Unravel by Calia Read

Unravel

Author: Calia Read

Published: February 16^th, 2014

Summary:

Six months ago, I was happy. I was simply Naomi Carradine.

One month ago, I was admitted into a psych ward.

Yesterday, Lachlan visited me. Kissed me. And told me that I'm starting to lose my mind.

Hours later, Max haunted my thoughts, reminding me I'm not crazy and that he needs my help.

A few minutes ago, I drifted further from reality, trying to unravel the past.

And now...everyone thinks I'm insane. But, I know he's real, and I know he needs me.

Do you believe me?

Review:

Okay…Mind Blown…

That is my first reaction to this story. I was immediately brought into the story and was left wondering what was real, what was a memory, and was Naomi really crazy? As much as I want to talk about this book, I literally can’t because if I even give away a little bit… I’ll give away the story.

         

          At first I was confused as hell when I started reading this book. I had to go back and re-read a few pages here and there just to get a grasp on things. It was more of you sitting there reading the story and trying to decipher whether or not what was going on was real. Was her memories real? Was it just a figment of her imagination just playing games with our minds?  You truly have to really pay attention and figure out what is real. This is a book that you can’t read when there are other things going on.

          From the beginning you are introduced to a girl who is trying to find herself in her own mind. She is trying to figure out where she belongs. The people that she thought were there for her abandoned her and she was left wondering where it all went wrong. There was so much story that she needed and wanted to tell and no believed her. That was what hurt the most.

          Throughout the whole story I was completely thrown for a loop. I loved the book so don’t get me wrong, but I felt lost and confused at some points. I think toward the end when it finally started to come together and the answers that I had in the beginning finally began to be answered was when my confusion lifted. This book has romance in it. Without it, I don’t think this book would have functioned without it. It’s the type of love that you need to get through. Naomi needs to focus on the type of love that she thinks she has to get by.

          I felt the ending was completely justified. There were answers that you had to go back and find for yourself; however it’s good that way. After knowing the answer, the key points that you missed earlier started making more sense. This book kept me guessing and I loved that. I like having to try a figure out the answers. I like being fooled or tricked. I like that I was kept guessing throughout the whole story. It’s a different type of story from what has been released recently. If we don’t get the ‘different’ type once in a while, everything else will get redundant. We need different stories like this. Seriously, read it. You won’t be disappointed. Your mind will be completely twisted in different directions, but it’s a good twist.

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Kill Me Softly

Author: Sarah Cross

Published: April 12^th, 2012

Summary:

An edgy contemporary fairy-tale retelling perfect for fans of ABC's Once Upon a Time and NBC's Grimm.

When Mirabelle runs away from her godmothers to Beau Rivage, the city where she was born, she hopes to discover answers about her parents' tragic death. Instead, she finds a group of unusual teenagers, each with a fairy-tale curse. In this strange seaside city, scenarios from fairy tales are played out over and over, and Mira has her own part in the drama: she's a "Somnolent," doomed to prick her finger and fall into an enchanted sleep like Sleeping Beauty. The problem is she's not interested in the charming (but slightly boring) "prince" who is fated to be her romantic counterpart. Mira is much more attracted to suave, handsome Felix, who bears a curse he can't, or won't, explain to her.

Review:

           After finishing "Kill me Softly", I wanted to know more. I didn't want the story to end and leave all of the other characters stories unfinished. It was such a thrill to read these fairy tales in a modern day setting. It was also great to see these stories in the Grimm fairy tale setting. We always see these types of stories following the Disney route, and as much as I enjoy that avenue it’s good to see it differently once in a while.

           We start with the typical Sleeping Beauty setting; Godmothers taking care of the girl who is about to turn 16 and wants to see the world. At first I was worried that we were just going to be subjected to this story, but we weren't. We watch the quickly changing scene of Mirabelle, or Mira, running away from home in hopes to find closure to the story about her parents’ death. She arrives in Beau Rivage and unfortunately she doesn't know where to start. She stays in The Dream casino hoping that no one will bother her. The first character we meet is Blue, a nasty sarcastic guy that wants her to leave right away. No explanation, nothing. "Just a get out of my casino." She responds with just as much attitude and then we meet Freddie. He's quiet, reserved and is trying to calm Blue down.
           Ignoring Blue’s request to leave she finds another spot to camp out. This is when we meet Felix, Blues older brother. He's kind to her and allows her to stay in his room. Overall, you're first impression is that he is the good guy. He offers to help her find her parents’ graves and feeds her. Mira starts to have more of a crush on him. Blue continues to try and ward her off of his brother and tries to get her to leave him. Mira more of less gives the proverbial finger and continues hanging out with him. 

