Friday, July 13, 2012

Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Slammed Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: YA, Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle
Published: 1 January 2012
Publisher: Self/Amazon Digital Services
Series: Yes!
Price: $2.99 (worth every penny and more)

Synopsis: {via GoodReads}

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.
Review:

This review might be short because, frankly, I found very little wrong with this book. I loved it, it was fantastic, and to go on for too long would just be gushing. While I think this book probably actually deserves gushing, I'm not really a gusher. So, I'll be brief, but I'll say that I think anyone and everyone interested in a touching story should read this book. Yes, it's romance, but it's much more than that. Give it a shot.

The Characters:

Both Layken (or "Lake") and Will are believable, sympathetic characters. Lake is going through a great deal of turmoil throughout the novel, but I never felt like she was petulant. She does have fits, but they're understandable fits. In a lot of ways, she and Will are in a terrible place. They're drawn to one another, but can't be together and you feel for them. Even Kel and Caulder are great little characters, as is Julia, Layken's mom, and Layken's best friend Eddie (a girl). All in all, the cast is well-rounded.

One thing to look out for here is that the book is not only first person, it's present tense and from the point of view of a teenage girl. Lake is eighteen, but she's young and the perspective works beautifully. We see, in many cases, her immaturity in dealing with Will and the bad spot they're in. But, she usually pulls it together in time to see her priorities and make choices that lead her the right direction.

The Plot:

This book really touched me. There were moments I laughed out loud, other when I cried. Crying is not a usual reaction for me, but this book has moments when you really feel for, and relate to, the characters. The plot isn't overly complicated, and while it had the potential--if handled incorrectly--to be cringe inducing (particularly given the news and climate with regards to some of this book's topic), it turned out to be endearing. Hoover handled a somewhat touchy subject with grace and the book was fantastic as a result.

The Issues:

I did feel a bit like the book left me hanging at the end, it's over a bit abruptly for my tastes, but the epilogue is available to help rectify that. It does end on a nice note, and in a place that I think worked, I just tend to believe much more could have been said. Still, it's a stylistic choice and I can respect that. Something else I'm a little bit put off by is that the second book in the series, Point of Retreat, has a different narrator.  Rather than being narrated by Layken again, the book is narrated by Will. I literally stopped reading a book series (Kushiel's Legacy) half-way through (after book 3) because I couldn't handle the idea of a new narrator (Immriel). So, this takes me outside my comfort zone a little bit. I think, though, if I can like this book and remember who the narrator is, then maybe I can go back to Kushiel's Legacy with a more open mind. We'll see.

The Verdict:

Rating: 5/5
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It's a self-published novel and it stands together really well with some of the other self-published (and traditionally published) works in this genre. The story is heartwarming and heartbreaking at turns, but has a happy ending. I said so in my introduction, but I think if you're looking for a quick read that you should check this out. I can't wait to get into the next book, which I bought at the same time as this one in anticipation that I'd like it. I hope, if you take the time to check this one out, that you'll love it too.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: No. 8

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read 
  • Open to a random page 
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Not going to lie, after finishing and reviewing Love Unscripted by Tina Reber yesterday, I spent the better part of this evening moping around avoiding my Kindle. It's not an unusual response for me, but I normally only have it when I've just finished a book I really liked. Apparently, books I didn't so much like have this power over me too sometimes. Awesome. I think, in this case, the issue is that I fought so hard to make myself finish it and now that it's done I don't quite know what to do. Also, I have a lot of books on the TBR pile and choosing what will come next is never easy for me. But, I managed to do it, and so far, I'm enjoying Slammed by Colleen Hoover.

SlammedSynopsis:
Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.
Teaser:
 "May the force be with you!" He laughs and hops into his car as I stand there, staring down at the Darth Vader house shoes I'm still wearing. Classic.

