Blog Tour: Upside Down by Lia Riley (Review & Giveaway)

Title: Upside Down
Author: Lia Riley
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Series: Off the Map #1
Publication: August 5th, 2014 by Grand Central

If You Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying good-bye to the past-and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she'll act like a carefree exchange student, not a girl sinking under the weight of painful memories. Everything is going according to plan until she meets a brooding surfer with hypnotic green eyes and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he moved back home to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He's never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime . . . or if they were meant to live a world apart.

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It's always nice when a New Adult story can take the things I love about NA and be twisted into a new novel that I end up loving. Upside Down had all the things I'm used to seeing in the genre--romance, girl with some kind of an issue that makes her actually pretty easy to relate to even though you may not have experienced the same exact thing she did, a guy who used to be...over friendly with a crap ton of girls, and both of the main characters have pasts full of heartbreak and pain. The awesome thing about Upside Down was that it took all of those things, and it all got twisted into a story that didn't FEEL run of the mill. And oh sweet baby goodness, I ended up falling for this story, head over heels.

Talia has OCD. Like, actual OCD. Not the OCD moments we all have at some point. I'm talking legitimate it-messes-with-her-everyday-life-on-a-regular-basis OCD. (Fun fact, that's how you know if you have a disorder. We all have tendencies--but disorders are recognized by interfering with your every day life.) I personally do not have OCD. But I, just like every other person on this planet, have things I struggle with every day. Is my own thing as serious as Talia's? No. But still, I could understand. It also helped that the writing was done so well, that the understanding I already had for OCD took on a more close-up view, being inside Talia's head and all. So yeah. Talia has OCD, and I loved how it made her feel more REAL to me, and I liked how that tied into the story. Other than that, Talia was a pretty gutsy chick. I'd hang out with her any day. And her sense of humor actually made me laugh more than once, which is never a bad sign. 

Bran...oh, Bran. He has his issues. He has his past, and he has trouble adjusting to how things change when Talia comes around. He didn't start out as the most charming fellow, but as the story progressed, his sweeter side peeked out more and more until it was basically his natural state. I very much enjoyed watching that evolution in him. Both he and Talia grew so much throughout this novel, and if I hadn't already loved Bran and Talia (which I totally did), I would have become a fan by the time this story ended.

The romance was so great. Bran and Talia get off to a somewhat rocky start, but they have this connection right away. And instead of jumping into insta-love (seriously, they are both the exact opposite of insta-love), they talk. They learn more about each other. And we get to see them open up more to each other and learn about each other, and grow closer. It was quite beautiful.

One of the coolest things about this novel is that it's set in Australia. I liked seeing that different setting and everything that came with it. That setting, paired with the little twists in the story I'd figured could very possibly echo the same stories I've read before, created a book I turned out to enjoy greatly. There were a few things that nagged on me--such as how unstable Bran and Talia's relationship felt for a larger portion of the book than I'd prefer, and the time...or two...I wished to slap Bran. Also, the jealous feeling I got at a certain part. I did not like that. It was highly effective in adding to all the feels going on in that cluster of crap going on, which added to make the story unique, but I am still not much of a fan of feeling that way. And while I enjoyed the dual POV, as I always do, I would have liked more from Bran's perspective. He was going through so much, and while we did get a decent glimpse of that, I wanted to see MORE. Though part of the reason for that may have something to do with the fact that I heart him. ;)

Overall, Upside Down is a beautiful New Adult story that came with some surprises. I loved Bran and Talia, and enjoyed how real their characters felt. I rode the roller coaster of this novel with them, and I cannot wait to go on another ride with them in the next book! 

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Lia Riley writes offbeat New Adult Romance. After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, she scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling XXXX with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments. When not torturing heroes (because c'mon, who doesn't love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live in Northern California.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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Review: Perfect Kind of Trouble by Chelsea Fine

Perfect Kind of Trouble by Chelsea Fine 
Release Date: June 17th, 2014
Pages: 336
Publisher: Forever
Series: Finding Fate #2
Review Copy: e-ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
Sometimes when perfect falls apart, a little trouble fixes everything . . . 

