Review: Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review.
Release Date: February 5, 2019

Lacey Barnes is going to be famous. She's been in commercials, and had a small acting role in a popular TV show, but now this is her big break. She is the LEADING woman in a movie based off a book, and she is co-starring with GRANT JAMES. The Grant James! Heartthrob, teen actor who everyone is in love with! And she gets to kiss him in the movie!!

What more could a girl want, right!?

Well, it would have been awesome if this could have happened after her senior year in high school. She is grateful for her big opportunity, but she is missing so much at home and at school. She's never going to be able to have another senior year, so that`s a bit of a bummer.

And she also wishes that she has more chemistry with Grant on stage, because it seems like she is struggling to get it just the way the director wants it to be. And Lacey can't mess this up, because if she doesn't do well now, who knows if anyone else will hire her for future movie roles...

So all is not as perfect as she thought it was going to be. Then you throw in the tutor her father hired for her so she won't get behind in school, and the fact that weird things are happing on set and are missing that she needs for her character, and things are starting to look down for Lacey.

But she is going to make the most of her situation, and find solutions for everything, because she needs for this to turn out well. The more she gets invested in everything, though, the more she realizes that you can't plan for everything, and that with fame comes the unpredictable.

I love Kasie West, so I was extremely excited to get a chance to read this eARC!! And it was such a cute novel. I don't think it was my favorite book by West, but it was still a great read. Fun, quirky, mysterious, full of love, laughter, and a lesson on how the perfect life you've always dreamed of may not be what you envisioned.

There were a lot of different qualities to this book that I think will appeal to a large audience of readers. And I loved reading about being on set and filming a movie. I haven`t read too many of those (if any....?) so it was something unique and fresh for me.

And poor Lacey. She has so much on her plate, and she's only 17. I definitely would not want to be in her shoes, that`s for sure!

The mystery was fun in this book. I had a couple of ideas on who was sabotaging the set, and one of my predictions because true, so that was nice! And I loved the snippets we got from the script Lacey was acting in. I almost wish there was a book written about THAT storyline, because I would be very interested in reading that as well!

And the romance between Lacey and Donovan was adorable. It was so fun reading about them and seeing them struggle with their feelings for one another, only to cave into them.

Overall, this was a cute novel and I know die hard fans of Kasie West are going to enjoy it!

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Review: Guarded Desire by Christi Snow

Guarded Desire by Christi Snow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

After being kidnapped by a fan of her mothers, Elle is finding out that going back to her normal life is not as easy as she thought it would be. She thought it would be okay, but her panic attacks are coming more frequently, and she's not able to stop them when they are happening.

That doesn't mean that she appreciates her mom hiring a bodyguard for her. Elle just wants to go to class and get back to her normal, boring life out of the spotlight. But the longer Elle thinks about her kidnapper still out, the more worried she's getting.

Jonah is not thrilled that he has to bodyguard the daughter of a spoiled rich woman. He's not going to enjoy following a pampered princess who will boss him around. But the second Jonah meets Elle, he knows that she is nothing like her mother. In fact, Elle is tying very hard to be the complete opposite of her mother. Which makes her kidnapping 10x worse because he gave Elle a makeover to look exactly like her mother.

All Jonah and Elle want is to find the kidnapper so their lives can get back to normal. But the more they are around each other, the more they realize they are attracted to one another, and once the kidnapper is caught, they won't be in each others lives after that.

And once the mystery is revealed on who Elle's kidnapper is, Elle may never find the ability to trust another person again.

This was a good book. I enjoyed the mystery of it, and I really enjoyed seeing Elle overcome her fears in the end. She was such a confident woman, and anyone would be terrified after what she went through. I especially love how she didn't want to depend on Jonah to take care of things because she realized that puts her in a vulnerable state, and she didn't want to be like that.

The attraction between Jonah and Elle was a bit rushed for me. I thought it went from, we can`t be anything to I can't live without you pretty fast. And at the beginning Elle did depend on Jonah a bit much, which showed how low her self confidence was.

The big reveal was pretty surprising for me, I have to admit. Usually I can figure out the culprit, but this was very shocking for me, and I definitely didn't see it coming at all, which was great! I love when books surprise me! I`ll be interested to see how many readers were able to figure it out beforehand!

I'm very glad I got a chance to read this eCopy of the novel, and I will have to keep my eyes out for more books by Christi Snow in the future!

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Review: Shameless King by Maya Hughes

Shameless King by Maya Hughes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love these characters so much! Usually I give a synopsis of the book first and then my thoughts, but I just adore this book and I basically gave a synopsis with the prequel novel (which by the way, HOOKED ME so I had to get this first novel. So get it!!)

