Category Archives: New Adult

Tear
(Seaside, #1)
By: Rachel Van Dyken
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: Nov. 23, 2012
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

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Life as a teenager is never easy. But for Natalee Murray, things have just gotten way more difficult. Bored with life, she can’t wait to graduate high school and get out of town, especially considering the famous band members from AD2 suddenly start attending her school, making her once boring life, absolutely insane.

It starts with a pen. A single brush of fingers, and she is captivated.

But Alec and Demetri have a dark secret, one that could shatter their reputations and Natalee’s heart. What do you do when one guy paints your life with color while the other infuses your soul with passion? How do you choose when your heart is divided?

Tear is a story about a girl who falls in love with two rock stars. Two rock stars who just so happen to be brothers. Two rock stars who are hiding out at Seaside while guarding a huge secret.

I’m a sucker for celebrity stories and this is no exception. The brothers are very different on their approach of life. Demetri is a live on the edge kind of guy. He parties, drinks and likes to live life to the fullest. Whereas Alec is more quiet and reserved. He’s really protective of Demetri and Nat and he is always looking out for them. Even when it comes to watching his brother go off with the girl he loves and helping him patch things up when he screws up. The brothers are very different and it was interesting seeing them interact so differently with Nat.

However, there were some issues I had with the story. One of which being the love triangle. I’m okay with a little angst but the love triangle was so huge that cheating got involved and I’m never a fan of cheating. And it wasn’t just there and done with, it loomed over the readers head the entire time. Even though Nat was dating one of them, she constantly went after the other one and was upset when he’d turn her down. Maybe because you’re dating his brother? The cheating kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. I also felt like this book could use a good polishing by an editor. I found problems where words were missing or jumbled a bit and even though I knew what the author meant, it would have gone smoother without those hiccups in the way. Plus, there was a bit of choppiness when it came to the story. I think with a good polishing, this book would be amazing… minus the cheating. Sorry I just can’t do it.

Regardless on the hangups that I had, I did enjoy this story. I found myself enveloped in their story. I wanted to know what would happen next. Would the brothers reveal their secret? Is it really as bad as they think it is? Will Nat finally get caught cheating and end up depressed and alone thinking maybe she should have just chose one brother instead of both of them? I read the story until the very last page and I enjoyed every second of it.

“I guess that’s what makes life special. It’s unexpected. Scary as hell. But in the end, totally worth it.”

Panic
(Rook and Ronin, #3)
By: J.A. Huss
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: Oct. 24, 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

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Rook is chasing her dream—film school and a chance at a life beyond the one she ran from six months ago. But before she can become the girl she wants to be, she must deal with the girl she left behind.

Ronin is also chasing his dream—a family of his own and a life away from erotic modeling. And he too, has a past he’s trying to forget. A past that makes Rook question everything about their life together.

Lies, secrets, and shocking truths will rock the foundation Rook and Ronin have built. Can they put the past behind them and move forward together? Or is this just another too good to be true relationship that will crash and burn in the end?

There are no crazy contracts going with modeling. In fact, Rook’s contract with STURGIS is winding down and she’s not playing her part of running errands for Shrike Bikes for the tv show. Meanwhile, Ronin is back at the studio casting girls for the GIDGET campaign. So the two of them are separated for the majority of the book. However, even though the story starts off like everything is looking on the up and up for these two, the sh*t hits the fan and pretty soon everyone’s world is turned upside down.

I must say that J.A. did a great job with ending this trilogy. She didn’t leave any loose ends. We find out everything that happened with Rook before stumbling into the studio and landing a modeling gig. We also learn more about Ronin, Ford and Spencer. Their past as a “team” that lead Spencer as the muscle, Ford as the brains and Ronin as the front man.

J.A. paced the story beautifully since we get a lot of information in this one and a lot does happen. However, the story never felt rushed or like it went off course. This book was the climatic grand finale for the trilogy. Even though I’m sad to see Rook and Ronin’s story end, I’m happy with how everything ended.

“How did I get here? We’re Three’s Company. Spencer is airhead Chrissy, Ford is international Janet, and I’m pretending to be gay so I don’t notice that you two are roommate eye-candy.”

Previous reviews from Rook and Ronin
Tragic
Manic

JA Huss is a SF and new adult romance junkie, has a love-hate relationship with the bad boys, and likes to write new adult books about people with real problems. She lives with her family on a small acreage farm in Colorado and has two donkeys named Paris and Nicole. Before writing fiction, she authored almost two hundred science workbooks and always has at least three works in progress. Her first new adult romance is called TRAGIC.

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A Perfect Mess
(A Perfect Mess, #1)
By: Zoe Dawson
Publisher: Blue Moon Creative
Published: Aug. 5, 2013
Genre: New Adult
Rating:

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I know what you did last summer.

Aubree Walker, the perfect girl most likely to succeed, is sure there’s only one person who knows what she did.