Twenty-one-year-old Kayla Turner has lost everything. After spending most of her life taking care of her ailing mother, she just wants to spot a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. So when her late father-a man she barely knew-leaves her an inheritance, she finally breathes a sigh of relief . . . until she learns the inheritance comes with strings. Strings in the form of handsome playboy Daren Ackwood, her father's protégé. To see any of her inheritance, she's forced to team up with him. From his expensive car to those sexy dimples, Kayla's seen his type before. But Daren isn't who he seems to be . . .

Struggling to make amends for his family's mistakes, Daren has a life more Oliver Twist than Richie Rich these days. He's beyond grateful that James Turner included him in his will, but working with Turner's princess of a daughter to fulfill his cryptic last wish is making Daren wonder if being broke is really so bad. Still, she's just as beautiful as she is stubborn, and the more time he spends with Kayla, the less it feels right being without her. Soon Daren and Kayla begin to wonder if maybe the best gift Kayla's dad could have left them . . . was each other.

I absolutely adored Chelsea Fine's first novel in the Finding Fate series, Best Kind of Broken. I felt all of the feels and reading that book was such an experience. So I was positively looking forward to reading this companion novel, especially since this premise was so fun. I mean, seriously. In handcuffs with a hot guy going on a scavenger hunt for an inheritance that could very likely be hefty? Sweet. 

Reading this was an experience, too, except this time I buddy read with Val from Stuck in Books. Fun fact: buddy reading with Val is always hilarious. We had a good time with it. Made a list of characters we hated, made guesses as to what was going on with things, and discussed other stuff we liked or wanted to slap in the novel. By the time we were finished, we both agreed that this book was super flipping good.

Kayla was a character that grew on me. When we first start the story, we don't know much of anything about her other than that she stopped visiting her dad. Which sounds like a total B thing to do, yeah? But as we learned more about her, it came to light that she was actually a pretty cool chick. All she wanted was to be SEEN. For people to pay attention to what she had to say, how she felt, what she thought--instead of focusing on her looks. I liked that Kayla was so self aware, and I also liked that she didn't depend on her looks for everything. She wanted to be around people who weren't shallow. Who listened to her. As I said, she wanted to be SEEN. 

Daren was going through his own internal struggle, as well. He didn't exactly have a great sense of self worth. But goodness gracious, I loved seeing his growth with Kayla. I love this boy. He's my knight in shining manacles. He's such a great guy, but that also got overlooked by most people because of his reputation, a lot of which not even his fault. 

Both Daren and Kayla got dealt some crappy cards in the game of life, and with that they connected. I enjoyed watching that. They both went into the cuffs arrangement with a bunch of assumptions about the other, a majority of those negative. But as they went through the scavenger hunt, they spent more time together and learned more and I loved watching them learn the truth about each other. It led to some fabulous, sweet romance, that made me feel at least twenty levels of HAPPY! 

Remember, I heart Daren. My knight in shining manacles, remember. ;)

Though I really liked this book, I still had a few little issues with it. There were some times when the positioning or just something Kayla and Daren were doing didn't fit logically with how they were wearing the cuffs. Also, I was hoping for there to be an awkward scene in which they tried to use the toilet. We didn't get to see that--though it was mentioned in passing when they got the handcuffs off. And I was hoping for Daren to interact with Pixie at least a little. He mentioned that he needed to have a chat with her, but we never got to see that.

Overall, I highly enjoyed Perfect Kind of Trouble! The premise was fun and the characters were fantastic. I especially loved Daren and his shining manacles! Chelsea Fine's written another great novel and I cannot wait for the next in this series. I'm sure it's going to be just as fabulous as the first two.

 

Blog Tour: Ex-Factor & Unbreakable by Elisa Dane (Reviews & Giveaway)

 

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Ex-Factor by Elisa Dane 

Release Date: April 14, 2014

Pages: 207

Publisher: Swoon Romance

Series: Diamond Girls #1
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:

Nevaeh Evan’s life is uprooted after her father’s death, when she moves in with her aunt and cousin, Livvie. Her plan to lay low at her new high school isn’t working. Her friend’s jerky boyfriend keeps asking her out, the guy she likes treats her like garbage, and the thought of tumbling again makes her want to hurl. 

