Guest Review - Collision Course by S.C. Stephens

A Guest Review by Jennifer

As soon as I saw that S.C. Stephens had another book available on kindle, I was on Amazon buying it immediately.  I have read both Thoughtless and Effortless and fell in love with her writing so buying Collision Course was a no-brainer!  What I like about her stories is that she writes about the good and the bad.  Her characters are not perfect and everyone does not fall in love like a fairy tale!! 

        I have to be honest  and say that after the first few chapters of Collision Course I almost stopped reading  and you would have to know me to know that I ALWAYS finish a story!!!  If you have not read this story and are planning to (I highly recommend you do) then I encourage you to buy a BOX of tissues first and I am not kidding when I say you will need the whole box!!  I on the other hand did not know what I was getting myself in to and had to use my shirt to wipe my tears away!!   

        The main character in this story is Lucas, a 17 year old boy who was the only survivor after his 3 best friends are killed in an auto accident, and the worst part is that everyone blames him for their deaths.  All through the first half of this story I wanted to PUNCH, SLAP or SCREAM at almost every single person in the small town that Lucas lived in. The accident happens the summer before his senior year.  So, Lucas goes from being a popular football star with great friends and a hot girlfriend to being called a murderer by almost every person in his small town.  His mother is very supportive and loving but otherwise he has no one to help him cope with his heartache until he meets Sawyer, the new girl at school.   Sawyer, who also has a secret, becomes his best friend and together they work through their grief, fear, hope and love.  This was the point in the story where I felt like I could finally dry up my tears and keep reading!    

        Once I got over the shock of how emotional this story was, I really enjoyed reading about Lucas and Sawyer’s relationship… everyone should have a friend like Sawyer!  What I LOVED most was that Sawyer never had any reservations about being friends with Lucas….no matter what the rest of the school was saying about him.  She went with her gut feeling that Lucas was telling the truth and she stood by him!  There were many times while reading this that I wished I could reach in to the story and SHAKE Lucas because just like most men, he would not talk to anyone about his feelings!!

         The romance portion of this story felt so real to me, unlike all the usual love at first sight stories.  Lucas and Sawyer’s relationship goes through many stages before they get to that kind of love.  They start their relationship as best friends, then as the story progresses you can see that both of them are falling in love even if they can’t admit it!  Lucas struggles with his feelings for Sawyer because he can’t let go of his love for his deceased girlfriend.  His grief ultimately causes him to make a decision that changes everything for them!!  This is when Sawyer finally opens up to him about her past and helps him to make the decision to finally do what it takes to LIVE again!          

        This was a long and extremely emotional story and I struggled with writing this review.   I could have discussed every touching detail of this story because every page touched me in some way but that would take up too much time and I would not want to ruin it for those that haven’t read this book!  So take my advice and read this book ASAP but don’t forget the tissues!!  

Follow S.C. Stephens on FACEBOOK
 

 And check out all of her other work : 

Thoughtless - August 2009
Fracture - August 2009 **Currently Unavailable**
Conversion - September 2009
Collision Course - February 2010
Conversion Book Two: Bloodlines - May 2010
It's All Relative - August 2010
Conversion Book Three: 'Til Death - November 2010
Effortless - March 2011
Not a Chance - July 2011
Conversion: Next Generation - TBD

 Meet Our Guest Reviewer : Jennifer

I live in South Carolina and have lived here all my life...a true "Carolina girl."  I am a wife, mother of two awesome boys, full time nurse and currently in the process of going back to school to further my nursing degree.  When I am not doing all of the above, I LOVE to sit down with a good book to relax but that doesn't happen as often as I would like!

You Might Also LIke:

            

GIVEAWAY

 Enter for your chance to win my $15 Amazon giftcard and many other awesome prizes from the supporting authors and bloggers!

To qualify for the drawing to my amazon card, Click the Rafflecopter link below (READ MORE) to enter for your chance to WIN WIN WIN!

