Book Reviews Archives - Page 52 of 115

Book Review: Temporary by Sarina Bowen and Sarah Mayberry

Sep 11, 2017

Temporary by Sarina Bowen and Sarah Mayberry

Pages: 302
Publish date: 12 September 2017
Publisher: –
ASIN: B07546TZNK
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

The first time I lay eyes on Callan Walker, I know he’ll be trouble. With his smug grin, hot Aussie accent and thousand dollar shoes, he’s just the kind of rich guy who always gets what he wants.

And he wants two things: a night of sin, and my cooperation as he outmaneuvers his powerful mother to take control of his uncle’s estate.

I can’t afford either one. I’m the only thing standing between my little sister and the foster care system. He may have money and charm on his side, but I have something even more powerful — pure desperation. This temp job at his mother’s company can become a full-time job for me. It has to.

But when Callan’s eyes rake over my body, sometimes I forget my obligations. His piercing gaze finds the fun, optimistic girl I used to be and not the tired person I’ve become.

And it works–if only for a moment. Our night together was a mistake. I can’t afford to get sucked into his high-powered family’s treachery. But the closer I get to Callan, the more layers I find beneath those expensive clothes. Though I can’t forget this is temporary. He’s temporary. I have too much to lose.

Too bad my foolish heart didn’t get the memo…

Temporary:

I received an e-arc of Temporary by Sarina Bowen and Sarah Mayberry in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings of the book.

If you have been following me the last year, I’ve started making my way through Sarina Bowen’s books and I’ve really been enjoying them overall. So when I saw that she was bringing a new book out, with an Aussie taking the lead. I needed it.

Temporary follows two very different people. Not only from opposite sides of the world but also on the social ladder. Grace is the sole carer of her younger sister and will do anything to help them survive. Now in a temp job, she knows that one step out of line could risk her losing her sister – for good. While Callan has everything that could have asked for – except a family. Business and money are what he knows, but when his uncle dies he wants to make sure that he is remembered. They are on two different sides, but they can’t stop the chemistry that runs between them.

Grace was an easy protagonist to get along with. I loved her passion and her drive to keep her sister, while she tries her best to make sure she is happy. I felt that times she was very on edge, while I understood why it really did create a lot of tension in her life. Grace is very smart, but she does let her emotions get the better of her, and that did hinder my like for the book.

Callan wasn’t the easiest protagonist to get along with at times, but as the novel went on, I really got to like him. I loved his passion to do what ever he could for his uncle. I felt that at times he didn’t understand Grace’s situation before it was too late.

Like I said, Grace and Callan are total opposites. But when they were together, they brought out the best in one another. At the start, it was slow burning, with both Grace and Callan hesitant of one another. Nevertheless, as they got to know each other, they become comfortable. And from there it was pretty fast.

One of my favorite things about Temporary was that while it was co-written, I was unable to tell who was writing what. It flowed seamlessly and worked to the T. I’ve read both Sarina’s solo and co-written work, so I thought I had a grasp of her writing style. However, it just worked so well in Temporary, with alone putting a smile on my face. I felt that Callan’s Australian side was honest and very well done.

In saying that I did feel that at times Temporary was a little too long. I thought there could have been a good amount of pages cut. Some scenes were long winded and just interrupted the flow of the novel.

The notion of family is always big to me in novels and throughout Temporary we were able to see the good, and the bad. I loved the relationship between Grace and her sister that she is the sole carer of. While it was a struggle at times, I loved seeing how much they cared for one another and would do anything for each other.

Then we had Callan and his family. I liked the contrast of the two families and one big notion of life comes to mind, ‘money isn’t everything.’ I think that really stood out between the different dynamics of these two families. And let’s just say that his mother is a right piece of work.

Overall, Temporary is a heartwarming read that explores the notion of family, trust and learning to find your feet. With a bubbling relationship, a great friendship, and heartache, this books took me on a ride. If you are in for a little love, heartbreak and some beautiful moments, then this one is for you.