So when her aunt pushes her into joining the elite X-FACTOR cheer leading squad, Navaeh goes along with it. 

But Nev feels she doesn’t deserve to be happy. Not after what happened the night her father died. 

Bodie Scott knows about grief all too well. Critically injured in an alcohol related accident the year before, Bodie struggles with the fact that he’ll never play football again, and he’s so far behind in credits he can’t see straight. That is, until he meets Nev. Haunted by their bloody pasts and wary of a shared future, Nev and Bodie turn to one another for comfort and support, and realize they’re not so alone after all. And when the party scene at school threatens the life of a loved one, the two stop at nothing to keep the past from repeating itself. 

Ex-Factor is book 1 in the Diamond Girls series from Elisa Dane.

This is one of those books that pretty much sucked me in right from the start and didn't let me go until the end. I started this book with every intention of pacing myself as I read, but I ended up flying through it in a day. There was so much I liked about this book, and though it was not perfect, I still highly enjoyed it.

The characters were real. They had real feelings, problems, and thoughts, and I connected with them well. The main character, Nev, was the one who narrated the story, and I definitely felt her struggle throughout the story. Not saying I didn't roll my eyes at her a time or two, but she was overall a good character. And Bodie, her guy. Goodness I heart him. He was just fantastic. I kind of wanted to slap a bit of sense into him a few times, but he ultimately won me over with his sweet, swoon-worthy ways.

The romance worked for me. In all ways. I would have liked things to have been straightened out between Nev and Bodie earlier than they actually were, but that's almost always something I want, so this book isn't hurting me any. They were cute and I wanted them to be together.

I enjoyed the plot and liked the general message. It's a serious thing, and I liked that it wasn't taken lightly. I somewhat felt like the situation was dramatized a little bit, just in the things that were said. I get why it was like that (since we couldn't actually SEE what was going on), but it seemed like sometimes things were said that we all already got. Like at one point a girl said something to the effect of "she's going to drive--DRUNK!" and I was like...yeah. I got that. Other than those little things, though, I liked the seriousness of the topic.

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed reading Ex-Factor. I liked the characters and their stories, and going through their struggles that felt real. Plus, I loved the swoonage. Ex-Factor may not be perfect, but I'd say it's definitely worth reading.

 

Unbreakable by  Elisa Dane 

Release Date: June 4, 2014

Pages: 223

Publisher: Swoon Romance

Series: Diamond Girls #2
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:

Perception is everything to sixteen-year-old Olivia Brown. With her freakishly hot boyfriend, volunteer work at the local animal shelter, successful beauty channel on YouTube, and well-earned spot on X Factor Cheer's elite level five Diamond Girl team, Livvie's the girl every other girl wants to be. At least, that's the illusion she's aiming for. 

But Livvie's seemingly perfect life is anything but. Lying about the bruises her boyfriend gives her, and cowering beneath his raging temper becomes a regular way of life until she unwittingly witnesses her drunken neighbor beating his step-son, the town bad boy, Reid Tate. 

For Reid, vulnerability is the enemy. Opening up, and letting people in gives them the power to disappoint. Growing up with a co-dependent mother and an abusive alcoholic father, Reid has endured all the disappointment he can stomach. 

But when his pretty, do-good neighbor witnesses his step-dad beat him to within an inch of his life, and not only call the cops, but keeps quiet at school about what she saw, Reid wonders if maybe, just maybe, he's found someone he can finally trust. 

UNBREAKABLE is book two in the Diamond Girls series from Elisa Dane. EX-FACTOR is an Amazon bestseller in three categories in the United States, including Girls in Sports, Teen Sports and Teen Sports and Hobbies. 

I love how this book contained a bunch of things I LOVE in novels. It had characters that were pretty darn cool. There was a perfect amount of romantic elements. There was a common issue between the protagonist and her boy toy. Honestly, this book had SO MANY things within it to make me love the crap out of it.

