Maverick Review

I have to say one thing about Anna Cruise before we get down to business in this review; Anna Cruise definitely proves the point, once a Southern Californian, always a Southern California.  What does this mean you might be asking, well let me tell you.  If you've ever seen the skit on SNL, "The Californians" which is completely stereotypes the SoCal way of life, and you're not from Southern California you might not get it.  BUT, if you're from Socal you think it's probably the funniest thing in the world.  The Southern California lifestyle is like a club, and once you're in, you're in it for life.  Seriously... you can't escape it, and you really don't want to.  Anyway, back to how I am relating this to Anna Cruise and her book Maverick, Cruise captures the south of LA vibe so well, and being from where Maverick takes place, I can vouch for the validity of the setting of this book, which made it all the more awesome for me.  And, made me crave a burrito.  Seriously.  If you like Mexican food be prepared... 

Kellen Handler is in deep.

Ever since he can remember, he’s wanted to be a professional surfer. And he made it, rising to the top of the ranks, traveling the world and riding every break he’s ever dreamed of. His good looks and reputation for living on the edge—both in and out of the water—have made him an international superstar. But when his best friend dies in a tragic accident, Kellen wipes out big time, spiraling so badly that everything he’s worked for starts to disintegrate.

Tour officials scramble to do damage control and demand he work with a public relations company to clean up his bad boy image. It doesn't help that the person assigned to him, Gina Bellori, has her own demons associated with the surfing world.

Against her better judgement Gina accepts the job and concentrates on repairing Kellen's tattered reputation, despite his protests and despite the pain it causes her. With her past colliding with her present—and Kellen in the thick of it—she begins to realize that some secrets can't stay hidden.

And suddenly, Kellen Handler is no longer worried about losing his career.

He's more worried about losing his heart.

Review:  Summer is fast approaching, and look no further people.  Maverick is a definite must for the beach/lake/sun/wherever you go to hang out.  Kellen Handler is not an admirable character at the beginning of Maverick.  I mean this in the nicest way.  He's one of those characters that you know is just hurting so badly, and expressing it in all the wrong ways.  Mainly alcohol and women. 

I think Cruise's expedition into a male character's point of view was very well done.  The separation between Kellen and Gina was distinct, and Kellen's voice was distinctly male. I also really like the fact that Kellen isn't really a "bad boy" and Gina isn't the angel who's supposed to turn him straight.  

Cruise gives us two realistic individuals, with very real and pertinent issues that can easily mess anyone up.  I'll admit that I didn't really see what was in Gina's back story coming.  I was hoping that Anna wouldn't go there, but SHE DID.  And it makes Maverick so much better for going to that uncomfortable place.  

Maverick isn't a slow read.  It moves really fast, spanning over a few months.  At a few parts it did feel slightly rushed, and I felt that Gina might not have gotten everything hashed out with her back story.  

As far as the story between Kellen and her, I really, really enjoyed it.  Gina was the calm to his storm, if you will.  She didn't take crap from him, and he honestly tried to not give her crap and just do what she told him to.  It was refreshing not to see a relationship that was threatened by jealousy and domination.  

Maverick is a great read set in the back drop of the surfing world.  While I was expecting the surfing to kind of take center stage of the book. I was pleasantly surprised that Maverick is more character driven than anything else.  And, if you read this blog semi-frequently, character driven plots are my kryptonite, and Anna Cruise definitely has a fan in me for this one. 

Maverick is a whirlwind of good characters and great setting.  If you're looking for a great Summer read, look no further.  Maverick is it for you.  Anna Cruise has captured a vivid story in a laid back setting.  This one is sure to be a very popular Summer read. 

4.5/5 Oh Yeah I liked it a lot!

Left Drowning Review

What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?

Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.

Note: due to mature content recommended for Ages 17+

TBR: July 16 2013

Review: I honestly don't know where to begin reviewing this book.  I'm a slight emotional mess after reading Left Drowning because, damn that was a good book.  The first sentence just grabbed me because Blythe falls flat on her butt.  Literally, girlfriend is a mess emotionally, physically, mentally, you name it, she's screwed up.  Honestly though she is a beautiful mess, and following her story is as emotionally draining as it is rewarding. 

