Review of Crush (Crush #1)

Crush (Crush #1)

by Lacey Weatherford

I recently posted the link to this book to my Facebook blog page as a freebie. I made a comment about hearing that this was a really good series, but I hadn't read it because the cover model really creeped me out. I can't put my finger on it, but there is just something about him that's disturbing. So I had shied away from starting this series for that reason alone. The saying don't judge a book by it's cover holds true in this case. I loved it! Such a great read and I give it a solid 4 Stars. That being said,  this brings up a good point of discussion on cover models and cover design. I don't get this cover at all and really feel like it would hold a lot of readers, like myself, from starting this series. It looks really juvenile and I understand the whole post-it now that I've read the book, but I still think there could have been a better representation. The model almost looks (Cover Your Eyes Mom) in mid orgasm or something, and looking at the covers of the next two books in the series they don't look much better.

As far as the story it was very well written and very enjoyable. The characters are likeable and the plot twists, although at times a little predictable, are very good. I would totally recommend checking this book out. I'm going to start book 2 in the series and FYI Book 3 is out now too. So you can start with Crush and read the series too completion.

~Shannon

Review of Gorgeous Chaos (Beautiful Mess #3)

Gorgeous Chaos (Beautiful Mess #3)

by T.K. Leigh

Well.... Where to begin? So to say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I had rated A Beautiful Mess (Book 1) as a 3 Star and then A Tragic Wreck (Book 2) was a massive improvement at a 4 Star. So I was anxiously awaiting a mind blowing conclusion from Book 3 and it did not happen. I'm generously giving Book 3 a 2 Star rating.


It was painful and that upsets me because I really liked these characters so I'm on the fence on how I want to go about this review. So to start off I'll give a positive and say the plot line of this series was great there were a lot of twists, surprises and Alex.. that's the positive. I think some changes in the conclusion could have really bumped it WAY up on the Star meter for me, which leads me to the negative. My main issue was the I LOVE YOUs. At one point I was so distracted by how many times Alex and Olivia said "I Love You" or "Love" to each other in one chapter's dialogue I had to stop and count them. Ready?? 14 times!! that's right in a matter of a few sentences they said "I Love You" or "Love" 14 times. I wanted to throw my Nook against the wall. I'm all for the I love you, but enough is enough saying it back and forth and back and forth doesn't make it more true. Honestly it just makes it mean nothing. Olivia was so wishy washy in this one and there were 3 separate occasions that she promised she'd never run again and boom next chapter there she goes. It was almost comical. I don't remember her being that annoying in the prior two books but may be my memory of it is clouded. I know she had problems but she was bi-polar / psychotic in this one. I also really felt this one was way too long and drawn out. I could have done without a good 5 chapters. Probably remove a couple hundred I love you's and that would drop the word count by about half. The Epilogue was by far the most disappointing of it all. You wait and wait and wait through this long drawn out hot mess thinking it has get good. Right? It just has to. The Epilogue has to tie it all off in a pretty bow and make this whole series worth while. AND!!!!... No!! It did NOT. I would love another perspective on this one. So if you chose to read it please let me know what you think.


~Shannon

Review of Relatively Famous (Famous #1)

Relatively Famous (Famous #1)

by Heather Leigh

Sidney Tannen/Allen is the daughter of Hollywood's favorite couple. Her mother was America's sweetheart and her dad was the Hollywood Bad Boy. At age 13 Sidney get's the shock of her life when her parents marriage goes belly up with scandal all around it. Sidney's mother makes the decision to leave the Hollywood life and hide Sidney from the spot light and the inevitable media storm that will quickly ruin her life. 10 years later Sidney has stayed hidden and started a new life in New York. After all she went through as a child in Hollywood, Sidney cuts all ties to anything that has to do with that crazy world. Sidney's also been very standoffish with any new relationships and only her best friend Leah knows who she is and who her parents are. With her promising design career ahead of her there is still something missing and she wonders if she really knew the whole story behind the scandal surrounded breakup.

When Sidney meets Drew Forrester she struggles to move forward and trust him with her past. Drew knows that Sidney has no knowledge of anything about Hollywood and doesn't know why. Secrets are a scary thing in a new relationship and you find that Sidney isn't the only one hiding something. These secrets could ruin the first relationship either of them have ever really wanted before it's even begun.

I only had one thing holding me back from rating this a 5 star. I couldn't wrap my head around not having any knowledge of any TV, movies or music. It's hard to imagine a teenager cutting off all pop culture. Inadvertently there would have to be some information you would see or hear even if you don't own a TV, go to movies or listen to new music.

~Reviewed by Shannon 

Review of Natural Harmony (Confession Records)

Natural Harmony (Confession Records)

by Kate Roth

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I didn't have very high expectations from reading the description, but this one delivered an easy 3 Star read for me. Another ...big plus this one is still free on Amazon and B&N, so grab it up!