I just started the book, so I thought this one was fun and sort of shows the characters' personalities a bit. Okay, have a lovely Tuesday!  If you're here by way of Teaser Tuesday, please take a moment to say hello so I can visit you, too! :)

Monday, July 9, 2012

Musing Mondays: No. 2

Musing Mondays is a book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. It's fairly simple, just check out the weeks question/prompt, answer it, leave her a comment with your link, and visit others who've done the same. Easy as that!
Have you ever read a book that, at the time, you didn’t feel a strong connection towards, but as time goes by you find yourself thinking about it a lot?
This one's both easy to answer and not, but two books really come to mind when I think about the question: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. I read each of them for classes, the first for a Feminist/Female literature course, the second for an a graduate level course called The Southern Novel. Each of them left a lasting impression on my brain, which I tried to reject at first and still, to this day, can't seem to do. They're just the kind of novels that make stick to you, deep down, and refuse to let go and I've always been glad I've gotten the opportunity to read them.

HOMThe first, Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth is the story of a woman, Lily Bart, that sees herself as an object. She's looking for a wealthy man to care for, she's been told by her now-dead mother that her only worth is in her looks, but ultimately she cannot seem to settle for an advantageous marriage. She ruins herself along the way, all the while outwardly looking for something she inwardly cannot accept. The book is tragic and beautiful, and haunting. For Wharton, it was an inside look at the society of which she was a part. It was risky for a woman during the early 1900s to write a novel condemning her own social class, but she did it fearlessly. Edith Wharton has always been, and will continue to be, one of my very favorite authors of all time. I highly, highly, recommend this book if you're looking for a really good book.

as-i-lay-dyingThe second novel, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, is also the story of a woman. It's also tragic, but there's nothing really beautiful about it. Rather, it's gritty and uncomfortable, and there are moments I wish I never laid eyes on this book. Mostly, though, I'm thankful that I did because this book is another one that's taken hold and has absolutely refused to let me go. It's the kind of novel you never, ever forget once you've read it. It's about the events surrounding the death of a woman, Addie Bundren. It's told from several different view points, the most prominent of which is her son, Darl. Each chapter's title tells the reader who's speaking during the course of that chapter. This technique gives Faulkner the opportunity to explore, first hand, the different voices of the characters. Only one chapter is in Addie's voice, and it is absolutely heartbreaking. You learn, during the course of that chapter, how much this woman has suffered and how much she has hated her life. You really get the sense that she's glad it's over, but it's just not as simple as that. There are moments when Faulkner takes the metaphor of dragging the corpse of the old south around behind you to a literal level and it's disturbing, to say the very least. I recommend this one, too, but it's not for the faint of heart. If you've never read Faulkner, start with his short stories, "Barn Burning" and "A Rose for Emily" are amazing.

I hope you get the chance to check them out sometime, they're both amazing reads!

Have a lovely Monday, and if you're here for Musing Monday, please take a moment to say hello and leave me a link back so I can visit you, too!

Review: Love Unscripted by Tina Reber

Love Unscripted Author: Tina Reber {website}
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle/ebook
Published: 25 May 2011
Publisher: Self/Amazon Digital Services
Series: Yes.
Price: $3.99

Synopsis: {via GoodReads}
Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that accepting a role in an unknown film would toss his career into overdrive. His new fame has cost him dearly; anonymity is no longer an option. His fans stalk him, the paparazzi hound him, and Hollywood studios all want a piece of him. Despite all of that, Ryan Christensen craves the most basic of human needs - to have love in his heart and privacy in his life.

Taryn Mitchell, the story's protagonist, is a realist. She's been feigning contentment, running the family pub in Seaport, Rhode Island, while quietly nursing her own internal heartaches. Her feet are fairly glued to the ground and she doesn't buy into all the hype that has descended on her tiny, coastal town. In her world, men are safe if they're kept at a distance.

Fate has other plans for these two when their paths cross one sunny afternoon. A group of female fans has attacked him, leaving his shirt torn, his face cut, and Ryan in obvious distress. Bonds between them form from the most dramatic of circumstances while jealousy, insecurity, and the stress of his celebrity life try to tear them apart.

