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: Make Me by Beth Kery

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: February 7, 2017
Publisher: Berkley
528 Pages

Available for the first time as a complete novel—the serial from the New York Times bestselling author of When I’m With You that explores hidden pasts, dangerous obsessions, and uncontrollable passion...
 
Harper McFaddan established herself as an investigative journalist by being both compassionate and fearless. After tragedy strikes her family, she moves to the shores of Lake Tahoe to find some peace. But when mysterious software mogul Jacob Latimer enters her life, her thoughts turn from her own healing to an insatiable desire to get closer to him...

No one knows what secrets lurk in the past of Jacob Latimer. He built his corporation from nothing, but rumors abound about his mysterious rise to power. Harper is the last person he should let into his life. She could expose the truth about his origins. But Jacob knows things about Harper’s past that draw him in. He wants nothing more than to make her his—and Jacob is a man who always gets what he wants...

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Jacob Latimer has a past and it's not a good one. He's worked very hard to reinvent himself from that scrawny, helpless little boy to one of the most powerful men in the world. But when he runs into Harper one morning on the beach, everything he's built threatens to crumble. And all because of the one girl he could never have.

Harper McFaddan moved to Tahoe Shores to regroup. After losing her parents, she feels lost and the pace of the big city becomes too much for her. When she meets Jacob, he's not familiar to her at all. There's nothing about him currently that connects him to the boy who saved her many years ago. But as they get closer and closer, Harper's memory starts to realize that there may be more to this man then meets the eye.

I'm normally not one for erotica but this one held my interest. I pretty much read the whole thing on the edge because I was just waiting for Harper to connect the dots. It was a very predictable plot but honestly, I feel like most eroticas are. There's a formula and, hey, if it works, why fix it?

I enjoyed reading about Jacob and how he was able to turn his life completely around. I mean, this was a kid who came from nothing and is now one of the richest in the world. The sex scenes were done well and not overused like a majority of eroticas I have read. Yeah, I know, how dare I want plot amid my sex! And while their backstory was interesting, it definitely was heavy with the drama. And man, did the drama just keep coming. It was also extremely long, but since this was a serialized story, the individual parts made sense to be a little long because when you're only getting a little at a time, you always want more. But put all together, it made for a rather lengthy read for romance.

Overall, it wasn't anything that was exactly new (rich, playboy dom wants demure, wholesome girl) but I enjoyed it. 

 

I received an e-copy of the novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Review: The Conspiracy of Us (The Conspiracy of Us #1) by Maggie Hall

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Publisher: Putnam Juvenille
336 Pages

To fight her destiny as the missing heir to a powerful and dangerous secret society, sixteen-year-old Avery West must solve an ancient puzzle in a deadly race across Europe. Forbidden love and code-breaking, masked balls and explosions, destiny and dark secrets collide in this romantic thriller.

Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada at the Champs-Elysees when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war.

They are part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle of Twelve, and Avery is their missing heir. If they discover who she is, some of them will want to use her as a pawn. Some will want her dead.

To thwart their plans, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the landmarks of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul and through a web of ancient legends and lies. And unless she can stay one step ahead of beautiful, volatile Stellan, who knows she’s more than she seems, and can decide whether to trust mysterious, magnetic Jack, she may be doomed after all.

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I would describe this book as the DaVinci Code for teens. Avery West is you typical high school student - well, except she constantly moves around thanks to her mother's job and therefore sees no point in making lasting friendships or relationships of any kind. Other than that, she's friendly to those friendly to her and also manages to enjoy a life of solitude with only her mom since her dad left when she was a baby and she has no other family to speak of. But Avery isn't the only new kid this time. There's also Jack- the mysterious brooding, sometimes 'I have an English accent but only when I'm talking secretively on my cell phone', hot boy. When Avery finds out that Jack has been carrying around her picture - she first thinks stalker but then thinks crush maybe? Avery isn't so bright in this book, just saying.

On the night of her prom, Avery is confronted by both Jack and the mysterious Stellan (who appeared out of nowhere) - both boys are wanting to take her away (like kidnap). With the promise of meeting her long lost family, Avery hops on a place to Paris with stranger Stellan.

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I told you she's not too bright. I mean, who does that???

Anyway, along the way she finds out that her father was part of this powerful secret society dating back to Alexander the Great. This society is responsible for every major event in history but their power is dwindling in this new age world. Their hope lies in a prophesy that talks about 'The One' who will marry the girl with violet eyes. Guess what? I'm sure you guessed it. Avery has violet eyes (though she covers them with contacts because who has violet eyes?). But why? Who is she? Is she the one prohesized to save them all even though there's another baby girl with violet eyes about to be born? 

