One True Love by Barbara Freethy

Book Description: 

She Walked Back into His Life...

The last place Lisa Alvarez expected to find herself was babysitting for her ex-sister-in-law's three rambunctious kids. But when Maggie called her up and begged for time alone, something in Lisa made her say yes--for one weekend she'd leave behind the career she'd built and her regimented new fiance. But Lisa never expected her handsome ex-husband Nick to show up on the doorstep, walking back into her life, and taking over more than the weekend... And His Heart

Nick can't believe how Lisa has changed over the years-- and how she's stayed the same. His heart still races when her eyes catch his, his pulse pounds when she's near. After tragedy pushed them apart, Nick spent eight years rebuilding his life and his soul. Can he risk losing his heart again, for a second chance at true love?

Christina's BookReview

 

“You can take all the precautions in the world and worry yourself like crazy, but each individual comes to this world with a life to live, no matter how long or how good or how scary it might be.”  

I LOVED this book! Best Contemporary Romance I've read this year! I'm upset that it took me this long to read it!

Lisa Alvarez is living in LA drowning herself in work and planning her wedding to her boss. The reason why? Because she is trying to escape all of the memories from 8 years ago. That is all hopeless after Maggie, Lisa's best friend and ex-sister in law, calls her frantically needing her help. Lisa immediately drops what she is doing and heads off to help her.After sending Maggie off on a mini vacation Lisa is forced to babysit her friends three children with the one person she has tried desperately to forget. Nick Maddux, her ex-husband.When Lisa's family and Nick force her to confront her past Lisa can't help but relive the most awful moments of her life 8 years ago but also the good in that life as well. It is so easy to fall back in love with Nick Maddux, but Lisa is engaged and has a new life, a life she thought she wanted after walking away from those she loved. What Lisa soon realizes is that maybe her life wasn't as bad as she thought, maybe it was time to stop running away.

Maggie Scott has been in over her head during the past year. With three children to care for, no job and dealing with the death of her husband Maggie has reason to be stressed and at the point of a breakdown. But on top of that Maggie receives a letter addressed to her husband from a mysterious woman. Determined to discover who she is and why she was writing her husband Maggie embarks on a journey that will forever change her life. Along that journey she meets Jeremy, a incredibly sexy LA writer and neighbor to the woman Maggie is looking for. What she doesn't count on is finding love during that time.

This book is filled with lots of angst but so many happy moments. Throughout the whole book I found my self crying, laughing and sighing in content! The relationship between Nick and Lisa is so special and so heartbreaking that you can't help but root for them to overcome their "trials" and finally live happily ever after. Maggie and Jeremy's relationship was so sweet and exciting that it was hard not to fall in love with them as well.

If you love romance this is the book for you to read! I don't want to spoil anything for people but I do think that I should warn you that this book does deal with the loss of a child.

Wraith by Angel Lawson

Book Description: 

Freak. Weird. Crazy. These are the names tossed around seventeen-year old Jane Watts by her fellow classmates. But things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes there’s a reason for talking to yourself in the hallway at school.

Adjusting to her new home and school after an abrupt move, Jane wants one thing in life—to be like everyone else at school, but that’s hard to do when you’re the new kid. Although she does manage to make one friend, Evan—he’s sixteen, charming, and protective. Everything a girl could want in a best friend…with one minor caveat.

He’s dead.

Caught somewhere between life and death, Evan is tied to Jane and the living world unable to complete the journey to the other side. She thinks he’s here to be her friend, to take care of her, and that’s why no one can see or hear him.

That is until a new boy shows up at school after a rumored stretch in Juvie. Connor can see Evan and he’s not convinced the ghost is being completely honest. From his own experience ghosts tend to need something from the humans they connect to and Evan, despite his arguments isn’t any different.

Jane is resentful of Connor’s intrusion but realizes soon enough he’s right. Evan has secrets about his past and not only did his life end tragically but members of his family are still in danger. Jane must face her fears and battle Evan’s human demons to free both of them.

Christina's BookReview

I have to start off by saying that I adored this book!

I wasn't sure what to expect at first but once I started reading I could not stop. 

Wraith starts off with Jane and Evan. Jane is the "freak" of the school and is treated as such because of her behavior and friendship with Evan. Why is their a problem with there friendship? Simple answer. Evan is not alive, he is a wraith or a ghost. Jane doesn't mind what goes on around her because Evan is there for her and comforts her whenever she is upset. The problem is that Evan hasn't moved on. He's stuck in the in-between and doesn't know how to move on. That is until Connor walks into Jane's life. 

Connor is not normal either. He is a "medium" and has not dealt with a ghost like Evan before. When he notices that Jane is being followed by Evan he warns her that she needs to be careful. A warning that Jane laughs off because Evan is her best friend and has taken care of her. After Jane uncovers the mystery behind Evans death she turns to the one person that has been warning her something was wrong. Together Connor and Jane try to help Evan move on by completing his "unfinished" business on earth.

