Twitter Reviews: Back List

I'm trying out a different review format to switch up the blog, some reviews will be 'twitter' style others will be pros and cons!

This first edition of Twitter Reviews will be double reviews aka twice as long as I adjust to Twitter style!

All Lined Up by Cora Carmack, read May 2014 

 

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.
Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.
But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.
Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated.
Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter.
And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

Why?

•  Compared to Friday Night Lights- one of my favourite programmes!
• Love Cora’s Losing It series.

Thoughts

I loved the FNL vibe with the American Football 'family' and the insane enthusiasm for the game. I loved Cora's characterisation yet again, her characters are unique and well written. Most importantly All Lined Up never reads like a cliché New Adult book with the ‘typical dramas’.  I’m slowly reading my way through this series and loving it!

Rating

 

 

Shatter by Erin McCarthy , read August 2014

Kylie Warner prides herself on being optimistic, but after finding her best friend in bed with her boyfriend and flunking chemistry, her upbeat attitude has taken a dive. Even an impromptu hook-up with her sexy new chemistry tutor only brightens her mood slightly. After all, it’s not like she’ll ever see the tattooed scholar again…
While he’s a whiz at complex equations, Jonathon Kadisch has trouble when it comes to figuring out women. So when Kylie tells him that she’s pregnant after their night of passion, he’s at a complete loss. He’s prepared to be a good father—unlike his own deadbeat dad—but he’s less prepared to fall for the genuine and alluring blonde bearing his child.
With emotions running high, Kylie wonders if Jonathon’s devotion is out of growing love or looming obligation. And when heartbreak threatens to tear them apart, Jonathon will have to fight for the only girl who’s ever made him feel whole…

Why?

•  I really enjoyed the other instalments of this series.  
• Not sure about Kylie as a character.

Thoughts

Again I found the plot circumvented being cliché by adding twists and well developed characters. Kylie despite her ‘dumb blonde’ facade actually proved herself as resilient and independent. Jonathan was a great male lead with an interesting backstory. I enjoyed catching up with the cast at the end, tying up loose ends. It was a good end to a fab series!

Rating

 

Slowly We Trust  by Chelsea M Cameron, read April 2014

Audrey Valdez didn’t mean to fall for Will Anders. He isn’t her type. At all. But his goofy smile, Star Wars quotes and athletic body make it impossible. She's lived so long in the darkness and Will is like the sun. He makes her laugh more than she has in years and cares for her more than her own family.

But there are things about Audrey that Will doesn't know, things he can't know. She tries to push him away, but he just ends up getting closer to her, and to her secret. Is the risk of losing him forever worth the chance a being with the only person she's ever loved who has loved her back?

 

 

 

  

 

Why?

•  I love Faster We Burn!
• Desperate to know Audrey's secret!

Thoughts

Audrey’s secret was predictable but so much more layered than I had expected! Without spoiling Audrey’s character was softened by her secret making her more likeable and allowing the story to flow easily. I loved Will and how determined he was to be the right guy for Audrey. Eddie was definitely my favourite new character, I hope to read his story later on!
 

Rating

 

 

What do you think of these Twitter style reviews?

Have you read any of these books?

 

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxx

Finding It by Cora Carmack.

Kelsey Summers is looking for love in all the wrong places.
Spending a few months travelling around Europe - with no parents, no responsibilities and a no limit credit card - Kelsey's having the time of her life.
But when she completely embarrasses herself in front of the hottest guy she's ever seen, she soon realises there's more to life than the next party.
What she doesn't realise is that although she's on a journey to find herself, she will end up finding The One...

Thoughts

I knew I'd enjoy Kelsey's story throughout the series she has been the 'wild' one out of group so I was a expecting an exciting book! I was worried to begin with because sometimes European settings fall flat or overtake the story but I really loved the setting in Finding It.
The journeying aspect was very realistic and fed into the plot perfectly. I loved the Budapest night of Baths, I have to experience that for myself! The romantic portrayal of Italy was brilliant and again went with the plot. I actually found that the destinations and journeys complimented the plot at all the right times.
I enjoyed Kelsey, she was bold and brassy. She had a surprisingly deep and complex background which was slowly revealed and explained so much about her character. I loved how she grew into herself and as a person. I really respected how she travelled solo although at times she was completely reckless and needed to keep in contact better. 
I found Jackson such a mysterious character. The way he kept poping up wherever Kelsey was initially seem quite odd but he was so enigmatic and charming that it wasn't as weird as it could of been! I loved how he slowly warmed up to Kelsey and saw through her brassy exterior, especially his reactions to how bold she could be. I did find his secretive behaviour annoying at times though!
The ending for me was the best part as Kelsey had really grew as a person and become responsible and independent. She was no longer needlessly reckless and had started working on her familial relationships. The only bad part of this book was the lack of Cade! I was expecting an update at least!

Rating!

I loved Kelsey's journey figuratively and literally.

