Review: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Landline by Rainbow Rowell 
Release Date: July 8th, 2014
Pages: 308
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Review Copy: Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems besides the point now.

Maybe that was always besides the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

I think I should start this review by being completely up front with you guys: I totally cried. Not even because of one specific thing. Like, there wasn't one specific moment where something SO SAD happened and I lost it. It's just that this whole entire novel has this tone to it, this seriousness about it that drew me in and wrung me out. I loved it, and I FELT it. And goodness, I'm going to relive it through re-reads again and again. 

Rainbow Rowell established herself as one of my favorite authors with Fangirl, which is kind of an accomplishment because I generally have a rule of having read at least two books by an author (preferably not in the same series, but that part's not a die-hard deal breaker) before I declare them a favorite. But Rainbow Rowell's writing is magic. Her writing is so absolutely enchanting and beautiful, the moment I started in on Landline I was a goner. I was pulled in and pulled under and I still haven't come up for air. I'm completely under her spell, and I never want to break it.

With this being an adult novel, there's a more serious tone to everything. The main character is seriously facing marriage problems, and everything was seriously happening, and it all just struck this cord in me that kind of hurt in the most fascinating way. The characters were so complex and defined, I can honestly say I loved them all. I loved them all and I sympathized with them all. I could see Georgie's side and I could see Neal's side and I wanted things to work out on both ends. Heck, I NEEDED things to work out on both ends. 

The magical phone aspect was woven into the story perfectly. That so easily could have been construed in a way that took away from the feel of the book, from how heavy everything felt. Instead, it gave me the parts I'm pretty sure I most looked forward to throughout the book. I adored those conversations with Neal. But then, I think I just adored NEAL. He's the kind of guy that I realistically could see myself ending up with--hope I end up with. He's not perfect, but he's great. He's so, so great. 

Romance in this book was achieved through sweetness. Phone conversations with Neal. Flashbacks to things that happened before the actual timeline of the story. Stuff like that, all wrapped up in one big package and aimed directly at my heart. Dear goodness, I loved it. I loved everything about this book, romance included.

Overall, Rainbow Rowell has worked her magic yet again with Landline. With her complex characters, consuming story line, and gorgeous writing, she's woven another story that will not only stick in my mind for a good while--but is now one of my all-time favorites. 

 

Top Ten Blogging Confessions

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish! 

This week's topic: Top Ten Blogging Confessions

My Top Ten* Blogging Confessions: 

1. I am the absolute worst at keeping a schedule by myself. When it comes to blog tours and whatnot, I'm fine. I have a deadline and I GOT THIS. People are counting on me for that post to be up and I get that bugger up, even if I have to stay up until some unmentionable hour in the morning to make it happen (*cough* possibly today... *cough*) But when it comes to reviews that are all me? I AM TERRIBLE. I keep my reading up just fine, but review-writing/posting on an actual schedule doesn't work very well for me. It just happens when it happens.

2. I read every single comment everyone ever posts on my blog, but I suck at replying. Partly because of TIME, but mostly because I always wonder if anyone actually comes back to check. The blogger comment system thingy doesn't alert you or anything if a person replies, so if you don't come back to see my reply, then you'll never know I replied, and that just makes me sad. (If I started replying, would you come back and look?)

3. I am a mood reader. BIG TIME. I have tried and tried to change this and be the type of person who can have a set TBR who never has to worry about whether or not they've read a book on time to review it. But I just can't. It never fails to end terribly for me. When I FORCE myself to read a book strictly because I want to review it on a certain date, I end up liking that book less than I would have if I'd waited until I was in the mood to read it, and that's just not fair. To anybody. 

4. My list of books I've read? It's a lie. Sort of. Remember what I said in #3? (You should, since you just read it.) I'm a mood reader. I read things when I feel like it, when they look good to me. So let's say I'm on a blog tour and I get this book. It lands in my inbox and I'm all excited about it, happy dancing around the house like a lunatic. But OH WAIT. I'm in the middle of some other book. I'm not breaking that up in the middle and, technically, I shouldn't/don't/wouldn't have time to read the book that just landed in my inbox. So I read it anyway. I read it fast--like in a few hours--but don't mark it on Goodreads or anything. Then, when I'm about to review the book for the blog tour, I re-read it real fast and mark it then. So it's all an illusion because I'm paranoid, as if anyone actually cares when I read what. 

