Monday, September 28, 2015

ARC REVIEW: This Book Will Change Your Life by Amanda Weaver

Title: This Book Will Change Your Life
Author: Amanda Weaver
Publisher: Entangled Embrace
Published: September 28th 2015
Format: eARC | Pages: 193
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Publisher
★★★★ (4/5) Stars

Amanda Weaver | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Take a chance and change your life…

College was supposed to be where Hannah’s hard work paid off, but the major in honors chemistry she’s been working towards since childhood is slipping away. Worse, she’s not sure she wants it anymore. Salvation comes from an unlikely place—a used bookstore and Ben, the passionate college senior who works there.

Ben’s trapped in a life mapped out for him. Trapped in a future career as a lawyer to make his father happy. Trapped pursuing a girl he doesn't even like because she fits into a world he doesn’t want, but can’t escape. But then he meets Hannah. And for the first time, he knows what it means to truly want something.

So he gives in to being her friend. Then to wanting her. Then to kissing her. And within the freedom of his impulsivity, both of their carefully planned lives begin to fall apart...



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.

This Book Will Change Your Life had me completely enchanted from the moment I started it. It did start to get rocky towards the middle and had me doubting the depth of my feelings for it. But by the time I made it to the end I couldn't deny that it gave me all the warm and fuzzies and I wasn't ready to let these characters or this world go.

The thing that had me so captivated and reading with such a huge grin on my face through the beginning is the fact that you have Hannah who is this really sweet and smart girl, I mean she got accepted into a limited spacing college honors chemistry program for crying out loud. No doubt the girl is smart. But she's never really been a reader. At least not for fun that is. Yet in the middle of a rainstorm she ducks into the first door she comes across and ends up in a used bookstore. Long story short the as she's talking to Ben, the adorable guy who works there, and expresses to him that fact, he can't believe it and makes it his mission to turn the adorable Hannah into a book lover. He drags her around the store trying to find just the right book for her. The one that will inspire her to become more of a reader.

You immediately recognize Ben's passion for books. The excitement of him dragging her through the store and pulling books off the shelf, muttering to himself about how good of a fit the book in his hand would be or not then either quickly putting it back on the shelf or putting it in a "maybe" pile was infectious. I was on the edge of my seat desperate to know each title and wondering just exactly what book passionate, bookish Ben would choose for Hannah. And then when he finds the one and hands it to her and says "this book will change your life" my excitement blew through the roof. Would Hannah like it? Could one simple book take someone with a scientific, kind of logical type of brain and get her to fall in love with a fictitious world and characters?

Then, after she's read the book, to see her talking about it so animatedly with tears in her eyes I just wanted to yell "YES!" Because we've all been there am I right? So overwhelmed with feelings about a book that it brings tears to your eyes just thinking about it. And seeing this in someone for the first time, well it was fun to almost live through it vicariously, that first book that gives you all the feelings. Sigh.

And then it was just so enchanting and sweet and fun to see this happen over and over as Hannah returned to the bookstore and have Ben drag her around picking out the next book. They were just so sweet and my need for them to become a thing was almost overwhelming itself!

That's not to say this book was just completely perfect or anything. Like I could have done without the "almost" love triangle. I only say almost because it wasn't exactly a full fledged triangle but it was close enough to really tick me off when a couple of things happened.

Regardless I really, really enjoyed this book. Both Hannah and Ben were really solid characters and I loved them to pieces, especially Ben. Their relationship was sweet and heartwarming and I couldn't get enough of them. They both had very sad and complex back stories and the support and trust they found in each other was really great. Plus this book gave me a list of books that I've added to my TBR pile to see what Ben found in each one that also sparked something within Hannah.

It was just so much fun! It's the kind of book I could easily reread again and again and still be just as enchanted by the story and the characters as I was the first time.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!




ARC REVIEW: The Finn Factor by Rachel Bailey

Title: The Finn Factor
Author: Rachel Bailey
Publisher: Entangled Embrace
Published: September 28th 2015
Format: eARC | Pages: 228
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Publisher
★★★★✩ (4.5/5) Stars!

Rachel Bailey | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

A new adult romance from Entangled's Embrace imprint..

Sometimes all a girl needs is a little practice...

It's been twelve months, three days, and eleven hours since accounting student Scarlett Logan made it past a second date. A pitcher of mojitos in hand, she employs her supreme graphing skills to narrow things down to one horrifying explanation. Kissing. Clearly someone needs to teach her how to kiss properly. Like, say, her best friend and roomie, Finn Mackenzie. He's safe, he's convenient, and yeah, maybe just a little gorgeous.

