Title: Cruel and Beautiful
Author: A.M. Hargrove, Terri E. Laine Publisher: (November 12th, 2015)
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NOTE: This is a Adult/New Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 18+

Synopsis: Cate Forbes, a dedicated college student with a carefully plotted future, doesn’t know the first thing about love. When she accepts a blind date with a rumored tasty piece of eye candy, she thinks she can get by with a night of fun. Cate’s plans quickly unravel when she gets one look at the sexy…

Drew McKnight.

The relentless hockey-playing medical resident knows what he wants—a career in Oncology and Cate. Although he’s heard the gorgeous brunette is a little relationship skittish, a single night out isn’t what he has in mind. Determined to have her—in every way possible—he shows her just what a future with him would hold.

Only life has other plans. The unthinkable happens and everything begins to shatter. Both in too deep, they will have to fight the cruel and hang onto the beautiful. 

Review - 2.5/3 Stars - Cruel and Beautiful by dual author team – A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine sold me hook, line and sinker with the prologue and I couldn’t wait to read and find out what this story was all about. 

So, I’m still at a loss for this review. I don’t know if I want to rate it 2.5 Stars or Three. The prologue was beyond amazing. It’s well written and had me emotionally invested in the characters and their story from just about word one. The ending was also extremely well written and fit in perfectly with the prologue that I fell in love with. It’s the middle that I had a hard time with, It felt rough and just didn’t seem cohesive for this reader with what I read in the beginning. It wasn’t until I reached the end of the book that I felt I was reading something to match that powerful statement I found in the first parts of the book.

I can only assume that writing a book with a co-writer can be difficult at times. To keep it cohesive and the characters voices on point. And I’m not sure if that’s what happened here, but it did feel to me as two people had written this. The middle was just so different. It didn’t flow as well, there were holes and well, the writing put me off. I couldn’t get over how vastly different the middle felt from the beginning and end and it’s STILL sticking with me because of how emotionally invested I became so quickly.

If it wasn’t for how emotionally invested I became so quickly I’m not sure I could have finished the book once the writing didn’t feel right. Yet I had to know. Did I skim, maybe a touch, but nothing to derail my understanding of the story.

One of the other things that I did like was how it was told in present and past tense throughout the chapters. It was spelled out at the beginning of each chapter so there was no confusion.

As mentioned above the characters had me invested from the beginning. I wanted to know their story – heartbreak and all – yet… I lost interest in the middle BUT it picked up again at the end and I became invested once more.

Gosh, I wanted to LOVE this book from beginning to end, not just the beginning and end yet it does happen. And maybe it was just me, I’m only one reader… I did shed a tear or two at the end of the book so that alone was part of why I’m leaning more to the 3 star rating.

In the end with the emotions I felt at the start and finish and the fact that there were tears that prologue was strong enough that it alone left a huge lasting impression on me that I’ll carry it with me for a long, long time to come. Would I recommend this one? Now that’s the question. I think I would, because again I’m just one reviewer. I’d say to give the prologue a try and see if it has as strong of an impact on you to make you read the book from cover to cover. It’s without a doubt an adult title for various situations so keep that in mind before reading.

ABOUT A. M. HARGROVE

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager A. M. Hargrove realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss, and quit her job. Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove's career as a Naughty and Nice Romance Author.

Her books include Adult, New Adult and Young Adult Romances, including, The Guardians of Vesturon Series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent, and the novella Beginnings); Dark Waltz and Death Waltz (The Praestani Novels); The Edge Series (Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge, and Kissing Fire); The Tragic Series (Tragically Flawed and Tragic Desires); Exquisite Betrayal; Dirty Nights: The Novel; and The Hart Brothers Novels (Freeing Her, Freeing Him, and Kestrel).

Please find her at www.amhargrove.com.

ABOUT TERRI E. LAINE

Wife and mother of three, I've always been an avid reader. In my early years, my best friend and I would tell each other stories over the phone when we were bored. We called them our "soap operas" and generally revolved around whatever boy we liked at the time.

Over five years ago, I got this crazy idea to write a novel and try to publish it. And the rest is history. This journey has been a blessing, and a dream realized. I look forward to many more memories to come.

Find more about me and social media links at www.terrielaine.com.

Title: Two Truths and a Lie (PRG Investigations, #1)
Author: Ashley Stoyanoff
Publisher: (February 28th 2015)
From: the Author
Format: eARC
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Kobo, iBooks, Amazon CA, Amazon AU

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: One year ago, I became a missing person. I left everything behind—family, friends, school. It seemed like a good idea at the time. My only option, really, until I realized running from a police officer isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.