5. I am the most self-conscious person ever. I know, I know. A lot of people read that and are like "HA NO. That's me." But seriously. I am so critical of everything I do, and that kind of doubles as far as blogging goes. I have so many ideas for things, I have so many things I want to do, but I worry so much about how they'll be received. And not even because I think people would think it's stupid. More because I think people just WOULDN'T NOTICE. And that would make me sad.

6. I'm pretty sure I have more blogging friends than real life friends. Which is so sad. I should try to fix this. But I'm not very good with people. I'm the absolute BEST at saying the wrong things, and am so bad at talking about things that other people might like. I'm good at talking with my family, I'm good at talking about books/authors I love, and I'm good at talking about The Walking Dead. And a few other things, but they don't do much for me, either.

7. My bookshelves are almost always a mess. Part of the reason for that is probably the fact that I have too many books for my bookshelves. I have a bunch of stacks in my closet area for the books that don't fit on my shelves--and most of those books are unread. Another part of the reason for this is because I am an obsessive re-reader. Not whole books or anything--I try to keep that to one a month, since I started my monthly re-read (though I need to be sure to do that this month, since I missed June!). I like to re-read my favorite parts of books. Sometimes because I need a laugh, sometimes because I need my heart to flutter, sometimes because I need to cry, and sometimes because I just remembered that one part in that one book and can't concentrate on anything else until I've read that part again. So I'll grab the book, do my little re-read, and then it'll end up in a stack on my bedside table/next to my bed. You could tell what my favorites are if you kept an eye on which books spent more time next to my bed than in their place on the shelf. 

8. I rarely ever--like, so rare that it's in the neighborhood of NEVER--read in silence. I always have music playing. My radio, a CD that I'm in the mood for, or whichever Pandora station I'm currently obsessed with (last was Eminem, now it's Dave Matthews Band). This is how I make such strong connections between some books and specific bands/songs/albums. Paramore's Brand New Eyes album never fails to make me thing of The Vampire Diaries books and other beautiful series by L.J. Smith. Because that's what I listened to as I read them. Lady Gaga's Bad Romance will forever take me back to the third and fourth Night World books by L.J. Smith (and also, Canada). Listening to music just enhances my reading experience, and helps me focus, in a way. 

9. I wish I was better at designing things. I want so badly to have one of those super fabulous blogs, the kind that make you wonder who the eff did that for them and then you find out OH WAIT. They did. HOOOOOOW? I heart the way my blog looks now--which is a huge improvement to how it started out, let me tell you--but still. I also wish I could make better graphics for things and knew more about how to work things like Photoshop and Gimp and whatever to make cool stuff. I just really, really like pretty things.

10. My NetGalley feedback ratio? Is so embarrassing. Like, I can't even. A big part is that I forget to input my reviews. And then all at once I go back to do it all, and end up getting bored after three. So it's a slow going process for me. But the other part is the fact that I have a couple super good autoapprovals and a twitchy finger. And the OTHER part is that I've had my NG account for a while. Like since before I really got a grasp on everything and went cray cray with being able to review things. I was so stupid, and I'm paying for it now, but I'll deal. I mean, how terrible could it be to read a bunch of books and write some reviews? There are worse things. 

I think a lot of people have bad NG ratios, though, right? We're all trying to make ours better. I think that's a big focus of mine this summer. Because why not?

11. I. Feel. So. Much. Pressure. I love blogging. I love it more than I could ever describe. I've made so many friends this way, and I enjoy having a place where people don't think my book talk is stupid. Where people don't get pissed because all I ever seem interested in is reading and books and Jennifer L. Armentrout (yes, this is an argument that has been had in real life--"Oh, it's not about Jennifer L. Armentrout, so clearly you don't want to talk about it." It was a stupid conversation). But goodness, it feels so hard to keep up sometimes. In real life, I tend to be the kind of person who looks in on other people doing their thing. The quiet kid in the back of the classroom laughing at the jokes everyone else makes. That's kind of carried over to me in the blogging world, too. There are so many people and I have so many friends, but it's hard to match up. I haven't read that book everyone else has (but goodness, I'm working on it!), I don't do all the cool stuff everyone else does, I don't have as great of a handle on things as everyone else does, and I'm straight-up not as good at what I do (but I try!). I feel pressure to live up to what everyone else does. And I know it's stupid--I know, I know, I know--but I can't help it. 

Then again, I'm kind of having a pity party right now, aren't I? I need to move on with my life. I liked this post, though. It was a nice little vent. I'll need to do it again sometime. :)

*Eleven

So, what do you think? What are your blogging/bookish confessions? Did you do a TTT post? Link me up! 

