The Love Game by Emma Hart

This is the first book in The Game series by Emma Hart.

The game started at a house party. Maddie's friends, Kay, Megan, and Lila, wanted to give playboy Braden a taste of his own medicine: play the player. And Maddie is the nominated person to play him. She has one month to make Braden want to be her boyfriend, profess his love to her, and then she can hump and dump him.

At the same party, Braden's friends Aston and Ryan made a similar bet. They bet that Braden couldn't get Maddie to fall in love with him and sleep with her. He had one month to prove to them that he could get any girl to fall in love with him, even Maddie.

So now the game begins for both Maddie and Braden. They are confident they can get the other to fall for them.

But what they didn't count on was starting to like each other. They both need to keep reminding themselves that it's just a game, and after one month life can go back to normal.

And Maddie has one more incentive to keep herself away from Braden: her brother Pearce. She wants nothing to do with guys that remind her of her brother, and Maddie's first impression of Braden reminds her of Pearce.

However, after getting to know him better, she realizes he's not like Pearce. And that is a bad realization because now she has less motivation of staying away from Braden.

When Braden and Maddie find out that they have been played by the other, though, the feelings that they started to get might vanish. Because how can they believe the other person if they say the love them if they were just playing a game with their friends?

Can Maddie and Braden shrug off the betrayal they feel about the games, or will their "relationship" end when they find out the truth? Read The Love Game by Emma Hart to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

I saw this on Amazon for $0.99 and after reading the blurb, had to buy it because it sounded amazing. And it was! So glad I bought this! I have now fallen in love with this author and bought two more of her books for $0.99! :)

I really liked Maddie. She has a dark past and it has come to haunt her in California. She just wants to get through school and keep her nose out of trouble, but her friends decide to spice up her life with this challenge to get Braden to fall in love with her.

And throughout the whole game, she has to keep reminding herself that she can't like Braden. Also, she really makes him work for the little things - like her phone number. It was very funny that a guy like Braden, who could get any girl on campus in his bed, had to fight like crazy just to get Maddie's number.

Like I said, I liked Maddie a lot!

And Braden knew that getting Maddie to fall in love with him would be a challenge. She's not like other girls on campus and he might actually need a whole month to achieve his goal, but he had no doubt that he would succeed.

The premise of this book was great. Both characters were trying to fool the other in a game. And funnily enough, the friends of Braden and Maddie had no idea they were challenging their friends at the same time to do the same thing. It wasn't a set up, just a very big coincidence.

Like I said, I really, really liked this novel and cannot wait to read about the next two characters in the sequel (I'm hoping it's Megan and Aston's story!!).

I will also be playing catch up to read her other novels that have already been published! For anyone who likes New Adult, this is a must read! And the price is amazing for an eBook, so I would definitely recommend it to readers!

Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

This is the second novel in the Beautiful series by Jamie McGuire.

My review of #1: Beautiful Disaster.

When Travis Maddox was 3, his mother passed away. Before she died, she made Travis promise him three things, one being that when he found the right person, he would fight for her, no matter what.

But the Travis in college doesn't do relationships. He only has one night stands and enjoys living the bachelor way.

The minute he sees Abby Abernathy, though, everything changes. He can't get her out of his head. Not because she is a model or any of those reasons, but because of what he sees beneath the surface. He knows that Abby is not who she is pretending to be, and Travis wants to find out who she really is.

But Abby is definitely not like the other girls on campus. She wants to stay as far away from Travis as she can. Fortunately for Travis, Abby's best friend, America, is dating his cousin and roommate, Shepley, so Abby is at their place quite a bit.

When Travis goes to a fight, he makes a bet with Abby - he won't let his opponent touch him. If he succeeds, Abby will stay at his place for 1 month. If he fails, he has to go 1 month without sex.

So Abby ends up staying at Travis's place for one month and they become closer. First, Abby was just a really close friend, but he can't deny his attraction toward her. And Travis is getting bigger ideas for their future - together.