This starts off present day for the heroine Sabrina. Sabrina is a former pop star who rose to fame during the height of the "pop princess" explosion. You find that Sabrina's fame was very short lived and is classified as a "one hit wonder".  Beau was Sabrina's manager and you see this unhealthy relationship is still very much a big part of her life years later. Sabrina's uncle is a record label CEO and introduced Sabrina to the life of the music industry. When her uncle get's sick he gives Sabrina a shock by naming her as the acting president of the label. Taking on this new endeavor Sabrina has to prove she is no longer "Sabra" the one hit wonder. Sabrina has to move passed her insecurities from her failed music career to prove she is a powerful executive capable of turning the music industry upside down. There is one problem though, what do you do when you have so much to prove and have the temptation of Wade as an assistant?

~Reviewed by Shannon

Review of Spin (Spin Saga #1)

Spin (Spin Saga #1)

by Robert Charles Wilson 

 5 Stars – “Whoa.” That was the word that went through my head when I finished reading this book. It was absolutely phenomenal. Not only was the story exciting but the writing was jus...t as impressive. Wilson even ended the novel well. The ending was just enough to leave you wanting more but without leaving you on a cliff-hanger- pissed off that you have to wait till the next book to find the answer to some mystery.

“Spin” was the 2005 Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel. It follows the life of Tyler Dupree, a young 10 year old boy star gazing one night with his friends, Jason and Diane, when a terrifying event happened; all the stars disappeared from the sky. As the rest of the world scrambles to understand this disturbing phenomenon the three children grow into adults, each one, both knowingly and unknowingly, structuring their lives in regards to how “The Great Blackout” affected them. Can the world ever unravel the secret of the stars? Who or what caused it and what is the meaning behind it? Most importantly, what are the deeper implications to this incident and can the human race survive?

One of the greatest accomplishments of this novel, in my opinion, is the diversity of characters Wilson has created. Far too often when reading a book the characters (though they come from different backgrounds and they are of a different race, sex, age, etc) still seem like the SAME person. They may look different in description, and one may be labeled as the protagonist and the other the antagonist, but their dialogue is spoken in the same tone. It can make a unique story bland and boring. Wilson, though, has the gift of making a story appear as though there were 10 other people writing the book with him; all with the sole duty of creating a character how they imagine them. With the disappearance of the stars as the backdrop, the variety of characters and a terrific story to boot this is a MUST READ! Even more exciting is that the story doesn’t end with this book; this is only the first novel in the Spin trilogy. I look forward to reading the next two books, “Axis” and “Vortex” and sharing my reviews of them with you.

Reviewed by:

~Laura

Review of BEWARE

BEWARE

by Shanora Williams

I have been counting down for this one to release and I was not disappointed. 4 BIG Stars!! I started this last night thinking I'd read just a couple chapters. That did not happen. Thank you Shanora for another night of no sleep! This was a roller coaster of emotions, crazy twists and turns. I think I went through every emotion during this read. I laughed, cringed, cried and had to pick my jaw off the floor a few times. Before I go too far into detail I want to give this warning. Don't read the spoiler reviews posted by others on this book. Read the book and you will not be disappointed. Murder, deceit, betrayal and all things Ace add up to shocking outcomes. BEWARE!!!

London "Lonnie" Stallone's parents died when she was young and her only family is her brother Jonah. When London spots her brother at her college graduation she notices he's not alone. Jonah brought his "co-worker" Donovan "Ace" Crow. London knows there is something not right with Jonah. He's keeping secrets and his late night meeting the night of her graduation starts a chain reaction that will alter her life forever. With tragedy all around her and no one to trust London's world turns upside down. London has to put together the pieces of this puzzle to find out who Ace is and if she can really trust him.

~Shannon

Review of All Access (Brothers of Rock #1)

All Access (Brothers of Rock #1)

by Karolyn James

I had really high hopes for this one, but all I could give this one was 2 Stars. I had to really force myself to move forward and keep reading. This is fiction so I know that in the fantasy / literary world things don't have to be realistic, but I cannot jump on board the "Insta-Love" band wagon. I've seen this quite a bit lately and it drives me crazy. You don't meet someone once, go away for the weekend with them and fall instantly in love. I want relatable fiction. In real life anyone that says the L word to someone within 3 days can pretty much kiss that guy/girl good bye and expect that they will tell all of their friends "that chick / dude is crazy". 

This story begins with Jess in a writer’s slump. She's just published her first book and is desperately trying to find inspiration for book two. At the local coffee shop she runs into Johnnie (lead singer of Chasing Cross). (Side note: Johnnie??? couldn't we think of a cooler name for this character?? This doesn't really scream rock god) Jess has no idea who Johnnie is and this intrigues him. They talk and sparks fly. YADA YADA YADA. Jess' friend just happens to have tickets for the Chasing Cross concert that night. Jess tags along, low and behold who does Jess spot on stage? Who does Johnnie spot in the crowd? Oh yes, you guessed it INSTA LOVE!!! After this point it just gets stranger.

If you decide to read this one let me know your opinion. I'd love another perspective because I was just not feeling it!

~Shannon