REVIEW; Accepted Fate, by Charisse Reid

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Drama

Recommend: Yes

SPOILER-FREE

Summary:

17 y/o California girl Kinzleigh Baker doesn't do dating or boys. Planning to never marry and settle down and only focus on her cheerleading career, falling in love is not an option.

But then Breyson Abercrombie visits California for a week and collides with Kinzleigh. Caught by her beauty and innocence, he wants her more than he's ever wanted anyone. She tries to ignore their attraction, but finally agrees to enjoy the week together before he has to return. One rule - no attachments or further contact. 

But then Kinzleigh's world is thrown upside down, and she wonders will she ever get over Breyson, as he tries to get past her. But if it's true love, will their paths collide again? And if so, what other challenges will the pair be faced with?

My Thoughts:

I am guilty of prejudging this book. I'm not a fan of the pageant girl cover and thought Kinzleigh would be a spoilt stuck up character. However, negatives aside, this was a quick easy read, with a new take on young love.


Kinzleigh: She was a rich, gorgeous girl who all the guys fawned over, but she was probably one of the most genuine characters with those traits. She had a great innocent and modesty to her which meant you couldn't help but warm to her. As sweet and honourable to her morals as she was, she was a tad over-dramatic at times. The whole virginal angel routine wore a little thin after a while too - I find it hard to believe any 17 year old (regardless on your opinion of Love) would ignore the attention of all the pining men. 


Breyson: Apart from his jealous side, he was mostly adorable. I liked how it wasn't a "love at first sight, no longer a player," thing, and the gradual build up of attraction he felt whilst battling denial. It seemed more plausible that someone who didn't do relationships met "The One," but took some time to see it, rather than instant conversion. That concept alone earned a star for this book off the bat. Not sure if he'd make it into my Book Boyfriend list as he could be a bit full on, which I felt didn't fit his persona much. Changing his flight back to New Orleans seemed a bit of an excessive action...


Writing: There were a fair amount of typos in this as well as a bad conversion to Kindle format. The layout of letters, or texts etc were all distorted when viewed on my kindle. There was nothing fantastic about the writing itself; all fairly easy-read language and syntax, but the typos got in the way, e.g. "Imaging" instead of "imagining". As for the constant love battle between Kinzleigh and Breyson, it's a bit tedious for half the book reading about their declaration of love and  commitment, especially as they're 17.


Content: I did like this book but there are some issues that I need to mention. It is a very gender stereotyped story, and I suppose can only be related to by people in similar roles in real life. I for one, was not one of them. Both main character's wanted to be in the NFL as footballer and cheerleader. Everything was described about their physical being. The clothes they wore. There was too much emphasis on appearance sake. Have to admit too, a small factor, but the names all annoyed me. I like in a book when there are original names included, but this took it a little too far. Kinzleigh, Breyson, Londyn, Berlyn, Brylee, Konnor, Adalynn... Just made me roll my eyes after a while. Got a bit tedious reading every chapter about how both characters despised love and would never let someone hold their heart blah blah blah. Mention it once or twice but move on. Please. 


Slut-Shaming: I'm tired of books romanticising the virgin and shaming the "slut".  Without getting into it too much, everyone views sex differently. Some as an act of love, others as an act of pleasure. Some view it selfishly, others selflessly. GET OVER IT. I was tired of hearing Presley be portrayed as a slut, and by her best friend. Most of the characters had casual sex with whoever and they aren't harming anyone so why the need to call them out on it? Does that mean anyone that has sex outside of a relationship/marriage is a whore? That's certainly the impression I got from this. 


Ending: Totally unrealistic and way over dramatic. Was heart-wrenching, so had the desired effect, but whatever. Ended with a cliffhanger which most people love to hate.

Overall: 

This turned out a lot more negative than I had anticipated and that was not my goal. But some of the bad points just stuck out a lot more than the positives. That being said, I would still recommend this to probably Younger Adults. It's a bit too "high school" for NA. It had good twists and really good pace execution, and it did play on my emotions so that has to be a good sign. Unsure if I'll read the follow on to these, but this one was free so if you like light YA romance, give this a try. It's an excellent debut novel so Charisse Reid should be proud, however it just needs some polishing. 

