Give Me Something

Here's the deal... I learned a long time ago that sometimes you have to use what you've got to make things happen. What I happen to have is a pretty smile, long legs and the ability to make men believe anything I say. Before you get on your high horse and start judging me, can you honestly say you've never batted your lashes at some guy for a free drink at the bar? That's what I thought.

Keep that in mind as I tell you my story of how I took it one step further. My story of lies, deceit, manipulation and love. Yeah, love. Believe me, it fits. Especially, when you factor in Nick and Tucker – one had my heart and the other one wanted it all for himself. Which one? Well, I can't tell you that. It would defeat the purpose of the story. If I'm going to fill you in about me, Lila Garrison, and my life as a con artist you're going to need to know all the facts, including the ones about the two guys who made me want to give up the life of fancy clothes, expensive jewelry, fast cars and easy money. Because sometimes, one person can give you something that's more valuable than all of that.

If you're still interested, stick around. Just remember, I'm pretty good at convincing people to do what I want, so if by the end of this whole thing you feel worked over, don't say I didn't warn you.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Give Me Something
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Lee
GENRE: New Adult

Since I've been in a perpetual con artist high lately, I decided to make a short review of this New Adult book.

3.5 stars

Trickster, bamboozler, grifter. There were lots of names for what I did, but only one that everyone seemed to know -- con artist. That was me and I was good at it.

That was Lila talking, btw. She's currently a sophomore at a private college which she didn't pay for. And guess how that happened?

a. She slept with an admin
b. She blackmailed the dean

  
Ding, ding ding.

Time's up guys. 

Sorry to disappoint, but slut isn't Lila's middle name. It would be a huge disappointment on my part if she turned out to be one. I don't want my female MCs to be sleeping around in exchange for something that one can actually work hard for.

So of course, she just blackmailed the dean to get scholarship. Who knew compromising photos could turn handy one day?

Since she ran away from home 5 years ago (for reasons so materialistic I wanted to bang her head on the wall to shake some sense into her), she'd been in love with her con-partner-slash-pimp, Nick.

 

Nick owes someone something, and they had to do one last con because of it. And their mark? None other than the golden boy from Sigma fraternity house -- the very rich and gorgeous baseball player, Tucker Kline.  

What happened next? 

Just a really sexy, albeit frustrating love triangle; and more conning in between.

Supposedly deserving of solid 4 stars right?

Ehhh. 

Okay, I was so hooked and then, I wasn't anymore. Although there were still a few unanswered questions, I thought the story was pretty much resolved at 76%. Which means, IMO, it just needed a few pages to wrap up, and certainly not another 1/4 of the book since the rest of the time was mostly spent revisiting the country charm of Tucker's hometown. It gets old you know.

Just when I was about to skim the book for good, things spiced up a bit at the last two chapters.

Well, actually let's just say I was holding my breath until the very end. And my goodness Ms. Elizabeth Lee, my heart almost dropped!

I'm thanking the heavens for that kickass epilogue!

How to Kill a Rock Star

Written in her wonderfully honest, edgy, passionate and often hilarious voice, Tiffanie DeBartolo tells the story of Eliza Caelum, a young music journalist, and Paul Hudson, a talented songwriter and lead singer of the band Bananafish. Eliza's reverence for rock is equaled only by Paul's, and the two fall wildly in love.

When Bananafish is signed by a big corporate label, and Paul is on his way to becoming a major rock star, Eliza must make a heartbreaking decision that leads to Paul's sudden disappearance and a surprise knock-your-socks-off ending.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: How to Kill a Rock Star
AUTHOR: Tiffanie Debartolo
GENRE: Adult

“But I’m almost thirty and my day job is folding shirts at the Gap. Have you seen my room? I’m not messy. I’m rebelling against folding."
– Paul, the rockstar

Okay, I thought it's about time I write a review about HTKARS.

The book was exceptionally written; but honestly, it wasn’t something that stayed with me.

From what I could remember, I just wanted to bitch slap Eliza so hard she won’t be seeing straight anytime soon. I know that fear is an incapacitating force. But if one really wanted something done, one should face their own fears once in awhile.

So you see how disappointed I am with Eliza’s behavior. Other than her obvious fear of flying, WTF was wrong with her? Even when presented with a predicament where the only win-win solution is very apparent, she just had to mess things up.

