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Book Review: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros + Giveaway

Feb 26, 2019

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 434
Publish date: February 26th 2019
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
ISBN: 9781640635333
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Beckett,

If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.

I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.

My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair.

And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help.

So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.

Please don’t make her go through it alone.

Ryan

The Last Letter:

I received an earc of The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Also a quick note, I tried to not spoil anything in this review, however, there were things that I had to speak about. In saying that a lot of the things that I did mention happen close to the start of the novel. Reminder to stay to the end to win a copy of The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros

Rebecca Yarros was one of the first New Adult and Adult romance author that I really loved and devoured their books. So, of course, I had to pick up her newest edition. And gosh this one got me when I finished reading The Last Letter, I just cried. It was an emotional rollercoaster for sure, but oh so good.

The Last Letter follows protagonists Ella and Beckett as they write to one another while he is off fighting for his country. But then tragedy strikes in so many different ways and Ella and Beckett are brought together. But after all this time can Beckett tell Ella who he really is, or will it hide it from her forever. Ella has already been pulled through the blender, but nothing matters more to her than her children, but when things starting falling apart, she doesn’t know if she can stay together anymore.

Aurelie Tack

Ella was such a fabulous protagonist and I fell in love with her right from the start. She is such a strong female character that it was so easy to fall into her life. From the very start, the reader is able to see how much Ella cares about those around, especially her two children. She will do anything for them. But she will also do heaps for her brother. So when he asks to write to a fellow teammate, she does and everything starts from there. Ella is put through a lot during The Last Letter, especially with Maisie and her health. But I also think it added to Ella’s character arc, she isn’t the same person at the end of the novel as she was at the start. And although Rebecca Yarros put her through, hell, Ella was pretty amazing at the end.

Beckett was a really interesting protagonist. I could see a lot of Rebecca Yarros other characters in him, but he also stood very strong on his own. Like Ella, he has been through a lot, and while the reader doesn’t know anything at the start, as the novel goes, everything starts to fall into place. I really liked getting to know Beckett, not only through this point of view but also through the letters between him and Ella.

I think that the letters enabled the reader to see Beckett in a different way as there wasn’t a filter. My heart broke with how much he cared about Ella and her two kids, he took everything head on and wanted to give them the best he could. The thing that I liked best about Beckett was that he was a character on his own, he didn’t fall as a love interest or a side character. He had his own story, his own past and his own character arc.

Christiana Rivers

The romance was everything. When I pick up romance novels, I am normally expecting a fast-paced romance. But the romance in The Last Letter was slow and perfect. The reader is able to see Ella and Beckett fall in love, not only in real life but also through their letters. Rebecca Yarros was able to really utilised her life experiences with the military to really capture the essence of these letters and everything that happens while at war and on leave. I adored that they just slowly fell for each other and built lives together.

And while it is slow, it’s not snail slow. It’s done in such a way that the reader falls into the story and keeps egging them both to get together. It also wasn’t perfect. They had their ups and downs, but that made The Last Letter so much more real. The characters were leaping off the page and had substance.

Something else that stood out to me in The Last Letter was the family dynamics between Beckett and Ella as well as her children; Maisie and Colt. My heart was so full and I couldn’t stop smiling with how much they all cared for one another. Maisie and Colt are adorable and just made the novel so much better. Their innocence, but resilence just shone through. The reader is not able to see the relationship between Ella and Beckett grow, but also Beckett’s relationship with Maisie and Colt. He really took them under his wing and it was such a nice thing to see. Both Maisie and Cold adored Beckett and he returned it as well. There is a line that Maisie days to Ella that just broke me towards the end of the book about Beckett and Colt and gosh I couldn’t handle it.

Annie Spratt

I am not going to lie, it doesn’t take much to make me cry. Really I cry at things most people don’t. But I haven’t cried like I did while reading The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros, in such a long time. It was a full sob cry, like a hurt in my chest kind of cry. Yarros was able to create so many emotions throughout the whole book, but the last couple of chapters torn me apart. My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest over and over again. I don’t want to say too much about what exactly made me cry so hard, but when you read, I think you will know. As I am writing this review, I am thinking about everything that happened, and I want to cry again.

Overall, The Last Letter is a very emotional read. I cried so much in this book. But that is also what made it so good. Both Ella and Beckett have incredible character arcs that really captured me from the start. The reader is not only able to see them grow as individuals, but also together. The Last Letter explores childhood illness, war, family and everything that comes along with life. There are many surprised in store when reading, but it’s also a beautiful story of love and family. If you are looking for a new romance or contemporary read, then please pick this one up.

Have you read The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? If you are, you can enter the giveaway below to win a Kindle copy of it.

