Review: Forgiving Lies (Forgiving Lies #1) by Molly McAdams

Pub. Date: October 29th, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
368 pages
ebook

After a sexual assault, Rachel learns just how true the saying “blood is thicker than water” truly is. Unwilling to believe her cousin capable of rape, Rachel’s best friend Candice is convinced that Rachel has confused her attacker and savior. Worried that pushing the subject will cause a bigger rift between her and Candice, Rachel decides to try and forget the whole thing. For an entirely different kind of assault, career undercover cops Logan and Mase are reassigned to Texas from Florida. With the cover of bartenders, the two are assigned to help track down a serial killer. Logan tries to stay detached from everything while on the job, and Rachel initially is completely uninterested in any kind of relationship, but when the two fall into an easy friendship, they slowly break down their self-imposed walls. Only when their two worlds dangerously collide do they realize how little protection the walls offered.

After the first two chapters I did something I never do when reviewing – I read a bunch of reviews. I was legitimately convinced that I had been sent the wrong book to review, because the beginning of the novel was in no way represented within the synopsis. As a reader I was completely thrown. To make matters worse, I severely disliked everything about the first few chapters. So much happens. From instalove, to assault, I didn’t feel I had a chance to connect with any of the characters before they were polarized. The worst part of the early chapters was the worst representation of “best friends” that I have

Review: Unspoken (Woodlands #2) by Jen Frederick

Pub. Date: September 16^th 2013

Publisher: Pear Tree LLC/ Jen Frederick

260 pages

Paperback/ ebook

Having read a fair amount of New Adult lately, I’m finding that there's a bit more ‘rough’ than diamonds in the rough out there. Unspoken is definitely a diamond – but a diamond that needs just a little more polishing until it reaches perfection.

Bo is not your typically college student. At 23 he’s already been a Marine stationed in Afghanistan, and carries more baggage than a sorority house sees on moving day. AnnaMarie, AM for short, carries just as much baggage after a series of rumors involving ‘‘extracurricular activities’’ with the entire Lacrosse team were falsely spread. The only two non-freshman in Biology class, Bo slyly groups the two together. Under the guise of schoolwork, Bo and AM spend increasing amounts of time together, showing the other who they really are beneath the baggage and rumors that they have been brandished with. 

I appreciate NA without Insta-love immensely. Insta-love is so unrealistic and I typically lose interest the second it is introduced. Frederick really proved to the reader the relationship between Bo and AM, and why the two characters connected, long before they actually became a couple. As a reader you had to work towards the Happily Ever After, it wasn’t just handed to you, so you appreciated it that much more. I especially appreciated that once the two are together, they’re together. There is very little of the ‘what is going to break them up before they’re eventually brought back together’ drama. Bo and AMs relationship felt much more true and realistic to real life than most NA relationship do for me.

Review: The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

Pub. Date: August 27^th, 2013

Publisher: Amulet Books

Hardcover

336 pages

Lauren Myracle is by all standards a popular Tween/Teen author. This is the first of her novels that I have read, so I don’t know if this title is typical of her writing, but I hope that readers do not flock towards The Infinite Moment of Us. For me, the novel does not add positively to the Teen Romance genre, because the relationship is one I personally do not support.

In the summer following her last year in high school, straight and narrow Wren Grey takes her first ever side step from the ‘plan’, choosing to defer college, instead accepting a volunteer position in Guatemala. No parental input allowed. Her seemingly small world expands when Charlie Parker catches her eye. Charlie and Wren’s upbringings seem to be entirely different, but they connect through the insecurities they both hold internally. Falling in love, the two see their relationship as the kind that can last a lifetime. But are they ready for what commitment really means?

Typically Teen Romances are among my favorite things. But, The Infinite Moment of Us didn’t live up to the genre. While I found Charlie to be a likeable enough guy, Wren drove me crazy. In novels

Review: My Favorite Mistake by Chelsea M. Cameron

Pub. Date: August 27^th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin

Paperback

400 pages

Cameron has an insane ability to pull you right into her novels. Her novel Deeper We Fall is by far my favorite read of the year, and My Favorite Mistake is definitely top 10. As Cameron’s novels begin to take the ‘traditional’ publishing route, I’m preparing my ears for the squeals of joy as more readers discover her excellence.

Taylor and Hunter first connect like a punch connects to a face. Nothing could surprise Taylor more than her new roommate being a smooth talking, guitar-playing dude. Instantly rubbing her the wrong way, Hunter seems to have the innate ability to make Taylor uncomfortable and bring out the worst in her – a trait that leads to him gaining some significant facial bruising. Hunter, out of rooming options makes Taylor a deal – by the end of the semester, if she can truly make him believe that she either loves or hates him, he’ll move out. Rooming with a guy is just as awkward as you would expect, but Taylor and Hunter learn that opening up about the struggles they’ve dealt with in the past, may just be the thing that can bring them together.