STAY WITH ME by Elyssa Patrick

 

 

 3.5 STARS

I'd like to start by saying this book was a little young for me.  I do not typically read books about 18 YO's, but the cover and synopsis drew me in.

 

This story is about a young girl, Hailey Bloom who, since she was a baby, has been forced to live a life of fame.  Dancing, singing, acting, her mother forced her to do it all.  Never knowing her father, her mom was the only person she had so she went along with it...it was all she ever knew.  After Hailey turns 18 and after having enough of her mother being in it just for the fame and money, she decides it's time to start living the life she wants...a "normal" life by leaving her life of fame behind and enrolling in college.  No one supports this decision but that doesn't stop her.  She cuts her mom off financially after she does repeated interviews about her.  All through the story, she is hiding a huge secret from her past, which she prays her mom won't reveal to the public.

After keeping to herself for awhile, she finally meets a friend, Daphne, who has 6 "brothers" looking out for her, one of which is her real brother, Caleb, who quickly begins falling for Hailey.  She is hesitant because she has been taken advantage of so many times.  After giving him a chance, she realizes what they have is real and could lead to something great if she gives him a chance.  Her worst fear is Caleb finding out her secret and leaving her.  What will he do???  (*Don't want to spoil it :)

This book is Hailey's journey to find herself...who she is...what she is truly passionate about.  I admire Hailey's strength to get away from her life and start out fresh, not knowing what lies ahead for her.  I am giving this book 3.5 STARS because it was written well enough to keep my interest but didn't evoke much emotion from me.  Even after her secret was revealed, I felt sorry for her (as I did throughout), but didn't feel her pain.  I didn't necessarily fall in love with the characters, but I did enjoy the story and will look out for the next in the series in December 2013.

*ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review*

DAMAGED 2 by H.M. Ward

 

5 SEXY, SUSPENSEFUL, HILARIOUS STARS

LOVED IT!  I've yet to read a book that was sexy, suspenseful & hilarious all at the same time!  OMG, my favorite scene was the first one with the "turkey"!  I laughed so hard out loud!  I am in love with Peter!!  The way he was just as angry with her as she is with him made me laugh too!  Yet the sexual tension was always there!!  I have never read a book that one minute I am laughing out loud, the next I am crying.  I also hated Sean...until the very end of course! 

So Damaged 2 takes off right where Damaged left off.  Sydney is on her way to her Mom with her best friend, Millie, when she comes across her ex again and he tries to attack her again but Peter shows up and saves the day yet again!!  I love his protective, yet stand-offish ways!  Peter sends Millie back to Texas while he insists on accompanying Sydney to her Mom's, knowing her ex could return at any time.

Along the way, they meet up with Peter's brother Sean, who Sydney, to put it mildly, does not like and the feeling is mutual.  Taking a detour to Peter's parents house, we also get to meet Peter's younger brother Jonathan who sounds exciting and adorable!  After a rather short and eventFUL stay, Sean tricks Sydney into leaving Peter behind and she takes off to see her Mom.

After some very emotional scenes (which had me in tears), her ex comes along and she can't take it anymore!  After a very suspenseful scene, Peter shows up to save Sydney from herself and Sean also comes to save Peter from himself...and he finishes "the job" for them!  Oh, I would love to get into more detail about all of that, but I can't spoil it!!!  

I absolutely loved the ending of this story!!  I've never read anything like it and it made me very happy!  LOL!  I know I sound like a goofball right now, but I just can't express how much I loved their story!!  I just can't wait to read about Sean and Jonathan in the next set of books!  What an emotional roller coaster, but in the best way possible!  Thank you so much H. M. Ward for the opportunity at the ARC and for your beautiful writing!!

*Note:  I finished this book on June 20th, 2013.

RUINING YOU by Nicole Reed

 
4.5 STARS 

Let me just say I am soooo glad I didn't have to wait to read this book!!  This is the sequel to RUINING ME (RM).  I would definitely recommend reading RM before RUINING YOU (RU) or you won't know what's going on and this review will be a spoiler!

Have your tissues ready again!!  This book starts off right where RM left off.  Jay is in a mental health center that deals with depression and voluntary rehabilitation/therapy for young adults.  It's been over 2 months since she has had any contact with her friends or Kane or Rhye but she just can't pull herself together enough yet to make any contact with anyone other than her parents.