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Book Review: Jagged Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan

Feb 20, 2019

Jagged Ink (Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs #3) by Carrie Ann Ryan

Pages: 250
Publish date: February 19th 2019
Publisher: –
ASIN: B079Y2HBLC
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Roxie Montgomery met her soul mate when she least expected it. When he asked her to marry him, she thought her happily ever after was only just beginning. Then, she found that walking into the sunset was much harder than her favorite books made it out to be. After a crushing loss, she feels as though she doesn’t know her husband anymore, or rather…she doesn’t know herself.

Carter Marshall has loved Roxie since the first time he saw her. But as the days pass between them, so does the distance. He doesn’t know how to show her that he’s all in, and honestly doesn’t know if she’s in at all. When an accident changes everything, they’ll have to decide if what they have can be salvaged, or if starting over is the answer. Or even possible.

Without fighting, without a true new beginning, sometimes, the remnants of what was lost can leave anyone jagged, shells of what they were before. It will take more than the idea of forever for Roxie and Carter to find themselves again, but as the Montgomerys know, nothing worth fighting for is easy.

Jagged Ink:

I received an earc of Jagged Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan from Ink Slinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I started reading Carrie Ann Ryan’s Montgomery Ink series last year and fell in love with the characters and their stories. The story of Roxie and Carter caught my eye since the beginning of the Colorado Springs series. There have always been hints about troubles for Roxie and Carter and they come full force in Jagged Ink, including why it all came to be.

Jagged Ink follows married couple Roxie and Carter who thought they had it all. Roxie thought that she met her soul mate, she thought she got her happily ever after. But after a loss that tore her apart, she doesn’t even know if she has a husband anymore, let alone herself. Carter Marshall has loved Roxie since he can remember, she not only brought him love but a family that he never thought he would have. When an accident changes everything between them, Roxie and Carter have some tough decisions that need to be made. But will they both get through and survive?

I don’t read much if any books about couples that are already together, so from the get-go, this was a different reading experience for me. But I still really enjoyed it. The connection between Roxie and Carter was still very much there, but with everything that these two have gone through, they have lost hope.

Isaac Ordaz

Roxie was a really interesting protagonist, the reader gets to know her a little throughout the series, but this is the first time that we are in her head. I found Roxie very different from the other Montgomery’s. While she still has their spark and love for family, her passion isn’t really in the arts – which is different from what we’ve seen before. And I really liked this. It was great seeing something a little different. I really enjoyed Roxie as a protagonist and she really grew throughout Jagged Ink. I thought that her characterisation was fantastic and the reader is able to see her struggle with like and everything it throws at her.

Carter like Roxie was a really interesting character. He has been through a lot before this book even started, and then his one starts with a bang. My heart just hurt for Carter throughout the whole book. While Roxie had her family to learn on, Carter felt very much alone and that really stood true. I just wanted to give him so many hugs. Not only was he going through all the pain from the accident, but also everything that was happening between him and Roxie. But also I really think that Carter found himself in this novel as well. He found out more about himself away from Roxie and Montgomery’s and who he is.

The romance in Jagged Ink was hard to dislike. I just couldn’t hate it. Although Roxie and Carter go through some very hard discussions throughout Jagged Ink, their love was very evident. From the get-go, the reader is able to see that they both care and love each other so much, but they are both feeling like something is missing. Both Roxie and Carter thought that they meet their soul mate and while getting married young, they thought it would all work. But then something happened. Something happened that didn’t just tear Roxie apart, but their marriage as well.

Romina Farias

Jagged Ink is more about Roxie and Carter falling back in love with one another. It’s about them realising why they fell in love in the first place. What drew them to each other. It was really nice seeing this happen. Seeing two characters who are obviously in love find out why they caught each other’s eye. The reader is also able to see both Roxie and Carter struggle without one another. But they also needed the break to remember why they were with each other. When together they were like fire and it worked so well.

I figured out sorted why Roxie and Carter were having problems very close to the start of the novel. But I didn’t know what had happened after. Carrie Ann Ryan did a really nice job handling this situation and while it didn’t take over the storyline, it helped motivate the protagonists. I do wish we could have seen more of a reaction from the Montgomery family and how they would have felt. They are such a close family, that it felt like I needed to have more emotions from them as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed Jagged Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan. This one was an emotional rollercoaster. Roxie and Carter had been through so much before the novel, and then everything that happens in this one takes a toll. Jagged Ink is about falling back in love, realising why you fell for that one person. And letting go of the past because sometimes it drags you down. Jagged Ink is a great addition to Carrie Ann Ryan’s Montgomery Ink series and I can’t wait to see more.

