Puck Buddies by Tara Brown ⛸👠

Puck Buddies by Tara Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a total surprise. I got it because it sounded fun and I am always up for some romance with a touch of initial hate, so I jumped right in.

It ended up being a mess. But in a good way.

So many messy feelings and situations. And messy people! I am not even sure I liked either of the main characters at first. Both Sami and Matt were huge snobs, the kind people inherently are when they are brought up in the world of the ultra rich and famous.

But they were also funny (Sami cracked me up so many times) and endearing (Matt could be such a romantic when he wasn’t so stupid). And I truly think both of them grew up and really saw their mistakes and their flaws and actively tried to change. That’s why at the end I could say that I liked the book. Even if I had to suffer through the crappy thing Matt did. ——-> spoiler alert —-> cheating, ugh.

Anyway, I don’t exactly regret the time I spend, but can’t say I am interested in reading more about these two. Though I have a feeling that they turn out alright in the future, the growth they showed during this story makes me believe they are in this for good.

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Review: The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

Title: The Simple Wild 
Author: K.A. Tucker
Published August 7th 2018 by Atria Books
Goodreads
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First of all, I hope K.A. Tucker is intentionally nodding at The Simple Life with that title, that would be just brilliant. #LongLiveParisHilton #NoShame

Secondly, after finishing this book I can say that I am pleasantly surprised.

Who is not into stories of city girls essentially tumbling out of their comfort zones? I mean it's basic human instinct to try and get a few laughs out of those hair and makeup predicaments. Though I must confess there were quite a few times I'd get annoyed at Calla, our Paris Hilton, for being maybe a tad too superficial and selfish. But that's okay, I can get over that as long as you show me some character development, and thankfully Calla showed some growth (but way too slowly for my liking if I admit). Even in the end, she seemed a bit reluctant to go and get what she wanted, but then again, some people take longer than others.

Then there is the Alaska wilderness and the AWESOME characters that lived there. I swear I lived everyone to bits, Agnes and her daughter Mabel, all the bush pilots, especially a certain hot viking named Jonah, and even Calla's dad Wren, who I think I could understand from the beginning.

This is the story about a young woman whose parents marriage seemed to fail thanks to Alaska. You can't really blame her for harboring less that good feelings about the land that she believes stole his dad away. But over some tragic circumstances she finds herself returning to her homeland, and finding out some hard truths.

I love books about second chances, and this whole story was about one. I appreciated the setting too, I am 100% sold on the beauty of a harsh, untouched place like Western Alaska, can't wait to get there sometime. And this novel delivered to all of my needs of an emotional yet hopeful and fun time. I believe K.A. Tucker did an beautiful job at making this novel memorable, which is why it has so many fans already. I think that when I am old, I'll probably still remember how I once read a book about bush pilots in Alaska.

A great, quick story to reconsider our life choices and how they affect those we love. 

Review: Boomerang by Noelle August

Title: Boomerang
Author: Noelle August
Published July 8th 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Goodreads | Amazon |
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I was really excited to start Boomerang. It's a new adult book yes, but the plot seemed to stay away from the over the top dramatics that surround your typical NA.

I liked it from the start. I liked the humoristic approach to the story and the dual POV allowed me to connect to both main characters and get to know them better. Mia and Ethan are the new Boomerang interns, both are competing to get a job there at the end of the year, and as you can see this calls for a cutthroat fight between them. But no. Since they had a fling the night before this all started, they had already realized they were good people so most of the time they were just fighting the attraction instead of each other. Which calls for a very steamy read ;)

Like I said, I also really enjoyed that the authors didn't take their characters too seriously and instead put them in situations that made the book funny and entertaining. Even the secondary characters were awesome. I especially liked Rhett, he always made me crack up. And the kids on Ethan's youth soccer team were adorable and hilarious too.

So I guess I would recommend this to you if you want to read a New Adult that stands aside of the others, or just if you want to have some fun because this is a perfect read for the summer.