Through all the tabloid lies, secrecy, and pressure, can Taryn's peace and Ryan's high-profile insanity live together in harmony?

Review:

I really, really wanted to like this novel, but I really struggled to finish it. Most books, I'll finish in one night, maybe two. This book took me almost four nights. I finished it, largely out of respect for the author, because not finishing a novel isn't really my style. If Tina Reber can put her heart into writing it, I can respect her enough to finish it. Also, I paid for it and wanted to get my money's worth. Finally, I finished it because I was curious--I had to see if it got better as it went along. Sure enough, it did, but not until late in the novel. Mostly, I'm feeling somewhat disenchanted, and frankly deceived, by all of the five star reviews this book has gotten. For a debut novel, it wasn't terrible, but five stars is a bit much. I never read the reviews before I buy a book, I just read the synopsis and check the star stats on Amazon. If enough people liked it, I'll give it a shot. This book got a lot of five star reviews, so I trusted the reviewers and they sort of let me down.

The Characters:

Okay, here's the thing. I think my biggest issue with this book was the characters. They start out very stiff and one dimensional. They're just not believable. Or rather, Ryan is just not believable. Nothing about him screams movie star to me. I get that he has issues, but he's quite juvenile. As the novel progresses we find that he lies to her, leads her to believe half-truths, is overly jealous and possessive, and expects her to become the one thing she really doesn't want to be, reliant on him. As a matter of fact, he can be downright mean and nasty. He shouts at her, tells her what to do, and behaves quite hypocritically.

Taryn also really bothered me. She starts the novel as a woman in control of her life. She's suffered loss and had bad relationships, but she's educated (she went to Brown!) and is a savvy business owner/business woman. Single, she's in control and able to fend for herself, even if she is sort of alone in the world--though we learn that she does have family, she just refused to spend any time with them preferring to be alone. She turns down every man who walks through her door, doesn't give a whit about Ryan Christiansen, the famous actor, but when she finally meets him, she becomes this sort of mushy, wishy-washy girl who wants to please him. Very frustrating for a female character to start strong and deteriorate into something needy and neurotic.

I did, however, like Taryn's friends and Ryan's parents. All of them were well written, distinctive, and colorful, even if some of them were a bit stereotypical. Marie was what you expect a best friend to be, Tammy and Pete were fantastic additions to the cast, and Ellen and Bill were lovely. I liked each of them. I even liked the new-hire bartender, Cory, even though he wasn't given much in the way of personality.

Kyle was a problem for me. Mostly because, well, I liked him for the most part. At least up until the end. I thought he was attractive and friendly, and that both Taryn and Ryan were overreacting when there was nothing to freak about. If he gave her the creeps, or was overly pushy, why was she checking him out every time he was around? It can't really go both ways. She admits to attraction to him, but it's a little bit strange the way he fits into the story. His threads are a bit wonky too, since the smart and capable Taryn can't seem to see what's right in front of her face--she reminds me a bit of Oedipus in that, he was a great problem solver who couldn't see what was so obviously right in front of him. 

The Plot:

Overall, the plot was slow, but wasn't bad. For my taste, it took far too long to actually get anywhere. It just seemed like it was dragging on and on, and there were a lot of scenarios I didn't understand being included because they did nothing to add to the overall story. Also, small things took pages, while weeks would pass in one sentence, made the pacing awkward. By about 80% the story started to really pick up and a lot of important things started happening, which was awesome. I think she probably could have gotten to some of it much earlier in the book and it would have made for a more interesting read. But, the story does evolve and the character development is there, and for that Reber deserves much credit. By the end, you're rooting for Ryan and Taryn, or at least I was, and they had somewhat grown on me. Love Unscripted followed a fairly standard formula for it's genre, but that's fine, especially for a first novel.