I enjoyed the plot of this book and enjoyed getting to know about Evans, Jane's and Connors stories. Just like Jane you get attached to Evan and feel that pain of his story through the whole book. He truly was a good friend to Jane and in the end I wish that he didn't have to go away. I'm glad that Jane began to trust Connor and let him help her. You couldn't help but be sadden by Connor's story as well. I adored his protectiveness over Jane and his constant push to get her to trust him. 

If you are looking for a good ghost story and paranormal romance this is the book for you! I loved loved this book and think other would enjoy it as well!

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Book Description:  

When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn't mess around. After all, she's learned all there is to know from her mother, who's currently working on husband number five. But there's
something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remy's rules. He
certainly doesn't seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just can't seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy's starting to understand what those love songs are all about?

Christina's Book Review

“Love is needing someone. Love is putting up with someone's bad qualities because they somehow complete you.”

Remy has had a bad example when it comes to finding love. With a mother that is going on her 5 husband and a father that isn't alive there's nothing but bad memories of love in her life. Because of this Remy has the dating game down to a T, from the beginning of dating to when it is time to cut all ties with the guy. She can time it exactly and doesn't bother with getting attached to the 16 something guys she's dated throughout her life. Everything works out perfectly for her until Dexter walks "bumps" into her. From the beginning Remy is repulsed by Dexter and his "terrible" ways. He is everything that she detest. Remy has the Perfect vision of a guy and Musician "sloppy" Dexter is not even in her ballpark of guys that interest her. What Remy doesn't know is that Dexter is very persistent and when he sets his mind to a challenge there isn't any backing down. But has Dexter finally met his defeat in Remy?

Throughout the book I found myself wanting to strangle Remy. She infuriated me like no other character has ever. I found her to be obnoxious and very snobbish throughout the whole book. Because she based her only example of finding and being in love on her mother she is terrible to the guys in her life and thinks badly of the people around her that are in love. During the whole book Dexter tries to set the "relationship" at her pace and hopes to win her over but at the end I didn't feel like she did fall in love with him in any way. I didn't even feel the sincerity in her being open to "trying" to fall in love. I felt like she got so used to Dexter and him being so different that she went along with it. She jumped into another relationship without hesitation (as is her normal) and then because she thought of Dexter once in a while decided that she should have given him the benefit of actually trying. Because of this the book was only given 4 stars.

Dexter on the other hand was adorable! I loved his playful and fun side and you couldn't help but feeling bad that he was investing more into the relationship than Remy. He was so patient with her and although he pushed a little and was always around her he understood that she wasn't to be pushed too much. He was willing to wait but when he didn't see any hope in succeeding he turned away from the person he loved that didn't love him back. I enjoyed reading the parts with him and wished the book had more of him in it. Less Remy more Dexter would have made this book 5 Stars!

I also enjoyed the secondary characters. I loved the guys in the band and like Remy's friends more then her. Lissa was such a sweetheart and she did not deserve what happened with Adam. I would have liked her and John to be together because they would make a cute couple. I knew from the start that Don was a jerk and I felt bad for Remy's mother because she did seem to have bad luck in her marriages and I felt like she was really affected by what Remy's father did. I do however loved that at the end she realized her mistakes and didn't become bitter. Christopher was not a big character in the book but I found it funny how Remy despised Jennifer Ann because she "changed" Chris but didn't see how she was being the same way with Dex.

I loved the plot of the story, the secondary characters and Dexter. I just did not enjoy Remy and because she was the main character and the whole book was about her I can only give it 4 Stars.

Stained by Ella James

Book Description:

After a fire destroys seventeen-year-old Julia’s home and kills her foster parents, she chases the half-demon responsible across the country and back, determined to avenge her family and discover why a host of celestial baddies want her dead. With Julia is enigmatic hottie - Cayne, who has his own score to settle with the half-demon, and who might be just as dangerous as the creature he and Julia hunt.

Christina's Book Review

 

First off, I have to say that I enjoyed reading this book!
We start off with Julia coming home to find her house burned down and her "parents" dead. Not wanting to go back into the "system" Julia decides to let everyone believe she is dead along with her parents and turns back on the life she had. While taking shelter in an abandoned warehouse something happens that will change her life forever. The change comes in the format of a Death look alike half demon and Cayne, who happens to literally drop into Julia's warehouse. After healing Cayne with her "special" abilities she notices that the half demon is the one who killed her "parents" and forces Cayne to take her along with him. Along their journey we meet some great secondary characters but you don't get attached to them because they are only a stop on their journey.
As the story progresses we get to learn a little more about the mysterious and totally aloof Cayne as well as learn what Julia is. NO matter how aloof and closed off Cayne is Julia pushes him to open up some and doesn't put up with his crap. What i liked about Julia was her vehemence in getting Cayne to open up and not putting up with his rudeness. I enjoyed their stubbornness and enjoyed watching Cayne finally open up to her. Their relationship was not rushed and was not an insta-love instead it was developed of a need to know from Julia and a bond over wanting to destroy the one person that destroyed both of their lives.
The only reason this got 4 stars was because at times the story seemed to lag a little and because when finally Cayne and Julia to admit their feelings for each other they are separated. :-( But I will be reading Stolen and hoping that we get more Cayne and Julia.