Cover Reveal: Losing Track by Trisha Wolfe

CHECK OUT THE COVER TO AUTHOR TRISHA WOLFE'S LOSING TRACK, BOOK TWO IN HER LIVING HEARTWOOD SERIES.

COMING SEPTEMBER 2014!

Sometimes you have to lose your way before finding the right track.

The roar of a bike engine. The vibration between her thighs. The feel of cool darkness kissing her skin as she coasts along twisty back roads at night—Melody Lachlan lives for these things. Ever since Mel and her best friend Darla escaped their small, backwoods town, they’ve traveled the countryside in search of fast rides, tatted bikers, and good times.

A self-proclaimed poet and lover of all things free, Mel views her life as one long bike ride—with pit stops along the way to numb the pain. But she never saw herself as a junkie. Party as hard as you ride. That’s her motto…until a tragic night steals her soul. Then she’s forced to delve below the surface, to where her demons rage.

When she meets recovered drug addict Boone Randall, she’s more likely to deck him than kiss his dimple-adorable face. She doesn’t want his help; doesn’t want to own up to her part in that night. She just wants to do her time and keep her promise to her friend. Yet Boone challenges Mel, and soon she doesn’t mind sharing the road. Only when Boone’s own secret demons threaten their newfound, fragile security, Mel’s course becomes rocky, and she must decide if letting her well-worn track marks fade is worth finding a new path.

Told from Dual point of view from Melody and Boone, this is a New Adult Contemporary Romance intended for readers seventeen years of age and older.

ADD TO GOODREADS

THE DARKEST PART (Bk #1) AVAILABLE TODAY!

Amazon † B&N 

Trisha Wolfe is the author of the YA Steampunk DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing), the NA Historical/Supernatural ASTARTE'S WRATH, and the upcoming YA Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, October 2013. Her NA Dark Fantasy OF SILVER AND BEASTS available May 2013.She's the creator of YA Bound, a promotional site for the Young Adult genre. Also a member of SCWW and The Apocalypsies. Check out www.TrishaWolfe.com for more on her books and bonus material. Follow Trisha on Twitter @TrishWolfe and like her Facebook page for updates.

I WANT THIS BOOK. Like, legit. So flipping bad. And I think this cover is fantastic. I especially love the silhouettes in the title. Pretty sure that's my absolute FAVORITE part of the cover. Now can I just have this book, please? Now? 

What do you think of the cover? Do you love the silhouettes, or do you have a different favorite thing?

Just Couldn't Put it Down July Giveaway Hop

 

There are lots of books I haven't been able to put down, though I enjoyed some more than others. Generally speaking, I had a difficult time putting down my absolute favorite books. You know the ones--The Darkest Minds, the LUX series (and pretty much everything else by JLA), Fire & Flood (and pretty much everything else by Victoria Scott, Scarlett Dawn's Forever Evermore books...stuff like that. 

Rainbow Rowell is another author whose books practically glue themselves to my hands once I start them. And since I'm currently reading Landline, I'm thinking about Rainbow's books that I've read so far--and Levi. LOTS AND LOTS OF LEVI. 

So for this giveaway, I'm spreading the Levi love by giving away a copy of Fangirl! 

 

I know I've given Fangirl away before. I know. Really. I KNOW. But I just can't help myself. When you love a book as much as I adore this book, you can't help but feel the urge to have as many people as possible read it so they can--hopefully--feel your happiness. I want people to read this book so bad. Everyone needs to read it. EVERYONE.

But I do not have the means to ensure that will happen, so instead I have to try little by little.

Like right now. 

- One winner will be randomly selected to receive a copy of Fangirl!

- This giveaway is US only 

- My giveaway policy applies, so please make sure you've given it a glance

- Fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Now hop on, lovelies! :)

Review: Dark Paradise by Angie Sandro

Dark Paradise by Angie Sandro 
Release Date: July 1st, 2014
Pages: 400
Publisher: Forever Yours
Series: Dark Paradise #1
Source: ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
DARK LEGACY

Mala LaCroix has spent her whole life trying to escape her destiny. As the last in a long line of "witch women," she rejects the notion of spirits and hoodoo and instead does her best to blend in. But when she finds a dead body floating in the bayou behind her house, Mala taps into powers she never knew she had. She's haunted by visions of the dead girl, demanding justice and vengeance.

DEADLY SECRETS

Landry Prince has always had a crush on Mala, but when Mala discovers his sister, murdered and marked in some sort of Satanic ritual, he wonders if all the rumors about the LaCroix family are true. Yet after Mala uses her connection to the spirit world to identify his sister's killer, he starts to form his own bond to her . . . a very physical one. As they move closer to each other and closer to the truth, Mala and Landry must risk everything—their families, their love, and even their lives.