Review: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Title: Maybe Someday
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published March 18th 2014 by Atria Books
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Goodreads | Amazon |
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 I didn't know what to expect when I started Maybe Someday. It's because I've heard some much and yet so little about it, for the various reviews I knew it was great but I also didn't really know anything about the story that went on. It was a leap of faith.

I'm glad I took it because it paid off. The whole aspect of the book is that it combines musicality with prose. A new way of enjoying a story. I made sure I could listen to the songs at the same time I read the book so I could have the whole experience. And it added so much! It felt even more intense even though I tell you, the book was intense enough without the heartbreak of the songs.

I am a fan of contemporary lit and I have pretty much reading anything and everything yet I didn't expect that particular thing with the male protagonist, not in a book where music plays such an important part. But it made the whole thing seem deeper and more beautiful that I could have hoped.

I adored the story and the plot. I liked the characters well enough to invest my emotions in their lives, however I was a bit uncomfortable with the, I don't want to say cheating but it kind of is, that goes on. Sydney and Ridge made so much sense as a couple that I didn't really think there was a need to be put in a situation like that, but I guess that's real life for you. But it really bothered me and made me lose a little faith on these characters.

Some scenes were so completely perfect and beautiful, and the writing was fabulous, my only concern was that I didn't really buy the romance. Because the whole thing wasn't fair to Ridge's girlfriend and because Sydney knew how that felt and still kept on going, despite her conflicted feelings. That's the only thing that ruins the book for me.

I have to say I enjoyed it anyway. Specially the songs. And the emotions they evoked in me and how perfectly the fit in the story.

 

 

 

Cover Reveal: Infinity + One by Amy Harmon

Lately I have been really into New Adult. Yeah, I know, some of you are completely sick of it by now but I have to say there are a lot of awesome, very entretaining stories in the big ocean of NA.

So this time I am participating in the cover reveal of one of my most anticipated NA books:

 

Infinity + One by Amy Harmon

 

Release Date: June 10, 2014

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance (standalone)

Cover Design: Berto Designs

Hosted by: Vilma’s Book Blog

 

When two unlikely allies become two unwitting outlaws, will two unforgettable lovers defy unbeatable odds?

 

Bonnie Rae Shelby is a superstar. She’s rich. She’s beautiful. She’s impossibly famous. And Bonnie Rae Shelby wants to die.

Finn Clyde is a nobody. He’s broken. He’s brilliant. He’s impossibly cynical. And all he wants is a chance at life.

 

One girl. One boy. An act of compassion. A bizarre set of circumstances. And a choice – turn your head and walk away, or reach out your hand and risk it all?

 

With that choice, the clock starts ticking on a man with a past and a girl who can’t face the future, counting down the seconds in an adventure riddled with heartbreak and humor, misunderstanding and revelation. With the world against them, two very different people take a journey that will not only change their lives, but may cost them their lives as well.

Infinity + One is a tale of shooting stars and fame and fortune, of gilded cages and iron bars, of finding a friend behind a stranger’s face, and discovering love in the oddest of places.

ADD ON GOODREADS

 

See? It sounds great, doesn't it?

Well because Vilma and Amy are so generous, they have prepared an excerpt for all of us to share with ya (:

Ready?

Here we go:

 

 

EXCERPT:

 

He bit back a curse and strode to his truck. Unlocking the door, he tossed his bags in the backseat, climbed in, and slammed the door. He turned the key and backed out resolutely, trying to ignore the fact that she had risen, her hands on her bags, and that her hood had slipped from her head. She didn’t move forward, didn’t call out to him to wait. She just stood there, watching him go. He shifted into drive and made it 100 feet before he let his eyes find her figure in the rear view mirror.

“Unbelievable,” Finn ground out, and slammed the wheel with the palm of his hand. He slowed to a stop. “UNBELIEVABLE!” he reprimanded himself even as he engaged the brake, pushed the door open and lurched out of the idling vehicle. Bonnie still stood with her two duffle bags in her hands, her grandma’s stolen purse on her shoulder, but now her lips were slightly parted, clearly stunned that he’d stopped.

