Publication date: September 3, 2013

Publisher: Christina Lauren

How I got the copy: Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars
   

  

From Goodreads:

The gentlemen from Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger, and Beautiful Player are out for a wild night on The Strip.When Max, Henry, and Will steal Bennett away for a weekend of shenanigans and strippers in Vegas, the first stop of the night doesn’t go at all as planned. With their scheme for a Guys Weekend completely derailed anyway, Max and Bennett begin to play a wild game of stealth and secrecy in order to have their bombshells all over Sin City.

First, I need to apologize.  I received this audiobook a month or two ago right around the time I got a new job so I wasn't able to listen to audiobooks anymore.  So thank you to S&S Audio and sorry it took me so long!

As most of my followers know, I don't do Adult Fiction.  It just doesn't appeal to me usually.  So when I find an adult series that I like I'm so excited.  The Beautiful Bastard series is one of those few that has gotten my attention.  I love that they are companion novels so all the characters and plot lines are so different.  And yet when you get a novella like this you get to experience all the characters together.  I  don't usually care about novellas so I was pleasantly surprised when I liked this one.  It's like when you find a twenty dollar bill in your jeans when doing laundry.  You weren't expecting it, but it was a nice surprise.

Pages: 426
Publication date: November 15, 2012

Publisher: J.A. Redmerski

How I got the copy: Bought

Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Stars
   

  

From Goodreads:

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.  continued on goodreads

Reading this book was like riding a seesaw.  One minute the mood was up and fun and I was loving it.  Next, it's down and some serious stuff is happening.  But there were points in between all that where things just got weird.  And I'm still not really able to get over that to give this a higher rating.

I'm talking about the reason why Andrew would push her away.  Because he needed to "own her".  It went from cute little road trip book to weird in .5 seconds.  Like seriously, you just met her a week ago.  And now you want to own her.  What does that even mean?  Normally I'd just think it meant he'd want to marry her...like be the last guy who'll ever get to date her.  But when you've just met someone and you say this as you're getting physically intimate...it's just...weird.  There's no other way to put it.

Pages: 118
Publication date: December 21, 2013

Publisher: Kate Ashton

How I got the copy: Received from author in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars
   

  

From Goodreads:

A New Adult contemporary romance - companion novella to Every Little Piece.

Needing to love…

Every day I’m with Chad, I prove my dad wrong, that I can be loved…that I am loveable. So why is our relationship so hard? When we’re together on the dance floor or between the sheets, I pray for a small twinge of lust or something. I remember when his lazy smile sent my toes curling and my lower regions throbbing. But lately, thoughts of Noah come even though I don’t want them to: his valiant efforts to rescue me, his tender, caring side, even though I was being an idiot that night. I just don’t know if I’m ready to shake off one bad relationship to trust in another one. 

Wanting to trust…

Her words echo in my head. Let’s be secret friends. Shh, don’t tell anyone. That girl ruined my life. Because of her and what happened I haven’t touched a girl since high school. I haven’t let myself fantasize about a girlfriend. About finding love. Or sex. Shit. Has it been that long since I’ve been laid? Then there’s Carly. The tantalizing goddess I rescued. For the first time I’m feeling things I swore I never would again. Somehow, she’s wormed her way into my heart, but I just don’t know if it’s too late for love and for the two of us.

I got hooked on reading from Sarah Dessen books back in the day.  And since her books I haven't found an author who gets me quite as much as she does.  But there is something about Kate Ashton's writing that is so similar and I'm definitely a fan.  She takes the same serious and contemplative tone that Dessen has, but puts it into a New Adult setting and adds so much more tension and romance.

She also uses metaphors, which any good Dessen fan would enjoy.  In this book the ocean kind of represents an ending and a beginning...almost like a baptism of sorts.  It's really clever and refreshing.

I loved that both of the main characters had issues to work through.  Their characters both developed so much, yet they grew together.  There were times I wanted to slap some sense into Carly...and if I'm being honest...Noah too.  But overall they were enjoyable characters that pulled at my heart strings.  I think that's the main reason I gave this four stars.  I just wanted them to stop being so blind about what they wanted and needed, but change is scary so I understand why they were hesitant.

I especially liked the ending.  We get hint that book three will be from Chad's POV and I've already started reading it...I couldn't wait!  I definitely recommend this to contemporary fans and it's really cheap on amazon right now so you should take advantage of that while you can!  This is definitely an author to keep an eye out for!

My review of book 1: Every Little Piece

Goodreads / Website

Format: Audiobook

Publication date: August 13, 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

How I got the copy: For Review (Thank you S&S Audio!!)

