Month: July 2017

Jul 31

{ARC Review+Giveaway} Kissing Max Holden by @KatyUpperman ‏@SwoonReads @FierceReads

Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman is a young adult contemporary romance that put a huge smile on my face. I really, really loved this book. It was cute, it was swoony and it was a whole lot of fun. Just what I love in my summer beach/pool reads. Max Holden is total book boyfriend material. I did have a few minor issues with the story, which I will discuss below, but overall I really enjoyed Kissing Max Holden. Kissing Max Holden is told from Jillian’s point of view. She grew up next door to Max Holden and they used to be very close, but because of personal issues in Max’s family, he has withdrawn a lot and because distant with Jillian. It is interesting because Jillian and Max still ran in similar friend groups at school so they are circling around in each other’s lives. I love a friends to more story, so I really liked the various facets to Jillian and Max’s relationship. It is clear that they… Read more »

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Jul 28

{Review+Giveaway} Chasing Eveline by Leslie Hauser @lhauser27 @PenNamePublish ‏

Chasing Eveline is a young adult contemporary by Leslie Hauser. This book felt so different than the books I normally read. It was like a breath of fresh air for me. Overall, I relaly enjoyed this book. It started out as a bit of a surprise for me because it was much more somber and melancholy in its’ tone than I was expecting, but I quickly fell into the groove of the story and I really came to like to characters and their journey. Ivy is the main character of the story. She is going through a tough time after her mom left her and the only thing that makes her feel close to her mother is the band Chasing Eveline. Her mom used to love the band and Ivy has become obsessed with it. I loved that it was a non-mainstream indie rock band that was the focus of the story. Now, I will be the first to admit that I know little to nothing about indie rock, but… Read more »

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Jul 27

{Review+Giveaway} The Dragons of Nova by @EliseKova @PriceWorldPub

*Please Note: This is a series that must be read in order. If you are new to the series, check out my review of book one- The Alchemists of Loom HERE** The Dragons of Nova is the Second book in the Loom Saga by author Elise Kova. The Loom Saga is a young adult high fantasy series that I have completely fallen in love with. I absolutely LOVED the first book, The Alchemists of Loom, and the second book- The Dragons of Nova was every bit as good as the first! In the Dragons of Nova we get to really delve more into the politics and struggles in the worlds of Loom and Nova and we get to revisit old characters and get to know some new characters as well. This series is one that instantly grabbed me and has yet to let go. It is by far one of the best series I have read in 2017. And the third book, The Rebels of Gold is scheduled to release in December of… Read more »

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Jul 26

{Review} The Alchemists of Loom by @EliseKova @PriceWorldPub

The Alchemists of Loom is the first book in the Loom Saga by author Elise Kova. The Loom Saga is a young adult high fantasy series that I have completely fallen in love with. You know the feeling you get when you pick up a book by a new to you author- you are excited and hopeful that the book will be excellent. (but also a little nervous because you want to enjoy the novel so badly…and what if you don’t. What if you are the person that the book didn’t work for.) But then, as you read, the story exceeds all of your expectations. You completely fall in love with the characters and the story and the world. And then you finish the book and you find out that the author has SO MANY OTHER BOOKS! Multiple series with multiple books written. It is like stumbling on to a gold mine. That is what discovering Elise Kova felt like to me. She dropped a gold mine in my lap! And I couldn’t… Read more »

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Jul 24

{ARC Review} Need You by Stacy Finz @sfinz @KensingtonBooks ‏

Need You by Stacy Finz is the first book in the Garner Brothers series. The Garner Brothers series will be a series of interconnected standalone romances, set in a small mountain town on the west coast. I enjoyed Need You by Stacy Finz. I thought it was an enjoyable story and I loved getting to know the people in the town. I think this is a series I will look forward to continuing. In the end, this book didn’t blow me away, but it was a good read. Here is what I liked about Need You: I loved the small town setting. I thought the town sounded beautiful. I loved that it was surrounded by mountains and lakes. And I really love that in a small town book you really get to know a wide group of secondary characters. Especially when the series is going to be set up to be a group of interconnected standalones. Now all of the secondary characters can really come to life throughout the books…. Read more »