Livvie took time for me to like. At first, I was adjusting to how different she seemed between the first book and the second. She felt like a whole different character in this one. Ultimately, I liked her, but it was still weird at first. She is also a character that needs to chill and COMMUNICATE. Her issue made it hard for her to feel comfortable telling people, I understand (seriously--I UNDERSTAND), but that doesn't change my feelings. Especially her communication issues with Reid. It took me until close to the end to completely like Livvie, but I respected her and her situation the whole way through the novel.

Reid was my favorite kind of guy. He was a bad boy who didn't exactly make nice with loads of people who he didn't know for a while. Something of a manwhore before Livvie, but he didn't show that in this story, so I couldn't hold it against him. He was a bad boy who was actually a nice guy with his own troubles. And goodness gracious, I heart him something fierce.

The romance made me feel happy inside. It was so sweet to see Reid become the kind of person who helped his girl bake desserts and whatnot. And he was so protective. They made my favorite kind of couple--not exactly surprising, considering he was my favorite kind of guy. 

I enjoyed the plot of this one even more than the one of the first book. This one tackled a different topic, and this one was tackled in a much smoother fashion. I LOVED watching the characters deal with their situations and make it through in their own ways. The plot paired with Elisa Dane's writing worked for me positively. I just enjoyed this book oh so much.

Overall, I absolutely loved Unbreakable. I adored Reid and I swooned so much for him. Reid and Livvie's story isn't completely smooth, but it was enjoyable and felt real in so many ways. I can't wait for the third book in this series, so I can fall in love with another work from Elisa Dane!

I'm a lover of books (YA & Adult romance), chocolate, reality television, and am a proud mother to three All Star cheerleaders. Woot!

I write Contemporary YA romance with cheerleaders. Yep. I write what I know, and it's my hope that my stories will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but that you'll find a new respect and interest in the sport of Cheerleading you may not have had before.

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Review: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck 
Release Date: January 11, 2011
Pagecount: 403
Publisher: Sterling
Series: The Tiger Saga #1
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
Passion. Fate. Loyalty.

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Tigers are my favorite animal and shifters are my favorite paranormal creature. When those two are mixed, it only makes sense that I'd be all over that like white on rice, yeah? And I was. I enjoyed this book so much, both because of the characters and because of their story their story. I can already tell this is going to be an addicting series.

The story is told in first person from Kelsey's POV. Honestly, Kelsey isn't the greatest MC in the world. She can be annoying. And some of the stuff she says feels forced. She's very much a Mary Sue. Lucky for her, she had the other characters around her to make her seem not so bad. With the others around, I could deal with Kelsey. Oh, wait. KELLS. She wants to be called Kells. Yeah. Okay.

Ren is the love interest and a total gentleman with an alpha male streak. Makes sense, considering he's part tiger. The gentleman side balances out his somewhat controlling side so that he's not super annoying. I was actually a huge fan of Ren. I want things to work out for him and Kelsey. Though, I am Team Kishan. Kishan is Ren's brother, and yes. They have one of those brother-rivalries revolving around a girl. I don't care, I like them both anyway. I know it's kind of a trope, but in this case it doesn't bother me so much since the guys don't spend too much time moping around about it. The situation usually only gets brought up when Kelsey asks questions.

So yeah, I'm Team Kishan (who is freaking awesome), but I want Kelsey and Ren to be together. I actually think they're great together. And Ren deserves some happiness after the crap his life has been. Kishan does, too, but I don't think he and Kelsey work as well as she and Ren do. The romantic aspects in this story were both frustrating and a great relief. More so on the relief. I love romance, and Ren is so, so great at saying the sweetest, most perfect things. And he says some of it in a different language, too, which definitely works in his favor.

The adventure and culture aspects of this story are interesting and fun. Though there were several instances where I felt like I was drowning under a mound of info-dump, I still appreciated the fact that the topics were different from the usual stuff. I enjoyed learning the new stuff, and I was actually really interested in it all. And the journey, searching, adventures were a great time. Ren was always there, and we know how I feel about him. He was all protective, and I was all like YES KEEP MAKING ME FEEL HAPPY. So it was a win-win thing. The plot flowed pretty well, save for the info-dumps. I managed to wade through those fairly quickly, however, so it didn't take long to get back into the parts I more enjoyed.

