If Only by AJ Pine ♥♥♥.5

A few weeks before I read this book, quite a few authors on Twitter were talking about If Only by AJ Pine. I’m not sure if the book had just come out (although I expect it had). I needed something to read. And Twitter had the answers to my prayers.

If Only is the story of Jordan’s school year in Aberdeen. She meets two American boys on the train from London. She meets Griffin first, who flirts mercilessly. Then she meets Noah, with whom she meets in the train compartment to the bathroom, and they end up doing some serious kissing.  That kiss from Noah causes Jordan to fall hard, but she gets to Aberdeen to find out that Noah has a girlfriend. So, Jordan and Griffin decide to have a go at being together just for fun. But Noah obviously still has feelings for Jordan. And we watch the mess that are these relationships unfold.

I enjoyed reading this book. You could tell the author had really been to Aberdeen, and her writing made me feel like I was there too. It’s not often I see a New Adult book that has so much traveling, and I really enjoyed it.

The relationships also felt real. We not only see how Jordan interacts with Noah and Griffin, but also with her best friend, Sam, who is back home in the states. She also makes another friend in Aberdeen. So it’s not all boys.

The most disappointing part of the book was that Jordan picked two American boys. When I read about a girl meeting guys in another country, I hope she will have the good sense to meet some cute foreign boys with sexy accents. Preferably British accents. But I can’t hold it against the author too much.

Overall, I really did like this story. The writing was so beautiful. Perhaps AJ Pine spends her spare time with Gatsby. This was a great debut novel, and I’m looking forward to more. 

If Only on Goodreads

Tell Me When by Stina Lindenblatt ♥♥♥♥♥

I couldn’t be happier that I read Tell Me When. This is another book I found through Twitter, and the author, Stina Lindenblatt, was quite nice (We tweeted back and forth for a bit about our love of New Adult even though we both used to read YA. I saw she wrote a book, it looked interesting, so I bought it). Tell Me When is the story of Amber and Marcus and their struggles to be together despite their struggles with difficult pasts. Only dealing with their pasts is much more of a problem than either of them imagined.

There are so many things I want to say about this book, but so much of it would cause spoilers. Instead, I’ll just say expect surprises around every corner. But there is so much emotion in this story, and the characters in this story, with all their issues, are some of the most genuine characters I’ve ever read.

If you’re going to read a book by a new author, then this is the one to choose! I will warn you that the book deals with some serious issues, and while we don’t really see anything, in depth, you may want to prepare yourself for the disturbing pasts Amber and Marcus have endured.

It was great to see characters that were so courageous. I haven’t read many books about people who live in the inner cities and the issues that can go along with that. Neither have I read books about girls going through the issues that Amber is going through in this story. But I have to say the scenarios seemed realistic as did the characters reactions to them. Getting through such difficult situations and coming out on the other side untainted by their situations was a great thing to read.

I hope we will have more books from Stina in the future!

Tell Me When on Goodreads

Whisper to Me by Christina Lee out Tuesday May 20th

The book is sure to be a great one. Check out what it's about, where you can get it, and how to connect with the author. Enter the raffle to win a free copy, and be sure to check back next week for my review!

What it's all about:

Hot and consuming, this is a New Adult romance about a wayward musician and the one girl who keeps him grounded…

At college, Rachel has a reputation for being a sarcastic flirt with a thing for ripped athletes. No one at college knows her heart was ripped to shreds by her high school boyfriend, who’d driven them both off the side of the road on a borrowed motorcycle. And then subsequently abandoned her. No one really knows Rachel Mattson at all, with one exception…

Ever since he helped nurse his sister’s feisty best friend back to health, pierced bass player Kai Nakos has been head over heels in love. But the supposed bad boy can’t risk letting Rachel know the truth—especially now that the two of them are back in their hometown for the summer, together for the first time since the months following that horrible night. Never mind that Rachel’s ex is also back, groveling for her forgiveness.

Shaken by her ex’s return, Rachel finds herself turning to the one guy she knows she can trust. Now that Kai has had a taste of Rachel, he’s willing to do anything just to have her touch him again, even hiding his true feelings. After all, she only wants a temporary fling. Until it becomes something more. But perhaps it had been more all along.

About Christina:

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss, salted caramel everything, and believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

Connect with Christina:

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Breakable by Tammara Webber ♥♥♥♥♥

So, I don’t have much to say about Tammara Webber’s Breakable other than it was amazing. First, you should read Easy, because I can’t imagine reading the books the other way around. The books can each stand alone and would make sense on their own, but I think you would get more out of it reading Easy and then Breakable. For those that don’t know Easy is the story from Jacqueline’s perspective and Breakable is from Lucas’s perspective. But read  them any way you want.

Breakable is so different from Easy, which I don’t feel we normally get from a book that is a sequel of sorts, but mostly just a POV change. We don’t only get to see the story we got from Jacqueline in the previous book, we get to see what Lucas was like growing up, and what he really went through after losing his mom. Even though that part of the story was so heart wrenching, it was great to see what makes Lucas into who he’s become, which is a pretty great guy. I really enjoyed the way his past and his present were interwoven into the story as opposed to showing a before and after of his life. It made the story much more interesting.

If you’ve read Easy then you’re going to want to read Breakable. If you haven’t, then you should read them both. For the sake of those who haven’t read Easy, I tried really hard not to give too much of the story away. But both are amazing love stories, and you will enjoy spending your time with the very complicated Lucas. 

Breakable on Goodreads

 

Nash by Jay Crownover ♥♥♥♥♥

I feel as if I’ve been waiting for Nash by Jay Crownover forever (even though I know that’s not the case, and I’m just impatient about good books). But I have to say it was well worth the wait. Nash may be my favorite of the Marked Men series. If you haven’t read the other books, then you should definitely read them before you read Nash, otherwise everyone else’s stories will get ruined for you.  But I won’t spoil any of their stories today.

Nash has got so many things going on in his life. His friends are all falling in love, getting married, and having babies (I can’t mention which friends). His friend and mentor, Phil, is ill, and that’s really taking up a lot of Nash’s energy. His mind is whirling from a big family secret that is changing the way he’s always thought about himself. And on top of all that a girl from his past, Saint, walks back into his life, and Nash doesn’t want her to leave.

Saint has been burned by Nash before, but at the same time she wants him in a way she’s never wanted anyone else. But dealing with her insecurity and the past puts a strain on their time together. Saint has to decide if she can get over the past and her hang ups to be with Nash.

I can barely even put into words how beautiful, heart wrenching, and amazing this book is. Saint is dealing with real problems that many girls can relate to. Her insecurity is debilitating; she doesn’t feel that she’s good enough for most people. She’s not sure someone like Nash is a good choice for her given their past (and to be honest she’s concerned the whole male species is going to hurt her). And her family is falling apart. Saint, will all her issues, is probably one of the most real female characters I’ve read in a while. Her flaws are those we all feel at times. She is unbelievably strong in the face of everything she’s dealing with. 

 And what can I say about Nash? He is irresistible in all his tattooed and pierced glory.  But Nash is so much more than his beautiful eyes and his hot body. He’s strong enough to be there for everyone who needs him, even when he has more than his helping of stuff going on. When push comes to shove, he recognizes his on worth even in the face of those who believe he is worthless. And he knows how to love someone with every ounce of his being. And his patience is beyond measure.

Nash and Saint have to learn how to put the past behind them. They have to learn what love means for them.  And anyone with half a heart would climb mountains to have someone love them the way Nash loves Saint.

So read the story. Be patient with Saint. Past pain has a strong influence on future decisions and behavior. And enjoy your time with Nash. I sure did :)

Nash on Goodreads