Since I've been reading a bunch of contemporary lately, I thought it'd be a good idea to throw something into the mix to change it up. Something paranormal or fantasy or SOMETHING. And I do like magical, witchy stuff. So I decided to pick up Dark Paradise. I'm not entirely certain what I was expecting from this book, but whatever it was, I was so very wrong. It threw me for a complete loop, and I actually really enjoyed that.

The paranormal elements of the story weren't completely apparent right from the start, and they grew as the story progressed. I liked that, since it made it so we were pretty much learning about everything as Mala does. She had some prior knowledge, of course, but the major aspects addressed in this novel were foreign even to her. That fact alone helped make Mala into a protagonist I enjoyed reading. She also had a good sense of humor, and held a pretty confident air. 

The book is dual POV, so Mala only told part of the story. The other half went to Landry, a guy who's had something of a crush on Mala for a while. Not an instalove crush, more like a crush where he knew he was attracted to her and wanted to know her better. I actually really loved that. It added more of a conflict once the events of the novel started going down, but it was also just plain cute. Landry was a nice, charming guy. I liked the time spent in his mind, and found his perspective to be highly valuable as I made it farther into the book.

Plot-wise, Dark Paradise ended up more mysterious than I'd anticipated. I planned to go into this and read a fun paranormal story and instead spent loads of time pointing my finger at people who could have been the murderer. Mixed with the paranormal elements, I must admit I had some fun with that. I was suspicious of just about everyone, and then decided that I KNEW who did it...and then I was wrong. I wasn't entirely shocked, but it was nice to be wrong. 

As far as romance goes...as much as this conflicts me, there is a love triangle. I tried to deny it throughout something close to the entirety of the novel, but I can't be in denial anymore. It's a triangle. And I am FIRMLY Team Landry. I think. Because looking at that preview for book 2 made me feel like I may waver later on. But for now, I heart Landry. He's a good guy, and he and Mala made a great couple. Their romance crept up on me, and I enjoyed it. Landry's crush grew, and Mala started feeling something for someone. It was perfect. I liked Georgie well enough, but I'm not completely sold that he'd make a love interest I could swoon for like I did Landry. 

Overall, Dark Paradise was a well-written, unique story that mixed paranormal, mystery, and a bit of romance perfectly to create a story I absolutely enjoyed. I loved Landry and Mala, and I will definitely be back for the next installment to see where their story takes them next. Though I must admit, I'm nervous as to where that might be. 

Actual Rating: 3.5 hearts 

(But I'm rounding up to 4 because I'm super excited for book 2, which is always a good sign!)

Vote for Remy in the NA Crush Tourney!

Today is the day, y'all! Remy's first match is today and I'd love love LOVE if you could do me a favor and head over to NA Alley and vote for my boy. If you have a minute or two, it would also help me so much if you could tweet/Facebook/etc. to get even more people to vote! If you need more convincing, I'm posting my advocate post below, but it's the same exact thing as the one over at NA Alley, so really you have no reason not to head over, scroll to the bottom, and vote for REMY! ;)

CLICK HERE TO GO VOTE! 

And I added some graphics made by Val from Stuck in Books to my original Team Remy post, if you'd like to share those, as well. (THEY'RE FABULOUS!)

***

Hello, lovelies! I'm Jessica from Just a Booklover, and this year I have the honor of advocating for Remy from the REAL series by Katy Evans. I know some people have read this series while others haven't, but mostly we're here to talk about how kickass Remy is. So I think I should just get to that, yeah?

Let's start with his personality:
He's very alpha, very protective, and when he wants something, he gets it. He's REAL. He's a good guy--a gentle giant would be a great way to describe him. He's determined and works his ass off to reach his dreams. And he'll do anything--ANYTHING--for his Brooke. His girl. His real.

But since my words will never be enough, here are some quotes from the books:
"You're mine and you need me, and I want you to please come the fuck upstairs with me."

In fact, he's so proud and driven that he's relentlessly taught his body to embrace it. He constantly pushes it to the limits, and I think his threshold for pain might be higher than that of any other athlete I've ever met...

He brushes my hair back and strokes my earlobe. "But if I'd known you existed, I'd have hunted you, I'd have caught you, and I'd have taken you."
"But isn't that what you did?" I ask, smiling.
"Exactly"--he bumps my nose with his, his blue eyes laughing--"what I did."

