Category: Review (Page 47 of 276)

BOOK REVIEW: The Bad Boy’s Good Girl by Cookie O’Gorman & Michelle Pennington

June 10, 2022 / Jen / 4 Comments

The Bad Boy's Good Girl by Cookie O'Gorman, Michelle Pennington
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Logan King was trouble.

I knew it from the moment I laid eyes on him. But when I challenged him, I had no idea he'd take his revenge so far.

To make up for his inexcusable behavior, his parents gave me a scholarship to King's Prep Academy. My mom insisted that I accept. Now, I'm the poor, public school girl attending an elite academy for the rich.

Even worse, Logan is here. He rules the school, and he wants me gone.

But I have a dream to chase, and no one, not even a King, will stop me.

Review:

The Bad Boy’s Good Girl was an enemies to lovers that was addictive, swoon worthy and beyond intoxicating! From that very first page I was hooked! This story took place at an academy and I loved being lost in their world and lives. Deals were made. Secrets took place. And it all made this book impossible to put down! If you love young adult romance or academy books then you definitely need this one on your tbr!

In a sea of perfection, she strode confidently in her scuffed checkered Vans with her head held high—messy, falling-down bun and all.

Ava Deluca ended up in a twisted situation that landed her at King’s Prep Academy. It was a dream school to attend and would help her reach the stars with her love of art. Yet, there was one huge hiccup. She got a scholarship there to make up for Logan King’s actions to her mother, and her. Logan was not one to be messed with. He could be the devil, and Ava found herself right in his cross-hairs.

I knew I should’ve been sorry or scared— or both.
But I wasn’t.
Justice had been served, and I couldn’t regret it.

Logan came across as beyond conceited, spoiled and he seemed to see the worst in certain people. So when Ava landed in Logan’s world, she gave it right back to him as good as he gave it. While that made him pause, it set off a chain reaction for their enemies to lovers relationship. Logan always got what he wanted, and unfortunately he wanted Ava gone from his school. But I held out all the hope. Because there were tiny flickers of another Logan, or maybe it was a side of him I wanted him to be. I wasn’t sure. Regardless, I held out hope that he had a heart buried underneath it all. And as we slowly got to witness who Logan truly was, I fell hard!

“Did you need something?” I asked . “Or are you here to annoy me as usual?”
“Funny, isn’t it?” he said. “That’s the same word I associate with you. An annoyance I just can’t seem to get rid of.”

I loved Ava right away! She had so much fire and sass. She also had a ton of heart too, and I loved her relationship with her mom! But at King’s Prep Academy, Ava quickly realized she was in over her head. The girls there were beyond mean and viscous. The bullying Ava experienced broke my heart! It seemed that she was trying to be wrecked at every single turn. But regardless, Ava kept her head up and still had her kindness. Which turned her situation around in a way I didn’t expect, yet entirely loved! That moment of kindness transformed her future and I couldn’t read this book fast enough to see what happened next!

“You know what?” she asked softly. When I didn’t answer, she blazed ahead anyway. “I don’t think you’re as bad as you try to be.”

Ava and Logan together were like a storm that you never knew which way it would blow. I loved their banter and that Ava wouldn’t back down. She would go head to head with Logan and wasn’t afraid of his games. And even when they hurt each other, I still loved every single one of their moments on the pages! The passion between them was so intense. While they definitely wanted to hate the other, they couldn’t not be attracted to each other too. So when help coming from unlikely sources, and the lengths those went to protect others, it just made this book that much more addictive! And payback?! Eeps, I can’t even! It was all so perfect!

How do you get close to a girl when there are a million reasons she should stay as far away from you as she possibly can?

The Bad Boy’s Good Girl was an addictive, young adult romance that many will absolutely love! With friendships, romance and family laced throughout the pages it made this book an instant favorite! And with a strong enemies to lovers vibe set at an academy, I was obsessed! Now I’m just needing more stories from this world please! Could Logan’s sister or Chris be next? I hope!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Office Date by Rachel Van Dyken

June 9, 2022 / Jen / 4 Comments

Office Date by Rachel Van Dyken
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
I’ve known Jack my entire life.
We went from being high school enemies to making out one fateful night at college to him being a giant D and making me cry.
Now we’re both interns at the same company.
Mortal enemy interns.

