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Review: The Boyfriend Bet

8/26/2016

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The Boyfriend Bet
by Chris Cannon

Synopsis

Zoe Cain knows that Grant Evertide is way out of her league. So naturally, she kisses him. Out of spite. Not only is Grant her brother’s number-one nemesis, but he has zero interest in being tied down to one girl. She’s shocked—and secretly thrilled—when they start spending more time together. 
​

Zoe’s brother claims Grant is trying to make her his “Ringer,” an oh-so-charming tradition where a popular guy dates a non-popular girl until he hooks up with her, then dumps her. Zoe threatens to neuter Grant with hedge clippers if he's lying but Grant swears he isn’t trying to trick her. Still, that doesn’t mean Grant is the commitment type—even if winning a bet is on the line.

Review

So - I have a penchant for cute contemporary romances and this fit the bill. It had an awesome heroine in Zoe because she is funny and strong and just..different. But in a really great way. She likes to play pranks, and bake, and she has an awesome friend in Delia. The two of them together was quite a love story in itself. They were a great fictionalization of an awesome friendship. At the same time, even though Zoe is this wonderful girl, she shows that she's not full of confidence and lets some self-doubt show through. This keeps her character real for me and even more endearing. 

​I wish I could say that I enjoyed the male characters of this book as much as I did the female characters. I didn't like Grant and I felt that his character stayed relatively the same throughout the book. Not everyone gains insight in contemporaries, I get it, but why wouldn't you want your character to gain some insight and grow from their experiences? 

I'm glad I read it because of Zoe and Delia and I am a sucker for fantabulous  female friendships. I wish I could have liked every aspect of this - still give it a shot and tell me what you think!
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Review: Death by Diploma

4/7/2016

1 Comment

 
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Death by Diploma

Chalkboard Outlines Book One
​by Kelley Kaye

Synopsis

Emma Lovett leaves her philandering husband and crosses the country to begin her teaching career at a high school in Pinewood, Colorado.  There, she meets Leslie Parker, a fellow teacher given to quoting Shakespeare to fit all situations, and the two become fast friends.  
 
Arriving at work early one morning, Emma discovers the body of the school custodian, a man who reminds her of her late father. When the police struggle to find the killer, the ladies decide to help solve the murder. Their efforts lead them to a myriad of suspects: the schizophrenic librarian, the crude football coach, the mysterious social studies teacher, and even Emma’s new love interest. 
  
As Emma Lovett discovers the perils of teaching high school, she and Leslie learn more than they ever wanted to know about the reasons people kill. 



Review

I love cozy mysteries and I found this one to be quite a fantastic read! Emma finds out her husband has been cheating on her and decides to leave him (Go Emma!). She then crosses the country and starts working at Thomas Jefferson High School where she gets mixed in with a bit of trouble. The night janitor, who reminds Emma of her father, is found dead by Emma. Along with a co-worker friend, Emma decides to play detective and find out who the killer is. 

The story was filled with kooky characters that certainly made this a fun read. I love getting into these hometown mysteries because they offer some warmth along with their mystery. It's what draws me to their plots, and Death by Diploma is no exception. I recommend this book to all mystery lovers and especially to those who want to be introduced to the genre of the cozy mystery. You're gonna love it!

About the Author

Kelley Kaye taught High School English and Drama for twenty years, but her love for storytelling dates back to creating captions for her high school yearbook. Maybe back to the tales she created around her Barbie and Ken — whatever the case, the love’s been around for a long time. 
 
Kelley is married to this amazing man who cooks for her, and they have two funny and wonderful sons. She lives in Southern California.
 
http://www.kelleykaybowles.com/
On Twitter: @kelkay1202
Check out the book trailer for Death by Diploma:
https://youtu.be/CAMXkR3kA-8
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Review: Best Friends with Benefits

3/18/2016

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Best Friends with Benefits
a Most Likely To novel
by Candy Sloane

Synopsis

Seven minutes in heaven never felt so good…
​

Valerie Barkin and Alec Rogers survived bullies, awful parents, and seriously shitty social standing the only way best friends can—together. But with the unexpected sexual tension suddenly flaring between them, surviving their ten-year high school reunion might be a different story…
​

Val hasn’t changed. She still feels like the stringy-haired band geek the popular kids teased, but Alec has definitely changed. He’s now the front man for the Grammy-winning rock band Chronic Disharmony, with the sexual reputation to match. And he’s more than willing to help Val rock the reunion.

And then it happens—a drunken game of Seven Minutes in Heaven—and their fourteen-years-long foreplay comes crashing to the forefront…changing everything.

Seven minutes turns into a weekend of mind-blowing, no-strings-attached sex. But these best friends won't be able to leave their hearts out of it forever, not when the most meaningful benefit could change their relationship for good.

Review

My heart is a flutter with this story because it is basically every non-requited crush dream come to life. *dreamy sigh* But I digress - beware of spoilers!

I am usually not a fan of the best friends turned lovers story - I don't know why exactly. This story, however, was different in that the best friends have been apart for many years and when they first see each other - they don't expect the attraction to be as present. Val is coming off of a break up from a guy who didn't ever want to marry her and Alec is the quintessential bad boy rocker. There is definitely a sweetness when they are together and that tender side eventually gives in to their growing attraction as they attend their high school reunion. 