Booker Outlaw, one of the three Outlaw brothers—all identical, all gorgeous, all from the wrong side of the tracks, and all pure bad boys. He was always the unpredictable one, the one who would be brash enough to make it big self-publishing horror novels on the internet. He promised never to tell, but everyone knows you can never trust an Outlaw.

Then a year later, in the middle of the night, she receives a phone call at Tulane. Her aunt, who took her in after her mother’s death, is in a coma under suspicious circumstances. Now she has to face that one person who knows all about what she did that summer—sexy Booker.

Returning to Hope Parish to be with her aunt, stirs up all those ugly memories. When Aubree starts getting threats, she can’t help but wonder if what she did last summer was tied to her aunt’s “accident.” Afraid, she turns to the only person who knows the truth and Booker doesn’t hesitate to offer his broad shoulder for her to lean on. But Booker has a secret of his own that could crush their fledgling relationship.

As the hot, sultry summer days move on, she finds that even a perfectly smart girl can lose her heart to a perfectly bad boy. What is she going to do when someone starts asking questions Aubree doesn’t want to answer? She’s knee deep into a terribly dangerous, wholly life changing, who-can-she-really-depend-on perfect mess.

Aubree is the 19 year old goodie two-shoes math whiz while Booker is the 19 year old bad-boy who just so happens to be a best-selling author. They each share a secret. The same secret that made Aubree run from her hometown one year ago. But when her aunt (who raised her), takes a serious fall and ends up in a coma, Aubree goes back to the place that she never planned on visiting again. A place that holds her deepest darkest secret.

This was an entertaining read. You had some suspense over Aubree getting these cryptic text messages from someone claiming to know what she did last summer. The summer that holds her dark secret. So she confides in Booker since he was involved in what happened that night. However, we as readers have no idea what this big bad secret is until the very end. So the entire time I was speculating what could have happened. So I did like the mystery behind the big secret.

However, I had a problem with the characters. These are supposed to be 19 years. What I read were people in their late 20’s or early 30’s. The way they portrayed themselves and the way they talked did not come off as someone in their teens. So throughout the entire time I pictured people who were older. I mean, Booker self published a few books online and all of a sudden he’s this big hot shot author who has 3 vehicles, a fancy house and is pretty much a famous author. Maybe because I’m a blogger and talk to authors who are not only published through big publishers but indie authors as well, I’m calling bullshit. All the stories I’ve ever heard from authors is that it’s not as glamorous of a job as people think. They are not rolling in the dough, in fact most still have day jobs. Then you have Booker’s brother who owns a bar/grill. Who again, is 19. Not only does he have a liquor license at his establishment but him and his brothers (triplets) drink there. I just couldn’t get on board with it. No one at 19 were saying things like “I was ‘overcome’, not just by your emotions but by my own.” The characters should have been written as adults instead of teens. I think had that been the case I would have enjoyed the story so much more and wouldn’t have had to keep pulling myself out of the story to remind myself that this was a group of teenagers not full blown adults.

I liked the idea of this book and I enjoyed it as a whole but I really had a problem with the way the author wrote the characters. It felt more like the author had written this story initially about a 25-35 year old couple and then went back and changed the age to 19. And that really messed up my reading when I had to keep reminding myself that these were teens not adults. If it weren’t for that, I could’ve easily given this 4 emotes but it messed with my head way too much.

“I couldn’t stand there and stare at her. My reputation in town was bad enough. I didn’t need to add perv to it.”

Unspoken
(Woodlands, #2)
By: Jen Frederick
Publisher: Pear Tree LCC
Publlished: Sept. 13, 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

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Whore. Slut. Typhoid Mary.

I’ve been called all these at Central College. One drunken night, one act of irresponsible behavior, and my reputation was ruined. Guys labeled me as easy and girls shied away. To cope, I stayed away from Central social life and away from Central men, so why is it that my new biology lab partner is so irresistible to me?

He’s everything I shouldn’t want. A former Marine involved in illegal fighting with a quick trigger temper and an easy smile for all the women. His fists aren’t the danger to me, though, it’s his charm. He’s sliding his way into my heart and I’m afraid that he’s going to be the one to break me.

Impulsive. Unthinking. Hot tempered.

I allow instinct to rule my behavior. If it feels good, do it, has been my motto because if I spend too much time thinking, I’ll begin to remember exactly where I came from. At Central College, I’ve got fighting and I’ve got women and I thought I was satisfied until I met her.

She’s everything I didn’t realize I wanted and the more time I spend with her, the more I want her. But she’s been hurt too much in the past and I don’t want to be the one to break her. I know I should walk away, but I just can’t.

