Tag: Contemporary Romance (Page 32 of 97)

BOOK REVIEW: Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

March 20, 2019 / Chelsea / 4 Comments

Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.

Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship...

This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?

**ARC sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I won’t lie to you guys-I begged for this book. It wasn’t classy. It wasn’t dignified. And it was honestly a bit pathetic-but IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT. This book? It’s gold. I loved every minute of it.

I was sitting in Tennessee, on vacation, and legitimately had zero time to read. My daughter has always been a peculiar sleeper, and the circumstances of our vacation led to my husband and I’s sanity to be tested. She’s turning two this month-don’t make me cry-and really only began sleeping in her own crib every night in October. It was a miracle-I never have questioned it, and I refuse to look back. But, that being said, we have finally gotten used to sleeping alone again, and it’s glorious, to be honest. What’s not glorious? Sharing a bed with your now used-to-her-own-bed toddler.

To say we got no sleep? Yeah. VASTLY downplayed. SO, seeing as I got a beautiful physical ARC (I took three physical ARCs, don’t know WHAT I was thinking) I was SOL when it came to speed reading at night as I’ve come accustomed to again. But, luckily, my saint of a husband offered to help her nap every day, and I got to read for two hours or so every day off and on, pending my family’s interruptions (there were aplenty)(and let’s be clear-he only offered this because it was MY family and who doesn’t need a break from in-laws lol he’s no saint. I lie).

That being said-I picked this book up and DEVOURED IT in less than three days. Quite a feat, if you ask me, what with all the interruptions and no time to read! But that’s the power of a Kemmerer book-you know you’re in for a morally gray and addicting ride.

I fell so hard for Rob, because how can you not fall for one of this woman’s main leading men? She creates the most tortured and lonely souls I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, and I love what she did with his character. I literally had to question every motive, every move, every play-yet never wholly disagreed with what he did. That’s a true author-to make you wonder whether something is right or wrong, yet never telling you if it is or isn’t. In all honesty, he was wrong. Every time. But then you would hear his reasoning, see it through his eyes. Live it like he did-and I found myself saying [almost every time] I’d have done that. But that’s the ambiguity of it-It’s for you to decide, and she didn’t make it easy. Each character in this story has a difficult decision to face every day, and I loved reading about these confused and lost souls.

Rob’s father screwed everyone in town over that invested with him, making Rob seem guilty by association since he interned there. Either way, he’s now a social pariah when he used to be the most popular guy in school (it sounds familiar, but it’s done oh so well!). And his home life? It’s terribly sad and without a doubt broke my heart every time he was home or talked/thought about it. Then we have Maegan. ‘Typical overachiever’ and now an outcast besides her best friend. Caught in a scandal and compromising other students in the process, she is deemed lowest of the low, just after one simple mistake when, before, she was simply dubbed a goody-two shoes.

One mistake can change your whole life, the way you’re viewed, and can influence each new decision you have to make, and we get to see what the aftermath is like for both someone who made a one-time mistake that marred their chances of getting into ANY college when they were a shoe-in before, and someone who didn’t do anything wrong, nor know anything about it, yet pays the steady cost of betrayal every day, both at school and, more devastatingly, in his own home.

I always love the star-crossed lover books where a popular guy is paired with an unpopular girl, or vice versa, on a project, so this was right up my alley. Except, here, we have two totally different social groups coming together…but they’re both now outcasts, and I loved the twist on that trope I love so much. And, even more than that, I love that Kemmerer could explore trust among two ‘wrongdoers’, along with betrayal, friendship, attraction-and standing up for what you believe to be right. I loved it. It’s all so convoluted and twisty and turny in the sense that Maegan doesn’t know what to think about Rob, whether he was involved or not, and where his morality is questioned as he finds himself turning into a modern day Robin Hood.

The family relationships and friendships were handled well, in my opinion, and I even thought it was well rounded out…I’m never tough on these situations, though. So long as there is a conflict, characters fighting-both together and separately-to figure out a solution, a resolution to said conflict, and a general mending and moving forward of severed relationships in result to the conflict, I’m happy. And I don’t need the dwelling on it, either, which is where people get mad. They want to hear more, see more, expect more…but it’s YA and relationships are messy-especially with family-people are just too harsh. But to each their own.

There was even a HUGE trigger issue in this book, for me, and it was handled as well and as authentically as I think it could be-that being said, I was satisfied. (view spoiler), thus, a trigger. Literally my only complaint but not really complaint? I wanted a LITTLE more in the epilogue. More HFN than HEA, but I loved it all the same.

