Exposure (East Park #1) by Iris Blaire

 

Let's just get it out of the way...This book is HOT!

I appreciated the different approach and new scenarios the author took with this book!

And it was fun living through the double life of Rylan vs. Evan.
Both a girl.
Both the same person!

Rylan is the smokin' hot, every man's dream, cover girl for the erotic EPE magazine by day
and
Evan is the nerdy, frumpy, no make up on, straight "A", soon to be college grad.

She lives a double life.
She is a college student and a model, who's risque modeling pays for that education.

She's desperate to keep the lives of Rylan and Evan completely separate since the magazine she models for is mostly geared towards men (in the beginning)...and well...ya know...it's not exactly easy to keep things "private" when your goods are spilled out all over the centerfold page...just sayin'.

After Rylan's successful cover shoot, she quickly becomes the main focus of the magazine, and shortly thereafter, her best friend and founder of the 'zine, Britain, (I love all these character names!!) tells her she wants to gear the magazine towards women as well.

That means they'll be bringin' in the muscle!!!

Shortly after the perfect male candidates are chosen, Rylan finds out that she'll shooting with Dallas.
Kicker is...she ends up knowing him!
She wants him.
BUT, he already has a girl.
Oh my!

Their photo shoots are...
Provocative.
Sinful.
Makes a girl wanna blush, kinda good.

Especially their last shoot together.
You'll be thinking "OH girl...No, you di'int!"
MmmHmm...

Exposure  was steamy!
Definitely different story line than anything else I've ever read.
Would recommend!

4.25 fiery stars for me! 

Unteachable - Leah Raeder

*Swishes mouth back and forth*
Hrmph...??

I'm not even sure how to start this one.
This is my 1st student/teacher book and I was skeptical going in.
I know I shouldn't say that, but I just wasn't sure how I would like it to be honest.
Yet, I was intrigued.
I've heard my friends rave on and on for this book and they really connected.  Really.

So this is what *I* think...

I knew Maise was trouble from the get go.
She's no angel. Not even close.

However, I found her to be more in tune with herself than I initially imagined her to be.
Being so young, I was expecting supreme immaturity...Which, let's get real...she's a high school student, so there were times when that shined through, but for the most part, she was more of an adult than some grown up's I know!

She's been dealt a rough hand at life and she's dealing.
Slowly, but she is.
Then more crap is piled upon more crap, just making a bigger heaping pile of crap.
The chic just can't catch a break.

I felt compassion towards her.
Sympathy, even.

I just wanted to give her a big ol' hug, because there were times when it felt like all she really needed was to know that she could be loved.

The raw, grittiness to this book, should not go un-noticed.
I was impressed with the author's direction.

I hate relating things to others, but (to me) it almost had that American Beauty feel to it.  Not the story line (but actually, kinda!) , just the rawness.  It was out there, shining the business like nobody's business kinda thing, but yet it's dark. Mysterious.

Just so many horrible things are going on in their lives.
Then you add the hiding.
The secrets.
The affair.

But there was lust.  Oooh...and it's the fireworks kind and I liked that. A lot.
It made me feel that even though the age difference was so great, it helped me understand that love really should have no age limit (if its legal!), and that helped me embrace this book.

But then something irritating would happen and then I had a hard time shifting myself to feel that connection again with these characters.  It was like I was stuck in the middle between right and wrong.

So, for me, it just kinda fell short, but I still liked the story, because it was so different.
So raw.
So new.

I'm sounding like a total head case trying to review this, because quite honestly I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

In any case...I think this is just going to have to be one you'll have to read to find out on your own.
Like I said, some people L.O.V.E this book, yet for me, I wanted more.  *Shrugs*

This is a stand alone novel, but I highly encourage Leah Raeder to release a follow up.
It's like I still need to know more.
I need it.

I just feel kind of lost without the more.

So what's it about?

The synopsis -

"I met him at a carnival, of all corny places.  The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world.  We had one night: intense, scary, real.  Then I ran, like I always do.  Because I didn't want to be abandoned again.

But I couldn’t run far enough.

I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.

My teacher.

I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The rules say one thing; my heart says screw the rules. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.

In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.

And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end."

See what I mean?  It's intriguing!
So have a go at it...Let me know how you guys feel.  
I'm so curious!

