Certified Bed Reader...

4.5 Stars -- New Adult Romance!


Wow, Rush Finlay curled my toes! I don't know why I wasn't expecting that kind of heat in a NA novel. I feel like a cougar, lol.

Very enjoyable story that kept me entertained throughout. I actually read this book because I saw the blurb for book three, [b:Twisted Perfection|17333880|Twisted Perfection (Perfection, #1)|Abbi Glines|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1360904964s/17333880.jpg|24065237], and knew I wanted to read it when it releases, but I hate picking up a book midway through a series! The only reason I'm not giving it 5-stars is, at one point in the book, I skimmed a few chapters that didn't hook me. It didn't take long for the story to pick back up, so I'm only docking half a star!

3 Stars -- New Adult Romance

This is definitely a companion novel. You can't read it without reading [b:Beautiful Disaster|11505797|Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1)|Jamie McGuire|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358259032s/11505797.jpg|16441531] first! Don't even try. It was good, but I would've been okay never reading it. I think Travis was well-portrayed in the first book, so I didn't learn (much) of anything new in this one. Well, except for the epilogue!

3 Stars -- Contemporary Romance

It must be said, Kristen Ashley is a master storyteller. She has a gift for creating interesting characters and plots. Her alphas are always alpha and her heroines are (mostly) sassy and fun. But, I never pick up a Kristen Ashley book expecting anything different and, sometimes, that's the problem: there's nothing different! She recycles her characters (actual characters + characters with the same personality as other characters). She recycles her plots. And her heroes, those supreme badasses that make my heart flutter, are really just the same guy in different packaging. I know what I'll find when I load a KA book onto my eReader; not always a bad thing because, hey, who doesn't like (even recycled) alpha badassness? lol

My real problem with Own the Wind is going to be as much a surprise to you as it is for me. I didn't like the editing job! Let me rephrase, I didn't completely enjoy the editing job. I liked getting a more condensed, tighter, story. However, I felt like it studded her voice; the flow didn't work for me and some of her characters (eh-hem, Tyra) suffered because of it. There was a lot of passiveness that annoyed me and made me put it down. Maybe I'm just too hard to please, lol.

All-in-all, it was a good read. Just not my favorite!

Seriously, the blurb is written better than the book. The dialogue isn't genuine to anyone, definitely not new adults. The guys talk entirely too much about their feelings. Way too many exclamations; I felt like they were yelling at each other all the time. There are too many contrived plot situations. I didn't like the characters and I really hated her brother; the way he treated her friend wasn't cohesive with the caring and responsible person he was portrayed as.

Examples of Dialogue (sorry it's lengthy):

“What’s up dude? Is everything okay?” I asked getting ready for the first punch to be thrown.
“Yeah dude its all good. Listen, I totally forgot I had a date tonight with Rebecca. I’ve been putting this off for weeks now. If I call her now and cancel..….” Jefferson said as he looked back at the house.
“Gunner, I hate to ask this of you but, can you stay home tonight and take care of Ellie? I don’t want to leave her alone. She has never taken these kinds of meds before. I mean I know I’m asking a lot out of you to sit and watch my sister. I think she would okay with it. Actually, I kind of think she might like you dude.”
(...)
“Jeff, man can I just ask you a question?”
“You know you can Gun…shoot.”
I ran my hands through my hair again trying to decide how you tell your best friend you are attracted to his baby sister you literally just met hours ago and he was about to leave you alone with her for who knows how many hours?
“Jeff, Umm, I mean I don’t mind at all staying home tonight, I didn’t have any plans but dude. You’ve never let anyone of your friends around your sister, matter of fact you threatened us with bodily harm if we ever laid a finger on her. So, now you’re just going to leave her here with me, alone when you use to make me leave anytime she would come over? I mean I think she is beautiful and, umm, I kind of…um, well I……..FUCK…..I don’t really know what I am trying to say here Jeff I’m confused as hell.” I said as I looked back up towards the house and then back at Jeff who was just standing there smiling.
Jeff let out a laugh that caught me by surprise.
“What the fuck is so funny?” I asked looking at him like he had lost his mind.
“Dude, you got it bad. So fucking bad you can’t even talk straight!” Jeff said as he laughed his ass off and I just stood there in stunned silence.
“You don’t think I didn’t notice the two you staring at each other all afternoon? Or the fact that Ellie was devastated by what that fucker did to her but five minutes after she saw you she was pretty much like, Ryan who?” Jefferson said as he let out another laugh.
“Wait, I’m so fucking confused because Ellie has always been off limits. Dude you told me once you would cut off my balls if I ever so much as looked wrong at her. Are you trying to set me up for something here? I mean, if you want a fight we can just head to the gym and duke it out Jeff. Fuck man don’t play around with me like this.” I practically begged him. Yeah.….something was not right here. I don’t fucking beg anyone for anything.
“Listen Gunner, you’re my best friend. You’re like a brother to me. I would lay my life down for you and I know you would do the same for me. If I was ever going to trust anyone with my sister it would be you dude.” Jeff said has he put his hand on my shoulder.