 

Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Faking It by Cora Carmack

Every girl likes a bad boy...
And Max's current boyfriend is as bad as they come. She knows her family would freak if they saw his tattoos and piercings.
So when her parents turn up unannounced Max grabs the most wholesome guy she can to play her boyfriend.
But Cade Winston is so perfect that Max needs him to keep playing the part. And the more they have to fake their relationship, the harder it gets to just pretend.

Why?
I liked Losing It and the way Cora Carmack wrote Cade, I knew I wanted to read more of his story especially after the way Losing It ended for him.

First Impressions!
I didn't warm to Bliss very quickly in Losing It so I was prepared for a slow start but I loved Max and Cade instantly!

What I loved:
Cade- I loved him in Losing It and I was so pleased that he really came into his own in Faking It. I found him realistic and very charming! He did start out as a bit weak but he definitely regained his confidence as the book went on. I liked how encouraging he was of Max and how incredibly charming he was with Max and her family. Definitely one of my favourite male leads.

Max- I absolutely loved Max! I loved her character growth and her surprisingly haunted backstory. I found her vibrant and her devotion to her musical ambitions despite resistance from her family very inspiring.
Plot- I wasn't too sold on the idea of a fake boyfriend but I really liked the way Cora approached the plot idea. The way they met was so unique and really fitted both their personalities and their personas. I liked the way they were both unsure of themselves in their own way and the fake boyfriend idea evolved and grew out of that.
 
What I didn't love as much:
More- I would have loved to read more about Cade's family and just more in general about their relationship. 

Bliss- It was realistic that things between Bliss and Cade could never be the way they were but it was still sad!
Rating!

I really enjoyed Faking It from beginning to end, I loved the characters and the plot surprised me!

 

So what's your opinion? Bliss or Max?

Finding It review coming soon!

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxxx

 

Cover Reveal: Finding It by Cora Carmack



Most girls would kill to spend months traveling around Europe after college graduation with no responsibility, no parents, and no-limit credit cards. Kelsey Summers is no exception. She's having the time of her life...or that's what she keeps telling herself.
It's a lonely business trying to find out who you are, especially when you're afraid you won't like what you discover. No amount of drinking or dancing can chase away Kelsey's loneliness, but maybe Jackson Hunt can. After a few chance meetings, he convinces her to take a journey of adventure instead of alcohol. With each new city and experience, Kelsey's mind becomes a little clearer and her heart a little less hers. Jackson helps her unravel her own dreams and desires. But the more she learns about herself, the more Kelsey realizes how little she knows about Jackson.



 

I loved Losing It and Faking It so I know I will love Finding It!

Gorgeous cover, follows the theme of the other covers :)

 

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxxx

Stacking the Shelves: June

What is Stacking The Shelves all about?

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

 

Welcome to my monthly round up! June's been a weird month, lots of work changes and changeable weather!

I tried to be more frugal with Amazon and I ended up with a lot of 'follow up' books!

Borrowed Shelf!

Saving June by Hannah Harrington.~ I loved Speechless so I was glad to see this in my local library!

 

Actual Shelf!

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan.~ I had to buy this as soon as I saw it as it's be on my TBR for ages!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth.~ I finally picked up this one as a Buy 1 get 1 half price deal with the points on my Waterstones card!

 

Virtual Shelf!

Addicted to You by Krista and Becca Ritchie.~ I got drawn in my the price and the blurb!

Limits by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt.~ I love this series so I brought this one asap!

 

Review Shelf!

NetGalley

Faking It by Cora Carmack~ I wanted to see more of Cade!

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas~ This series has been on my TBR for years now! So I'm hoping to read it in July.

One Tiny Lie by K.A Tucker~ I've heard a lot of great things about this author so looking forward to sampling her work.

The Only Exception by Magan Vernon~ Another one I've heard great things about!

Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover~ I'm hoping to love this series!

 

Blog Tours

Waiting for the Storm by Marie Landry~ Looking forward to the setting and themes in this one.
Again by Brandy Jeffus ~ I loved the blurb of this one and the cover.
Off the Record by Sawyer Bennett.~ I loved the first two in this series!
Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echolls.~ Jennifer Echolls is one of those authors I know I'll love so excited for this tour!
 

Quite a good NetGalley haul!

What joined your shelves in June?

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxx

Keeping Her by Cora Carmack Preview!

Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather . . . ahem . . . complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?
But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.
As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it.

 
A note from Cora Carmack!
Hey, Awesome Readers!
Thanks for stopping by to learn more about my upcoming novella, Keeping Her.
In the months since Losing It was published, I've had so many tweets and Facebook messages from many of you who have loved the book and especially enjoyed Garrick. Who doesn't love a hot British professor? I had lots of fans begging for Losing It from Garrick's POV, but I thought I could do one better than that. Because the only thing better than having Losing It from Garrick's POV was to have a sequel novella where we got to know Garrick better AND got to see how his life with Bliss continued. So, Keeping Her was born.
But since you all wanted to know Garrick's thoughts so badly (and because I pretty much adore you all and am terrible at saying no), I decided to write a few key scenes from Losing It in Garrick's POV. Hopefully these will remind you of why you fell for Garrick in the first place and get you all fired up to read the novella in August!
Enjoy!
Cora. 
Check out those scenes here!