 

3.75-4 Stars 

I'm not even sure if I should rate this until my head is fully wrapped around this baby, but I'm still thinking about it, and that should speak volumes!

Locked, LockOut, Unlocked, "The Alpha Series", by Maya Cross

This is a newer Alpha male trilogy release, known as the "The Alpha Series".
I can live with a name like that!

The reading order is as follows:
Locked (The Alpha Group Trilogy #1)
LockOut (The Alpha Group Trilogy #2)
Unlocked (The Alpha Group Trilogy #3)

This was a fun read.
It didn't start out anything like what I was expecting it to and that was a nice surprise!
I was literally hooked by page one.  Which rarely happens (if ever) for me.

I smiled during the people watching scenes between Sophia and her friends.
In a slight way, they seemed like a group of my friends, so it was an easy for me to relate to.

The story started off a bit of a mystery...well... maybe not so much of a "mystery" per-say, but just the certain unknowns, of a certain somewhere, a certain someone, was not supposed to go.

It reeled me in and you better believe I took the bait!

I don't want to reveal too much, but I liked the slight twists and turns we got moving book to book.
I felt like between each book, I was knowing each of the characters more, which was great since all the books were available, but if I would of had to have waited in between each one, I would have gone either gone crazy or lost interest.  I'm not sure which, but there was just too much left out in the open!

So what's it about?

Overworked attorney, Sophia, is out for a girls night, celebrating one of her best friends engagements. They're having a blast participating in a pub crawl, where they eventually end up at a this shanty hole in the wall bar.

From the outside, Sophia is very aware that this is a place that she would have never gone on her own, but it's her best friends night, so they go in and get settled at a table.

Before long, the girls notice that the people who keep coming in clearly don't belong in the bar either.
They're bewildered, because not only are the civilians mostly men, but the people who arrive are all dressed in their finest tuxes and cocktail dress attire.  *Think Titanic!*

Even more, they travel straight through the bar, over to a wall where a security guard is standing. That's when they realize that this is not just any wall, but a secret door, and only those "on the list" can get it.

Sophia's curiosity gets the best of her, so she puts on a scene to ask the guard what it's all about.

He plays it off and she's ultimately told it's just some company convention, but she's not buying that!

After some smooth trickery on her part, she ends up making it past the door on a dare from her friends and is shocked with what she comes to find!

That's when she meets Sebastian.

It all starts off with a drink and plenty of playful flirting, but the tyrannous Sebastian, starts to grow suspicious as to who she's there with, as none of the women who entered in before her came without a male companion.

That's when she knows she needs to make a beeline for the door!

She is in fact not "on the list", but she really isn't quite ready to leave yet either, so she takes a detour to the restroom. Eek!
Somehow on the way there, she ends up getting turned around and is trying to make her way back out, but on the way she suddenly STOPS.
She hears voices and knows her time has ran out!

She freaks and starts glancing all around her surroundings to figure out where she's going to go, and quietly bolts behind the 1st door she comes to.

Of course, of all places she runs, it's Sebastian's office!
She ends up hiding just in the knick-of-time and we soon find out that our enchantingly, handsome, Sebastian, has a pretty big secret of his own...

Whew...

I'll tell you one thing...this book played in so many directions. It was nice to be kept on my toes!

Another thing...you need ALL 3 books!
Locked and LockOut BOTH have cliffhangers.
LockOut is definitely the worst one...

My only question - How could you leave us hangin' like that?!? Oh... the misery and horror of it all.

I'm so glad Unlocked was available by the time I finished!
Like I always say...cliffhangers will one day be the death of me.

Oh...and here's some super good news for us book junkies...
Locked (Book 1), is now available for $.99!
I'll cheers to that!

4 Stars - I was excited about this book.  I was hooked by page 1.

4 Stars - I felt on edge and sometimes a little fluffy during this book.

3.5 stars  - Okay...so after my review, you're wondering why the 3.5 stars?
I felt like the 1st 2 books flew by for me, but by the 3rd, it kind of seemed to drag in places.
I felt like all the information I was DYING to know in the 1st two books was sudden spewed all over the place in book 3, which I loved, but at the same time, I was missing that special connection.

Don't get me wrong, it had my heart fluttering in places and the ending is something to behold, but I don't see this being a re-read for me.

Flirt's Back to School New Adult Blog Hop - Psstp - There's a giveaway!