Declan and Mac go from enemies to friends to perhaps more. When Mak goes to school where Declan has been king for the past 3 years, so hopes that they won't see each other. I mean, she is doing science classes and he's doing whatever besides hockey.

But every student is required to take Sophmore Seminary, no matter if you are a transfer or a great hockey player who got a failing grade.

Now Declan and Mak not only have the same class together, and are the only seniors too, but they are now partners who have to turn in every single assignment together.

Throughout the whole semester, they are butting heads, but they are also starting to learn more and more about one another, which puts them in a whole different light for each other.

The tension between these two kill me so much! Seriously, you can feel the heat come off of them on every page. I loved when they were together and was just biting at the bits waiting for them to finally cave into the tension between them and let the sparks fly.

To see Mak loosen up and live a little was amazing, and to see Declan take something as serious as hockey is for him. I also loved how they were able to overcome their personal issues as well, and to finally find the courage to trust each other to tell them what is going on.

I can't wait to read the other hockey players stories, especially Emmetts!!, and I will definitely be keeping this book in mind as one of my favorites to recommend!!! So glad I stumbled upon this series (thanks Facebook ads... ;))

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Review: Kings of Rittenhouse - A Shameless King Prequel by Maya Hughes

Kings of Rittenhouse - A Shameless King Prequel by Maya Hughes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Declan can't wait to go to college and get that out of the way so he can go pro in hockey. He has to outdo his sperm donor, but he also wants to make his mom to be proud of him to graduate from school. And Declan has been the King of hockey for 4 years, so he's a shoe in.

So when the big bash party is coming up, he's very much excited to relax and have a good time with his second family on the hockey team.

But Makenna keeps getting in his way. First it was the yearbook information she needs from him to print the yearbook. He wouldn't have an issue answering it, but Mak is a bit snotty and perfect and impossible to make happy. So his life's mission in the past 4 years was to taunt her whenever she was nearby. By now, it's a game to see how much he can rile her up.

Declan just needs to forget about prom night, and things would be back to normal...

Mak doesn't have time for fun or parties or being popular. She needs to make sure she gets perfect grades to get a scholarship for Standford so her parents don't have to pay any money on that expensive school. And Mak has a promise she NEEDS to keep, so nothing can go wrong.

When her friends bully her into going to the "biggest party of the year" Mak really doesn't want to go. She needs to go over her final exam information for the 4th time to make sure she knows everything she needs.

But she did end up at the party, and of course the obnoxious Declan was there to egg her on again and again. If only she could forget about prom night, things would go back to normal for her...

This was a great novel! Wow, it sucked me in and left me hanging by the end of the novella. I knew it was short, but I really didn't think I would love it so much. So of course, the author gave me a hanging carrot and I immediately went and bought book #1 because I HAD to know what happens with Declan and Mak.

(And I also really, really, really need to know Emmett and Ashley's story!!! Seriously, I'm dying here! That ending was insane!!)

The banter between these two character was incredible and had me wanting more and more. And because nothing happened between them, I had to get the first book to see the whole playout between them.

So kudos, Maya Hughes, for getting me hooked like an addict. I am now going to be waiting very impatiently for all of the books in the series to come out, and you can have my money. I must know everything now!

So glad I stumbled upon this book and I CANNOT WAIT for the others to be released!

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Review: One Night in Heated Snapshots by Ashley C. Harris

One Night in Heated Snapshots by Ashley C. Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Beth has an opportunity of a lifetime: to gain an amazing photography job at a famous magazine company. She has to travel from New Jersey to Miami, while taking photos of a subject that is chosen for her, and then get her photos finalized by the time she gets to Miami.

This is what Beth lives for, and she is so hoping she will win. What Beth didn't expect was her annoying, popular neighbor to be going the exact route she is. Sterling is a swimmer and he is always having parties that are interrupting Beth's studying.

So when Sterling saves Beth from a really bad situation in New Jersey, she realizes that Sterling is not as bad as she thought he was. In fact, both of them have secrets that are coming to light, making them understand that they might not be as different as they thought.

But then Sterling is still keeping one big secret - something that Beth may not be able to forgive him for.

This was a cute novel. I loved the photography aspect and I really loved the topic that Beth got to take photos of. Sterling is a playboy, but only because he's expected to act like that because of his lifestyle. His revenge plot was interesting - it really showed how devoted he is to his older sister, though I think she could have done her dirty work on her own instead of getting her brother involved.