Abby and Travis's relationship is anything but easy, though. Because of Travis's jealousy and big future ideas, there are just as many times they are apart as they are together.

But when they go to Vegas to win money to get Abby's father out of debt, things hit rock bottom. Travis was only thinking about their future when he was debating about becoming a fighter, but Abby could not live that life.

And as much as Travis tried to talk to her, he might not be able to get through to her and win her back. But Abby is his life, the one that his mother told him that he needs to fight for. And Travis will do everything he can to get the One back in his life.

Will Travis and Abby always be a beautiful disaster, or can they find a way to be together, through every obstacle that comes in their path? Read Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Just a forewarning, this is a NEW ADULT novel, which means that it's a little bit more mature and graphic than a YA novel but not too racy like an adult novel. Mainly, New Adult (NA) novels are set in college and are about characters who are starting to grow up, but still do things that are immature.

Technically, this is the first novel written through Travis's point of view, not the second in a sequel.

I have been waiting for this book to come out since I first heard about it! And boy, it did not disappoint! I loved reading Travis's thoughts about how he met Abby and what he thought about during all of the times he and Abby weren't together.

I wouldn't say that I liked this novel better than BD, but with equal amount of love and adoration. Both characters have captured my heart and never gave it back to me.

One thing that I absolutely loved was the scenes with Travis and Shepley. Shep knew exactly what was going on with Travis and made sure to give Travis some crap about it as often as he could.

And the scene at Travis's place when they were playing poker? Priceless!

But the one thing that I loved above everything was the epilogue. It went further in the future than BD!! We got to see what happened with Abby and Travis years down the road, rather than what we read in BD!

That was the best surprise of this book. That. Scene.

I love this book. I love this author. So of course I'm going to recommend this to anyone I talk to. I wouldn't say that one would need to read BD before WD, but it would probably be better. They could both be standalones.

LOVED it! So glad I got it! Can't wait for more by Jamie!

She's So Money by Cherry Cheva

Maya is an over responsible high schooler. She has impeccable grades because she wants to go to Stanford in the fall - anything to get out of Michigan. She also works every free time she has at her parents Thai restaurant as a waitress.

So when her parents were gone for five days, leaving Maya in charge of the restaurant, it was a great time to be a high school student and slack on a few things. But after angering paying customers and having those customers call the Health Inspection (and not doing some nightly chores to clean up) she found herself with a $10,000 fine that she had to pay in a little over a month.

$10,000 that she doesn't have.

Then she came up with a plan - ask the notorious rich boy Camden King, whom she was tutoring, if he wanted to pay her for doing his homework. That could pay off some of the fines, right? But she needed more money, and more time to do everyone's homework who was willing to pay.

So she asked some of her friends, and they asked some of their friends.

And now it looks like Camden and Maya have a little business going on. The cash is coming in, Maya has 4 times the homework to do, plus she is waitressing every minute the restaurant is open that she's not in school.

This can work. Or it would have, if she didn't get caught by her stalker and fellow tutoring guide Leonard. Now, because she won't go out with him, she has to pay HIM $5,000 around the same time as her Health Inspection fee is due.

It seems like Maya can't get a break.

Oh, and another thing? Now her and Camden are sneaking kisses left and right. She knows he is a pronouned sleaze bag who has been with every female known to man, but there is something about Camden that she is attracted to. Even though she probably shouldn't be.

Can Maya make both payments by the due date and can she do her operation without getting caught by the school, authorities, or, worse, her parents? Read She's So Money by Cherry Cheva to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book made me laugh so many times! I really enjoyed it!

Now, I may have connected with this book a little bit - no, not the cheating part, but the waitressing part :) I was able to think back on my waitressing days and I think Cheva did a great job depicting the responsibilities of a waitress job.

Maya was in over her head. I remember high school and while the homework wasn't extremely hard, I would not want to redo assignments over and over again all night long.