I'm super stoked to be able to share this awesome Blog Hop and giveaway with you today! 

Now; Come here.  I've got a secret...

I'm crushin' on this tote {Heart}, and after reading the blurb, I can't wait for October to get my hands on a copy of ISN'T SHE LOVELY by Lauren Layne! 

So read along my beautiful bloglies, and see how YOU can be one of the lucky winners on of these awesome prizes...  

FLIRT'S "BACK TO SCHOOL" NEW ADULT BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY

Welcome to Flirt University's Back to School celebration! It's time for the Three R's, Flirt style—Reading, (W)Riting, and Romancing! In the spirit of getting to know one another on the first day of school, Flirt, Random House's New Adult imprint, has set up a New Adult blog hop so you can discover other blogs that love the hottest new romance genre.

As part of the hop, Flirt is giving away its signature "I <3 New Adult" tote (for carrying books, ereaders, and other fun things), and its signature "I <3 New Adult" mug (perfect for that morning coffee pick-me-up)! 

A bonus?

They're offering one NetGalley review copy of ISN'T SHE LOVELY by Lauren Layne! (On sale - October 28, 2013)

Readers just need to comment on below on why they love or are excited about New Adult or the book. Make sure to leave your email address, so we know how to contact you!

Just check out the Rafflecopter below, and stop by each blog for more chances to win, and to meet other awesome New Adult fans and reviewers - Just like us! 

Also, you'll want to head over to Romance at Random on Sept 3rd, to find out if you won (we'll email winners, too!), and don't miss your first Flirt University "lecture" from one of Flirt's esteemed New Adult Author Professors! They'll be sharing their thoughts on everything New Adult!

http://romanceatrandom.com/flirts-back-to-school-new-adult-blog-hop-and-giveaway

Enter to win here ---->  A Rafflecopter Giveaway

For more chances to win - Check out these other awesome blogs.
Now Go...
Hop Away!
{Pounce, Pounce}

1. Cocktails and Books
2. Evie Knight
3. Bookhounds
4. Manga Maniac Café
5. What I'm Reading
6. The Book Tart
7. Acting Balanced
8. The Jeep Diva
9. Reading Under the Willow Tree
10. Stuck in Books
11. Books of Love
12. Book Lovin Mamas
13. From the TBR Pile
14. Book Flame Reviews
15. Romance Crush Junkies
16. My Book and My Coffee
17. Bout a Book Blog
18. Mackable Book Babes
19. Tonya's Bookshelf
20. Book Mom's Reviews
21. The Revolving Bookcase
22. Victoria's Gossip
23. Dr. Pepper Diva
24. Mad Book Reader
25. Rose's Book Blog
26. Renee Entress's Blog
27. Book Addicts Not-So-Anonymous
28. Go and Read Now
29. Whirlwind Books
30. Live. Laugh. Romance
31. Brenda's Book Beat
32. Crafty Momma
33. Stories and Swag
34. Book-A-Holic Anon
35. Foxylutely Book Reviews
36. Fictionators
37. Zakirrah's Books Blog
38. Feeling Fictional

Psstp...for those of you who haven't read the blurb, here's what Isn't She Lovely is all about - 

Isn't She Lovely, Flirt New Adult Romance, Written by Lauren Layne

"The rules are clear—until they’re broken. Lauren Layne puts a New Adult spin on Pygmalion, also the inspiration for Pretty Woman, and gives the classic love story its edgiest twist yet.
 
“Who knew that pretending you’re not falling for someone would be so much more difficult than pretending that you are?” 
 
Stephanie Kendrick gave up her whole summer to ace her NYU film school screenwriting course, so she’s pissed to be stuck with a preppy, spoiled frat boy as her writing partner. Then again, with her piercings, black-rimmed eyes, and Goth wardrobe, Stephanie isn’t exactly Ethan Price’s type, either. He’s probably got his eye on some leggy blonde with a trust fund . . . or does he?
 
As the summer scene kicks off in the Hamptons, Ethan is desperate to make his snobbish mother forget the pedigreed girl who broke his heart. While Stephanie’s a stretch as a decoy, the right makeover and a pastel cardigan just might do the trick. She may not love the idea of playing Ethan’s brainless Barbie girlfriend, but the free rent and luxurious digs make a tempting offer. So does the promise of a ready-made screenplay idea inspired by their charade.
 