So, once again Kemmerer proves why I love her so dearly and makes me a loyal slave and follower. Don’t even question when this comes out if I’ll have it on my shelf-it’s already preordered. And you should do so, too.

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BOOK REVIEW: Vicious (Sinners of Saint #1) by LJ Shen

March 13, 2019 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

Vicious (Sinners of Saint #1)
by L.J. Shen
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Emilia

They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true.The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares. He is a brilliant lawyer. A skilled criminal. A beautiful liar. A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.

Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

Vicious

She is a starving artist. Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom. Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down. She paid the price.

Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate. That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t. So she hates me. Big fucking deal. She better get used to me.

You were always mine.

Not so long ago a friend insisted I read The Kiss Thief. I’d been ignoring it with good reason (that reason being that I’m always always always let down by contemporary NA, it seems), but decided why not? I trust my friend. Thus began my journey through a book I didn’t think I could possibly love, leading to a curiosity that couldn’t be satiated until I got my hands on another of this author’s books-Is this woman my NA soulmate?

My Grandma once told me that love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances.

Turns out? This woman is a wizard, and I am under her spell. I was extremely sick with a savage head cold my Little gave me, and I generally can’t read when such occasions occur. The words are fuzzy, my brain doesn’t compute quick enough, feels are lost when they would have slayed me any other normal day. But. BUT. Somehow, even though the words didn’t go to my brain fast enough, this story broke through the fog and STILL gave me feels that were unparalleled to any NA I’ve read in recent memory. THAT is the work of something larger than myself, and I love this author for it. Bravo for being the first and ONLY author to write a book that broke through a sickness induced word coma.

I shook my head quickly. “I’m just not sure how you can be both nice and compassionate and a terrible asshole all at the same time,” I muttered.
He smiled. “It’s a hard job, but someone’s gotta do it.”

I loved The Kiss Thief-more than was safe for my own health-but when I picked up this book? It sang to my soul and dragged me down into the watery grave of obsession, because I literally could not get enough of each word spoken on every page. It was like there weren’t enough words, yet they were all so perfect no more could be said. Which is the best kind of predicament to be in, naturally, for a book DEVOURER such as me. But now, of course, I’ve spiraled into a void I can’t get out of, because literally no other book is going to compare now. Like, ugh.

The bottom line was I hated him. I hated him so much it made me sick to my stomach that I loved the way he looked, on and off the field. Hated my shallowness, my foolishness, at loving the way his square, hard jaw ticked when he fought a smile. I hated that I loved the smart, witty things that came out of his mouth when he spoke in class. Hated that he was a cynical realist while I was a hopeless idealist, and still, I loved every thought he uttered aloud. And I hated that once a week, every week, my heart did crazy things in my chest because I suspected he might be him.

I have to say that this book is way more trigger-happy for people than TKT ever was, which is why I told my friend to probably stay away from this one. What ignites my passion and hunger would surely repulse any sane human being-or, at least, my said friend. Vicious was…well….freaking vicious. He was crueler, less sane, and way colder to reach his goals. And, if I think about it, der??? It shocked me at first, but then I remembered something-Senator Wolfe Keaton was underhanded and dirty, sure, but he was, above all else, a good standing and well-liked politician of the public’s eye. OBVIOUSLY these two characters differ, seeing as Barron (Vicious) was just, well, a spoiled, self-entitled, destructive both physically and mentally, partying rich boy brat.

Vicious was right. I was a liar.
Because I told myself I could do casual.
When there was nothing casual about what I felt for him. Not even one bit.

Clearly a misguided (and yes, I’ll go there-misunderstood) soul, I couldn’t help but fall for him, now could I? This book gave me the closest/strongest vibes that reminded me of one of my favorite books of all time (Yes, I have issues), Punk 57, that I’ve had in a while. They’re nothing alike, yet, the back and forth, the anger, the savageness, the filthy, hot, dirty sex scenes. Come on. I’m a f****** goner, ya know? I’m TRASH for these types of books (not the sex, I just mean the enemies to lovers mixed with the story line and heat), and they are just so few and far between. And, while I loved TKT, that was technically older-ish, whereas this was, too, but we got that HS vibe as well, that underlying layer of why things were the way they were between these two, and I am so here for it. All of it. Even the bad, dirty, nasty. Because of it, even.