*The more you enter, the more of a chance you have to win! What are you waiting for? Get your 18 entries! Winner will be chosen by random on May 1, 2012 and contacted via e-mail! Good luck and thanks for playing! 

*And be sure to check out all the supporting authors and blogs and enter to win their swag too**

Unbound (A Forbidden Bond Novel) By Cat Miller

I picked this story up on amazon, after following a link on facebook. It was free so I figured 'Why not?'   By the time I was a quarter of the way through, I knew this was a series that I'd never forget! I read a LOT! I'm talking a solid 4-5 novels per week and that's a lot considering my role as wife, full-time mother to three children and a working nurse. This story is like no other I've ever read! Sure, Ive fallen head over heals in love with many a paranormal romance before... but this is something entirely different! It's like reading ten novels in one! Many stories have what would ultimately be the perfect love story except for all those pesky dilemmas and problems that come up at the half way mark. Then, you're left reading just to see how said conflict is resolved so that the characters can finally have their happily ever after. Cat Miller went against the grain on this one and knocked it out of the park!

Just as I'm being drawn into one story-line with our main character Dani, the scenery changes and I cant wrap my mind around it and it's sheer awesomeness! Yes, this book has me speaking like a teenager but believe me, it is for anything but! Our characters are not only dealing with the drama of a long hidden secret of vampirism, secret societies, love triangles (or whatever the word for a six-way love triangle is), society class structures, but they also have what's likely the hardest of all to deal with... growing up, coming into the adult world of serious commitments, college, the loss of innocence (virginity included) and everything else that comes with the transition into adulthood. I'm especially fond of the way the author allows the characters to "play the field". This is quite a rarity in a romance novel, but it allowed me to see the characters as more than wonderful works of fiction. I was able to truly relate to them, and become emotionally invested. It just felt so real to me at some points that I found tears falling from my face, and literally laughed out loud! Subsequently, I was sitting in a doctors office waiting room with my trusty e-reader in hand when one of these emotional outbursts overtook me. Boy, was my face red! In moments of what Catt Miller calls "sensual romance", she describe in detail the passion that has built in the story.  She graphically describes these moments of passion, but in a way that leaves you heated, but not feeling 'dirty'. (Unless of course you're in a medical reception room when reading it... then, you just feel like everybody in the room KNOWS you just read about someones blouse being removed). These moments are  completely essential to the story-line and in NO WAY would I ever consider it smut or think of this tale as pornographic. This story kept me awake until the sun came up, feverishly turning the pages, unable to put it down even for a few hours of much needed rest. I feel very blessed to have stumbled upon this tale and am eagerly awaiting the release of the next chapter!

Be sure to check out this HOT HOT HOT Up and coming author on FACEBOOK 

And 'hunt' her on TWITTER...          @CatMillerAuthor

Product Description

Betrayal, passion, family secrets, murder, and vampires... what else would one expect during their freshman year of college? Danielle Vaughn is secreted away after her birth and hidden she leaves her small town in search of high education. She quickly finds herself maneuvering through a maze of enemies and lovers who are all out to capture her at any cost. Danielle’s life is turned upside down by the return if her father and the society of vampires that shattered her human mother’s life. She must find a way to survive in the new world she is thrust into by a power hungry rogue on the hunt for gifted vampire youth. The hierarchy of the vampire nation is rocked by the existence of a demi-vamp who challenges their narrow-minded views of the human race.

Warning: Adult Content

Author Swag!

Check out what I just got guys! The lovely Miss Jessica Sorensen was kind enough to host a giveaway contest recently, and I was lucky enough to win! **SQUEEEEEE***

You should totally stop by her FACEBOOK and tell her thanks for me! Oh, and find the amazing work behind this swag bag on Amazon!

Amazon's COMPLETE selection of work by Jessica Sorensen!