But when Stephanie steps into Ethan’s privileged world, the “acting” begins to feel all too real. The kissing and touching that were intended to fool the Hamptons crowd wind up manipulating them. And Stephanie faces a question she’s too afraid to ask: Is Ethan falling for the real her or for the dolled-up princess he wants to see?

About Lauren Layne

Lauren Layne graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in political science that she has yet to put to good use. After dabbling in an e-commerce career in Seattle and Southern California, Layne moved to New York City, where she now writes full-time. She lives with her husband and their plus-size pomeranian in a tiny Manhattan studio."

Connect with Lauren: Facebook | Twitter | Website

Time to enter to win!

Good luck!!

Thoughtless, Effortless, Reckless - S.C. Stephens

This series has been my guilty pleasure for the last 3-4 days.

I have stayed up late reading every night until 3am, in some some cases later (earlier...however you want to look at it) - Eep!

I tried to steal every moment possible with these books.  I HAD to know and figure out what was going to happen next.  I just HAD too.

Some of you may even laugh, because as the page numbers started to grow closer and closer to the finish line, I found myself trying to take a step away from my e-reader, but I couldn't.  I just couldn't.

Why, you ask?
I was not (and am not) ready to these characters go!
I grew to love them.
All of them!
Even the ones I wasn't sure I could totally love, I ended up falling in love with.

2 day later, I still cannot stop thinking about these books.

It's safe to say that this series has made it to my Top 10 favorite book list of all time!

2 Words.  Kellan. Kyle.

Ah...the man is swoon worthy!

I adore Kellan.  Even in the beginning when things were so sketchy as to what was going to happen next. He was so attentive, and there (if you know what I mean)....and who doesn't love a hot, sensual, piece-of-man, who sings silky as sin and can flash a devil-ish lopsided smile that makes us melt.  *Swoon*

*Deep breaths!*

By Book 2 (Effortless), I loved Kellan.

By Book 3 (Reckless), he had taken over my train of thought completely.

Kiera.  Hmm...what can I say about her?
Okay...that sounded bad. I like her. I really do, but hear me out...

In Thoughtless, I found myself being able to relate to her.  Girl next door, sweet, loving, easy going, college student.

Then when *it* happens, I found myself thinking she was selfish, downright cold, and I found myself wanting to smack the *ya know* out of her, but yet I was still kinda on her side, because I could somewhat understand her emotions and immaturity, but I soooo wanted to rip her hair out at the same time. Ha!

So what's Thoughtless about?

Kiera, a young college student, and her long-time boyfriend, Denny, move to Washington for a job he's taken in Seattle.  They leave basically everything and everyone behind as they travel across the country to go and room with Denny's bestfriend, Kellan.

After Denny, the Australian natives, internship puts him on an out of state assignment (shortly after they've settled into Seattle!), Denny has to rush to Arizona. Kiera is left behind.  Alone.  With Kellan.

Kiera and Denny's separation was grueling. She is so lost without him.  She's left everything and everyone she's ever know behind, and Denny...well he makes every effort to call every night.
In the beginning.
Then those every night calls turn into every other night calls, to every 3 nights, and so on.

All the while, Kiera and Kellan start to grow closer.

Kellan is hanging around the house more (remember they're roomies).
They're having more social time (one on one and in group settings) together.

Basically - He looks after her, during the time her and her boyfriend have been separated.
During those 2 months though, the chemistry between Kiera and Kellan is undeniable.

Kellan makes the effort to get Kiera out of the house to cheer her up and at one point even takes her to an outdoor concert. That's when things really start to heat up.

So the question is...Do you enjoy a love triangle story?
I love to indulge in these if they're well written, and Thoughtless definitely is!

Yes; morally the premise is wrong, but I loved it all!
Especially one of the beginning scenes, when you can feel that initial spark.
Then there was another time, (you'll so know what I'm talking about when you read it) I found myself looking away from the pages and looking around as if *I* was the one who was going to get caught!

Aaagghh...who am I kidding...I had at least 3 of these moments, and that's just in Book 1!

In fact, re-thinking the scenes that I love most, are just making me want to re-read this series again, because there are so many, and I really loved this series that much!

100%, without a doubt, 5 Stars!

I won't be forgetting any of these books anytime soon.  Now that's a promise!

