REVIEW: Make it Right (Bowler University #2) by Megan Erickson

Title: Make it Right
Series: Bowler University #2
Author:  Megan Erickson
Publisher: William Morrow Impulse
Published: September 9th 2014
Format: eBook | Pages: 384
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Purchased
★★★★✩ (4.5/5) Stars!

Megan Erickson | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Max Payton lives by two rules:

Size and strength win any fight, and never show weakness.

When a rash of assaults sends Bowler University for a tail spin, Max volunteers to help teach a self-defense class. One of the other instructors is the beautiful pixie-faced girl he keeps butting heads with…and who challenges everything he thought he knew. 

Lea Travers avoids guys like Max - cocky jocks who assume she's fragile because of a disability caused by a childhood accident. She likes to be in control, and something about being with Max makes her feel anything but. But during the moments he lets his guard down, Lea sees a soul as broken inside as she is outside. Trusting him is a whole other problem...

When the assaults ramp up and hit close to home, Lea and Max must learn, before it’s too late, that true strength can come from vulnerability…and giving in to trust is sometimes the only way to make things right.

Oh my gosh I am so in love with this series! It's been so full of emotions and heart, rich characters and humor, and oh the steamy romance. I was super excited to get into Max and Lea's story and it was so much more than I was hoping it would be.

You know, when I read the first book I wasn't exactly a big Max Payton fan. Let's face it. He was kind of a jerk. He came off as being not much more than a musclebound jock with a bit of a temper and not much substance. Plus he treated Kat like crap and I adored her to pieces. By the end of Make it Count, though, I was starting to come around and finally started seeing his more redeeming qualities. But it wasn't until Make it Right, and being inside his head,  that I truly lost my heart to him. And boy did I. 

I love Max. I do. He makes it impossible not to. He's got so much weighing on him through the majority of the book that it's easy to see the why and almost dismiss his previous behavior. All that pressure and lack of control over his own life, well I think I'd be kind of a jerk at times too. I loved seeing this different side of him though. The sweet and thoughtful side. And his playful side, holy crap Max is so funny! He had me cracking up so much. I loved all the things that Lea brought out in him, or more accurately, inspired in him to bring out within himself.

I was so curious about Lea after meeting her in the first book. I knew that if anyone could inspire Max to turn his life around it would be her. She may have appeared to be small and fragile when you first meet her, but once you start this book and get to know her you see that she is anything but. I really admired her strength and resilience. But there's so much more to admire about her. She doesn't let her disability hold her back. At times she drove me a tiny bit crazy because of all of her walls and trust issues, but I still adored her.

One of the things I really loved coming out of this book, besides how completely adorable Max and Lea are together, is how even through everything that Max put Kat through in the first book, you see this really great friendship and bond between them, through their whole group really. The dynamic between this group of friends is so fun and heartwarming and I'm looking forward to finding out more about Cam. He's not very known to me at this point, well except for his video game habit. But Megan Erickson writes such fun characters that I know I'm going to love him.

Just like the first book, this one was impossible to put down once I started it. I love how real they feel and how easy it is to almost feel all of the emotions and things that the characters are going through. Like I said with the first book, this is how New Adult should be done. This series has been more about the characters and their struggles both to find themselves and within their relationships with each other. Too many authors throw their characters in a college setting and then make it all about sex, sex, sex. While these books do have their steamy moments they're so much more than that. So much deeper. They're pretty close to perfect!

REVIEW: Make it Count (Bowler University #1) by Megan Erickson

Title: Make it Count
Series: Bowler University #1
Author: Megan Erickson
Publisher: William Morrow Impulse
Published: June 3rd 2014
Format: eBook | Pages: 336
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Purchased
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Megan Erickson | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Kat Caruso wishes her brain had a return policy, or at least a complaint hot-line. The defective organ is constantly distracted, terrible at statistics, and absolutely flooded with inappropriate thoughts about her boyfriend’s gorgeous best friend, Alec…who just so happens to be her brand new math tutor. Who knew nerd was so hot?