Loring, the supposed third party, said it better – “Eliza,” Loring sighed, “don’t you see how ridiculous this is?”

But who am I to complain? We won’t be having HTKARS if not for Eliza’s moment of stupidity anyway.

If there’s just one thing I could love about this book, it’s Vera’s Mother-of-Pearl! Genius! I can no longer read about the expression mother of pearl without thinking about HTKARS!

Ruining You

For a girl who dared to tempt death, living is the only promise that matters now.

Jay’s life almost came to a forced end when her darkest secrets were revealed and the one who she chose to give her future to was ripped away. Now, everything she kept hidden is the topic of everyone’s conversation, and not all are sympathetic. Someone wants her horrific past to dictate her future, and another is determined to help her choose a different path.

In conclusion to Ruining Me, Kane and Rhye know that Jay is worth the fight, but waiting for her to find herself may ruin them all.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Ruining You
AUTHOR: Nicole Reed
GENRE: New Adult

You know a sequel is really good when you need not read the blurb of the first book, only the quick gushing review you’ve made a couple of months ago – and you could still relate with the main character at the very first chapter.

That was Ruining You for me.

This book takes us to the time after Jay, the main character, almost took her life. The angst in this book felt so raw and real, I can’t help but feel empathetic towards Jay.

Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the most wonderful things that will ever happen to us.

She met another wonderful guy inside a nut-house. I just can’t forget their first conversation so I had to include the guy’s response here:

"Uh, I was just going to introduce myself, but since you seem to think you’re God’s gift to guys, I’ll move out of the way so someone else can kiss your ass." - Eli

Later, Eli will hold a special place in her heart. It’s just sad when I found out what he is. I thought he’ll be competing for Jay’s heart too. Oh well, I still love their friendship.

    One makes me laugh...  One makes me cry...  One touches my heart...  One owns it.

This book reminded me of That Boy by Jillian Dodd, but in a more angsty sense. Like Jay, I actually felt at odds between the two guys. I also want Kane, but I don’t want to let go of Rhye either.

Oh, I just love it whenever things become dysfunctional for Jay. I seriously dig the kind of angst in this book.

IMHO, that was the main reason why this series actually even worked. There was confusion as to who Jay will really pick in the end. I mean, who wants to read about straight cheesy romances with MCs who can’t seem to keep their hands off each other all the time? Certainly, not me!

So when the book made a serious turn on that direction at exactly 3/4 through the story, I can’t help but feel let down. This could have been another favorite of mine.

And oh another thing, Jay’s constant refusal to testify against that effing DOM also got on my nerves.

Then there was her inner monologue about why she doesn’t want to testify. And I’m like, 'Aw okay, I get it.'

Then I realized – 'well, actually, no I don’t!' The first few times, it was okay. She just got back from major emotional trauma, so I’m cutting her some slack. But you know, it gets tedious after awhile. I just want to shake Jay and tell her – 'What! You’ll stay indifferent and will it solve things?'

*sighs*

For the record, I enjoyed reading this book.

This got a star less of 5 stars because I just felt disappointed at how things turned out.  Zizz did an amazing job of pointing it out. Actually, when I read about authors who say that they also adore books that grips the reader from the beginning and never let go, I can't help but sort of make some expectations for their book – especially when the said book has really great potential from the start.

So when this book actually “let go” in my opinion, I felt falling from my high. I was so sure that this book will take another space in my faves shelf. Well, I was wrong. Lesson learned, never expect.

Anyway, if you still haven’t read the first book, do yourself a favor and READ IT SOON -- then jump straight to this one.

Regardless of my rants, I can’t deny the fact that this series is really really good.

Rule

I had loved Rule Archer since the first moment I ever laid eyes on him. He was everything I shouldn't want and the only person I went out of my way to not try and please. He only saw me as a brat, and an entitled, stuck up princess but worse than that all he saw when he looked at me was his deceased twin's girl. It broke my heart because as much as I had loved Remy Archer there was never anything romantic between us and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that loving Rule was a terrible idea, my poor heart just wouldn't listen. We tolerated each other, barely and had forged an uneasy alliance until one night I had too much to drink and changed the way we were forever. Suddenly life long secrets were no longer hidden and the one thing I always wanted for myself seemed obtainable as long as I was willing to go through hell to hold onto it.