But her and Camden's operation was pretty slick, I must say. Maya is a genius so she came up with the smarter side of the scheme and Camden proved that he wasn't a dumb jock who lived off of his parents money. Well, not all of the time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had many laughs, many tears, and a whole lot of lack of sleep and loopy moments. The scenes with Camden and Maya as a "couple" were cute, but not very steamy or romantic. I mean, she was doing homework whenever she had time off - not too many chances to become steamy romantic.

I think high school girls would like this novel. It does talk about cliques and society in high school, so they could relate to that. I hope no one would relate to the cheating aspect of this novel, but who knows! And maybe they will read how smart Maya is and want to do better in their schoolwork?

Anyway, it was a cute novel and I'm glad I read it. Makes me glad I'm not in high school anymore, that's for sure!

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

It's Abby's first year in college, in a town where she didn't grow up in, and only one person knows her past life (her best friend, America). This is a chance for Abby to start over and be the mature, grownup, and law abiding person that she's always wanted to be.

At first, it was working wonders. Then, Abby met Travis Maddox. Travis, a fighter, tattooed, bad boy who, after seeing Abby, started hanging around her, even after she showed no interested in starting something with Travis.

That didn't fly so well with Travis. He could have every and any girl that he wants - what's a little challenge? Everything.

After staying with Travis and America's boyfriend, Shepley, when the water heater broke in her dorm room, Abby and Travis make a bet: If he doesn't get his once in his fight, Abby has to stay with Travis for a month. If he gets hit once, Travis will remain abstinent for the next month.

Throughout Travis and Abby's relationship, they go through so many ups and downs that it would give anyone whiplash, but the following months will test both Abby and Travis's restraint toward one another and the chemistry that flares up whenever they are around one another.

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. This book made my top 5. No, maybe my top 3.

First, the chemistry between Abby and Travis is ridiculous. Half the time when they were fighting, the reader could still see sparks flying between them, and when they kissed and made up? Let's just say, I'm very envious of Abby. Very.

Okay, so I think I liked this story because it was set in college and because Abby was very resistant to the idea of being with Travis. Travis represented her past and what she did not want to happen to her future. Boy, did that girl put up a fight. I'm very impressed.

Beautiful Disaster was very real, to me. The events that happened can definitely happen in real life and many college students do go through most of the things Abby and America went through. Life is not easy. College is not easy. But if you fight for what you want, the results could end in your favor. Like what happened with Abby and Travis.

Since this book is now my top 3 (Please don't ask what the other two are - I have no idea) I would most certainly recommend this book. However! I'm recommending it to older teens, and mainly girls, because of some content in this novel (sexual content, gambling, illegal fighting, etc.)

Of course, now that I've mentioned those content, it might be a book that everyone wants to read, but I'm sticking to my recommendation of older teen readers. If you are older, and want a swoon worthy book to fall in love with and to never end, the go buy this book on Amazon today!

Trust me. You won't regret it!

Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt

After Shannon Card's dad gets laid off from his job, Shannon realizes she needs to make money in order to go to college next year. She's already been accepted to Wellesley, the school she's wanted to go to, through Early Admission, but now she doesn't have the funds to pay for it.

In order to remedy that problem, Shannon gets a fake ID so she can work at the casino serving drinks to get $10 an hour plus tips. She realizes, though, that she might not make enough in time for school.

Shannon meets Cole through an anonymous letter Cole sent her to ask her if she wanted to join his club, Aces Up, by playing poker using math skills. Shannon is very good at math which is why Cole singled her out.

At first, Shannon says no because she doesn't want to do anything illegal (even though she's underaged and working in a casino) but after she sees more and more of her parents's items being sold (car, boat, etc.) she gives in to make the cash for school faster.

