Book Review: Swinging at Love (Suttonville Sentinels #2) by Kendra C. Highley

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: March 13, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Crush
240 Pages


Outfielder Tristan Murrell has a problem. As the number two slugger for the Suttonville Sentinels, his team is counting on him to make their very first run at the state championship. But he has a secret—his swing has totally deserted him. As in, he can’t hit anything. He needs to fix the issue, and fast, but how?
Ballerina Alyssa Kaplan has a problem, too. The shiny new sports complex in town has left her family’s batting cage business on the verge of going under. Nailing her audition for a prestigious dance company is everything, but there’s no way she’s letting her some shiny big-box company destroy her family’s livelihood.
Tristan needs a miracle. So does Alyssa. And maybe, just maybe, Tristan’s secret weapon might be the girl of his dreams...
Disclaimer: This book contains hot, shirtless baseball players, kisses that bring a ballerina to her knees, and a lot of baseball smack-talk.

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Oh man, I had a lot of issues with this one. 

 

Alyssa works for her father at his currently failing sports complex, Swing Away. Failing largely in part to the brand new sparkling chain competitor who just took up residence in town. On top of worrying about her father having to shut down, she's also freaking out about an important dance camp audition coming up. A camp that costs money - money she would gladly give to her father to help with the business.

 

Tristan has lost his mojo. Once one of the star hitters on the Suttonville Sentinels, something is now causing him to swing at air. Not wanting to let his teammates see him fail, he heads away from the shiny new batting cages where someone from the team might see him and finds himself at Swing Away. Here he meets Alyssa as she critiques his batting style while offering up tips to help - which, to Tristan's pleasure, work. 

 

This is a love story where two high school students meet and fall in love. Like immediately. Not even joking. This is a quote from their first non-date not long after his visit to Swing Away. But first, let me set the scene: Tristan asks to buy Alyssa Starbucks after work. She says yes then meets him at the baseball field where he's waiting with coffee and a blanket. They then proceed to sit under the stars while Tristan wows her with his knowledge of the stars. Alyssa asks him if he wants to wish on one. And here's the quote:

"You make a wish. Mine already came true."

 

You have literally had like two conversations together. Just no.

 

The insta-love was only one of the problems I had with this book. I've read Highley before but I don't remember them being this weighed down with unnecessary drama. It was literally one dramatic thing after another. On top of Tristan's batting fails, once him and Alyssa are all swoony for each other they hit a major roadblock. You see, Tristan's best friend has been crushing on Alyssa and Alyssa's best friend has been crushing on Tristan. Yeah, you read that right. But instead of being honest with their BEST FRIENDS, they lie. Well, obviously they get caught and cue drama! It was like a whole season of One Tree Hill in one 240 page book.

 

 

Sports, love triangles (or was it actually a square?), secrets, lies...  I just could not get into this one. The ending itself was cutesy, if not a little far fetched, but it just wasn't enough to save it for me.

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Review: Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: March 7, 2016
Publisher: Little Brown Books
336 Pages

Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.

Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but good-bye?

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Sophia has one week left in Tokyo. One week to cram in everything she loves about the city and also spend as much time with her friends as she can. When someone from her past decides to make his reentry the same week she is leaving, Sophia is left wondering if her leaving will be overshadowed by an old friends arrival and also, just what exactly does this mean for her?

Jamie and Sophia used to be friends. Really good friends. Until Jamie does something that hurts Sophia badly. He then leaves Tokyo for boarding school in the US and the two get no resolution. That is until Jamie comes back. The two of them find themselves drawn to each other and revealing what went wrong.

This story is just a huge book of misunderstandings. And also lack of communication. Set in a beautiful locale, I expected the author to use it more to help shape the story. Instead, she tells us what it is but doesn't show us. On top of that, we're thrown random Japanese words throughout the book almost in an offhand sort of way. Like the author forgot it was supposed to be set in a foreign country and went back and added those later.

