In Which I Review... Gone Wild by Ever McCormick

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ebook, First, 260 pages
Published August 15th 2013 by Barefoot Publishing
Received via NetGalley for review

ISBN 13: 2940148577508
 
 
SYNOPSIS:
Just before college graduation, Ina--star of her senior class--made a mistake that went viral. Then, when life seemed like it couldn’t get any worse, she walked in on her boyfriend cheating with her roommate. To get away, Ina ventures to a cabin on a remote mountain, intent on some solitary time.

She doesn’t count on Adam -- the man who watches over the cabins -- being so distractingly sexy. Adam came to the mountain to get distance from anything that could cause him pain, and Ina stirs feelings in him he thought he’d left behind.

As Adam and Ina open up about their pasts, the mountain seems like the perfect setting for a second chance at love.

Until they realize they’re not alone.
 

 
 
REVIEW:
 
Gone Wild is a delightfully honest, sexy, and exhilarating novel that isn't one to be forgotten anytime soon. The novel follows Ina, a fresh out of college girl who decides to leave it all behind in lieu of a huge mistake and an even bigger betrayal. Ina drops it all, well everything except her few precious links to the outside world (i.e cell phone and laptop) in order to set out for some much needed alone time.
 
In comes Adam. Ina moves to a cabin on an isolated mountain absolutely set on being with her thoughts and nature alone. She didn't expect the mountain's owner to be a strong, strapping man just years older than her. Adam slowly captivates Ina and every second of it is blissfully amazing. I didn't cringe at the characters questionable decisions. Ever McCormick has a knack for perfectly balancing out the extremities of every situation.
 
Adam, while with his problems, was a gentleman through and through. Adam, like Ina, came to the mountains to get away and has been away for years. Together the two kindle a relationship that is so hot it can set forest fires.

The only problem: the weird occurrences. The moved or missing tools. The slightly open cabin door. The weird feeling Ina has that someone is watching her.
 
This book has it all. Mystery, suspense, romance, heartbreak, betrayal, and sexy. I'd recommend this to all of my NA crowd! To my YA crowds, this book isn't for you just yet. Keep it on your list until you're 18. You won't want to miss out. Seriously, the wait is worth the while.

Four big fat shining stars! I loved every second of McCormick's novel.
 
 
 
 

In Which I Review... The Truth About Letting Go by Leigh T. Moore

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ebook, 276 pages
Published February 21st 2013
Received via NetGalley for review
ISBN 13: 9781301754199 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS:
 
 
Ashley Lockett has always followed the rules. She's always done the right thing and played it safe until her ideal life is shattered when her dad dies suddenly.

Fueled by anger and grief, she vows to do everything opposite of how she lived before. Then she meets Jordan. He has big dreams, he's had a crush on Ashley for years, and he's a great kisser. But he's also safe.

Enter Colt. He is not safe, and he's more than willing to help Ashley fulfill her vow.
 
 
 
REVIEW:

The Truth About Letting Go was an engaging and easy read. Ashley, filled with discourse over the death of her father, decides to throw away all that she is for a newer, badder version of herself. She finds out that doing so isn't as easy as wishing it.
 
I liked this book. It reached on meaningful topics including grief, confusion, anger, self- awareness, and even the ultimate question: Is there a God? Should I believe?

Ashley, at her core is a very likeable character. With her father's death however came a slew of irrational, foolish choices. One thing that I did not like was her attitude of "Even though I don't like doing this, I'll do it anyway because that is what the "new me" should be doing". She angered me at time, in the way that well written characters often do.

Ashley meets Jordan and right away he makes me smile. He makes me think "He is the one who would be there for her. He could actually be GOOD for her." Of course, in come Colt, ultimate bad boy. He does things that could be considered sacrilegious. He breaks the rules. And he honestly doesn't care.
 