And she wasn’t the only one. Finn felt like he was split right down the middle. The rational part of his brain, the side that ensured his survival and his sanity, was outraged, demanding that he keep driving, while the side of his brain that was connected to his heart and other parts of his body was breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn’t let her get away.

She didn’t move, as if she was sure that the moment she did he would change his mind, climb back in the Blazer, and drive away. So he walked back to her, battling with himself every step of the way. He walked until they were practically toe to toe, her dark eyes wide and lifted to his, his hands shoved into his pockets so he wouldn’t strangle her. But his pockets felt like manacles around his wrists and he yanked them free, fisting them in the front of Bonnie’s puffy pink coat and raising her up on her toes and into him until they weren’t toe to toe any longer but nose to nose. His emotions were a big tangled ball of anger, longing, and injustice all wrapped up in impatient outrage, and Finn couldn’t separate one feeling from another. So he did the only thing he could do. He kissed her.

It wasn’t a soft kiss or a sweet kiss. It was a ‘you-scared-me-and-messed-with-me-and-I’m-mad-and-relieved-and-unbelievably-frustrated’ kind of kiss. It was teeth and lips and nipping and bruising, and Finn couldn’t make himself stop, even when Bonnie’s teeth tugged at his lower lip and her hands pulled at his hair. Especially then. And when she wrapped her arms around his neck and stepped up onto his toes so that she could press herself flush against him, he decided revenge really was sweet, and enjoyed the feel of her face against his, the wet heat of her mouth making him forget he was standing in the middle of a Motel 6 parking lot with his ride rumbling behind him, the driver side door still hanging wide open. The rational part of his brain was stunned into peaceful silence…for all of ten seconds.

 

 

Like Barney, I can't be any more excited.

 

 

About The Author

Amy Harmon knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Amy Harmon has been a motivational speaker, a grade school teacher, a junior high teacher, a home school mom, and a member of the Grammy Award winning Saints Unified Voices Choir, directed by Gladys Knight. She released a Christian Blues CD in 2007 called “What I Know” – also available on Amazon and wherever digital music is sold. She has written five novels, Running Barefoot, Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue, Making Faces, and coming in June, Infinity + One.

Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website

 

Giveaway

Amy Harmon is giving away three pre-release ARC paperbacks to three lucky winners! Open Internationally!

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Review: Four Seconds To Lose by K.A. Tucker

Title: Four Seconds To Lose
Author: KA Tucker

Paperback, 400 pages

Published April 1st 2014 by Atria Books (first published November 4th 2013)

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depo
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Four Seconds to Lose is my first experience with a book by K.A. Tucker, and wow, I wish I would have been smarter and have grabbed them before because this one is amazing. Seriously, I have such a difficult relationship with New Adult books but it's books like this one that make me see why they are so popular.

The most outstanding thing about it is that it is hugely entertaining. I never once got bored, and I loved that the story progressed so quickly, you were never left hanging on any of the "mysteries" because they were always almost instantly resolved and yet not really because so many things were yet to be unraveled. I loved the main characters and I loved the dual point of view. Both Charlie and Cain were great characters; it takes talent to make characters likable when they do what these two do. But K.A. Tucker did it.

Another thing that I really, really loved was that Cain, our hero, was not a jerk. I can't even count how many times I've read a New Adult whose main male character is a "bad boy" (which nowadays seems to be a synonym for "huge jerk"). Cain was a genuinely good guy even if his job and past were edging the bad side. I loved Cain and his caring nature. And I also loved Charlie. She was so strong and brave and my heart ached for the lonely little girl living inside her. She might have been afraid most of the time but I could see her real strength shinning through.

Some might argue that the story was too over the top drama, and while that might be true what really counts is that it was so engaging and entertaining that it was impossible to put down. There were minor details that kept me from giving it five stars but they mostly have to do with personal pet peeves and not really with the story. I enjoyed the story and eat it up like it was, I don’t know, I guess any kind of delicious food. Totally recommended for New Adult fans.