It’s been exactly three-hundred and sixty-five days since I left home, but I’m finally ready to take the step I should have taken a year ago. I’m done hiding. I’m done running. I’m going to take my life back.

It was supposed to be easy. A meeting with Jason Pierce, a private investigator, was set up for me. All I had to do was go to him, let him do his thing, and then I could go home, or so I thought.

That is, until I met Jason and things got … complicated.

Review: 2.5 Stars - Two Truths and a Lie is the first book in the PRG Investigations series by Ansley Stoyanoff. The synopsis hooked me and the cover sealed the deal and I couldn’t wait to jump in and get started.

Yet, the actual book fell flat. Horribly flat. The writing was decent at time, yet the story wasn’t fluid so I was confused often from beginning to end. There were too many holes in the story that just didn’t add up and if I’m honest, that first meeting with Jason Pierce, I thought he was an old man. I didn’t expect him to be young. So didn’t get that until way later in the book.

The idea behind the story is extremely intriguing and I wanted to like the characters. I wanted to find out what the heck happened to send this girl – Elena on the run. Again I liked the idea and wanted to know more.

And there were a couple of times I did seriously enjoy the book. I think the best parts were when all the guys were around and they were playing the two truths and a lie game and having that whole conversation. To say that made the book for me wouldn’t be a lie, I just wish there were more scenes in the book like this one/these to make the book so much more well rounded and whole.

Sometimes a book doesn’t work for me, yet I’m still intrigued to finish it to find out the resolution, which is exactly what I did here.

So while I had high hopes for this one there was only a small amount that I enjoyed due to the holes in the story which disrupted the flow for me. And I so wanted to love it. I wanted to like these characters’ enough for them to leave a mark.

It’s really frustrating for me when this happens.

In the end, it was okay. It has its faults and problems that left this reader often confused and disappointed. I don’t know if I’d recommend it or not, but I will say that if you like the idea that the author gives you from the synopsis you should give it a try. I might not have found a hit with this one, but you just might.

About the Author:

Ashley Stoyanoff is an author of paranormal romance books for young adults, including The Soul's Mark series and the Deadly Trilogy. She lives in Southern Ontario with her husband, Jordan, and two cats: Tanzy and Trinity.

In July 2012, Ashley published her first novel, The Soul's Mark: FOUND, and shortly thereafter, she was honored with The Royal Dragonfly Book Award for both young adult and newbie fiction categories.

An avid reader, Ashley enjoys anything with a bit of romance and a paranormal twist. When she's not writing or devouring her latest read, she can be found spending time with her family, watching cheesy chick flicks or buying far too many clothes.

Ashley loves hearing from her readers, so feel free to connect with her online.

Find Ashley Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Title: Forever Found (Neverland Lost, #2)
Author: Nazarea Andrews
Publisher: A&A Literary (December 30th, 2014)
Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella
Add to: Goodreads 
Order a copy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: Losing Gwen was one of the hardest things I've ever had to survive. I've never loved anyone the way I love her. But finding her was never about that. And now that I have found her--now that she knows the truth about me and the Island, I have to trust her to believe. Because her leaving me didn't just destroy me--its killing Neverland. I need her to love me. But we all need her to believe again.

Peter Pan has grown up and found the girl who left--but the stakes are higher than ever in this romantic conclusion to the story begun in Girl Lost.  

Review: 4.5 Stars - Forever Found is the novella follow up to author Nazarea Andrews Peter Pan retelling, Girl Lost. The novella picks up after the end of Girl Lost and is told from Peter’s point of view as he’s desperately trying to get through to Gwen before he loses everything he’s ever known.

Nazarea’s retelling of this classic is done extremely well. I fell in love with her characters and with what happens – in her version – should Peter, Tink and the Lost Boys ever leave the island. I loved and I mean LOVED Girl Lost and asked for more and was ecstatic when Nazarea told readers she had a bit more to Peter and Gwen’s story to tell.

I’m a huge fan of this author and knew her writing would be pretty much spot on and it was… yet you’re questioning why I’ve only given it 4.5 stars? Well, the short answer is that part of the book was a bit confusing and rushed. I’m not sure if this was due to the fact that I was reading an eARC , but it did cause me to be slightly removed from the story a couple of times over.

Where it felt rushed or confusing would have been a great jumping point to writing a novella a tad longer, however what’s here does without a doubt give readers more closure so the length isn’t actually a huge issue.

Speaking of the ending – Andrews took something that was already filled with magic and that ending made it even more so. I couldn’t stop smiling and was happy to have been on this journey with her characters.

These two books are pretty perfect for slightly older readers who enjoy retellings and twists that make the characters part of the classics we know and love mixed with pieces of new – making these characters fresh yet not too far away from their original voices.