Kat usually goes through tutors like she does boyfriends—both always seem to bail when they realize how hopeless she is. It’s safer for her heart to keep everyone at arm’s reach. But Alec is always stepping just a little too close.

Alec Stone should not be fantasizing about Kat. She’s adorable, unbelievably witty, and completely off limits. He’d never stab his best friend in the back…

But when secrets are revealed, the lines of loyalty are blurred. To make it count, Alec must learn messy human emotions can’t be solved like a trigonometry function. And Kat has to trust Alec may be the first guy to want her for who she is, and not in spite of it.

Now that was New Adult done right! I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to pick up a New Adult novel and read an engaging story with captivating characters that were full of depth. I devoured this book. I couldn't have put it down even if I wanted to!

It's hard for me to sit here and try to decide which I liked more. The characters or the storyline? But, since characters are always the huge draw for me, I guess I'll start my gushing there. Megan Erickson can write the most amazing characters, especially the nerdy ones. And nerdy is the new sexy you know. This series is cram packed full of intriguing characters. I love it when even the side characters have you sucked in and wanting to know all about them.

Kat, well that girl completely stole my heart. I felt so connected to both her and Alec, almost as if I could feel everything they were going through. Both the ups and the downs. I loved the complexity of Kat's character. How she could seem so confident and almost cocky in her teasing sort of way. Yet once you peel back the layers you find all the deep, almost heartbreaking, insecurities that she tries to cover up with the pretty exterior and practiced smile. I think what I truly loved about her though was her humor. Kat is so freaking funny. She has her moments where she's easily distracted and during those times, as her mind wanders all over the place, I always ended up with a huge grin because she was so endearing and had me constantly wanting to just chuckle and say "Oh Kat..."

I totally and completely adored Alec. He's the type of character that makes you forget about all your other book boyfriends. He's just a great big wall of delicious. Alec has that intellectual, logical thing going on, which worked against him a couple of times in this book, but was oh so sexy. But what I really love about him is his compassion, his heart and how protective he was over Kat. How hard he tried to build her up and get her to see in herself what everyone but her saw. Plus my heart melted over the bond he had with his mom. Alec is just so open and easy to understand.

I loved the nice and slow build up toward Alec and Kat's relationship forming. Initially I was nervous starting this one. It clearly states in the blurb that Alec is her boyfriend's best friend. I wasn't looking forward to super messy. However not long after getting into Make it Count, you really get the sense that Max and Kat's relationship is very superficial. There's no substance or feelings. Kat likes guys who don't dig too deep past her beautiful exterior and look at the real her and Max, well, I wasn't exactly his biggest fan. In the beginning...

Among this handful of really amazing characters there are a lot of issues that are either dealt with or glimpsed at. I like the way each one of their storylines has been handled so far. It felt very real. Especially the look into Kat's mind.

I am completely head over heels for this series. This was such a great starting off point and thankfully I have the other two books sitting in my Kindle because I can't wait to get to the other stories. Even Max's whom I thought I wasn't going to like very much. I'm so excited to see what happens with him and Lea!! I may not agree with the degree to which he became such a bad friend for a while to Alec but I understood what was going on in his mind when he acted the way he did. I'm down to give him a second chance to completely win me over. He's already part of the way there.

ARC REVIEW: Playing for Her Heart (Gamers #2) by Megan Erickson

Title: Playing for Her Heart
Series: Gamers #2
Author: Megan Erickson
Publisher: Entangled Brazen
Published: August 11th 2015
Format: eARC | Pages: 148
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
Source: Publisher
★★★★ (4/5) Stars!

Megan Erickson | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

She wanted fantasy. He's about to make it a reality...

Grant Osprey just had the hottest sex of his life. Sure, they were both in costume, and yes, it was anonymous, but he never expected her to bolt in the middle of the night without so much as a good bye, let alone exchanging numbers. Or names. All he's left with are her panties and some seriously X-rated memories...until he meets his business partner's little sister.