Because Of Low by Abbi Glines

Because Of Low by Abbi Glines is a follow-up to her debut novel Breathe ... a novel that I'm sad to say I have not read (yet). Like many, I fell in love with Abbi's work while reading The Vincent Boys. YA with just enough action to warrant a 17+ readers disclaimer. Because Of Low follows Marcus, post break-up from the character Sadie who was the feature in Breathe. This novel works as a stand alone and I had NO trouble following along despite not having read the previous installment.

It was late in the evening when I began Because Of Low. I wasn't really looking to get started on something but I had figured maybe I'd be able to read for an hour, put it down, and come back after I had some rest. I was wrong! (I'm wrong a lot huh??) Literally the first chapter, first PAGE had me sucked in! I felt soooo connected to our main character Low even though we have such very little in common!

She had Cage - her rock, her safe place. Her best friend all her life whom she held strictly platonic feelings for despite his frequent declaration that someday, they'd marry. (He was completely serious) Cage was to me, like the big brother I never had. Always there, big strong arms, drop everything anytime to take care of her. Of course, most big brothers weren't actually hoping to get into their sisters pants, so let's just forget I said that shall we??

Cage was always enough for Low... she had enough shit to deal with and he had never left her side. But although Cage was very much convinced that Low was "the one", he wasn't done sewing his wild oats (or having three-somes) so a relationship between them never materialized. Seems sad right? NOPE! Because Cage had a roommate! Enter Marcus. Ah, Marcus... how do I love thee? Let me count your abs... crap! ways, I totally meant to say 'let me count the WAYS!

Anywhoo... Marcus has been given the 'hands off' warning by Cage but he just can't help himself. They (of course) find love despite the fact that Marcus is from the other side of the tracks. -- He's from the side where people can afford nice things, have a steady place to live and family who doesn't do the dip! Low thinks she isn't in his league. But, every family has their problems,and Marcus is no exception. Inevitably, the 'family drama' that they are both SO familiar with punches a whole in their happy little world. Cage accepted their relationship, but other forces stand to tear them apart.

That's the nut-shell version, but it goes much, much deeper than all of that of course! The emotions come through so well and I cried with them! Don't judge me! A total hottie accidentally screws up the best thing that's ever happened to him, finds himself in despair with tears on the bathroom floor, YOU'D CRY TOO!

The story is told from both the viewpoint of Marcus and Low. I LOVED that because the inner-workings of the male brain is something I find ever so fascinating. It may be fiction, but I loved reading his private thoughts, and realizations! We're so often not privy to that moment when a man realizes he has fallen in love. *Swoon*

This was a short read for me. That's not to say that the novel isn't long enough... just that I couldn't put it down and I'm a damn quick reader! So I strongly suggest you follow in my size 7 1/2 foot steps and pick up Because Of Low!

Also pick up other works by Abbi Glines including Breathe (Im clicking buy right now) and The Vincent Boys!

Stalk Abbi on FACEBOOK and her BLOG also, and tell her I sent you!! 

        

Product Description

In my debut novel, Breathe, Sadie may have fallen in love with the teen rock star, Jax Stone, but readers fell head over heels for Marcus Hardy. This is his story…

Marcus Hardy had hoped to enjoy a year away at college while he put the summer he’d rather forget behind him. But instead, he’s jerked right back to the coastal town of Sea Breeze, Alabama due to a family crisis. His dear ol' dad found himself a girlfriend only a few years older than Marcus. So now his sister needs help dealing with their mother who is mentally falling apart. The only bright spot to returning is the fascinating red head who sleeps over several times a week. The problem is she's sleeping in bed with his new roommate, Cage Watson.

Willow “Low” Foster needs a place to live. Running to Cage’s apartment every time her sister kicks her out isn’t exactly a long term solution. Juggling her courses at the local community college and a part time job doesn’t produce excess income. But Cage has a new roommate and suddenly sleeping over at her best friend’s apartment isn’t such a bad thing. Not when she gets to see those sexy green eyes of Marcus Hardy’s twinkle when he smiles at her like he wants her there.
Even though Cage seems a little territorial where Low is concerned, Marcus finds time to spend with Low without upsetting his roommate. Cage may use his small college baseball star persona to sleep with every hot female in his path but he’s still under the disillusion that when he’s through sowing his wild oats, he’s going to marry Low. Marcus intends to change that assumption for both Cage and Low. Until his carefully laid plans come crashing down with a revelation he never expected. He’ll have to choose between Low or his family. Because once the truth comes out.... there’s no other choice.

