Review: Unsteady Rhythm by Raine Thomas

Unsteady Rhythm by Raine Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from Red Coat Publishing. This is my honest review.

I really, really enjoyed this book! For some reason, the insta-love with Archer and Lily didn't go well with me in book 1, but the relationship between Keith and Sydney in this book was my ticket in! I loved the way they interacted with each other and how both of them were not like they seemed when they got to know each other.

Sydney is amazing. She is so smart and mature and proper. But when she is with Keith, we get to learn some of the more embarrassing qualities she has.

And Keith is portrayed as this bad boy with a dark past and is the brooding member of the band, but he is so sweet and kind and human underneath it all. I especially liked seeing him with his sister, Lex.

Both of them have secrets they want to keep buried, but the best part of their relationship is that they are upfront and honest with each other - even if it means hurting the other one in the end.

I grew to like Lily and Archer a little more in this novel. And all of the media crap they have to go through? I don't think I could be cut out to be in the music/rock band lifestyle if any of this information is accurate. Too much drama and non-stop moving for me.

I adored Keith and Sydney so much in this book, and I'm intrigued to see if there will be another couple pairing up in book #3!

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Review: Imperfect Harmony by Raine Thomas

Imperfect Harmony by Raine Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from Red Coat Publishing. This is my honest review.

Lily's life has been a difficult one. Problems with her family have forced her to live with her Uncle Ray, which has actually been a good thing for Lily. It's how she was able to meet Dane Archer 8 years ago and become his best friend.

THE Archer - first movie star, then famous singer for The Void. Without Lily there with him, Archer would never had gotten where he is today. His friendship with Lily means everything to him, and he would do whatever it takes to keep her happy and safe.

But when he starts a reality TV show to hike up his ratings for his band, he knows that Lily won't want to be in the spotlight. Because of her terrible history with her family, Lily's life is made for a reality TV show.

Once Lily and Archer start to see each other in a different light than friends, Lily is put into a corner and told that she needs to be recorded to be on the show.

But will the spotlight on her life be too much for Lily? Will it ruin an 8 year friendship because of all of the lies and secrets?

This was a good book. I enjoyed the storyline and the drama that occurred throughout the novel. I did find that it was a little slow at times, which made it hard for me to want to keep reading, but then something good would happen that would draw me back into the story.

I do have to say that the relationship between Lily and Archer didn't really do it for me... It was too strained and drawn out. I like heat and passion, and it kind of felt dull and recited too much for me to really feel the connection between Lily and Archer. Which is a real bummer.

But the ending was very intriguing, so I'm very excited that I have the second book to dive right in and see how things are going to play out. I'm hoping that I will be able to connect better with the second novel since I know a little bit of the history now. I found that this book didn't really give Archer and Lily's past information very well - made the reader wonder how things happened and why they are the way they are, and then they just dumped all of that information in one paragraph with factual information, rather than a story of sorts.

I always love me a good rock star romance, so I'm hoping that this series will get better for me! :)

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Review: Moonlight Seduction by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Moonlight Seduction by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from the author and from Edelweiss. This is my honest review.
Release date: June 26, 2018

Gabriel, the middle brother of the notorious de Vincents, is claimed to be the "calm" one of the trio. And typically, he is, even though his nickname is Demon. After getting a bomb dropped on him that his college love died in a car accident, and that Emma had been keeping a secret from him for 5 years, Gabe feels like he is reeling all over the place.

Then when he sees Nikki, the daughter of the de Vincents butler and housekeeper who he grew up with, memories came flooding back. Even though Nikki is 10 years younger than him, he has always been fond of Nic. But 4 years ago, they connected on a different level and then Gabe never saw her again.

Now he has been struck again with memories and feelings from years ago, confusing him on how he really feels and what he is going to do about them.

Nikki has been in love with Gabriel since she was 16 and he saved her from drowning in their pool. She knows that she is younger than him, but Gabe has always been nice and kind to her. He is also the only de Vincent brother who took time to hangout with her when she was stuck in their house when her parents were working. They bonded together through wood carving, a profession that Gabe does for a living now.

When Nikki's mom got sick, she volunteered to help at the de Vincents house to keep her mother's job secure until she was better. But Nikki is not happy about this, because there are a lot of memories in that house. A lot of bad memories. Specifically the one that happened 4 years ago, one that she has never really gotten over.