I love possessive dickheads in books. I do. I’m sorry. I’m a failure to womankind, surely, but I. Do. Not. Care. It’s alarmingly hot, okay?

Mine.
You’re mine.
You were always mine.
Because she was mine.

Yes to this? All of it? Can I read more of it? And I’m a sucker for it. No shame in my game, and judge as you will, cuz this chick ain’t a changin’.

But, besides all of this, I suppose this is a more ‘sophisticated’ (baha this book as sophisticated) way of me being able to enjoy YA without being considered kind of weird. It’s a past and present deal, which I generally loathe, yet it was done so frikkin’ well that, after my initial disappointment, I totally forgot because the book took me out of my own body and into their skewed version of the world, and I fell so in love none of my peeves mattered. I loved this book, wholly, and I now would not change one thing about it because-be still my beating heart-I consumed it and would re-read it in a second just to get the same feels again.

I realize that this isn’t necessarily realistic-it’s not-and that if a girl were in this situation, she obviously would need to RUN AND RUN FAST…but isn’t that what fiction is? A fantasy? A way to escape the world? No, I would not want a Barron Spencer chasing after me-he’s batshit crazy, okay-but to read about it? To just immerse myself into a nonexistent world? I dig it. It’s fun. It’s addicting as hell. And it’s shameful. But it’s my guilty pleasure read-I hardly read any of these all year long, tending to fall prey to my YA fantasies-and I am entitled to it now and again. No, I don’t think it’s a good book to let my daughter-or any young girl, for that matter-read. But it’s simple. I won’t suggest she read it. There. It’s easy, honestly-monitor what your kid reads as much as you can, and teach them what’s right and what’s wrong. It’s all we can do-the book won’t cease to exist no matter how much some people may will it , so as long as I do the best as I can for my children, then I may as well enjoy what this author has to offer-and it’s pure gold.

Yet here he was, in my house, in my room, near my bed. Even if he’d come here just to threaten me some more, he’d still made the trip. I got to him.
He was in my veins.
But I’d managed to crawl under his skin.

Now that that’s out of the way-this woman writes the hottest intimate scenes ever. At least, the hottest I’ve read in a while. And the ones from this book? They made me a total and utter mess. It was sick and depraved and I do not give one crap about it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been affected by a book in such a manner, and I’m almost (but not really) ashamed to admit…this one got to me. And I’m not even one to generally enjoy these scenes, because they scarcely measure up. But this woman? Wow. That’s all I can say without sounding like a total pervert lol.

All in all this book had it’s ups and downs, I suppose (for some), but I never once lost enjoyment, even through my hazy fog days. I looked forward to it every minute of the day I wasn’t reading it and didn’t want to put it down until I absolutely had to. To say this book gave me life when I was down and out would be an understatement, so I’ll go as far as to say it brought me back to life. There. BOOM. I said it. It made me unsick, and if that’s not worth a read, I don’t know what is.

***********

So. Fucking. Good.

RTC

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BOOK REVIEW: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

February 24, 2019 / Arielle / 4 Comments

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Amy, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

Review:

It PHYSICALLY pains me to say that this is not in the running for one of my favorite Christina Lauren books. You better believe that I had been stalking NetGalley for the last few weeks, hoping to see this cover pop up. I was SO excited to find out that I was approved on the first day in YEARS that I had a snow day, too. I loved Olive and Ethan and when I first read the synopsis about this being a hate-to-love featuring a pretend marriage…mmmm…I figured this would be a recipe for perfection.

That wasn’t exactly the case. Overall this book was still good and I still laughed out loud many, many times. I mean during a good chunk I was actually rocking my daughter, trying to get her down for a nap, and it was getting physically hard to hold in my laughter and not wake her up haha. I loved reading about their time in Hawaii together. The banter and their chemistry was great as always. The only part about this book that caused me to pause and knock off a star..maybe a star and a half, was purely a personal preference thing. It was a situation towards the end involving “the conflict” between Olive and Ethan..and even Olive’s sister..that really rubbed me the wrong way. View Spoiler »This similar type of situation bothers me in every romance though, so there’s a good chance that it won’t affect a lot of people’s views on the book overall. Like I said, still a hilarious, sexy, finish-in-a-day because of the addictive writing kind of book…it just wasn’t meant for me like most of their other ones!

