Review of Avoiding Commitment by K. A. Linde

So Avoiding Commitment.....I took the time to digest this book before writing this review. I had to.

I don't think I've had these kind of feelings before about characters and a book....This book pissed me off. I was expecting angst. But I was not expecting to hate the characters. I was not expecting to seriously stop reading this book and have to be basically coaxed, cajoled, into pushing through.

But I did, for many reasons, and I'm glad I did. I found myself starting to root for Jack and Lexie. Two cheaters. Seriously???



Then Ramsey was introduced. OH MY DAMN! He was one big reason why I pushed on through. I wanted him with Lexie. I wanted her to see that there was something better than the self-absorbed asshole...oh, I mean, Jack.

I could forgive Ramsey for being related to Bekah, the Twat of the Book. (What a freaking b!tch!) And I did forgive and was #TeamRamsey all the way...well, except for that one chapter when I was actually rooting for Jack and Lexie.  (let's forget that happened LOL.)

Man, writing this review I'm getting all riled up again.  Deep breaths.

And that's the reason why I'm giving this a 4 star rating instead of something lower. Kyla worked my emotions like a big ol' masseuse can work my sore muscles.  




I'm pretty curious to see what happens in the next books of the series. I want to see how Lexie grows.  At the beginning of this book, I did not think I would be at this point, but I am. I really am.

Well done!

Avoiding Commitment by K.A. Linde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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TANK - A Review

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

TANK by M. Malone was first released as a part of the Alphas After Dark anthology.

Minx is one of my go-to authors. I love her Alexander family. Jackson, Nick, Eli....BENNETT! Not to mention their mother, Julia, as well as all their friends. And since I love them, logic would dictate that I would love this new off-shoot of the Alexanders, the Blue-Collar Billionaires.

Logic wins.

Even though Tank is a spin-off of the Alexander series, it feels very different, despite the fact that there was an Alexander series presence. This whole story was different from what I expected. I normally don't like first person POV but I liked it here. It drew me in. I felt Tank.



Then there's Emma.
 

I love her and her struggles to go back to school to become a vet. I always wanted to be a vet but um...there's blood and stuff. I rather just have a zoo of pets, even including one of the more memorable pets I've ever seen in a book: Poochie the hairless cat. I <3 Poochie!

I can't wait to see more of that cat in the upcoming books as well as Tank's sexy brothers— Finn, Gabe, Zack, and Luke.

I'll leave you with one more picture of Tank:



Yum...that hair, that face. *THUD*

TANK by M. Malone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Review of Falling Under

I was so excited when Jasinda announced this book. It was so unexpected and I was so upset that I couldn't read it right away do to a crazy real life that monopolized this book's release week. I really wanted to read this because I have loved every single Jasinda Wilder book that I have ever read and Falling Under was no different. Out of all the books in the Falling Series, it's in the top 3. (Did you see what I did there? diplomacy, baby! I just can't pick my favorite.)

This book may be viewed as a stand alone BUT to get the full experience, the full emotional pull, I do recommend at least reading the first book in the series, Falling Into You.

"You can't learn about love without getting hurt."

I seriously bawled my eyes out with the first two books of the series but not with this one. But that doesn't mean it's not as good. It just tugged at different emotions than the other two. And after reading so many books lately that exhausted my Kleenex supply, I was so ready for different.

Though, I do have to say, this scene really got to me:

"I don't want to hurt you, Kylie."
"You already did."
I groan. "You really don't know what you're asking for, with a guy like me."
"Shouldn't I get to be the judge of that?"
"Yeah, maybe. But I've got a choice too," I say.
"And you choose to reject me."

:-(



I loved the relationship between Oz and Kylie: the not-so-worthy bad boy and the beautiful girl who fell in love with him. I loved the parallels of their relationship with Nell and Colt's. I will say here that I was just a little disappointed that I didn't get Nell's POV. I always connected with her, but I will have to say it was refreshing to have all in the POV of the males, especially when one of those males was Colt.




Falling Under by Jasinda Wilder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Archer's Voice - A Review

Wow. This story. I loved it. It was a sweet love story. You couldn't help but want Bree and Archer together, from their initial guarded friendship into their hot, sexual relationship to the love that blossomed and at the same time threatened to destroy their young relationship.

You're my everything, Bree. ~ Archer Hale

The flashbacks were, at times, hard to endure. What poor little Archer had to endure and to turn into the man he did, I was simply awed by the strength and braveness this man had, though he doubted it. Bree understood this and was there to show that to him, to help fix him. He still had his doubts, insecurity. He would - for most of his life, he had no one to tell him what a wonderful person he was.

And eventually, that's going to be the thing that destroys us. I'll start hurting you because you won't be able to fix me-you'll never be able to reassure me enough. You'll just end up resenting me because you'll constantly have to carry the weight for both of us. I can't let that happen. I asked you not to let me destroy what we have together, but I don't think I'm capable of doing anything else. ~ Archer Hale

He needed to fix himself. He alone.