-----

Gunner jumped in and looked over at me. Oh holy shit….there was that beautiful smile and he was just staring at me.
“What is it? What’s so funny?” I asked as I smiled back at him.
“Nothin’, you just look damn good sitting in my truck sweetheart that’s all!” Gunner said with a laugh.
“Oh okay!”

-----

“Do you regret kissing me Ellie, because I don’t regret kissing you sweetheart, not one bit.”
“NO! God NO! It was one of the most amazing moments of my life. I will never forget that kiss for as long as I live. Of course I don’t regret it. I’m just…..you see…..well. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m not looking to get into a relationship right now. I mean….I really like you Gunner….a lot. But I think I need to just take it slow. I hope that you understand why I need time. With all the shit I just went through with Ryan and now my mom. I just need some time for me to figure out who I am.”
I looked over at her and she almost looked like she was going to cry. She had just gotten to where she was happy again, so I was not about to get her upset. Fuck it, if she needed time I would give her all the time she needed. I. Was. Not. Giving. Up. On. Her.

-----

"Ellie's dancing with me..FUCK thats hot..her ass is grinding against my dick..urg I have such a hard on right now..I've never been so turned on before in my life..OMG I'm in LOVE with Ellie!! FUCK!!!"

Clearly, you get the idea. I hate giving bad reviews, but this one just went wrong for me at every turn.

Ok, I'll bite for the sake of assuaging my curiosity. These books have only been talked about everywhere! lol

04.07.13: Re-read before diving into Travis's POV, [b:Walking Disaster|15745950|Walking Disaster (Beautiful, #2)|Jamie McGuire|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352338368s/15745950.jpg|21436019]. This time around I think I appreciated the story a bit more. I still stand-by my original thoughts, but I'm going to bump my rating up from 3.5 stars to 4.

---

Original Review: posted 06.28.12

Travis said: "You know why I want you? I didn't know I was lost until you found me. I didn't know what alone was until the first night I spent without you in my bed. You're the one thing I've got right. You're what I've been waiting for, Pigeon."

Talk about an emotional ride! Travis is the bad boy on campus. He's a bit broken, has quite the temper, and doesn't think twice about using his fists to rectify a situation (be it during a paid fight or taking up for his girl). I liked Travis, even if I felt his emotional maturity needed a lot of growth. Abby was harder for me to "get" until much later in the book. I was in a perpetual state of anxiety during the length of Beautiful Disaster; my stomach tied in knots, my head hurt, and my heart broke dang near every other page.

I didn't get why Abby had so much hostility towards Travis. Sure, in the beginning, he was a man-whore, but he changed. As their friendship grew, it was so obvious he loved her, and I just wanted to stomp on Abby's careless heart for being so hurtful towards him! A few times I couldn't understand why she'd be friends with someone she had such a low opinion of.

But, then the story finally began to develop, and, eventually, I could see what caused Abby to be fearful of a relationship with Travis. In my opinion, her secrets were held for too long--because of that I nearly put the book down--and her wishy-washy attitude was a complete turn-off. She had valid concerns that luckily put her actions & reactions into perspective for me.