Also, random side note–I am obsessed with this cover. Even though it wasn’t one of my top favorites I think I still need to buy it to brighten up my bookshelves at home, lol.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this eARC that was given in exchange for an honest review! ♥

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0 (The Boyfriend Whisperer #2) by Linda Budzinski

February 18, 2019 / Arielle / 12 Comments

I am excited to be participating in this blog tour, introducing the second book in her Boyfriend Whisperer series, The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0! If you're looking for a fun and sweet contemporary with lovable characters and hilarious banter, I would definitely give this one a try!

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0 (The Boyfriend Whisperer #2) by Linda Budzinski

The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0 (The Boyfriend Whisperer #2)
by Linda Budzinski
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Alicea Springer was Boyfriend Whisperer Enterprises’ top success story. That is, until her dream date, Ty Walker, dumped her a week before prom. Now it’s senior year, and Alicea has taken over the business and given it an upgrade using an automated matchmaking program designed to help her classmates find their perfect match.

Alicea has no interest in using the program herself. She already knows who her perfect match is … Ty. She doesn’t need an app to tell her that (or worse, match her up with someone else). In a moment of weakness, Alicea allows her friends to convince her to give the program a try. To her horror, it matches her with the last boy on earth she'd ever want to date — Darius Groves, the class deadbeat.

When she and Darius are paired up for a class project, Alicea learns there's more to him than his bad reputation. But the more she spends time with Darius, the more she questions their match. They have so little in common. Why did her program match them?

Can Alicea defy the odds and make a match of her own heart’s desire? Or will the matchmaker remained unmatched?

Review:

Before this book I swear I haven’t read a YA contemporary in what feels like ages. Over the last few years I’ve kind of stopped trying because a) a lot of them lately seem to be pretty morose and dealing with suicide and that’s just not something I really want to get into and b) now that I’m in my late 20s and a mom I feel like I can relate more to the parents of these characters than the actual characters themselves. I don’t want to ruin the book because I’m spending too much time thinking about all of the dumb decisions that the MC is making and wondering why the parents are never around and don’t seem to realize their children always being shady lolol.

ANYWAYSSSS, when Linda approached me asking if I wanted to read and review this early, I said sure, why not! I like staying up to date with all YA genres so I can recommend things better to people at the library and lately, like I said, I’ve been lacking in the contemporary department. This really was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the writing and it was a simple but sweet story that I flew through in a day. While I found myself getting super annoyed at Alicea’s hangup with Ty for the first half of the book (because why she thought she couldn’t do any better is beyond me–but again, high school), when she finally made the decision to leave that idiot behind for Darius, I was satisfied. I loved Darius’s interactions and relationship with his sister, Jaycee too! I don’t know if this is a trope, per say, but I do enjoy when the love interest has a younger sibling that ends up really liking the girl and they end up having a sweet relationship. Darius was probably actually my favorite character in the whole book. He was always sweet, had some unique interests, and was funny, too. This book does have its share of dramatic teens (well mainly just Alicea, lol) but it’s nothing out of the ordinary that really impacted my thoughts of the book. Overall, if you’re looking for a sweet, quick YA contemporary, give this one a try!

Big thanks to Linda Budzinski and Swoon Romance for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review ♥

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About Linda Budzinski:

Linda Budzinski is the author of four young adult novels, all published by Swoon Romance YA: The Boyfriend Whisperer and The Boyfriend Whisperer 2.0, Em & Em, and The Funeral Singer. When she’s not writing, she works in nonprofit communications and outreach. She lives in Northern Virginia with my husband, Joe, and is active with her church’s youth group. She’s a sucker for romance and reality TV and has been known to turn off her phone’s ringer when watching “The Bachelor.” Her favorite flower is the daisy, her favorite food is chocolate, and her favorite song is “Amazing Grace.”

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REVIEW, GIVEAWAY & EXCERPT: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

January 24, 2019 / Jen / 7 Comments

I absolutely loved Only A Breath Apart and I’m so thankful to be on this tour! So check out my 5 Star Review below and enter a fabulous giveaway! Enjoy!

REVIEW, GIVEAWAY & EXCERPT: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
They say your destiny is carved in stone. But some destinies are meant to be broken.

The only curse Jesse Lachlin believes in is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year.

A fortuneteller tells Scarlett she's psychic, but what is real is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape, but only if she can rely on the one boy who broke her heart.

Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings, but as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…

Review:

Only a Breath Apart was a beautifully, emotional story. It held my heart in the palm of its hand and I kept finding moments here and there that stole my breath away. This book was filled with heartfelt characters and friendship, love, forgiveness, bravery and finding oneself was a huge part of this story. If you’ve never picked up a Katie McGarry book, know that one of my favorite things about her stories are the characters she creates. They always feel so real, it’s like I could reach into the pages and touch them. So yes, I definitely recommend this book! It’s one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

I loved him once—the way a six-year-old loves with abandon. I loved him how I once loved myself. Jesse was freedom when so much of my life meant confinement. He was laughter during dark nights, he was the warrior who scared the monsters under my bed away . . . he was my friend.

Stepping into this story, I was already gutted within those first two chapters. We jumped back in time and got to see Jesse Lachlan and Scarlett Copeland as children. While they were both from extremely broken homes, as children they always had each other. Jesse and Scarlett were not only neighbors, but best friends too. It hurt to watch them both witness abuse and I could feel their fear pouring off the pages. I was heartbroken with how hard their lives already were. But years later, we caught up with them when they were 17. And while they were both still in a world of pain, they were no longer friends with one another.

Jesse has done this a handful of times since our freshman year. Glance at me as if I’m someone worth looking at, someone worth laughing with a little too loud and smiling with a little too much. Then he remembers who I am and snaps his gaze to someone else.
But he’s not looking away now.

From one event, Scarlett bridged the gap between them and set them on a path. One that was filled with hope, redemption, heartache, friendship and even the possibility of love. Hold on though, because it was definitely not an easy path. Not only do they have their own personal struggles, but there was distance between them. Even with that distance, when Scarlett and Jesse had the tiniest amount of interaction, I was smiling and sighing out loud. I just wanted them both to find happiness, and I knew they could find it in each other.

Scarlett lifts her head and smiles . . . at me. It’s a gentle smile, and one that causes a spike of excitement in my blood . It’s as if the sun has melted off her outer shell and has revealed the girl I once knew, and a woman I want to get to know.

Scarlett was a girl who made me feel every single emotion she did. I felt suffocated by the way her father treated her and in other moments her fear consumed me. Chills ran down my back and the hair stood up on my arm. I found myself terrified for Scarlett and the life she was stuck in. Thankfully, she started to find her voice and I was so proud of her. Scarlett was strong, resilient, loving and I kept hoping her life would change. That every moment could feel like when she was with Jesse. Because when Scarlett was with Jesse, it felt like she could be breathe.

The breeze plays with the ends of her hair, and I capture that moment. A snapshot of something I want to remember. Scarlett’s back on my land. My friend. My foe. The person who used to push me, compete with me and made me alive. My Tink.

Jesse captured my heart by listening, helping and always caring for Scarlett when she came back into his life. While I had my guess for why he shut her out his freshman year, I was still upset with him. That didn’t affect that I loved him with my whole heart and soul. I quickly connected with Jesse, just like Scarlett. They both struggled and saw more in their lifetime than anyone should. But Jesse had a family curse and he was fighting to keep what belonged to him. His land. As the story unfolded it became evident that if Scarlett and Jesse both wanted what they desperately needed, they’d have to work together.

“Scarlett, there are two times that I can breathe in deeply without wincing in pain, and being with you is one of them. If I could, I’d keep you here forever.”

My third favorite person in this story was Glory Gardner. She was a distant cousin to Jesse and played such an important role in Scarlett and Jesse’s life. I don’t want to say what role she played, but Glory fascinated me with her tarot cards and being able to converse with the spirits. So I kept hoping that she would lead Jesse and Scarlet into happier times. Because they more than deserved it!

His fingers trail up and down my arm and the sensation tickles, causing pleasing goose bumps along my skin. There’s a safety that radiates from his touch. A safety I wish I could take with me wherever I go.

Only a Breath Apart was so easy to devour, even with the story constantly pulling on my heart. So many times I’d go from smiles, to having my heart in my throat and then to having tears pour down my face. It was such an emotional book. So when I finished that last page, I was so thankful that I stepped into Jesse and Scarlett’s lives. Now I can’t wait to devour whatever Katie McGarry writes next!

PS I’d love a look into the future! If Jesse and Scarlett ever have a novella about where the road takes them, I’d one click that so fast!