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I struggled with the beginning of the book. Avery, especially. She literally had no clue about anything or thought about the consequences. I get that she wants to know about her father and the chance that she has family out there is astounding to her. But I also feel that someone over the age of 15 would question these things - not just jump on a plane to Paris. And this isn't the only reckless thing she does. She is constantly just taking every ones word at face value, not questioning anything until after she's in trouble.

About around the halfway mark, the book picks up. This is when the DaVinci Code factor comes in. Avery and Jack are running around Europe chasing clues left by Jack's mentor hoping to uncover some ancient secret. This was fun. I loved the history and the locations. This saved the book and it's also when I felt the author came into the story.

The story ends on a cliffhanger which has me wanting to read the second one because now, I'm invested. I mean, secrets were revealed! Plots were unearthed! Prophecies coming true and 'The One' revealed! But what will this mean for Avery? And can her and Jack prove what they've just found out? With a bunch of power hungry families wanting to tie themselves to ultimate power, logic and reason are out the window. And what about 'The One'? Will he actually save them or damn them all?

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Book Review: When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: November 29, 2016
Publisher: Berkley
304 Pages

 Jayne Ann Krentz, the New York Times bestselling author of Secret Sisters, delivers a thrilling novel of the deceptions we hide behind, the passions we surrender to, and the lengths we’ll go to for the truth...

When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her step-sister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished.

Beautiful, brilliant—and reckless—Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends, women in a Seattle-based online investment club, for answers. But what they find is chilling…

When her uneasy alliance with Max turns into a full-blown affair, Charlotte has no choice but to trust him with her life. For the shadows of Jocelyn’s past are threatening to consume her—and anyone else who gets in their way...

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A nice, solid mystery. 

Charlotte and Jocelyn have always been close - it's that sisterly bond everyone always talks about. But when one of Jocelyn's friends is murdered, Charlotte starts to think that maybe her sister isn't at a retreat at all, but has instead disappeared off the grid. Working with Max Cutler, a PI hired to look into the murder, Charlotte stumbles into a very deadly game of cat and mouse - only she's not sure which role is her sister.

This was my first book by Krentz and I found it enjoyable. It moved along at a good pace for a thriller and the premise seemed plausible. In the beginning of reading, I got a little jarred by the many POV's that popped up - it seemed there was a new one every chapter and that made it hard to grasp the characters so it took me a bit to really feel out Charlotte and Max, who were ultimately the main characters. 

The breakdown of the mystery flowed well. Once you realize how all the pieces fit together you kind of get that AHA moment and then buckle down for the resolution. The one thing I had an issue with, or that rubbed me the wrong way, was the romance. I'm all for romance and can get behind the whole 'circumstances brought us together'. But what didn't sit well with me came in right before the end. I get that Charlotte and Max shared this insane experience together and I bought their connection, but that ending - talk about moving way too fast.

Overall, this was a good book. Perfect thriller for those cold winter nights. Grab a blanket, some tea, and curl up on the couch!

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

ARC Review: Down Shift (Driven #8) by K Bromberg

The review as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Signet
416 Pages

The New York Times bestselling Driven series continues with a standalone story about finding love where you least expect it…
 
Behind the wheel, racing champion Zander Donavan is at the top of his game. But after too much excess in his personal life, he’s forced to step away. He needs to accomplish something all on his own—outside of his famous father’s shadow. 

Getty Caster is running away from the abuse that clouds her past. She thinks she’s found the perfect escape—until she discovers a stranger in the beachside cottage she’d been promised. He’s undeniably sexy, but she’s there to heal. Alone.

Before long though, fighting with each other turns into fighting their attraction. And giving into desire sets off a chain reaction that has their pasts colliding. With an unexpected love on the line, can they overcome the fallout to build a future?

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I've only read a total of, I think, 3 books from this series, but I've enjoyed them all. Down Shift surprised me. While reading the first few chapters I wasn't quite sure I would like it all that much and then the story broke and we got to the heart of the journey and I was sucked in.

"Just jump"

 

From what I've gathered, Zander is from the first book in the series. Since I started on book 5, I didn't have the pleasure of meeting Zander when he was a kid. When I met him, he was an angry young man having just uncovered some horrible truths about his childhood that his own mind had locked away. My first impression was not a kind one. Here was a man throwing away his career and family over anger. He chose not too talk about it, to find the truth in the lies, but instead lost sponsors and was fired from his racing team - by his own father. 

We then jump to Getty. A very timid and cautious young woman hiding out on a coastal island. What she's running from we don't know yet. She's the complete opposite of Zander's harshness. She's working at a local bar and staying at a cottage owned by an old friend of her mothers when she suddenly gets an unexpected houseguest - Zander.Both having been told they could stay there - one from the wife and one from the husband- they must learn how to live together with their secrets.