 

 

Warning: This is a NEW ADULT book, and it contains scenes that are only for mature audiences.

Review: The Rules of Regret by Megan Squires

Title: The Rules of Regret
Author: Megan Squires
Published October 1st 2013
Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository
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The Rules of Regret was definitely a great contemporary read. I haven’t read anything by Megan Squires before but she truly impressed me with her writing. It just seem to had a way to draw you in and hold you until you gave it your whole attention. And it worked; I breezed through the pages until there weren’t any left.

I really liked the whole idea of camp, being outdoors and spending the night under the stars, it’s just all very magical to me, so naturally I was enchanted with the whole adventure Darby and Torin went through while they worked as counselors for a camp for troubled kids.

Both Darby and Torin had suffered through terrible losses. However they had completely different reactions, Torin took the high road and Darby became a mess. I cannot judge any of them, though ‘cause I haven’t been in their place but I definitely loved Torin for being so strong and showing that people can (and do) get over these things.

I did have a hard time understanding Darby and her acts, she was just so messed up and her life had became a lie since her tragedy that I just couldn’t tell what she felt or what she wanted, and I don’t think she knew either. But Torin was fantastic! He is the force that kept me glued to the book, he is really one of the good guys and I might like a bad boy once in a while but the good ones are the ones that really steal y heart.

To finish up I have to clarify that this is the very first New Adult I read that does not revolve around sex. I liked that. I think I loved that. Sexifying your book is not what makes it NA, and this book finally proves it.

Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Rules of Regret by Megan Squires

The Rules of Regret by Megan Squires
Publication date: October 1st 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:

“Life doesn’t come with a blueprint, which makes it hard to have any plans.”
Nineteen-year-old Darby Duncan is finally on her own. Her boyfriend of six years just left for a high-powered summer internship, though in reality he’s been absent for much longer than that. This newfound freedom wasn’t a part of Darby’s plans, but as she’s come to discover, plans only exist on paper, not in reality.

And guys like Torin Westbrook aren’t supposed to exist in reality, either. But he does, with his disheveled curly hair, irresistible dimples, and endearingly quirky habit of reciting quotes from classic movies and ancient thinkers. When Darby meets Torin as a fellow counselor at the survival camp she impulsively applies to, she’s certain his main goal is to turn her world upside-down.

But Darby’s not sure she can adapt to Torin’s ways of viewing his past and the tragedies he’s faced. Because she’s had her own share of heartache, too, and as much as she wants to believe that it’s all been for a purpose, her grief hasn’t allowed her to get to that point. Yet the more Darby is around Torin, the more she craves the freedom to break out of her carefully constructed routine and mindset and fall into something new.

She’s just not sure that she should be falling for Torin along the way.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

So I'm still trying this New Adult genre. I've found real gems around, and I'm hoping this one will turn out to be one of those; with that gorgeous cover and amazing synopsis. I mean, CAMP! who doesn't love camps?! and survival! The Parent Trap and Bear Grylls are like, my favorite things ever.

 

Now to get excited about The Rules of Regret, let's just take a moment to enjoy this excerpt:

 

“Put this on.”

“Where?” I squeaked, reluctantly taking the red and white polkadot two-piece from his hold. Our fingers brushed and his eyes caught mine in an unsure glance.

“I don’t know, behind a tree or something.” He continued digging through my backpack, pulling out all of my clothes and the blanket crammed inside. He took them to a nearby rock and spread them out onto its surface like he was a maid with a clothesline and a load of laundry to finish. I really wished I hadn't fallen in that creek. Everything was soaked.

“I’m not changing out here.” I wrapped my arms across my chest, humiliation spreading throughout my body. Usually people’s cheeks turned red when they were embarrassed. I was fairly certain every inch of my skin was blushing bright pink, rivaling the reddened hue of Porky the Pig.

