~REVIEW~ While It Lasts by Abbi Glines

Synopsis

Cage brings his playboy prowess to the countryside as the Sea Breeze hookups continue, from self-published phenomenon Abbi Glines.

Low broke Cage’s heart by getting with Marcus in Because of Low. Cage went into a tailspin that ended in a DUI. In order to salvage his baseball scholarship—the one thing he truly valued besides Low—Cage must take a summer job. At a farm. Away from Sea Breeze. With lots of cows, but no hot girls. Maybe that’s what Cage needs to get back on track.

But wait—there’s that hostile daughter of the farm boss. She’s pretty and occasionally sweet, and there seems to be a lot of sadness and mystery behind her anger. Cage is dying to strip her down—physically and mentally—in the back of the barn. But is he prepared for what will happen afterward?

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~MY REVIEW~ 

“I'd worried that letting her get too close would break me. Unfortunately, I'd worried about that a little too late. Because I was broken. The Cage I was before Eva no longer existed. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I'd fallen in love with her. I'd allowed someone in and she hadn't want me. I hadn't been good enough. I never was.” 

Hands down Abbi Glines is the Queen of hot boy, feisty girls, sexy scenes and DRAMA!! While it Lasts upped the ante on all the above! 

 In the 4th book of the Sea Breeze series we are rewarded with getting Cage’s story. In Because of Low we meet him as Low’s best friend who was a grade A player. Cage did what he wanted when he wanted. He used women for pleasure and then discarded them. In While It Lasts we realize that, like all bad boys, under that playboy exterior there is a wonderful interior. 

After being sent to the country in order to save his baseball scholarship Cage has to come to terms with a town where he can’t party and drink and won’t have women thrown around for his pleasure. When his new boss’s daughter belittles him is shocked that his charm doesn’t work on her. Especially because to Cage she is the hottest girl he’s seen. Determined on not letting her upset him, Cage sets about to ignore her but realizes quickly that Eve is not easily ignored. The angry and feisty girl’s personality appeals to everything he is. What he quickly learns is that Eve has a reason to be angry. 

Eve is dealt a really sad life when he fiance, Josh, is taken from her. She is bitter and angry at life in general. So when Cage shows up at her father’s farm she is angry with his presence. A man that doesn’t care about anyone but himself is a pity. So she ignores him and just continues grieving. 

What both don’t expect is for their mutual dislike for each other to stir something more. A desire to help each other heal and be better versions on themselves. While Cage helps Eve move on he finds that she makes him want to be a better person. But Eve is worried about Cage's reputation and everyone that knows him doesn't make her feel any better about him. She can’t let go of her Josh, not when he was the perfect man. 

These two are wonderful people and I could not help but be giddy that they finally ended up together! I can’t wait to read more about them in Sometimes it Lasts, and see what happens with their future. We were also to check in with the former characters and loved seeing a glimpse into their life. 

Don’t miss Cage and Eve's story! Also pick up the previous ones!! 
 

HAPPY READING!! 

~REVIEW~ Odin's Murder by Angel Lawson & Kira Gold

Synopsis

“Hard time prepared me for many things, but playing research assistant to a flock of nerds wasn’t one of them.”

Ethan Tyrell is out of his element at the College Scholastic Honors Program for exceptional students. But at least he’s out of prison. Keeping his temper and his hands to himself isn’t so easy when an irritating professor demands full participation with a mismatched study group, where he clashes with his roommate’s sister, Memory.

Memory Erikssen is not the kind of girl a boy can forget; she makes sure of that. Quick with both a charcoal pencil and a lipstick, she won’t draw the same line or walk the same path twice, and antagonizing Ethan is a break from the usual academic doldrums.

Ethan and Memory find themselves tangled together by more than their special abilities–and mutual irritation–as members of their team go missing, and they unravel a dangerous mystery that spans centuries of local and distant legends.