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REVIEW; Consequences, by Aleatha Romig

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Genre: Adult, Romance, Abuse

Recommend: Meh

SPOILERS

Summary:

26 y/o Claire Nichols has been taken in by charming Anthony Rawlings. But after realising she accidentally signed her life away to live under his rule, it's too late.

Kept in his mansion, she is at his service to provide and please him as he sees fit. Appearance is everything to Anthony, and if Claire lets appearance falter, she must face the brutal consequences. 

But Anthony seems to be warming to Claire, and when she believes she has earned her freedom by his side, she is unaware of what really lies ahead. All may finally seem content and well, but she must always be aware of the consequences.

My Thoughts:

This has been extremely hard for me to rate as I swing between "this was wrong" to "but this is why she did it." But ultimately it just... lacks. Lacks everything. 

Characters: To start with, Anthony was a brilliant villain - suffering his own demons and being emotionally detached from everything and not feeling any remorse. Every time he did something awful, he upped it the next time round. Claire... Oh dear Claire. I don't believe her or her character. She was kidnapped and didn't really fight or freak out or have a breakdown. She, very quickly, took to wanting to please Anthony instead of planning her own escape. I couldn't feel sorry for her at all as she seemed so pathetic and a walk over. If someone kidnaps you, you don't just admire all the designer clothes you've now obtained and go visit the beautiful lake/pond. YOU PLAN AN ESCAPE! I know the point was that she fell under his spell and control and lived in fear etc, but that wouldn't happen in under 20% of the book when he has shown no remorse or kindness to her at all! He'd done NOTHING for her to see him romantically. 


Writing: I never want to read about Gucci, Victoria Secret, Giorgio Armani and the like for a long time. We get it - Rawlings has money and Claire gets designer. We don't need to read chapters of her shopping trips and all the brand names again and again and again. That brings me on to the repetitive nature of this novel. From 10%-80%, nothing happened in this book. It went like the following; violent act, business meetings, trips to the woods, socialising, shopping, threats, violence, flying, meetings, socialising, shopping, undescribed sex, shopping, flying, socialising, violence etc etc. There was no character development and NOTHING HAPPENED.  


Sex/Abuse: Whilst this wasn't meant to be an erotic story, any sexual act so much as a kiss, or any physical abuse such as grabbing her arm, were they were portrayed for a child to read. Now, maybe many don't want to read about characters being abused, but it was an imperative to this story and it was excluded. Regardless of reason, it had a detrimental effect, in that I didn't fear Anthony. Yeah, I read that he'd hurt her, but how? There was no shocking scene or even shocking words. It was all wrapped up nicely in a subtle bow with no detail and sidestepped like a taboo subject can be. I was waiting to be shocked and horrified by how ruthless Anthony was and feel for Claire and her suffering - but I didn't. Oh, he nearly kills her, but the reader misses out how. Was it by brute force of hand? Did he use a weapon? Strangulation? DETAILS! This is a novel that should portray Anthony in a fearful way, and as ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS the author decided to omit the actions. As for the sex... even when Anthony and Claire were getting along, there was hardly even a romantic kiss described as happening. How can the reader believe their love (regardless of if it's true) or passion? Claire at least was meant to have fallen for him, but we got no insight into that. ! 


Story: She had ample chance to escape but never took the opportunity and that I don't comprehend. There was little to no build up of suspense or tension throughout the main part of the book. The dull repetitive actions made me lose interest and I considered giving up. Whilst this isn't The Dark Duet series, it has been compared to it. I've read C.J. Roberts review stating the two aren't comparable as this is not sexual, but I still thought the horror, trauma and emotional roller-coaster would be mirrored. There needed to be more twists and turns and dramas other to what happened; and if not it could've been reduced in length significantly.