Have you read Temporary? What did you think of it? Are you planning of reading it? Have you read anything else by Sarina Bowen or Sarah Mayberry? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Sep 2, 2017

If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pages: 250
Publish date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
ISBN: 9781489242174
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Lena Wise is always looking forward to tomorrow, especially at the start of her senior year. She’s ready to pack in as much friend time as possible, to finish college applications and to maybe let her childhood best friend, Sebastian, know how she really feels about him. For Lena, the upcoming year is going to be one of opportunities and chances.

Until one choice, one moment destroys everything.

Now Lena isn’t looking forward to tomorrow. Not when friend time may never be the same. And Not when college applications feel all but impossible. Not when Sebastian could never forgive her for what happened.

For what she let happen.

With the guilt growing each day, Lena knows that her only hope is to move on. But how can she move on when tomorrow isn’t even guaranteed?

If There’s No Tomorrow:

I received an arc of If There’s No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout from Harlequin Teen Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve tried to review this book without spoilers – however, I found it very hard to do without really looking into the book.

I was really excited to pick this one up, I really enjoyed Jennifer’s Lux series when I read it and felt that I needed to get into some of her contemporary. Straight from the premise, I was already intrigued. And throughout the whole first half, the reader was kept on the edge of their seat. You didn’t know what was going to happen and then it did. You were stuck.

If There’s No Tomorrow follows Lena who’s about to start her Senior year. She is ready to have fun be with her friends and maybe tell her best friend, Sebastian, that she likes him. But, that all changes. And when your life is flipped on its head – you have nowhere to go. Now Lena is filled with hurt, regret and doesn’t know how to move on.

The novel was set out in the basic ‘before’ and ‘after,’ format and I thought that it worked so well. Throughout the whole of before, I wanted to know what happened. It was like, something could happen any second, but you don’t know when. Nevertheless, the ‘before’ was so needed. We were shown how these characters were, not told. The reader was able to see how Lena was before and how this incident did change her. How it affected her. We were able to see how the relationships were – because they did play such a big part in the novel.

And then the after was heartbreaking. The reader was able to see how much these characters changed, how much Lena was hurt. How she had to plow through each day. But, we also got to see her rise and I loved this characterisation. I thought that the character arcs were really well executed and I really love that, especially in contemporary.

Lena was a difficult character to get along with. And it wasn’t because I didn’t like her. I think it was because she was filled with so many emotions that she changed quite a lot. Though, I really loved seeing Lena grow. At the start she was right in it all, while not being the center of attention, she wasn’t in the background either. But, then after, she hides. And that was heartbreaking.

A lot of the characters in If There’s No Tomorrow didn’t give Lena much credit. She went through a hell of a lot and I felt like they wanted her to get back on her feet right away. And all I was concerned about was making sure she knew she was loved and wanted.

Sebastian was touch a go for me. There were parts of the novel that just didn’t sit right with me and I wanted to shake him a little. But, then the way that he treated Lena was really sweet. We don’t see that much in YA. Sweet male love interest and I enjoyed that. I felt that maybe Sebastian’s character arc could have been slightly better, but overall it was okay.

Family and Friendship were a big theme throughout If There’s No Tomorrow. And while it wasn’t the best of families. I liked Lena’s relationship with her mother and sister. I wanted to see more from her father and really did wish there were good bonds from the start. We also get to see the good and bad of friendship in this novel. It’s really put to the test and while it’s heartbreaking at times its life.

I really enjoyed the writing style of If There’s No Tomorrow. It was easy to read but also packed with emotions that did tear me apart at times. I wanted to give Lena so many hugs throughout the novel that I lost count. What I really did like about If There’s No Tomorow was how it dealt with grief and mental illness. It was so prevalent throughout the novel and I liked the way that it was dealt with overall.

Overall If There’s No Tomorow, was a powerful read. It explores the notion of finding one self and letting go. It’s about grief and how it can consume you. We see love, family, and friendship really takes a stand throughout the novel. If There’s No Tomorow combines heartbreak and trying to find the best in life – effortlessly.