The (Other) Issues:

Other than what I've already mentioned, my biggest issue was the stiff writing and unnatural dialogue. Reber uses many colloquialisms, which really detracts from suspension of disbelief. Also, she uses phrases that really distracted me, like "leave it go" rather than "let it go," but I'm going to chalk those up to dialectic issues because I don't know if people talk like that in the northeast. I know we don't in the south or on the west coast, but who knows. Also, she's unnecessarily wordy with descriptions and tells a lot of things she should be showing. There are a lot of explanations about the character's motivations, which is problematic because a savvy reader should be able to tell, from the character's actions, what their motivations are. The author shouldn't have to tell us. In this case, Reber didn't need to tell us, her characters motivations were perfectly clear and she could have left it at that, but for a debut novel it's a mistake that, perhaps, she will overcome as she produces more novels. 

Finally, and my biggest complaint, is that there were a lot of threads that go nowhere and things that're thrown in that doesn't turn into a plot thread. Several notable examples include: the empty condom wrapper she finds in his luggage (which is very shortly brushed under the rug, way, way later) that Taryn just chooses to ignore, or the person in his room he's hushing while he's whispering that he loves her rather than just saying it. Those are just two of many examples and it bothered me. I feel like she should have brought those things up if she was going to seed them. Very frustrating, as a reader, to wait for something to come full circle that just simply never does.


The Verdict:

Rating: 2.5/5
I think, if I had it to do over again, I would have passed on this one. I am, however, glad to have read it and, strangely, will probably consider buying Love Unrehearsed whenever it happens to be released (though it seems like a long time between release dates, considering Reber is still writing that sequel). I think, for a debut novel, this one could have been better but Reber clearly reaches an audience with this novel and for that she has to be commended. Hopefully her next novel will be much more praiseworthy--I'm willing to give her another shot.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Review: Effortless by S.C. Stephens

effortless Author: S.C. Stephens {facebook
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle
Published: 25 February 2012
Publisher: Self (Amazon Digital Services)
Series: Yes!
Price: $3.99

Synopsis: {via GoodReads}
A continuation of the novel, Thoughtless...

A lot can happen in a year. You grow, you change, you learn from your mistakes. And Kiera had made a lot of mistakes to learn from. But she had learned, and she was determined to never cause a man pain again, especially the amazing man who currently held her heart. But life offers new challenges for every relationship, and when Kiera’s love is put to the ultimate test, will it come out the other side unscathed?

Love is easy…trust is hard
Disclaimer:

**First, please, please don't read this review if you haven't read this book or Thoughtless, the first book in the series, it could contain spoilers. If you have read Thoughtless, please take a moment to read my review!**

Review:

Just like the first book, I loved this book. I think I may have actually loved it more than I did the first one. And just like the first one, Thoughtless, I couldn't put it down. The characters and settings are just as amazing this time, with one little twist: Keira and Kellan are apart for much of the book. I think that's the one thing I didn't so much care for. I wanted them to be together, but for this story it worked. Right now, I'm eagerly awaiting the third installment of this series, but there's no release date just yet. Serious bummer, especially since this book, and Thoughtless, came out at really close together.

The Characters:

I love almost all of them and thought Keira isn't as much of a basket case in this one, she still gets there. She's grown up through her experiences in Thoughtless and she handles situations, like Kellan leaving, with much more maturity than she did in Thoughtless.  Something I really liked was seeing the dynamic between her and Kellan. They really click and work together, though they have issues. We see her family much more, too, and learn some new things about Kellan and his family, so there's a good deal of character development, which is nice.

I think one of the only characters I didn't much care for in this one was Denny, which was really surprising give that I really, really liked and felt for him in Thoughtless. In this book, to me, he comes across a bit of an ass. He comes back to town and meets back up with Keira, and though they're friends he treats her a bit harshly. It's understandable, for himself, but that he'd try to protect himself considering she crushed his heart into dust in the first book, but he feeds into her fears in a way that makes him an ass. Every time she thinks Kellan's being unfaithful, Denny is right there to tell her that she's probably right. It's really nasty, in my opinion. And you know, he has no desire to be with her, he has is own girlfriend, Abby.  Very uncool, but it reinforced my love of Kellan.