 

One thing that I do like from Bromberg is nothing is instantaneous. Yes, there's attraction - but attraction happens instantly. Relationships need to be built, both friendship and more, and Bromberg recognizes this. Especially with two characters who have such messed up pasts. They begin as just two people cohabiting, then slowly a friendship emerges, trust is built until suddenly there are stronger feelings. But as we all know, with these stronger feelings comes more problems. 

Getty's past catches up with her forcing her to finally stand up to the people who held her down. With Zander's help, she's able to see that it wasn't all in her head and she had a good reason for running. I really liked how Zander didn't swoop in and make everything all right, instead he helped her become string enough to stand on her own. In return, Getty showed Zander that it's ok to be vulnerable and that sometimes the past isn't what we thought it was. Letting go and moving forward, while it may be hard, is the best thing to do. 

A story about coming to terms with the past and moving ahead toward the future. Down Shift is drama, pain, and sweetness all rolled into one. 

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

Blog Tour: One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk #1) by Samantha Young

I absolutely adore Samantha Young's writing and I am super excited to take part in the release day Blog Tour for her new series. Young writes romance in ways that just keep you swooning and wanting more! If you haven't checked her out yet, I strongly encourage you to.

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Berkley
382 Pages

Welcome to Hartwell, a quiet seaside escape where uncovering old secrets could lead one woman to discover the meaning of a love that lasts…

While Doctor Jessica Huntington engages with the inmates at the women’s correctional facility where she works, she’s always careful to avoid emotional attachments in her personal life. Loss and betrayal taught her that lesson long ago. But when she comes across a set of old love letters in the prison’s library and visits the picturesque town of Hartwell to deliver them to their intended recipient, she finds herself unable to resist the town’s charm—and her attraction to the sexy owner of a local bar proves equally hard to deny.

Since his divorce from his unfaithful ex-wife, Cooper Lawson has focused on what really matters: his family and the boardwalk pub they’ve owned for generations. But the first time Jessica steps into his bar, Cooper is beyond tempted to risk his heart on her. Yet as their attraction grows hotter and Jessica remains stubbornly closed off, he begins to realize it will take more than just passion to convince her there’s only one real thing in life worth fighting for…

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“You’re not walking back to the inn alone at night, Doc. We’ve been over that.” He grinned as she flushed at the reminder of their make-out session on the beach.

She huffed. “I’m perfectly capable of doing so.”

“Not arguing about it.”

“What happened to the enlightened gentleman who let me pay for dinner the other day?”

“Splitting the cost of a date is different from seeing to your safety.”

“Date?” Bailey’s ears perked up.

“Fine, you can walk me home,” Jessica said abruptly, cutting off Bailey’s curiosity. “’Bye, all!” She hurried out of the house.

Cooper was met by four amused stares. He smiled back at them and Bailey looked ready to burst with delight. She thought they were a tag team.

They weren’t.

Cooper still wanted the doc to make up her own mind.

Didn’t mean teasing her wasn’t fun as hell.

He hurried to catch up with her outside. “Hold your horses, Doc.”

She turned to wait for him. The sadness he caught on her face kicked the amusement right out of him.

They walked together toward the inn in silence until Cooper couldn’t take it anymore. It needed to be talked about. “You happy back in Wilmington, Doc?”

He felt her tense beside him. She suddenly threw her hands up in seeming frustration. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know. But I do know that my life is back in Wilmington, Cooper. My job is there. And I’m good at my job. Those women need someone like me. I made a commitment to my job that I can’t just break.”

“And what about you?” he argued. “What about what you need?”

Her only answer was this pained expression he didn’t quite understand.

It was full of so much hurt he decided to drop it.

Silence fell between them, but the usual camaraderie he enjoyed so much between them was gone. As the moments passed, he was aware of everything about her. The heat of her body close to his, the quick rise and fall of her chest that told him she was just as affected by his closeness, the little tremble in her full bottom lip he didn’t think she was even aware of.

The previous night, he’d dreamed about her.

She was in his bar like the day they’d met. No one else around but them.

He’d fucked her on top of one of the tables.

Fast. Furious.

So hot.

Cooper had woken up only to jump into the shower. He’d closed his eyes and remembered the dream as he took care of himself.

It was empty, so fucking empty, in comparison to what reality could be.

His dick tightened in his jeans thinking about it, his gaze shooting to Jessica’s mouth. It was time to remind her what was possible between them.

Cooper grabbed her wrist and pushed her up against the side of Dahlia’s gift shop. The alley between it and George’s place was dark and silent except for their heavy breathing. He pinned her in, his hands braced on the wall at either side of her head.