Coffee anyone? Tee-he

5 stars.  Thoughtless will have you on the edge of your seat!
The whole book is like this, up until the very end.
I felt happy, sad, conflicted, excited.
Immediately flew into the pages of Effortless.

5 stars.  Effortless has several eye opening surprises in store for us!
You'll be thinking "What the...." one minute and when the BIG surprises pop up, your mouth may literally fall open and it could potentially even put you in a panicky state.  You just don't know what is going to happen!

5 stars.  Reckless had several twists and turns I wasn't expecting, and I laughed.  A lot.
Remember me saying I grew to love some characters I wasn't sure I could?
This books gives that to us!
You suddenly have a nice warm comfy spot for him in your heart.
Throughout the rest of the book, you'll find yourself having that "O" moment - grinning ear to ear and then next thing you know, you're trying not to gush like a baby.
I just did not want this story to end.

Where's my e-reader? 

I have some books to re-read!

Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, Forever Too Far by Abbi Glines

Ooooh....Another goody!  I have been on a roll these last few months.  Every single book I've read has captivated my attention in one way or another and this one was no different.

I hate to start off every review with "I love this book", but I totally do.

Now, I don't know about you, but have you heard all the gush about everyone having a "Rush Crush"?!?

Quiet honestly in the beginning of this book I was like "What's all the fuss about?!"...This guy is rude, crude, and seems to be down right spoiled.  Especially in that moment when we're all "Is he really going to make her do that under the stairs" Believe me...It's not what you think!

Of course, the irritating persona that's Rush in the beginning, is not how the whole book plays out, and I can totally get the "Rush Crush" now.  I might even be crushin' on Rush.  He just grows on you! *Wink*

I felt a real connection with all the characters in this book, and I experienced at least 2 BIG eye popping moments. I soooo love when a book gives me that!

Another thing I totally loved?  Every single book was a full size novel.  Every.single.one.  All 3 books ended up totaling about 1440 pages!

If you haven't noticed yet, this is so up my alley.  I grow every found of characters. If I like them, I become attached...so the more pages I get with them, the better!!

So what's Fallen Too Far about?

Blaire travels hundreds of miles to meet her estranged father after her mother's passing.

Instead of being greeted by her father upon her arrival, she ultimately runs into the delectable Rush at a wild house party instead.

You see...
Rush owns the house her father lives in.
He is her father's step-son.
He is gorgeous, tattooed, a womanizer and rude as hell.

Her father is no where to be found.
So where is he?
He's in Paris.
Paris!

Blaire, is crushed.  Not only did her father disappear during her childhood, she finally reaches out to him because he's the only family she has left after her mothers passing, and he disappears. AGAIN.

Blaire is left to battle with those inner emotions, all the while she's being forced to meet part of a family she never knew her father had.

When she meets Rush, she's guarded.
He reciprocates with a less than lucrative attitude towards her and by the end of their conversation he kinda sorta asks her to leave.  The feeling is mutual though.

Blaire wants outta there. Rush makes her uncomfortable, but she has no where to go.

Now she has to figure out what the heck she's going to do.
Where the heck she's going to go.

She has $20 to her name and being 8hrs away from a non-existent home, it's starting to look more and more like "home" is going to end up being the cab of her truck for the night, and who knows how long after.

As soon as she's collected herself to her truck.
She sits and thinks through all the scenarios that can be played out because she truly has no idea where to go and what to do.
Then it happens...
She looks in the rear view mirror to see a set of eyes.
Slight panic starts to settle in.
It's Rush.
She freaks out and tries to start the truck to leave, but it won't start.
She's out of gas.
He basically laughs at her, in that coy bastard, makes you wanna slap him way...but then he starts to fish for information.  He wants to know why she's really there, what she needs from him and what it is that she really wants.

You see - Rush is well off and is used to people using him for his money, so he wonders if Blaire is any different.  She is her father's daughter after all.

Blaire is stuck.  She has no idea what to say to him and in some ways she doesn't want to be anywhere near Rush, but Rush gives her...well, a rush. *smirk*

As she exits the truck, to figure out her next plan of action, Rush begins to pry for information about her father, and there's a common ground.
Mutual disgust.
This catches his attention, and in the short amount of time they've spent together, he can see she is nothing like her father, so grants her 1 month to stay in his house to find a job and get back on her feet.