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~MY REVIEW~

Odin's Murder was just what I expected! It was a wonderful read filled with romance, suspense and interesting history. I loved the crow aspect of the story and was enthralled with the facts and myths surrounding them.

The story revolves around Memory and Ethan and their attraction to each other. Ethan is a bad boy who is sent to camp in order to avoid prison. Memory is just at camp to appease her twin brother, Julian. At first they are not receptive of each other but as the story progresses they can't deny what is developing between them.

As they all research the history of the crows, Julian, Memory, Ethan and Amy come to realize that there is a connection between them. For some reason they are all haunted by the animal they are researching. And as one by one they start to disappear it is up to Ethan and Memory to uncover the truth. One that will change their lives forever.

Angel Lawson and Kira Gold weave a wonderful story in Odin's Murder. I enjoyed reading about the crows and seeing how the story progressed. My only complaint was that Memory's character was not one I connected with. When I reached the end of the book there wasn't anything that made her stand out. The rest of the characters I did enjoy.

I would encourage you to pick this up and give it a try!

HAPPY READING!

~REVIEW~ Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

Synopsis

He counts her smiles every day and night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him—just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he’s homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day.

Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She’s the same as a million other girls—certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe.

When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile, without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend. After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it’s not long before their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both their love and their lives.

Blake’s heart beats for Livia’s, even if her hands have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love never fails, right?

In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once.

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~MY REVIEW~

OMG! This is one of those stories that I am glad I did not listen to the reviews. I have wanted to read this for a while but was put off by the "multiple POVs" reviews. I am not a fan of a book having more then two POVs so I put this one off. For some reason it just kept calling me back so I took a chance. I am so freaking glad I did!! 

Poughkeepsie blew me away! It was filled with so much love! Love between man and women, love between family, and love between friends. Every character brought a richness and purity to this story that just took my breath away. 

The story centers primarily around Livia and Blake. Blake has watched Livia from his spot on the train platform since the first day he saw her. He has counted every smile she has thrown his way as well as everyone she encountered. But he has stayed in the shadows because no one notices a homeless man.  That is until the day Livia interferes and stops the bullying inflicted on Blake. That day fate intervened. 

What starts off as a friendship between the two quickly turn into so much more. Blake and Livia paths are finally woven together.But all isn't easy in their relationship. Blake comes with a very dark past. A past that has made him afraid of the world. As Livia learns to break his walls she also meets his brothers. 

Beckett and Cole have been the only family Blake knows. Thrown together at a young age they've grown up thick as thieves. But they are complete opposites. Beckett is the protector of them, Cole seeks to save them, and Blake is the gentle soul in the group. The three have a bond that is unbreakable. And when harm comes to Blake and Cole, Beckett will stop at nothing to get his revenge. 

While Poughkeepsie is Blake and Livia's story, it is intertwined with Cole and Beckett's. We see them all find love, and for two a semblance of an HEA. The multiple POVs were done in such a way that did not confuse you or remove you from the story. As I said all of their stories are woven together beautifully.

I can sit here and talk about this story FOREVER! But I encourage you all to pick up a copy! I for one cannot wait to move on to book 2 for Beckett's story!

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“I think it was smile two hundred eighty-six that drove me the most crazy. It was the night train. Blake was so sick, feverish. Honestly, I was considering taking him to the hospital. But no. He didn’t want to miss a smile. He wouldn’t even let me drive him. Blake walked the whole way in the pouring rain for number two eighty-six.”

“Safe! All I wanted to do was keep them safe. How do you protect your brothers at eight-fucking-teen? How do you make enough money, get enough respect to do that? I wasn’t smart, Eve. I’m a big, dumb fucking bastard. I couldn’t even get a job as a bagger at the A&P. I wanted to make their lives worth living. That’s what they’d done for me—made my life worth living. They’re my family. I can’t…I just can’t.” Beckett pounded his chest.
“They would’ve been better off without me,” he continued. “Blake would still be homeless, but Cole made his own damn way. But I wanted in. I wanted to belong. I was too fucking selfish to walk away. I should have walked away. But I didn’t and now—” Beckett choked on a deep, angry sob. “Now, they’re paying for it. All my stupid decisions. They’ll die tonight. They’ll both die, and I can’t stop it. I can’t plug it with money. I can’t bring them back from the dead, even if I act tough or kill more people.”  