Approx 65,000 words. Due to sex and language this is mature YA or New Adult recommended for 17+

Guest Review- Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

  Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Flat-Out Love was one of those books that was on my “to be read” list for months.  I expected just your usual romance story and I didn’t get the feeling that I needed to read it immediately but I was WRONG!!  Now don’t get me wrong, this is very much a romance but with a twist, a touch of mystery and a lot of humor in it.  I feel like the average girl would not have coped as well as the female character did being forced to live with complete strangers that obviously had an unusual household.  Then, on top of that she starts to fall for the oldest son who she has never met!   When I first read the description, I was thinking how could a girl fall in love with a boy she has never met but it only took a few chapters of reading the character’s chats for me to also fall in love!    

Throughout the book you get to read the email and facebook correspondence between main characters.  With facebook being a huge part of today’s world I found it to be very entertaining.  I know I am enjoying a book when my husband asks me what I am smiling about as I read and I did my fair share of smiling and laughing throughout this book!  My favorite facebook post was, “I put my pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else.  It’s the way I take them off that makes me better than you.”  Now who wouldn’t fall in love with someone that posts sayings like that…just kidding!! I find things like that funny and maybe that is what made me love this book so much! 

     Now on a sadder note, the family dynamics in this book is disheartening.   The struggles going on in this family made my heart heavy.  I had a hard time trying to understand how parents can neglect their children in the way these parents did.   I understand that every family has skeletons in the closet but these parents needed to step up to the plate and start parenting.  The idea that a college age guy primarily takes care of his younger sister who has serious issues made me ANGRY!  He was an amazing guy that should have been able to enjoy his college life and not be responsible for his sister!  He was smart, cute (but a little nerdy) and SOOOO sweet.

     As you can see, this book will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. I would go from laughing one minute to wanting to SLAP the mom the next! I am not going to go into much more detail because I would not want to ruin it for anyone but this was the first book that really SHOCKED me towards the end!   My recommendation is read it if you have not. You can’t go wrong with romance, mystery and humor all in one but that’s just my opinion.

Thanks to Jessica Park for writing an amazing book that touched my heart in many ways!    

Follow Jessica Park's blog HERE!
Stalk Jessica's Facebook HERE!

Product Description

Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.

It's not what you know--or when you see--that matters. It's about a journey.

     Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

     And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

     To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Flat-Out Love comes complete with emails, Facebook status updates, and instant messages.

 Meet Our Guest Reviewer : Jennifer
I live in South Carolina and have lived here all my life...a true "Carolina girl."  I am a wife, mother of two awesome boys, full time nurse and currently in the process of going back to school to further my nursing degree.  When I am not doing all of the above, I LOVE to sit down with a good book to relax but that doesn't happen as often as I would like!

The Slammed Series by Colleen Hoover

I'm an honest girl. I have honest opinion. And my honest opinion is that I'm glad I picked up this two-book series! I'll admit that it wasn't something I just HAD to read. I was in a book rut... we've all been there right? The story seemed like it might be a nice young read and although I was currently trolling for something a little more adult, and a little less YA, I decided to give it a go. As I said, this is a two-book series so I'll try to break down my thoughts between the individual reads.

First, book one... SLAMMED!

As I said, I was apprehensive. A young girl, grieving the loss of her father, uprooted and dragged across the states by her surviving mother and little brother.. sounded like a bit of a downer. But then... Will happened! Poor Layken "Lake" had enough worries.. but they just kept adding up. I don't want to spoil any of the story here, so I really must be a little vague. She can't be with Will.. the boy across the street. Her family life is going to hell. She just wants to move back to Texas and crawl in a dark corner forever.  Life continues to suck for Lake. Again, I say the word "downer" but the stolen moments (and kisses) with the forbidden Will keep her going, and kept me reading! 