Finn knows exactly why Scarlett's boyfriends are disappearing quickly. Him. Not a single guy she's brought home is nearly good enough. And he'll be damned if he lets some loser give her "kissing lessons." No. He'll do the honors, thank you very much. The moment their lips touch, though, everything turns upside down. But Scarlett deserves the one thing Finn can't give her. And if he doesn't put an end to the sexy little shenanigans, he'll teach Scarlett the hardest lesson of all...heartbreak.



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!

The cuteness of this book is almost too much! From the second I pulled it up on my Kindle I was completely hooked on The Finn Factor. I was glad I had lots of breathing room reading wise because I took my time and truly savored this one and stretched it out as far as I could. Even then I wasn't ready to say goodbye to these characters and let it end.

What I loved about both Finn and Scarlett's characters was the fact that you have two people who are the types that turn heads when they walk into a room, both of them, and yet they also each had this majorly nerdy/quirky side. Finn with his obsession with history, more specifically musical instruments from Mesopotamia. I mean seriously, how do you even get into something like that? Love it. And then there's Scarlett with her numbers and spreadsheets and math equations. Their quirkiness was completely adorable and made them even more fun then they already were.

One thing that you come to realize right away was the very special and sweet bond and friendship between these two. For different reasons they both need that friendship in their lives. So even I was nervous when the kissing lessons first started happening. I mean I couldn't imagine this book not ending happily, but still it was the thought that, forever how long, things would turn upside down for them and I didn't want it to happen.

On the other hand, the other half of me desperately needed them to be together. From that very first kissing lesson, which left me nearly breathless as well, I just couldn't imagine them not being together. The chemistry was insane and I wish that this had been a movie at times so I could keep rewinding and watching that first kiss happen over and over. H-o-t.

And every character you meet is just so awesome. Finn's sisters, Billie and Amelia and Scarlett's hippie, nomadic parents. They're all so much fun and add both a sweetness and a bit of comic relief.

As you can already tell, I adored this book. It was everything I needed in the moment from a book. I haven't read anything by Rachel Bailey before, but that is definitely going to change now. I can't wait to get my hands on more. 

Thanks to Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!




ARC REVIEW: Slow Ride (Playing for Keeps #1) by Cathryn Fox

Title: Slow Ride
Series: Playing for Keeps #1
Author: Cathryn Fox
Publisher: Entangled Brazen
Published: September 28th 2015
Format: eARC | Pages: 87
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Erotica
Source: Publisher
★★★★ (4/5) Stars!

Cathryn Fox | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

A sexy category romance novella from Entangled's Brazen imprint...

He's looking for love. She's looking for trouble...

As a successful doctor and weekend cowboy, Chase Cooper enjoys a full life with plenty of female company. But lately, something hasn't felt right. He's been distracted. Antsy. Damn it, he's been lonely. With an eye on settling down with a nice girl, Coop invites his high school best friend down to his ranch to see if maybe she's the one for him...

Instead, her twin sister shows up. The one who loathes him.

Julia Blair is already halfway to Coop's ranch when she learns the invitation wasn't for her, but her vivacious twin sister. She has two choices: slink back home, or see just how far this farce will go. One glance at hotter-than-sin Coop, and she knows she's playing a dangerously hot game. Because what this cowboy wants, this cowboy gets...

Previously released on Entangled's Flaunt imprint as Cowboy's Way - November 2013 and has been enhanced with new material.



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.

For only 87 pages this sure packs the punch of a full length novel. It was incredibly hot and intense yet at the same time achingly sweet. The perfect Brazen to pick up when you want to get through something very quick yet still leave you feeling the satisfaction of reading a full sized book.

The blurb is a bit misleading, but I'm actually happy with that. What I read was so much better than what I was expecting. I was expecting Julia was going to try to trick him into thinking she was her sister or something but thankfully that wasn't the case. I mean it would've been cute still I'm sure but I absolutely loved what I read instead.

I feel like this, in a way, is pretty much a second chance romance. Coop was completely hung up on Julia in high school but since her twin was his best friend he put her in the off limits zone. You don't date your best friend's sister. On the other hand Julia always had a thing for Coop as well, but she, like everyone else in their lives, assumed there was more to his relationship with her sister so she buried her feelings for him as well. I loved it! It was such a perfect premise filled with the promise of feels.

Coop and Julia were great characters. I loved how open Coop was and how he wore his emotions and didn't really hide anything. How he wasn't actually afraid to feel and actually wanted someone to share his life with. It's always a breath of fresh air compared to the fear of commitment characters we're normally bombarded with. Julia was so sweet and adorable. I loved how even though she was an identical twin and in a lot of ways felt 2nd best compared to her twin, she was still so positive and selfless and giving. She was just a really good person.

It didn't take long for things to heat up between these two and when they did? Explosive! Those were some pretty freaking hot and intense scenes.

