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Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts

Swoon Thursday #37

Swoon Thursday is a weekly event hosted by YA Bound.This is how it works:

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog.

This week, I’m SWOONING over:

Title: Uninvited

Series: Uninvited #1

Author: Sophie Jordan

Published: January 28th 2014

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Sci-fi Dystopian Romance

Source: Paperback provided by Harper Collins Australia for fair & honest review

Rating: 4.5/5

Goodreads | Amazon | Review

Then he closes the space between us. Kisses me finally. Sensation explodes inside me when his lips touch mine. It's not tentative or shy like most first kisses. The ones I've had anyway.

It's urgent and full of need. Hungry and desperate. The perfect force and pressure. I slide my hands around his neck, twine my fingers up through his hair.

I stretch onto my tiptoes. His hand on my arm moves to wrap around my waist, lifting me, plastering me against him.

"You smell so good," he mutters against my mouth.

I LOVE that last line *sigh*

This book seriously messed with my head, it was so incredibly emotional and I just can't stop thinking about it!! Although the romance wasn't the main part of the story it was really beautifully written and very passionate. Davy and Sean are just so perfect together!!!!

So what's making you swoon this week?

Swoon Thursday #7

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Swoon Thursday is a weekly event hosted by YA Bound.This is how it works:

This week, I’m SWOONING over:

Title: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

Series: The Coincidence #1

Author: Jessica Sorensen

Published: December 13th 2012

Genre: New Adult Romance

Goodreads | Amazon | Review

"He leans in, shutting his eyes, and for a second I contemplate running. I keep my eyes open until the very last second, and then suck in a breath as his lips touch mine. My knees buckle as his tongue delves deep inside my mouth and I clutch into the net to keep from falling down.

Without question or hesitation, I untangle my fingers from the net, and slide my hands up his chest, wrapping them around his neck. His hot breath is mixed with passion and tequila and his chest crushes against mine. A gasp escapes from my lips as his searing hot palms move down my back. He trusts his tongue deeper into my mouth and grabs at my hips, drawing me closer as the floor sways under our feet."

I loved the innocence of Callie in this scene, it's her first real kiss and she's scared, but trusts Kayden enough to open up to him. Kayden is such a sweetie!!

So what's making you swoon this week?

Review: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

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Title: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

Series: The Coincidence #1

Author: Jessica Sorensen

Published: December 13th 2012

Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating: 4/5

Goodreads | Amazon

“It's amazing how the things you remember forever are the things you'd rather forget and the things you desperately want to grasp onto seem to slip away like sand in the wind.” -Callie

BLURB:

There are those who don’t get luck handed to them on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don’t get saved.

Luck was not on Callie’s side the day of her twelfth birthday when everything was stolen from her. After it’s all over, she locks up her feelings and vows never to tell anyone what happened. Six years later her painful past consumes her life and most days it’s a struggle just to breathe.

For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence was the only way to survive life. As long as he did what he was told, everything was okay. One night, after making a terrible mistake, it seems like his life might be over. Luck was on his side, though, when Callie coincidentally is in the right place at the right time and saves him.

Now he can’t stop thinking about the girl he saw at school, but never really knew. When he ends up at the same college as Callie, he does everything he can to try to get to know her. But Callie is reserved and closed off. The more he tries to be part of her life, the more he realizes Callie might need to be saved.

***Mild Spoilers***

THE GOOD:

The story:

After both Kadyen & Callie experience different traumas as teenagers, they both struggle to continue living normal happy lives. It is only when they leave home to go to college that they start to learn how to be happy. Callie meets a new friend Seth, who experienced serious bullying in high school over his sexuality, and together they help each other to move outside their comfort zone. Enter Kayden. We get to follow both Kayden & Callie as they break down each other walls & learn to trust each other. Callie struggles with her emotions along the way, and has many setbacks along the way, but Seth & Kayden are always there to help her.

The characters:

It was interesting how all the main characters are dealing with different problems in their lives - some more serious than others. How each of them deal with these issues gives a real insight into each character. Both Kayden & Callie punish themselves.

Kayden denies himself any meaningful relationships believing he's too damaged to be worthy of anyone. He's been in a long term relationship with Daisy (who is still in high school) even though he's not in love with her. He wants an empty emotionless relationship so he can't hurt anyone or get hurt himself. It's not until Callie comes along that he is able to open up.

