Author: Cookie O'Gorman (Page 4 of 4)

BOOK REVIEW – Ninja Girl by Cookie O’Gorman

BOOK REVIEW – Ninja Girl by Cookie O’GormanNinja Girl by Cookie O'Gorman
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Snow-Soon Lee kicks ass--literally. She teaches at her family-owned martial arts gym, The Academy, and cares more about training to be the next Bruce Lee than hooking up. In fact, Snow's never even been kissed. But when Girls Night rolls around, Snow decides to prove to her friends (and herself) that she's not just some boring tomboy. Impulsively, she kisses a hot stranger and even manages to escape his two security guards.

One stolen kiss…

Ash Stryker's senior year sucks. His politician father pulled him out of Chariot High, separating him from his championship-winning soccer team. Now he's stuck at a prissy private school with no friends, no team and no chance of being scouted. On top of that, thanks to the death threats his dad's received, Ash has a security tail aka professional babysitters. When the mystery girl from the movies shows up at his school, rappelling from the rafters, Ash knows one thing: he won't let her get away again.

One interesting job proposition…

After a seemingly random attack, Ash's mother surprises everyone. She hires Snow to be Ash's personal bodyguard until after the election. But can Snow's kick-ass skills hold up against the rising threats to Ash's family? More importantly, can Ash convince his ninja girl to screw ethics and kiss him again?

Opposites attract in this YA romance where a smooth talker meets his match in the tough girl who (literally) sweeps him off his feet. Moral of the story:

Sometimes even bad boys need a bodyguard.

Review:

Ninja Girl was the most adorable story ever.  Seriously, I can’t get over how cute it was!  I picked this book up because I fell madly in love with Adorkable, this author’s first release.  And now I’ve fallen just as hard for her second release, Ninja Girl.  So if you adore ya romance that makes you smile, laugh and leaves you feeling oh so happy, then I highly recommend Ninja Girl!  And Adorkable too, if you haven’t read that one yet.

“Alright, alright,” I shrugged. “You caught me. I’m here for you.”
“Me?” she said in surprise. God, she was cute when she was confused. “Why?”
I couldn’t resist. Leaning in close, my gaze locked on her, I plucked the eyelash from her cheek and blew it off my finger, loving the way her eyes widened. “I just wanted to see you, ninja girl. That so hard to believe?”

Now you have to know, I had already fallen for Ash Stryker in Adorkable.  So I was over the moon happy to hear that he was going to get his own book!  But things have changed since Adorkable ended.  Ash had to move to a new school.  And this one didn’t have a soccer team, soccer’s his passion in life fyi.  As if that wasn’t enough, his father had been receiving threats to get him to drop out of the Senate race.  So security guards had been hired to protect them.  And down the road, Snow would be one of them.

Turning, I said, “Listen, I’m sorry, okay? What happened at the movies was a mistake.”
“So, you’re saying you accidentally jumped into my lap and your lips just fell onto mine? Sounds like the best mistake ever.”

Snow-Swoon Lee met Ash for the first time at the movie theater, when he was with two of his security guards.  The other girls at the theater were making fun of her for being clueless about boys.  Snow knew she was inexperienced, but she wanted to show them she wasn’t as clueless as they thought she was.  So Snow literally dropped in, stole a kiss from Ash, and escaped from his security guards.  It was so fierce and brave, I loved it!  Her confidence over what she could physically do was amazing and made me so proud of her.  It was so easy to like Snow right away.

He looked up suddenly. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“You do?” I asked. “Good Lord, why?”
In answer, he simply shook his head. “Anything that involves you guarding my body can’t be all bad now, can it?”

From that one interaction, leads to more.  And after an attack, Snow got hired to guard and protect Ash at school.  And thanks to getting to alternate between the two of them, we got to hear how much Ash was interested in Snow.  He was determined to kiss her again, but with Snow taking her job seriously it wasn’t going to be easy.   So I kept wondering how Ash was going to get Snow to cave.

“You know, you’re kind of arrogant,” I said.
“And you’re kind of beautiful.” Ash smiled and nodded to the bar while I tried to recover. Who said things like that?