The intensity between Sterling and Beth was flying off the pages, which was amazing. I loved their banter and their annoyance with one another, but then I loved how they were getting to know each other too.

This was a good novel and it was my first novel by Ashley Harris. I'm looking forward to reading more by her in the future!

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Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tally has 3 months before she becomes pretty. She wishes she went with her friend Peris, because now he is having all of the fun and excitement, but Tally doesn't turn 16 until the end of summer. But since most of her friends have already left Uglyville and went to New Pretty Town, Tally's a bit bored.

Then she meets Shay, and they start doing tricks together, becoming fast friends.

Except Shay has a secret, and she doesn't tell Tally until she leaves: she doesn't want to be pretty. She wants to live off the grid and in the wilderness. Tally can't comprehend a life like that - why wouldn't anyone want to be pretty? That's what everyone prepares for.

But when Tally gets put into a corner, she has to make decisions that are going to break promises. The question is, which promises are worth keeping and which ones are worth betraying?

This is the second time I've read Uglies, and I'm pretty much on board with the 3 star review I gave it in 2010. It has a bit of a slow start, and it takes a little while to get into the story with all of the different language since this is dystopian. However, by the time I got to the end, I remembered why I dived into the next book. The ending leaves you wanting to know so much more, which I'm at that stage right now, but after looking at my star reviews, I think I'm going to pass since I didn't give any book higher than 3 stars. That's okay, I have a lot of reading to do!

I definitely enjoyed the second half of the book, and I think many readers who are looking for a Divergent/Hunger Games/Maze Runner read a like would really enjoy this series!

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Review: The Chase: Briar U by Elle Kennedy

The Chase by Elle Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Summer has had a rough few months. After getting kicked out of her old school for reasons she doesn't want to talk about, she gets enrolled into Briar "with help from her parents" who are famous lawyers. Summer just wants to study fashion design and learn about the business. She doesn't want any fuss.

Except when she gets to campus, she's being told she's not allowed to live at the sorority house that her mother was president of... for multiple years! Now, Summer has to find somewhere to live for the next two years. Thankfully, her older brother saves the day, and contacts his friends who were on the hockey team with him.

Unfortunately, that means

1. Summer is going to be living with 3 guys
2. One of the guys she lives with she has a crush on, even though they are complete opposites and he isn't giving her the time of day
3. Another one of her roommates is a guy she made out with on New Year's Eve and is showing major signs that he's crushing on her.

So Summer is going to have to decide what her future holds, if she can deal with the animosity that some of her classmates are giving her, what she is going to do with 2 out of her 3 roommates, why she is getting a very bad vibe from one of her famous professors, and how to deal with everything else.

Things are about to get interesting...

This was a great novel! I haven't read the prior spin-off series that introduces these characters, but I loved it just the same! Summer is a fun character. She is popular, pretty and is always happy it seems like. I feel so bad for her when people judge her on her looks. Looks aren't everything, people!

I was a bit frustrated with the Summer and Fitsy and Hunter issue. I mean, obviously Summer likes Fitsy, and yes, I get that he's being indifferent to her, so she doesn't want to miss out on her chance to hangout with Hunter, but she should have talked to Colin about everything before making a huge mess of things!! I just wanted to strangle the two of them because they were being dumb and annoying for me.

I loved that Colin had a passion for art and video gaming creations, but is also a hockey player too. It just goes to show that you can't put a person into one category - humans are made up of many, many different features!

I am very glad I got a chance to read this book, and I sure do hope to continue the series in the future! I may also find the other novels and read them, if I can ever find any time to do that ;)

I think many, many readers will enjoy this great novel! :)

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Review: The Prince by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Prince by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Received this eARC novel from the author. This is my honest review.

Brighton has always been a bit shy and timid her whole life. She was fine with her job as reading through journals and understanding the history of the fae. She never really wanted to be in the thick of everything by fighting the fae. But when her and her mother were attacked and Brighton wasn't able to defend herself, she not only decided to get revenge but also to learn to defend herself so that this couldn't happen to her again.

The Prince is a very mysterious man. He was the Queen's puppet for so long and now that he's not under her control no one knows how to act around him because of all the unspeakable things that he did. Brighton doesn't know the prince and she's only seen him when he was not being controlled by the queen anymore. But she's definitely her the stories of what he's done so it makes it very uncomfortable whenever he's around her. Thankfully he's not around too often except when she's trying to hunt off-the-grid and he shows up unexpectedly.