The Plot:

The basic idea is that Keira and Kellan must learn to trust one another, now that they're together. The underlying assumption is that they have trust issues because of how they got together. Being apart compounds their issues big time. This set up makes for amazing drama and when they come back together the drama is only heightened. Again, there are moments when you want to smack the characters or yell at them to do anything but what they're doing, but that makes the plot more believable.  There's also a sub-plot with Keira's sister, Anna, and her sometimes-boyfriend, Griffin, that's really good.  Overall, the book has really good flow and a plot that works really well. Sometimes, it's difficult to for an author to make a plot that travels around to different locations work, but Stephens pulls it off beautifully.

The Verdict:

Rating: 5/5
Buy this book!  I loved it, it was amazing. Stephens knows what she's doing, she knows what readers want, and she truly seems to care about her characters. I cannot wait for the next book in this series and will likely read anything else Stephen's writes. She's won a fan in me for sure. If you read it, I hope you enjoyed it!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy July 4th: The Book Flag

Happy July 4th to all of my American friends out there. I saw this and thought I would share. I saw it on the Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society) Facebook page, but it comes, originally, from Juniper Books.


On July 2, 1776 the continental congress voted on independence, two days later the delegates adopted our Declaration of Independence. So, whatever you're doing this Independence Day, please take a moment to remember the militia men and great thinkers, patriots all, who fought to win our independence.

My husband Matt and I are having hot dogs, hanging out, and going to see the local fireworks display. I hope your holiday is as lovely as ours has been so far!

Happy Independence Day!!

WWW: No. 4

First, to all of my fellow American's out there, Happy 4th of July!!

Okay now, WWW Wednesdays is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to play along, just answer three simple questions...

• What are you currently reading? 

• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

That's it, simple as that! If you don't do this meme, you should consider it. If you do and that's how you've found me please leave me a link to your WWW Wednesday post in the comments so I can stop by and say hello.

Here's what I've got going on this week...

Love UnscriptedWhat are you currently reading?
Love Unscripted by Tina Reber. So far, the book is just okay. I had really high hopes for this one, considering how much I've loved other books that are the same self-published genre, like Thoughtless and Effortless. But, I'm not that far along yet and I'm willing to believe that the stiff writing and dialogue will loosen up as the book goes along.

Easy What did you recently finish reading?
Easy by Tammara Webber. This book was fantastic, I loved it and was seriously glum when I found it was a stand-alone. I generally enjoy series, even trilogies, so to find a book with characters I like that's a stand-alone is a though thing for me. I think if I'd known it was a stand-alone before I picked it up, I wouldn't have. I'm so glad I did, though. This book has wonderful characters and a quite important message. Review forthcoming.
Gabriels Inferno What do you think you'll read next?
Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard. I seriously debated about this book (which is the first in a series) because a lot of the reviews said it was very dark. I decided, after seeing it crop up over and over, however, that I'd give it a shot and I'm eager to judge exactly how dark is dark for myself. My understanding is that this book is a little different because, unlike most in it's genre, it was written by a man. I can't wait to see if it lives up to the promise!
So that's what I'm doing right now, all books that stem from my love of Fifty Shades. Each of them is self-published and have gotten excellent reviews. I can recommend, at least, Easy.

One last thing. I have a Google+ page now, if you want to check it out and follow me there. I'll be posting links to my blog posts, information about possible giveaways, things like that. I'm also considering a Facebook page, but I don't know yet.

Have a lovely Wednesday and thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: No. 7

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read 
  • Open to a random page 
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
So now that summer's here and I've just about finished grad school (I just turned in my thesis yesterday and will graduate in August!!), I'm trying to get back into book blogging. I've posted a few reviews, and have a few more coming as I actually have time to read a book now, but what better way to get back into the community than with memes?! And how better to find new reads than with teasers?!  So, here's mine...