Shaw Landon was a class act and I had no idea what to do with her. She was tied to my family, tied to the person that was my other half so I tolerated her and her haughty attitude when I didn't have any other choice. What I didn't know was that a short skirt and too many cocktails on her birthday was going to change my outlook on her for the rest of my life. Some people thought I hid behind all my tattoos and piercings, that I tried to distance myself from my dead twin, Shaw saw through it all and wasn't scared of what was underneath. We weren't supposed to be together, weren't supposed to be anything but uncomfortable acquaintances but that all changed in the blink of an eye. Now I had to figure out just how a girl like her and a guy like me were supposed to be in love without destroying each other. Add in her custom made ex and two disapproving sets of parents and the whole situation sounded like it was more trouble then it was worth.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Rule
AUTHOR: Jay Crownover
GENRE: New Adult

I love reading with background music.  At first, it distracts me but when I’m really immersed in a book, I find it soothing.  Then whenever I am spaced out from reading, I find it hard not to relate the book on the current song.

So when I was a bit halfway through the story, a line from a country song struck me the most about Rule:

You know I've never been the type that would ever want to stay

Bring 'em home at night and they're gone the next day

But that all changed when she walked into my life

- Whatever It Is by the Zac Brown Band

Just in case New Adult is your preferred book genre and you still haven’t met Rule, let me do the introductions – you see, Rule is this tattooed womanizer with a seriously uptight family.

And then, there’s Shaw – the gorgeous rich blonde and almost family to Rule’s family, only she has a thing for Rule since she was 13 years old.  Unfortunately for her, he wasn’t giving her the time of day.  And when he finally did:

I refused to be the girl that pined after him, that stalked him, and called him a hundred times a day.

Attagirl!

And oh, Rule didn’t disappoint too!  I’m glad he did not make a 180-degree change in his character right after sleeping with Shaw.

And so, their story goes...

Wow!  I really enjoyed reading this.  How the author got me hooked into her story despite the numerous typos found in the book astounds me!  All I remember is that this book has personality written all over it.  Honestly, I’d love to give this book 5 stars but I won’t.  For what it’s worth, I still believe that publishing a novel without even a solid proofreading is a blatant disrespect to the readers/consumers.  But I digress.

The point is Jay Crownover is simply an amazing author.  I can’t wait to read her next book.  There’s no doubt that she’ll nail it again.  God, I’m actually hoping.  And I also hope Jet’s story goes through proper proofreading.  I’d love to see the author’s next work in its polished glory.

“I swear you pull more tail than me and I’m in a freaking band.  All you have to do is blink and you have broads falling all over themselves to have at it.”

- Jet to Rule

Don’t worry Jet!  You’ll get your love story soon!  I’m effing excited!

Losing It

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Losing It
AUTHOR: Cora Carmack
GENRE: New Adult

My attention was immediately caught by this book's cover after most of my GR friends started adding this to their TBR pile weeks ago.

Whoever made this book's cover was a genius. Even with the miniscule thumbnail of the book on my phone's GR app, it literally stood out. Translation, it looked really hot. Readers took notice and moved on to the blurb. Then, bam, TBR button clicked.

After reading really beautiful books, I thought the writing in this one seemed plain. In my mind, I was already deducting a star.

After a chapter though, I noticed that my impression about this book has changed. The writing wasn't trying hard to be beautiful. Instead, it opted to be realistic.

Scenes changed at second chapter, and from then on, everything else felt right and humorous. Give me a book that makes me giddy with excitement, and I'm hooked.

All throughout, I was chuckling like a madwoman at Bliss' crazy talk and inner monologues. Just look:

Whoever said one-night stands were supposed to be simple with no strings attached had clearly never met the disaster that was me.

She is such an endearing character. Her awkwardness to lose her virginity is believable. Her unfortunate antics, especially the "Stop! Cats! Stop..." part, didn't feel over the top. Just sort of something ridiculous you think of randomly just to escape a situation. And I'm glad the author included that part well with the unfolding of the story because it surely made me giggle like a little girl.