Have you read Jagged Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What are some of your favourite books where the protagonists are already a couple? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: The Risk by Elle Kennedy

Feb 18, 2019

The Risk (Briar U #2) by Elle Kennedy

Pages: 432
Publish date: February 18th 2019
Publisher: Elle Kennedy Inc.
ASIN: B07G4H3665
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Everyone says I’m a bad girl. They’re only partly right—I don’t let fear rule me, and I certainly don’t care what people think. But I draw the line at sleeping with the enemy. As the daughter of Briar’s head hockey coach, I’d be vilified if I hooked up with a player from a rival team.

And that’s who Jake Connelly is. Harvard’s star forward is arrogant, annoying, and too attractive for his own good. But fate is cruel—I require his help to secure a much-coveted internship, and the sexy jerk isn’t making it easy for me.

I need Connelly to be my fake boyfriend.

For every fake date…he wants a real one.

Which means this bad girl is in big trouble. Nothing good can come from sneaking around with Jake Connelly. My father would kill me, my friends will revolt, and my post-college career is on the line. But while it’s getting harder and harder to resist Jake’s oozing sex appeal and cocky grin, I refuse to fall for him.

That’s the one risk I’m not willing to take.

The Risk:

I received an earc of The Risk by Elle Kennedy in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve come to fall in love with Elle Kennedy books, especially her sports romance ones. And after reading The Chase, I couldn’t wait to pick up the next in the Briar U series. Then I read the synopsis of The Risk and knew I needed it soon. But I am a little disappointed. For the most part, I loved The Risk, but I was expecting more from it.

The Risk follows Brenna as she tries to navigate the ups and downs of college and everything that comes along with it. As the daughter of the Briar U’s Ice Hockey team, a lot of people know who she is. So hooking up with a player from a rival team is out of the question, let alone the captain. To help secure an internship that could set up her whole career, she is going to need Jake’s help. And he just happens to be Harvard’s star forward and captain. Jake is arrogant, annoying and oh so good looking. And for every fake date, Jake wants a real one. And things are bound to get real.

Brenna has been one of my favourite characters from Elle Kennedy for quite some time, so when I heard she was getting her own book. I knew I was going to love it. Brenna has always been an intriguing character, we’ve never really known too much about her, but also we’ve known enough to understand who she is. However, in The Risk the reader gets to see her in a whole different light. While Brenna has a strong front, she does have some insecurities and they are put right in the spotlight here. It was really nice seeing this side of Brenna, it added to her characterisation and let the reader see her as human and not perfect. I adored that she really focused on working out what she wanted to do career-wise.

Karla Rivera

Jake was a brilliant male protagonist. Like Brenna, we have known him before but as the enemy. So it was really nice getting to see him differently. Jake is arrogant, but not mean. He knows what he wants and doesn’t let much stop him from getting it. And that is what made him so interesting. It’s not often we get point of view of the love interest, who is also the ‘enemy.’ It was great to be with a hockey boy again, they always just make me smile. Jake is a great, complex character that gets more interesting as the novel went on. The reader finds out more and more about him. His caring nature is also very evident throughout The Risk.

The romance in The Risk was really hot, nice and just made me smile. But I was also disappointed in it. My expectations were just much higher. I wanted this intensity that I was imagining and that lacked – which was upsetting. I was expecting more hate to love. And while there was a little of it, it was more banter rather than hate. I think I was more disappointed because I’ve seen what Elle Kennedy could do, and I was expecting the romance to be burning up my page and it didn’t. In saying all this, I loved Brenna and Jake together, they were simply adorable. Like I could not control my squeal with some of the things that Jake said. His this arrogant hockey player one minute, but then Brenna melts him into mush.

Lynda Sanchez

I also that Elle Kennedy played more into the fake dating aspect of the novel. If this was carried on a little longer, there would have been more impact for me. I love the fake dating trope, so I was expecting it to be all full blown and it wasn’t really. Brenna and Jake have so much banter and connection, that this could have been played so much more. I adored the scenes when they played one another and tried to rile each other up. It made for such a fun read.

We learn a lot about Brenna and Jake throughout The Risk. And some of the things that we do learn is hard to take in. I was an emotional wreck not going to lie. I pieced together some things, but then more happened and my heart just hurt. A lot of friendships were tested throughout the risk and some had to do with things from the past. I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Brenna and her dad, but it was also really hard at times too.

Overall, I enjoyed The Risk by Elle Kennedy. It was a great romance that just made me smile, while I wished for more ompf, I would also read it again. The Risk explores the notion of family, friendship and letting go. It’s about finding a balance and the fact that sometimes, you will fall for the person that you less expect and it’s about to get heated.