Thankfully Ash was beyond cocky and confident.  He knew exactly what he wanted, and that was Snow.  And Ash wasn’t afraid to let it be known.  So his attempts at even just talking with Snow had me cracking up while also sighing at the same time.  Ash was seductive while also being hilarious without even trying. And I quickly got caught up in his spell!  Granted he made mistakes at times, but I loved that he wasn’t perfect.  It made me love him and his faults that much more.

Min sighed. “Snow-Soon Lee, I love you and your violent ways. You’re the best friend a girl could ask for.”
I hadn’t known how much I needed to hear those words until she said them. “Love you, too, Min.”

Besides Snow and Ash there were so many other wonderful things in the pages.  Such as previous characters, since we got to see Sally and Becks *jumps up and down*.  Also I adored the side characters.  Snow’s best friends Min-Hee and Bae Bae had so much depth.  And if that wasn’t enough, I was shocked to find that I had sweaty palms during some moments.  Wheeeeee that was fun!

Ash Stryker was dangerous, I decided. The small jolts in my stomach could easily turn into a wildfire. I’d have to lock down my shields if I didn’t want to get burned.

So yes I definitely recommend Ninja Girl, plus Adorkable if you haven’t read that yet!  Or if you’ve read Adorkable and loved Ash then there’s a good chance that you’ll fall madly in love with this book too!  Cookie O’Gorman has officially gone onto my favorite authors list, and I can’t wait to read all of her future releases!

P.S. I’m going to throw out a huge random guess that the next book is about Sadie.  Fingers crossed.

Adorkable by Cookie O’ Gorman

Adorkable by Cookie O’ GormanAdorkable by Cookie O'Gorman
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Adorkable (ah-dor-kuh-bul): Descriptive term meaning to be equal parts dorky and adorable. For reference, see Sally Spitz.

Seventeen-year-old Sally Spitz is done with dating. Or at least, she's done with the horrible blind dates/hookups/sneak attacks her matchmaking bestie, Hooker, sets her up on. There's only so much one geek girl and Gryffindor supporter can take.

Her solution: she needs a fake boyfriend. And fast.

Enter Becks, soccer phenom, all-around-hottie, and Sally's best friend practically since birth. When Sally asks Becks to be her F.B.F. (fake boyfriend), Becks is only too happy to be used. He'd do anything for Sal--even if that means giving her PDA lessons in his bedroom, saying she's "more than pretty," and expertly kissing her at parties.

The problem: Sally's been in love with Becks all her life--and he's completely clueless.

This book features two best friends, one special edition Yoda snuggie, countless beneath-the-ear kisses and begs the question:

Who wants a real boyfriend when faking it is so much more fun?

 


“But why? I don’t get it.”

“You don’t have to.”
“But Becks,” she whined, “I don’t understand. Why her?”
“Nothing to understand really,” he said, smiling down at me. “Sal’s my girl. Always has been.”

Adorkable is one of those books that just LOOKS like it’s going to be, well, adorable. Yet, every time I saw it and what people were saying about it, I thought it was going to be cheesy as hell. So, for as long as this has been out, I have passed it up and never marked it on my TBR. Stupid, really, considering all I’m ever looking for is my next addicting YA contemporary that makes me happy even on the saddest of days.


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So it wasn’t until recently that my good friend, Jen, read it and told me my preconceived notions were not only false, but that it was actually better than one of my favorites. To this, I thought, bring it on. Why not? What do I really have to lose in the grand scheme of things. My most anticipated releases of the year are rolling out at full steam (always spring time and early winter, why is that???) and I’m just reading fun books during the week to pass the time. If I didn’t like it, the worst that would happen is that I get to pick up an anticipated release right after. Not a shabby deal.

So I picked up this book immediately, heavy on skepticism, low on give-a-shit. I truly didn’t expect much. But from the moment I picked this up, I knew it was just what I needed. Light-hearted, funny, heavy on swoon…I really had no complaints. Sure, there was a little cheese factor, I mean, all the best books have a little bit of cheese when it comes to teen romance, right? But there was just something so sweet and special about this book. I can’t even begin to explain it.