At first, the hostility and anger between Nikki and Gabe kept them at bay, but the more they are around each other, the more they feel the spark and connection between each other again.

There are a lot of people plotting against Nikki and Gabe, and they need to figure out if it is worth fighting a long fight to see what is between each other, or if it would be better to let it go. Either way, both of them are going to get hurt in different ways - and it may be more than than can handle in the end.

Wow! I love this series, I love these characters, and I love JLA so much :)

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this series since it's one of the very few adult novels she's written, but I shouldn't have worried because JLA knows how to suck me in completely!

I honestly think that I may like Gabe and Nikki more than Julia and Lucien, and I didn't think that was possible to be honest! There was so much sexual tension between these two and so much history that had happened. They already knew each other when they met up again now, so that already had the tension sky high from the beginning.

Gabe was a bit of a jerk, but I think all of the de Vincents are going to be jerks at the beginning because that is who they are. But the more he is with Nikki, the more of a soft side you see of him and you just can't help but falling in love with him.

The suspense that comes with this series is great and keeps you reading faster and faster to see what happens. I figured it out well before it was revealed, but to see Nikki and Gabe's reaction to the answer was amazing and gut wrenching all at the same time.

Also? I'm not exactly sure who Devlin is going to fall for in Moonlight Scandal, but I hope it's who I'm wishing for after seeing them meet for the first time in this book, because that would be an AMAZING book!! Those two will butt heads like no other and that would be a fantastic story to read about!!! So I'm crossing my fingers that it is who I think it might be :D

I am so, so, so glad that I got an eARC of this book, and I cannot wait to read the 3rd and final book in the series! Fans of JLA are going to LOVE this novel - I just know it! :)

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Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book in Jan, 2012 for the first time, but just re-read it because 1. my bookclub is reading this, and 2. I want to read the second novel.

Ginny just found out that her aunt passed away in London from a stranger. And then the letters came. 13 to be precise, all written from her aunt, asking her to travel the UK like she did when she left 2 years ago. Ginny feels like she needs to do this, because she adored her aunt and wants to feel close to her again, even though she is no longer alive.

So Ginny begins the biggest adventure of her life. She goes to London, but also to Paris, Amsterdam, and many more places she wouldn't have EVER imagined going to. She found friends in the weirdest places, she found first love, and she found out secrets that were buried in her aunt's life.

These 13 little blue envelopes took Ginny on an adventure, but what is going to happen when she is finished with the envelopes?

This book was just as good the second time and it was the first time that I read it 5 years ago! I had forgotten a lot of details, so it was nice to re-experience this novel! Though there were times where I questioned Ginny's decisions (I mean, how many strangers can you go up to and have them be normal, nice people? In a foreign country? It's a bit of a stretch...), I enjoyed the journey that Ginny took to get a vision of her aunts last couple of years. It was a very unique way for Ginny to get to know her aunt again, while also going on a journey of her own.

I'm very excited to be diving into the second novel and see what will happen! It's been a long time coming for a solid ending to this journey!

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Review: Burning Bright by Chris Cannon

Burning Bright by Chris Cannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley and Entangled Publishing. This is my honest review.

Bryn has had a rollercoaster of the last few years - since she found out she was a dragon. From then on, she has been a magnet for bad luck and always seems to draw bad attention to herself. So she is really, really hoping that her senior year will go off without a glitch and it will be smooth sailing. It would also really help her to keep her image as the perfect Blue for her grandparents, too.

But, of course, she is Bryn, and that is too much to hope. Because trouble always finds her, and senior year is no different. What is weird, though, is that she isn't REALLY sure what is going on. Only a speculation that her friends Clint and Ivy stumbled upon, so they may just be imagining these things.

And to top it all off, her agreement for marriage with Jaxon has started early, where they are constantly around each other. Both of them are grieving over past relationships for different reasons, and now it seems that Bryn may just be growing some real feelings for Jaxon... Until he makes her mad and treats her like crap again, which just wants to make her breathe fire at him.

So a lot is happening with Bryn, and she is also wanting to see her parents more, but the rules for visiting other places seem to be getting more and more strict with each passing day.