A few random things I liked:
- Travis' nickname for Abby is Pidgeon/Pidge. When he finally clues us into how he came up with the name, it's cute, sweet, and so very Travis.
- Abby's friend, America, is loyal and the type of BFF every girl should have.
- Loved the poker game with Travis' family!
- Adored Travis' grand gesture when he rids his apartment of a certain piece of offensive furniture, and adds to his already inked body.
- The epilogue left me with a huge smile on my face.

Young Adult Mature
• 3.5 stars!

As an afterthought: I'm not sure if it was the success of Twilight, or what, but it seems more and more writers are jumping on the codependency bandwagon. It feels as if every few books I read features a possessive, stalkery hero who might die without his lady love. Before I get bombarded with hate mail, I love a bad boy, possessive hero just as much as the next girl. There's nothing like having a man who'd fight for you and declare you can never leave him to make a girl's heart aflutter. But, really, there's a fine line between healthy and unhealthy, and too much line-crossing makes me worry about the state of romance novels...and just how much people are willing to overlook in the name of love.

This is a tough one for me to review. First, it took me a ridiculous amount of time to finish it. Partly, because I was busy with life things but, mostly, because about halfway through the book it began to suffer from Sagging Middle Syndrome. I hate SMS; too many things going on that do nothing to forward the story flow!

Emma is a smart girl in an awful situation. I wish the author had given more insight into her reasons for staying in an abusive home. What we're given (she wants a chance to go to college and she doesn't want to disrupt her little cousins lives) isn't enough. There's no real driving force. I also didn't like how she wanted nothing to do with Evan because she doesn't want her aunt to figure it out, yet she gets with a different guy without the same worries? Uh, okay.

For once, I want to see a teenage heroine (or any heroine really) being smart about taking care of herself. THAT is the type of story I really want to read. Show us a girl who recognizes her worth and that she deserves better than an abusive home life/relationship/etc. I want to see a heroine being a survivor, not just a victim trying to survive. There's a huge difference and one I think is lacking in these books.

Update 09.07.13
ARC approved from NetGalley! Talk about a fantastic birthday present...ok, it's a day late, but who cares! lol Gonna read Lori and Rafe's stories (I've been procrastinating because I have such high hopes for Lori) and then on to this one. Looks like a Sullivan weekend for me!



YAY!!!! FINALLY!
I can't wait to read this!

Holy shitballs!

If you follow my reviews, you know this isn't my typical read. AT ALL. I read it because, well, my best friend likes to throw things at me sometimes that aren't my norm. She claims it's good for me. *eyeing her with much contempt at the moment* Granted, there's been times her recommendations worked for me. This time, well... damn, lol.

Meg is a huge ass shark. THE EFFIN' HUGEST! The Megalodon dates all the way back to prehistoric times. It's a beast and believed to be extinct.

Enter Jonas Taylor, ex-Navy submersible expert and deep-sea guru. He's called to the Mariana Trench to inspect some sensors that have gone of the grid. If this were a movie, his where all the conflict would come to life. No one wants to work with Jonas. A previous exploration went bad and two of his coworkers wound up dead. Because of this, he's stuck to giving lectures about the Megalodon. He (of course, because there's always one) believes Megalodons are still alive and thriving!

He's right.

And what transpires out in the middle of that ocean is EFFIN' GRUESOME! Steve Alten does a remarkable job (much to the dismay of my stomach) with descriptions of the carnage left in the Meg's wake. Really, they were so good it's the reason I gave this book a 3.

I love getting swept into a Jill Shalvis book. Whether she's writing about sports heroes, blue-collar hunks, or commitment-challenges veterinarians (like Dell from this book), I can't get enough!

Will write full review a.s.a.p.!

Ok, maybe I was expecting too much from this one, but it really didn't do anything for me. Creed and Sylvie's backstory had the makings of something epic. The way they were ripped apart broke my heart. What made the book go south for me was the lack of action. My God, Kristen Ashley can write some looong novels, but you can't carry such a lenghty novel with a character-focused plot alone. There has to be some action and what little there was it felt like KA tossed in as filler words.

Creed is no anti-hero. He's your typical KA alpha male. I guess because of the series, I found KA's generic alpha formula to really bore me. He didn't have the same edge that Knight had in the first book of the series. Sylvie was really the anti-SHEro. It didn't make the book any better knowing that.