As for the characters, they were ok. I disliked about half of them and the other half I just tolerated. I still could not tell you why some of them were friends. They were horrible to each other - lying, backstabbing, etc. I don't understand why Sophia was soooo in love with David - he was kind of an ass. But Sophia also was on the side of immature so maybe that was it... And then Jamie was like a lost puppy - adorable at times and then like something you need to nurture.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. That beautiful cover didn't help. I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it. It was just okay. Nothing really memorable unfortunately. 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review + Giveaway: Every Little Thing (Hart's Boardwalk #2) by Samantha Young

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Berkley Books
352 Pages

Hartwell, Delaware—the perfect place to get away from it all, and find what you never knew you needed…

Bailey Hartwell has many reasons to feel content—her successful business, a close circle of friends, and her steady boyfriend…even if their romance feels staid after ten years without a serious commitment. The only challenge in her life comes in the form of sexy businessman Vaughn Tremaine. She thinks the ex-New Yorker acts superior and that he considers her a small-town nobody. But when Bailey’s blindsided by a betrayal, she’s shocked to discover Vaughn is actually a decent guy.

Vaughn admires Bailey’s free spirit, independence, and loyalty. As his passion for her has grown, his antagonism toward her has only worsened. Every little thing Bailey does seduces him. But when Vaughn’s painful emotional past makes him walk away in fear he will hurt her, it opens an old wound in Bailey, and she uncharacteristically retreats.

Once Vaughn begins to realize he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, he has no choice but to fight like he’s never fought before to convince Bailey that the love they’ve found together only comes around once in a lifetime.

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I was a little worried that I wasn't going to fall in love with this series. I mean, I liked the first one but it wasn't anything that really stood out to me. But what it did do was get me interested in the follow-up. And let me tell you, the follow-up was worth it!

Bailey Hartwell is the Princess of the Boardwalk. Everyone knows her and everyone loves her. With her family owned inn doing well and her love life secured, Bailey is on top of the world. That is until she walks in on her boyfriend screwing someone else. Suddenly Bailey's world is turned upside down and she begins questioning everything in life and panicking about her future. She doesn't want to end up all alone and feels like she's running out of time.

Vaughn Tremaine left the big city craving the small town life, which is why he set up shop in Hartwell. At first, the town wasn't so sure about this outsider, but over time he's started to warm up to the locals. All except Bailey. And the last thing Vaughn expected was to fall for the one woman who despises him. But when Bailey encounters heartbreak, Vaughn steps up in a way no one, even Vaughn, expects.

What I loved about this book was the progression of Bailey and Vaughn's relationship. It wasn't something that they both just suddenly knew, it was something that had been simmering for a long time until something happened and it blew up. Their banter, their loyalty, and their support of each other just surrounded them and made them that much more stronger.

The town of Hartwell is just adorable. The side characters fill the pages and I want to know more about them and just more about this town. Young created a real community with real problems and feelings and you find yourself wanting these people to succeed in their goals.

Side note, do we know if there's a book 3? I really want Jack's story!

                          

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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review: Operation Prom Date (Tactics in Flirting #1) by Cindi Madsen

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: March 13, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen
223 Pages

Kate ships tons of fictional couples, but IRL her OTP is her and Mick, the hot quarterback she’s crushed on since, like, forever. With only one semester left of senior year, it’s now or never if she wants to land him in time for prom. Since she’s flirtationally challenged, she enlists Cooper Callihan, the guy who turned popular seemingly overnight but who used to be a good friend.
Cooper lives and breathes rowing, but his partner just broke his wrist. When he remembers Kate’s good with a set of oars, he strikes a deal: help him train, and he’ll make sure her crush notices her. Only he didn’t know how addicting spending time with her would be. Or how the more successful the Operation is, the more jealousy he experiences.
The mission has been set. The troops have their marching orders. But what if the target is the wrong guy all along?
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains stargazing, accidental swimming, and poker swindling. This kissing practice will melt your ereader...and give you a new couple to ship.

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In Kate's world of fandoms and OTP's, she clings hard to the fact that there's one person for everyone. In her mind, her true real life OTP is herself and Mick. The only problem is Kate is shy and introverted while Mick is one of the most popular boys in school. So, of course, she's basically had no contact with him. Enter Cooper, an old friend who has gained some popularity recently. Kate enlists Cooper to help her win Mick over in time to go to prom and for his efforts she'll help be his stand-in rowing partner while his real one recovers from injury. Hi-jinks ensue, feelings grow and fade, and Kate is left to question just who is her OTP.