I disliked him at first sight (well, read) as I feel many readers would as well. Ashley, however, likes him, and the fact that he looks similar to her father did plays a huge role in that. Colt's character and Ashley's reaction to him is a major part of why I am not giving this book a 5 star review. Read the book (in specific, the car scene at the school and subsequently, how Ashley reacts to Colt a while later) and the reason for my reaction will become very evident.

However, Jordan and even Ashley's spiritual journey are major reasons that I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to readers.

4 stars.
 
 
 
 
 
GOODREADS LINK
The Truth About Letting Go Amazon Link
 

Those Four Letter Words Book Blitz (NA) + Giveaway!

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Those Four Letter Words
By- Christina Channelle
Genre-Mature YA/New Adult Contemporary
Publication Date- July 3rd, 2013 

Eighteen-year-old Jade Reamer is a tough girl with a reputation to prove it. She loves three people and three people only: her brother, her boyfriend, and her best friend. Everyone else is irrelevant. 

That is … until Reed enters the picture again. 

Suddenly things start to spiral out of control and things aren’t as they seem. Life is no longer simply black and white, love versus hate. Suddenly, it’s hard to figure out which of those four letter words is true. 

Especially when she can’t look away from those devil eyes. 

I love you. I hate you. I love you. I hate you. Which is it? I don’t even know anymore. 

Well, let’s find out.

This 15,000 word novella contains coarse language, angst-driven young adults, and a lot of pent-up frustration.

Oh yeah. Plus love and a little bit of hate.

About the Author-
I’m a twenty-something Canadian who has always had a passion for writing. I enjoy reading, along with music, movies, reality television … let’s just say I like to be entertained!

I've written the Blood Crave Series which includes DAHLIA, FALLEN TEARS, and most recently published, ROWAN.

THOSE FOUR LETTER WORDS was released July 3, 2013. So if you enjoy contemporary romances with a kick, add it to your to-read list!

REAP, a YA Paranormal Romance, will be released October 11, 2013. Mark it on your calendar.

If you ever want to read my ramblings on various things both book and non-book related, check out my site at http://channellewrites.wordpress.com and/or my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ChristinaChan...

Links-



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D.J. Dyllin Birthday Bash & Rafflecopter Gway

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new_edited-1   

Book one of the P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy
New Adult Paranormal Romance  
299 pages  
by D.T. Dyllin
For P.J. Stone, being a “Seer” who has never seen anything is less than fun. And P.J. isn’t known for her patience. To make matters worse, she must choose a suitable mate to continue the Seer bloodline. Duty always comes before her heart…at least that’s what her parents taught her. When she finds herself wanting someone who is considered off-limits, P.J. is forced to question everything she believes. As if navigating her love life isn’t complicated enough, P.J. finally receives a vision—of a threat to her world that only she can perceive. But no one will believe a fledgling Seer’s warnings. With nowhere else to turn, she may decide to trust a stranger with her life, her world, and maybe even her heart.
Book two of the P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy
New Adult Paranormal Romance
241 pages
P.J. Stone is a Seer who saw too little, too late. In the past, her biggest worries were boys and school—but war has a way of changing things. Now, the alien Riders are trying to overrun the world. As the last of their kind, P.J. and her friends must find a way to save humanity before there’s nothing left to save. After choosing a mate, P.J. hoped she'd have time to enjoy her love life. But with everything changing so quickly and major secrets revealed, who knows what the future will bring?
 
Book one of the Death Trilogy
Erotic Paranormal Romance  
307 pages
by D.T. Dyllin
Samantha Bevans is having the best sex of her life—but it's not with her husband. Fortunately for her marriage, the affair is all in her mind. Isn't it? As an empath, she senses other people's emotions. But her connection to the man with the the chiseled face and haunting eyes seems so real. There's no time for fantasies with a serial killer loose in Pittsburgh. The killer is targeting dancers at a strip club where Samantha used to bartend, back when drugs were the only cure for the torment of her abilities. As a member of a special task force, Samantha uses her talents to sense the victims’ final thoughts. Just when she thought the case was complex enough, she discovers one of the victims was thinking about her fantasy man when she died. Who can Samantha trust when she can’t trust her own mind? An empath feels the emotional environment around her…and Samantha is surrounded by death

About the Author
Cynical-Optimist. Chocolate-holic. Sarcasm Addict. Paranormal Believer. Self-Imposed Insomniac. Sci-Fi Geek. Animal Lover. Writer…are just a few words to describe D.T. Dyllin. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and two very spoiled GSDs.
 