Overall, I love the premise of this series and I enjoyed this first installment so much. The guys are definitely worth swooning over, the adventure is just plain fun, and I am absolutely dying to dive into the next book. I'm already addicted! 

Blog Tour: Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols (Review & Giveaway)

 

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Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols 

Release Date: May 20, 2014

Pagecount: 336

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Series: Superlatives #1

Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Buy It: Amazon  

Description from Goodreads:

Tia and Will’s lives get flipped upside down when they’re voted Yearbook’s Biggest Flirts in this sassy novel from the author of Endless Summer and The One That I Want.

Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laidback swagger.

As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn’t interested in commitment. But pushing Will away drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirts with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will’s new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…

 

This book was incredibly cute and fun. Our two main characters met right at the very beginning, and then the story took off from there, not leaving any room for the story to become a bore. I honestly enjoyed this whole story, though it did frustrate me at times. When it comes down to it, Biggest Flirts was fun to read and though I haven't read much of Jennifer Echols' works, I totally want to read more.

Tia, our protagonist, was actually not too bad of an MC. I did like reading the story from her point of view, and I liked her personality. She did annoy me a time or two, mostly when she got prickly or when she pushed Will away even though everyone in the whole world could tell she didn't really want to. It took her a while to get on board with how she really felt about things, but I did enjoy watching her take that little journey. 

Will was so cute and sweet. He wasn't absolutely perfect, but he was realistic, and if he were real, I'd definitely be friends with him.He had his own issues that he was working through while Tia dealt with hers, and I liked that. He wasn't there solely to aid Tia in whatever she did--he was a real person, with real conflicts, too. I didn't very much enjoy his need to find a girlfriend (or, more specifically, anything he did that involved Angelica), but he was such a nice guy that I kind of got over that by the end of the book. He won me over by that point.

Their relationship was both frustrating and adorably sweet at the same time. I loved them together--they were funny and clearly liked each other. But their rocky road to getting to that point got on my nerves sometimes. Mostly when Angelica was thrown into the situation, and Sawyer. And I really, really liked Sawyer. However, I was glad that their love story didn't play out completely the way I imagined it, and that Angelica played a smaller role in the story that I'd anticipated. As far as romance goes, though, I was satisfied with what brewed between Will and Tia. They were the cutest "friends" and then I was glad whenever things ventured into more. They made the more adorable flirty couple, and I definitely was rooting for them the whole way through this novel.

The story as a whole surprised me with how it went. I was expecting to be jealous as eff the whole time, because Will had a girlfriend and Tia "didn't want a boyfriend" and all that jazz. Instead, Will and Tia were good friends even when they weren't together and I got my fill of cuteness through that. Plus, Will's girl (if she can even actually be considered that, which I kind of doubt) wasn't too big of a deal. I ended up loving the path this story took, and the only part I didn't really like was the end. The book just ended too abruptly for me. I'd like to have gotten more from the ending--more with Will and Tia, and more with Tia and her family. 

Overall, I highly enjoyed Biggest Flirts. It was a quick, fun read, and I loved getting sucked into Will and Tia's story. I am seriously excited for more Superlative books, and more books by Jennifer Echols in general. I'm especially excited for Sawyer's book, which is going to be third in this series. Yay!

Jennifer Echols was born in Atlanta and grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama—a setting that has inspired many of her books. She has written nine romantic novels for young adults, including the comedy MAJOR CRUSH, which won the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the drama GOING TOO FAR, which was a finalist in the RITA, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best, and was nominated by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults. Simon & Schuster will debut her adult romance novels in 2013, with many more teen novels scheduled for the next few years. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and her son. 

Author Links: 

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Blog Tour: Reclaiming the Sand by A. Meredith Walters (Review & Giveaway)

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Reclaiming the Sand by A. Meredith Walters 
Release Date: March 17, 2014
Format: eARC
Source: Inkslinger PR in exchange for an honest review
Buy It: Amazon UK | Amazon US

Description from Goodreads:
Bully and victim.
Tormenter and tormented.
Villain and hero.

