4 stars

Book Review – If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman

April 21, 2012 by Aestas · 1 Comment

Almost 4 stars.

“If I stay. If I live. It’s up to me.
All this business about medically induced comas is just doctor talk. It’s not up to the doctors.
It’s not up to the absentee angels. It’s not even up to god who, if He exists, is nowhere around right now. It’s up to me.”

I have to say this book was not what I expected it to be….

One completely normal, happy day, Mia’s world is shattered when a truck hits the car she was in killing her family and putting her in a coma. The book follows the course of one full day while she is in the hospital having an out of body experience, seeing herself, seeing the aftermath of the accident and the effect it has on the lives around her but unable to directly do anything. The story is almost told in reverse with snippets of memories from her life adding weight to every scene in the present.

I know a lot of people told me that this book was a real tear-jerker but for some reason, I didn’t connect very intensely to the characters in that way. I teared up twice but never actually cried. The story was good, and kept me turning the pages, but I still never fully connected. Maybe it was because the accident happened so early in the book that I didn’t feel a strong enough connection with the characters to be moved to tears, it kinda of just felt like a tragic situation where I was sad it happened, but didn’t know enough about the people involved to feel shattered by it.

If you are a musician or a big fan of music, you will probably connect a lot more to this book. Music is a huge part of Mia, Adam (her boyfriend), and her parent’s lives and plays a big part in their world.

I think honestly, by the end of the book, the characters that I felt closest to were Mia’s parents. I loved them!! They were just so awesome! I actually would love to read their love story despite the tragic ending.

I was also under the impression that this was a romance, but it’s not one exactly. Its more of a YA story with some romance but without it being the focus of the book.

I heard somewhere that it was going to be made into a movie. I do think it would make a beautiful movie!! In fact, in many ways, it almost felt like I was reading a movie if that makes any sense lol.

I’m going to read the sequel next and see how it goes… stay tuned 🙂

READING ORDER

Book #1: IF I STAY

My Review | Buy on Kindle | Buy in Paperback

Book #2: WHERE SHE WENT

My Review | Buy on Kindle | Buy in Paperback

Book Review – Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie

April 17, 2012 by Aestas · 2 Comments

4 stars (actually somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars lol)

“One day, you and I are gonna’ wake up and be alright. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but one day. One day. I promise you.” – Callum

Callum and Harper grew up in the foster care system and meet in a social services office after suffering from turning 18 yrs old. They are instantly attracted to each other but develop a friendship instead of a romantic relationship because they are each too scared of losing the other. And Harper is haunted by a creepy psycho guy from her past who will stop at nothing to get to her. Pretty much everything goes wrong for them but they persevere through everything and never give up on each other or life.

Callum and Harper are adorable together. I loved watching their friendship develop. Callum is so wonderfully protective of her – right from pretty much the first moment he met her. I loved his always positive, can-do, nothing will bring us down, we’ll get through anything together attitude – it was totally endearing 🙂

“I loved her so much I could barely see straight. I wanted her so much I could barely breathe straight. I needed her so much I could barely think straight.” ~Callum

The book is written in alternating POVs (literally, like within one chapter, it’ll go from his to her POV several times) but its not in the least bit confusing and is actually quite nice because it really helps you get into each of their head.

I’ve read several books about kids in the foster system and its quite horrible but this book does a very good job at really showing just how damaged many kids who come out of that system can be and how flawed it is. Makes me want to take them all in even though I know I can’t. Its quite heartbreaking 🙁

The things that bugged me were that I felt it took C&H much too long to admit their love for each other. There were times when I really wanted to grab them and shake them and beg them to just admit their feelings out loud despite how cute their friendship was. They came so close sooooo many times lol but were always interrupted… and also, just on a personal level, I’m not super fond of psycho evil creepy bad guys having that much luck getting to one of the main characters.

But all in all it was a wonderful read and the HEA is very cute 🙂

Also, while this book isn’t what I’d call a YA book, there are no graphic sex scenes. Its more about their feelings for each other.

READING ORDER for the SLEEPLESS series.
These books can be read as stand-alones.

Book #1 – CALLUM & HARPER
Kindle | Paperback

Book # 2 – THOMAS & JANUARY
Kindle | Paperback

READING ORDER — Sinners on Tour series by Olivia Cunning

April 17, 2012 by Aestas · 2 Comments

Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll

Follow the sexual and romantic exploits of the rock band Sinners as they find love on the road.

