Wednesday 9 October 2013

Trust In Me - Jennifer L. Armentrout teaser

TRUST IN ME light art
 
***
I kissed her, pressing my lips to hers, working at the seam of her mouth until she opened, allowing me in. The taste of her skin had sparked a fire deep inside me, but the feel of her warm mouth ignited a blazing fire. I couldn’t get enough of her lips, of her kisses or the soft, breathy sounds she was making.
I groaned as I slid my hand out from underneath her, guiding her onto her back. Her body immediately stiffened, and I knew I needed to tone it down. The last thing I wanted was to scare her.
God, that was the last thing.
Cupping her cheek, I softly kissed her until her body relaxed under mine and then, shocking the hell out of me, her small hand ended up under my shirt, pressing against the bare skin of my abs.
It was like being branded.
Heat roared through my veins as my body jerked on reflex. Air punched from my lungs. She wanted to touch me? Holy hell, she could touch me. I pulled back, reached down and yanked my shirt over my head.
Avery’s mouth parted as her gaze moved over my chest, the tattoo, and then down. It was like a touch, but better. My body was burning to feel hers.
I tugged the comforter down and planted my hands on either side of her head, tangling them in her hair. There was a primal part that took over when her hands flattened over the lower part of my stomach. My entire body tightened.
I dropped my forehead to hers. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
***
I love this teaser, cannot wait for the actual novella to come out!!!

Sunday 6 October 2013

When It Rains - Lisa De Jong

17833493

One night changed my life forever.

Beau Bennett has been my best friend since I can remember. He was my first crush before everything came crashing down, and now he wants more, but it's more than I can give him. Things are different now. I wish I could tell him why, but I can't.

I haven’t told anyone.

I never knew how much I really needed him until the day he left for college, and I was completely alone.

Then one day, Asher Hunt rides into town with his dark, captivating eyes and cocky grin. He doesn't care who I used to be, he's simply breathing life into what’s left. People warn me to stay away from him, but he helps me forget the pain that has held me hostage for so long; something I thought was impossible before he walked into my life.

I’ve been hurt.

I’ve been saved.

And I’ve found hope.

I thought my story was written that night, but now I know it was only a new beginning. Until one secret turns my world upside down…

Again.

I have to spare a thought for the beautiful cover. I know everyone says that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but it is a great cover and that is what drew me to it in the first place.

This book reminded me of A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks, but the roles were reversed. I have to admit that there was a lot going on in this book, a sort of love triangle, cancer, rape, death, which would seem like a lot, and some authors wouldn't have been able to pull it off, but De Jong did an amazing job. the way she writes, makes you feel as though you are a part of the characters lives. I fell in love with her after I read the Hearts Series. I think that she handled the controversial topics of this book perfectly and have high hope for her other books.

I have to say that this book was absolutely amazing. A gut-wrenching novel from beginning to about 85% in. it had its happy moments, where you just want to sigh at the cuteness of everything and say aww, but the whole concept of the book and the content, just made me cry. Seriously why do I always pick the books that make me cry, I think I just try to punish myself.

The book starts with Kate Alexander's background story, the night she was raped. This surprised me because with most stories on rape, we have to get through most of the book before we find out what happens. The way it was written truly pulls at your heart strings, and really makes you think about the horrors that the victims of rape go through. Kate is one of my favourite female characters, because she id one of the most resilient. She made it hard on those around her, when they were trying to help, and in the end it was herself who made it past the horrors of that night. Who started living her life.

For the rest of my life, I would always regret going up to that room with Drew Heston. I could never get that day back or any of the other things he took from me. The most important thing I lost was my sense of self. It took seventeen years to build my foundation and it took mere minutes to tear it down. I hate him. The old Kate is gone . . . and she’s never coming back. And I’ll always hate when it rains.
'When it rains' is the perfect title and a running theme throughout the novel. Beautiful.

What can I say about Asher Hunt? He has to be one of the bravest male characters I have ever read about. Not brave on the conventional, swooping in and saving the Damsel in Distress, but emotionally strong. It's not often you read about a male character crying so often, but Asher does, and that makes you love him even more. His persistence at not letting the cancer overtake his entire life is wonderful to read.  I love the fact that his love helped Kate through the most tragic part of her life and helped her live her life, even after he died. His story, I think, overshadowed Kate's story. Some of you may not feel like that, but his journey through the book, his past, his losing fight against cancer, his persistence in helping Kate, was the focal point of the book. I teared up when I read about the rape, but reading about his cancer really made me cry. the beauty of the writing coupled with the storyline was wonderful.

Why has my life finally become so perfect when all I have left is a date with my maker? Kate will be the last person I’ll ever kiss. She’ll be the last woman I’ll ever make love to . . . the only woman I’ll make love to. She gives me purpose in a world that I didn’t think had one for me. She gives me the chance at a life I never thought I would have, even if it has to end way before it should.
...Sometimes my body hurts so bad that I just want to get all of this over with, but then I take one look into Kate’s eyes and I regain my will to live. I’d give anything to have forever with her.
Beau was an enigma for me. I couldn't figure out whether  I loved him or I disliked him. His cheesiness when he told Kate that he loved her, made me love him, but his action later in the novel really grated on me. In the end, my love for him overcame everything else. I did feel slightly annoyed when I first read the rejection, but reading further into the book, I understood where she came from. In the end there was a happy ending for them both, so who am I to complain?