Ending: It definitely redeemed itself with the ending. Just a shame the whole novel didn't have that level of punch. We finally got to witness some of Anthony's cruel side, without just hearing vaguely about it or only witnessing his controlling side. But the whole story should have had that ruthless Anthony featured and a great ending can't hide the rest of the story. 

Overall: 

I really am undecided about this. Some aspects that I disliked I can see the purpose of them being that way to highlight certain factors. But nothing can pass the fact that it didn't get me; I didn't feel fear or sadness or horror. Everything was too easily digested and a story like this shouldn't be. Disappointed.

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REVIEW; Maybe This Time, by Chantal Fernando

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Drama

Recommend: No

SPOILER-FREE

Summary:

19 y/o Summer travels to live with her 18y/o half brother, Xander. Having lived with her mother speak badly both of her father and him, Summer wants to get to know him properly.

But living in his world comes with risks and Summer enters a whole new life of drama. Surrounded by older men that fight, Reid Knox is one that catches her attention, but she knows he spells trouble. 

All of them are harbouring a secret and won't let Summer in. As she delves deeper and tries to gain trust and approval, she is met with resilience. But she is stubborn and falling for Reid, and she's not going down without a fight.

My Thoughts:

What did I waste a morning just reading?! 2 stars is a generous rating for this book and I'm baffled that it's rated so highly.

Summer: To begin with, I really liked her; she was stubborn and quirky and did her own thing. But then she quickly became an annoying clingy possessive child.
Before anything even happened between her and Reid she'd grill him and be all moody and annoyed with him - and she really had no right to. She allows Reid to treat her terribly, and lays it all on the table that she wants him from the get go like some desperate little girl suffering from puppy love. It's pathetic. 


Reid: Victim of Insta-Love = I don't like him. Let's just build a picture here; he's some 23y/o that doesn't do relationships or get invested with anyone, but before he hardly even shared a word with Summer, he's whipped? Give. Me. A. Break. And then he see-saws between not wanting Summer to crawling into her bed at night because he "needs her," only to ignore her and push her away the next day?


Then they finally do get together and we can relax... Ah but not without more drama between the pair. Reid so much as sees Summer breathing the same air as another guy and he accuses her of sleeping with him. Hypocrite seeing as he has such a slutty female fan-base. 

The pair act like they're 12, not 19 & 23.  

Not to mention that there is zero chemistry between them and they lust after one another when they know nothing about each other! Reid drops the L-Bomb early on because she's the one. Bull! If you love someone you have a little more trust and respect than he had for her. 


Xander: That's it tough brother - vow to hurt anyone that hurts Summer but you sit back and let Reid break her heart. Pfft. 


Story: What story? There wasn't one. This was just a collection of poor dialogue between insecure, immature people creating drama out of nothing and making a big deal out of protecting Summer from their dark life and failing miserably but also it not even being that dangerous. Maybe a little kidnapping should've happened to actually make it seem dangerous? Oh, and then the one danger they're keeping her from, is actually innocent and harmless. Hurrah! 


Characters: Xander is a fail. As is Jack. Don't like Reid. Jade seems pretty cool and like a good friend for Summer, shame she didn't appear earlier on. Ryan is borderline; funny and charming most of the time but an ass when it comes to his twin, Reid. Dash was a pointless character. Tag, meh. All were one dimensional and had no distinctive quirks or qualities, just full of unattractive angst.

Overall: 

I want to hit my head off a wall. It's just such a frustrating, annoying book with no depth or story or any reasonable character. There were typos, character flaws, full of hypocrisy and the negatives far cloud the positives. Thankfully, I got this on offer for free on Amazon. 

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REVIEW; Emerge (Evolve #1), by S.E. Hall

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: New Adult, Romance

Recommend: Yes

SPOILERS

Summary:

Laney Walker doesn't date or pay attention to boys. Until her best friend, Evan Allen walks out of the friend zone and clinches her heart. A perfect romance, threatened by their departure for college apart.

Breaking up for their time away, but still "together," both deal with problems and circumstances that are threatening their commitment and happiness.