Only Chloe Talley isn't the bold, sexy vixen he remembers. And she wants nothing to do with him.

Cosplay is Chloe's only chance to leave her boring, socially awkward world behind. To forget that she's failing at life and can't be with anyone, let alone a single-father like Grant. But the raw hunger between them is undeniable. With him, she can be a misbehaving maid. A sexy call girl for hire. Each scene pushes Chloe beyond her strict boundaries, until Grant demands the one character she can't play.

Herself.

I received a copy of this book, from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway either my review or my rating!

I absolutely adored the first book in this series and Playing for Her Heart I liked even more so. I love the blend of hot and dirty fun along with the sexy nerdy vibe of the characters in these books. Most especially because they represent something I've always felt, nerdy can be sexy as hell.

I was extremely excited to get into Grant's book because of one major thing. A thing I didn't get quite enough of I might add but I'll live, and that thing, or character I should say, was Grant's daughter Sydney. That kid is amazing and laugh out loud funny and I melt over the relationship that those two have. First you give me a nerdy guy, give him a deliciously hot body, charm, humor and then you throw in the fact that he's an amazing single dad and I am gone. I'm a puddle. My heart stands no chance against a guy like Grant and I knew all of this before I even started his book. I was dying to see what kind of woman would be lucky enough to end up with Grant, and Sydney for that matter, in her life.

Chloe was perfect. She brought adorably nerdy to a whole new level. I mean the way she described the shade of purple in Grant's Cosplay costume at the opening of the book? I lost it. I couldn't help but grin and develop a big old girl crush on her. I didn't expect the depths that were discovered in her character though. The pain and heartache that she's gone through. It was easy to see how she'd rather lose herself in a character with Grant than to allow him to see the real her. It was an interesting twist and I loved getting to know her and see her grow.

The instantaneous chemistry between Grand and Chloe was incredibly hot. I thought that Austin, from the first book, was smoking hot but her comes Grant with his sexy, nerdy swagger, dirty mouth and delightfully naughty ways and it was almost like Austin who? 

I just cannot get enough of this series or these characters. I've just finished this one and already I'm dying for the next. And I'm hoping it's not just my misguided heart that's wanting to make it happen but I'm hoping the next book is maybe Ethan and Chad? I would just die. We get to know Ethan quite a bit through this book since he plays a pretty big part which I won't divulge since it's not mentioned in the blurb. But also I feel like Chad came so close to stealing the spotlight, for me personally at least, in book 1 as well. He's just this larger than life fun character and I feel like he's exactly what's needed to break through all of Ethan's defenses. Sigh. A girl can hope and dream right?

Truly, I am head over heels for this series. It's got heartfelt characters, it's incredibly steamy, and full of fun references that'll make your nerdy heart spasm. They're such quick and easy reads that feel like they've packed way more heart in them than they have pages. I cannot recommend this series enough!

A big thanks to Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

ARC REVIEW: Changing His Game (Gamers #1) by Megan Erickson

Title: Changing His Game
Series: Gamers #1
Author: Megan Erickson
Publisher: Entangled Brazen
Published: April 28th 2015
Format: eARC | Pages: 172
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
Source: Publisher
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Megan Erickson | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

He controls the game, but she’s rewriting all the rules…

Marley Lake is no stranger to awkwardness, but getting caught watching a dirty GIF by the company’s hot new IT guy exceeds even her standards. That is, until she realizes he's as turned on by it as she is. But with a big promotion on the line, she refuses to let her current dry spell be her downfall. Maybe.

Austin Rivers has no business lusting after the irresistible editor of Gamers Magazine. He's a secret partner in the business—and technically Marley’s boss. One look at that GIF, though, and he’s ready to install a whole lot more than just software…as long as she never finds out who he really is.

But reality’s not as virtual as it seems, and when Austin’s identity jeopardizes Marley’s promotion, he has to change his game or risk losing the only woman with the cheat code to his heart.

I received a copy of this book, from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway either my review or my rating!