          We begin meeting other characters like Viv and Henley, Layla and Rafe, Jewel, and Freddie’s brothers. Each of them has a different role in the fairy tale world. Through each characters personality you start figuring out who is who. I love this about the story...entwining the different fairy tales together is great and I love seeing them in this setting. Mira has a birthmark on her back, more of like a scar that she has no idea where it came from. After a beach outing one day she finds out she's not the only one with this scar and each one has a match. This is when we begin to see who is matched together, the differences of certain scars and the meanings. She doesn't like hers and when the realization that her birthday is four days away doesn't help. She then begins on the quest to see what her trigger is and how to avoid it. 

          Felix continues to act like prince charming and she continues to fall for it. Soon after a hot and steamy kiss she finds out why he is so dangerous and why Blue continued to try and keep her away from him. Now, not only does she have to race against the clock to find out secrets of her past, she has to try and avoid Felix as much as possible.  They say curiosity killed the cat... is it all too much for Mira? Did she do the right thing by going back to her birth place?

          There is so much more to this story, but I'm not going to tell you the rest. Read it. See for yourself. Overall, I thought the book was awesome. There were enough of so many different elements in this story like suspense, romance, humor, and drama. I want to see more of these characters. What happens to Freddie, Mira, Blue, Felix and the others? There were so many unanswered questions at the end. I still loved it though.

Song of the Fireflies by J.A. Redmerski

Song of the Fireflies

Author: J.A. Redmerski

Published: February 4^th, 2014

Summary:

THE TRUTH WILL SET THEM FREE

Brayelle Bates has always been a force of nature. Even as a child, Bray's wild and carefree spirit intimidated everyone around her. The only person who's ever truly understood her is her best friend, Elias Kline. Though every fiber of her being wants to stay with Elias forever, Bray can't bear the thought of him discovering her agonizing history. She's done everything she can to keep him at arm's length, including moving away. But their undying bond was too strong a pull to deny, and Bray couldn't survive without him. Now she's back home with Elias, and things have never felt more right--until one night changes everything.

Elias vowed never to be separated from Bray again. So when she decides to flee in a desperate attempt to escape her fate, Elias knows he must go with her. As the two try to make the most of their circumstance, taking up with a reckless group of new friends, Elias soon realizes there's a darkness driving Bray he can't ignore. Now in order to save her, he'll have to convince Bray to accept the consequences of their reality--even if it means losing her.

Review:

After reading “The Edge of Never” and “The Edge of Always”, I was really looking forward to reading this new one by J.A. Redmerski. I have mixed feelings toward this book. It definitely was more of a letdown than I had anticipated. I felt the writing jumped all over the place and you were left guessing and confused a lot. After reading and finishing this book, I feel more overwhelmed than satisfied. I think this book had the potential to be awesome, but fell flat.

In this story, we see more of Bray and Elias, both whom we had met in “The Edge of Always”. When we first meet them in the story, were already brought knee deep into what is too come. However were quickly knocked backwards from that point. The anticipation of what was going to happen or why they were where there were made me groan in frustration. Were brought to the first time Elias and Bray first met. It made me laugh because how their friendship started is like how a lot of friendships start. Of course some don’t escalate to the type of relationship that the two have, but it’s cute to see these two as younger versions of their selves. We continue to jump all over the place in regards to actual timeline. It was definitely hard trying to keep up with the pacing. We meet many other characters in this book and they were definitely great supporting characters. These characters gave more to the story. Tate was my favorite new addition. He knew his boundaries and he tried his best to keep them. He was the friend that the two needed in this story. Tate and his group helped Elias and Bray when they were in a bind. They were that ally that they needed.

Bray is a tortured soul. She was treated unfairly in her childhood and throughout her whole life from her family, the people that were supposed to love her. Elias is the only one she could depend on. She’s makes herself out to be confident and strong, but she’s not. She doesn’t have a high self-esteem. She has her problems and we briefly learn about them, but we don’t get the full story. We find out what’s ‘wrong’ with her and then it BAM! Back to the story, you don’t need to know anymore. I liked seeing the outcome at the end and knowing that not all darkness ends badly, I just wish we saw more. She’s also very quirky and I found myself laughing out loud at her dialogue a lot. She didn’t through punches and I liked that a lot about her. You needed to see more of that side of her personality.