Love Unscripted
Synopsis:  {via Amazon}

Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he'd become the most sought after film star on the planet. Taryn Mitchell has been feigning contentment while running the family pub in Seaport, Rhode Island. Her peaceful life is tossed upside down when Ryan tries to outrun a group of fans by taking a shortcut through Mitchell's Pub.
Teaser:  {pg. 23, Loc 530 of 13791}
Ryan leaned over closer and smelled me again. I instinctively leaned farther away, almost tipping off-balance. His nostrils opened wider and a slight grin appeared on his lips.

"Peach scented perfume?" he asked.
I just started this book, but so far it's pretty good. Enjoy and happy Teaser Tuesday!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Review: Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens

thoughtless1Author: S.C. Stephens {facebook}
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle
Published: 18 December 2011
Publisher: Self (Amazon Digital Services)
Series: Yes!
Price: $3.99

Synopsis: {via GoodReads}

For almost two years now, Kiera's boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she's ever wanted: loving, tender and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart.

Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source – a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes...and none of them will ever be the same.
Review:

A quick admission right out of the gate: I loved this book. That said, I didn't love it from the first words. Frankly, when I started it I thought it was long winded and wordy. I don't particularly care for long winded, or wordy, and kept wondering when something that mattered would happen. Thankfully, I kept turning the pages and before long, I couldn't put the book down. When she got to Kellan, I was sold. I fell completely and totally in love with him. By the time the book was over, I was glad that Stephens had somewhat dragged her feet in the beginning because I didn't want it to end... ever. To this moment, as I type this, I still don't. So I read it's sequel, Effortless (which I'll review next time), and am eagerly (if impatiently) waiting for the third book in the series.

The Characters:

What I enjoyed most about Kiera, Kellan, Denny and the crew is that they're very realistic. They make choices that make you slap your head and scream, "Why did you have to do that?!" but they're choices that real people make. Keira is young and vulnerable. She's not mature enough to be in a long term committed relationship and, at the point in their lives when the book is occurring, neither is Denny. Kellan is, like many of the popular male leads, somewhat broken. He suffers the pain of a terrible childhood and is scarred, he can't have/sustain relationships and, until he meets Keira, he doesn't really want to. They're realistic to a fault and, I think I loved Kellan so much because he somewhat reminds me of my own husband--strangely true.

Though I've read reviews that suggest that Keira is wishy-washy and I don't agree. I think she's confused and doesn't know how to handle herself under pressure. She's 21 years old, she's not the most mature creature on the planet, but she does her best and her reactions to thinks are remarkably like what a 21 year old might do. I return to what I said earlier, all of these characters are remarkably lifelike.

The Plot:

Overall, the plot was quite good. Stephens takes some turns you wouldn't expect, rendering this novel much more about the journey than the destination. What I mean is, we all sort of know how contemporary romance will pan out because it's a familiar formula to any romance reader. Heck, it's familiar even to people who've never read a romance novel in their lives--thank you romantic comedies! However, Stephens makes sure the journey to that familiar ending is filled with twists and turns you can't see coming. Her characters act outside the formula and by the time the books almost done you're wondering if she might pull a Fifty Shades, break the rules, and deny us our happy ending. For a very character driven story, the plot works beautifully!

The Verdict:

Rating: 5/5
At this point I would normally discuss issues with the book, but I'm going to skip that portion of the review and jump right to the verdict. The only real issue I saw with this book is the slow start, but by the end, that wasn't an issue at all.  Above all, this book has climbed right to the top of my list of favorites this summer and made itself cozy there. I can't seem to kick the characters out of my head, where they've taken up residence. I cannot wait for the third book, which I know I'll love. There's still no prospective release date, but I'm optimistic that she won't keep me waiting forever.

If you're a romance fan, I highly recommend this book. I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I loved that the author self-published it. I'm finding that self-published novels are getting better and better and, as a writer, I really love that!