Have you read If There’s No Tomorow by Jennifer L. Armentrout? What did you think? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any other books by her? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Rebel by Rebecca Yarros

Aug 22, 2017

Rebel by Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 440
Publish date: 28 August 2017
Publisher: Entangled: Embrace
ASIN: B0739N8GVK
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

She’ll defy his every expectation.

She’s Penna Carstairs.
The Renegade they call Rebel.
FMX-treme Magazine’s sexiest female athlete of the year.
There’s no rule in extreme sports she hasn’t broken,
No gender barrier she hasn’t demolished.

She’s the woman I met in a bar in Vegas.
The woman I illegally BASE jumped for.
The woman I spent one insane, incredible night with.
But now I’m screwed.
Or rather…not screwed.

Because the woman I can’t get out of my head is the one woman I can never touch again.
I’m Dr. Cruz Delgado—the youngest professor on this campus,
And Penelope Carstairs just walked into my class.

Rebel:

I received an e-arc of Rebel by Rebecca Yarros from Entangled, in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I was very nervous about picking this one up. I have loved all the other Rebecca Yarros books that I have read over the last couple of years. But then when the synopsis came out – I hesitated. I am not a massive fan of student/teacher relationship. While this one is slightly different – it did keep me on edge for most of the book.

Rebel follows Penelope Carstairs, the only female of the original Renegades – amazing on the bike and will try any extreme sport that she can. She likes to be one of the ‘boys’ and wants to do everything that they can do – being a female hasn’t stopped her – and it never will. But, after her accident in Wilder she is scared. Scared to go back on the bike, scared to try. Then on the night, she wants to let go and fly, she meets Cruz and well things get interesting.

Cruz wasn’t expecting for his life to be changed in Vegas. The last thing he thought he would be doing is BASE jumping. But, when things start to fall into place – he goes with. Until he gets onto a ship, the same ship as Penelope Carstairs. And he isn’t there as a student.

I loved Penna when we first meet her in Wilder. I loved that she was a female and from our side she never let that get to you. It was great seeing a strong female character that does everything a male could do. She was into typically male sports and didn’t let that get her down.

However, after the incident in book one, we know that she isn’t exactly the same. And we really get to see that in Rebel. I loved seeing her both scared and ready to take on the world in one go. We see that it really wasn’t just the injury stopping her, but the betrayal of everything that happened.

Cruz was a fun male protagonist to get along with. He tries to keep up with Penna was much as he can, but he has his own demons to slay. From the start of Rebel, we know that Cruz will do many things and I loved seeing him try and keep up with Penna and the rest of the Renegades.

As I said before, this is a teacher/student relationship to a sense. Penna and Cruz meet before he starts teaching her and she is over 20. That is how I kind of let myself see the romance. If she was younger, I would probably not have liked it.

I liked how they seem to ‘fit’ with each other so well. They cared about a lot of the same things and it just seemed to work.

Family is a big aspect of Rebel. We already know through the other books how much the Renegades care about each other and we see more of that in Rebel. However, we also see how Penna is going with her sister and gosh these scenes were hard to read. I felt for Penna so much. Throughout Rebel, we see that family can be both of blood and by heart. I liked that in times of need the Renegades were there.

At times I felt that the plot was a little ‘big,’ and unbelievable. But, I went along with it. Rebel is heart breaking and heart stopping. You are on the edge of your seat and towards the end, you have no idea what is going to happen. There are some parts I was able to guess early but also kept on my toes.

Overall, Rebel is a heartwarming and heartbreaking read. It explores the notion of doing what every you can for family and love. It’s about believing in yourself and letting go. Rebel explores the journey of someone learning to love themselves and believe in who they are. It’s fun and pulls at your heart strings. And let’s not forget heart stopping stunts, steamy love and amazing friendship.

Have you read Rebel by Rebecca Yarros? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any of the other Renegades books? Let’s Chat!