Tuesday, April 3, 2012

1. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn't drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs-and-wants to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the most-eligible college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby's resistance to his charm, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis' apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has finally met his match.

2. Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens

For almost two years now, Kiera's boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she's ever wanted: loving, tender and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart.

Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source – a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes...and none of them will ever be the same.

3. Fifty Shades of Gray

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

4. Vicious Little Darlings by

Sarah Weaver wasn't looking forward to starting at an all-girls school. But that was before she met Maddy. Maddy and her best friend, Agnes, are fun and rich and interesting-and for some reason, they seem to really like Sarah. Before long, Maddy and Agnes have moved Sarah into a big house off campus, where they cook together, buy each other presents, and share each other's secrets. So why does Sarah feel like something's bizarrely wrong? As more and more cracks start to show in Maddy's and Agnes's perfect veneers, Sarah notices some strange and disturbing things: Maddy's compulsive lying, Agnes's obsession with Maddy, and the deterioration of their friendship. And just when Sarah begins to question her own sanity, things turns deadly.

5. The Ivy by Lauren Kunze, Rina Onur

Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do?
Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with

Gregory
the guy she loves to hate ...

Evan
the guy she'd love to forget ...

Clint
the guy she'd love to love ...

and Matt
the guy she really should love ...

all vying for her attention.

But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams.

Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?

Hushed by Kelley York

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Hushed

by Kelley York

Paperback, 260 pages

Published December 6th 2011 by Entangled Publishing
ARC courtesy of NetGalley

Plot:

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

My Thoughts:

When I read the summary for this book I thought I wouldn't like it. The cover grabbed my attention because it looked creepy, but a possible love triangle between two guys and a girl didn't interest me. I don't know why I downloaded it, but am glad I did.

I like older MCs. This one takes place in college and he's a serial killer. The first chapter kept me reading, not because I liked it, but because I was shocked. I liked the voice, so I decided to see where the author went, but I had reservations. How does one write a sympathetic serial killer? How can it possibly end? And seriously, this boy LI doesn't look at the crazy killer in a bad light? By the end of the book I was hoping he wouldn't get caught and he could live happily-ever-after with the sweet boy he was falling for.

On to the technical stuff. Pace, plot, voice, character development-it was all great. I was hooked and really liked the book. I can't complain. I did have to suspend my belief with Evan, the LI, but not because the love story was a bad one. It was fantastic the way their love grew. Sweet and very realistic. I would've liked to have seen more into Evan and why he could accept someone like Archer, I just didn't buy it. However, I thought the ending fit the story.

This gets a four rating because it stayed with me and I want to reread it. It was different from other stuff I've read, which intrigued me. It doesn't get that high of a rating because it was the greatest book and I absolutely loved it. I kept wondering what could happen and how it could be pulled off. I used my brain with this book and wanted a serial killer to walk away free-I don't know how that makes me feel as a person.

HELLCATS...My New Guilty Pleasure Show

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Okay so I must say I'm hooked on the CW's new TV show HELLCATS that's on on Wednesdays. Have you watched this one yet? Here's the synopsis:

Marti Perkins has it all -- looks, smarts, talent, and a scholarship to Lancer University to study pre-law. Her world is turned complete upside down when she loses her scholarship and must use her skills as a gymnast to join the legendary cheerleading team. Marti manages to make the team, but she is devastated when she enters a "world of camaraderie, backstabbing and the intersection of sports, backroom academia and big money."

Fun Facts about the show, it's based on a book:

Hellcats is an American cheerleading comedy-drama series[3] for The CW starring Alyson Michalka, Ashley Tisdale, Robbie Jones, and Matt Barr. Based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick[4] and described as "Election meets Bring It On" by critics,[5][6] the series follows the life of Marti Perkins, a pre-law college student who has to join the cheerleading team, the Hellcats, in order to maintain her scholarship.

Okay so I love this show for a couple reasons: One. It's not that far of a stretch from the Young Adult stories that I love. Matter of fact this could be considered New Adult, you know that new category with writing industry is trying to create for college aged protagonist. I would love to read more of that, by the way. Two. There are some HAWT love triangles in this show (3 to be exact!), and I know all you YA lovers are with me in likin' some saucy love triangles.