My Soul to Keep by Kennedy Ryan ♡♡♡♡.5

My Soul to Keep by Kennedy Ryan is a book I found out about when it was on sale through BookBub. I've never read any of her other books, but this one caught my eye, and I'm so glad I picked it up.

My Soul to Keep tells the story of Kai, a small town, Georgia girl trying to make it in LA after the death of her mother. Her world starts spinning again when she meets world famous musician Rhyson. We watch as Kai tries to navigate life after losing her mother and the intricacies of being linked to a super star.

There were so many things I loved about this story. The writing was so poetic, I easily connected with the characters, and from the opening lines, Kai had such a distinct voice (when I read it, I could hear her accent, no dialect necessary!). The characters also felt realistic to what people in their positions might be like.

The story does end with a bit of a cliffhanger, but I cannot wait to read the next story.

My Soul to Keep on Goodreads

The Finn Factor by Rachel Bailey ♡♡♡

The Finn Factor by Rachel Bailey is another book I discovered through BookBub, and the first book I've read by this author. It was a fast, easy read, but there was no spark for me.

The Finn Factor tells the story of Scarlett, who lives with her best friend Finn. Scarlett is going through a bit of a dry spell. She believes it must be due to her lack of kissing skills, but when someone points out that all her problems started when she met Finn, she believes he must have something to do with it.

I enjoyed certain aspects of this book; Rachel Bailey created great side characters who were full of life and jumped off the page. And the plot was different from the last few new adult books I read.

But the main characters, Finn and Scarlett, we're a bit cookie cutter as far as NA books go. Their decisions were sometimes made so quickly that the story lacked tension. Also, it was a while before I realized the story took place in Australia. I wish that would have been conveyed sooner, because I was left wondering why some words where unusual for a bit.

On a last note, I know J.K. Rowling does not own the word "Always," but when it is used, just the one word as a sentence, to say that a character will always love someone, all I can think about is Harry Potter. I would be hesitant to use it in that way if I were writing a story for that reason.

Overall, the story was pretty good, but the characters were lacking. But I would probably read more from this author is something caught my eye.

The Finn Factor on Goodreads

Beat by Amity Cross ♡♡♡

Beat by Amity Cross has been sitting in my eReader for quite some time. I got a deal from BookBub and thought it looked promising.

Beat tells the story of Ren and Ash. Ren's mom has just died, and her mom's dying wish is that Ren find her father. Ren finds him running an MMA training studio with a new family. And his best fighter, Ash, has just returned on the scene. They have some undeniable connection. Ren's not sure their relationship can survive the monster that lives inside Ash.

Beat was a bit of a surprise read for me. I liked the premise and how strong of a lead character Ren was. And the story was great (the story takes place in Australia, so some of the spellings and word usages were tough to get over, but I really have enjoyed books that take place in Australia. More and more of them are popping up lately.). But the content was much more "mature" than I expected it to be, and some of it came practically out of nowhere. I enjoy a bit of adult fun in my romance, but this was more than I wanted. I particularly did not enjoy Ash's possessive nature.

Warning, the book ends in a cliffhanger.

I might still read the second book, I haven't decided yet. Have you read any Amity Cross books? What did you think. Let me know in the comments.

Beat on Goodreads

When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill ♡♡♡.5

When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill is the first book I’ve read by this author. I bought the book when it came up in my email as an offer from BookBub. It sat around on my Nook for a while, until right about a week ago, and I was pleasantly surprised with the book.

When Joss Met Matt tells the story of two friends who meet in college. When heartbreak strikes Joss, Matt offers to be her sorbet guy; he will help her forget her heartbreak through sex. It works, and they come back to each other time and time again to help each other forget all the things that make their other relationships fall apart. And during the times in between sorbet, they’re great friends.

I sincerely enjoyed When Joss Met Matt. The book was lighthearted, fairly clean (although I don’t mind when the books are a bit less clean, this story was light on the bedroom details), and pretty different from other books I have read recently. It took a bit of time to get used to the book going back and forth between the present day and different points in the past. It was a bit like watching Memento for the time (but much less confusing). 