If you haven’t read these two you have no idea what you’re missing. They do need to be read in order for readers to get the best understanding of the characters and their story, so be sure to start with Girl Lost. Enjoy!

 

Title: Girl Lost
Author: Nazarea Andrews
Publisher: A&A Literary (May 1st, 2014)
From: the Author
Format: eARC
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: Northern was supposed to be a fresh start—a place where people didn’t know who I was or how I had spent years in and out of mental institutes. People didn't know about my parents death or the island no one heard of. But when Peter sits next to me in lit class, I can’t stop the memories, and I don’t want to. He looks too much like the boy from the island, and despite my best intentions, coaxes my secrets from me.

He’s gorgeous, irresistible, a little mad, and completely lost—we are a pair of broken cogs in a world neither of us truly fits into. He is somehow gentle and fierce, heartbreaking in his devotion and savage in his defense.

When Belle, his best friend, shows up, pale and lovely and sick, Peter pulls away from me, a startling withdrawal. It’s a relationship that scares and confuses me. She is at times warm and friendly, and other times is violent and unpredictable.

Peter says that he wants me, but refuses to let himself get close. And there are secrets, surrounding both of us, that border on nightmares. As the memories close in, as Belle gets sicker and more violent, I’m torn between what is true and what I believe, and what this magical boy knows about my mysterious past.

Check out my review of Girl Lost!!!

Nazarea Andrews Bio:

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She is the author of the University of Branton series, Neverland Found series, and Edge of the Falls.

She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Find Nazarea Online:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Author Goodreads | Amazon author page

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Title: Another Little Piece
Author: Kate Karyus Quinn
Publisher: HarperTeen, 419 Pages (June 11th, 2013)
From: the Publisher & Amazon Vine
Format: ARC
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: The spine-tingling horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn's haunting debut.

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past.

Review: 2.5 - 3 Stars - Another Little Piece by author Kate Karyus Quinn was a title I was drawn to for a few reasons. One thing I looked forward to was how mysterious the synopsis sounds, which it was, however it was to the point where I kept scratching my head in utter confusion.

While confused from the first page through to the last I was captivated by the horror, the unique sequence of events and how the abstract puzzle pieces somewhat fit together.  I was also able to feel the same need for answers as Annaliese, our main character. The closer she got, the more the story turned dark and twisted which gave me some of what I was hoping and looking for in this title.

Sadly reading Another Little Piece took me longer to finish than I would have liked. I had a need to find out what Quinn was doing to her characters, yet dreaded the confusion that I knew I’d most likely face.  In the end reading and then writing this review has felt a bit like a tug of war. As mentioned above there were things I liked, yet I was ultimately let down. With the multiple layers to the story and characters, I felt that with each one I peeled back, there was another set of questions lurking underneath.

All in all, Another Little Piece is almost as disturbing as it is confusing, making it often difficult to enjoy. Yet when I think back, even now, trying to figure out what I’d read there was some bits of beauty in Quinn’s madness. I believe that Quinn is an author to watch, she has an imagination that is sure to bring other unique stories and characters to readers. For Another Little Piece I recommend this title to anyone who looking for something completely and utterly unique. Who doesn't mind a bit of horror and who doesn't mind being completely perplexed. 

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

Title: Wild Awake
Author: Hilary T. Smith
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, 375 Pages (May 28th, 2013)
From: the Publisher & Amazon Vine
Format: ARC
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: Things you earnestly believe will happen while your parents are away:

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won’t be able to—
5. Sukey died five years ago; can’t he—
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*

*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

Both exhilarating and wrenching, Hilary T. Smith’s debut novel captures the messy glory of being alive, as seventeen-year-old Kiri Byrd discovers love, loss, chaos, and murder woven into a summer of music, madness, piercing heartbreak, and intoxicating joy.

Review: 2.5 Stars - Wild Awake, the debut novel by author Hilary T. Smith was an instant must read once I heard about this title. It quickly became a book I was eagerly anticipating.

Oh, I have been thinking about this one for a couple of weeks and I still don’t know where to start. I wanted to love it. I wanted nothing more than all the promise I saw in this one to come shining through and for the characters to be forever embedded in my mind and soul. Because that’s the feeling that I just “knew” would happen when I heard about the book.

I’m all for a mystery and this title screamed mystery. I couldn't wait to find out what this phone call from a stranger was all about.  In the end, that part of the story took a back seat and I was overcome with… well, confusion. The more I read, the more confused I became. While there is some beautiful writing in the book I felt extremely disconnected with the characters and what the heck Kiri, and then Skunk were both going through.