I definitely liked how our two protagonists were once geeks and are now pretty cool, each in their own right. I also appreciated how being back in their hometown brought back insecurities - you never can escape everything about high school, right? With each other's support, however, they're able to move past the bullies and annoyances of their youth. I enjoyed how even though Alec is a big time star, he still has affection for his best friend and is not a cocky jerk. He's pretty goofy and funny - with a twist of sexiness. 

There were a few things I didn't enjoy, but I was able to ignore in order to enjoy the story. One was Val's fixation on getting married. I can take it that rejection is horrible - and the concept of rejection is a big part of the story - but I didn't like that not being proposed to equaled "there's something wrong with me". I wish Val could have shown how much she's grown as a person from the get-go instead of when Alec enters the picture.  The other thing I didn't like was how Val's encounter with one of her bullies, the school's "mean girl", happened. Alec stands up for Val and Val gets back at her bully - but in a "under the radar way." I would have loved seeing Val square off with her bully, face to face, and finally standing up for herself. 

The end was pretty good and it does end in a proposal - but not in the usual way! I really was grateful for that because it did not hinder my liking the story. Since the story is told from a dual perspective, we know that Alec is going to propose, he's got the ring in his pocket and everything. What's different is that we don't read about him actually doing it or read about Val saying yes - the reader knows she's going to say "yes." That, worked out perfect for me. See? I'm not totally against proposals at the end of books!

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much I read it in a day :) I recommend it to my romance lovers out there!

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Review: Playing Defense

3/15/2016

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Playing Defense

a Corrigan Falls novel
by Cate Cameron

Synopsis


Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains adult language, swoon-worthy kisses, and sexy hockey players. It may cause you to watch a hockey game...or ten.
​

Sixteen-year-old Claudia Waring has never kissed a boy. Never been popular. Never been to a hockey game. All that’s about to change. Assigned to tutor Chris Winslow, a prank-loving, gorgeous hockey player, Claudia’s perfectly planned life immediately veers off course. And she kind of likes it. But as fun as Chris is, she knows she'll never fit in his world.

After his latest prank lands him in hot water, Chris has to get serious about school or lose hockey. Not an easy thing for someone as carefree as the defenseman. The biggest problem, though, is how much he wants to help his cute, buttoned-up tutor loosen up a little. But while confidence has never been a problem for him, around Claudia, Chris is all nerves. Why would a girl as smart as her ever fall for a jock like him

Review

There are gonna be spoilers all over this review. I'm sorry - but it's that good. 


Playing Defense impressed me. I don't know if I can describe it any other way. On one side, it is a cute, popular guy-geeky girl romance. A little insta-lovey, but not really because Claudia and Chris both grow into their feelings. The attraction, however, insta-there. There is some talk about sex which is handled very well. Bravo. 

But then there's the other stuff. And the other stuff is what really makes this young adult book so different than others. The other stuff is the part that every young adult book is essentially about, but this one is so wonderfully blatant about it. Claudia is terrified of growing up - and never realized it until she met Chris. Chris signifies what she's been missing since she's so focused on her academic life. Friends, attraction, dating, caring about someone - these are things that Claudia has yet to experience even though she's nearing the end of her high school career. Chris isn't totally unaffected either - Claudia makes him realize that there is more to him than someone who is good at hockey. He learns that it's worth trying even if you think you're going to fail because, as Claudia so perfectly puts it, "Failure is temporary."

Together, Chris and Claudia learn that growing up can mean a different things for different people, but it's worth changing and growing because, even though you get to experience horrible things (you'll understand when you read the book), you get to experience really wonderful ones too.

This book made me think about how I challenge myself - and how I keep myself dormant. It's something I'm going to keep thinking about, and I probably wouldn't have done so at this time, had it not been for this book. I am no longer a young adult - but that doesn't mean I've stopped growing. I recommend this book to people of all ages - it may have teenagers in love, but there are real lessons being taught that are well worth our time. 

Plus it's funny lol
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Review: Losing the Light

2/23/2016

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Losing the Light
by Andrea Dunlop

Synopsis

A smart, obsessive debut novel about a young woman studying abroad who becomes caught up in a seductive French world—and a complex web of love and lust.

When thirty-year-old Brooke Thompson unexpectedly runs into a man from her past, she’s plunged headlong into memories she’s long tried to forget about the year she spent in France following a disastrous affair with a professor.

As a newly arrived exchange student in the picturesque city of Nantes, young Brooke develops a deep and complicated friendship with Sophie, a fellow American and stunning blonde, whose golden girl façade hides a precarious emotional fragility. Sophie and Brooke soon become inseparable and find themselves intoxicated by their new surroundings—and each other.

But their lives are forever changed when they meet a sly, stylish French student, Veronique, and her impossibly sexy older cousin, Alex. The cousins draw Sophie and Brooke into an irresistible world of art, money, decadence, and ultimately, a disastrous love triangle that consumes them both. And of the two of them, only one will make it home.

Review

A wonderfully executed debut novel! It involves Brooke remembering a year she studied abroad when she tried to leave behind the aftermath of an affair with her professor. She quickly became friends with Sophie, another American headed for France. Once there they meet Veronique and her cousin Alex. The girls experience a year that will forever change who they are. 

At it's core, this novel is about friendships - how rewarding they can be, but also how disastrous. It is perfect for the France-lover (reader, you will feel transported), but it is especially well made for those individuals who know how others can very much affect how and who you are, if you allow them to. 

The story is gripping, to say the least - surprising and rich. Anyone looking for an intricate tale will be happy they picked this one up. 

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