This book was adorable. I related instantly to Kate. I mean, she ships Olicity so how could I not? I mean, look at them...

Source

Ok, sorry, got side tracked. Anyway...I pretty much just got Kate's world. However, the one thing I couldn't get behind was her "OTP". I guess the saying 'love is blind' comes to play here because Kate was pretty much blind to anything about Mick that wasn't in her already perfectly constructed picture.

Source

And then there was Cooper, who obviously was her true OTP because they were just too freaking adorable together. Cooper initially accepts Kate's crazy plan because rowing is his life and he doesn't want to lose practice time. But over the course of spending long hours together, he realizes that Kate is a breath of fresh air from his very scheduled life. She gives him strength when he needs it and even when they seem to be falling apart, she's still there supporting him.

I will say one thing that drove me nuts about Kate is when she's internally complaining about Cooper not liking her back because he isn't showing any signs so he obviously doesn't feel the same way. Girl, you asked him to help you land another guy! Why would he reveal his feelings to you when he thinks you're still in love with Mick?! Ugh, teenagers...

Overall, I adored this. This was my first book from Madsen but am definitely ready to read more. 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

Cover Reveal: Betray My King by Kayla Lavan

ARC Review: Off the Ice (Juniper Falls #1) By Julie Cross

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Publisher: EntangledTeen
320 Pages

All is fair in love and hockey…

Claire O’Connor is back in Juniper Falls, but that doesn’t mean she wants to be. One semester off, that’s what she promised herself. Just long enough to take care of her father and keep the family business—a hockey bar beside the ice rink—afloat. After that, she’s getting the hell out. Again.

Enter Tate Tanley. What happened between them the night before she left town resurfaces the second they lay eyes on each other. But the guy she remembers has been replaced by a total hottie. When Tate is unexpectedly called in to take over for the hockey team’s star goalie, suddenly he’s in the spotlight and on his way to becoming just another egotistical varsity hockey player. And Claire’s sworn off Juniper Falls hockey players for good.

It’s the absolute worst time to fall in love.

For Tate and Claire, hockey isn’t just a game. And they both might not survive a body check to the heart.

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I love that hockey books are becoming a thing. As an avid hockey fan (go Sharks!), I was sad to see so many sports romance books that only revolved around football or baseball, and when hockey was used, it was just a general mention. "He played center." "The game was exciting." No details, no setting the scene, nothing. But that's not the case anymore, there's hockey books everywhere! And while some still fall short of capturing this amazing sport, there are quite a few that seem to know what's up.

In Juniper Falls, hockey is a way of life. If you don't play, you aren't important. No one cares about your future - only your right now. Tate Tanley lives in his fathers shadow. Everyone remembers the great Keith Tanley, but the side they didn't see was what sent Tate to the hospital with a broken arm many nights ago.When Tate gets promoted to starting goalie on the varsity team, suddenly his father is back and is everywhere. Tate is just trying to figure out what he wants. He knows he loves hockey, but the game doesn't feel his. It feels like it's his fathers and he wants to be as far away from that man as he can get.

Claire O'Connell has had her share of bad times. Leaving school a year early after getting accepted to Northwestern, she's back when her father suffers a health emergency. She's the only one who knows what happened with Tate and his father that night with the broken arm. But Tate isn't that scrawny boy she remembers. And as she falls harder and harder for him, she also sees the darkness that's eating away at him. Having to deal with her own demons doesn't help the situation. 

This is my second book from Cross and I still enjoy her writing style. Her characters are alive, the situations believable, and the writing just flows. I loved the camaraderie between Tate and his teammates. And Cross does a good job at showing just how important friends and being part of a team are to high school students. High school is tough. No one knows really who they are or who they want to be so most are just living in the now. And that's what Juniper Falls captures. The now. But Off the Ice shows what happens when you begin to live for tomorrow. 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.