The stipulation?
Well...Now...I can't really tell you that without giving too much away, but lets just say she has to be kept out of sight and far away from him.

We may have a "Rush Crush", but Rush has a crush of his own.

Such a good book! 5 stars!

But hey...once you start you can't stop here.
Once you've read Fallen Too Far, you MUST read Never Too Far , and Forever Too Far.

(FYI - There's also a sequel with Woods and Della, called Twisted Perfection: A Novel that is available now! *Squee*)

 

5 stars for all 3...I did not want it to end! *Sniff*

Undescribable by Shantel Tessier

I grabbed Undescribable off the shelf as soon as I saw the ebook was on sale for $1.99...and guess what?!  It's ONLY $.99 now! Heck yes!  I love a good book score!!

What I really liked about this book is it was kind of soap opera-ish...You get to read from his AND her point of views, which actually worked really well for this book.  I felt like I was able to relate, understand and even sometimes sympathize with them on some of the actions that are played out this way. Believe me, on one action in particular, there's a certain so and so who is going to need some understanding!

What I loved about this book?

The build up to the story.

How the story came together.

The heat throughout the story.

I felt like their story could really happen in real life.

What drove me crazy?

Aside from the super hot love scenes - Whew...*Fans self*

Sam's clamming up and staying closed off started to get on my nerves.  I love independence, don't get me wrong, but sometimes when it's played off too much, it's becomes an eye-roller.

I also felt like there was a lot of repetition, but in some cases, it felt necessary.

What didn't I like?

But I still kind of liked...There is another book to follow (!), but thank goodness there wasn't a cliffhanger. Those can sometimes be the death of me!

I felt satisfied with the way the story ended, but I still kinda wanted to know more.  It was almost as if we had finally reached the point of understanding and things were going just as they should when it just up and ended.

So, I felt like I was left hanging, but not.  

So what's it about?

Samantha, is a young college grad, who's followed her boyfriend to St. Louis. 

Over the course of 2 months, distance starts to grow between them, and Sam starts to worry about her boyfriend.  He's off staying out all hours of the night, not returning calls, and being distant.

One night, Sam gets wind that her boyfriend is hanging out at Slade's house.  The town's playboy.

After waiting hours and hours with no return call from her BF, she finally decides to call Slade.  Eep!

One phone call, and Slade is instantly entranced on Sam.  Her voice sounds like an angel and he literally stops everything he's doing to talk to her.  Even if it is a compromising position!

Weeks go by after the phone call and Slade is still thinking about Sam.  Her voice follows him.  Stays with him. He's borderline obsessed with it.

As time goes by, Slade finds out that through a series of events that Sam is currently single, and he'll let nothing stand in his way of making her his.

The problem?

Sam has had a troublesome past and has a broken heart (but not in the way you'd think it's broken).  She refuses to let anyone shatter her again, so Slade has his hands full as he tries to prove he's not the playboy everyone in town is used too.

And the games begin!

I enjoyed the characters of girlie girl Sam and the macho Slade, so all in all, I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Pick up your copy of Undescribable, now for $.99!

4 stars for me!

Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

You all know my feelings on Beautiful Disaster, I heart this book!!

If you haven't had a chance to read it yet.  Do it.  Now.

Walking Disaster (WD) is the males POV of Beautiful Disaster (BD), which I soooo loved! As soon as I finished BD, I immediately picked up WD.

(Don't you just love the cover! Drool...)

In WD, you don't have the initial *shock factor* that we all had in BD, BUT I might even go as far to say (knowing what I know now) that I loved this book even more coming from his POV.

Mostly because in BD, I constantly felt myself saying "What is Travis thinking?"  "What is going on?!"  "Why aren't they communicating?!?!!"....."Gaa...!!!"....

I LOVED every.single.minute of it!

Walking Disaster, the males POV was written perfectly.

Sure, you don't get as many of play by play details of every day life, that we got coming from Abby's POV, but really this was so point on!  I mean, really...what man does a play by play of day to day actions, unless it's sex related, and believe me - Travis gives us more of that too!

In Beautiful Disaster, the sex scenes were more on the lighter side of what I'm used too, but it was done in a sweet, tasteful way.  This is an older audience (IMO) YA novel, and you also have to keep in mind that Abby isn't as experienced as some, so once again - perfectly done.