Just a note before the real review starts. I wrote this entire review before I was even close to finishing the book. Sometimes when I fully and truly love a book inspiration just hits and even if it sometimes comes out in babbling nonsense, I have to get the words out. Other times I sit here staring at a blank page for days after finishing a book struggling to find the right things to express my feelings. I'm always thankful for the books that have me bursting to talk about them, like Changing His Game. And now for the babbling nonsense I just mentioned so I apologize in advance if it's very repetitive and rambly. I guess I'm lucky that only the first line is in all caps and not the entire review!

MEGAN ERICKSON IS TRYING TO KILL ME! Well kill anyone who reads this book. I was seriously afraid I was going to actually erupt in flames this book was so freaking hot. I was in a near constant state of turnedonness. That's a word right? It's got to be because I was definitely that! So if it's not a word than after reading this book I realize that it damned sure needs to be one! But it wasn't just all hot, sexy times. This book was also freaking hilarious and charming. My highlighter on my Kindle got one hell of a workout!

One thing I noticed right away that really surprised me was that I think Megan Erickson must be some sort of a miracle worker, because I have disliked plenty of books in the past specifically because of the sheer amount of puns that were used. However Marley's brother Chad uses an abundance of them and I was cracking up with each and every one. Just goes to show I guess that sometimes the right author can do the one thing that drives me absolutely insane normally, and yet here I was eating it all up and loving every minute of it! Well played Megan Erickson, well played.

My love for very dominant alpha male types has been a well established fact, but then you add the fact that the alpha in this book is smart, nerdy and pretty quiet and introverted, well except for in bed, and I'm done for. My dreams wouldn't have been able to construct a more perfect fantasy guy. I am so totally in love with Austin it's ridiculous! He's insanely sweet and caring which you get to see in his relationship with his best friend's daughter. But also very closed off due to being screwed over by the people who he should have been the closest to in his past. Now only two people know anything about him. He's the type of guy you crave to wrap your arms around protectively and then try to find a way to fix him emotionally.

Marley's character was just all kinds of awesome. She's smart, ambitious and determined and so many other lovely descriptive words I could muster up to say about her. But I think what I enjoyed the most about her was at her core she was also a gamer girl. Being a somewhat recovering one myself I felt that kind of kinship towards her. It added a fun and unique aspect to her character that you don't find in many female heroines. And the bond and dynamic she had with her brother Chad? Had me grinning from ear to ear. I couldn't get enough of the scenes with the two of them together!

I'm not sure who I'd love to have an entire book of more, either Marley's brother Chad or Austin's best friend Grant. Oh I would love to have more scenes with Grant's daughter Sydney. She's freaking adorable and funny and epically blunt. I love it when books have that angle. Where one of the characters has a really awesome and outspoken kid thrown into the mix. It makes the books so much more fun and entertaining. There were just so many really great characters in this book and I loved it! I think that's probably about the 20th time I've used some form of the phrase 'I loved it!' in this review at this point. Sigh. I'm really pulling out the big guns with my flowery descriptions here, aren't I? And I can't forget about Chad, of course, who's freaking hilarious and my cheeks freaking hurt from grinning so much. Plus he has great taste in guys. I mean, Kahl Drogo lookalike? Yuuuum!

So to stick with my quote of choice I'll sum this review up by saying, in a nutshell....yep! You guessed it! I loved this book! It was funny and sexy and full of really great characters that have you falling for them all instantly. I highly, highly recommend this book. It will tickle you in more ways than one. And if that blurb alone doesn't pull you in, well, I'm not really sure what to say about you. Changing His Game alone has me easily saying that I will gladly pick up anything and everything Megan Erickson has written and writes in the future and devour it! I've already got one of her series on my Kindle waiting for me at the suggestion of a friend and now I doubly can't wait to get to them! Since I've droned on enough at this point, I'll end the fangirling on that note. ;)

Oh and by the way, just in case you think I'm a total moron, I realize that there are better descriptive words that actually exist that I could have used instead of turnedonness...I just like making up words. Humor me and don't fill up my comments or start tweeting me with real words haha!