Rating:  5 Stars
  

   
  

From Goodreads:

Sometimes in life, in order to move forward you must face the past…#1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover held readers spellbound with her novel Hopeless, the story of what happened when a troubled girl named Sky encountered a long-lost childhood friend, Dean Holder. With Holder’s help, Sky uncovered shocking family secrets and came to terms with memories and emotions that had left deep scars.

Hopeless was Sky’s story. Now, in Losing Hope, we finally learn the truth about Dean Holder.

Haunted by the little girl he couldn’t save from imminent danger, Holder’s life has been overshadowed by feelings of guilt and remorse. He has never stopped searching for her, believing that finding her would bring him the peace he needs to move on. However, Holder could not have anticipated that he would be faced with even greater pain the moment they reconnect.

In Losing Hope, Holder reveals the way in which the events of Sky’s youth affected him and his family, leading him to seek his own redemption in the act of saving her. But it is only in loving Sky that he can finally begin to heal himself.

Remember that time I read Walking Disaster and it felt like I was reading Beautiful Disaster all over again?  Yeah, well this was nothing like that.  This felt like I was reading a completely new book.  There was the same plot ARC, but many new scenes were added and Holder writes letters to Les adding additional insight into his complex mind.  Holder's POV answers all the questions I had after reading Hopeless.  It explained why Holder is the way he is, what happened to him prior to meeting Sky, and how he feels upon meeting Sky.  That last one is essential because in book one he comes off as a tad creeptastic.  But in Losing Hope we understand why he did/said what he did.  And now I live Holder even more than I already did.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much emotion the person reading for this audiobook was able to convey.  I'm glad I wasn't listening to this in public because the pain in the reader's voice was enough to bring tears to my eyes at parts.  And he did a wonderful job at reading the dialogue.  Sometimes guys reading in a girl's voice can be...interesting, but his was perfect.  His voice also perfectly matched my expectations completely.

I'd suggest you read or listen to Hopeless first because some of the mysteries were revealed too soon in Losing Hope.  But it's definitely not a companion novel to skip.  Be prepared for a fresh wave of feels!  And I highly recommend getting the audiobook version.

Publication date: January 9, 2007

Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers

How I got the copy: from the author in exchange for an honest review (Thank you!)

Rating:  4.5 Stars
  

    

From Goodreads:

Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body.

Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love.

And then came the fall.

Plot: 7/10

Characters: 7/10

Setting: 9/10

Pacing: 6/10

Style: 7/10

Cover:  It's so unique and eye catching.   I was instantly wondering what was up with the naked Ken doll, but now after reading the book I think it's the perfect cover for it.

36+50=86 (4.5 Stars)

     Thank you Daria Snadowsky for not sugar coating or romanticizing first loves.  I know that sounds ironic because first loves are supposed to be romantic, but more often than not they are awkward and end just as passionately as they begin and I'm tired of YA books glorifying first relationships.  This book definitely portrays the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes for falling for someone for the first time and I found myself laughing out loud, shaking my head, and at times even blushing.  I was not expecting the steaminess of this book at all!  I mean I guess I should have because the cover has a naked doll on it, but it went from a girl who has no experience to full on steamy scenes in a few chapters.

     The characters were a unique bunch.  Dom is the stereotypical nerdy girl in the beginning, but I was so glad she grew as the story went on and by the end she was a completely different person.  I think there was such character development because the time span of the novel was from the end of high school to the end of the first semester of college.  It enabled a lot to happen in a short book which I surprisingly really liked.  It was easy to fall for Wes along with the main character.  And I was glad he wasn't perfect like most boys in YA (seriously...Peetas don't exist).  Amy, Dom's best friend, was the main reason I laughed out loud throughout the book.  She was that friend.  You know, the one that says obnoxiously sexual things all the time.  So I was glad I wasn't reading this book in public or I would have looked stupid snorting at some of the comments Amy makes.  Also, can I just say I wanted to slap the Grandma silly?      The format of the book reminded me of The Jessica Darling Series.  There were emails and Instant Messaging conversations sprinkled throughout and it made for a more interesting read.

     I will admit that it took me a good 80 pages before I was fully into the book.  The beginning was little too stereotypical  nerdy girl embarrasses herself in front of a hot boy and the boy is the knight in shining armor saving her.  But once the plot progressed I found my guesses at where the plot was going were completely wrong and I loved that.  I think this is a perfect beach read.  It's really light and silly, yet touches on some pretty intense emotions that every girl goes through in her first relationship.  The ending was pretty open-ended so I'm excited to start book two soon.