Another thing I felt myself gasping at - As you read WD - You get WAY more insight to certain somethings and situations that you didn't even really realize you were missing out on in BD, but don't you worry, Travis is here to clear all that up for you! And he soooo does, and you'll find yourself liking/loving him more and more, even though you'll still find yourself saying "Awe" and "OMG" and "What is she doing?!" and "Why aren't they communicating?!?!!" and "Gaaaa!!!"

Or maybe that's just me.

I doubt that!

Loved this book.  So. Much.

The ending really got me too. *Sigh*

5 stars!!! 

Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire

I HEART this book!  I heart Abby and Travis....but mostly, I just heart Travis.  *Sigh*

I had the hardest time putting this book down.  

I DEVOURED this book. 

Stayed up until 3am fighting off the sleepy monster, to figure out how in the heck it would all end.  *Sigh*

During the duration of the book, I felt like I was on a roller coaster.  It was gut clenching. The highs were high and the lows were low.  (Did you hear me say "low" in a baritone's voice?  Because that's what I did *Wink*)

Abby and Travis are both stubborn, adorable, irritating, lovable, yet somehow perfect together.

So what's it about?

Abby, is a new college student, who's moved away from home, trying to escape her past (more like run from it), and wanting to start anew.

When arriving to college with her best-friend, she mets the "lean, cut and covered in tattoos" (Oh, la-la) Travis.  He's also a college student, attending the same University, but is more known for being a fighter/bad boy/man-whore.  The type most of us girls would eat up!  Am I right?!  Right.

Travis is exactly the type Abby is attracted to and is desperately trying to stay away from, but Travis is drawn to Abby and ends up making her a bet.  

If Abby wins, Travis has to abstain from sex for a month, but if she loses, she has to LIVE with him for a month.

This book is exactly what the title says - Beautiful Disaster and I LOVED every.single.minute of it!

One minute, I felt like my heart couldn't grow any bigger, and the next, I felt like it had been ripped out and stomped on.

So when I said "roller coaster", I meant it.  I laughed, got angry....at one point, I even wanted to put my Nook down and have a real good cry, because I was soooo upset (!!), but of course, I couldn't do that. That would mean that I'd have to stop reading!

This book will entrap you. 

What's even better?  You'll love every single moment of it, and when it's all over, "The End", you'll be thinking about it even more, and loving it even more than when you were reading it and *might* even consider re-reading it again!

Beautiful Disaster - Was 5 Stars for me!  5 friggin' stars!!

Sylvia Day's Crossfire Series Books (Bared to You, Reflected in You, Entwined with You)

I was introduced to Sylvia Day's, Crossfire Series, after searching for something that could get me over my Fifty Shades of Grey (FSOG) book hangover.  I ended up finding this recommendation list, and after doing a search through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, Bared to You, was the book that kept popping up.

I really enjoyed reading through Maryse's list though, and she seems to like a lot of the same books I like, so after seeing how passionate she was about this book, I knew this was the next read for me!

Let me just say...she was soooo right!  It's like she knows me (!!!)....but lets start at the beginning.

After buying "Bared to You" and sitting on it, and re-reading FSOG for the however many-ith time, I grudgingly turned my sights away from Christian (*sigh* my 1st book crush), and admitted that *I* was in a book rut.  I wanted more of the same feelings that FSOG gave me.

So I finally did it.
I opened my Nook and went straight to my library to pull out this series, and ya know what?  I love(d) it.

This series ROCKS!

So let's go through the books, shall we?

Bared to You:


This book was a great read and I found myself flying through this book!

DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT, start this book before bed!  You will not sleep.  Trust me.

So what's going through my head right now?

I really liked this book.

Gideon's hot, overbearing, possessive, alpha-man-ness was all too alluring, along with some un-said forward acknowledgments that had my heart skipping a beat (or two).

I actually adored Eva and Gideon's skirting around each other in the beginning.  It locked me into this story. The fact they were both obscenely attracted to each other, with his directness, and Eva's, girl power attitude, it was really just a nice change of pace from some of the other books I've read like this.

Now, I did find some similar actions/wording/phrases that were very similar to the FSOG triology. That said, the writing style between Sylvia Day and EL James are different, which I enjoyed. Maybe I caught onto these similarities more than most, because I had just stepped away from 50...(?), but the similarities were surely there.  Once I got used to the likeness, and got into the flow of the book, I set the cruise control and held on for the ride.

