Review : Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: January 1, 2013
Pages: 355
Source: Own
 

The Story:

Affection turns to obsession—and love means both devastation and redemption—in this gripping novel from the author of I Heart You, You Haunt Me.

Rae’s always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her…and the less she wants to give.

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous. He’s not about to let her go. And with danger following her every move, Rae must fight for the life and love she deserves if she’s going to survive.

via Barnes & Noble

Rating: TWO Gold Stars!!!!

My Review: 

Tag Line:

Love found her. Now it won't let her go.

Opening Line:

At last I can breathe.

Plot:

The plot of Falling for You was decently laid out. The pacing was a little slower than I expected. To be honest, what made Falling for You 's rating suffer was my disappointment with the climax. For once, I wanted blurb predictable. I wanted the psycho, obsessed ex-boyfriend to be the murderous stalker I knew he had in him. Although, at first I thought the pacing steady considering what I hoped it would boil and blow up to become. However, when the plot conflict volcano finally exploded, it felt unspectacular so it made the pacing seem to drag (if that makes any sense at all).

Character Breakdown:

Rae Lynch - What I enjoyed about Rae's character so much is that she wasn't the weak, thirsty-for-love teenage girl I assumed she would be. Sure she had insecurity and wanted to be wanted, to be loved but it wasn't to the point that she remained in an abusive relationship out of some misguided need to fill a hole her parents didn't. It's nice to read a story that circles closely to matters I can relate to in real life but without the same exact mistakes being made.

Nathan - Perfect stalker ex material! Sexy, mysterious, confident, selfish, and so on. Nathan had so much potential! I was so disappointed I could see him in his Super Saiyan (Dragonball Z nerds will get this reference; in other words, his 100%, max potential).

Overall, I didn't hate Falling for You, it simply didn't do enough for me. I think Falling for You lost a star in rating for the lackluster finale showdown. Had there been some full-fledge stalker, obsessed ex insaneness with violence and psychological thrill and blood, my rating for would have definitely gone up. Still, Falling for You is not so bad that I would dissuade anyone from reading it. If you're bored or waiting between release dates then maybe give Falling for You a try.

***Check out Lisa Schroeder's website for more information about her and the Falling for You: HERE

Happy Reading!

Review : Dare You To by Katie McGarry

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication date: 5/28/2013

Pages: 480

Source: ARC

The Story:

"I dare you…"

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs—until the day her uncle swoops in, and Beth finds herself starting over at a school where no one understands her. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does.

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock—with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image is risking everything for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all…. 

- Barnes & Noble
 

Rating: FIVE GOLD STARS!!!!!

My Review: One word: SIZZLING

Let me just say: Dare You To is my favorite book set in the Pushing the Limits world! That is all. My review is done. Five stars!

Haha, but honestly, I am not big on contemporary (even if it's my beloved YA) but Katie McGarry's work is phenomenal. She never disappoints. With every book thus far, -- Pushing the Limits, Dare You To, Crash Into You, Take Me On -- McGarry hits the mark every time.

Dare You To is without a doubt swoonworthy!

Opening Line:

I'm not interested in second place. 

Plot:

As hinted at by its title, Dare You To starts off with, guess what, a dare. Ryan Stone is the town's golden boy. Being the baseball jock he is, Ryan loves to win and is up for any dare. So, he is all in when his friends dare him to get Taco Bell Girl's number.

Unfettered by his charm and good looks, Taco Bell Girl denies Ryan victory.

Beth Risk is a grunge girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She does not take anything lying down, and her number one pet-peeve; appearing weak. And weak includes girly and interested in male attention. So when Ryan tries to get her number she gives him a dose of her harsh, slashing medicine and refuses to hand it over planning to never look back. Only she does not know that their paths were going to becoming intimately acquainted in the near future.

Abandoned by her family after living her first few years on earth in a trailer park then bouncing from one foster to the next, Beth has never known what is like to be wanted, loved and a part of a real family. So, when she is forced to live with her uncle, who is at the top of her shit list for ditching her and breaking his promise to return for her, she is less than agreeable.

To make matters worse, Beth has to transfer high schools and guess who is a fellow classmate ... Arrogant Taco Bell Boy. And he won't get a hint. Regardless that Ryan and Beth try to deny their connection at first, it is there. The sizzling tension is there. Not to mention the banter is fabulous! Not only that but McGarry throws us just enough romance to keep us hooked. Dare You To is the perfect balance between character growth, spice and romance.

Meet the Author:

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON,  BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumbler | Instagram

Happy Reading!

Cover Reveal! Katie McGarry's Breaking the Rules

Hey Bookies! Get this, last week I was invited by Katie McGarry to check out the cover reveal of Breaking the Rules on Goodreads! Now, if you Bookies have been paying any attention at all you know how I feel about McGarry's books. Generally, I don't go for Contemporary but after I read Pushing the Limits I was a goner for the series . . . And slowly opening up to other Contemporary works. Anywho, when I saw the invite for the cover reveal and an idea began to form . . . Alas, here we are :)

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication date: 12/8/2014

Pages: 304
Pre-order: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

The Story:

A summer road trip changes everything in this unforgettable new tale from acclaimed author Katie McGarry 

For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so…different. It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who's never judged her. Echo and Noah share everything—except the one thing Echo's just not ready for. 

But when the reason behind Echo's constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants—even as foster kid Noah's search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love and themselves. 

Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah's more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he'd be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn…seriously epic.

- via Barnes & Noble

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for! Are you ready? The cover of Breaking the Rules . . .

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Happy Reading!

Review : Take Me On by Katie McGarry

*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication date: 5/27/2014

Pages: 527

Source: Own

The Story:

Acclaimed author Katie McGarry returns with the knockout new story of two high school seniors who are about to learn what winning really means

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her—fighting for her—is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Haley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

- Barnes & Noble
 

Rating: FOUR GOLD STARS!!!!

My Review: One word: KICKASS

I love all of Katie McGarry's books and Take Me On did not disappoint!

Opening Line: 

A door squeaks open at the far end of the barren hallway and the clicking of high heels echoes off the row of metal post-office boxes.

Plot:

To begin, I enjoyed the premise of this book. Haley, a girl, is a kickboxing champion. Girl power! Haley is a badass, kickass character who is into something most girls aren't and that is what I loved to read. Take put the cherry on top, because of how good she is, Haley is the one who is chosen to train a guy in a sport that many people believe is a "man's sport". From the wrong side of the tracks, all Haley wants is to forget about her past and kickboxing. Then comes West. Not at all the sort of guy she needs to get involved with. But fate has other plans...

West is the privileged badboy with a troubled past. Before I started this book I wasn't sure if I'd like West (not my type of fictional boyfriend material) but he won me over. From the right side of the tracks, West has anger management issues. And he is hiding a secret from Haley.

Readers are faced with suspense and flashing questions. Will they be able to keep their relationship strictly in the gym? Will Haley stop running from her past? Will Haley let West in and will he gain the redemption he seeks?

While, Take Me On is probably my least favorites of the series, it is still a good read. Take Me On is easy to get into and definitely enjoyable.

Meet the Author:

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON,  BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumbler | Instagram

Happy Reading!