Small warning: this story takes place over about seven years. That was probably my biggest complaint about the book. Everything was a small snippet of the character's lives. I didn't feel I got to know or connect with the characters as much because of that, especially considering most of those encounters revolved around Joss and Matt's dating lives. This gave the book a bit of a YA feel.

I think this is a great read for in between the heavy stuff or if you’re looking for a book that’s not about to rip your heart out.

When do you need a light read most. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

When Joss Met Matt on Goodreads  

That Boy by Jillian Dodd ♡♡

That Boy by Jillian Dodd has been coming up on my Goodreads recommendations since the time I started reading New Adult. BookBub emailed me a deal, and I decided to give it a shot. The book is about 4 years old, so the whole series is out (or at least it seems to be).

That Boy is about a girl named Jadyn and growing up with her two best friends, Phillip and Danny. When I say growing up, I mean it. The story takes place from elementary school all the way to after college graduation. And we watch Jadyn's life unfold through ups and downs and lots of boys. Even time where she might be into her best friends.

I thought, when I started, that the book would highlight some of Jadyn's younger years and then skip to college pretty quickly, but college was a small part of the story, which was disappointing. It felt to me that there was too much time spent in the younger years.

The story says it's contemporary romance (which makes its recommendation under new adult frustrating), but it felt more like a young adult title. There was some cursing, but in quite a few places it was bleeped out with symbols, and the narrator doesn't talk about sex because she says she's polite. So the book felt like it was a book to read between YA and NA, with a big emphasis on growing up, but leaving out most of the mature content.

The voice of the narrator didn't change much throughout the story, something I thought should have happened as we watch her go from a child to a working professional.

There were also a few things I would have liked more details about. The story works too hard to set up who she would be with. But skipped over the whole relationship of the other person, the guy who was actually interesting. He ended up with someone else and we don't get to see how Jadyn feels when he starts to get serious or the ways that changes their relationship, even though they had something going on between them for quite some time. All of a sudden he's getting married to some other girl, and we don't get to see how things might change for Jadyn in that situation.

Overall, I wanted to see more from this story. I think there was a lot that could have been done that was instead used to show us most of Jadyn's life in small snippets. I would have preferred a story about her adult life. It's not likely I will continue on with this series.

What do you think? Have you read this series? Let me know what you think in the comments!

That Boy on Goodreads

Summer's Temptation by Ashley Lynn Willis ♡♡♡♡.5

Summer's Temptation by Ashley Lynn Willis is the first book in the Vandeveer University series, and I was hooked pretty fast. The book had me laughing, crying, and angry as hell. And I pulled an all nighter to find out what was going to happen.

Summer's Temptation tells the story of Cassie, who is getting over a recent heartbreak, and she's looking for a guy she won't fall for to take care of her needs. Tyler is the school player. He has a revolving door of girls coming in and out of his bedroom. He seems like the perfect guy for the job. There's no way she'll fall for him. Until, of course, she does, breaking all the rules she came up with to protect her heart.

I couldn't stop reading this book. Tyler was the guy every girl wants to change, and his player status made him the perfect guy for Cassie. I loved their interactions, their friendship, and their passion. My biggest complaint is they were both part of Greek life, and that Greek life sorts of things are likely to play an even bigger part in the next book. But I can't wait to read it. Unfortunately, I don't know when the next book will be out, but I can't wait to get my hands on it.

If you love a forbidden love story with an HEA, then this is the book for you.

Summer's Temptation on Goodreads

3:AM Kisses by Addison Moore ♡♡♡

3:AM Kisses by Addison Moore is the first book I've read by this author. I came across this book through BookBub, and I was not a huge fan

3:AM Kisses tells the story of Baya, a freshman who has decided to go to the same school as her brother, and her brother's irresistible roommate Bryson. It's a forbidden love story, and Bryson is ready to hang up his playboy belt in exchange for Baya.

I think this was a well written story that had a pretty good flow and decent characters, which is why it's getting 3 ♡s. But I also though the story lacked tension. Baya and Bryson are in love almost immediately, and a big brother isn't really "forbidden" enough to be concerned about in my opinion. I also felt Baya was a delicate and weak willed character, and those flaws are what lead to many of the story's problems.

I much prefer a story with strong women who really stand up for themselves. There were also a few places where the wording was really strange.

Have you read anything by Addison Moore? What did you think?