All Bryn wants to do is make it through senior year, but it may not be meant to be with everything happening around her...

Sigh. The series is done. I'm sad!

Okay, I am so so so excited that I was asked by Entangled Publishing to read and review this book. It made my day!!! And of course I dived right into it. It's been awhile since I've read the other books, but the second that I started reading, I remembered this amazing world and soon was on another adventure with Bryn.

I do have to say, books 3 and 4 were a bit of a downer for me because Bryn was becoming all Blue and sophisticated and she was losing the spunk that I loved so dearly when she was dating Valmont. I was a bit bummed by that, but it wasn't going to stop me from reading the last book in the series, which I am so glad I read because I loved it again, like book 1 and 2!!

Bryn is still a well-trained Blue, but she is learning how to use her sarcasm and when the appropriate time is for that very amazing skill she has. Most of the time it's with Jaxon, but she does slip up a time or two in public, which is just amazing!

Also, I've never been Team Valmont, so I was a happy girl during this novel :)

The only thing I was a bit disappointed with was the storyline with the 'bad people'. It felt too distant, too rush, and not enough information for me to be satisfied with it overall. I know this was about wrapping everything up, and at one point I didn't think it was the end, because I was nearing the end of the book and there was still a lot more left to be resolved. So the ending was a bit rushed for me, but I was happy with the ending, so all is good in the end.

I have loved these dragons for a long time, and I'm very sad to see them go. But I have all 5 books on my kindle, so I may be revisiting them again when I get a hankering for this story again!

I am so, so, so glad I was asked to read and review this book, and, as always, I will be keeping an eye out for more by Chris Cannon in the future! :)

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Review: Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review.
Release Date: October 2, 2018

I'm going to be honest, I didn't finish this novel. I usually give a synopsis of the story and then my opinion, but since I didn't finish the book, I can't really give a synopsis.

I really, really, really wanted to like this novel. It sounded so good from the description, but I got 25% of the way through and I was so bored to tears, and kept falling asleep when reading...which is not a good thing for me because if I am really into a book, I will stay up all night with sleepy eyes to finish it.

I don't know what it was. I should have been so into the novel, with the fighting of the dragon and saving the girl, and traveling back to the King's home, but it was all stale and monopolized. And then I read reviews from other readers and found out that it has some events that happen that I am not okay with reading, so I thought it was a good thing to just put my hat in and call it quits.

Also, I didn't respect Emory, the king, at all. He was a pompous ass most of the time and seemed way too cocky, and that was just within the first few minutes of reading this book that I figured that out. And then the way he talked to Ama was rubbing me the wrong way.

So unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me, sadly. I'm hoping I'm one of the few that doesn't like this book, because I think the concept is a great story.

I am grateful that I received this eARC from Edelweiss, and I will definitely see if I will like Elana Arnold's next book when she releases it.

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Review: April Fools by Mari Carr

April Fools by Mari Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Fiona has always had an usual life, touring with her famous musician parents. So when she finds her passion in writing a TV show with her 3 best friends from college, it was a natural transition from one lifestyle to another. Plus, her massive family does unusual things at times.

So when she finds herself in a situation where she is attracted to two of her best friends, the idea of a threesome is talked about. Because Fiona is not sure who she likes more, and she's not sure if getting romantic with her best friends and also co-workers is the best idea of her life. She doesn't want to alienate one of her friends and make thing uncomfortable.

Soon, though, Fiona comes up with the solution, but she's afraid of how things will turn out. But to stay true to herself, she must confess to both guys her true feelings.

This was a great novel! This is my first book my Mari Carr, and I suspect that it won't be my last now! I was thrown into this series, but I wasn't confused or overwhelmed with Fiona's family. I am very intrigued about each characters story, so I will probably end up getting the rest in the series - just not right away since I have SO SO SO many other books on my to-read, haha!

Fiona is a spitfire - I especially loved the prologue where we see 5 year old Fiona and her spunk even then. Adult Fiona is even better, and so unique!

And then Asher and Owen? Wowee! I loved those scenes! It was so nice to see how they both have two different sides to them, even though I was just introduced to them in this book.

I am so glad that I got a chance to be introduced to this series! I will definitely be talking it up to everyone I know :)

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