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It’s definitely the purest form of ‘first love’, the kind where you pine for your best friend (or, I guess, just your guy friends since that’s how I felt in High School) and just know he couldn’t possibly feel the same about you. Cue the eye roll, I know. But that’s what’s so sweet. How couldn’t it be? Aren’t these sometimes the best forms of YA romance, if done correctly? Well, they are to me. And, even better, we get to add in the ‘fake relationship’ trope and this book just got a whole lot more interesting.


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What starts out as a ploy to get her other best friend, Hooker (sigh), to stop setting her up on blind dates becomes much more real, much quicker. Becks does everything in his power to be the alpha boyfriend, the ‘don’t touch my girl’ boyfriend, the one who is wanted by everyone and yet doesn’t want her to grab anyone else’s attention. I mean, we’ve all seen it, right? Hell, that was my husband and I in High School (though, I’d say we were on a pretty level field of ‘don’t you dare fucking look at my girl/guy, takennnnn’). Totally believable.

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As everyone knows, this is like my favorite thing ever, so I was all SQUEEEEEEEs and EEEEEEEEEs as I read, loving every little look Becks gave Spitz (AGAIN, sigh), every secret emotion he revealed not-so-subtlety. Sally was a moron for not seeing it, sorry, but it’s true. And that might be my largest gripe for the whole book. And, come on, why not just say something!!! What’s he going to do, dump your ass as the best friend he’s ever had since SECOND GRADE?! Not hardly.

“There’s only one thing I know—have always known—that I wanted out of life. And it’s you.”

And, for those of you wondering if this just might suit your fancy enough to be your next ‘mindless YA romance’, here are the only triggers I can think of that people get all fussy about (obviously not me. Girl please, I could care less):

-Girl on girl crime, ie, slut shaming
-An extension of that might be calling other girls names (I think? I can’t remember completely)
-Oblivious to the obvious true love thing they have going on
-I suppose everyone has different opinions on cheesiness, so I’ll say that is one thing
-Jealousy where there shouldn’t be, on her part
-A little back and forth (but honestly, this is my biggest pet peeve and I barely think it applies, that’s up to you)
-Dramatic scene before they make up, like every other book

I mean, I feel like I lost my steam there, forgetting what I was going to say for those of you that get bothered by such things (damn pregger brain), but that just goes to show you how little it bothered me. If you know me, and somewhat agree with me on most things, I imagine most of this doesn’t bother you. But for those of you who do get bothered by slut-shaming and have never read my reviews before, I guess I’d say be very aware of that factor…meaning: don’t blame me, ye be warned.

So, I can’t say I disliked anything about this book. From the moment I met Becks, he stole my heart and I ached for the moment I could pick the story up again just to see how much he loved Sally. It was addicting, heart-warming, and, without a doubt, an instant favorite. And, even though it’s completely cliché….this book was absolutely adorable.


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BOOK REVIEW – Adorkable by Cookie O’Gorman

BOOK REVIEW – Adorkable by Cookie O’GormanAdorkable by Cookie O'Gorman
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Adorkable (ah-dor-kuh-bul): Descriptive term meaning to be equal parts dorky and adorable. For reference, see Sally Spitz.

Seventeen-year-old Sally Spitz is done with dating. Or at least, she's done with the horrible blind dates/hookups/sneak attacks her matchmaking bestie, Hooker, sets her up on. There's only so much one geek girl and Gryffindor supporter can take.

Her solution: she needs a fake boyfriend. And fast.

Enter Becks, soccer phenom, all-around-hottie, and Sally's best friend practically since birth. When Sally asks Becks to be her F.B.F. (fake boyfriend), Becks is only too happy to be used. He'd do anything for Sal--even if that means giving her PDA lessons in his bedroom, saying she's "more than pretty," and expertly kissing her at parties.

The problem: Sally's been in love with Becks all her life--and he's completely clueless.