"I'm getting fat because of yo!" I laughingly squeak.
With a low, sexy chuckle, he lists me up as if I were just the pillow, then tosses the pillow aside, only keeping me to kiss. "You're beautiful."

He laughs in that deep, throaty way of his that makes my skin come alive and all the little hairs on my arms rise, then he kisses my lips in that boyfriend way of his where the kiss isn't meant to arouse us--but just to express some sort of connection--then he surveys me with those adorable black eyes that are now shining very, very much in entertainment.

And now, I think we should get some input from the woman who knows him best. Here's what Brooke has to say about Remy and his beautiful personality:

Remy, Remy, Remy, what can I say about the man who stole my heart the moment he leapt out of the ring to chase me? I knew he would sweep me away, I just never knew how deep and endlessly I’d fall for him. I’ve never, ever, met someone as passionate, as dedicated, and as fierce and untamed as Remington Tate. He’s the one man you know will fight for you, and the one man who inspires me to fight for him with teeth and nail, through thick and thin, blue and black, good and bad. I love his gentle heart, his fierce spirit, his relentlessness and the unexpected purity hiding behind his gruff manners. He’s a beast, a lion, a fighter, a father, my love, and the realest thing I’ve ever fought for. ♥

Next up is looks. I'm going to be frank here, y'all. Remy is prime baby-making material. I mean, come ON. Look at him.

He's sexy as hell. Dear goodness. My own words can't even do justice for our blue-eyed lion, so I'm just going to move on to quotes:
My blue-eyed lion.
His black hair stands up devilishly. The inky Celtic bands across his muscled arms flex as he slowly sips on an electrolyte drink. I see his lorious tanned torso. Those sweatpants riding low on his narrow hips and revealing just the tip of his star tattoo. His bare feet. He looks hot, strong, and cuddlable, and the pulsing energy that seems to radiate from his very being feels like a magnet to me.

I admire his torso and his long, strong legs, his sculptured arms, his narrow waist and broad shoulders. Every muscle in his perfect body is so defined that you would know exactly where one structure ends and the next begins if you trailed your fingers along his magnificent form.
And as he turns even more, I see the washboard abs with eight squares--eight! Yes, it is impossible, but he's got them...and his face.
Oh god, I can't even take it.
The scruffy jaw. The brilliant blue eyes. The sexy smirk. The dimples. He's got a smile on his face; his expression, one that tells you he's got a whole lot of trouble planned for the evening and you don't want to miss it, is playful and boyish.

All that was quotes from Brooke, but maybe she has a little final thought on Remy's looks? Brooke?

Remington? I don’t think there will ever be a day when I look at him and not feel weak in the knees. He’s a god in every way and, judging by the female attention he gets, I’m sure he very well knows it! Everything from the glimmering lights in his eyes, to his cocky dimples, to the raspy scruff on his hard jaw, the tan, rippling muscles on his body, his perfect mouth; sometimes I catch myself staring at him unawares, letting myself enjoy his masculine perfection. I could just eat, drink, and breathe Remy Tate and never want anything else, he thrills me, he fills me, and best of all, he loves me.

Remy's a great guy. He loves hard, he fights hard, and he's 100% REAL. To give you more of a taste for our man, check out this video:

That's him. Our Remy. Protective. Strong. Fierce. Loving. REAL.

I cling to Remington, and he tightens his arms around me and slowly rocks me, his entire body shaking almost like my own as he speaks into my ear. "I got you, little firecracker, I got you right here in my arms."

Blow him a kiss, and he'll catch it.

Overcome with the impulse, I blow him a kiss.
He catches it and smashes it to his mouth.

Give him your hand and he'll give it a kiss.

Remington seems to take pity on her and seizes her hand. He buzzes his lips across her knuckles, and she begins to scream hysterically.

Give him your love and he'll love you back.

It hits me like adrenaline, like a shot of tequila that flies straight to your head, the way his fans love him. The way he loves them back. The way he loves me.

He's Remington Tate, people. Our Riptide. He may not be perfect, but he sure as heck is absolutely real.

So vote for Remy! And if you need a little more motivation, here are some final words from Brooke:

RIPTIDE! All the way! Remington not only the best book boyfriend, he makes the most perfect husband. I’m wearing my ‘Riptide’ colors right now. What will you guys be wearing on fight day?

Need even MORE motivation? Heck, even if you don't. Remy himself would like to say a little something:

LET’S KICK SOME ASS.

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

 

Click on the banner above to see the full tour schedule!

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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