I never, ever want to hurt you, but I'm no good to you. I'm no good to anyone right now, and I need to learn if maybe I can. ~ Archer Hale

Even though he left Bree, I felt so much hope for Archer. I was proud. And then he returns and with his return comes a moment where I was basically done. I threw my iPad down (on my soft bed - don't worry). I almost couldn't go on.



But I did and I'm glad I did. What a wonderful story! Will definitely be reading more from Mia!

And I thought to myself, Archer Hale's voice was one of the most beautiful things in the whole wide world. ~ Bree Prescott

Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Review of Saving Forever

NOTE: I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Saving Forever and was tortured not being able to discuss this with anyone while we waited for the book to be released. Now that I can finally talk, I found myself a little loss for the right words.

NOTE 2: I hope I have made this review as SPOILER-FREE as possible. 

Saving Forever was different from the first two books in the series. Instead of the heart-clenching despair I felt in Forever & Always and After Forever, I started to feel a sense of hope early on in the book. At times I even felt myself smile. It was then that I knew I would get an ending befitting all the characters.

So much happened to Cade, Ever, & Eden in their young lives. It hands over the story at all times, in the choices they make -- the good and the bad ones. For much of their formative years, these characters were pretty much without their parents. The people who are supposed to love and guide them during the hard times in their lives.

They did not have that. What they got was hard time after hard time. Imagine that. Then imagine what you would do in their shoes. You can say you'd make a choice different from Eden's, but how do you really know? You do not. You cannot.

Often in this series, I tried to wrap my head around all these tragic events happening and tried to imagine myself there. What would I do? How would I react? I expected the tears and all the feelings, but that self-reflection, I did not.

I liked the hard choices Jasinda threw at these characters. She pushed them to the tipping point and, in Saving Forever, they dealt with the aftermath of that.

Eden grew into a character I loved. I've not had a life anywhere near Eden's and I seriously have no idea how I would handle what happened to her. Would I run away like she did? I just don't know but what I do know is that choice fit with Eden's character - her love for her sister, the guilt she had over what she did. The choice just made sense.

And her choice introduced us to Carter, the mute-by-choice carpenter/handyman/winery owner. I fell for him hard and fast. I love his family and am very curious to find out more about his band of equally gorgeous brothers. (wink, wink, Jasinda).

Eden's choice also brought us the beautiful scenery of my much beloved home state of Michigan and the lakeshore. I'd read and feel such homesickness. My eyes would flit over her words and I'd see myself back on the beaches of Michigan. I could smell it - you know that smell - that wonderful intoxicating mixture of the lake, the wet sand. I could even hear the sound of the soft waves repeatedly hitting the shores. Jasinda transported me there.

She did the same thing with immersing you into the characters and what they were feeling. The heaviness of Caden's guilt, his hopelessness. Ever's despair at what was (wasn't) going on between her and her husband. Her confusion - even though we as the reader knew what was going on. Eden's loneliness, her self-loathing at her actions with her twin sister's husband. And then we are there as Eden grows...along with hope that things just might get better, that she just might be able to have a future with Carter.

I seriously could go on talking about this book/series for a very long time. I have not read a book, let alone a series, that made me feel such a wide gamut of emotions, that made me ugly-cry to the extent I did, that surprised me, shocked me, as often as it did. It hooked me. It touched me. And a book/series that can do that to the extent that the Ever trilogy did is a very special series indeed.

If you haven't guess, I rate this 5 stars.

Saving Forever by Jasinda Wilder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Review of Jasinda Wilder's Forever

So I finally got around to reading Jasinda Wilder's Forever & Always. 

Oh dear lord. This book. I knew it was going to be an emotional rollercoaster going in. Jasinda warned us. God, I saw all the reviews and statuses from friends about the book. I held off reading this on purpose. I knew I wasn't ready for it.

I still wasn't ready. I was a mess.



Me after reading the last chapter.



How? Why? This poor, poor boy. Heartbreaking. I wanted to make it all better for him.

This is the reason I love cliffhanger books - I NEED THE NEXT ONE IMMEDIATELY!

I'm now off to skewer my soul some more. (Translation: off to read After Forever).





 

Forever & Always by Jasinda Wilder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Catching Inspiration

When inspiration strikes, how do you record it? Do you send yourself a message, an email, a voice memo? Or do you make use of the tons of notebook apps out there on your phone? Or do you go the old fashioned route and keep a notebook with you? Let me know in the comments. Even if your method of inspiration catching isn't listed here. 

To be honest, I utilize all these methods (I have been known to bring my phone into the shower when inspiration strikes), but the one that I use the most are my notebooks. I can't tell you how many I have because quite honestly, I do not know. What I do know is that I always have three around with me. One by my bedside, one at my desk and one for my purse. 

My wonderful notebooks :)

These are filled with Post-its of every size and color. I like to write on those so I can move things around, rearrange the flow of a scene. And for whatever reason, my thoughts just come more easily when I have a pen, a pad of Post-its, and my notebook. 

My first drafts have all been written this way. Heck, I have even revised with Post-its before typing in the first draft.

I <3 Post-its.  

God, I feel like Brick from Anchorman. 

And with that thought, I will say goodbye...and maybe watch Anchorman. Super Duper!

Okay....I'll quit with my Anchorman references now.