Book 1: Backstage Pass (Brian & Myrna) 4 stars

Five stunning guys, one hot woman, and a feverish romance…
For him, life is all music and no play…

When Brian Sinclair, lead songwriter and guitarist of the hottest metal band on the scene, loses his creative spark, it will take nights of downright sinful passion to release his pent-up genius…
She’s the one to call the tune…

When sexy psychologist Myrna Evans goes on tour with the Sinners, every boy in the band tries to seduce her. But Brian is the only one she wants to get her hands on…
Then the two lovers’ wildly shocking behavior sparks the whole band to new heights of glory… and sin..

Book 2: Rock Hard (Sed & Jessica) 4 stars

An ultimatum can break your heart….

Every night lead singer, Sed Lionheart whips thousands of women into a frenzy with his voice alone. But the stage is the only place Sed feels any passion since he lost Jessica…

If you’re not willing to break all the rules…

It shattered her heart, but law student Jessica broke off her engagement to Sed, determined to be successful on her own terms. But no other man can ever hold a candle to Sed…

Then a chance meeting and tortuously close quarters lead to uncontrollable flares of passion and rediscovery of their unique penchant for public encounters. Now, in addition to the risk of mutual heartbreak every time they get together, they’re in danger of truly scandalous public exposure…

Book 3: Hot Ticket (Jace)

Where’s the Fine Line…
Between darkness and desire
Need and oblivion
Pain and pleasure

A man as talented as Sinner bass guitarist Jace Seymour needs a woman who can beat out his self-doubt…

A woman as strong as Mistress V needs a man she can’t always overpower…

And in each other’s tight embrace, an escape from harsh reality is always a welcome diversion…

Book 4: Wicked Beat (Eric)

From the moment he lays eyes on Sinners’ new soundboard operator, drummer Eric Sticks is completely smitten.

Rebekah Blake loves the uninhibited fun she’s having and thrives on Eric’s daring in the bedroom, but she’s got good reasons for not committing.

Through role play, voyeuristic games, and lots of sex talk, this pair of kinky lovers must overcome their inner demons to have the perfect relationship they both secretly desire.

Book 5: Double Time (Trey)

He Craves Her Music and Passion

On the rebound from the tumult of his bisexual lifestyle, notoriously sexy rock guitarist Trey Mills falls for sizzling new female guitar sensation Reagan Elliot and is swept into the hot, heady romance he never dreamed possible.

She Can’t Get Enough of His Body

Ecstatic to be on tour learning the ropes with Trey’s band, The Sinners, Reagan finds she craves Trey as much as she craves being in the spotlight.

They Both Need More…

When Reagan’s ex, Ethan Connor, enters the scene, Trey’s secret desires come back to haunt him, and pleasure and passion are taken to a whole new level of dangerous desire.

Epilogue Book: Sinners At The Altar (Everyone)

Even Sinners need love…

Sinners at the Altar includes four complete wedding stories, each about a different member of the rock band Sinners. These novellas are intended to be read after the Sinners on Tour series as each story is an epilogue to a different book in the series and thus riddled with major spoilers for not only individual books, but in some cases, the entire series.

Sexual content: graphic sex, BDSM, voyeur, menage (of all kinds)

Book Review – Gabriel’s Inferno By Sylvain Reynard

April 17, 2012 by Aestas · 4 Comments

4 stars.

Goodreads blurb: Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption.

When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide.

An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love and redemption, “Gabriel’s Inferno” is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man’s escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible…forgiveness and love.

This book was a little weird for me. I really liked it, but at the same time I didn’t really connect with it. But it wasn’t because of the story, it was because of the writing style. I left 4 stars for the story and knocked the final one off because something about the style (voice??) its written in just constantly kept me feeling a little on the outside. But I think because of that, I won’t go on to the next book when it comes out.

Book Review – A Neighbor from Hell series (Books #1 & #2) by R. L. Mathewson

April 17, 2012 by Aestas · 3 Comments

** sorry, I read these books before I started blogging so I don’t have “real” reviews for them… but here’s just something to give you an idea about them.

Book 1: Playing for Keeps (Jason & Haley) 4.5 stars

Done with being the world’s biggest pushover, Haley decides that things are going to change starting with the aggravating neighbor who has too much charm and not enough restraint. What she didn’t expect was to sucked into his world, but Haley has a game plan and she won’t let herself forget just what the bad boy next door is capable of. The last thing Jason expected was for his little shy neighbor to go Rambo on him over some ruined flowers. After he decides to take her under his wing he can’t help but that notice that she fits very nicely in his life. Now the only left is to convince her that this is anything but a game.

I really liked this book a lot. It was the PERFECT fluff read for me. It was well written, with characters I really cared about, lots of adorably cute and funny moments, no heart-breaking moments, no damaged or tortured characters, didn’t make me cry at any point, really really adorable HEAs, and not super long reads. I read this book and its sequel in 4 hours. It was the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon.