But there are secrets that involve both Brighton and the Prince, and the more that Brighton bumps into the Prince the more she uncovers what happened on that terrible night. And the more that they are around each other the more the attraction between them sparks. But life is about to become much more difficult for the two of them.

O. M. G.!!!!! I seriously seriously loved this book!!! I didn't think that anyone in the Wicked world would have topped Ivy and Ren but holy crap I think that Brighton and Caden have surpassed that level!! The intensity between these two characters is off the charts and had me begging for more each time they we're around each other. Caden is so mysterious and intense and I can't imagine how Brighton could handle all that when he was around.

I loved the mystery aspect of this novella and how Brighton and Caden were discovering new things on each page. And even though we didn't get Cadence point of view, I feel like both characters had a lot of internal struggles that they were battling throughout the whole novel.

I am extremely mad that 1. this is a novella and 2. there's another book that's not going to be out till next year and I don't have it in my hands right now! I want Brighton and Caden to have their own series after reading this and this is definitely a tease for all fans of JLAs novels!

These two characters have definitely made their way up to the top of my charts for favorite JLA characters, and I am biting at the bit to get the next book. This is for sure going to be one of the most popular JLA books and fans are going to love it!

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Review: Courting Carlyn by Melissa Chambers

Courting Carlyn by Melissa Chambers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Release Date: August 6, 2018

Carlyn needs to get into her dream school, and she NEEDS to be on the tennis team. She's been playing tennis her whole life - it's the only thing she can do to feel connected to her mother who passed away when she was young.

But when she keeps messing up at trials for her dream college, she sees her dream going down the drain. And let's not get started on how badly she freezes up when Vaughn Yarborough is around. After that terrible double match where she did terribly, she has always felt embarrassed around him. So when he comes up with his very infamous coach, asking if she would help with a tennis camp, Carlyn wanted to say no, but said yes to be able to work with two professional and talented people to up her tennis game to play at her college.

The more she is around Vaughn, the more she realizes that Vaughn is not who he seems to be. He's just a normal guy, who right now wants a normal life. And the more they are around each other, the more attraction is flying between the two of them. Too bad they have an absolutely no fraternizing rule, and Vaughn has to be on his best behavior to have a chance to get into the same school that Carlyn wants to get in.

When secrets come to light, hearts are broken and dreams are crushed. But both Vaughn and Carlyn need to revisit their dreams and see what they really want for their future.

This was a cute novel. I love sport romances, and I really loved the fact that tennis was a big part of this book. Some sport romance novels are about the sport, but they having nothing about the sport. I have learned a lot about tennis from this book, which I loved!

I feel so much for Vaughn. He breaks my heart and I just want to hold him and make him feel loved, because he doesn't get love that much in his life. So to see him with Carlyn was amazing. And it's so funny, because he is so popular, but he is so awkward when he's around Carlyn. They are two different types of people, and they are intimidated by one another so much.

I am so glad I got a chance to read this book! It was sweet and funny and heartbreaking and full of tension. I can see a lot of readers really liking this book!

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Review: Resisting the Moon by L. P. Dover

Resisting the Moon by L.P. Dover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Tyla has had a lot of bad luck in the love department, and life in general. So now she is guarded and resists all temptations at love, considering the two men she previously loved was taken away from her.

When her and Sebastian find out that they are true mates, she runs away, fast and far. Tyla cannot afford another heartbreak.

Then Tyla gets a phone call from her cousin, who is in trouble. Tyla sets out with Sebastian, unwillingly, to see what is going on and help her. When they arrive there, Tyla's aunt and uncle have been killed, and her cousin Amelie has been taken.

Now, Tyla and Sebastian are going to meet someone from both of their pasts, while also having to decide what to do with their true mate connection. Things are about to change for them, but whether it's good or bad, will be up to the Moon.

This was a great sequel novel in the Royal Shifters series! I was so glad it was about Tyla and Sebastian because you could feel the tension between these two in book #1, so I was dying to know what was going to happened between these two!!

And I wasn't disappointed! The tension between Sebastian and Tyla was flying off the pages, and their banter was amazing. I loved these two, and they went through a lot of hard times in this book to get to their happily ever after ending.

The only thing I would say is that things went pretty quickly in this novel. It seemed like one page we were in one place, and then the next we skipped about 10 steps to what was happening on the next page. The fast pace didn't deter me, though, and it definitely kept me interested the whole novel.

I'm very intrigued for more novels, but I can't seem to find any information on the 3rd book? And this came out in 2015... So does the series stop?? I sure hope not!! I need more!!