So when the chance pops up to finally beat him at something, to land my dream job plus a bonus? I don’t even blink.

I’m in. All in.
I mean, how hard can it be?
The managers say it’s like the Olympics for interns. All we have to do is play a few silly games, and if we win—our futures are unicorns and free wine for all.
The only problem? Jack’s my partner, and in order to win, we will have to get along.

As the stakes get higher, so does the heat, and damn is he hot when he’s… never mind. I can focus. I can totally focus and not make out with him or end up in his bed—again.
I can do it.
For the sake of my career, I can do it.
I just need a blindfold, sage, and a lot of prayers.

My job is the only thing I have right now. My focus is strong.
But when that stupid guy smiles, all I can think about is that one kiss, followed by the second, and I wonder if my priorities are in order or if I’m falling for the enemy once again.

Review:

Are there hidden cameras?
What do I even do right now? I lean forward.
“This can’t be legal.”

Office Date was binge worthy and a ton of fun! Rachel Van Dyken has done it again! She wrote another fabulous enemies to lovers and forced proximity that I loved! So if you adore sexy, new adult romance that will keep you laughing from start to finish then you definitely need Office Date in your life!

I sucker punch him in the stomach.
It was instinct!
He starts coughing and falls to the floor, yelling, “Whyyyyyyy?” like I just committed murder.
Whatever.
I kick him lightly. “You’re fine; stop being dramatic!”

Ivy and Jack had hated each other forever. Not only did they have a disaster of a kiss in high school, but remained steadfast in their hatred through college. Now they were at an internship together. And even though Jack knew how to push Ivy’s buttons like a pro and Ivy got irritated with Jack so easily, they both were attracted to each another. When they found themselves in an office style non-death hunger game situation lol, they both needed to work together to win the top two spots for their dream jobs!

“You’ll be living across the hall from each other, we couldn’t swing the whole roommate thing again, but you will be spending the next two weeks together as if you’re…”
Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.
“Dating.”
“Fuck!” I say, then realize I said it out loud.
When a heel drives into the top of my foot seconds later.

Jack was my favorite! He was the king of screwing with Ivy, and he could be such an ass. But I was obsessed with him since we got half of the book in his point of view. And his thoughts?! They cracked me up or made me sigh out loud. I loved hearing Ivy’s voice too and how she assessed a situation. But listening to the both of them, you got to see that they each had so many layers. Their pasts, dreams and goals shaped who they were now. And they truly didn’t know the other person. So I was beyond ecstatic that they not only had to live right by each other but that they had to work together to win!

“How are you so cruel?” I cling to her. “Who hurt you?”
She shoves me off her. “Oh, some big giant idiot in college, but I’m over it.”
“I’m not,” I say under my breath, making her own catch.

The games Ivy and Jack found themselves in were over the top! Again! This is the second annual Emory Games, and you can read about the first in Office Hate. You don’t have to read that book first before this one, but oh my gosh I love that story so much and can’t recommend it enough! During these new games, childhood fears reappeared and it didn’t matter how irrational they were. There were moments I knew I shouldn’t be laughing at them, but I couldn’t stop. And the motivation they gave each other to win *dying laughing*, it was sooooooo inappropriate but so perfect too! I knew it was just a matter of time before Jack and Ivy would cross the line, and when they did *fans face* it was so hot!

His eyes flicker to my lips.
“Question.”
“What now?”
“If I kiss you, will you slap me?”
I grin. “This sounds like a fun game.”
“Be serious.”
“I am.” I lean in. “Care to test it out?”
“How hard do you slap?”
“How good do you kiss?”
He smirks. “Ah, a challenge?”
“I like to win.”
“Maybe we both win…”

Office Date was a fun, lighthearted, laugh out loud hilarious book. If you’re looking for a story to pick up at the beach, this is it! I can easily see myself reading it again! Plus the ending was so cute and left a smile on my face! Now I’m wondering if there will be the third annual Emory Games someday *fingers crossed*…….

She’s my perfect partner in crime, and I don’t want to let her go.