Torin cocked his head and thumbed his chin—something I was beginning to notice he did a lot of—and his dimples eased onto his cheeks. “You do realize this is a survival overnighter, don’t you? There are some things you need to let go of for survival’s sake. Modesty is one of those things.”

“If I remember correctly, yesterday you pretty much promised me that you’d keep me alive. And I’d like to keep my modesty. I really don’t want to change into this, Torin.”

He dragged his hands through his hair and sighed my direction, sensing the sincerity in my plea. “Darby, it may currently be blazing hot out, but tonight it will get down into the 40’s. And as of right now, you have no dry clothes to sleep in and your overnight blanket is full of about ten pounds of water. You’ve run out of options.”

I pinched my lips together. What I wouldn’t give to be lounging on the couch back at the rental with Sonja, getting fat with our beer and our Cheetos. Even the hope of visiting Lance didn’t make any of this worthwhile. I sort of wished Torin would have just let me float out there in the river a bit longer. Maybe I would have passed out and drowned. That would be slightly less humiliating than what I feared was in store for me at this summer camp.

“At least turn around.”

Torin looked up at me from the granite slab where he’d arranged my clothes. “What?”

“Please turn around. No peeking.”

He shook his head and returned his focus to his work. “I’m not gonna peek. Off limits.”

“I'm off limits?”

He stepped back and surveyed the spread of fabric, then moved a pair of my socks so they didn’t overlap with the t-shirt underneath. “Off limits. Taken.” His pale eyes pulled up to mine. “And even if you weren’t, you’re not really my type, Darby.”

Insult sucker-punched me in the gut. “Geez,” I murmured, feeling the hurtful sting of his comment. “Then by all means, please stare away. Take pictures if you like.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Torin stepped back from the rock and fiddled with his belt. Before I could register what he was doing, he’d unzipped his fly and was down to his boxers, pulling one leg, then the other from his cargo shorts. My throat went dry and I tried hard to swallow, but it was all sandpaper and it scratched my tongue. Where did his pants go? And why was I staring at his underwear that was covered in hundreds of yellow smiley faces, repeated over and over in a dizzying, disorienting pattern? Seriously, why were his boxers smiling at me?

HeHe.
Aw, can't wait to read these two. They seem like fun people to be around when one's at camp. I can't stop thinking about camp now.

I love camp.


NOW I WISH I WERE YOU BECAUSE YOU GET TO PARTICIPATE ON THIS GIVEAWAY TO WIN A COPY OF TROR (open INTERNATIONALLY):


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Review: Levitating Las Vegas by Jennifer Echols

Title: Levitating Las Vegas
Author: Jennifer Echols
Published May 7th 2013 by Pocket Star
Goodreads | Amazon
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You and your neighbors know what a huge Jennifer Echols fan I am. It’s clear that I wear my love on my sleeve. I love each of her books and her characters and the passions in me are stirred every time I open one of her pages.

That’s why it literally pains me (this combined with the heartburn after all the spicy food I ate) to write this review.

It’s not like I hated Levitating Las Vegas (I so didn’t!), I enjoyed reading it, and not only because it was written by Jenn, but because it was entertaining, and the characters, as always, were witty and sassy and very likable. I loved Elijah Brown and his mysteriousness, his loyalty to Holly and his dazed and confused self was just incredibly endearing. And Holly was pretty fantastic too, she reminded me a bit of Holly Golightly (insert Audrey Hepburn) in her clueless ways.

The chemistry between Holly and Elijah can’t be denied, and their scenes together were the kind that sends sparks flying and induce fires in places that I won’t be talking about *wink*.

Now, what I really had problems with was the story itself. The plot was kind of all over the place. It’s probably best illustrated as a riding on a dirt road with the headlights off: bumpy and holey and no way of knowing what to except. Which isn’t always a bad thing, you know; but usually when you read a paranormal book you want your “facts” straight, and the book kind of did a not-so-good job at explaining most of the things that were going on. And some characters had not much explanation (or interactions) either, like Mr. Diamond, the casino owner, who I have a feeling was supposed to be a very important piece in the jigsaw puzzle but his role was the opposite, inexplicably irrelevant.

