Secret Heir (Dynasty #1) by M.J. Prince

4 Stars!

A big thank you goes out to M.J. Prince for the ARC in exchange for a free and honest review!

"You were born a god and made to live like a human."

             A solid start to what's bound to be an interesting series! Jazmine had a strong voice to match her character as a funny and capable heroine! Prince has done an excellent job balancing a boarding-school, star-crossed romance with otherworldly powers and experiences. I'm excited to see how she continues from here.

             After being spirited away by her long lost grandfather and finding out she's half Seraph, a race of god-like beings with elemental powers that inhabit a world called Eden, Jazmine is having a hard time adjusting. It doesn't help that she's apparently a Dynasty Heir (Seraph royalty) and her fellow royals can't stand her and aspire to make her life in heaven hell. Leading the pack is Raphael St. Tristan, the asinine hottie and future king. Forced into the same house and boarding school with the other heirs, Jazmine is constantly being reminded of her inadequacy. Not about to be stepped on, Jazmine has no problem fighting back and engages in a full out war. Until, one day, something changes and the attraction between her and Raph becomes more than either can deny. Still, it may not be enough. No one in this world wants them together, do they want each other enough to make it work anyway?

            While I found the premise interesting and the feud between Raph and Jaz extremely entertaining, there were times that some of the description got a bit repetitive and over the top. However, the shining star is the great chemistry Raph and Jaz have. It's a perfect mix of hot and exciting that never seems forced. But even though there's an immense fire between them, not everything is as it seems. When there's royalty and power involved, lies and deceit are never far behind. Life is hard when you're a Secret Heir.

When Sh*t Gets in the Way (When Life Gets in the Way #2) by Ines Vieira

4.5 Stars!

A huge 'Thank you' goes out to Ines Vieira for the e-book!

"...don't tell me you're not mine when everything that I am has your imprint on it."

                  I loved it even more than the first! Quaid and Jess are just so cute and lively that I read it in a day and a half. I like that the timeline overlaps with the last few chapters of When Life Gets in the way because I think it adds something more to all the characters and helps make their lives so much richer.

                  Jessica Silva has a lot going on in her life. Her cousin Isaac is gone and her uncle Hector is still hell bent on proving that he's the most disgusting human being in a hundred-mile radius, she isn't handling her first year at Columbia as well as she hoped, and having to spend time with Quaid Stevens is absolutely driving her up the wall. Sure, she had a thing for him in high school, how couldn't she when he's so seemingly perfect? But, Jess believes perfection is a beautiful lie. And she can't stand liars.

                  Quaid comes from a family obsessed with perfection. It doesn't matter if your life is a shit-show as long as you keep up appearances. He isn't used to letting people get close enough to know about the skeletons hiding in the closet or the ones running around in broad daylight in expensive high heels. But, Jessica Silva has him thinking about changing his mind. That girl is a force of nature and he'd better strap himself in so he can ride out the storm. She wants to see imperfection he's trying to hide, but can he survive showing her?

                 I absolutely adore Jess! She's so fiery and passionate about everything she does that you can't help but feel yourself get ready to take up arms with her. She's smart and funny in a way that keeps the normally quiet Quaid on his toes. They challenge each other in the best ways possible. He pushes her to be all that she can be and protects against those who try to kill her spirit. In turn, she teaches him to relax and enjoy life without the constraints his grandparents try to put on him. Together they could be unstoppable. But, can they make it through all the lies and hurdles or just give up and call  it quits When Sh*t Gets in the Way?

It Had to Be You by Lizzy Charles

4 Stars!

"You are braver than anyone I know, and you challenge me to be myself."

                  This one was pretty cute. Very lighthearted with a sprinkling of humor, a great pick for when you just want to kick back and relax without the added stress of an overly emotional read. I'm not saying that everything in the book is sunshine and roses all the time, because it's not, there is a good amount of teen angst and some drama, but the presentation keeps it from going too deep. 

                  Edelweiss sure knows how to make an impression and her first day trading being home-schooled for a posh, private education was certainly unforgettable, starting with making a tardy assembly entrance, covered in pizza sauce with prairie dogs going at it on the TV screens, and ending with having to use the window ledge to make a graceful climb into the common room wearing nothing but her bra and panties. Needless to say, navigating these new social minefields is proving to be highly stressful for Edel. Thankfully, James Parson, resident prankster and ladies man, always seems to help her out of increasingly sticky situations. Together, they decide that a fake relationship would benefit the both of them: Edel would have some much needed protection from being on the arm of one of the most popular guys at school while pleasing her parents at the same time and James will get to stay at school by convincing his father and teachers that he has changed. But what happens if there relationship doesn't turn out to be as fake as they think it is? 