Kiri seemed like a pretty normal teen aged girl at the beginning and then before I knew it I had no idea what was going on. How quickly this book changed and how confused I felt continued for most of the book. I kept reading because of Skunk. To me he turned out to be the most mysterious part of the book and in the end there were no true answers about him either. I could understand they had issues and why Kiri did, but then…. What? I felt like both of their story was cut off somewhat mid-sentence.

I wanted nothing more than to understand this crazy, wild ride of a book and I hoped that by the end I’d have some semblance of an answer or two and while there was kind of one, I still found myself scratching my head wondering what the heck I had just read??

If I was asked what the book was about, I’d have to say self discovery, growing up and a bit about family. Yet without giving too much away, there’s more to the story than JUST that. What kept me reading was the interesting boy Skunk, looking for answers to round out the story and the writing which was brilliant within the madness of the Kiri’s world/life.

All in all, I guess it’s best to say that since I’m still wondering about it that Smith did her job well in making the story memorable. It’s sad when a book you’re looking so forward to doesn't live up to what you were hoping. However I am looking forward to seeing what Smith does next because she does have a knack for words and stories that leave a mark. For those wondering who I would recommend this title to – anyone who likes a standalone YA contemporary title that’s very different and as the title says, ‘Wild’. I have a feeling this is going to be you either love it, or will find yourself scratching your head like I did, kind of books. I hope for future readers it’s the latter.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

Title: Pulse (Pulse Trilogy #1)
Author: Patrick Carman
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, 384 Pages (February 26th, 2013)
From: the Publisher & Amazon Vine
Format: ARC
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Patrick Carman, a teen fantasy-adventure of epic proportions. In 2051, some teens have a “pulse,” the power to move objects with their minds. Compulsively readable, with thrilling action scenes and a tender love story.

The year is 2051, and the world is still recognizable. With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a “pulse,” and Dylan has the talent, too.

In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters so powerful they will flatten their enemies by uprooting street lights, moving boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with great talent, the mind—and the heart—can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she’ll have to harness the power of both.

Patrick Carman’s Pulse trilogy is a stunning, action-filled triumph about the power of the mind—and the power of love.

Review: 2.5 Stars - Pulse, the first in the new Trilogy with the same name by author Patrick Carman is a fantasy set in 2051 with characters that have abilities and a world that's vastly different from our own due to global warming.

The story follows Faith as she lives on the outside in a world that's changing every day. With the threat of the earth and all its people dying due to global warming, scientists come together to create a way to save both. Most people have moved to safety and live on the inside called "States", while people who are still trying to live a life free in what remains, choose to reside outside. Everything on both sides is run via tablets. Kind of like the tablets we have today. They go to school, watch TV, movies, shop, communicate, etc all by these devices. It's a very tech world, though the outside is crumbling and isn't cared for.

Faith is somewhat nerve wracking for me throughout the book. I often wondered what the heck was wrong with her or why on earth she did so many of the things that she chose to do and I think by the end of the story I somewhat understood why she was so naïve. Oh and could she have picked the most evil, nasty guy to have a crush on? I mean seriously, there was one scene that I was so upset over and I wanted to throw the book. It really made me want to scream!

Speaking of the evil jerk - Wade he was just ugly! He made my skin crawl and if I could I would have kicked him in the shins, slapped him up one side of his head and down the other I would have and then some. I mean seriously!!! And then there's Hawk and Dylan that I liked the most yet even they had their moments that made me wonder what the heck? There are some seriously creepy or even creeper moments that were just so wrong on so many levels.

While I was able to give this book 2.5 stars it's because there were a few moments here and there throughout the book that I did enjoy. Some that could have even been amazing if not for how slow the story went, how creepy multiple characters were for no reason and for how upsetting one scene was and that I was confused more than once about what the heck was going on and why? That's just to name a few things. *takes a deep breath* Yeah, that is a lot of things to not like and be frustrated about. And I HATE when that happens to a book I'm looking so forward to.

Also, I kept waiting and waiting for the budding romance to start and that I assumed would be in the story yet was sad when it never blossomed. I kept hoping but just continued to be let down on that part. One thing I should mention is that I did read an ARC copy so maybe that's why I was left confused because the book isn't actually 100% finished. Not sure either way.

All in all, I wanted to love Pulse. I tried to love it from beginning to end and it just fell flat because of the reasons stated above. While I can see some great potential for the trilogy and the characters, I'm not sure this one is for me. Will I read the next book in the series? I might just to see if I can figure out what the heck was supposed to be going on and why? Only time will tell if I'll give the next book a shot, so we'll see what the future brings.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.