“Look at me,” he says, frustration laced in his tone. “I’ve wanted to tell you for a very long time, but I didn’t think you were ready to hear it. I’m leaving tomorrow and I couldn’t wait any longer.”
 I loved the little snippets we get into Beau's and Asher's thoughts. The rest of the novel is written in Kate's POV, and it was wonderful, but I think that we, as readers, needed the little bits of insight into the male characters. Overall, I would give this 4.5/5 stars, because I think that it was an awesome novel, but killing off Asher made me cry so I knocked off  0.5 stars. Go out and buy this, seriously, it is a beautiful novel and you will fall in love with the author is you haven't read her other series.

I thought I'd put in this song, which features throughout the novel here for you to enjoy.




When it rains:
Amazon
B&N
Kobo

Hearts Series
Plastic Hearts - Amazon
Glass Hearts - Amazon
Plastic Hearts - B&N
Glass Hearts - B&N





 
 

Thursday 3 October 2013

don't look back - A New JLA Book On The Way!!!

So here it is, the new cover for Jennifer L. Armentrout's Don't Look Back. I have to say that I love this. It seems perfect from what I have read from the blurb. See for yourselves and you will understand what I mean.



Don’t Look Back release date: 04/15/2014
 
Don’t Look Back synopsis:
Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.
Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took “mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.
 
But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?
 
 
Author Bio:
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Where you can find her on Social Media sites:

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Forever Innocent - Deanna Roy

18168448
"Our baby died on prom night, and nothing was ever the same again."

Corabelle doesn’t feel like any of the other college girls. On what should have been one of the happiest nights of her life, she and her boyfriend Gavin watched a nurse disconnect the ventilator from their seven-day-old baby. During the funeral two days later, Gavin walked out and never returned.

Since then, her life has been a spiral of disasters. The only thing that has helped is her ability to black out whenever the pain gets too hard to bear, a habit that has become an addiction.

When Gavin shows up in her astronomy class four years later, he is hell-bent on getting her back, insisting she forgive him. Corabelle knows she can’t resist the touch that fills the empty ache that has haunted her since he left. But if he learns what she has done, if he follows the trail back through her past, her secrets will destroy their love completely. And once again, she’ll lose the only person who always believed she was innocent.

New Adult Contemporary Romance

I had high hopes for this book. I have to admit, not all of them were met but, the book was awesome anyway. I swear I have never cried so much whilst reading a book before. the emotional roller coaster that we, as readers, are taken on is epic. I didn't agree with the fast pace of the novel, the way the characters came together so quickly (those who have read the book will understand this) but it didn't deflect from the raw pain and heartbreak that comes with losing a baby. I don't think that some of the ideas in this book are plausible, but without them, the book would not have come together like it did.

Gavin was the complex, male character that we get in most New Adult books, but with a twist. I think that the raw deal he was handed (having to sign the papers to turn of the ventilators) just made him stronger. I can't say that I agree with the decisions he made regarding his vasectomy and his hand in prostitution, but I understand. I can understand why someone like him, at such a young age, would do something so drastic.

Corabelle wasn't my favourite female character, I felt as though I couldn't relate to her, but again I understand where her actions came from. I can understand the suicidal notions in the book and I can understand her reluctance to forgive someone who walks out on their child's funeral, however, her reluctance to understand Gavin's point of view did grate on me.

Jenny was my favourite character. I think everyone deserves an amazing friend like her. One who doesn't pressure, just stands by your side through all the ups and downs.

The book starts with the female character, Corabelle, rushing to get to her astronomy class (sound familiar?). Here you get glimpses of the past and the struggles she is going through.

My heart made a tiny pang...
My refusal to date had earned me the nickname Frozen Latte at work, but I wouldn’t crack, even if the hottest man in San Diego sauntered up to the counter at Cool Beans and asked for chai with a side of Corabelle. Not worth it. I knew that better than anyone.
Within the first chapter, the main protagonists are reunited (sort of) and we see the start of a new beginning. the dual POV's I think were necessary, for us to get a real understanding of the characters and the emotions running through them. After trying to switch electives, both characters try to stay amicable in their attitudes towards each other. this doesn't turn out so well, as you can imagine, because the past was inexorably bought up, and once again Gavin ran.

Throughout the book we see the characters rekindle their relationship and there are some pretty steamy scenes in there for those who sumply cannot read a book without them.

When you get about 75% into the book you will read one of most hearbreaking stories that I have read. The story of their child is told in its completion and, I sobbed. I'm not afraid to admit, that I did cry. It was truly gut wrenching and the author did an incredible job of making an almost simply written text, one of the most powerful I have read.
How sweetly he slept. I wished that he would open his eyes, just once. But he hadn’t, and wouldn’t. His belly gurgled and I had to smile, but when the brief happier feeling passed, grief overwhelmed me so fast that I couldn’t hold the tears back. My body had found more, an ocean of them, and I leaned back so they wouldn’t fall on Finn’s face.
The end of the novel was not something which we could have anticipated as a reader. the swiftness of the attempted suicide was unexpected but I think perfect in terms of when it occured in the text. I did not, however, agree with the fact the Corabelle agreed that she needed help or the fact that she wasn't as distraugh as, I imagine, most suicidal people are when she was saved.

The one thing that I would have changed is the fact pace in which everything happened, the reconciliation og Gavin and Corabelle. however, I do love the book andI think that the next book will show us even more insight into the characters and the characters lives. I cannot wait to see what she does next.

3.5/5 stars