Book Reviews Archives - Page 36 of 114

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.

Have you read The Risk yet? What did you think? Are you planning on picking it up? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: On Thin Ice by Julie Cross

Feb 13, 2019

On Thin Ice (Juniper Falls #3) by Julie Cross

Pages: 340
Publish date: February 26, 2019
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
ISBN: 9781640634107
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Brooke Parker never expected to find herself in the tiny town of Juniper Falls, Minnesota. Of course, she also never expected to lose her dad. Or for her mom to lose herself. Brooke feels like she’s losing it…until she finds Juniper Falls hockey. Juniper Falls girls’ hockey, that is.

Jake Hammond, current prince of Juniper Falls, captain of the hockey team, and player with the best chance of scoring it big, is on top of the world. Until one hazing ritual gone wrong lands him injured, sitting on the sidelines, and―shocking even to him―finding himself enjoying his “punishment” as assistant coach for the girls’ team.

As Jake and Brooke grow closer, he finds the quiet new girl is hiding a persona full of life, ideas, and experiences bigger and broader than anything he’s ever known. But to Jake, hockey’s never just been a game. It’s his whole life. And leveraging the game for a shot at their future might be more than he can give.

On Thin Ice:

I received an e-arc of On Thin Ice by Julie Cross from Entangled: Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve read a couple of Julie Cross’ books before picking up On Thin Ice, and while they aren’t my favourite books out there. They are ones that I know, I can sit down and just enjoy. And On Thin Ice wasn’t any different. this one was fun, emotional and just a nice read.

On Thin Ice follows Jake, the star and captain of the ice hockey team and prince of Juniper Falls. Everything that he has wanted is falling right into place. But then a hazing ritual goes wrong. Not only is Jake injured, but he has to deal with all the consequences that follow. Now Jake is assistant coach to the new girls’ ice hockey team, and he is liking it more than he thinks.

Brooke is just trying to fit into her new town, but it’s hard when everything is falling apart. Not only did she lose her dad, but her mum has also lost herself. And then Brooke joins the girls’ ice hockey team. But the more time that Brooke and Jake spend together, the more they get to know each other. And the more time that they spend with one another.

Arthur Edelman

I really enjoyed reading On Thin Ice, as I said before, it’s one of those books that I can just sit down and read. The characters were enjoyable, the plot was very intriguing and the romance just warmed my heart. From the start, I really enjoyed both protagonists and I loved seeing them come together.

Brooke was a really interesting protagonist. The reader doesn’t know too much about her from the start of the book, but as the novel goes on and Jake starts to learn more about her – so do we. Brooke was an easy character to get along with. Her pain was evident from the start, but that meant she was vulnerable and was easier to figure out. I really loved Brooke’s character arc throughout On Thin Ice. At first, she is really closed off, but as the novel goes on, she makes friends and finds solace in Jake, she comes out of her shell. I adored that she played Ice Hockey. It was so much fun seeing a female hockey player.

Oh, Jake. My heart broke for him so many times throughout the book. Like Brooke, he has been through a lot of most people around him, don’t know or don’t understand. Jake is a very interesting character, and I think that is why I liked getting to know to know him so much. The reader can tell from the get-go how caring and sensitive Jake really is. I mean yes his a hockey boy through and through. But, there is another side to him that Brooke really brought out.

Warren Wong

The romance in On Thin Ice was actually quite beautiful and sweet. Jake is a couple years older than Brooke and we don’t see that much in YA, but it I think it really worked here. Brooke is younger and shy and Jake was great in bringing her out of her shell. They complimented each other really nicely, and the reader can see it as they both become themselves through the novel. The romance was slow and didn’t move too fast, and I love that. They both go to know each other and really bond – which I don’t see much anymore.

I also really enjoyed the other themes that On Thin Ice explored. The notion of family was something that was very present throughout the whole book. Both Jake and Brooke have very dysfunction families but in very different ways. Brooke’s family is in pieces and she doesn’t know what to do with her life because of it. Her dad isn’t in the picture, and her mum, she needs help. Jake just feels like he has let down his family. But he also feels like his family has also let him down. It is all very complicated. On Thin Ice also explores the notion of toxic masculinity and how high school sports might influence the way that people think and conduct things.

Overall, I enjoyed reading On Thin Ice by Julie Cross. It was sweet, but also daring. It explores two different people and how they come together in strange circumstances. The romance was totally adorable and just put a massive smile on my face. The characterisation throughout On Thin Ice was really well done and I loved seeing both Jake and Brooke grow not only by themselves but as a couple. Pick this one up if you are looking for something that might just make you smile.

Have you read On Thin Ice by Julie Cross? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What are some of your favourite YA contemporary couples? Let’s Chat!