Callie is still very traumatised by her assault & she hurts herself by purging - the one way she feels she can have control over her life & feelings. But we got to watch her grow throughout the book with the help of her new friend Seth. They both have a list of things they want to do that pushes them outside their comfort zone. Callie does have some setbacks along the way, but has definitely come a long way since high school.

I also have to mention Seth - I adored him. He was always there for Callie, helping her and giving her that little push of encouragement when she needed it most. He is the most amazing friend anyone could ever wish for & I loved that Callie didn't just rely on Kayden to help her overcome her issues.

The romance:

It was a very sweet romance between Callie & Kayden - I like that they both have relationship issues to deal with, it makes the romance less of an unhealthy 'damsel in distress' type romances. They start out as friends, which slowly develops into something more, which made this such a realistic relationship.

Their love scenes were also really beautifully written - it was nice to see that Sorensen didn't shy away from describing a realistic experience for Callie's first time, instead her suddenly turning into some sex goddess (seriously I just don't get why authors write about girl loosing her v-card and having several earth shattering orgasms in a row - so not realistic!)

The Writing:

After reading a few self-published e-books lately I was quite impressed with the writing (not to say that self published books are bad, but many do lake the refinement that professional editing & publishing provide).

I also liked how she handled dialogue & in particular the swearing. Often authors think if they cram in as many swear words as possible it makes the characters more realistic & tough - but usually it just interrupts the flow of dialogue. Sorensen has each of her characters swear differently - eg. Kayden drop f-bombs all the time like most teenage guys, while Callie doesn't really swear much, but when she did it showed how upset she really was.

THE BAD:

The ending:

I don't mind cliff hanger endings, but there is a difference between cliff hangers & unfinished. I just felt like it ended so abruptly basically in the middle of a scene. We're left hanging <spoiler>unsure if Kayden will survive</spoiler>, and that's fine to leave the story there, but I feel the scene needed to have some form of a conclusion.

FINAL WORD:

Despite the abrupt ending I really enjoyed this one. It was emotionally charged, painful but beautiful & I'm desperate to find out what happens next.

CONTENT:

Sexuality: strong / descriptive sex scenes, sexual assault

Violence: medium-strong / descriptive domestic violence, flashbacks of sexual assault, fist fight

Language: medium-strong / frequent use of f**k, occasional c**t

Drugs & alcohol: medium-strong / frequent underage drinking at parties & nightclubs, two secondary characters are smokers

Review: Pushing The Limits (by Katie McGarry)

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Title: Pushing The Limits

Series: Pushing The Limits #1

Author: Katie McGarry

Published: July 31st 2012

Genre: New Adult Romance

“I watched you battle against the worst memory of your life and I watched you win. Make no mistake, Echo. I battled right beside you.” - Noah

BLURB:

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

***Mild spoilers***

THE GOOD:

The story:

This story is not a simple high school romance. It's not even just a troubled boy meets troubled girl romance. It's so much more. Echo & Noah do have issues to deal with, but it's not as simple as they fall in love and it fixes everything. Throughout the story they both have to work through their own problems - Echo learns how to forgive her father & step mother, and Noah learns that sometimes what's best for him, may not be what's best for his brothers. They support each other through their issues, but ultimately it's up to them to make their own breakthroughs.

The romance:

I really loved seeing the romance develop between Echo & Noah - they both had pre conceived ideas of what each other where like, and as they spent more time together, they realised they were wrong. Their romance was sweet but also very passionate and I loved how Noah fought for her, when he could have easily let her go - it made there relationship all the more amazing! Not only did they tell us they were in love with each other, but they showed it by their actions towards each other.

The characters:

It's funny, I don't normally like bad boy characters, and Noah is labeled a bad boy - he skips class, smokes pot & sleeps around with girls he has little interest in. This would normally turn me off completely, however there is something deeper about his character that drew me in and by the end of the story I absolutely loved him. Towards the end he actually made me cry (and I'm not much of a cryer!)

Echo begins the story as a very fragile & closed off character. She shuts everybody out for fear of being judged by what happened to her. She's also very lost because she can't remember the night that gave her the scars on her arms. She's actually much stronger than she realises, and it's with the love and support of Noah & her best friend Lila that give her the courage to do that.

The Writing:

McGarry's writing was very effective, especially her use of dual POV. I always love this technique because it allows us to understand what both character are feeling & makes it much easier to connect with them. This is an emotionally driven story, but not just Echo & Noah's romance, but also between Echo & her family, Noah & his brothers, their friends at school etc. McGarry has cleverly woven many different emotions into this book which is what makes it so strong.