3:AM Kisses on Goodreads

Rhett by J. S. Cooper ♡♡♡.5

Rhett by J. S. Cooper is another book I found out about through BookBub. I thought the premise sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try. This is the first new adult book I've read since I decided to take a break from them.

Rhett tells the story of Rhett and Clementine from Rhett's perspective. Rhett and Clementine have been best friends since elementary school. Since he hit puberty, Rhett has been with many different girls, while Clementine has been his best friend and dated no one. Now that Clementine is thinking about dating, Rhett is starting to realize he doesn't want her to be with anyone. He wants her instead. And we watch as everything starts to fall apart.

This was probably the first new adult book I've read which is entirely from the guy's perspective. I really enjoyed the story, and I loved the friendship Rhett and Clementine had. It seemed real and so genuine.

Since the story was from Rhett's perspective the book was much more explicit than I usually enjoy. Even the sex scenes were more vulgar than what I usually read or enjoy. There were also quite a few places with grammatical errors.

Overall, I enjoyed Rhett, and will likely read the next book, Rhett in Love. Has anyone else read this book? What did you think? 

Rhett on Goodreads

Third Degree by Julie Cross ♡♡♡♡

Third Degree by Julie Cross is a book I bought quite some time ago. I thought the premise sounded intriguing, but I kept putting off reading it. I was an RA in college, and I thought it would get the ways that worked wrong, and I thought the story about a prodigy going back to do college the “normal” way could come off weird. But I was completely wrong about everything.  

Third Degree tells Isabel’s story. She is a child prodigy, doctor at 19, but she can’t practice on her own due to some unforeseen circumstances on her part. So she goes back to college (undergrad) to experience the things she missed out on the first time around. She meets Marshall, her kind of off limits RA, who tries to help her gain all the experiences she didn’t have. And of course, they fall for each other. 

There are many things I would like to say about this book that I can’t because that would mean spoilers. But I’m not sure I have ever read a book like it before. It showed people that I could have known in college dealing with real problems (like disease, written in a way that is very real to the situation). And even though Isabel is a prodigy, she still deals with the emotions so many of us do when we leave home for the first time, fall in love, and go through family issues.

Julie Cross did a great job of taking an extraordinary girl , and showing how there are so many things that make her ordinary. 

Third Degree is a must read. I am going to find more books by Julie Cross to read now. There are lots!

Third Degree on Goodreads

Plain Jayne by Lauren Drewry ♡♡♡

Plain Jayne by Lauren Drewry is the first book I have read by this author. I picked it up when it was on sale through BookBub.

The story is Jayne moves back to her hometown to take over grandmother's bookstore after her grandmother's death. Her best friend Nick still lives in town, and they are picking up right where they left off. But the bookstore isn't in good condition and the apartment above in uninhabitable. So Jayne stays with Nick while they get the place fixed up. Each has feelings for the other, and neither is sure if they want to explore those feelings. We watch their story unfold.

I really don't have much to say about this story. It was well written, and it had no grammatical errors that I could see, but something was missing. I didn't really connect with the characters. Also, I'm pretty sure BookBub marketed this book as a new adult (although I can't be sure since I purchased the book some time ago), and it was definitely contemporary romance. The characters were in their thirties, possibly part of the reason I had trouble connecting with them.

But it had all the makings of a good story and a great premise. Have you read this book? What did you think?

Plain Jayne on Goodreads

Eversea by Natasha Boyd ♡♡♡

Eversea by Natasha Boyd is a book I first saw when it was on sale through BookBub. I picked up the book because of the compelling premise. I like stories about a famous person going to a small town and falling for someone who lives there.

That is exactly what happens in Eversea. Kerri Ann lives in a small town as a waitress working to help restore her family home. Jack, a famous actor, comes to town and falls for her immediately. They have quite the tumultuous time of things.

I enjoyed watching Kerri Ann try and figure out who she was and what she wanted for her life, and whether that life can include Jack.

This was a gripping story that kept me reading. I wanted to know what was going to happen, and what decisions Kerri Ann would make. I also loved the genuine Southern setting. Natasha Boyd really captures what it's like to live in the South. And I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I bought it as soon as I finished the first.

Has anyone else read this book? What did you think? 

Eversea on Goodreads