In Which I Review... It Was You by Anna Cruise

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***NA Novel: Recommended for NA aged readers***
Kindle Edition, 344 pages
Published February 28th 2013 by Mission Bay Publishing
Received for review from Author
 
SYNOPSIS:

Abby Sellers knows what she wants.

Enduring eighteen years in the shadow of her identical twin sister, Annika, she wants a fresh start. A chance to create her own life, separate from her conniving, deceptive twin.

Surprising both her family and friends, Abby ditches her plans for college and enrolls at a new school instead. There, she encounters West Montgomery, a sexy fellow student who immediately disarms her with his good looks and charm. West takes a liking to Abby and she suddenly finds herself walking a thin line, fabricating a fictional life created not by lies but by omission. She soon discovers West has secrets of his own, secrets that he's not altogether interested in sharing.

Out from under the shadow of her twin, Abby's life—and her relationship with West—blossoms. When Abby leaves town one weekend, something unthinkable happens and her relationship with West is shattered. Reeling from the discovery, Abby fears all of her plans have backfired and she's created a mess for both of them, a mess that no one can clean up.

But West isn't willing to let her go that easily. When he forces her to confront secrets they've both been hiding, Abby must decide more than if she's willing to forgive and forget. She must also decide just what kind of life she wants...and who she wants to live it with.


REVIEW:
My introduction to the writing of Anna Cruise was not one I will ever look back on with regret. It Was You, Cruise's debut release, is just my debut into the world of her writing as well. She really got me with this novel.
Abby Sellers was great in the role of lead female protagonist. What I liked about her was that she had a voice, and we as readers caught the character in a time where she decided that she was going to start using it, start speaking her mind, and start standing up for herself.
She, of course, has her faults. To some, Anna's choice to change schools in such an impromptu manner could be construed as her running away from her problems. Her steadily budding relationship with the charming West could be construed as another Young Adult/ New Adult insta-love. (You know, those books that we all kind of love and HATE at the same time.) Also, her reaction to the inevitable (which I won't mention in depth because it harbors a spoiler) could be seen as another sign of her running away.
However, the fact that she knows her faults and acknowledges them herself with her reasons for her actions clear and usually rational or understandable disallow you to hold any of these things against her.
West Montgomery was everything girls love in a book boyfriend. He was cocky, yet faithful. He was soft and sweet, while still be infuriatingly charming and flirty. Just how we like it. At first glance, I was sure I was going to hate him. He seemed rude and arrogant and unlike in some novels, the female protagonist (Abby, in this instance) didn't fall for him while he was being a jerk. In fact, she detested him for it.
His redeeming quality is very similar to Abby's. He analyzed his actions and owned up to them, apologizing not long after he was a total douche.
I found comfort in this because it was much more realistic than how many novels dealt with problems. I've become so used to a character in NA novels walking around with blinders, doing foolish things while I cringed, and then, at the end of the novels realizing that they were wrong, and ta-da, the end. The refreshing part of It Was You was that the characters came to realizations quickly and realistically.
Sometimes, it's appropriate to hold out on what you see as a realization and sometimes it's not. Cruise's ability to pick and choose stood out to me in this novel, and inevitably allowed it was me to become a novel I will be proud to mention.
Finally, I applaud the author for her use of sexual scenes in a graceful and non-consuming manner. Sex wasn't the center of Abby and West's relationship and that fact made the rest of the book entirely better. And when it did happen, you knew it was right.
Five stars. I definitely recommend this read, and I'm excited to read the second in this series.

GOODREADS LINK
IT WAS YOU AMAZON LINK