Oh, and what made me giggle a whole lot more? Of course, it would be Garrick, the male lead. I may not know much about him, because this book didn't provide an in-depth characterization about his past (which I'm thankful for because it would be a bit useless with the plot); still, my heart swoons for this British guy.

The forbidden aspect of their relationship was what made the book ticked, and this wasn't new to most readers. Fortunately, the author gave the trite plot with her own twist.

Most of the reviews I've read about this one complained that it wasn't that steamy enough. And I'm telling you right now, if you want to read this book because of the cover, sorry to disappoint but there are no phenomenal sex scenes here. Okay, just plain ol' vanilla sex almost at the end.

There were so many predictable moments; still, I enjoyed reading this.  The sexual tension was handled well and with this kind of story, it was enough.

Losing It is a quick read, not only because it's short, but also because it is really captivating. While I'm writing this review, it seemed that my smile is permanently plastered on my face. I definitely had a fun time reading this book!

The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

 4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend
AUTHOR: Kody Keplinger
GENRE: Young Adult

GOODREADS UPDATE (10/23/12):

This is the first time I'm doing this -- subtracting a star weeks after I reviewed it and removing it from my faves shelf.

I've read really good books lately. And whenever I visit my "favorites" shelf, I felt that this book does not belong there anymore. After awhile, it just doesn't have the same impact like the other books which I've learned to love.

ORIGINAL REVIEW (9/18/12):

This book surprised me so much.

At first, I doubted if Wesley, the hero, was redeemable. According to Bianca:

He’s arrogant, and he sleeps with everything he can get his filthy hands on. Most of the time, I just want to claw his creepy eyes out. How could I like him?

And if our intelligent, sassy, sarcastic, cynical, neurotic, loyal, compassionate heroine doesn't like him, how could I, a mere reader, like him??

So I read on. Curious, and a bit hopeful that something will change my mind regarding Wesley's character.

And I was not disappointed.

Just when I decided that a "4 stars" rating is generous enough, Miss Kody chose that time to give me a peek at Wesley's world. So okay, I was convinced that he has enough flaws that could somehow justify his earlier actions.. More as a realistic part of a novel, and NOT like in real life (don't get me wrong, being a man whore as a coping mechanism will never be justified IMO).

I loved the writing and the highschool drama. Nothing too heavy.. not even a single tear-inducing moment for me.

Unlike other books which I feel like I'm reading so I could get to the end ASAP, I was savoring every moment of the story. Actually, if reading this was like watching a sitcom, I surely had laughed at all the punchlines.

This isn't your average YA novel. This is a story that speaks volumes about the importance of self-esteem.

Upon reading Wesley's letter to Bianca, I knew instantly that this story just climbed a bit higher at the totem pole.

All grown up, but a part of me will always be a DUFF.  So this one goes straight to my favorites shelf.

Ruining Me

Eighteen year old Jay Stevenson is living a horrible nightmare.

Two years ago she had the world in the palm of her hand and in one moment it was all ruined for her. Secrets, lies and the worst imaginable betrayal will haunt her for the next two years, until all of it catches up to her and she will lose the control of the lonely world she has built around herself.

Three guys from her past and present will be there when it all comes crashing down. JT the perfect boyfriend she never wanted to give up, Rhye the local bad boy “rock star” that made her forget the past and Kane the funny and sweet tattooed bartender that wants her future.

Is it possible to change the path she chose for herself and still keep all of her secrets?

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Ruining Me
AUTHOR: Nicole Reed
GENRE: New Adult

WOW! Okay, I was more like, what!!! This book was really good! This had been a combination of recently hyped books DONE RIGHT. Thank goodness!

Our heroine, James -- nicknamed Jay (which is a weird name for a girl IMO) -- was a bit slutty. Well, NOT really. Though she used to favor one-night stands. Nice change from the goody two-shoes heroines I've been reading lately.

She's torn among three guys:
- JT, the highschool quarterback and her first ex-boyfriend
- Rhye, the average highschool bad boy and her previous conquest
- Kane, the 23 year-old bartender she just met who was described as seriously fuckable

And with three gorgeous guys like that, who gets my ultimate vote?