For me - The only downfall for this book, which I felt a little annoyed at, was Eva running off every 2 minutes, instead of confronting her boy-crush about her feelings.  The merry-go-round ride got under my skin a bit, because even though I like an erotica book as much as the next gal, I felt that through all the sexual connections they had (and there are a lot!), I couldn't always feel that emotional connection with them at times...

So what's it about?

Sexy Billionaire, Gideon Cross (Oooh...just the name seeps authority and power!), and the beautiful, smart, self assured, Eva Trammel,  are two lost souls who find each other through fate.

Eva has just moved cross country, from California to New York, and is trying to adjust into her new life with her roommate and BFF, Cary. After settling in, she is prepared to start her 1st day at work the following day, and decides she'll take a quick trip from her apartment to her place of employment to see how long it will take her to walk each day.

After she's timed the walk, she's making her way to leave the Crossfire lobby, when a woman nearby accidentally tosses the contents of her purse and things go flying.  Feeling sorry for her, Eva stops to help the woman gather her belongings when she literally runs into a tall, dark, handsome man, in a 3 piece suit.

As she picks up the contents from the floor, her eyes slowly trace up his body and the further up she goes. The more she likes.  He literally takes her breath away.

Gideon is cool, calculated, smooth, uber sexy, and mysterious - And he has his eyes on Eva.

Before their eyes meet; Attraction pulses between them.

Then it happens...Their eyes lock.

Lust at 1st sight.

And the pursuit in on!

As Eva starts her career, the encounters between them become more frequent.

Gideon does everything in his power to see her.  To be with her. To make her want to be with him.
*No spoilers, but I am dying to tell you everything!*

He is very clear and upfront about his intentions with Eva.  In fact, he blatantly tells her. Repeatedly. Exactly what he wants to do to her....but Eva...Well, she's floored by his unreserved come on's and while she's never been possessed by a man quite as beautiful as Gideon...she is just starting out in her career and wants to focus on work.  Solely on work. So, she turns him down, time after time, and is all "Ugh...As if!".

All the while, her mouth is saying "No", but her body is screaming "YES!!" 

Gideon, being a man who's used to getting everything he wants, sees right through her direct dismissals and continues to pursue her.

After all; Eva is the only one who can give him truly everything he needs and everything he seeks lies within her.

His desperation for her.

His need for her.

Whew...

Now do you see why this is the perfect FSOG follow up, right?!

As you get to know Gideon and Eva, you begin to realize that both have troubled pasts.  Pasts that have stayed with them and haunt them on a daily basis, and they'll have to learn how to grow stronger together, to be together.

So what happens next?

Read it to find out!!!

What you'll witness throughout this series is lust, confusion, trust, love, irritation, and there are even a few "OMG - Did that really just happen!?!" moments.

Book 1, Bared to you, 4.5 Stars

Book 2, Reflected in You, 4 Stars <---This was a slower read for me out of the 3.  In fact, it would have been a 3.5 star if it wasn't for the second half of the book. I was so irritated with Eva AND Gideon, for reasons you'll soon find out, but the scenes were...well steamy, and once you get to about 60% of the way through the book, You'll hit that "OMG" moment and it's soooo worth it from there!

Book 3, Entwined with You , 4.5 Stars <---This has been my favorite book of the series!

By the time I was finished "Entwined with You", I was fidgety, so what did I do?  Turned to my personal Facebook to unleash some of my emotions:

"Battling with that mixed/over hang emotion of reading jet lag this morning. 
Up till 1am finishing the last of what I *thought* was a trilogy, but at the last page found out this is in fact a quintet series!! OMGosh...So excited! *Squeee* 
Now I'm off to sit and manifest my feelings over this craziness and sit and wait...and wait. *Drums fingers*"

I felt a bit sad, yet happy, when I found out that this series was in fact a quintet series and not a trilogy. I'm soooo not the type of person that handles cliffhangers very well, but by the time I finished "Entwined with You", I wanted more.  Much much more.  

I have loved this series and am DYING for Book #4 to come out! 

FYI:  Rumor has it, that the Crossfire Series will also be coming to a screen near you! Your TV screen that is.  *Wee*  Is it too early to start counting down the days?  Just sayin'...