Jessica Park is a stellar author, and if you've read Flat Out Love you obviously know this.  Left Drowning is COMPLETELY different from FOL.  There isn't a comparison.  I was warned going into Left Drowning that it is New Adult and I should not be expecting FOL 2.0.  Left Drowning is so much more than I was expecting it to be, it isn't a book with frills and a slow chipping away of one major problem until we are left with something that's new and shiny.  Left Drowning is a barrage of emotional upheaval laced with Jessica Park's signature snark and wit. 

Blythe is a character that I loved. I can't even begin to form words about how much I admired her character.  When things get rough at certain points in the book, she fights back.  She doesn't take crap, and I LOVE the fact that she actually stands up for herself in scenes from the book.  Yeah, she's a complete mess when we first meet her, but Park is quick to remind us that people and circumstances change us for the better just like they can scar us. 

Left Drowning is the perfect example of what the NA genre symbolizes.  Yes, there's sex in it, and yes it definitely is hot, but it helps catalyze the plot, it doesn't dominate it.  Both the characters and plot are so beautifully up and down that you are breathless while reading.  Jessica Park has created a whopper of emotional feels in this book.  Left growing is a book that makes you really introspective, I haven't stopped thinking about it since i finished it last night.  

For fan of FOL or FOM you will still love this book, but you won't be finding a Matt, Julie, or Celeste in the pages.  Left Drowning is beautifully woven together, with a set of characters that are flawed, tragic, and fabulous. This book is truly wonderful, and I would recommend it to anyone, and I will be.  I leave you with my favorite quote. 

"We don't have to know everything. If you believe in fate and some kind of meaning and sense in this fucked-up world, then believe with abandon, love.  Enjoy it."  -Left Drowning 

5/5 OH YEAH I LOVED IT

The Sea of Tranquility Redo Review

I was looking around on Netgalley awhile ago, and I came across The Sea of Tranquility on the request board.  Even though I've already read it, I hit request.  This story still resonates with me, and even though I read it last September, I still recall instances from that book whenever something random like someone saying "sunshine" occurs. 

So I looked back at my review I wrote months ago.  I felt like I needed to go back and realign my thoughts on this beautiful book.  I was in such a state of blissful reading hangover when I wrote that first review, that I need to give it another go, hopefully a little more concisely this time. ;)

The first thing I must say about TSoT is it has grown to have this cult like following.  It has over 12,000 ratings on Goodreads, and it has an insanely high average rating of 4.5.  Katja Millay created a literal masterpiece with this story. 

Nastya Kashnikov is broken.  But, we don't know why.  She doesn't talk.  Ever.  She's a complete mystery and throughout the course of the book the mystery of Nastya slowly becomes unraveled.  In addition to Nastya's mystery we have Josh Bennett's full transparency.  They represent so much more than people who are just living to get through. 

TSoT could not be a more breath taking book.  Even reading it upon the second, third, and yes even fourth time, it still gets me.  It is a whirlwind of emotion, leaving you wrung out and emotionally spent yet satisfied. 

There aren't any parlor tricks in TSoT, just beautifully written and deeply flawed characters that any human can relate to.  Millay has a way of creating characters that you can feel every intense event and emotion that they do.  You become those characters, you live with them.  Ultimately they come to live with you after you have set the book down. 

The Sea of Tranquility is one of the first books I eagerly recommend to any friend.  It is an emotional and wonderful book that so many people have come to love and remember.  It is a book that has clearly resonated with me, even after months have passed.  Pick up this book if you haven't already.  It is worth every penny you spend on it.  

5/5 OH YEAH I LOVED IT

GoodReads

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Full of rage and without a purpose, former pianist Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone discovering her past and to make the boy who took everything from her pay.

All 17 year-old Josh Bennett wants is to build furniture and be left alone, and everyone allows it because it’s easier to pretend he doesn’t exist. When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, a hot mess of a girl who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. The more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he may ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a slow-building, character-driven romance about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

Please Note: This book contains mature content including profanity, drug/alcohol use, and sexual situations/language.