I wish I could say better things because KA is such a gifted storyteller, but I can't. That won't keep me from reading the next in this series, Raid. :-)

3½ Stars | Erotica/Romantica

Fans of Sons of Anarchy and Kristen Ashley's Motorcycle Man will find a winner with this one! To be honest, there's parts that really peeved me off. Then, there were moments I really loved. Mostly, Reaper's Property is an engaging story with a hot biker and woman who learns the true meaning of being an "old lady". There's some action. There's lots of hot, sexiness that will leave you panting. There's potential for more books about other members of the Reapers MC. I'll read them, but I probably won't be counting the minutes until another Reaper book comes out.

This book is a very hard one for me to review. I started Animal Magnetism to distract myself while my dad was in the hospital. It took me over two weeks to read with all the distractions, and then the grief of losing him so quickly. Honestly, I can't be certain I remember half of this book. I'm sure under other circumstances, I would give this book higher marks. What I do know is that Jill Shalvis is a master storyteller -- humor and sexiness abound! -- and you really can't go wrong with one of her books.

Not a stand-alone novel! You really must read this series in order, starting with In Flight, to be released!

3½ Stars | Erotica/Romantica Novella

Mac has a weakness for vintage cars and his hot mechanic, Frankie. Overdrive is a sexy little (predictable) story; perfect for an in-between read.

"I have a confession to make," he said.
"Yeah, what's that?"
"It only took me five minutes to pick out this outfit."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better, how?"
"You didn't let me finish." He leaned into her, brushing a lock of hair from her forehead. "Ask me how long I stood in the garage deciding which car to pick you up in?"
Her pulse skittered at the gentle caress. "How long?" she croaked.
"About an hour. I wanted to impress you so badly," he admitted with a self-deprecating smile.
"It worked."

It's time to face facts: there is a place for overbearing, possessive, dominate, young billionaires in romance and they're not going anywhere. I tentatively began reading In Flight because I really don't have a good history with FSoG knock-offs, and pretty soon into the story, I knew that's what it was going to be. I kept reading because there was something about the story that drew me in, maybe it was the comfort of predictability. Whatever the case, I didn't find myself turned off by its similarities to FSoG and there are plenty of them at first.

James is a billionaire in his twenties with a need for control. He gives Bianca expensive gifts. He's protective and controlling but he doesn't divert into the land of crazy stalker! He has this really sweet, tender side to him that completely drew me in. Bianca is an innocent twenties woman, but IMO she has more of a backbone than FSoG's Ana. She isn't as immature as Ana was in the beginning of FSoG. There is no inner goddess, just a really fabulous best friend named Stephan. And I'm happy to say that, as the story progressed, In Flight came into its own!

James and Bianca both have traumatic pasts. Bianca's past is really unraveled during the story. The more I learned about her, the more I realized why she's become so guarded. She doesn't trust easily, it has to be earned. She stays away from men and relationships, with good reason. She keeps her emotions in check. James also comes with a terrible past, but it takes a bit longer to figure out his demons. James wants a sexual relationship and nothing more, even tells her he won't date her. However, he's so enamored by her and her aloof attitude forces him to break old habits and fight for what he wants -- her! I love the plan he devises to get her to open up to him -- an exchange of information; she gets to ask a question and in return, he gets to ask one. He's patient and doesn't push her. At one point, Bianca has a horrible nightmare, wakes up sick from it and stumbles her way into the bathroom. She's in the shower, furiously scrubbing herself when James comes in behind her, gentle takes over the bathing and comforts her with such a gentle hand that I loved him for it. It's moments like that that made me keep reading. He worries that he'll say something or do something to make her run and that made him seem vulnerable in a good way and not at all like an asshole.



There are some moments & quotes that leaned really far into the realm of ridiculousness. The worst being when James says, "I'm going to tie you to the bed and take your hymen." Uh, yuck. That's not sexy or erotic and I had to roll my eyes at that one. But, I kept reading and by the 80% mark I couldn't put it down! In the end, I was pleasantly surprised and hopeful that R.K. Lilley's Up in the Air series is going to come together to be something special.

James & Bianca's story continues with [b:Mile High|16136959|Mile High (Up In The Air, #2)|R.K. Lilley|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352489991s/16136959.jpg|21965727]!