                  I didn't really have any problems with this one. It was lacking a bit of depth, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Not every book has to break you emotionally to make it good. Sometimes it's nice to just read something cute and fun, which this has in spades. With a bright cast of characters and a sweet cast of characters, follow Edel and James as they figure things out and finally realize they're fooling no one but themselves because It Had to Be You.

Sin and Cider by K. Reese

4 Stars!

Thank you to K. Reese and What the Book?! Promotions for the ARC and opportunity to participate in the blog tour!

"You make it so easy to fall for you, but you make it so hard to do anything about it."

                This was a nice mix of cute and sexy! There were a couple of aspects that frustrated me, but they were mostly either the result of my personal preferences/opinions or were moderately corrected by the end of the book. Overall, I would definitely recommend it for a quick summer read when you're in the mood took kick back with a little southern spice!

                MacIntosh Layne (Yes, REALLY!) needs to reevaluate her life and decides there's no better place than her hometown in Tennessee, so she packs a bag and moves home for the summer. Once she's there, she questions the snap decision she made to move to Chicago after high school in order to escape the humiliating revelation that her crush had absolutely no interest in her whatsoever. Determined to get back to her roots, she takes over the renovation and reopening of the cider barn in her family's orchard, despite any awkwardness her unexpected helping hand may cause.

                Lawson Westbrook had never given his best friend's kid sister a second glance all those years ago, but now she's certainly captured his eye. He almost can't believe who he's looking at. Even though he doesn't do real relationships and even the word "commitment" makes him nauseous, he's hell bent on getting Mac in his bed, at least for a little while, with a little proposition he's cooked up. Since she's heading back to Chicago in the fall anyway, they can surely handle a no-strings summer fling, right? 

                I've never really been into the whole "stick it out and maybe he'll change his mind" thing when it comes to commitment, but Mac's vulnerability when it comes to Lawson is a human trait and makes her feel more real, if a bit naive at times. I guess my biggest problem was with the first couple of chapters, where there were a lot of sentences directed at the reader. Personally, I feel that speaking to the audience is fine every once in awhile, but doing it too often can cause the story/narration to feel forced. Those initial chapters were toeing the line for me, but the rest managed to find a rhythm and get back on track, making sure it didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the book. Also, the additional meddling of the sister, parents, and best friends was a really nice touch that made me smile and giggle a bit. So, the question is, will all the emotions threatening to overflow be too much? Or will Mac and Lawson figure out that the recipe for love involves a little Sin and Cider?

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Broken Rules by Hanleigh Bradley

4 Stars!

Thanks to Hanleigh Bradley for the ebook!

"It's bizarre how she finds her rules limit her whilst I think my rules give me freedom."

              I was really excited to read this one. It didn't go exactly as I expected, but was still good. The fast pace would make it great for entertaining readers on a trip. It's got drama and a bit of emotion, but not so much that it would be too heavy; perfect for a nice, vacation read. 

              Aurora Stone is fed up with being the "perfect" daughter and following the seemingly endless set stifling rules her proper parents have given her. She's never broken a rule before, but now she's out to see just how many she can break in a night. Well on her way to being drunk for the first time in her life, Aurora meets Landon Peters, a wickedly handsome man with his own set of rules. Unlike Aurora, all of Landon's rules are self-inflicted. He believes that his rules about never sleeping with the same woman twice, never letting them stay the night, and never giving the impression that he's open to a relationship ensures his freedom. After deciding he wants to be the one to help Aurora break her rules, Landon quickly finds himself breaking his own. What's more, the more time he spends with her, the less he cares. 

              When said that this was fast paced, I wasn't kidding. The whole thing takes place during the span of barely 48 hours, and the ending came off as a bit abrupt. Still, it was fun to watch all their different family drama and secrets unfold. Also, Aurora's friends Cameron and Tallulah are fabulous! Even better, see for yourself as Aurora and Landon discover that the best rules are Broken Rules.

My name is TIARRA (TIARRA #1) by Mimi Marten

3.5 Stars!

"With that woman, nothing is predictable. It's not just the situations she gets herself into, but the way she swims in them. I would have drowned many times over."

            I'm so conflicted. There are moments of brilliance and elegance, but they sometimes get lost in issues regarding style and execution. Then again, this feeling could just be a result of my own personal opinions/preferences. Let me explain, this book is filled with original characters who are brimming with life, humor, and wit, yet a true human connection between them and readers seems to be missing. Personally, I think this is a result of POV/narration choice. The POV changes constantly, spending a few paragraphs with one character before moving to the next, and is sometimes hard to keep up with. Also, sometimes the switch is too subtle to pick up on and can lead to confusion. There's always something happening, which is great for keeping readers on their toes, but often the descriptions of these scenes are repetitive and use mainly a "tell" strategy instead of focusing on sensory details that would help readers to feel like they're part of the story. I suggest that readers pay close attention to the plot description as well, because it's a bit hard to follow right out of the gate if you don't.