Ellie McCallum was a bully. No connection to anyone or anything. A sad and lonely existence for a young woman who had come to expect nothing more for herself. Her only happiness coming from making others miserable.

Particularly Freaky Flynn.

Flynn Hendrick lived a life completely disconnected even as he struggled to become something more than that boy with Asperger's. He was taunted and teased, bearing the brunt of systematic and calculated cruelty, ultimately culminating in a catastrophic turn of events that brought Ellie and Flynn’s worlds crashing down.

But then Flynn and Ellie grew up.

And moved on.

Until years later when their paths unexpectedly cross again and the bully and the freak are face to face once more.

When labels come to define you, finding yourself feels impossible. Particularly for two people disconnected from the world who inexplicably find a connection in each other.

And out of the wreckage of their tragic beginnings, an unlikely love story unfolds.

But a painful past doesn’t always want to let go. And old wounds are never truly healed…and sometimes the further you try to run from yourself the closer you come to who you really are.

This book broke my heart, repeatedly. Reclaiming the Sand is such a completely raw story, and it was almost refreshing to read and break up my regular reading norms. I ended up loving this story, but I can't deny that it made me feel so sad. Not so much in the end, but throughout almost the whole entire thing I felt incredibly sad as I read this book. It was kind of depressing, but it a contradicting, beautiful way. 

I love how this novel isn't much like any other NA contemporary romance I've ever read. As I said, this one made me sad, but it was darn gorgeous at the same time. And the subject matter of the story was so different. I enjoyed wading my way through this story with Ellie and Flynn--two characters that aren't your regular MC's, too.

I don't like Ellie. Not because she isn't perfect or anything, because I CAN look past that in some female characters. No, I didn't like Ellie because I didn't like who she was. I respect the fact that she changed and grew into a better person, but as an outsider reading her story, I just can't bring myself to like her. She was a very amusing character to read, as well as a very strong one. Her personality was certainly 100% Ellie, through and through. And her growth made me happy, so she gained a few points that way. Still, I spent most of the book wishing I could punch Ellie in the face, so her arc didn't make me like her. It did make me not hate her, though.

Flynn certainly wasn't the regular love interest. He has a disability, and I found myself very okay with that. Flynn was so sweet, and he was so honest. He was the most real part of this whole story, and I loved him for it. He was always just himself, and I know he got embarrassed sometimes because of his little episodes, but those made no difference on how much I adore this guy. He was so darn cute. Seriously, at one point while I was reading (I believe it was when Ellie first went back to his house and he said he was going to get her a jacket because she was cold) I stopped and squealed "Awww, he's cuuuuute!" all girly like. I don't do that all the time. And I freaking love Flynn. He did a whole bunch of growing himself throughout the story, and it made me so happy I could probably cry at how much he improved throughout the course of the novel. Have I mentioned that I LOVE that boy?

This story hurt my heart. I found how terrible people were to Flynn completely horrifying. I loved watching things slowly but surely change throughout the book, however. There were still struggles, but as the characters evolved and started dealing with their issues, things got better. Not perfect, but better. And this is one book where I didn't get entirely angry at the MC keeping a secret. Usually, I get all mad because SO MANY problems could have been avoided if they'd just fessed up. But I understood Ellie's reasoning here. I wouldn't want to mess things up with Flynn, either. He was effing fantastic. I also liked how there was something of a build up as to what actually happened the night that Ellie got in trouble. We get the gist of what went down early on, but we don't get the exact story until later, and normally I get irritable about that because I already KNOW what's coming, so ugh. But in this story, I liked it. I was still mad at Ellie for being so terrible, but I liked the storytelling.

A. Meredith Walters' writing was great. I was completely pulled into the story, and it was a beautiful one. Things that usually made me want to throw things worked in this novel, so Walters definitely deserves credit for that. She also did a great job differentiating between Ellie and Flynn's POV. It was completely obvious whose head we were in at any given moment. I especially enjoyed getting a peek into Flynn's head to see how he processed things. We spent more time in Ellie's mind, but I appreciated the glimpses of Flynn. 