I'm so glad that I got a chance to read this book, and I can't wait for more (hopefully!)!

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Review: Turn of the Moon by L. P. Dover

Turn of the Moon by L.P. Dover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Bailey has always wanted to escape her confined world with her pack. The best moments for her when she was able to go off to college for 4 years and experience new things that weren't routine for her. She was also hoping that in those four years her parents would not force her to be mated to Kade, who is very cruel and brutal and definitely not somebody that Bailey could ever love.

Sadly Bailey doesn't have any choice in the matter and her parents are still going to have her mate with Kade. When she encounters him on the day she's supposed to go to his pack with him, Bailey can't stomach going through with the meeting as he is already being cruel and mean to her so she runs away with nothing to her name and Order to escape this fate that is supposed to be her future.

Little does Bailey know that because of her escaping she is about to find out her real self that has been hidden from her whole life. What she encounters makes her a little timid but the more she is around this new pack she has found the more she realizes that she really doesn't know her true self. It seems a little too good to be true that she stumbled upon this pack, but when Kade starts hunting for her to get her back and mate with her, Bailey may lose everything that she has just found.

This was a great novel! I love shifter books because it's something that I wish were true sometimes in my life haha. Bailey is an alpha and she is one tough cookie which I absolutely love. It's nice that men can come in and swoop in and save the day, but it's also great when a girl can take care of herself when she needs to. When Bailey ran away from Kade I was cheering her on and loving that she took control of her own life.

And I absolutely love the new pack that Bailey found. They are loyal and dedicated and have so much hope and faith in Bailey that the reader couldn't help but root for them having their happily-ever-afters.

The tension between Bailey and the pack leader was flying off the pages! And then the relationship between a few of the packmates was just hilarious haha.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad that I got an e Arc of it. I'm very excited to read the second one and see whose story it will be about. It will be nice to see Bailey through another character's point of view as well.

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Review: Bad Boy Rich by Kat T. Masen

Bad Boy Rich by Kat T. Masen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Milana is from a small town, and loves her non-dramatic life. She has Liam, her boyfriend for the last few years, her best friend Phoebe, her mom and her brother Flynn. And honestly, that is all Milana needs.

But when her mother gets very sick and wants to put herself into a nursing home so they can take care of her, and Milana loses her job when the business closes, Milana is put between a rock and a hard place. Her mom found the "perfect" job for her, but it's in Hollywood. Milana doesn't want to leave Alaska, but left with no other choice, her and her brother go to Hollywood.

There, Milana realizes that life is way different than what she is used to. People are rude, always in a rush, and are just plain mean sometimes. Thankfully, the person she is an assistant for, Emerson, is amazing, so it's not too bad. Until she meets Wesley Rich, Emerson's ex.

At first, Wesley was just a jerk. But the more they bump into each other and then start hanging out, the more Milana wonders if there isn't more to him.

But the more Milana gets wrapped up in Wesley's life, the more she is losing herself. She is getting so caught up in that world, that she isn't sticking true to herself, and she is losing everything that she loves the most.

Can she find herself again, before it is too late to make amends with everyone else in her life?

Okay, I thought I liked this book. I really did. But then the more I read, the more I realized that this book is f'ed up. Seriously.

I thought Wesley was just a tortured guy and bad boy all combined in one, and that Milana was going to come in and save his soul and everything was going to be hunky dory. Which I guess kinda happened, but there was too much terrible things that Wesley did to Milana.

Now, I may be being a bit drastic, but there was just a lot of things that Wesley did and said to Milana that didn't sit right with me, and I started to feel low about MYSELF because of how he was treating her.

Milana needed to be stronger and dump Wesley after he treated her one way one minute, and then did a 360 when someone else came into the room. That would have been a warning sign for me. Plus Wesley wanted everything to stay the same but still have innocent Milana in his life. What a joke.

The mood swings were what got me the most. It was definitely emotional abuse that went on between these two, and I felt really bad for Milana, but then not bad for her at the same time... She could have left at any moment, so she willingly decided to stay with him. So she kinda asked for what she got in a way.

Then the whole "big reveal" happened and suddenly, Wesley is a changed man! Ah, no. If that had happened in real life, he wouldn't have given two craps about the issue and would have continued on with his drug, alcohol, whoring around life that he was living.

So I'm sad to say that this book just wasn't for me. I really, really, really tried to like it, and I did for about 50% of the book, but there was just too much negativity in here and too much emotional abuse for me to realistically say that I enjoyed it. I'm sure other readers will love this story, though!

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