Elias is complicated. He takes care of Bray when she needs it. He was there for her in everything that she needed. He was her rock and everyone needs someone like that. There was an intensity about him that made him more enticing. His character came across as very strong. He wanted to hold everything together and make everything better even when he though he couldn’t. He never let Bray down and he never made her feel like less of a person. He was also very protective; emotionally and physically. If something went wrong, he wanted to make it better. That is someone that everyone wants at their side.

Overall, I would recommend this book, but I would caution. It’s not a book I will go back and re-read over and over again. I may revisit it, but not in the near future. I would like to see and read more about Tate and his group. They were an interesting group and they brought a lot to the story.

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Wishing For Someday Soon by Tiffany King

Wishing For Someday Soon

Author: Tiffany King

Published: March 25^th, 2012

Summary:

Seventeen year old Katelyn Richards is a stronger person than anyone will ever know, and that is just the way she wants it. Behind her normal facade lies the reality of a broken home life. Thanks to her abusive mother, a string of deadbeat stepfathers, and an unsympathetic system, Katelyn has learned that the only one she can count on is herself. Her life's mission has become to shield her nine year old brother, Kevin, and to give him the future that they both wish for. A life with no more abuse, no worries about where their next meal will come from, and no more wondering if they will have a roof over their heads.

When her mother moves them again, this time to a small town in Montana, Katelyn's resolve is shaken when she meets Max, a cute boy from her new school, who gets a glimpse into her real world. Max slowly manages to break through Katelyn's wall of distrust, stirring up feelings she never saw coming. Now with her world more complicated than she ever intended, Katelyn struggles with the decision to follow her heart into the arms of the first boy she has ever loved. A decision that could risk the promise she made to protect Kevin, and to give them the 'someday soon' that is so close within their grasp.

Review:

I read “Wishing For Someday Soon” in less than a day. I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. I won’t say that I didn’t like it because I definitely wanted to see what happened and where Katelyn and her brother Kevin, but it’s not a book that I was head over heels for. I liked the concept and I liked the story line, but it wasn’t my favorite.

          When we meet Katelyn, she is arriving in a new town, a new place to live. This was nothing new for her and her ‘family’. She waited patiently for her ‘mother’ to receive the paperwork she needed for them to head to their new home. She wasn’t planning on getting comfortable. She never got comfortable, what was the point? Once they were settled she got things together and went for food. She didn’t go for herself; it was mainly to take care of her brother. Katelyn was a strong character and I admire her will to protect Kevin.

          I think when we met Max, we already knew what was going to eventually happen. Max was definitely a great character and I enjoyed his personality. His drive to help Katelyn and befriending her brother proved that not everyone will look down on you if you aren’t wealthy. He did everything he could to make them feel comfortable. I really liked that about him.

          With this book, the knowledge that what was happening to Katelyn and Kevin proved that there are children that slip through the cracks. It proves that siblings are always worried about losing each other and that is why they endure what they endure. I am happy with how the story ended. Through it all, Katelyn and Kevin thrived and did what they needed to do to survive. This was a story of survival with romantic undertones and it was a decent twist.

Favorite Quote:

"When I was younger, I always thought of life like chapters in a book. I never knew what each turn of the page would bring, but always hoped for something better and happier" -Katelyn

Be With Me by J. Lynn

Be With Me

Author: J. Lynn

Published: February 4^th, 2014

Summary:

Do Teresa and Jase have a real shot at getting together or will life get in the way?

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she's in love with her big brother's best friend, but he hasn't spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, life-changing kiss. Then she got out of a terrible relationship. Now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It's time for plan B: college. And maybe she'll have a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he's not telling anyone—especially not his best friend's incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn't have time for a relationship. But it doesn't help that all he can think about is kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they're thrown together more and more, Jase and Teresa can't keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they're willing to risk to be together and what they're willing to lose if they're not. . . .

Review:

           Wow…speechless. When I thought I loved Cam…Jase made me think again. Being able to finally learn about Jase’s secret only helped me to understand him better. Tess is another awesome character by J. Lynn. She’s strong, independent, willful, and damaged. She doesn’t let the past get in the way of her living and that’s what makes her stronger. Tess unfortunately suffered an injury that takes away her life’s passion. She knows her limits and tries her hardest to get back to it. She knows what she can and can’t do, and she knows what she wants and she goes after it. Jase and Tess played a game of cat and mouse for a while. It was cute and endearing. They were each other equal part. Both had hard back stories, but they grew from them. They both did their hardest to make the best out of bad situations. The small banter and cute flirting made this story more enjoyable. They weren’t together right from the start, J. Lynn built to their relationship.