I've just started Faking It, so these sneak peeks were perfect!
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx

NetGalley Mini Reviews!

Mini reviews~ Sometimes I love a book but I just can't do a full review or I just back log reviews!

I think I'm definitely guilty of overindulging on NetGalley but who can resist such great titles! So this edition is dedicated to recent NetGalley reads :)

Virginity.
Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.



Thoughts!
I hadn't read the new blurb so I was surprised that Garrick was Bliss's professor. I'm not usually keen on student-teacher relationships but it's a lot different outside of the school environment and with older characters. Garrick and bliss were also amazingly well suited and the age gap really wasn't that big. I loved Bliss' friends, Kelsey and Cade they are so different to each other and her but they complimented each other well. Kelsey was so fun loving and free I enjoyed reading her and how she interacted with Bliss. Cade broke my heart! I knew he'd end up heartbroken so I'm looking forward to Faking It where he takes centre stage. The rest of the class had such different personalities and I loved how they played out with the play and performance. I think Hamlet stole the story though, I loved the circumstances surrounding the cat and how grumpy she was! I can see why this book is so popular, it's well written, the characters well developed and the plot comes across as unique in a new category.

I did enjoy this book, especially the characters and it changed my opinion towards student teacher relationships in a college setting!


When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.
Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…
Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

Thoughts! 

I loved Rory and her innocence mixed with common sense. Rory, Jen and Kylie went so well together despite their different personalities. I think they helped Rory come out of her shell and Rory grounded them.
I loved the dynamic between Rory, her Dad and Sarah. Sarah seemed to know the exact role she needed to take in order to fit in with Rory and her Dad. Rory and her Dad were so similar, it was scary, I liked their Skype calls and how close they remained!
Tyler and his family were my favourite aspect- I loved the individuality of all the brothers. As the eldest brother Riley had moved out due to his mother but I loved his snarky attitude and his interactions with Jen. U was so innocent, I loved how easily he got on with Rory. Easton was the most obviously troubled brother and I was intrigued by his sad quietness and reluctance to eat.
I didn't like the ending, I didn't feel I knew what would happen to Rory and Tyler after the end! It is the first in a series though so I imagine I'll find out!

I liked how this book mixed so many aspects together such as a bet, a troubled family, rich girl/bad boy etc and created a unique story full of surprises, heartache and hope!




Some things are worth waiting for…
Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.
Some things are worth experiencing…
Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.
Some things should never be kept quiet…
But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?
And some things are worth fighting for......

What I Loved:

Cameron- Perfect! I really admired his persistence from the start and how he was willing to wait for Avery but refused to let her play with his feelings. I liked that we got to see him with his family and the interactions and secrets between them. Cameron's backstory was surprising and a lot deeper than I was expecting. I also loved a lot of the smaller details, like his pet turtle, breakfast making skills and the little witty text conversations between him and Avery.

Side Cast- I loved Brit and Jason, both of them were really good best friends despite how different they all were and they were so accepting of Avery. I liked how supportive Brit was and how she didn't push Avery to tell her anything she didn't wait to. I loved how flamboyant Jason was. I really liked Ollie, especially how he accepted Avery and made an effort to get Cam and her together. I adored how funny and witty he was, definitely what to see more of him! I also loved Cam's family and their dynamics and secrets. I have a feeling Teresa will be popping up again later in the series...

What I didn't Love as much:

Avery's Mum- Avery's mum was a very selfish and manipulative person. It was clear that she was the driving force behind the way the issue was dealt with and that she viewed Avery as an inconvenience.

Molly- She was kind of a late comer to the book but I really disliked how she treated Avery. I can't say more with out spoiling!

 

 

I loved the characters and their unexpected backstories. Already looking forward to the next instalment!

What have you requested lately on NetGalley?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Monday Round Up!

One of my favourite memes hosted by the lovely Shelia over at Book Journey!
 
I haven't done this meme in ages!
I started a new job and everything got a bit hectic :)
Last week I was mainly assembling Ikea furniture and catching up with old friends so it's still all systems go!
This week I'm travelling back to Uni for a massive meet up with my Uni friends which I'm so excited about!

Last Week's Posts!
 Mini Reviews: Liz Reinhardt Edition! 4 Hearts all around for Liz Reinhardt!
Friday Five~ Dystopia Characters New Friday post featuring five favourites- first topic is male dystopia characters!

Read!

Both courtesy of NetGalley!

Losing It was a fun read, not quite what I was expecting!

The Elite was amazing so glad I got my hands on a little early.



Reading!

These two are both touring my blog in early May so I want to make sure I'm all set!
I'm reading two at a time because Nissa is only on my tablet which I don't always have with me.

What's Next?

I can't decide! This is a mixture of blog tours, NetGalley and books I just want to read- let me know if you recommend any of them!

Upcoming Posts!
Reviews~ The Elite by Kiera Cass and Losing it by Cora Carmack.
Friday Five~ Should be posting one of either side characters or female characters!

How have you all been?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx