Tag: Contemporary Romance (Page 55 of 95)

BOOK REVIEW – Flat-Out Love (Flat-Out Love #1) by Jessica Park

January 7, 2016 / Anna

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
omething is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Congrats, Flat-Out Love. Welcome to the very limited circle of books I hated. Say hello to The Perfect Game for me, would you?

Buddy read with Kat (click to read her review), who saved my sanity (thanks for the support through this!!)

But because my inner circle of doom rewards its members as they deserve, let’s start with little awards, ‘kay?

But first of all…….. Music!

► It comes as no surprise that Julie easily earns the most insufferable ès judgmental heroine medal for her endless efforts throughout the story. The jury was really impressed by the abilities she showed in being a disrespectful and arrogant friend and daughter.

Here’s a little presentation of her greatest deeds : Indeed through her constant inner monologues, we see her unfailing perseverance in making fun of others, whether she thinks they’re dumb, lame, or annoying. Kudos for never forgetting that everyone and everything is beneath her.

✘ About her former friends : “Now she was out of small-town Ohio, out of that below average high school, and out of a social circle dominated by girls blindly cheering on their sports boyfriends.”

✘ About her ex-boyfriend : “Speaking of Jared, Julie wondered what he was doing right now. Probably sporting a toga and doing keg stands at the miserable state university he was attending. She hoped he was lost in a crowd of dumb jocks and getting rejected by every busty, tank-top-wearing, fake-tanned airhead he hit on.”

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

✘ About random girls she doesn’t even know (but hey, she listened to their vocal messages, I’m sure it counts somewhere) : “She didn’t know if she was jealous of that fourth roommate or not. That Sally sounded an awful lot like the perky-yet-vacant crowd she’d left behind at home. On the other hand, there was something to be said about for a core gaggle of girls who would love nothing more than to order pizza, do each others’ hair, and watch tawdry reality shows.”

Wow. She got all these details out of the way the girl says hello on her vocal message? I’m really impressed.

✘ Her conversations with Matt, the son of the family welcoming her in their house, are full of “witty” bullying and aggressive remarks the poor guy never deserved.

“Let’s discuss your choice of attire for the evening.”
Matt hit the touchpad a few times. “Really? What aspects would you like to discuss?”
“Let’s discuss how lame it is.“

This is just fantastic, isn’t it? Don’t you see how CLEVER and WITTY she is? What do you mean, you DON’T? Come on. Don’t be like that. Not to mention that she does think about his life, too. Well, she doesn’t want to invite him to come along when she goes out because, well, duh, he’s so freaking beneath her (can you please follow?) but she considers keeping an eye on his sister someday to give him the occasion to attend a party. How’s that for best roommate ever, huh?

“Not that he looked like the sort who was aching to do keg stands in a frat house, but still. There might be a physics bee some Friday night, and he could return home with a nice ribbon for having spelled “coulomb” or “neutralino” correctly“

Again, so freaking WITTY and CLEVER.

✘ About her mother, in a text message : “Mom is OK. A little… lacking depth, maybe? But nice.”

Don’t worry though, because she really wants to help Celeste, the daughter of the house who is going through difficult times. Indeed she decides to take her under her wing, and manages to develop a bond between them without never making me care. That’s an achievement to behold really. What can I say, I guess that telling me that she cares isn’t enough for me to believe her. Come on. We’re talking about self-absorbed Julie here.

See, I have no problem with unlikeable characters, as soon as their behavior is acknowledged as being offensive. Never, at any point, is she called on her shit. Am I supposed to think that belittling everything and everyone is okay? That being plain bully with someone we just met is okay? That talking about a family welcoming you with your professor of psychology is okay? FUCK NO.

To be honest, at one point Kat and I considered the possibility that Julie suffered from a mental-illness because the distortion between what we see and what she describes is freaking HUGE. Don’t bother wondering, that’s not the plot twist (more about that later).

► For the unrealistic and over-the-top quirky conversations, Flat-Out Love wins the award of the most unbelievable and fake set of characters. Woohoo!

Look, I always considered myself as a nerd but by no means could I relate – or connect, at least – with any of these characters. Their interactions are ridiculous, roll-eyes worthy and more generally, completely unbelievable. Jessica Park’s writing isn’t bad, but she tries way too much to convey a sense of oddity. Her characters aren’t weird, they’re freaking cyborgs.

► Finally, for the predictable, “I-saw-it-coming-at-20%” plot “twist”, I’d like to offer Flat-Out Love the Golden Globe of easy roads. I’m sorry, but when the big revelation is obvious from 20%, I consider myself insulted in my intelligence.

☻ ☻ ☻ Now, because I want to prove that I’m not one to hold a grudge, I prepared several little games about that *cough* ridiculous *cough* story. You’re welcome. *blows kiss*

Find the words!

Complete the sentences!

Cryptogram puzzle!

Answer : View Spoiler » « Hide Spoiler

BOOK REVIEW – Love Show by Audrey Bell

January 3, 2016 / Anna

Love Show by Audrey Bell
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Hadley Arrington is the career-driven Editor-in-Chief of her university’s prestigious newspaper. Jack Diamond is a laid back student whose good looks have made things even easier than they need to be. She’s the girl who came out of nowhere and kissed him in the rain. He’s the boy who made her do something crazy.

When the stakes seem too high, they have to decide if they’ll let their love show or if they’ll walk away for good.

► If someone had told me that the first book I’d fall in love with in 2016 would be a New Adult romance, I would have nicely but intently told them to stop fucking with me.

I would have been wrong.

~~I’ll write a real review as soon as I can sleep a few hours – hey, it’s 5 am over there – but I wanted to share some thoughts before my overanalyzing mind gets a hold on me~~. Sleep I did. It didn’t change anything.

Perfect this book isn’t: it is in a great need of editing, and the writing is awkward (cheesy ? Stereotypical?) at times. The characters are far from free of stereotypes, especially David, Hadley’s gay best-friend. When we take an unflinging look at the plot, what we see screams typical NA romance.

Except typical NA romance it is not.

As far as peeves are concerned, I have several that I know I can’t overlook. They aren’t there.

✘ There’s no slut-shaming and not an ounce of girl hate.

✘ There’s no asshole as a hero but an ADORABLE male lead with whom I fell hopelessly in love almost instantly. I mean, Jack is funny, considerate, loyal, and really, I couldn’t get enough of him. So, yeah, I can see how people would say that he’s not believable. But fuck that. FUCK. THAT. All men aren’t broken/controlling jerk/assholes, and many behave in such an adorable way when they’re falling in love with someone. Not to mention that he has his own flaws – he’s just not as intent on showing them that our regular NA jerkface. Also, he makes jokes about Titanic. It does count.

“I smiled at him. “And you slept over. Again.” (…)
“You made me.”
“I don’t remember that.”
“Well,” he said. “You don’t remember very much. Do you? Jack, I’ll never let go,”, he mimicked.
“Oh god.”
“Never let go.”
“I don’t believe you,” I said, even though I totally believed him.
“Jack!” he mimicked.”

I fucking love this guy.

✘ Hadley isn’t flawless either and have her annoying (and indecisive) sides but she’s in no need of saving. She hasn’t been raped or abused. So, okay, she has rules. Like a tons of rules.

”No presents. Definitely no flowers. I’m not doing your laundry, making you cookies, or coming to your formal. Don’t ask me too,” I said. I cocked my head. “No dates. No romantic comedies. No sleep-overs. No saying I love you. No buying me drinks. No Valentine’s Day, nicknames, baby talk, chocolate, or Taylor Swit concerts.”

Yet as much as I wanted to strangle her sometimes, I can’t deny that I really appreciated the fact that she was driven and independent. THANK YOU. I am an overachiever. I am annoying. I’m sure happy that people around me see that being a workalcohic doesn’t begin to define who am I. That’s why I could relate to her.

✘ There’s neither love triangle nor instalove, and their struggles are realistic – how to know what we’re willing to put above everything else? This is not as easy as it sounds, trust me. Hadley and Jack both have their dreams, and they’re not so ready to abandon them – I love them even more for that. Despite the somewhat cheesy writing at times, the situations are real: who never waited to be drunk to send text messages? You’re so not allowed to say never.

What about their banter? Loved it.

► To sum-up :
– The writing feels sometimes cheesy and forced.
– The characters and the story are not exempts of stereotypes.

+ You’re in for a good laugh.
+ The male-lead is adorable and heart-warming.
+ The MC doesn’t feel the need to bitch about other girls.
+ The MC doesn’t forget her dreams as soon as she meets the hero.
+ Their banter is fantastic.
+ There’s no pointless drama (some families issues and questioning about the future, that’s all)
+ They have FRIENDS.

In the end, reading a book is like making a deal, don’t you think? I asked Love Show to make me smile and care. If my 5 am ramblings should tell you something, it’s that it delivered. I mean, I actually clutched the damn book to my chest. Several times. So what if the writing isn’t always great? I can say without doubt that right now, I don’t care, and my daytime self will have to chill out and deal with it (you chill out! I still don’t give a damn!)

After that creepy note where I talk about myself in third person, I’ll tell you one last thing: don’t read Love Show if you’re looking for an original and thought-provoking book. If you want to spend a couple of hours smiling and start the year surrounded by heart-warming vibes, though?

Do it.

BOOK REVIEW: On the Island (On the Island #1) by Tracey-Garvis-Graves

December 29, 2015 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

On the Island (On the Island #1)
by Tracey Garvis-Graves
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day. T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island.

Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

Christmas present from one of my besties, Jenny. You’s da bestest! ♥

And BUDDY READING WITH MY OTHER JEN! 😛

Yeeeeeahhhh……soooooo, this is me:

And in case you’re wondering, that’s me, sitting alone and pondering where everything went wrong with this book. Everyone adores it, I mean, for real, everyone, and all I could really fall in love with was TJ. So, as it seems, the cheese stands alone.

If it wasn’t for the writing, and a certain event that made my blood boil and me see immediate red, then I assume this might have gotten a 4 or 5-depending on said things being rectified in a Chelsea-friendly manner. I’m actually really not as picky as I sound, but when there is horrid writing from beginning to end, choppy sentences and paragraphs, time lapses, I can’t help but to cringe and feel my book OCD kick in.

“Don’t let go,” I whispered.
“I wasn’t going to.”

I mean….however many years on the island in less than 50%? I don’t know why, but this really bugged me. And the fact that they attempted-Yes, it was attempted, at best-to wrestle a shark (Scoff)? Come. The fuck. On. I mean…..really??

When I realized she wasn’t pissed at me, I smiled and said, “You know what, Anna? You’re all right.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I really was looking for your REO Speedwagon T-shirt, but I can’t find it.”
“It’s hanging on the line. It should be dry.”
“Thanks.”
“Sure. Just don’t smell my underwear anymore, okay?”
“You saw that, huh?”
“Yeah.”

But there were absolutely adorable moments as well, things that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. I mean, there was TJ, for instance, another book boy that I wish I could lift out of this story and place into another one. And then there was their precious pet who, thanks to my newly adopted life style, really hit close to home and took permanent residence in my heart. And even their relationship was absolutely adorable-I just couldn’t stomach the writing. And, as everyone knows about me, sometimes I just. Can’t. Get past. The writing.

“What’s wrong?” T.J. asked.
“I won’t always look like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m thirteen years older than you, and I’m getting older every day. I won’t always look like this.”
“I know that, Anna. But if you think I only care about what you look like, then you don’t know me as well as I thought you did.”

So, you know, I could keep spouting about the unbelievability of this story…or accept it for what it was and admit I enjoyed it quite immensely. There were so many great ideas, yet they were poorly executed. And as much as I would have adored this, there were just two things that really got under my skin that hindered my love of the story. And, many times, it made me more sad than happy-that was a big factor in my rating, as well. When I put it down, I forgot about it, and when I finished, I was happy, but still pissed. So….I give three stars for TJ and their adorable love and relationship. But with 50% in Chicago..this story severely suffered. I’m so sad this wasn’t an instant favorite for me. And, I’m sorry, but it all comes down to one simple fact: The writing and chunky time lapses were more tragic than their plane wreck.

Sorry not sorry.

Oh hey, but here are some parting survival pictures, though, of my favorite castaway. He copes in the only way he can…

“We’re optimistic, Ira and I” >.<

View all my reviews

BOOK REVIEW – On the Island (On the Island #1) by Tracey Garvis-Graves

December 28, 2015 / Jen / 6 Comments

On the Island (On the Island #1)
by Tracey Garvis-Graves
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher desperately in need of adventure. Worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that’s going nowhere, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring sixteen-year-old T.J.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year.

Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan’s summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover that they’re stranded on an uninhabited island.

At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

Review:

*Buddy Read with my fabulous friend, Chelsea*

On the Island was an enthralling story that always kept me guessing what was going to happen next. It was easy to become stranded on the island with TJ and Anna, and I found myself finishing the book faster than I wanted to. But throughout the story, I kept wishing that the writing was a little different. It felt flat at times and always left me desiring more. I was nervous that it would affect my attachment to TJ and Anna, but luckily it didn’t. But then again, I wasn’t able to fall head over heels in love with the story. Nonetheless, On the Island was a fast-paced story that kept me entertained and had me swooning over TJ.

“You make me feel safe,” I whispered.
“You are safe.”
I gave in to the pull of sleep and the escape it offered, but seconds before I drifted off completely, I could have sworn T.J.’s lips brushed mine in the sweetest and softest of kisses.

Anna was hired to spend the summer tutoring TJ, to get him caught up in his school work, since he had just beaten cancer. But both of their summers took a turn that no one saw coming. While on their way to TJs family’s vacation spot, their pilot had a heart attack and they crashlanded in shark infested waters. They found themselves on a deserted island, in the Maldives, with challenges at every turn.

“We live here now.”

While Anna was 30 and TJ was almost 17, romance and love was the furthest thing from their minds. Not only did Anna view TJ as a 16 year old kid, but their most pressing matters were food, water and shelter. And so many of those didn’t come easily to them. They were met by so many obstacles in their new lives, and the reprieves they did receive never felt long enough. But as their time on the island continued, they forged a deep friendship that was based on trust and respect. They relied solely on each other for survival and companionship, and that created a beautiful friendship.

If we were in Chicago, I wouldn’t stand a chance with her. But I was starting to wonder if, here on the island, I might.

While I liked Anna for her pragmatic approach to life, my favorite was TJ by far! He was the sweetest person in the world. And as time passed, we got to watch him grow into a man. A man who became impossible for Anna to ignore. A man whose bold actions and swoon worthy gestures made us both smile. His need to take care of Anna made me easily fall for him, and I couldn’t help but root that Anna was able to see the man that was right in front of her.

I didn’t know if I could make it without her. The sound of her voice, her smile, her—those were the things that made living on the island bearable. I held her a little tighter and thought if she woke up I might tell her that. She didn’t though. She sighed in her sleep, and eventually I drifted off.

On the Island was such a fun book. I’m a little sad that I wasn’t completely blown away, but as I said before I struggled at times with the writing. I craved so much more, and at times their voices did sound a little similar. But I did enjoy the characters she created and how the story progressed. So I will try one of her most recent books in hopes that the writing has changed a tad and has become more enticing. Fingers crossed!

BOOK REVIEW: Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sisters #1) by Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie

December 23, 2015 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

Kiss the Sky

BOOK REVIEW: Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sisters #1) by Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie

Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sisters #1)
by Becca Ritchie, Krista Ritchie
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Virgin. Sex addict. Daredevil. Alcoholic. Smartass … Jackass. Her five friends are about to be filmed. Reality TV, be prepared.

Rose Calloway thought she had everything under control. At twenty-three, she’s a Princeton graduate, an Academic Bowl champion, a fashion designer and the daughter of a Fortune 500 mogul. But with a sex addict as a sister and roommate, nothing comes easy.

After accepting help from a producer, Rose agrees to have her life filmed for a reality television show. The Hollywood exec is her last chance to revive her struggling fashion line, and boundaries begin to blur as she’s forced to make nice with a man who always has his way.

Twenty-four-year-old Connor Cobalt is a guy who bulldozes weak men. He’s confident, smart-as-hell and lives with his equally ambitious girlfriend, Rose Calloway. Connor has to find a way to protect Rose without ruining the show. Or else the producer will get what Connor has always wanted—Rose’s virginity.

This New Adult Romance can be described as Friends meets The Real World. Expect fist fights, drugs, sex of varying degrees, crude humor and competitive alpha males. Definitely for mature readers audiences only.

People hope to touch the sky. I dream of kissing it.
-Connor

Let’s get this out real fucking quick: This book, this man, this story stole my heart. I know it’s been a lucrative year for me, good book wise, but that’s because I’ve surrounded myself with people who truly know me, my tastes, my obsessions, and, most importantly, my dislikes. And, while this has been on my TBR for probably a couple years, I never took the plunge. Why is that, you ask? All because of the reason I mentioned above-no one I knew loved it enough for me to do so. It’s not enough to have a fandom behind a series, because, let’s face it, that fandom would jump off a cliff for said series, and they just can’t be trusted-sorry. And it’s not because they’re lying about how good the series is-it’s really not that simple, because every opinion is subjective. And herein lies the problem: I have wanted so badly to read this book, but haven’t had enough ammo and found that it went against a number of my rules. Well, and excuse my French here, GR friends, because I’m going to be frank-I ABOUT FUCKING LOST OUT.

I let go of Rose and take a step forward. “We haven’t formally met,” I say, holding out my hand. “I’m Connor Cobalt. The guy whose girlfriend you want to fuck. And just so you understand, the odds don’t look good for you.”

If my dear, sweet, Rose-like (haha) Anna hadn’t have read this, I bet this would have sat on my TBR shelf another two years. But, as it is, she made me buy this. She pushed me to give this a try. Her reasoning?? Oh come on, now. Anyone who knows me and reads my reviews enough can probably guess a variation of what I’m about to say, but here it goes anyway: ‘Bu-bu-but…Connor…’ Or wait, am I mistaken? Wasn’t it more like: CONNOR. THAT IS ALL. Either way, it’s fucking clear. She knows me well enough to know that I would see past all the bull shit and drama (honestly it wasn’t what I expected, there wasn’t that much) and fall for the beautiful man that can’t love-Connor Cobalt.

I try to imagine a life without Rose and I see something gray, something motionless-a world without time and a place without color. I see mundane and dreary and lackluster.
I can’t lose her.
Not for anything.

And it’s true, I do have a lot of book pet peeves, and the list seems to become more excessive with each passing month rather than shrinking as I’d hoped it would. But sometimes the barest needs trump the pesky idiosyncracies that come with the territory of reading so many books. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes….the best books are hiding in your worst nightmare.

I had no one before Rose. No true friends. No family, not really.
Now I have her. I have people I care about. People that I want to protect.
Now I have everything.
The only thing about having everything is that you can lose it all.

And that worst nightmare is a fucking reality show type story (says the blurb, but I say hogwash) with a NA label, an addiction label, and a set of flawed characters that have either scared everyone away or drawn them to an inexplicable high that can only be flamed when a new book in the series is released. I chose to give the series a fair chance by starting with the story that appealed to me most, skipping the more depressing predecessors that scared some of my closest and best friends away. I may be taking risks and calling December my ‘fuck it, I need permanent BBF wins’ month and throwing my bookish inhibitions out the window, but I don’t want to commit book suicide and depress the shit out of myself right before the holidays-and my BDAY-AND VACAY-YAY ME. And even though I didn’t get the build up to Connor and Rose’s tentative relationship and battles from previous books, I couldn’t be happier with what I chose to do, because the minute these words were uttered (and if you read the book you know the context and just who he is talking to): “Suck. My. Cock.” I was a goner. I was in deep shit. I was utterly, completely, inexplicably Connor’s…and that was only in the prologue.