            Tiarra Simon and her friend Reese Martinez are in London to approach Alexi Ibramovich, his company, and the associated soccer team about helping fund new facilities for their youth team back on Maui. Tiarra, raised as the daughter of an ambassador and knows how to get what she wants, clashes with Alexi, a cold businessman with suspected mob ties, in their first meeting and both are immediately intrigued by the other. Alexi is baffled by her stubborn fearlessness and want's to know why she brings out such a strong reaction in him, while Tiarra sees the damaged man behind the brutally flawless exterior. Tiarra's battle to get everyone on-board with her plan is an uphill battle, with many unplanned surprises that she manages to roll with, but she's determined to win.

            Tiarra herself is a force of nature. I wasn't sure if I liked her at first, and pretty much rolled my eyes at how nearly every guy she came across fell in love with her, but I did understand the pull by the end. She's completely unexpected. She's that person you could pass on the street and still be thinking about days after because she's just so full of life that it seeps into those around her, leaving them wanting to recreate it anyway they can. She's also known for giving exemplary speeches that inspire those around her with their beautiful, raw content. However, I would have loved to spend more time in her head and have a better understanding of what she's feeling and thinking throughout the story. Regardless, you have to read it for yourself to truly understand just what it means when this woman says My Name is Tiarra!

When Life Gets in the Way by Ines Vieira

 

4 Stars!

A huge 'Thank you' goes out to Ines Vieira for the e-book!

"You don't plan life, it just happens. And you sure as hell can't control the things that happen to you. They just do."

                The story of Cass and Isaac is certainly a cute one. Both characters are charming in their own way and occasionally frustrating in others, yet you still root for them to get it together in the end. Told in alternating POVs, When Life Gets in the Way is a perfect read for a vacation or just when you're in need of a distraction, but still want to be able to set it aside from time to time in order to get other things done. 

                Cass has a lot on her plate. Between quietly trying to take care of her younger brother and ill mother while her father is off on jobs around the world for several months at a time and working her ass off to impress admissions at Berkeley, she doesn't have much time for boys. This is something she doesn't really see as a problem, that is until her best friend's cousin Isaac Silva moves back to Plymouth and immediately catches her attention. Isaac has problems of his own, however, and most of them stem from his abusive father and his belief that love is an illusion. Yet, one glimpse at Cass and he considers throwing his pessimistic views out the window for just the chance to get close to her. Neither Cass or Isaac has the time or desire to fall in love in high school, but it looks like life might have other plans.

                I have struggled a lot with what to say about this book. While I liked the storyline and there were a few lines that knocked it out of the park, I found that some parts were unnecessarily repetitive and others lacked clarification or detail, which I think kept me from fully connecting with the story at certain points. Still, those are just nit-picky things and it was enjoyable overall. Cass and Isaac are forced to deal with issues that even adults would struggle with as teenagers, and are faced with many choices. Seek help or keep silent? Stay or run? Remain friends and follow the path they've already laid out for themselves or risk it all for a chance at having something most people only dream about? Everyone has plans as to what their future should be like, but what are we supposed to do When Life Gets in the Way?

Capering on Glass Bridges (The Hawk of Stone #1) by Jessica Hernandez

3.5 Stars!

A big 'Thank you' goes out to Jessica Hernandez for the e-book!

"Just because we cannot right all of the wrongs does not mean that we shouldn't do something about the ones we can fix."

              I was originally drawn to this book by the stunning cover and interesting title. Isn't it flawless? I have to say, the world Hernandez has built within the pages is both complex and utterly unique, but there were moments I had a hard time keeping up.

              Kaia Stone has always known she was a little different; whether it's more do with that she doesn't have a canonipom like everyone else in her family or because she suddenly came back from the dead after six years as a child is anyone's guess. Yet, none of that prepared her to be summoned to the Capitol without warning and asked to go on a quest to the cursed Kingdom of Mar. Her mission, along with the help of a few princes, a kingsman, her  sister, and a couple of Speakers, is to deliver a message to the King that may just break the curse. Their journey will not be an easy one. With members of their party keeping secrets and outside forces plotting against them, does this venture even have a chance at success?

              I wasn't lying when I said that Capering on Glass Bridges was complex. In fact, I had to take notes while I was reading in order to keep up, but that could have just been me. I felt like Hernandez went through so much trouble to create this rich and original world for this story to take place in, but didn't take nearly as much time to explain it. Perhaps it was intentional, but the whole 'outsider looking in' feel doesn't really work for me. I like the idea, but I would have liked more explanation so I could better understand and connect to what was going on in the text.