Gameboard of The Gods

This is crazy for me to be writing because I literally am a Richelle Mead fangirl.  Getting an ARC of Gameboard of the God's is so insanely exciting, and this series I'm sure is going to become another Mead favorite! (See you in June in LA Richelle!).

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

Review: Going into Gameboard of the Gods was disorienting at first.  When you go into a new Mead world you go all in.  There are ton's of new terms and places to memorize and a slew of new characters to meet, so needless to say I was in a slight state of confusion for the first few pages.  

But, then I was I all in.  Richelle Mead has a way of just sucking you into the stories she creates.  I'm happy to say Gameboard of the Gods in intriguing and wonderfully written.  The futuristic world Mead has created is rich and lush with new devices, places, and characters. 

As I said earlier coming into the story was confusing at first.  I didn't really understand where the plot was going at first because we meet some of the characters in really odd settings.  But, those backstories are integral to the characters that Mead has introduced us to in Gameboard. 

The two major main characters, Mae and Justin, create an interesting contrast as well as some trademark Mead angst.  While they both have very intense and different personalities, it is easy to picture their rapport. 

Something that I wasn't really expecting from Gameboard of the Gods, was the intense scrutiny of the line between religion and science.  It was very thought provoking and honestly made me examine some of the events going on in the world today.  

Overall, Gameboard of the Gods is an intense and gratifying book that any Richelle Mead fan will come to love.  It is full of vibrant characters and with an interesting murder mystery plot this one is sure to be another Richelle Mead favorite! 

5/5 OH YEAH I LOVED IT

Gameboard of the Gods releases June 4th, add it on GoodReads HERE

Beautiful Broken Rules Review

So I heard about this brand new book released today, and the blurb caught me immediately.  It sounded really interesting, angsty, and good so I bought it.  I am so. glad. I. did. 

Beautiful Broken Rules by Kimberly Lauren is amazing.  This book had it all, literally I could not have loved it more.  I'm on a book high from it.  For a debut NA novel, Lauren knocked it out of the freaking park people. 

What happens when you create rules to keep others out?

One thing Emerson Moore has come to terms with is that she is the school slut. She knows her way around a frat house and how to get what she wants. She doesn’t make any excuses for her actions and she doesn’t pretend to be anything different. She is who she is and with that she knows how to have a good time. She’s made rules to keep relationships at bay and avoid the demons of her past.

When her best friend, Cole has his two friends from back home move in with him she begins to think she has met her match with Jaxon Riley. Jax is the perfect mixture of tattooed muscle and a sweet-talking mouth. With “hand” written notes, a voice that exudes sex and knowing just how to get under her skin, Jaxon learns how to break all the rules. But will he just end up breaking her heart anyway?

New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance - recommended for ages 18 and up.

Review:  I admit it, the first thing that made me want to buy this book was the first sentence in that synopsis.  It was amazing and in your face.  Emerson Moore is a self admitted, self accepted slut, and I could not have loved her character more.  She was one of those girls who I just instantly got.  Not because of what she does, but what she keeps inside.  I like that she was the completely screwed up bad girl, who becomes completely redeemable. 

Jaxon Riley, holy wow.  Talk about the perfect man and Jaxon Riley will be in the dictionary for that term.  That guy could not have been more lovable and wonderful.  Plus, he's hot, rides a motorcycle, and plays football.  What else could a girl want?

Lauren created some completely FANTASTIC characters in Beautiful Broken Rules.  Quinn, Cole, Jace, and Micah were all completely wonderful characters that added a richness to the story that is so hard to find in NA novels.  They become completely accessible and felt like friends by the end of the book. 

Oh, and the angst factor in this book... off the charts people.  One scene had me almost tearing out my hair and my stomach dropping like I was on a roller coaster ride.   If you loved yourself some Travis and Pigeon a la Beautiful Disaster, you NEED to read about Jax and Emerson.  

For being a debut novel I am astounded at how well written Beautiful Broken Rules is.  Kimberly Lauren, you have just earned yourself a groupie.  I loved this book.  I cannot begin to tell you that once people start catching on, BBR will fly up the charts.   I am SO excited to see what you have coming out next, and I'm hoping that we could possibly see more of a certain hot brother Jace in the future.  *fingers crossed* :)

5/5 OH YEAH I LOVED IT