ARC Review: Three Broken Promises by Monica Murphy

Pub. Date: December 31^st, 2013

Publisher: Bantam

Paperback

304 pages

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

Commitment. That’s what I really want from Colin. Ever since my brother, Danny, died in Iraq, Colin’s done so much to help me, including giving me a job at his popular restaurant so I can leave my crappy waitressing job at the strip joint. But lying in bed with him every night to comfort him from his horrible nightmares isn’t enough anymore. I know he feels guilty about Danny’s death, about not going to Iraq, but I can’t keep living this double life.

I love him desperately, but he’s got so many demons, and if he can’t open up to me now, then he’ll never be the real partner I need him to be. I gave him a month, and now I’m out of here. If he truly loves me like he says, he knows where to find me.

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Disclaimer: I only read about half of Three Broken Promises.

From the beginning of the novel I wasn’t a fan of the characters. I found that the primary characters actions and their words in no way matched up. With neither being exceptionally honest, and with very little build up occurring in their relationship, I found I didn’t care how either was feeling, or honestly, how their story worked out. The further I got into the novel, the more frustrated I became with what I perceived as 'and then this happened, and then this happened' story telling. The flow felt disjointed, with very little happening for a while, and then too much being thrown at you all at once. My disinterest in the characters, and my feeling of too little development in their story may have been because I have not read the other books in the series – though it was my understanding that you could read this one without having read the Drew and Fable stories. For whatever reason, I lost interest pretty quickly, and I will not be attempt to pick this one up again.

ARC Review: Uninvited (Uninvited #1) by Sophie Jordan

Pub. Date: January 28th, 2014

Publisher: HarperTeen

384 pages

Hardcover

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

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I was blown away by Sophie Jordan’s most recent novel Foreplay (see my review). For that reason, coming into Uninvited, my expectations were really high. Overall, I truly did like this novel. The characters and the story were interesting and outside the box. But, I had one major issue. I feel Uninvited should have been two separate novels. The novel is split into two parts, which gave me a really disjointed feeling as a reader. Both parts had unique identities, with separate story focuses, separate tones, and almost entirely separate casts of characters. I was enthralled by part one - excited by the story, the pacing, and the intensity of what was going on in the characters lives – and confused by the abrupt shifts when I hit part two.

I was drawn into the story and Davy’s character immediately. We have a pretty everyday girl – albeit one from a well off family – doing everyday things. The all too common in dystopia’s ‘I’m the different/ chosen/ unique/ only one who could possibly complete this task - one’, in no way exists here. Yes Davy has skills, but they’re more everyday skills, like musical ability, that any one of us could legitimately hold.

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

ARC Review: Trust in Me by J. Lynn

Pub. Date: October 22nd, 2013

Publisher: William Morrow Impulse

Ebook

237 pages

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It’s Wait for You as you’ve never seen it. Trust in Me lets you in on Cam’s side of the #1 New York Times Bestselling story.

Cameron Hamilton is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women. But when Avery Morgansten comes crashing into his life – literally – he finally meets the one person who can resist his soulful baby blues. But Cam’s not ready to give up. He can’t get the feisty and intriguing girl out of his head.

Avery has secrets, secrets that keep her from admitting the feelings Cam knows she has for him. Will persistence (and some delicious homemade cookies) help him break down her barriers and gain her trust? Or will he be shut out of Avery's life, losing his first real shot at the kind of love that lasts forever?

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Before I start let me just say that I really liked Trust in Me. It holds the same perfect combination of cuteness, seriousness, and realism as Wait for Me held. That being said, I wasn’t completely blown away. I have a really hard time getting drawn in and investing in stories that are snippets/retellings/alterna-perspectives of novels I really loved because in a lot of ways they feel like a tease. We just have enough time to get back into the world and reconnect with the characters, before the story ends.

ARC Review: Hush (A Lakeview Novel) by Stacey R. Campbell

Pub. Date: January 23, 2013

Publisher: Green Darner Press

278 pages

Paperback/ebook

Based on the synopsis, I was expecting a Princess Diaries-esque story of a girl finding out that she is royalty, with a darker twist. But, Hush is more of a Princess Anastasia murder story than Princess Mia’s rise to fame.

As far as Blakeley Henry knows there was nothing special about her adoption. British journalism student Max Ryder discovers otherwise. The daughter of a Tamuran Princess and a servant, Blakeley’s existence was kept a secret to avoid a major scandal. When the entire Tamuran Royal Family is killed in what we quickly learn was no accident, Blakeley is the only hope for the family to retain its throne. If Max can’t prove Blakeley’s true identity, convince her to claim her royal heritage, and keep her safe, then the Royal Family’s killers will reign.

I had quite a few issues with this novel. Stylistically my biggest issue was with the number of speakers. Some speakers narrated a single chapter, others multiple, but the overall effect was that the story came off as disjointed and inconsistent. I never felt I had a grasp or connection to any of the characters because we were jumped between speakers, continents and time periods every few pages. I also found the balance of the story to be somewhat uneven. It took a long time to get to the meat of the story. We

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.

Review: Earthbound (Earthbound #1) by Aprilynne Pike

Pub. Date: July 30^th, 2013

Publisher: Razorbill

352 pgs

Hardcover

Before I review Earthbound, let me just say that I absolutely adored Aprilynne Pike’s Wings series, and I’m always afraid I’m not going to like the new, when I loved the old. Wings was something that I picked up a few years ago expecting a cute, fun, light read, and I found myself surprised by its complexity and world building. My feelings for Earthbound were thankfully the same. I’m not sure how Pike is able to seamlessly create an entire paranormal world with a complex mythology, while keeping the story straightforward, understandable and simple in its delivery. She amazes me, this book amazed me, and you should read it.

Tavia Michaels shouldn’t be alive. She was the only survivor of a plane crash that killed hundreds, including her parents. Now living far away from everything she ever knew, and trying desperately to recover physically and mentally from the damage done in the crash, Tavia questions just how damaged she is when she starts seeing things. Buildings appear and disappear, symbols start popping up everywhere, and Quinn, a guy she swears she has never met, yet feels she has known forever, keeps

Review: Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess

Pub. Date: July 2^nd, 2013

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Paperback

320 pages

Brooklyn Girls features a quirky cast of five twenty something’s – Pia, Julia, Coco, Madeleine and Angie - who take a lot of missteps, trying to figure life out. Having just moved into Rookhaven, an old brownstone, Pia wakes up after a housewarming party with a massive hangover, Madeleine’s brother in her bed, and pictures of her flashing partygoers on Facebook. She is promptly fired from her new PR job and cut off by her parents. After a single hilarious night as a waitress, and a few chance encounters, Pia comes up with an idea for a food truck. Borrowing $10,000 from a loan shark to buy the truck, and using her roommates as resources to plan a menu, Pia sets out at record speed to make a profit to pay the loan shark back. Chaos inevitably ensues.

Brooklyn Girls is a very character centered novel that epitomizes how your 20s are the time to take chances, get out of your comfort zone, and learn to live for yourself.  Pia, initially, is truly unlikeable.