Here are a few more of my favorite quotes:

Each time I think it’s impossible for my heart to hurt any more than it already does, it finds another painfully imaginative way to twist. – Scarlett

Second star on the right. I haven’t been Tink to his Peter Pan for a long time. But watching Jesse head off to the land the two of us conquered in battles that belonged in our heads creates a sense of nostalgia I can’t ignore. I start for the land that calls to Jesse, the land that used to call to me. It’s definitely time for an adventure.

I hate myself because I wish I could feel. I wish I were normal. I wish I wasn’t me.- Scarlett

I will always risk everything to save her. She didn’t know it then. She doesn’t know it now. Scarlett once said she was empty. I’ve never been empty. I’ve been loved, and I’ve loved in return, but I don’t do it with many. She was one of the few. Still is. Always will be.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by Macmillan-Tor/Forge. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Excerpt:

[scroll-box]

~SCARLETT~

Evangeline fans herself. “That boy is hot.”

Hot isn’t exactly the word I would use for him. Hot somehow feels…lacking. Hot is for some boy in our gym class who has recently grown facial hair. Jess Lachlin is no boy. He has fire-red hair, a sun kissed tan from all the hours working on his land, deep green eyes and a body made to handle rough, rugged days.

I might have been ignoring Jesse for years, but I’ve seen him. Every girl in this school has gone out of her way to drive or walk along one of the country roads to watch Jesse as he works his land. Living across the street, I’ve had a front-row view. His shirt off, drenched in sweat, muscles rippling as he moves, the way he sometimes pauses in his front yard and looks across the road as if he knows I’m watching. A fluttering in my chest and then—

“Would you date him?” Evangeline asks.

“No.” Camila’s answer is swift. “And it’s not like he dates anyone. Except for his friends, the boy is a recluse.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” The kneejerk question surprises even me when it pops out of my mouth. Camila and Evangeline look at me as if those were the first words I’d ever spoken. If I could hide under the circulation desk without making this moment worse, I would.

“Besides the fact he’s cursed and anyone a Lachlin falls in love with drops dead?” Camila walks toward me and Evangeline follows. Camila watches me with more curiosity than I care for, but it’s nice that she’s moving the conversation in my direction. “Jesse’s a train wreck, and he taints anyone in his vicinity. Dating him would be a social, emotional and literal death sentence.”

I’m familiar with the curse, and it’s no truer than Glory and her prophesies. “That sounds melodramatic.”

“It’s not.” Camila has a swear-to-God seriousness to her. “Mom and Dad had Bible study at our house last night, and Pastor Hughes came. Everyone thought I was in the basement, but I went to the kitchen for something to drink, and I heard Pastor Hughes ask everyone what they knew about Jesse.”

Eavesdropping. How Camila.

“Did you know that before Veronica started hanging with Jesse that she was on track to be a concert pianist?” Camila says.

“Seriously?” Evangeline tilts her head in disbelief, and I’ll admit to putting down my cell.

“Seriously. And Leo Wheeling was a star soccer player, predicted to be the first freshman to play varsity for our high school, and then he started hanging out with Jesse.”

Faint middle school memories of hearing Leo’s name over the announcements regarding soccer emerge in my mind.

“Then someone said that before Nazareth Kravitz moved here, he had taken the ACT in the seventh grade and received a perfect score. He moved here, met Jesse and the rest is history.”

Nazareth sleeps through most of our classes, that is, when he bothers showing for school.

I nibble on my bottom lip as I’m not sure how much I like the Jesse-is-the-devil enthusiasm. I may share the opinion, but that doesn’t mean anyone else should.

“Of course, then there’s Jesse himself. Drinking, drugs.”

“The fights,” Evangeline pipes in.

“Don’t forget the suspensions—”

“And he’s been arrested!” Evangeline finishes Camila’s statement like the two share a brain. Her eyes sparkle like that precious piece of scandalous gossip was just too good not to spread.

“The boy is a walking disaster,” Camila continues. “Anyone who hangs out with him wants to become a loser. It doesn’t matter he’s going to be a millionaire once he sells his grandmother’s land. Anyone who spends time with Jesse is asking for hurt.”

“And death.”

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^{About Katie McGarry:}

Katie is the author of the PUSHING THE LIMITS series, THUNDER ROAD series, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, and the upcoming YA novel, ONLY A BREATH APART. Her novels have received starred reviews, critical acclaim and have won multiple awards including being a multiple Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for YA Fiction, multiple RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Award Finalist for Best YA Fiction, including a win in the category, and she was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick.

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