I adored everything about this book. From the characters, to the storyline and the setting of the ranch. It was over way too quickly and I really wanted more of Coop and Julia. But I'll have to satisfy myself with two of Coop's best friends and their "ones that got away" that release in the next two months. I'm really looking forward to Mac and Jag's books!!

Thanks to Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!




Thursday, September 24, 2015

Harry Potter Spells Book Tag!!



I'm such a huge Harry Potter fan and so I was super excited when Jessica from Lovin' los libros tagged me in this Harry Potter Spells Book Tag! The tag was created by Kimberlyfayereads and BookNerd Betsy.

This was so much harder than I thought it was going to be! I mean we're talking years worth of books read and coming up with one answer but I feel good about the books I picked. I mean, a couple of them I probably could've come up with better answers if I dug a whole lot deeper but I'm sticking with what I came up with and I had tons of fun doing it. Let's get to it shall we?


1. An upcoming release you wish you could get your hands on right now


I feel like this book is going to be so much fun. Getting sucked into a new world through a picture in a book? Magic? I'm ready for January!





2. Favorite Series Starter


This will always be one of my most favorite series and I especially loved how it all started!





3. A book that gave you all the warm fuzzies


The sweetness of this book was just too much. I actually want to go read it again right now!






4. A book that made you ugly cry


The ugly, ugly cries were very real.





5. Bookish hero or heroine you want around to protect you in real life


Either Rose or Dimitri. Or both!! I think I'd seek out danger just to see them in action haha!





6. A book you intentionally spoiled for yourself

I racked my brain and I couldn't come up with a single book that I spoiled for myself. I've spoiled movies for myself or books for other people upon request...but none for myself.





7. A book you wish you could make everyone read because you loved it so much


Oh man I loved this book so much. It made me feel all the things. I wish everyone had read it so that I could just bask in all the glorious things with them... :)




8. A book or series you wish never ended


I will always and forever want more Adrian Ivashkov.




9. A book with an uplifting ending or message


Very good "be yourself" and "don't change for anyone but yourself" types of messages in this book. Plus Rachel Harris is just full of awesome!




10. A book you wish you could forget you ever read


This was a perfect example of how very much series enders are horrible to me. I wish I could forget this one. The entire series up to this book was filled...filled with action and danger and explosions and death at the turn of every page. Then the end was just wrapped up in a neat little bow with zero intensity of the rest of the series. Major, major disappointment.




11. An author whose books always get you out of a slump


Even if I've read them all a hundred times, and most of them I'm sure I'm pretty dang close, I will always be picked up and feel that reading zest after finishing any Julia Quinn book. The woman is amazing!




12. A swoon-worthy hero or heroine


Aiden St. Delphi. Sigh. Funny thing is I was not the biggest Aiden fan at the start of this series but about halfway through I finally discovered what everyone else was swooning about and yeah...Aiden is amazing.




13. A book that caused you to stop all other things until you finished it


I couldn't have put this one down if I tried once I started it. It had me desperately turning the pages to find out what would happen next.





14. A book that was painful to read (for whatever reason) or broke you


I had started to put Hopeless here, which was freaking painful and broke me as well, but this one was actually worse for me. It really hit me hard. I probably could have even slipped this one into the ugly cry spot as well!




15. A book that had you laughing out loud


Oh my word this book was not only sexy and frustrating but it was laugh out loud hilarious at times.




16. A book that made you want to send it (or your e-reader) flying


I'm surprised my book is still in one piece. No joke. If you've read I'm sure you can figure out why, if not...spoilers so...sorry. I would say read it and find out but I wouldn't subject anyone to that.




17. Bookish world you wish you could visit


I have this obsession with England and all things British and what I wouldn't give to visit the Bridgertons in Regency England. 




18. A book with a shocking twist or ending


I mean what? Are you kidding me with that ending? I was so tempted to put this one down as a "wish I could forget I read it" but meh I already had it in two spots so I'll ease up on Allegiant. Even though it doesn't deserve it!! I'm okay. I'm okay...




19. A character death that destroyed you


Wow. Okay so this book is told in 2 parts. Before and After. Well I never made it to the after. At least not yet. After the death in the before section I had to put the book down I just couldn't take it. I mean I knew it was coming. Everything was building up for it to happen. Still I held on to a tiny shred of denial. I really want to finish this some day though because the writing was just beautiful.





20. Best series conclusion


It is very rare that I am happy with how a series ends. Most of the time they turn my world upside down and I was so freaking scared to read this book because of that. However, JLA did an amazing job bringing the Lux series to an end and I was so, so happy!!



Okay that was tons of fun! And since Jess has already tagged anyone I think would be into doing this...well I'm just gonna say if this looks like you'd enjoy it then I tag YOU! And stop back by and leave me a link so I can see what you came up with! And don't forget to visit the creators and the person who tagged me. All their links are at the top of the page :)


I guess all that's left to say now is...


Mischief Managed!

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