Review: Torn (Torn #1) by K.A. Robinson

Book Title: Torn (Torn #1)

Author: K.A. Robinson

Published Date: May 7th, 2013

Publisher: Atria Publishing

Genre: NA/Romance

Series: Book 1 in Torn series

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Link: Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

 Chloe hasn't had the best life. With a mother who is gone more often than not, she has had to raise herself. After graduating high school, she leaves to start a new life away at West Virginia University with her best friends Amber and Logan, determined to leave her demons in the past. 

On her first day, she meets a stranger who takes her breath away at first sight. Until she met Drake, no one had ever sparked her interest. Now this tattooed and pierced bad boy is all she can think about, no matter how hard she fights it.

Falling for Drake was never part of her plans, but when it happens, things seem to do anything but fall into place.

Dealing with a tragic past, Drake has never cared about anyone else but himself and his band. But when Chloe takes the empty seat next to him in class, things start to change. Instantly drawn to her, he begins to wonder if one girl can take a cold hearted womanizer and change every part of him?

Long hidden feelings are revealed and friendships tested to the brink. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

I just... I am not even sure why this book has gotten so many high ratings. I just don't get it. I tried really hard to understand why this book was so highly rated. Drake did nothing for me and actually I lost a LOT of respect for him throughout the book. What kind of guy hooks up with a woman who's spoken for? This of course leads into my extremely negative feelings about Chloe. I was really hoping to like her and I did until she got in over her head and played with both guys' hearts.

It's extremely disrespectful to essentially help someone cheat on their boyfriend. I am never going to think that was okay.Because it wasn't. Drake struck me as pushy and abrasive and arrogant.Definitely not my type of guy. But the aggravating part is that Chloe lapped it up. That was unbelievably frustrating.Logan was a total sweetheart and actually he really reminded me of my ex.All my ex wanted for me, was for me to be happy. Yes, Logan got a teeny bit controlling at times and that was definitely not okay. I would have nipped it in the bud immediately.

Chloe seemed very emotionally immature,especially in the ways that she handled Drake and Logan. She never once thought about how they were feeling. Nope it was all about her, her, her. I actually liked the bits with her mom even if I couldn't relate. It made Chloe a little more likable for me. I also liked her friendships with Amber, Rachel and Jade and I don't think enough attention was paid to them.

Overall, I really didn't like this book. Chloe was selfish and emotionally immature, Drake had no morals and Logan was having to play second best even if he didn't realize it.I really was very disappointed by this book and that's why I have to give it two stars.

Cover Reveal: The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year by Marie Landry

Book Title: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Release date: November 5th, 2013 

The book will be available for preorder on Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple in the next week or so (unfortunately Kindle doesn’t offer preorders for indie authors)

 GoodReads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18489174-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year

Synopsis:
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, right? At least that’s what twenty-year-old Ginny Bailey’s grandmother always told her, and Ginny believed it until Grama died. She even put on a brave face the following two Christmases, carrying on Grama’s traditions and decorating her house and café with Grama’s favorite decorations. But Ginny can’t pretend any longer. When she finds out she’s going to be alone for the holidays this year, her Christmas spirit goes out the window, along with her luck. Everything that can go wrong does, and Ginny just wants to spend the holidays hiding under the covers...until Dean Riley comes back into her life. With a shared past, old feelings begin to resurface almost immediately, and Ginny thinks Dean might just be the Christmas miracle she’s been waiting for to help her remember why Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

Author Bio:

 Marie Landry is the author of BLUE SKY DAYS (contemporary YA—January 2012), THE GAME CHANGER (women's fiction—November 2012), WAITING FOR THE STORM (contemporary YA—April 2013), and THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR (a new adult holiday novella-November 2013). Marie has always been a daydreamer; since early childhood, she's had a passion for words and a desire to create imaginary worlds, so it only seemed natural for her to become a writer. She resides in Ontario, Canada, and most days you can find her writing, reading, blogging about writing and reading, listening to U2, wandering around with a camera in her hand, watching copious amounts of TV on DVD, or having grand adventures with her nephews and niece.

For more on Marie and her books, please visit sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca

Connect With the Author:
Blog - http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarieLandryAuthor
Twitter - https://twitter.com/SweetMarie83
 GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5188180.Marie_Landry
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blogger Challenge- Week 4

Thanks again to Good Books and Good Wine for this meme. Many other blogs have adopted it and adapted it to suit them and their needs.I am doing it once a week for 15 weeks. 

What's The Last Book You Flung Across The Room?