The first book in this series rounds out beautifully as everything comes full-circle and our characters, who've suffered so much find peace. I was content to just stop there and not even pick up book two. Slammed really would have worked greatly as a stand-alone. BUT I missed Lake and Will and just had to have more of them.

Book two - POINT OF RETREAT

Again, no spoilers on here, so I really can't go into much detail about book two without ruining book one for you :( As soon as I read the description, I hesitated yet again to read it. MORE trouble for these individuals who've suffered so much already? I just didn't think my heart could take it. It was almost like I thought that if I didn't read it, none of the rest of the turmoil would have ever existed for them. Of course, I read anyway. I was right.. My heart almost couldn't take it. Just when everything was working out and everybody was finding their way in life.. BAM! (There's always a 'bam' moment isn't there??)

Of course, everything has it's way of playing out and I'm ever so glad that I decided to pick up that second book!

Generally As a Series

I must say that each of these two books brought me something different. The first brought me back to my youth. Very YA, it took me back to those times every girl has when you have that first special moment with a boy.. that first heartache.. that giddy feeling you get right before you see 'him'... that feeling that the world will JUST END if he doesn't like you back... and my personal favorite - that gloriously wonderful "punched in the gut" butterfly feeling that boy gives you! Yes, I had butterflies while reading book one!

Book two is all about what happens after those moments... it showcased for me what happens after the "honeymoon phase" when real life starts getting in the way of young love. I must say that book two was hillarous to read though! I found a lot of humor in many passages and on several occasions giggled out loud! I had feared that I would hate having the 'happy ever after' conclusion from book one ripped apart, but book two offered me even MORE closure than I could have hoped. So yes, I'm again very glad that I kept reading!

This series is very YOUNG... young love, young troubles, but is so much more adult than that at the same time. A child growing up is never easy. A child living the life of an adult full of grown-up responsibilities is even harder. I found myself feeling proud of these characters and how they survived! Roll that over for a minute... I felt PROUD of people I've never met, who technically don't even exist. But of course, we readers become so emotionally invested in our stories that they WERE real to me! If I could see Lake, Will, and the rest of the gang in real life that's what I'd tell them... That I'm PROUD of them!

I'm also very proud of Colleen Hoover for putting together these stories so eloquently. Everything was so nicely rounded out and left me feeling complete when it was all wrapped up. I'd also like to thank Colleen for the "butterflying butterflies" she made me feel like I haven't since I was a kid with a crush! --- You'll understand and appreciate that statement once you finish book two. Which, by the way you'd BETTER!

Pick up both of these books on Amazon by clicking on the links below. 

And Be sure to follow Colleen Hoover on Facebook by clicking HERE!
And follow her personal blog www.colleenhoover.com.
--it's pretty bamazing, and was totally my "sweet" for today!

       

Product Description - Slammed

Layken Cohen's eighteenth year is proving to be the ultimate test of her resolve.
Following the death of her father, she is forced to move across the country after the start of her senior year. Just when she thinks all hope is lost, she meets her new neighbor, Will Cooper. An intriguing twenty-one year old with a passion for Poetry Slamming.  Layken and Will form an immediate connection. A connection so intense, only fate could have brought them together. But sometimes fate isn't enough. Layken and Will are slammed to the core when a shocking discovery reveals their relationship won't work. It can't work.
Now Layken and Will are forced to find a balance between that which keeps them apart, and the feelings that pull them together.
And that's only the beginning...
Slammed intertwines heartache with humor, desires with ethics, and ultimately proves that the harsh reality of death can sometimes be overcome by the beauty of life. 

Product Description- Point of Retreat

Hardships and heartache brought them together...now it will tear them apart. Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will's past emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built.
Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge...how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop 'carving pumpkins.'