“Don’t put off happiness you can have today. Tomorrow is a hope, not a promise.”

“I’ll make mistakes. I know I will,” she continued. “I want to be perfect for you. But I’m human. I can only be me. That probably isn’t enough for a soul as beautiful as yours. But if I hurt you by accident, can’t we stay and hold hands until we fix it? Can’t we fix it?”

"I can’t turn back now. My life leads to his. It’s as simple as that.”

"Love is sacred. Hold onto it. I know a lot at my age. Everything else fails you—money, possessions, sex. But love never fails.” 

“Yes. Absolutely. Don’t you know, gorgeous? Mothers are some of the most vicious killers out there, if their kids are threatened. You just have more practice."

HAPPY READING!!

~REVIEW~ Left Drowning by Jessica Park

Synopsis

What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?

Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

*This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.

Note: due to mature content recommended for Ages 17+

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~MY REVIEW~

Left Drowning is a story of love, sacrifice and fate. It is a story of finding yourself and the strength deep inside of you.

Blythe has lived the past four years in a state of "shock". Her life is empty and lonely. After losing her parents in a tragic way she spends her life blaming and punishing herself.  But one day, after an encounter with a crazy but sweet stranger, she decides that she should try and give life another chance. That chance leads her to Christopher Shepherd.

Chris has a past that haunts him and his siblings everyday of their lives. No matter how hard he tries his past catches up to him. But he will continue to live for the future. He refuses to open up that box that holds his past. He is content with staying to himself and taking care of his siblings. But when he meets Blythe all he wants to do is help her through her pain. Help her "breathe".

They quickly develop a friendship that eventually makes them all a family. Blythe learns to live and love life with the help of the Shepherd family and her new friends. Reconnecting with her brother and past friends, she is on the road to recovery. All of it thanks to Chris, who she falls in love with.

The problem is that although she conquered her pain Chris still drowns in his. And Blythe can't help him. This is where Blythe wins mad points with me. Realizing she is the only one willing to open up she steps back and lets him come to her.

When she finally realizes that fate does exist and she and Chris are connected more than they ever imagined she finds a way to make him see it.

While these two find their way to each other we are taken on a journey that will leave us breathless. Chris and Blythe are a pair that will frustrate you to the point where you want to reach in the book and shake some damn sense into them. But when they are together their dynamic will have you wishing for their HEA.

And I can't forget the Shepherd family because I freaking adored them! They are one of the best things about this book. Eric, Estelle and Sabin are AMAZING characters. Their pain and their personality will capture your heart and make you want to place them in a protective bubble.

I adored this book! I never doubted that it would be great. Do yourself a favor and pick this up!

FAVORITE QUOTES:

"If you believe in fate and some kind of meaning and sense in this fucked-up world, then believe with abandon, love. Enjoy it."

  "There is no set pattern to grief, despite what every stupid psych text has told me. There is no time frame that dictates when and how you’ll feel what you feel. You just get to deal with hell however, and whenever, it hits you."

“I am overwhelmingly in love with you,” Chris says as he matches my steps. “I’ve spent most of my life thinking that my father never gave me anything but pain. But that’s not true. He did give me something. Someone. You. He gave me you. Last summer, you asked me to believe in us. I don’t believe in much, as you know, but I do damn well believe in us. Forever.”

“How can I possibly say good-bye to the person I am so hopelessly, deeply, and permanently in love with? Because I love you, Chris. I do. I will always be in love with you, even though you’ll never love me back. You have been my sanctuary this year. You saved me. Do you know that? You saved me. And I wish that you would let me save you.” 

“You are the great love of my life that I’m never going to have.”

HAPPY READING!!