     “Time is now measured from the night when death stole from me, took my battered heart and     left me behind.” – Jay

The 1st quarter of the book is about her going through therapy, and still closing herself off from the world until she meets Eli.  He is another patient like her, but they get to know each other before they give up their stories to one another.  I have to admit I got frustrated that another male character was introduced when I was already torn between Kane and Rhye!!  How dare you Nicole Reed LOL!!  But you'll find he's no threat :)
So after a rocky start, her and Eli become the best of friends and he helps her to see another side to living.  She finally sees a perspective that she can relate to coming from someone suffering much like she is.

OMG, Kane's letters...I almost cried with each one!!!   I just wanted to shake her and say "wake up and see what's right in front of you!!!"

She finally decides it's time to go home and I almost died when her Mom said she was having a "welcome home party".  I loved her reaction though!!  I felt so bad for her at that moment, but it turned out much different then I expected!

Kane is definitely in the running for best book boyfriend!!  Although he has his own baggage to work through, he never gave up on Jay! I held my breath when she sees Kane for the first time!  **sigh**

     "You know what Heaven feels like?  It feels like 200 pounds of steel muscle wrapped around you with the most invigorating body smell that invades every sense you have.  It is the rhythmic beating of his heart as it sounds in my ear.  I grip his back, knowing he is really here.  It's the feeling of being safe, protected, and loved..." --Jay 
AGAIN, I just wanted to shake her for not just being with him!!!!!

I also have to say I was very frustrated with her leading Rhye on!  He already proclaimed his love for her and she just couldn't realize what she was doing to him knowing she was never really going to be with him, but yet couldn't seem to stop contacting him.  I have to say I was satisfied with how their relationship ended.

All through the book, like in RM, I had a feeling the entire time like something was going to happen.  I loved that bit of suspense running through the story!!  (that's my history with James Patterson LOL ;)  I was not wrong!!!!  I did NOT see that ending coming!!!!!  Perfect ending to a great story!  Was also soooo happy for the prologue!!   Seeing a bit into Kane and Jay's future was enough to end it perfectly for me. 

RUINING ME by Nicole Reed

 

 4.5 STARS
WHAT DID I JUST READ!!!???? 

 
To quote my bestie... 
“this is how it goes…  reading, reading, BOOM SMACK IN THE FACE, reading, crying, reading, BOOM SMACK IN THE FACE, crying, crying, reading GOD DAMN STRAIGHT UP SLAP IN THE FACE, crying really ugly crying, end of story.”
She wasn't kidding!!!  I finished this in 1.1 sittings...read from 8pm until my eyes closed around 11:30pm, then picked up in the A.M. with only 25% left to go!  OMG, ugly crying first thing in the morning is not cool LOL!!  The level of emotion with this book is unreal.

Admittedly, I didn't necessarily get sucked in until her first dream.  I think I got more confused with each dream.  I couldn't make too much sense of it, but knew it was a huge part of the story and had to know more!!  I understood them all by the end.  I guessed her secret pretty quickly, but still got slapped at every turn.  I honestly think the writing could have been better.  I am not a writer, so I hate to criticize that, but I have read a LOT of books and you know that feeling when you read a book that's all-consuming from the start and this wasn't necessarily the case because of how it was written.  Some parts seemed a little cheesy to me (ie: applauding in the cafeteria, really?) BUT...It did not take away from how much I LOVED the journey.

Okay to begin with the story...I don't know how much of this could be a spoiler but here goes...

James (AKA Jay, yes, a girl) has serious issues.  She had it all...star football player boyfriend, lots of best friends, girls wanted to be her and boys wanted to be inside her (yes, quoted from the book).  Until one day, 2 years ago, when her life came crashing down around her.  Wanting to get away from it all, she broke up with her perfect boyfriend and turned her back on all of her friends.  She turned to drugs, alcohol and other men, but none of it took her away from it. (Note: not much writing about this time period so no worries about reading about drugs, etc.)

Jay's got 3 men "pining" for her.  JT, her long time ex-boyfriend; Rhye, her bad boy, rocker temporary distraction turned into more; then there's Kane who appears out of no where and she is drawn to without even wanting to be!