Jessica stared up at him with those big, dark eyes. “Coop—”

He cut off her coming question with his mouth just like last time.

She tasted of the mint ice cream they’d had for dessert and something else. Something all Jess.

She whimpered against his kiss a second before he felt her tongue touch his and that was it.

He was lost.

His kiss turned hungry as a feeling of desperation came over him and he pressed his body down the length of hers. The lush feel of her mouth mingled with the weight of her breasts pressed to him was enough on its own to fire him up, but when she wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her fingers in his hair to draw him closer, he was done for.

He gripped her ass in his hand, urging her closer, his dick straining against her belly. His hand slid down to the back of her thigh and he hiked one of her legs up against his hip so he could be where he needed to be, fitting snugly between her thighs.

Fuck, he wished she were wearing a skirt.

“Cooper.” She breathed out his name, breaking the kiss. Her head fell back and her eyes fluttered with the sensation of him rubbing against her, mimicking sex. Her cheeks were flushed as she moaned and dug her hands into his shoulders to hold on. She flexed her hips against his and he felt his nerve endings catch fire.

He needed to be inside her.

The soft skin of her throat called to him and, as she gyrated against him, he tasted her, pressing kisses down her neck and across her collarbones. He moved his other hand down her back as his mouth reached the rise of her breasts. He brushed his thumb over the thin shirt and bra that hid them from him and groaned as her nipple visibly pebbled through the material.

If they didn’t stop soon he was going to take her right there.

“Fuck.” He pulled away from her abruptly and she stumbled back against the wall, looking as dazed as he felt.

All he’d wanted was a taste of her.

Now he knew for certain that just a taste would never be enough with this woman. “Tell me,” he said, a little breathless, “tell me you’ve got this back in Wilmington, Doc.”

He watched the muscle in her jaw twitch as she clenched her teeth.

She couldn’t tell him.

He knew that. Because what they had between them didn’t come around very often.

“Doc?” he persisted, and he learned in that moment that Jessica Huntington was not only smart and sassy but stubborn as hell.

“I can’t do this”—she gestured between them—“not with you.”

And she walked away.

Gutting him.

He was just asking her to think about making room in her life for him. The fact that she wouldn’t even contemplate it for a second, when his blood was on fire with need for her and his mind was on her most hours of the day, was like a gaping wound.

Strangely, the pain fired his determination. Jessica Huntington was lying to herself. Cooper didn’t know why, but he was going to find out.

By then the doc would be in his bed.

Right where they both knew she belonged.

 __________________________

Whoa...so what do you guys think? I think I'm going to break out my copy tonight!

Thank you to Berkley for allowing me to participate in this blog tour!

 

Book Review: Shades of Earth (Across the Universe #3) by Beth Revis

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: November 13, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
448 Pages

The final book in the  New York Times  bestselling trilogy, perfect for fans of Battlestar Galactica and Prometheus!

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship  Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh—to build a home—on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who—or what—else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed—friends, family, life on Earth—will have been for nothing.

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All I gotta say is, just go with your gut people!

Oh man, this book. It was all over the place hitting every emotion on the spectrum: sadness, horror, fear, happiness, love, wonderment...you name it, it was there. But honestly, I guess that's to be expected when you land on a new planet and are unsure of what awaits you. Revis did a great job at describing this new place to us. I could see it visually and found myself, like the characters, wanting to explore and uncover its secrets. And there were a lot of secrets.

Having decided to leave Godspeed behind and lead some of his people to this new Earth, Elder finds himself in over his head. These people look at him to lead and he's just as confused as the rest of them. Amy's solution: wake up the frozens. As you can guess this doesn't go over well. The shipborns are terrified of the earthborns. The earthborns don't understand the shipborns. And then there's Amy's father - now head of the mission. He immediately takes over, giving orders and taking charge.

I was not a fan of Amy's parents. Her father didn't recognize Elder as a leader mostly because of his age, which I get, but he didn't take time to try to understand these new people. He completely disregarded anything his daughter tried to tell him. Yes, he was trying to set up a new colony on a new planet but at the same time, wouldn't you think he would want to know why Amy was woken up early, what happened on Godspeed, how Elder came to be, ANYTHING. Especially her mother who was a scientist! It's literally her job to ask questions!

And don't get me started on Chris.

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The world building and the sci-fi element were what made this book for me. When people started dying from mysterious creatures I wanted to know more! The explanation - maybe not as cool as it could have been but interesting. I just wished that I hadn't predicted a majority of the book so early on. Overall this was a solid 3 star series for me and I am interested in what else the author has to offer.