AM lost her virginity during her freshman year after a night of drinking and partying. Since that day, she’s been labeled a slut by just about everyone on campus. Guys from the lacrosse team are going around saying they hooked up with her when they really haven’t and even a couple of guys have tried to take advantage of her thinking that she’s easy. So AM only goes on campus for classes and then hightails it out of there. She figures, if she’s not seen by her peers, the rumors will go away and people will leave her alone, but so far that hasn’t happened yet.

“If you were a guy, your conquests made you a god. If you were a girl, you were the conquered, no better than a toy.”

Bo’s followed his friend Noah everywhere. Into the Marine Corp, overseas, even to Central College. Last year when they arrived at CC, he had a class with AM. He tried to engage her but she shied away from him and gave him dirty looks. So now that she’s sitting right next to him in Biology, he’s determined to get to know her. The only problem is, she’s a bit prickly towards him and he’s not sure why. However, by making himself her lab partner he’s guaranteed to spend time with her and will hopefully figure out what makes this recluse tick.

“I didn’t mind taking chances, but I wasn’t stupid. I also knew I needed to spend more time with her. If a man in a desert finds a pool of water, he doesn’t leave until he’s lapped that fucker dry.”

I started reading this book and got about 25% through it before I decided to buy and read the first story. It’s not that this story can’t be read as a stand alone but I knew that I’d enjoy the story a lot more if I went back and read the first book. You see the first book focuses on Noah and his now girlfriend and Bo is in there a lot. So you get a sense of who Bo is before he meets AM and you realize how much he’s changed since meeting her.

I liked the pace that the author kept through the entire book. I was never bored or overwhelmed at any time. It was basically a story about a girl who overcomes her bullies and rises above the gossip. I really enjoyed the story and I cannot wait to see who’s story pops up next.

“You know how it’s all about God and country over there in Afghanistan. Well, when you find someone like AM, what you felt about the cause, about being a patriot, is like ating eggs from the MRE pack. Dry, tasteless, meaningless. It’s nothing. I’d kill for her and, I’ll learn to walk away.” -Bo

Previous reviews from Woodlands
Undeclared

Tragic
(Rook and Ronin, #1)
By: J.A. Huss
Publisher: Science Future Press
Published: May 20, 2013
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:

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Rook Walsh is TRAGIC

Because life so far – just sucks. Some girls get parents. Rook got the foster care system. Some girls get Prince Charming. Rook got an abusive frog. Some girls get lucky…

Rook got a second chance.

And she took it. Because when fate throws you a bone – you grab it with both hands and run.

Antoine Chaput knows the minute he spies Rook in his photography studio that she’s got The Look. The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract.

Rook is paired up with top model, Ronin, and he’s everything her abusive ex-boyfriend wasn’t. Patient, gentle, happy, attentive, and sexy! He knows exactly what to do to make Rook blush for Antoine’s camera.

Rook’s luck changes in an instant and suddenly she’s the darling of the modeling world. It’s a dream job to go with a dream guy and all she has to do is look pretty and follow directions. But there’s always a price to pay – and Rook is about to get the bill.

Rook just lost her job and only has $10 to her name. Well actually she HAD $10 but she decided to throw caution to the wind and buy a fancy coffee with it instead. While enjoying said coffee, a business card for a modeling gig dings her in the head. The model at the next table over clearly doesn’t want it, so Rook decides to stop by the place indicated on the card before heading back to the homeless shelter for the night. When she gets there she finds out that if she signs a contract to do the photo shoot, she will not only be walking away with thousands of dollars but they will put her up in an apartment for the duration of the shoot. The shoot’s headline is “TRAGIC” and they are quick to offer her the job when they see her. It’s really a no-brainer for her on whether she’s going to take the job or not.

“She’s a blackbird sitting in a tree staring out at the world, daring the wind to come and knock her off the swaying bough.”

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting into before I read this. I saw that is was on sale for $0.99 and bought it. I had no idea what kind of photographs she’d be taking or the world in which she’d be living in. Neither, apparently, did Rook. She’s pretty innocent when it comes to all this modeling business and it takes her a little bit to warm up to the erotic shoots. It also doesn’t help that due to her past, she’s not very trusting when it comes to people. But now she finds herself in an unknown world, needing to trust total strangers in order to make it through to the end.

I was immediately sucked in by Rook’s life. I’ve never read a J.A book before but now I understand why people go crazy over new releases by her. She has a way of detailing everything without putting it into too many words. It’s as if you’re right there with Rook going through what she’s going through. I liked that the book was written in both Rook’s and Ronin’s point of view. So we could get the full spectrum of what was going on instead of it being one sided. Rook is definitely someone who is self-reliant and doesn’t cling to those around her. Life has dealt her a crappy hand and she’s not one to throw in the towel when things get too hard. Rook was a great main character to read about.

I may be new to J.A’s books but she’s made a fan of me with this book. I cannot wait to read more of her work.

“And I sit on the couch, absently flipping though channels, wondering how the fuck I just blew this whole day with a conversation about fruit baskets.” -Ronin