There were only two things I didn't particularly like in this book. First, I wish we'd gotten to be in Flynn's POV in present time, when the story was actually happening. I understand that he was important to giving us the backstory, and I loved his chapters, but I wanted so badly to see what went on in his mind NOW, when he and Ellie were trying again, outside of high school, after those years apart. Second, I wanted more from the ending. I liked the ending well enough, especially since it didn't shatter my heart as icing on the cake of sadness I felt throughout reading this whole book, but I would have liked...more. A little more sight into what could come next for the characters--just so I could have a tad bit more closure before the story was over. 

Overall, Reclaiming the Sand is a gripping story that broke my heart over and over again. I felt so much for these characters--especially Flynn. A. Meredith Walters has written a gorgeous, unique story that will definitely stick in my mind for a while, and I am certainly looking forward to reading more from this author.

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.

A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency. 

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Review: Forgiving Lies by Molly McAdams

Forgiving Lies by Molly McAdams 
Release Date: October 29, 2013
Format: eARC, 371 pages
Publisher: William Morrow
Series: Forgiving Lies #1
Source: Edelweiss

Description from Goodreads:
A matter of secrets...
Undercover cop Logan "Kash" Ryan can't afford a distraction like his new neighbor Rachel Masters, even if she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. To catch a serial killer, he needs to stay focused, yet all he can think about is the feisty, long-legged coed whose guarded nature intrigues him

A matter of lies...
Deceived and hurt before, Rachel would rather be a single, crazy cat lady than trust another guy, especially a gorgeous, tattooed bad boy with a Harley, like Kash. But when his liquid-steel eyes meet hers, it takes all of Rachel's will-power to stop herself from exploring his hot body with her own.

A matter of love...
As much as they try to keep it platonic, the friction between them sparks an irresistible heat that soon consumes them. Can Kash keep Rachel's heart and her life safe even as he risks his own? Will she be able to forgive his lies ... or will she run when she discovers the dangerous truth? 

I spent a majority of February in a reading slump. Not so much because I didn't have anything good to read--actually it was because of the opposite. I had so much awesome stuff to read and I couldn't stick to any one thing. Then I picked up Forgiving Lies and I was hooked. 

Now, the hooking was actually more of a process than a thing that happened the moment I started reading the book. The very beginning is a lot of background information, which isn't outright boring or anything, but it didn't exactly enthrall me either. So I started the book in January, where I got through the nitty gritty of the beginning, and then picked it back up around the end of February, which was when this book saved me from the deep hole of my slump.

Aside from the very beginning, Forgiving Lies had me thoroughly engaged in the life and happenings of these characters. The mystery aspect wasn't very mysterious, but the sweet romance and amusing banter made up for that. It takes some well-worked characters to make up completely for a slacking facet of the plot, and Molly McAdams really did a wonderful job writing characters that I certainly wanted to spend time with. 

Rachel was a great heroine. She was a victim, but she didn't play it up. She was strong and resolute, and even though she has her issues, they aren't over the top and annoying. They're just how she is, and I was okay with that. Kash was also a great character. I loved being in his head, and his struggles were something I remained interested in throughout the whole story. And just his thoughts in general. He is such a genuinely good person, and I respect him so much for that. He is also attractive. I respect that as well.

Throughout the novel, I slowly but surely fell in love with Molly McAdams' writing. The book may have started out flimsy, but it definitely worked its way up by the time the end was upon us. I also think Molly did a marvelous job of portraying Rachel's situation with Blake. I could see how Rachel's logic went, and that whole ordeal was very realistic, which is something that I'm not usually convinced of when events such as this are added into stories.

The ending to Forgiving Lies is a total cliffhanger. I'm not even going to pretend anything else. It's a refreshing cliffhanger, though. I was certainly clamoring for the next book, but I also appreciated the great build-up to where the story left off. 

Overall, Forgiving Lies is a great story, and I'm glad I chose this one as my first to wade into Molly McAdams' wonderful writing. She creates believable characters that I grew fond of, sweet romance that made me giggle, and a story as a whole that drew me in more and more as it went on. I am way more than excited to dive into my next book by Molly McAdams! 

*Actual Rating: 3.5 hearts, but I'm rounding up*