          Tess wanted to be with him so badly, but Jase having his secret tried to hide from her and it took us a little while to get there, but that made the anticipation for it even better. When Tess finally realizes what her roommate is going through, the horror of her own past brings back memories that she had tried to suppress. Knowing the battle that her roommate was fighting made it worse and she tried to help. However as we all know, sometimes helping makes things worse and we see that first hand. Jase does everything that he can to protect Tess from her past and from himself but he can’t get out of his head.

          Jase knew he needed to move on, but he was afraid to do it. He was afraid that what had happened once before would happen again. Everyone is afraid of their biggest dears coming true, but sometimes you have to just say screw it and throw caution to the wind. Jase and Tess’ story proved that even the broken or damaged can rise about it and have their happily ever after. I want to read more of their story. I want to see how things turned out… Do they make it? Do they fail? I want to see if what seemed like a happy ending truly was what fairy tales are made of.

FInders Keepers by Nicole Williams

Finders Keepers

Author: Nicole Williams

Published: September 16^th, 2013

Summary:

There's tortured. And there's Garth Black.

His life has been a constant carousel of tragedy and disappointment, including his love life. Or course, applying the term "love" to Garth's conquests is a gross misuse of the word. Some people were made to give and accept love, and others weren't. Garth Black redefines the "others" category. He's made a vow that the day he meets a woman who could sucker him into falling in love will be the day he runs away. 

Garth's plan has one flaw. What happens when he's already fallen hard for a girl before the warning signs and red flags go up? What happens when the love he's avoided his entire life brings him to his knees? What happens when Garth Black lets the dirtiest four letter word he's ever known into his dark, lonely life? 

This cowboy's about to find out he can control some things, and he can't control others. Number one on the what he can't control list?

Love.

*Recommended for mature readers due to moderate content and language*

Review:

      

          Oh my goodness!!! Finders Keepers was an amazing book!! It was the best of the series so far in my opinion! Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved Jesse and Rowen’s story, but there’s always something about the bad boy. Being able to see more of Garth and Josie was awesome! These characters were given the chance to mature over three books and that is just what they needed. I wouldn’t have changed anything about this book, besides the ending. I want to know more!! I want to know what happens after everything was all said and done.

         

          When we first met garth, he was a sarcastic jerk. You want to hate him. You want wanted him to lose. However, with this book you realized that the bad boy can have feelings too. Once this is realized…you want him to win and succeed. He is still the sarcastic jerk that we met in the first book, but there is more to him now. He grew up. There were the little underlining clues from the second book about where his relationship with Josie might be headed and we were given what we wanted. Knowing that she had feelings for him too…Well that was just the icing on the cake.

          Josie was and is a sweetheart. You can tell she’s been burned, but she’s grown from that. No matter how much she was hurting she fought through. She was strong character. And she is definitely the right girl for Garth. If anyone was going to tame him, it had to be her. She’s strong, independent, and willful. She had just the right amount of sarcasm and it completed her character.

          I’m so glad that I finally read this series. I don’t know what took me so long. Jesse, Rowen, Josie, and Garth grew on me and these characters will stay with me. I would read another story about them any day!!!

Favorite Quotes:

“That was me telling you that you’ve got friends. So lean on them, god damnit. Stop acting like every battle you face is a one-man-war.” –Rowen

“Because you deserve better than my best. You deserve the man I can  and should be. Not the everyone else knows.” -Garth

“…You only get one go around, so make some mistakes, love you want to love, and forget the rest.” –Rowen

“Who we choose to love, and who chooses to love us has nothing to do with being deserving and undeserving. It has to do with who you simply have to love and who simply has to love you.” -Garth

Near and Far by Nicole Williams

Near and Far

Author: Nicole Williams

Published: July 28^th, 2013

Summary:

There's optimistic. And there's Jesse Walker. 

If he wasn't so charming, his sunny disposition and incessant grin would get old. Fast. Falling in love with the broken girl who had at first seemed immune to anything resembling love was the best thing to happen to Jesse since the Walkers adopted him when he was five.

As Jesse's life continues at the ranch and Rowen begins making her mark in the Seattle art community, they wonder where the middle ground is. Or if there even is one.

As push comes to shove, they're forced to make choices neither are eager to make, and Jesse and Rowen have to face what their lives might look like without the other.

Can two people with such tragic pasts and different presents expect a promising future together? Whatever the answer, they'll need a lot more than love to make it.

*Recommended for mature readers due to content and language*

Review:

Okay… wow. I loved Near and Far, the second book in this series. I wasn’t disappointed at all. I loved every little bit. I wasn’t worried about reading it after being so happy with the first one. The story continues with Rowen and Jesse and the next obstacle they had to face. I thought it was a smooth transition and showed that not all relationships continue to be fine and dandy. People go through long distance relationships. They face the loneliness, the fear of losing the one they love, and empty hole that is left when you are separated.