But then there's Dane Kendrick. He makes Laney feel all sorts of new things and they embark on a relationship unalike what Laney had with Evan. But when it comes to choice, will it be the new thrill or the comforting best friend?

My Thoughts:

This. Book. (In Laney style Disney/Princess gifs!)

Like, what a whirlwind of emotions! Torn between two men (where no cheating actually happens,) and normally the reader is so biased but both Evan and Dane were just so sweeeeet and ARGH!

Laney: Okay, it took me a while to warm to her. I can't comprehend how she was so clouded to Evan liking her and then instantly going along and falling for him. Kind of over those girls that are meant to be dropdead gorgeous but yet don't realise it - just a bit cliche. And then the typical shy virgin girl but is master seductress, just no. Moving on though, I really felt for her. She'd had a rough run at life and she did no wrong in ending up in the situation she did end up in- and it was definitely a difficult choice between the two leading men.

Evan: So we meet him first and fall for him straight away. He's the supportive best friend who really has deep love and admiration for Laney and she is clearly his world. We all want someone like him! He's been there for her, would do anything for her, understands her. He is unbelievably understanding!!!! But distance is the killer. Evan is someone you need with you, by your side. And once doubt creeps in to sleep with distance, you either fight or flight- and the latter is easier when there's someone waiting to fly with you. 

Dane: So I wasn't a fan to begin with. I was rooting for Evan and Laney to fight through. But he's impossible not to love. He's got humour and charm vs Evan who was a more sensitive guy. He clearly wants Laney (will ignore the insta-love) but respects that he's not going near if she's Evan's. So, he's sort of the bad boy in this triangle, but without the bad! He has the utmost respect for Laney and fights fair and square for her.

Both men do!

But Evan (/Laney) sort of walked into disaster, which made me side with Dane at times.

1. They technically weren't together, for that very reason, but yet still acted as if they were in a committed relationship. If they had stayed together there would've been that security and probably less doubt.
2. He didn't fight for Laney. Where was he on her birthday? Or the rest of the year? She always made her way home or to his uni but he didn't show up until well into the trouble. 
3. HE. WASN'T. WITH. HER. Yes, be jealous. But he agreed to breaking up prior to leaving and there was always that chance Laney would seek physical comfort. If they were so in love and meant to be, they should have at least tried to see it through - but they didn't. 
4. He acted as if she was his property all along. He was gorgeously protective of her, but Laney is her own person and ultimately doesn't belong to anyone. But he let her slip away; he should've been in contact with her all the time and he wasn't. He allowed for Laney to have so much time without him that she could turn to Dane. 

Onto Laney;

1. She loved Evan, but again - they weren't together. She obviously still had a commitment to him and he was her rock, but she needed to break free for her own good. If they'd gone to the same uni, they would've been fine. But the fact she fell for Dane proves that she should choose him as obviously Evan wasn't enough.
2. No matter the distance, if you're surrounded by temptation but you are committed to your other half, you stay true to that person. Kaitlyn's meddling didn't help things but I don't think Laney stepped out of line. She was led to believe that Evan didn't care for her and she acted appropriately, seeking admiration and comfort. 

But then the last chapter... oh my heart is broken. But COME ON EVAN!?!?!?!? What did he really expect? 

They went their separate ways, having not resolved anything and then he made that big a move without even consulting Laney? NO NO NO NO NOOOO! 

But then how romantic! He loves her, he really loves her and he is hurting because he knows what caused their difficulties and he does the ultimate act to prove his love. I really feel for him the most as he tried so much to make Laney trust him and wait for him and then she just moved on... I'M TORN! 

I really don't know whose side to be on; Evan's, Laney's, Dane's. They're all innocent but sort of thrown into this situation and someone has to get hurt. 

Overall: 

I am so in love with this book but torn and hate it at the same time. Certain aspects hit close to home and make me sad but a book with that much powerful control over the reader's emotion can't be ignored. I need to finish this series for definite although my heart may regret it. Glutton for punishment.

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