He's about six foot two with buzzed dark hair. He's got amazing cut arms and don't get me started on his stomach. One night, he pulled his t-shirt up and he's got a serious six pack. Oh, and his butt? You could bounce a quarter off of it... I didn't know that people could actually have eyes that green and he's got the coolest tats on both of his arms and neck.

-Jill, another bartender friend of Jay

Did she just described him like that?? LOL That's super illegal, like it came straight from a model's profile! Oooh now I'm drooling and totally not making any sense! Team Kane over here!!!

Whew.

Anyway, I really like Jay, the heroine. She's damaged but fierce. And she has a secret nobody knows. But being a perceptive reader that I am, I already have a good guess at chapter 2! And damn, I was right! If not for the conspicuous clues, I would have thought that this has a TSOT vibe in it because of how beautifully the story unfolds.

Towards the latter part of the book, it all came down to two guys though -- and I kept thinking that this is Thoughtless, the shorter YA version.

Everything seemed predictable until after the climax, where it took my breath away.. and I felt stunned by what happened. But no tears to shed this time. I was just plain stunned. This was like the book Taking Chances done right. Like WTF did just happened??!!

I really enjoyed reading this book -- very captivating and angsty! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves angsty reads. 

The Marriage Bargain

A marriage in name only...

To save her family home, impulsive bookstore owner, Alexa Maria McKenzie, casts a love spell. But she never planned on conjuring up her best friend's older brother—the powerful man who once shattered her heart.

Billionaire Nicholas Ryan doesn’t believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father’s corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister’s childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he offers Alexa a bold proposition.

A marriage in name only with certain rules: avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year so the rules shouldn’t be that hard to follow, right?

Except fate has a way of upsetting the best-laid plans…

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: The Marriage Bargain
AUTHOR: Jennifer Probst
GENRE: Contemporary Romance

SPOILERS AHEAD. Read at your own risk.

The title caught my attention. Who doesn't want to marry a billionaire?

I read for enjoyment so I don't overanalyze most things. But wait, one scene made me grin so hard I almost forgot I still have common sense.

A room full of dogs. Seriously. After I got so excited with that scene, I found myself thinking, how the heck didn't Nick noticed there were dogs in there? Not just two, three dogs but more than half a dozen dogs! They bark, aren't they? If so, is the house really that big not to hear canine sounds so early in the evening even if one is upstairs?? Or is the spare room where Alexa brought the dogs soundproofed? If it was the latter, well sorry to say, it wasn't mentioned.

Regardless, I really enjoyed reading Alexa and Nick's story. I loved their witty banters. As a heroine, Alexa has a lot of spunk, and I admire her for that. Nick may be damaged; but his open-mindedness, albeit late, to Alexa's world casted him in a positive light for me.

The writing was really good. It wasn't too descriptive, just gave the right vibe. It even flows perfectly.

I recommend it to anyone who wants a quick, fun and sexy read! 

Torched

Rose Whitfield's senior year just went up in smoke. Instead of having a blast with her best friend, her cheerleading squad, and her boyfriend Ryan, she's framed for arson. Popularity and criminal records don't mix, apparently.

Luckily, Rose knows who's framing her: Paxton Callaway. Paxton and Rose have spent years locked in a war of practical jokes. This time he's gone too far. Rose sets out to prove her innocence, win Ryan back, and take Paxton down hard.

Not necessarily in that order.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Torched
AUTHOR: Andrea Lynn Colt
GENRE: Young Adult


Rose Whitfield, the heroine, is everything a senior girl could ever hope to be -- a smart captain cheerleader who dates a tall, lean and deliciously broody soccer guy, and BFF's with the popular girl who literally owns the school. How cliche can you get?

That is, until the arson stuff happened.

This book is really good! This is like YA version of a chick lit mystery. Not my usual type of book, but it kept me entertained. I'm that easy to please.

I loved guessing about the identity of the real arsonist. It was pretty exciting.

Until of course, the initial confession. I was like, Whaat?? It just came out of nowhere. And frankly, the reason behind the arson was pretty dense. I thought THAT was it. So, in my mind, I was already itching to give this book 3 stars!

But then, an unexpected twist happened, and I'm doing my happy dance once again.

I also liked the growth of Rose's character in this story. From being a shallow person, she became someone who is sensitive to another person's feeling. Just goes to show that tragedy indeed brings out the best in people.