Well I don't really enjoy throwing books across the room. I love my books so the book really must be bad in order for me to fling it anywhere.The first one that comes to mind is a review book by the name of Not For Profit by Glenn Shephard .I was so frustrated with it and bored with it that I threw it across the room more than once. There was just too much stuff that I had problems with.I was unbelievably happy when I was done with that book.

Now when it comes to my Kindle, I don't throw it. My cat already messed up my Kindle so I have to be super duper careful with it so I don't mess it up even further to the point of not being able to use it.But the last Kindle book that made me frustrated and rage-y was Torn by K.A.Robinson. That review is scheduled to be posted next week. Then you'll see why it made me all rage-y.

So what books have you flung across the room?

Review: Aberrant (Aberrant #1) by Ruth Silver

Book Title: Aberrant (Aberrant #1)

Author: Ruth Silver

Publish Date: September 23rd, 2013

Publisher: Patchwork Press

Genre: YA/Dystopian

Series: Book 1 in Aberrant series

Book Link: Goodreads 

Purchase Link: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the future dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system. 

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

Disclaimer: I received this e-book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

I absolutely adore the dystopian genre so I was really hoping that I would love this one as well. Thankfully I was not disappointed at all. Overall the characters were interesting and likable which is definitely a plus in my book.

The idea of picking a mate for your younger inhabitants is not all that different than the arranged marriage idea that is still rampant in many cultures. However, very rarely do people get matched up who are already attracted to each other. That's what happened to Olivia when she is matched up with Joshua. Things are all set to take off between the two of them when Olivia is whisked off to jail.

With the help of his mother, Joshua springs Olivia from jail and then they are on the run. They arrive at Haven, a promised rebel town and before they can blink, they must adapt to different rules and regulations. They meet new people and they must figure out if these people are to be trusted or if their guard should remain up.

I loved this book. It was interesting and the idea of Olivia being the last woman on the planet able to conceive a child naturally was really interesting.That's not a concept I have seen before so I was very interested in it. This book really didn't give me the feels that I was looking for but I enjoyed it and thought it was well written with good character development and pretty decent world building. So this book gets four stars from me.

Review: Brooklyn Love by Yael Levy

Book Title: Brooklyn Love

Author: Yael Levy

Published Date: September 17th, 2012

Published By: Crimson Romance

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

For any young woman, it can be hard to follow the rules … especially when you’re falling in love.
But for Rachel, Hindy, and Leah, it’s especially hard. Because as Orthodox Jews, they live by a whole different set of rules. No touching a guy—any guy!—before marriage. No dating—unless they are considering marriage—and then, only marrying a man who rates high on their parents’ checklists.

All Rachel’s mother wants for her daughter is to see that her daughter marries well. Naturally, this is where the rich, Columbia University educated lawyer comes in. The problem is, Rachel’s already found a guy who makes her heart race. A Rabbi. But how could a struggling Rabbi possibly give Rachel the security her mother demands?

Hindy is very pious and only wants to marry a Talmud scholar. The problem is, she’s in love with an Orthodox Jewish guy she works with. How long can she keep saying no when her heart says yes? And will she be able to stick to her values amidst temptation?

Leah wants to be a doctor, but her mother insists she study computers even though she hates computers. Her mom, a struggling immigrant, has fixed ideas about the course to success and marriage—which doesn’t include any of Leah’s wishes. What will it take for Leah to break out of her mom’s—and community’s—expectations and follow her dreams?

In Brooklyn Love, three Orthodox Jewish women who are caught between crushing guilt of defying their mothers and their desire to be “normal” are there for each other as they try to figure out who they really are … and what they really want.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

I don't know much about the Jewish culture so it was a new experience to read a book that focused so much on the Jewish culture. The idea that getting married is based on stability rather than love is so hard for me to understand. When and if I ever get married, I want it to be for love. I don't want to marry someone I am not attracted to or who treats me like dirt.

Leah, Hindy & Rachel don't have that luxury. They are surrounded by immense family pressure to settle down and start a family. Even at the cost of their own dreams.It was definitely hard for me to connect with any of these three,but I still felt that the book was a great read. Leah,Rachel and Hindy were three awesome ladies. My heart broke for Hindy. She was overweight and despite being the oldest sister in a big family,she was likely to be the last to be wed. Yes there are some very shallow Jewish Brooklyn-ite men in this book.