I love the way their relationship developed. It was perfectly paced. Fast enough that I never felt that the story dragged, but not so fast that it felt rushed. Literally the entire point of the story is about two people who fall in love and how they get to their HEA. No complications, no external drama, no bad guy, just a love story. It was EXACTLY what I wanted. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

I gotta say the grasshopper thing was ADORABLE!!!! Jason was an awesome hero and Hayley was a cute heroine (nice to read one that didnt annoy me) 🙂

Book 2: Perfection (Trevor & Zoe) 4 stars

Zoe is used to taking care of herself and has long ago accepted that if anything bad was going to happen, it was going to happen to her. So when she loses her job over something most bosses would probably be happy with and her life starts going down hill from there she doesn’t expect it to get any better. She certainly didn’t expect any help from the loud jerk next door, but then again she has nothing to lose so puts her trust in him and hopes for the best. What she didn’t expect was the once in a lifetime opportunity that he offers her through an arrangement where they both benefit and no one is supposed to get hurt, but she should have known better because her luck has never been that good.

Like most Bradfords, Trevor has a soft spot for food, but that’s about all. He leads a pretty straightforward life and likes to keep things simple and that includes his relationships. He wants the perfect woman and knows exactly what she’ll be like. So when he discovers much to his horror that he’s thinking about his frumpy little neighbor he decides the best way to get his head straight is by working her out of his system. He’ll keep her around, but only until he finds perfection.

Pretty much everything I said about the first one applies to this book as well. I liked the first one the tiniest bit more because I felt I related to the characters on a personal level, but not so much with this one, but that didn’t stop the book from being a wonderful fun read.

This quote made me LOL (when she asked him – the big hunky hero- to find a big spider in her house that he didn’t believe was there):

“I knew she overre–holy shit!” he yelled, falling back on his ass and scooting away from the largest spider he’d ever seen. When it decided to come after him he was left with little choice but to grab on one of Zoe’s magazines off the neat pile near the toilet and beat the shit out of spider as Toby barked encouragingly. Even after he was pretty sure it was dead he kept up the attach, afraid that it was just a trick and the spider was buying its time before it attacked him and dragged him beneath the sink.”

Book Review – Fallen From Grace by Laura Leone

April 17, 2012 by Aestas · 1 Comment

Buy FALLEN FROM GRACE (Kindle)

I really liked this book. The couple who fall in love are a 26 year old male prostitute and a 35 year old female writer. The author’s writing flows really nicely and she writes really great dialogue. Lots of funny and cute scenes (Mrs. Thatcher!!!! Lol!!). But the subject matter is very gritty and doesn’t really hide anything. But the story is very heart warming and the HEA is very sweet.

The book didn’t make me cry at any point – which usually is something I want in a 5-star read (happy tears count) but it was still very touching. The evil bitch woman who has a hold on the hero is even more evil than Fifty’s Mrs.Robinson *shudder*.

Both the hero and heroine are very likeable and you want to root for them (neither is annoying in any way). Also, it’s nice to see the whole prostitution subject dealt with so candidly and that it didn’t ruin their chances at a relationship.

I loved that both the hero and heroine are smart and intelligent and don’t do stupid things. Never once did I want to slap one of the characters or throw the book at the wall.

It’s a very easy read. Flows nicely. Doesn’t drag. Has funny moments. Sweet moments. Definite tortured/damaged hero. Understanding/openminded/strong heroine. A very sad backstory for the hero. And a lovely ending 🙂

It’s along the same lines as Finding Home (by Lauren Baker and Bonnie Dee). Still different. But similar category. Chances are if you like one, you’ll like the other.

Warning : the book has instances of male rape and underage prostitution (alluded to, not graphically described).

4 stars

Buy FALLEN FROM GRACE (Kindle)

When Ryan meets Sara, his new next-door neighbor in a rickety old San Francisco apartment building, both are in a state of emotional turmoil. Ryan, a high-priced prostitute, is trying to break free of his old life, but his handler, Catherine, won’t let him.

Sara’s medieval mystery series has just been terminated by her publisher, and she is now trying to write a historical thriller. Sara doesn’t dare make the first move toward deepening their relationship because she is older than Ryan, not as physically attractive, and halfway convinced he is gay and that if she pushes him she will lose his friendship, which she values.

In this realistically gritty, sometimes violent, and gripping tale, Leone reveals the seamier side of society’s maneuvering while she spins an unconventional romance between two unhappy people who find that love, like respect, can grow out of friendship and shared experiences and that new beginnings are indeed possible for those with the determination and courage to pursue them.

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