I meet those fierce yellow-green eyes. Even in the wake of my pain, she has this resilience that’s more beautiful than words can describe. It’s fire to my water. And I want her to burn me alive.

And one would think I was jumping to fangirly conclusions, but to that I say, you know, wait just a second there, Fella. Because, again, inexplicably, my BBF-dar was right on the money as each passing page made my lady boner fill out a little more and become fully erect by chapter two with every new Connor filled page. He had little flaws, sure, things that might have had me running for the hills (ahem, can anyone say diamond collar???) had I not fallen for him before such things arose, but, as it was, it didn’t bother me. In fact, I could have cared less. It certainly didn’t add to the story, but it didn’t deter my ass either. But then here’s the real kicker, and I am not at all shocked to say this, Connor wasn’t the only contributing factor to my bookgasm: Rose was a badass motherfucker as well….and she not only added to the story, but became one of my favorite heroines-say it like it is, Bitch, I got yo’ back.

I roll backwards, and he only grins more. This is not a cat-and-mouse game like he believes. I am not a mouse. And he’s not a cat. Or vice versa. I am the fucking shark, and he’s a lame human in my ocean.

Rose and Connor were perfect for one another, and not in the same ways. She’s the bitch to his peacemaker, she’s the cold virgin to his skilled lovemaking, she can love even as he claims love is inconsequential, she’s the business savvy, intelligent, competitive ass to his…well, they are the same on that front, but you get the point.

Rose Calloway was different. She was fashionable. But not a sorority girl. She was a genius on paper. But not a team player. She was quick to loathe others. But not against loving.
She was a complicated equation that didn’t need to be solved.

I could maybe understand how people wouldn’t connect with the say-it-like-it-is Rose who gets in people’s faces and snaps her fingers at the drop of a hat, but I did. I loved her. I thought it was comical, her prowess, her knowledge of all things business and things I will never know or understand. But there was an empowering feeling to it, as well, seeing her match word for word with Connor and not backing down on anything…

I hear the criticism already. And I don’t wilt by it. I’m just angry.
So bring it on, motherfuckers. Try to hurt me. Because I won’t let you.

but I think I’m forgetting my favorite part of Connor (they’re all my favorite, but whatever you get it), and all it did was make me love his cockiness on the outside even more.

She holds up a warning finger at me. “Don’t you dare say do you like what you see? I will break up with you right here if you utter those fucking stupid words.”
I laugh into a wider grin and say, “I don’t have to ask you, Rose. I already know you do.”
She pushes me lightly in the chest and tries not to share my smile. “Why am I with you? You’re so conceited, arrogant-“
“Narcissistic,” I add, “attractive, lovable, brilliant.”
“That wasn’t an invitation for you to compliment yourself.”

Connor had a gentleness to him that truly fleshed out his character and made him into such a circumvent character that my poor little heart had no chance whatsoever. His dedication, loyalty, and adoration for Rose stole my heart, and in those moments when people weren’t looking-and better yet, even when they were-he became someone who would die for the woman he….well….adores. Controlled, arrogant, intelligent, cocky, Connor is the poster child for that guy I’d normally want to strangle, but he just…ugh. I can’t even. You don’t understaaaaandddd. He can’t love, or rather, he was raised to believe love isn’t what matters-However you want to explain it. So you think, okay, no jealousy, right? There can’t be. The cool, calm, collected Connor can’t be jealous if he doesn’t love her…

I spent years building barriers and defenses. I could take care of a woman better than any other guy could. But my mother never taught me how to love.

but wrong, WrongwrongwrongwrongWRONG. Everything is a game, who can win, who is best, who will get the girl….but it isn’t, not really. Not for Connor. He plays it like it’s not about him loving her, that his goal is only to devirginize her (again, not really, that’s such a small piece of what Connor could be like), but when the cameras stop rolling, when the show airs or he hears things that people say about her or when he thinks Rose is threatened or he might lose her…the real Connor slips, his façade starts to fade, and we begin to see just how deeply he *ahem* adores her, and just how much he’d give up to be by her side. And, I assure you, that was certainly not in the blurb.