Returning to her Senior year of HS, she has JT wanting her back, her friends wanting to reconnect, Rhye proclaiming his love for her and Kane now falling for her and wants to be her future.  PLUS she's got her past lurking around showing it's ugly head at every turn!  She is torn between JT who is her past, the love of her life who she never had closure with and then Kane who, for the first time, snaps her out of her depression.

I can't get too much into the story or I will ruin it!!  Truly, the smacks in the face come pretty frequently and I can't ruin that for anyone!!  Let's just say have your tissues ready and try to BREATHE!!! 

OMG, I love Rhye!!!  He just does the right thing by her and it warmed my heart!  LOVE HIM!!

I feel so bad for JT!  I didn't like him much in the beginning.  He sounded so desperate and whiny, but I did feel for him. Knowing he had no control over their relationship ending all of a sudden and knowing all this time that something had to happen, but never knowing what.  3/4 through I fell in love with him.  He wasn't giving up on her no matter what! 

Kane is just HOT!!  He is exactly what Jay needs to snap herself out of her funk. 

**SIGH**  There is so much more I could say, but I'll stop there to go read Ruining You!  :D

Love this!!

SURRENDER YOUR LOVE (Surrender Your Love, #1) by J.C. Reed

4.5 STARS

 I really enjoyed this book!  I totally fell for Jett and his demanding, sexiness!  At first I was frustrated because Brooke appeared so weak...she melted at the sight of him and did whatever he wanted whether she liked it or not.  But then as the story progressed, she gained strength and resolve and would not be pushed around.

Brooke Stewart is a Real Estate Agent trying to further her career when she finds herself sacked from her current job and hired by this man, Jet Mayfield, who she never even met...or so she thought.  Jet is the millionaire, playboy, bachelor who hires her to be his personal assistant.  Before they can get down to real business, they need to deal with their obvious sexual attraction toward each other and he gives her another "more personal" offer she cannot refuse!

After some steamy, sexy scenes, as the story progresses, her first big assignment is to persuade the owner to sell the latest property that Jett has his sights set on buying.  Brooke is looking for loopholes when she finds more then she bargained for.  Oh yeah and they fall in love too!

I enjoyed the story line, the characters and the twists so far and the whole story kept me intrigued the whole way through.  I loved the ending...which way will it go??  Although reviews and the description mentioned Jett being "dangerous", I am not getting that at all.  I cannot wait to have all of my questions answered in the sequel CONQUER YOUR LOVE!! 

FIGHT OR FLIGHT by Jamie Canosa

 
4 STARS

I have mixed feelings about this book.  I finished it last night and had to just sit there and think about what I just read.  It was not at all what I thought it would be and I have never read anything like it before. It was a sad, desperate, intense, book about survival of the 2 main characters.  Sounds negative, because it was, but I was glad to find that it did have a happy ending.

Emerson is a scared 17 year old girl who runs away from "home" in the middle of the night with a backpack and about $50.  Jay is a "boy" who also ran away from home 2 years prior for the same reasons...because of abuse.  I will not spoil with the details, (and am glad to say it did not go into detail for those who might be squeamish to that sort of thing) however, it's harsh for both of them.  I describe it as "sad" because the whole book contains the story of their life on the streets and how they survived day to day.  

Since Jay had already been on the streets for 2 years, he had learned how to take care of himself.  When he finds Em, he doesn't expect to be drawn to her, let alone fall in love with her and feel a desperate need to take care of her.  The story contains tons of gut-wrenching scenes where I found myself holding my breath.  The only part that I could have been felt more is their love.  The passion between them was missing for me.  I believe he loved her, but I felt like it was more of a brotherly love than anything. 

The ending was bitter sweet.  I was glad to see a happy ending but I feel like maybe it was too easy.  It was believable, but I wanted to read more!  I also couldn't help thinking this was not the harsh reality of today and it made me sad.  :(  I see a sequel in the works and am hoping  Sink or Swim (Fight or Flight 1.5) comes out soon because I have so many questions that need to be answered!  

I am giving it 4 stars because I feel like this book has so much potential to be a fantastic series and am hoping the passion for their survival on the streets comes through in their love for each other in the next book.