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Jul 21

{Review} Artificial Sweethearts by @JulieHammerle ‏@EntangledTeen

Artificial Sweethearts by Julie Hammerle is the second book in the young adult contemporary North Pole, Minnesota series. I liked the first book in the series, Any Boy But You, but I enjoyed this book even more! Each of the books in the North Pole Minnesota series can be read as standalones, so you don’t have to read them in order, though if given the choice, I always prefer to read a series in order. Elena, the girl from the first book, only makes very small appearances in this story, so there isn’t much overlap. Artificial Sweethearts is the story of Sam and Tinka. I flat out loved Sam. He is the biggest sweetheart on the planet. And Tinka is so fabulously complex that I found her fascinating. Overall, this couple won me over. Here are the things that I loved about Artificial Sweethearts. Sam and Tinka are up front with each other right off the bat. That was so refreshing to see. Yes, Tinka had her own secrets that… Read more »

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Jul 19

{Review+Giveaway} Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer @Honeybourn @SwoonReads @FierceReads

Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn is a young adult standalone contemporary romance. I loved this book. This is going to be a unique review because there were a few issues I had with the main character, but they really didn’t detract from my enjoyment one bit because while reading Wesley James Ruined My Life, I had a major case of perma-smile. I really really enjoyed myself while I was reading this story. It just had this adorable quality to it that I can’t pin point. Jennifer Honeybourn did a great job with the writing, because this book won me over big time. Wesley James Ruined My Life is the story of Quinn and her ex best friend turned bitter enemy Wesley. Wesley and Quinn used to be super close, then they had a huge falling out when they were younger and Wesley and his family moved away for five years. Quinn basically blames Wesley for every bad thing that is going on in her life. Now that Wesley… Read more »

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Jul 17

{Review} I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo @mauxbot ‏@FierceReads

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo is a young adult standalone contemporary romance. This book had me giggling and smiling right from the very beginning. I seriously loved this novel. I can’t wait to read more by Maurene Goo because this was everything I am looking for in a cute, feel good contemporary romance. This tag line right here sold me from the get-go: “A funny young adult novel about a Korean-American girl who uses K-Drama techniques to snag the boyfriend of her dreams.” Umm, yes!!! And it was every bit as adorable as you think it would be. I loved all of the k-drama inspiration, and I really loved Desi’s list to finding her perfect boyfriend. It was hilarious. Desi and I clicked from the very first page. As soon as she was describing trying to make her pencil move with her mind, and she was so deep into her concentration, she had her dad come into the room and feed her soup, I was… Read more »

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Jul 13

{Review+Giveaway} The Perfectly Imperfect Match by @KendraHighley @entangledteen

The Perfectly Imperfect Match is the third book in the young adult contemporary romance series, called the Suttonville Senitels by Kendra C. Highley. I love that this series centers around the baseball team. It is a series formula that works so well with me, but before the Suttonville Sentiels I had only seen it done in the adult sports romance world, so I love that there is a young adult series that is doing something similar. I read and LOVED The Bad Boy Bargain and Swinging at Love, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. This series is a welcome smash hit for me! And The Perfectly Imperfect Match is a great addition to the series. Just like all of the previous books in this series, The Perfectly Imperfect Match is chock full of cuteness. That is the best way to describe it. It is like a smile in a box. All of the books in this series are actually. Perfectly Imperfect Match is the story of Dylan and Luck. I liked this couple… Read more »

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Jul 11

{Mini Review+Excerpt+ Giveaway} A SEAL’S COURAGE by JM Stewart

A SEAL’S COURAGE by JM Stewart is the first book in the military match series. I really enjoyed A Seal’s Courage. I thought it was a great start to series I am excited to read more of. A Seal’s Courage is told in dual narrative between Lauren and Trent, which as you may know is my favorite narration style for contemporary romances. It pairs two tropes that I have really been enjoying lately, best friends brother and online matchmaking, so I was pretty sure this book was going to be a hit with me, but I didn’t know just how much until I started reading. I fell in love with all of the emotion in A Seal’s Courage. Lauren and trent are matched up on a military men dating site. I really enjoyed the flow of A Seal’s Courage. This one was a great read for me. I can’t wait for more. Enter to win 1 of 15 free ebook downloads of A SEAL’S COURAGE! http://bit.ly/2tlQOfv Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes,… Read more »