PS Max is as eccentric as ever and poor Dustin lol.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Shadow Princess (Zodiac Academy #4) by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

June 7, 2022 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Shadow Princess (Zodiac Academy #4)
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
After the events of the Lunar Eclipse, Tory and Darcy must learn to deal with the darkness which shadows their lives.

With a secret binding them to Darius and Orion, they must find a way to all work together for the greater good. But some things are easier said than done...

A review of feels.

Annddd *SCENE*

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The Reckoning (Zodiac Academy #3) by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

June 3, 2022 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

The Reckoning (Zodiac Academy #3)
by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
The answer to your question will be revealed on the Lunar Eclipse. But when finding the truth, don't let the shadows take you.

The week of The Reckoning has begun. And senior students have been tasked with making the freshmen's lives pure hell as they prepare to take their fateful assessment.

With the Lunar Eclipse on the horizon, Tory and Darcy have more to worry about than just passing their exams. A dark plot is unfolding and the shadows are drawing closer...

The way these books have hooked their talons into me and gotten me through one of the roughest months of my life is no joke. Favorite book to date (And yes I am unabashedly on book 5).

#selfie

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BOOK REVIEW: The Mask Falling (The Bone Season #4) by Samantha Shannon

June 1, 2022 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

BOOK REVIEW: The Mask Falling (The Bone Season #4) by Samantha Shannon The Mask Falling (The Bone Season #4)
by Samantha Shannon
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Dreamwalker Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and consigned to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between those factions that seek Scion's downfall and those who would kill to protect the Rephaim's puppet empire.

The mysterious Domino Program has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim-her former enemy-at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. Her risks promise high reward: the Parisian underworld could yield the means to escalate her rebellion to outright war.

As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige must fight her own memories after her ordeal at the hands of Scion. Meanwhile, she strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But there are those who know the revolution began with them-and could end with them...

I had no idea what would befall me in this new theatre of war. What names and faces I would wear. Who I might become.
If I had, I might have turned back.

All. The. Feels. Exhilaration is in high demand with short supply, as of late, and I felt every excruciating moment in the marrow of my bones. And man…Man this woman can hold out on us fans when it comes to romance. Never have I been so desperate for a fucking kiss in my whole life (I mean…yes…okay…I am who I am but still she tortured us).

“Clearly yours is the superior intellect, Paige—”
“Well, I didn’t want to say—”
“—but you still cannot best me at chess.” He set down his white bishop. “Checkmate.”
I stared at the board. “You . . . infuriating bastard.”

And that’s just what sets this apart, isn’t it? Not a moment is rushed, not a situation forced. She literally will play out every. Single. Plot Point. Until she has written the best possible scenario in the most thought provoking way. I admit it is tedious at times and not without its flaws, but these books were built up in such a manner that I can’t call them anything less than a masterpiece. This woman, who apparently takes forever and a day to write her novels (please Jesus be with me), has covered everything down to the finest details.

“I am of the considered opinion that for every person, there exists a book that will sing to them. I trust that you will find yours.”

I kid you not when I say that I get just plain ANGRY when an author teases something we all desperately want to know…then it is NEVER mentioned again. What the actual cinnamon toast f*** is that? So, naturally, something was said in, I believe, book three that held all the eternal answers to my deepest rooted heart song and then…nothing. And, since she takes so long to write, I was terrified it was gone forever because how could she remember to add that when she has SO MUCH INFO SHE ADDS TO EACH NOVEL. Not. SO. She came in like a freaking WRECKING BALL and flat out SLAYED my emotional libido and crushed the last of my fangirl resolve (I was hanging on by a thread, truly) and I. Freaked. The FUCK. Out.

So…yes. We do, in fact, get to find out what we so desperately want to hear…or at least I did…but not without destructing my soul and leaving it laying in pieces all over the dagnab floor.

I just simply cannot convey how deeply this last book engrained itself in my soul. I am nothing if not consistent, and a thought-provoking, mind-blowing, and well-paced and played out story is simply my kryptonite. I literally had so much I wanted to say, and, as it always seems to go, my mind emptied into stuttering sentences with no direction the minute I started this review. It’s such a travesty, really. This book deserves so much more than rabid fangirling.