Another plus was that it really evokes Vegas to me. Hot and sexy and like, there’s no other place where so much crazy could be happening.

However lack of details and follow-up this book had, it didn’t disappoint me in the aspects I always look for in Ms. Echols books: a good time, a good laugh and characters I like to read about.

 

Review: Wait For You by J. Lynn

Title: Wait for you
Author: J Lynn
Contemporary New Adult
Published February 26th 2013 by J. Lynn
Goodreads // Amazon
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So I keep giving this New Adult books a chance but there's something about them that just doesn't click with me. I mean, for what I've picked up the label is just a way of telling you that this story contains lots of explicit sex, because otherwise they're simply YA books to me. But whatever, Wait for You, despite its praise tricking me into believing this wasn't another cookie cutter book on rape, in my opinion, did nothing to stand out.

 

The characters were cliched and fairly boring, and the story streched out way more than it needed it too. In fact, I put down the book so much it took me 10 days to read it, that's the longest this year; and all because it just never got to the point, even though you could guess what had happened to Avery from page 20 or something.

 

I also didn't like Cameron Hamilton that much. He was just really unrealistic to me, like, what 21-year-old guy wakes up at 8 in the morning ON SUNDAYS to make breakfast for a girl who is not even his girlfriend? And then all his sexual innuendo had me cringing and clenching my teeth in exasperation.

 

What I did like about this book was that even though the Avery had done some pretty stupid things, like dropping the charges after what happened to her, she learned to let the guilt go and realized it wasn't her fault that the jerk got away with it and did it again. Because it's never the victim's fault and it should be acknowledged in every book about rape, I'm glad this wasn't the exception.

 

Other things I liked: the pet tortoise. I loved the pet tortoise, I used to have one too, she was the cutest but she died like a week after I got her and I didn't have the guts to replace her.

 

Sadly, overall the book didn't do much for me, and while I don't exactly regret reading it, I'm sure it won't be able to pass the time-test in my brain and I will probably end up forgeting about it.

 

 

Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Title: Easy
Author: Tammara Webber
Contemporary / New Adult
Published November 6th 2012 by Berkley Trade
Goodreads | Amazon
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So Easy has gotten raving reviews and 5 star-ratings all over the blogosphere but I’m actually disappointed. The story itself is good, I like that it has a good message of standing up for yourself and facing your demons. I loved that it included some taboo topics like rape and how almost every time a girl is raped society always end up blaming the victim. It has a good message and I appreciate it.

But even though I was sad about what happened to Jaqueline, I couldn't quite connect with her. Her blandness turned me off, she was kind of a mess and I hoped she would come to her senses by the end but she didn’t, it felt like she didn’t learn anything throughout (except self-defense) because she was still completely dependent of someone. She just trades her old Kennedy for a new Lucas; and although Lucas seems good and harmless, Kennedy did too, before, and I can’t completely trust Jaqueline’s choices. Oh and she was nosy.

Now Lucas wasn’t all awesome either, I thought he was way too quick to use his fists and even quicker to get down and dirty with Jaqueline (which is not all his fault but still) and his secrets and mystery had me fed up by page five and that’s why I couldn’t fall in love with him because I knew nothing about him, except for his gorgeous hair and gorgeous eyes and gorgeous body bla bla bla, I don’t fall for looks-only you know, they don’t call me Jaqueline. But I will admit the story behind the scars on his body is completely crushing and I shed a tear or two. However by the time the rabbit was out of the bag I couldn’t have cared less.

So although it seems like I just swallow some bitchy pills I am sorry but this is the way I feel and this is totally my point of view, I’m aware not everyone (possibly no one) will have the same complaints than me, but I did, and it bothered me, and I just didn’t like that. But don’t let me stop you and by all means go out and get this book if it has your interest ;)