Rose and Paxton. Let me just say this: your pranks rocked! Wouldn't like them happening to me in real life (who would?) but I definitely enjoyed reading about them!

Stalk Me

Gossip girl meets Hollywood in this new series by That Boy author, Jillian Dodd.

Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed of. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She’s popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most coveted lunch table.

She’s just not sure she wants it anymore.

Because really, things aren’t all that perfect.
Her best friend is threatening to tell everyone her perfect relationship is a scam.
Her perfect boyfriend gets drunk at every party they go to.
It’s exhausting always trying to look and act perfect.
And deep down, she isn’t sure if she has any true friends.

To add to the drama, her movie star mom’s long-time fan has turned stalker.
An older man is flirting with her and telling her they should make a movie together.
And she’s crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating a guy like him would mean committing social suicide.

So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony.
But little does she know, there’s someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Stalk Me
AUTHOR: Jillian Dodd
GENRE: Young Adult

If you want a light read, try this!

This book has the ingredients for an exciting next read: catchy title, totally hot, swoon-worthy boys and a filthy, rich heroine who seriously needs to make up her mind.

TEAM CUSH all the way!!!

Halfway through the novel, I kept thinking, Keatyn can't keep bouncing from one guy to another. It was a frustrating read for me.

Even before everything was spelled out for the heroine, I already knew two things. That Sander was gay and Brooklyn did not really love her THAT MUCH. The moment I realized these things, I just want to shout at Keatyn, Get a freaking clue already! Let me tell you, she's THAT clueless most of the time.

I know that I wasn't being patient but you could just imagine my frustration when I realized that it's already past 3/4 of the novel, and she's making out with new hotties and I'm like, who do you really end up with, Keatyn, huh?

Then it's the end. I was like, WHAT?? Did this book just kept me hanging? I didn't know this was the first in a six book series until I've read the acknowledgements. No warnings whatsoever.

So consider yourself forewarned, I repeat, this book is the first in a SIX book series.

Don't expect any HEA yet. Because I did, and look what happened to me. I was totally frustrated.

But no matter how many hotties appear til book 6, I'll stay loyal to the Cushman!

Anyway, I liked Jillian Dodd's writing. Like That Boy, this is fun and easy to read. Definitely a YA chic lit at its finest.

UPDATED:
I was using mobile app for Goodreads so imagine my surprise when I opened the GR desktop site, and saw the book title with (The Keatyn Chronicles #1) next to it. Maybe, GR mobile app should show not just the book title but also the series name. Just saying.

Heavy Issues

Steering clear of relationships has never been difficult for demolitions expert Cole Bowen, but now, with his brother's engagement sending the female population into full-blown hysterics and the town of Alden's month-long festivities helping along, he finds himself in hell. When he discovers Alden's new resident and the object of all his wet dreams, Christine Sheridan, has sworn off relationships and is going to hire a gigolo to get professionally laid, he decides to kill two birds with one stone.

Christy is so not drinking again. Thanks to José Cuervo she has her friends signing her up for stud conventions and Cole frigging Bowen offering sex in exchange of fake dates, which is so out of the question it isn't even funny. She knows the domineering man will push her boundaries, and after battling all her life with self-esteem issues, she isn't ready for that. Too bad he won't take no for an answer.

Cole is determined to strip away all of her defenses but refuses to lower his ever-present walls, so when Christy realizes she wants more, she's left with only two options; walk away or crack his shield and risk her heart in the process.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Heavy Issues
AUTHOR: Elle Aycart
GENRE: Contemporary Romance

After one emotionally intense read, I was in dire need of a feel-good story --- and this one felt like an answered prayer.

After a long engagement gone bad -- Christy realized that she needed to dust the cobwebs off her vagina -- no-strings-attached style! And what's the most convenient way to do it? Hire a first-class stud of course! Pronto! Or is it just the tequila talking?

Enter Cole -- a rich demolitions expert AND one of the infamous Bowen brothers -- who made it pretty clear that he wasn't into relationships; but decided that Christy was hot enough for him to consider being her man-whore.

His brilliant idea? Christy gets her no-strings-attached sex, and he'll have his decoy date for the festivities. Whoa. Perfect economical exchange!