THE BAD:

I suppose the only think I don't like is that this is kind of the end of Echo & Noah's story, as the next book in the series follows Beth. I'm just not ready to let go of Echo & Noah yet, I love them too much!

FINAL WORD:

This is an emotionally charged story with relatable characters. I felt every emotion the characters experienced and have been thinking about them ever since I finished the book. This is one of those stories that just stays with you. I can't wait to read Beth's story next!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: medium / several discussions of sex, heavy kissing (no actual sex scenes)

Violence: medium / some domestic violence (not overly descriptive)

Language: medium / several f**k

Drugs & alcohol: medium-strong / main characters drink at parties, Noah & friends smoke pot

Review: Wait For You

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Title: Wait For You

Series: Wait For You #1

Author: J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)

Published: February 26th 2013

Genre: New Adult Romance

“I want to be here with you, Avery. You don't have to worry about impressing me or wowing me. You've already done that.” - Cam

***SPOILERS***

After reading this book all I want is a pet turtle…and some of Cam's cookies *wink wink*

THE GOOD:

The story:

This story was so addictive, I just couldn't put it down. I got so invested in their story. The main storyline follows Avery and her relationship with Cam. They get to know each other as partners in Astronomy class, and they also live across the hall from each other.

The book spans almost an entire year, which I felt made the story much more believable. All the progress that Avery makes personally & in her relationship with Cam is realistic because it doesn't just happen in matter of weeks. She doesn't just suddenly become this confident person & declare her love for Cam, she has setbacks along the way and has to work hard to make the changes in her life she wants to make.

The characters:

Cam…well what can I say, he is absolutely amazing *squeal*. He's funny, confident and really cares about Avery. I want to say that he's protective of her, but that just gives me images of him following her & watching her sleep (which he doesn't do). He can see that she is dealing with something & he just wants to help her through that. He's so patient & understanding, which is so adorable.

Avery was interesting, because on the outside she is very reserved, especially around Cam when she first meets him. But in her narration she has such a vibrant personality. I think this really shows how much her past still effects her socially. She doesn't really trust anyone to show them her true personality. But throughout the story we see her grow and become more confident - eventually letting Cam in to see the real Avery.

The romance:

Avery & Cam's relationship was written beautifully. It began as a friendship & as they grew closer, Cam suggests he wants more than just friendship. At first Avery thinks he's just joking, but gradually he breaks down her walls and their romance develops. They actually spend a lot of time together, just talking & getting to know each other properly (with a little bit of flirting perhaps…)

I loved how realistic the romance between them is, Cam's aware that she's never been in a relationship before and never tries to push her into something she's not ready for. But as he starts to realise that she's hiding something from him, he does get upset that she can't trust him enough to tell him. That's such a realistic response, he was open with her and shared his secret, so of course he would expect the same in return.

Their love scenes were also beautiful, and thanks Lynn for not suddenly turning Avery into a sex goddess. She was nervous & I loved how Cam was so gentle & spoke so sweetly with lines like "May, I?" and "Is this okay?" - is was so sweet and tender.

The Writing:

After reading Armentrout's book Obsidian I felt she had a very distinct writing voice, and it was definitely evident in this book too. There is a sarcastic humour throughout all the character's dialogue & narrator's thoughts, which I really enjoyed. It's unique and gives the characters such strong personalities. The playful banter, especially between Avery & Cam was hilarious.

"I'm beginning to think cookies is a code word for something else."

"Maybe it is."…."And just think about it. If cookie was a code word, whatever it symbolised, it's been in your mouth, sweetheart"…

I love when a book can make me laugh out loud (a little embarrassing when someone catches me grinning like an idiot, but hey, it happens).

THE BAD:

I suppose there were a few grammar & spelling mistakes, but nothing that really bothered me. This is certainly one of the best self published books that I've read.

FINAL WORD:

Overall this was a really great read. It tackles the very serious & heavy topic of sexual assault but Lynn manages to effectively add some laughter & comedy to lift the story. Dramatic, touching and a beautifully entertaining read! I am absolutely dying to read the next book!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: strong / descriptive sex scenes, flashbacks of sexual assault

Violence: medium / flashbacks of a sexual assault and a bashing

Language: medium / regular use of f**k

Drugs & alcohol: medium / underage drinking at parties, main character gets drunk

Other: **spoiler**Avery has a scar on her wrist from an attempted suicide **end spoiler**