This book features two best friends, one special edition Yoda snuggie, countless beneath-the-ear kisses and begs the question:

Who wants a real boyfriend when faking it is so much more fun?

Review:

Adorkable was filled with laughter, butterfly and smile inducing moments, and I couldn’t get enough of it!  The characters quickly found a place in my heart, and the story-line was so cute!  It involved the fake boyfriend trope, and it was done in a way that made it feel fresh and fun.  So this addicting book easily made its way onto my favorites shelf!

I was so tired of surprises. If I had to meet one more blind date, I would literally go insane.

Just a heads up, nicknames can rub me the wrong way.  But these were hilarious!  Our heroine is Sally Sue Spitz and her classmates call her Spitz.  And her best friend is Lillian Hooker, who Sally calls Hooker.  Loved it!  So Sally was forever single and Hooker, trying to be the best friend ever, always set Sally up on blind dates.  But these weren’t regular blind dates.  Or even regular guys it would seem.  Each and every interaction Sally had with them had me laughing, groaning or doing both out loud.  After a horrible double-double date (you’ll see what I mean lol) gone terribly wrong and a misunderstanding, Sally comes up with the idea that she needs a fake boyfriend.  It was the only way to stop Hooker’s attempts.  So she begged Becks, her best friend forever who’s been in her life since grade school, to be her fake boyfriend.

Ducking, he placed a lingering kiss on the spot right below my ear. The move made my hand shoot out to grip his jersey. Becks laughed silently, little puffs of air hitting my neck, as I shivered.

Becks.  Oh Becks.  He was one of my many favorite things about this book. The way Becks looked at Sally, the way he claimed her as his, the way he protected her, his jealousy, oh my gosh even the way he touched her, it all made my heart beat so fast.  But here’s the confusing part, I had NO clue what he thought at times.  You see, he would say and do these things that would imply that he liked Sally more than just friends, but then again he was just playing a part.  And his words would reinforce that idea. So I desperately wanted to get in that sexy head of his and know all of his thoughts.  Especially when he suggested that they should start practicing….hello butterflies!

“But Becks,” she whined, “I don’t understand. Why her?”
“Nothing to understand really,” he said, smiling down at me. “Sal’s my girl. Always has been.”
As he squeezed my hip, I swear I stopped breathing.

So not only did I adore Becks, but Sally too.  I loved how Sally easily sprinkled Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek etc into her daily life.  She embraced her geekiness, and I loved how she didn’t second guess herself in that regards.  But at the same point, she could be self-conscious.  Especially when it came to her feelings towards Becks.  You see, while Becks was  her BFF, he was also beautiful, smart, a player, a jock and everyone easily loved him.  Including Sally.  Knowing that Sally wanted to be more than friends with Becks put my heart on the line right with her.  I flipped through the pages as fast as possible for both of our stakes!  

“Spitz, the guy’s wearing Chinos, and he tried to shake my hand.” She tugged at one end of her bob. “I found him bent over a book bigger than my head in the sci-fi/fantasy section at Barnes and Noble.”
That sounded suspicious. “And what were you doing in Barnes and Noble?” I asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” she laughed. “I was looking for the male version of you.”
I laughed despite myself. – Spitz (Sally) and Hooker

The only slight hiccup I had, was with Hooker.  I wanted her to be a better friend at times and to listen to Sally more.  But we all have our flaws, and what Hooker thought was best for Sally wasn’t always what was truly the best for her.  The rest of the side characters that helped round out this book felt so real to me.  Including Ash, Sally’s mom and dad, and Beck’s family.  My favorites were Ash, Becks’ fellow soccer teammate and Sally’s fellow classmate and also Clayton, Becks’ oldest brother.  I could easily and happily read a book about each of them!

This one could only end badly, and when it did, it was going to hurt.
A lot.

So if you’re a fan of cute books that leave you with the hugest smile ever, or if you adore the fake boyfriend trope, then I highly recommend you pick up Adorkable!  Now I can’t wait to read future books written by Cookie O’Gorman, since she created characters that were so easy to connect with and love, and of course had a fabulous, addicting story-line too!

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