-life. I really hope Jaime McGuire writes this book from Travis' point of view as I've heard it could be in the works. I would really love to visit these characters agI freaking LOVED this book! It's one of my all-time favorites ever, if not my favorite.  I have a huge crush on Travis now.  I loved him, then I hated him, then I loved him again.  He's the ultimate bad boy book boyfriend...sexy, tattooed, tough, sweet, possessive, unpredictable, thoughtful, and funny.  Would I want my daughter to date him in real life, hell no, BUT in a fictious story, he's just swoon-worthy.  I found Abby to be annoying at times, but I think her character made the story even more realistic as we were dealing with young college aged kids. I found the dialogue to be realistic and the way the relationship evolved to be very true-to-life. Some people feel as though the relationship was too volatile, which it was, BUT this is a work of fiction AND these types of relationships exist in "the real world."  It was realistic...it wasn't sugar-coated and all sunshine and flowers.  I liked that about the book and the characters.  They have flaws, their relationship had flaws, but they learned to deal with them and grew from them.  I would really love to visit these characters again. This is one that I will re-read again and again I'm sure.  I'm anxiously awaiting Walking Disaster, the next book from McGuire which will tell the story from Travis's POV (due out 3/26/13). Here is my Travis:

Review of Love Unscripted by Tina Reber

Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that accepting a role in an unknown film would toss his career into overdrive. His new fame has cost him dearly; anonymity is no longer an option. His fans stalk him, the paparazzi hound him, and Hollywood studios all want a piece of him. Despite all of that, Ryan Christensen craves the most basic of human needs - to have love in his heart and privacy in his life.

Taryn Mitchell, the story's protagonist, is a realist. She's been feigning contentment, running the family pub in Seaport, Rhode Island, while quietly nursing her own internal heartaches. Her feet are fairly glued to the ground and she doesn't buy into all the hype that has descended on her tiny, coastal town. In her world, men are safe if they're kept at a distance.

Fate has other plans for these two when their paths cross one sunny afternoon. A group of female fans has attacked him, leaving his shirt torn, his face cut, and Ryan in obvious distress. Bonds between them form from the most dramatic of circumstances while jealousy, insecurity, and the stress of his celebrity life try to tear them apart.

Through all the tabloid lies, secrecy, and pressure, can Taryn's peace and Ryan's high-profile insanity live together in harmony?

***** 5 STARS:  I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK! If you haven't read it yet and love romance with great characters, please do yourself a favor and get this book! Ryan was one of the sweetest characters I've read in a while and Taryn was very real and likeable. I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. While the scenario in this story is somewhat unrealistic (how many of us have a superstar celebrity run into our place of business?), the relationship and issues that they deal with are common and their reactions are realistic.

Getting to watch Taryn and Ryan's relationship evolve and go through it's ups and downs was my favorite part of this book. I loved the dialogue and fliration between them in the beginning. I enjoyed following along as they got to know each other. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and I fell in love along with them. Tina Reber's writing is easy to read and I love her humor. 

Review of Taking Chances by Molly McAdams

Eighteen year old Harper has grown up under her career Marine of a father's thumb. Ready to live life her own way and experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit; she's on her way to college at San Diego State University.

Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family and emotions. Some she wasn't expecting yet, and others she never knew she was missing.

She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with her boyfriend Brandon, and her roommate's brother Chase. Covered in tattoos, known for fighting in the Underground and ridiculously muscled...they're exactly what she was always warned to stay away from, but just what she needs. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both adore and would do anything for Harper, including stepping back if it means she's happy.

Her first year away is turning out to be near perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.

*** 3.5 STARS:  I give the first 60% of this book 4 stars, but it went on too long, and as many have said, it felt like an excessively long epilogue from then on. I give the second 40% 3 stars. I really enjoyed the first part of this story and love triangle. Chase and Brandon were great and opposites from each other and from Harper, the sheltered virgin. I loved the similarities in Taking Chances to two of my favorite books, Beautiful Disaster and Thoughtless. Like Harper, I had a hard time choosing between the guys myself! The friendship between Harper and Bree was fun and entertaining as well. I enjoyed watching her grow and find herself.

The book had some issues though which kept me from rating it higher. I love Molly McAdams characters and her story development, but the thing that most distracted me in this story was the jumping around of time with no notation. You'll be reading on a page and then on the same page, you might jump a few months without realizing it until something is mentioned that makes you realize it. Another annoying thing was how much everyone loved Harper instantly...Brandon, Chase, Carter, all the housemates, Bree & Chase's parents, Brandon's mom and brother, etc. I understand that main themes in Taking Chances are second chances and the love of family...a family that is created by people that love and care about each other...not necessarily blood-related family, but it was all a little too sugar-coated and over the top for me. I was expecting SOMEONE to be upset with Harper for what she did...but nope.

Overall though, this was a good young/mature adult read. Although I thought the book should've ended much sooner than it did, it was a complete book and I felt like I really knew all the characters and what ended up happening to them. I will most definitely read Stealing Harper when it comes out. I do love me some Chase! :-)

Review of Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

***** 5 STARS: One of my all-time favorite books!

I don't know that I have the words to write this review and do this book justice.  There isn't one thing about this book that I didn't love. It was mesmerizing, hypnotizing, heartbreaking and breathtaking at the same time. I didn't want to put it down for one second.  The writing was gorgeous and almost poetic.  Colleen Hoover is definitely my favorite author and all three of her books are in my top ten favorites of all-time.  Her writing flows so easily and she creates beautiful, humorous, memorable, almost haunting characters.  Sky and Holder are the leads in Hopeless and they are characters I won't soon forget.

The title of the book is slightly ironic in that the story is about finding hope.  There is some dark subject matter in this book, but DO NOT let that stop you from experiencing what is Hopeless.  Hoover's attention to detail envokes such emotion and transports readers right into the story and the characters' lives.  She doesn't need to be super descriptive or go on and on at nauseum to set the stage for a scene.  It's the minute details that really pull in the reader.  To quote another reviewer "Those little pieces that seem completely random until you finally realize that they all fit together perfectly, flawlessly." It's breathtaking.  It's effortless.  It's gorgeous.

It doesn't matter what your favorite genre is or if you don't read "romance novels"...this book will touch you.  It will make you feel.  It will make you smile, laugh, raise your eyebrows, frown, and cry.  Do yourself a favor and read this book.  You won't regret it!

"The sky is always beautiful. Even when it's dark or rainy or cloudy, it's still beautiful to look at. It's my favourite thing because I know if I ever get lost or lonely or scared, I just have to look up and it'll be there no matter what...and I know it'll always be beautiful."
 

Review of Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

Hardships and heartache brought them together…now it will tear them apart.

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’

***** 5 STARS:  Butterflying A-MAZ-ING!!! I loved it. Colleen Hoover now ranks up there with my favorite authors. She has a way of writing lovable and complex characters and incredibly emotional stories without all the excruciating detail and flowery language that many authors have used lately. It was refreshing and I'm so happy I was introduced to her through this site. These two books have helped change my outlook on life and opened my eyes to new music and art (slam poetry). Point of Retreat (and Slam) had me openly weeping in public (something I don't usually do) as well as laughing out loud. The roller coaster of emotions is WELL worth the cheap price of admission!

The new characters introduced in Point of Retreat were wonderful. I completely fell in love with Sherry and Kiersten, in particular. The 11 year old smart mouthed, hilarious little spitfire but vulnerable young girl completely won me over (and stole many scenes in the book). I loved the motherly advice and helpfulness of Sherry (I could relate to a lot of her story as well). I really hope this isn't the last we see of Lake, Will, and the rest of the group!