Unfortunately for Christy, she kept on thinking that she wasn't good enough:

It was easier for her to believe he was an asshole making fun of her than the possibility that he’d seriously consider having anything to do with her. That was just baffling. Mind-boggling. Out of an X-Files episode. Guys like him didn’t go hiring themselves out for girls like her. That was a fact of life.

Indeed.

But then who could resist an alpha male like Cole who keeps on pushing himself to Christy's life?

So there goes the story of Cole and Christy -- even with all the baggages between the two, the book spells FUN and STEAMY. Just the way I like it.

Well, Cole is definitely book boyfriend material. I liked his guts. I mean, who wouldn't? He's a hard, arrogant and sexy man, and he knows it. He talks smack that could make any decent girl blush and clearly runs the show here. It's not everyday you encounter this kind of guy. And If I ever meet one in real life, I would definitely act like Christy and won't ever give him the time of day. He's a walking heartbreak. And most books, as we all know, are clearly just a part of imagination. Some guys just love to stay as jerks.

This book is really good and well-written. I haven't picked this up before because this is part of a series. And books series sometimes intimidate the heck out of me. Reading the same characters for weeks makes me feel like I was missing out on other good books.

But then I read from another review that this can be a standalone. What a nice read! I'm so glad I picked this! 4 STARS! 

Crush

Cami Wimberley has a plan, and that plan includes no room for boys—especially the big time party animal, Hunter Wilder, no matter how handsome and charismatic he is. She’s beautiful, a senior, extremely talented, gets good grades, and is working her way toward her dream college to be a musical theater major. Everything is perfect.

Hunter Wilder does not want a girlfriend—that would complicate his life way too much right now. He especially doesn’t want this girl, Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes, so how come he can’t keep his eyes off her? He tries to keep her at arms length, but fate seems to keep pushing them together. Before long, it’s obvious to everyone they’re crushing on each other.

As sparks begin to fly, Hunter finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into hot water. Soon he’s scrambling to keep Cami from discovering his dark secret—one that can destroy their entire relationship.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Crush
AUTHOR: Lacey Weatherford
GENRE: Young Adult 

Wow. Wow. Wow.

This book is so good and so awesome that I'm glad I picked this one when I was sick.

Hunter, our infamous stoner, is just so drool-worthy. Whenever it's his POV, I kept going back to the cover. I can't help it! I loved being lost in his eyes. It's surreal!

Cami is a nerd by association but described as a really gorgeous, curly redhead whom every guy at school talks about behind locker rooms.

Together, they make a royalty -- King of stoners and Queen of nerdy chic.

I loved how it's not just a YA love story, but it has mystery too! Though I already had a clue what Hunter was doing the first few chapters, I still enjoyed the unfolding of the story.

If only I was able to finish this in one sitting, my rating would have been a star higher. But then my temperature went high again literally, so I had to continue reading this for another day. And unfortunately, it didn't sucked me in like the first time.

But this was definitely a good read. I find myself leaning to this kind of YA nowadays.
 

Wallbanger

Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.

Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Each moan, spank, and–was that a meow?–punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O.

Enter Simon Parker. (No, really, Simon, please enter.) When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick…

In her third novel, Alice Clayton returns to dish her trademark mix of silly and steamy. Banter, barbs, and strutting pussycats, plus the sexiest apple pie ever made, are dunked in a hot tub and set against the gorgeous San Francisco skyline in this hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight.

4 STARS out of 5
TITLE: Wallbanger
AUTHOR: Alice Clayton
GENRE: Contemporary Romance

Okay. I don't know if this is just me but this usually happens when I read funny books. They make me LOL so hard at the beginning that it gets tedious after awhile.

Then this book became as cheesy as what I expected towards the end. I enjoyed the storyline, thought it was really really silly. Reminded me NOT to ever move in one of San Francisco's apartments, because this book just ruined the city for me. Two financially able professionals living in apartments with walls so thin you can hear wallbanging from both sides.. Huh. Not for me.

But then.. there was Clive. Haven't I told you yet how much I adore Clive? I swear, he's a human pretending to be a cat! He's a good scene stealer btw!

Would have given this book lesser rating if not for the LOL moments I've had. Overall, I enjoyed the book but not enough to give it five stars.