I rub her back, the water slowly turning lukewarm. As she rests on my lap, something strong grips my heart. I’ve never been so possessed by another person before. She consumes my body and mind in ways that I can’t articulate.

Speaking of: That is one of the shittiest blurbs I’ve ever read. That blurb doesn’t do this book justice. I won’t elaborate, but just know that there was so much more that should have been said, or maybe even not said, I don’t know.

I near her, cupping her face with large rough hands. I stare down into her yellow-green eyes. “You’re not a pit stop. You’re my finish line. There’s no one after you.” I kiss her powerfully, my tongue parting her lips, and she responds. But not as much as I hoped. So I break apart and add, “I want you for eternity, not for a brief moment in time.”

And yeah, there were parts that might have lagged??? I don’t know, because I’ve been very sick, unfortunately, and it was the kind of sick that drained you and you couldn’t read after the day was over because your eyes just wouldn’t let you. So, yeah, I lost connection at times and it truly broke my heart, because this is one of my absolute favorites and that stunted my enjoyment and maybe even my judgment a little, but it should also say something. Even after reading only two chapters a night for a while, this still got a five. C’mon now, that’s amazing.

I think I hate him now.
“I know you’re glaring and I can’t even see your eyes,” Connor tells me. “Would you call that intuition or magic?”
Well, Connor doesn’t believe in magic. If Hogwarts actually existed I’m sure they’d send an owl to shit on his head.

And, finally, Rose’s addiction: I was kind of obsessed with it, no pun intended. She has a severe case of OCD, needs everything to be spick and span, neat, clean, tidy, organized, you name it. And when something goes wrong, she loses it, and this is where Connor’s adorable sweetness shone through, becoming her knight in shining fucking armor, making all his earlier vulnerabilities that much more endearing. Just…sigh. And yes, I did make something about Rose come full circle back to my boy-shut it.

“Rose,” Connor says, half with worry and half with warning.
I don’t listen. Still holding my wine glass, I squat down in front of the tabby cat. She’s a hostile bitch (like me). She has scratched my arms. Hissed at me. And I swear she pissed on my Jimmy Choos, although I can’t confirm that.

So…phew. That’s it. I could keep going but I think I’ve fangirled enough, yes?? I’ve touched on it’s flaws, possibly forgetting to mention, perhaps, the heir of unbelievability at times and maybe a few things I wish hadn’t happened arising. But other than that, I have nothing more to say lest I bore you with my word vomit. I didn’t dislike Lo and Lily, but I do wonder how the first books are so popular. Lo is sexy, admittedly, but he can be very cruel, making me cringe at times. And Lily was a tad whiney and backwards for me, making them my least favorite couple-HOWEVER-if not only because I need to see young adversaries, Connor and Rose, in the background (don’t let me fool you, that’s totally why) I may someday commit book suicide to see why book one is so depressing. I will run out of Calloway sisters spin-off books eventually, likely before January 2016 has passed, and I’ll definitely be craving them. I’m a glutton for punishment and will probably hate it…and I might not ever get to it, but I might someday look into it-It’s just not completely off the table, is all I am saying. Who knows. I certainly don’t. I mean….I’ve tried literally everything outside of my comfort zone this year, maybe 2016 will make me crazy like Ryke and Daisy (wooohoooooooo, wordplay). 😛

“Kiss the sky with me,” Connor whispers, a beautiful smile pulling his lips, “and don’t ever come down.”

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