Review: The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Title: The Deal
Author: Elle Kennedy
Series: Off-Campus, Book 1
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 24 February 2015

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy...

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

...and it’s going to be oh so good.

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

What in the name of hell took me so long to read this?? I would say I don't know what I was thinking...but the truth of the matter is that I do. I was going to say that New Adult and me don't really get along, but the truth of the matter is that I'm incredibly gun-shy about it. First, I've read a MILLION reviews of NA books from friends, and they horrify me. Second, NA is - primarily - contemporary romance; not my favorite genre. Third, I'm not a fan of angst, and there's usually plenty of angst to go around in New Adult. So, I get them, because they sound good, but then they languish on my shelf for ages until I finally pick them up.

No matter how much I love Elle Kennedy's Out of Uniform series (and I seriously love that series - don't judge me that it's more sex than story, at least for the first half dozen books - it's fun AND sexy as fucking hell), it still took a friend's amazing updates to make me excited to pick this up. I have mentioned that I'm not a fan of NA, right? I want to be, I swear I do, and I've actually had pretty good luck - but that's probably because I'm incredibly picky, and only read the NA that my trusted friends vouch for.

And then, even when I'd decided to read it, I waited until I had some buddies to read it with. Because I'm a coward. And, if it sucked, I needed someone to bitch with and commiserate with.

First things first, because when I opened the book and read this sentence - on the first page - I wish I'd had a little warning.

***TRIGGER WARNING***:

The heroine in this novel was raped, five years before the start of the book, but it is mentioned fairly frequently. She's still dealing with it, and it comes up in discussions, thoughts, and memories in regards to some situations. And I'll talk about it a lot in my review below.

Cover Reveal: Cam Girl by Leah Raeder

I fell in love with Leah Raeder when I read her first book Unteachable. It made me think, made me love, made me uncomfortable. It made me feel.

Ever since I've been closely following her releases, looking forward to each and every one.

Now. Even though it's not coming out until November 3rd, 2015, is Cam Girl. The newest story by this wonderful author. And I'm pleased to be a part of the cover reveal here!

Vada Bergen is broke, the black sheep of her family, and moving a thousand miles away from home for grad school, but she’s got the two things she loves most: her art, and her best friend and soulmate, Ellis Carraway. Elle and Vada have a friendship so consuming it’s hard to tell where one girl ends and the other begins. It’s intense. It’s a little codependent. And nothing can tear them apart.

Until an accident on an icy winter road changes everything.

Vada is left deeply scarred, both emotionally and physically. Her once-promising art career is cut short. And Ellis pulls away, unwilling to talk about that night. Everything Vada loved is gone.

She’s got nothing left to lose.

So when she meets a smooth-talking lothario who offers to set her up as a cam girl, she can’t say no. All Vada has to do is spend a couple hours each night taking off her clothes on webcam, and the “tips” come pouring in.

It’s all just kinky fun till a client gets serious. “Blue” is mysterious, alluring, and more interested in Vada’s life than her body. Online, they open up to each other intimately. Blue helps her heal. And he pays well, but he wants her all to himself. No more cam shows. She agrees, because she’s starting to fall for him. And when he asks to meet, she says yes. Because she’s dying to know the real man behind the keyboard.

Even if one of his conditions is to bring Ellis. The girl who wants nothing to do with her anymore.

Now Vada must confront the past she’s been running from. A past full of devastating secrets—those of others, and those she’s been keeping from herself...

Review: The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost

Title: The Beautiful Ashes
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Broken Destiny, Book 1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 26 August 2014

In a world of shadows, anything is possible. Except escaping your fate.

Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been gripped by visions of strange realms just beyond her own. But when her sister goes missing, Ivy discovers the truth is far worse—her hallucinations are real, and her sister is trapped in a parallel realm. And the one person who believes her is the dangerously attractive guy who's bound by an ancient legacy to betray her.

Adrian might have turned his back on those who raised him, but that doesn't mean he can change his fate…no matter how strong a pull he feels toward Ivy. Together they search for the powerful relic that can save her sister, but Adrian knows what Ivy doesn't: that every step brings Ivy closer to the truth about her own destiny, and a war that could doom the world. Sooner or later, it will be Ivy on one side and Adrian on the other. And nothing but ashes in between...

The Beautiful Ashes opens right in the thick of things. Ivy is traveling to find her sister, who has been missing for a couple of weeks. She's determined to find her, and being all alone in the world the cost doesn't matter. To be honest, I found Ivy a little contradictory - and I think I mean that in a good way. She would feel like this eminently strong character one moment, and then like she was going to break the next. It's believable that that's how one would react to what she's dealing with, but at the same time I rolled my eyes a few times. Finding out her hallucinations are real and out to get her ... I'd be more than a little freaked.

Most Anticipated Books of 2014

2013 was a decent year for reading for me, but I was hoping for so much more. Fortunately, I have plenty to look forward to in 2014 - most of these are from tried and true, and favorite, authors of mine, however there are a few that I'm looking forward to from new-to-me authors as well.

Review: Unteachable by Leah Raeder

Title: Unteachable
Author: Leah Raeder
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Release Date: 27 July 2013

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.

The feels this book brought out in me! I'm not even sure I can do a review justice. So I'll apologize for the stream of consciousness feel to this post.