Throughout this secrecy of working at the casino, playing at the poker tables, and school, Shannon also got wrangled into tutoring her old friend and crush, Max. After months without talking, Shannon realizes that she still might have feelings for Max even though she's "kinda" with Cole while they aren't playing poker.

Seems Shannon has a lot on her plate. Can she juggle it all without getting caught?

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a great read! I've read Lauren Barnholdt's other book, Two Way Street, but I think I liked this story better!

I will admit, though, it seemed that Barnholdt was trying to make Shannon act like she was in high school to remind the readers of that. Shannon said, "like", "totally", and "omg" a lot throughout the novel which was a little annoying at times.

The struggle Shannon has with juggling so many things is enough to make a grown woman start pulling her hair out, so I admire Shannon trying to do all of those events. The illegal gambling and working? Gutsy, sure, but not the best role model for 17 year old either.

At the end, Shannon made a decision that, I think, was very mature and showed that Shannon grew up throughout the story. I would definitely recommend this book to teens who feel stressed and out of control.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Race - a race on an island where water horses exist. Horses that are more beast than animals, smell like rotten meat, salt, fish, and eat raw meat and blood. Horses that are so brutal, they fight each other just to have a meal for fun. The horses come out of the sea and onto land the closer it gets to October, hunting and looking for food.

The island, Thisby, is known for their Scorpio Race every November 1. Men die. Horses die. On the beach are blood stains from the loses of this race, but every year, this race is looked upon as a chance to beat the odds.

Sean Kindrick, 19 years old, has won 4 of the 6 races he's raced in. This is to the fact that he has his water horse, his capaill uisce as they are called, Corr. He has trained this horse for years to know what Corr wants and how to keep Corr away from the urge to join the sea.

Kate Connelly, known as Puck, was never supposed to ride in the Scorpio Races. With money problems and her older brother leaving the island, Puck had no choice but to enter, hoping to win to save herself and her younger brother, Finn, from losing their house and money.

Puck's parents were killed in the sea by capaill uisce, though, making it hard for Puck to ride a capaill uisce. After attempting to get near a water horse, Puck decides to ride her mare, Dove. A normal horse with no special attributes, just a love for Puck.

Everyone is vouching for Sean Kindrick to win for his 5th year in a row, whereas Puck is the horse and rider that will lose right away, and probably won't even survive the race.

As Puck starts training Dove to race and not run away from the capaill uisce, Sean finds himself drawn to her and helps her train for the upcoming race. Sean has always been alone, not connecting well with people but rather horses, knowing exactly what to do and say to horses to calm them down. However, after spending time with Puck, Sean is finding himself fascinated with Puck, making him wonder what will happen in the Scorpio Races.

Will Puck survive the race? Will Sean win his 5th race, gaining Corr as his own and starting his own life? Read The Scorpio Races to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was an amazing read! I've read Maggie Stiefvater's other books, The Wolves of Mercy Falls, but I think this novel is far and beyond her first trilogy.

The storyline behind this novel is very different than what I've read before, which is why I think I like it so much. It's about horses that come out of the water and are man-slaughtering beasts that it's hard for humans to catch them, and racing them is not only about the race, but also about surviving.

Both Sean and Puck seem older than they are. The island is a rough place to live, which is why many people from the island decide to go to the mainland. Sean and Puck are both island lovers, though, and have very big reasons to race, and win, the Scorpio Races.

The connection between Sean and Puck is more mature as well. There are times when they are together, but don't say a word. They just enjoy each other's company, without needing to talk to fill the silence.

Now, the storyline might be a little...morbid.

But-But!

The strength both Puck and Sean have to even go through in order to get to the Scorpio Races is inspiring and makes the reader cheer for both characters.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone! Guys, girls, teens, adults. It's a great read. A different story and even the characters are more serious and mature than a lot of YA novels. So far I think it's a stand alone book, although the author did leave room for a follow-up, so there is no cliff hanger ending! :-)

Whatcha waiting for? Go get this book and enjoy this great story now!