“And you believe your fatigue no longer presents an issue.”
“I’m fine.”
“The darkness under your eyes serves as compelling evidence of that. As does the full bowl of coffee.”
I cocked my head. “Did you just master sarcasm?”
“Paige.”

Warden and Paige have literally been through Hell and back-both of them. And it seems that book after book we are left in tatters as they fight against villains and allies alike. The twists and turns that are crafted into these novels are just…my god it’s mind-boggling. I don’t know how the author keeps it straight. Though, that being said, I worry for the future books. How many times can they be captured, etc, to meet the needs of those who they are working with/for. My bloodthirsty self is all in because, truly, there is no amount of both physical and mental torture I cannot withstand and absorb like a sponge.

“Exquisite,” he said, soft as velvet. “But no. The blood-sovereign would be very angry if I damaged your aura.”
Tenderly, like a lover, he peeled the brace off my left hand.
“This happened in the first colony.” He curled his own hand around my wrist. “Can it truly still pain you?”
“Not as much as your fucking voice,” I bit out.

It’s my favorite thing, the hero or heroine getting his or herself captured, and the other trying to save them…peril…whatever. If the h/h are getting pummeled or captured or what-have-you, I am right there lapping it up.

I realize, though, that many are not built like me. I NEED these moments for emotional engagement, for something to root for-because yes, I love a good book with people/friends around and building up to something great, but more often than not that all falls flat and we are left with a build up that lead us nowhere and a wait for the next book that feels insurmountable. So. Yeah. I enjoy the capturing and the torture and the pained forbidden romance that

has been decaying me slowly from the inside out because we get bang for our buck-if this bitch (me) is waiting two-three years between books, best believe I expect pain. Madness. And quite a bit of desperation,

To end this…I have to say it. I was almost done. I mean…I guess it’s my fault reading them back to back… but how can you STOP when you are so desperate for answers and for things to happen? But yes, with so many characters fading in and out, you tend to get a bit bogged down. When you are begging for something to happen and it just…won’t…and you keep having these people being introduced and new revolutions YES that shit gets bogged down and YES I was not getting what I wanted but ALSO I WAS just not…how I wanted.

Strange how a feeling could blossom where once there had been nothing. Then again, I had never felt nothing for Arcturus Mesarthim. Never been indifferent to him. From the instant our eyes had met, we had reacted, like fire and kindling. First with fear and hatred, then a quiet respect, and then something else. Something that had never stopped burning.

I know. I’m a basket case. I was getting slow burn but dayum that flame almost went out. When we so desperately need something (ie more), it can tend to shade your viewpoint, and it doesn’t help I was so busy last week for my daughter’s birthday. So, I was close to done, as I was getting detached even though I love it so so much. Don’t worry…that last half??? IT IS WORTH EVERY. SINGLE. AGONIZING. MOMENT.

I had precious little knowledge of desire, but I knew it now. I knew its name.

Unless you’re not a real one…which I cannot help you with that.

I had to see the depths before I jumped. I only seemed to want someone—to truly want them—when I cared for them too much to run. I wanted in ways that would always have consequences.

All that being said, this series has such a beautiful balance. We need the softness. The tenderness. Paige goes through a LOT in books 1-4…I can’t imagine if this author just gave her nothing. No rest. No moments. And even with all that…she still gets minimum recovery. Always. And, even though she KILLS me with her steadfastness to being the leader she needs to be, that is why I love Paige. She’s just an awesome heroine chock-full of heart and unable to be the bastard she really needs to become to truly succeed. We need that softness…but we also need those hard moments, too. And Paige has all that in spades. I sure hope that my random reviews do something for you-because without a little nudging, this book I’ve been circling for YEARS would have never been read. I hope you can find enjoyment in it as I have, because it’s nothing short of mind-blowing.

Morals, O my lovely, are for the lucky ones.

*****

Only one gif comes to mind when I picture my reading experience as this crazy crescendo of an end unfolded:

To say that it was impossible for me to function whilst reading this is an understatement. And for the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long…I whipped out the white knuckle cliffy tag.

RTC

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