My favorite aspect of this book is the fact that instead of Jesse continuing to ‘save’ Rowen, Rowen is doing everything she can to ‘save’ Jesse from the demons that he is facing. Throughout the book, you begin to see that Jesse is human. Everything is not fine and dandy. You slowly start learning about what happened to him before he was taken in by the Walkers. I like being able to see the back stories of all the characters; whether it’s in a memory or if its spoken from their own mouths. Everyone has a story and deserves to tell it when they are ready too.

You don’t see too much of Josie or the rest of the Walkers in this book and that is a little disappointing because I absolutely loved their characters. You get to see Garth some more and you get to see a new side to him. That was interesting and I was pleasantly surprised with where she took his character and his role in Jesse’s life.  I loved the introduction of Alex and her fun-loving spirit. She complemented Rowen’s personality.

I loved how this book showed that you can come from feeling like you have everything, to having it taken away, but still being able to rise from everything that you are going through and still come out on top. You are going to face trials in your life and you are either going to fail and let it consume you, you’re going to fail and you are going to fix to make it work in a different direction, or you are going to rise above the trial and prove that you are better than it. There is nothing in your life that can cause so much pain that you can’t fight through it and make it better for you.

Rowen and Jesse proved that good people come from shitty old lives and still rise above it all be the person that you were truly meant to be. I can’t wait to read the third book in this series. I hope that it will be just as good as the last two books.

Favorite Quotes:

“I’m the person who’s willing to walk through hell with you because I know the way. I’m the person who will be with you the whole way until you come out on the other side. Got it?” –Rowen

“Sometimes what we think are the giant mistakes in life turn out to be the best decisions.” –Alex

“It seems like if you really love someone, you love them in spite of their f*ck ups” –Garth

“I realized that our past never leaves us. We might think we’ve left it behind, but that’s when it sneaks up and beats the hell out of you. Our past is always a part of us. The key is to accept it, acknowledge it from time to time, pay the piper, and get on with your life.” -Jesse

Lost and Found by Nicole Williams

Lost and Found

Author: Nicole Williams

Published: May 6^th, 2013

Summary:

There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling. 

After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing. 

Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded. 

Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right-now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls. 

 When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself. 

*Recommended for mature readers due to moderate language and sexuality. * 

Review:

I picked up Lost and Found on a whim after seeing so many people talking about it. I couldn’t have been more satisfied. When I first started reading it, Rowen intrigued me a lot. I’ve never gone to the extreme to change appearance, but I have always hid my true feelings. Before finding out what really happened, Rowen just seemed like a girl who was ‘lost’ and just needed to find her way. For her to really go through with what her mother was making her do also showed how strong you really was and how passionate she was for her love of art.

When Jesse walked in, I had to reread the description a few times. Cowboys have a soft spot in my heart and he just seemed like too good to be true. I had my fingers crossed the whole time hopefully that he didn’t turn out to be an arrogant jerk. To my relief, he didn’t and it just made me fall in love with him move. He’s sweet, caring, and always knew what the right thing to say was. He was very passionate for what he did, the farm, and his family. As the story went on and you met the Walker family, I felt like was part of the family. Rose, Jesse’s mom, was the sweetest of all moms that I have read about. She was smart and an amazing mentor. Even though she had no idea what Rowen had been through, she knew it was something and she told her to be who she was. You didn’t see lot of her, but when you did, she gave you the best advice.

          When they introduced Garth, at first I was intrigued again, because he was a cowboy… a dangerous cowboy. Dangerous and sexy cowboys just make everything better. When he tried to muck things up for the growing romance for Rowen and Jesse I wanted to scream. I hated everything about him in that second. I understand being bitter with life when life has handed you nothing, but you don’t need to bring others down with you.

I read this book from cover to cover in two days. I couldn’t put it down and I can’t wait to start reading the next one in the series.  The plot and story were well written. I don’t think the story was rushed, but I do wish we could have seen a little bit more of the beginning of their growing relationship. I’m hoping with the next book we get that.

Favorite Quotes:

“We all have secrets, Rowen. Every last person on the planet. And you know what else? We all experience the same kinds of things. We just go through them at different times and to different degrees.” -Jesse

“We want to open up to someone, Rowen. The hard part is finding someone we trust enough to open up to. That person we’re not afraid to let into the darkest parts of our world.” -Jesse