This book has some of the most amazing writing I've read from a new - to me - author in a very long time. Then there were the beautiful, painful, devastating, wonderful moments that resonated so deeply with me. This brought me back to my intense loves, first loves, painful moments, and awkward moments and made me feel the feelings that I had at those times - sometimes the feelings I still have.

There are some incredible moments of clarity from Maise, an eighteen year old girl that is - in some ways - much more mature than other young women her age and at the same time so very much a child in her thoughts and ways. There were times when I was in absolute awe of her, and others when I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up. No matter what I was with her throughout the entire painful, ecstatic journey.

The characters are what drug me through this story. The three main characters have an incredible depth; they had flaws that made them real people, with histories and futures and I'm sure I've known each one of them - maybe even been some of them - at different points in my life. I won't say too much about anyone other than Maise because I really think they're best learned as you go through the story.

My one issue, if you could even really call it that, is that there's a bit a slow spot coming up to the halfway point in Unteachable. I was reading in fits in starts, on breaks at work, so that could have affected how I felt about the story - but to me, it felt like there was nothing really happening.

One small thing, but it didn't much matter though because I was utterly entranced by the writing and the journey these flawed characters were taking. I'd recommend this without reservations to anyone that wants to read a beautifully written, intensely emotional story. I know I'll be picking up anything by Leah Raeder in the future.

Grade: A-


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Review: Defiance by Stephanie Tyler

Title: Defiance
Author: Stephanie Tyler
Series: Defiance, Book 1
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, New Adult, Romance
Release Date: 10 June 2013

Rebelling against her legacy as the MC's princess, Tru Tennyson escaped the ruthless, male-dominated culture of the Defiance motorcycle club. Three years later, her newfound freedom is ripped away, thanks to a massive hybrid storm that killed millions. Now, in the post-Chaos world of semi-darkness and near-total anarchy where gangs rule, she discovers the dangerous world of Defiance may be the one thing that can keep her safe.

Tru is at the MC's mercy when she's dragged back to her former home … and to the only man she's ever pictured a future with. Caspar is the bastard son of the club's leader, her safe haven when life got rough — and her onetime lover the night she left. When Tru refuses to trade sex for power and be claimed by a rival club leader, she also dares to announce she wants Caspar instead, throwing the MC into turmoil.

Tru's brazen revolt could start a gang war and destroy the club from within. Now both Tru and the MC must wait for Caspar's response … and the inevitable fallout.

Motorcycle Club books are everywhere these days – at least they’re filling up my Goodreads feed. It seems like all my friends are reading and loving them. I know some people in motorcycle clubs in real life, but haven’t ever spent time with them in that capacity, nor do I watch Sons of Anarchy. So this is my first experience with this type of extreme setting. And it is extreme.

It’s also incredibly interesting. This book does a lot. Not only is it a MC (as they’re frequently called) book, but it’s New Adult – both characters are in their early-twenties – and it’s Post-Apocalyptic. I have to say I was a little concerned it was trying to take on too much. That the book would be spread so thin that the story would be lost and garbled. I was most definitely wrong.

The world has suffered a cataclysmic series of events. Ash covers the sky, governments have pretty much collapsed, and the only law is the one you’re willing to enforce yourself. In this time the Defiance motorcycle club is surviving fairly well. Prior to the apocalypse they were well-prepped, with bunkers, firearms, provisions, and a well-built compound with plenty of space to defend and keep. Survival of the fittest seems to be the rule of the game here. Whatever it takes, is a close second.

I admit that I had my doubts about the MC being this organized, prepared, and well-stocked. But as soon as I accepted it for what it was, and accepted that this was how the MCs operated – there was more than one – I fell right into this world where might makes right.

The characters were my favorite part though. Tru was running from a truly horrible childhood before the disasters, but when hard times hit it became too dangerous. Pretty soon she ends up back with her “family” and now they have to figure out what to do with her. I liked Tru, she’s not perfect. She has some serious flaws, like always thinking of running first, but she is willing to recognize them and try to fight for what she wants. Even if it’s herself she’s fighting against. When she decides to go and declare her intention to ‘bond’, and by that I mean basically marry/mate/commit etc. Whatever you want to call it. She becomes someone’s old-lady, in their vernacular, gets tattooed and falls under his protection. Anyway, when she declares that she’s going to bond with the bastard-son of the MC leader – all hell breaks loose.

Casper isn’t sure whether to be happy or pissed when Tru comes back. And when she calls on him to bond with her, it demands a lot of maneuvering and preparing. When Tru left years ago, Casper was barely acknowledged as accepted. Now he’s an Enforcer of the Definance MC, basically the second in command. He’s helping to run the MC and keep things working well for them. Can he accept Tru as his old-lady, save her, and still maintain the safety of the MC? Especially when there’s a rival MC calling for her blood.

As Tru and Casper decide how they’re going to make it not only work, but excel they both learn a lot about themselves and each other. I can’t get too much into the overall story, because I have to admit there are some twists and turns. And a lot of double-dealing, so it seems. I’m, honestly, not sure how anyone trusted anyone else, thought it made for one hell of an exciting ride!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. My first foray into the MC stories that are popping up everywhere. I do admit, that being a pretty big outsider to this kind of culture, some of the references, talk, and slang flew over my head. There are some words that I still don’t know what they mean, but it wasn’t enough to seriously detract from my enjoyment. I’ll definitely be grabbing the next one in the series as this one ended with a BANG! I can’t wait to see what happens next with some of the other characters I really came to enjoy.

Rating: B

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