This book was a great read with awesome characters,the editing,character development and pace of the story were all top-notch. There are really only 2 issues I had with this book.The first one being that there were a lot of what I think were Yiddish words that I didn't understand. Having a little guide in the front of the book would have been easier on those of us who aren't Jewish and don't know Yiddish. The second thing was that I wanted more of an emphasis on Rachel and Jacob's relationship. 

I feel like the epilogue didn't really give us all that much. I wanted a little more in the epilogue than we actually got.Aside from that,I would give the book 4 stars,it was enjoyable but I do feel like there was room for improvements.

Review: Sidelined by Kendra C. Highley

Book Title: Sidelined
Author: Kendra C. Highley
Publish Date: October 1st, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre: YA/Contemporary
Standalone
Book Link: Goodreads
Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

After being pushed to excel her entire life, high school basketball star Genna Pierce is finally where she wants to be. University scouts are taking notice, her team is on its way to the state tourney, and Jake Butler, the hot boy she's daydreamed about since ninth grade, is showing some definite interest. When he asks her out and their relationship takes off, Genna believes things can't get better.

Then, it's over.

A freak accident ends her career before it's even begun. Her parents are fighting more than ever, her friends don't understand what she's going through, and she's not sure who she is without basketball. And while he tries to be there for her, Genna doesn't understand how Jake could ever want the broken version of the girl he fell for.

Her life in a tailspin, Genna turns to the only solace that eases her pain: Vicodin.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review:
This one is going to be hard to review. Not because I didn't like it,because I did actually like it,but because I didn't connect with Genna as much as I wanted to. I had never been the star of anything only to have it ripped away from me. I had never had a mother who was more interested in me as an athlete than as an actual person. Unlike Genna, my mom and I are unbelievably close and we have been, ever since I was a little girl.

I couldn't get into her relationship with Jake either. He seemed like such a sweet guy and he clearly liked Genna a lot. But I couldn't get excited about the high school sports relationship. Jake seemed too "vanilla" and that has always bored me. I don't want a guy to be super edgy, but just having a little edge to a guy would have been better.

The book really picked up after Genna's accident and this was when I really started to like it. The subject of medication missuse is not something that is a hot topic in YA books so I was excited to see how the author handled it. I was very impressed with how the author handled it. From Genna's denial about her problem, to her lies about it just so she could score more pills from anyone who would give them to her. 

I loved how her friends stuck by her even when they knew what had happened. Even her parents worked to help her get some help for this issue. They didn't let her deal with this problem alone. In so many YA books, parents are pretty much non-existent, I loved that about this book. Her parents were there in some facet the entire book.

Now let's get down to the main reason that I had some issues with the book. The editing was atrocious. The words would be smashed together in some sentences or spread out in sentences. The biggest problem I found was that only the first few letters in a word would appear and I'd have to guess at the word. I read books to enjoy myself and it's very frustrating when I have to play "guess the word" every other sentence. 

(I spoke to Heather at Entangled Teen regarding this editing issue and she told me that Netgalley's conversion of the file, completely corrupted the files and that this issue had been going on for awhile.)

However, the book itself was different and interesting. It was not like anything I had ever seen or read before. It was raw and gritty and heartbreaking. So despite the editing issues and not connecting with Genna very well, I'll be giving this book 4 stars.

Review: Thicker Than Blood: A Collection of Short Stories by K.N. Lee

Book Title: Thicker Than Blood: A Collection of Short Stories

Author: K.N. Lee

Published Date: June 8th, 2013

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services Inc.

Genre: Short Story/Horror

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Link: Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A collection of dark tales. 

Thicker Than Blood 
Twin girls embark on a journey of fear, discovery, and death. 

Where is Katie? 
This little girl is more than what she seems. What is she hiding? 

The Galloway Lake 
There are rumors that the Galloway Lake is haunted. Tanya wakes up to find herself drowning in it. Can she survive this horrific night?

Disclaimer: This e-book was a personal purchase.

Review:

I think I have come to the conclusion that short stories just aren't my thing at all. This is the 2nd book of short stories that I have read and I just cannot get into them. I was hopeful because the descriptions od each short story looked really good and creepy. However the only one I actually liked was the 2nd one. Where is Katie. That was a good one and I really would have liked to see a full length version of just that one.

The other two were just okay. I hate saying that,but I promised myself that I would be totally honest in my review of books.Overall they really didn't have the horror & creepiness factor that I was really hoping for. That's why I have to give it 2 stars.The 2nd short story saved it a little bit but not enough for me to really enjoy it.

Maybe someone else will like it. Judging by the stellar reviews I've seen,I seem to be the only one who didn't really enjoy it. Give it a shot if you want to.