April Mini Reviews!

Mini reviews for a couple of NetGalley reads leftover from Review Copy Cleanup!
 

Southbound Surrender

Five days. Fifty square feet. One last shot at love.
Cash Rowland first laid eyes on the tenacious and irresistible Piper Sullivan when they were both seventeen. He falls for her hard and just when he thinks she's doing the same, Piper is torn from his life without warning. She leaves no contact information but only a vague promise of fate. 
Five years later, their paths unexpectedly cross. When he shows up with his eighteen-wheeler unannounced, Cash persuades Piper to head out on the open road to give him one last shot at love. But what should be a routine delivery across six states suddenly becomes an unforgettable journey when they save a woman with a broken past and discover that second chances are only for the lucky ones.

 

Thoughts

I almost didn't finish this one as I disliked the flashback beginning but I perceived as I did like the male narrative- it made a welcome change in New Adult! Cash was a great narrator, his life outlook was so positive and honest it was easy to get swept up with his impulsive decisions! I loved his witty character and how he got Piper to open up so easily. Piper was a more conflicting character and it took me awhile to warm up to her as she was obviously concealing a lot from Cash which made her behaviour through his narrative seem rude and confused.
I loved the supporting cast of Hudson and Big Dave. They were both such big personalities and had great influence over Cash. Hudson was such a supportive friend especially as a lot of Cash's ideas were out side of the box! Big Dave had interesting perspectives on life and dealing with issues but he was a great father to Cash.

 The whole road trip aspect was interesting and filled with different characters and coincidences which made this book stand out.

I loved the characters and Cash's narrative just not a fan of the beginning!

 

Saving Quinton by Jessica Sorensen

Nova Reed can't forget him-Quinton Carter, the boy with the honey-brown eyes who made her realize she deserved more than an empty life. His pain was so similar to her own. But Nova has been coming to terms with her past and healing, while Quinton is out there somewhere, sinking deeper. She's determined to find him and help him . . . before it's too late.
Nova has haunted his dreams for nearly a year-but Quinton never thought a sweet, kind person like her would care enough about a person like him. To Quinton, a dark, dangerous life is exactly what he deserves. And Nova has no place in it. But Nova has followed him to Las Vegas, and now he must do whatever it takes to keep her away, to maintain his self-imposed punishment for the unforgivable things he's done. But there's one flaw in his plan: Nova isn't going anywhere . .

Thoughts

I'm a huge fan of Jessica's Secret series so I was thrilled to get approved for Saving Quinton!
Firstly I highly recommend reading this series in order- I very rarely read series out of order and I wish I had read Breaking Nova first as it (obviously) set the foundations for Quinton.
I was expecting a complicated New Adult romance with Jessica's trademark gritty issues but Saving Quinton is a journey to recovery. Nova and Quinton had an obvious connection and chemistry but the story was based more on Nova trying to reach Quinton and help him. I found the portrayal of drug abuse very harrowing and realistic.  The way Quinton and Tristan lived was awful and the way they, especially Tristan, didn't realise and continued to make such risky decisions was realistic but at times hard to understand, Jessica's characterisation was brilliant as usual, making me love the side characters and their stories almost as much as the main story. I liked the dual point of view as it gave an insight into Quinton's downward spiral and how it had all began. I found his backstory full of misplaced guilt and it really explained how he had fall so far and why no one had made the same efforts as Nova had. I found Nova very dedicated and quite naïve. I admired how she stuck with her plan to help Quinton despite all the obstacles and objections. As for the side characters, I liked Lea from the start. I loved that she accompanied Nova to Las Vegas and tried to help her, I was also so intrigued by her life and her issues. Tristan was hard to like but he grew on me, he was an ugly addict but realistic. I look forward to more of his story.  The pacing and issues made Saving Quinton very easy to read and hard to put down! As always I was left with lots of questions but I look forward to more from the Nova series!

 

Have you read Breaking Nova? Have I spoiled it by skipping ahead to Saving Quinton?
Let me know!
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx

Mini Reviews: Reveiw Copy Cleanup Edition!

 

The Only Exception by Magan Vernon

 
Fiercely liberal Monica Remy prefers to blend in. Despite her tattoos, piercings, and outspoken personality, she transferred to Central to escape—before she finds out that her next door neighbour is the uber conservative governor's son, Trey Chapman.
No matter how hard she tries to avoid Trey, he still finds a way to get under her skin. Monica can’t stand his crisp white shirts or his staunch views on women. But she can’t help counting every freckle on his face and wondering what it would feel like to have him stop talking politics and kiss her.
A class debate project forces the unlikely pair to work together, and the political lines are blurred in late-night make out sessions. But despite their fiery chemistry, Trey’s politics threatens to smother their relationship for good.

Thoughts!

I really enjoyed the political aspects of this book. Although as I'm British I did find it hard to follow at times and the issues surrounding contraception completely went over my head. I liked Monica and how direct she was with her thoughts and actions especially with her roommate at the very beginning! I also found her very brave and resilient despite the circumstances. I really liked Trey as a character, he was such gentleman and respectful of Monica with their political difference. I think sometime his politics clouded his actions. Trey's family were refreshingly uncliched despite their political beliefs they were welcoming and friendly towards Monica. I really enjoyed the epilogue and how it wrapped up loose ends and showed how Monica fitted into the Republican family!

Rating!

I enjoyed the politics and the chemistry between Monica and Trey!

 

 Hearbeat by Elizabeth Scott.

Life. Death. And...Love?
Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.
But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.
Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.
Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

Thoughts

This book had such a deep and controversial core issue, it definitely humanised an issue and situation that is often showcased in the media with little attention to the people involved! I admired Emma as she was at the centre of this difficult situation and I think I identified with her as an only child of a single mother. I think she struggled to remember how things had truly been before the accident and also to have faith in Dan. It was hard for her to move on as her mother though technically dead was still there so she'd had no closure through a funeral or anything. It also made her a spectacle  at school, people were confused with how to deal with her. Olivia however was such a supportive and open friend who tried her best to be there for Emma which at times couldn't have been easy! I loved her side story with Roger and her techy parents! Caleb had his own background which I enjoyed learning about and understanding. I liked how he and Emma related to each other and how their friendship/relationship grew throughout the book

I wasn't too keen on Dan, I felt like he and Emma didn't really take an time to figure out their relationship without Emma's mum and he didn't quite understand how to reassure or relate to Emma after the accident.

I loved the journey Emma went on during the book as she dealt with her grief, anger and confusion and struggled with her relationships but ultimately started to repair her relationships, express herself better and say goodbye.

 Rating

 

Believe by Erin McCarthy

 Robin used to be a party girl… until she got black out drunk and woke up in bed with her best friend's boyfriend. Now she's faced with being THAT girl, and couldn't be more disgusted with herself. She can't even tell her friends the reason for her sudden sobriety and she avoids everyone until she meets Phoenix—quiet, tattooed, and different in every way that's good and oh, so bad…
Phoenix is two days out of jail when he meets Robin at his cousin's house, and he knows that he has no business talking to her, but he's drawn to her quiet demeanour, sweet smile, and artistic talent. She doesn't care that he's done time, or that he only has five bucks to his name, and she supports his goal to be a tattoo artist.
But Phoenix knows Robin has a secret, and that it's a naïve dream to believe that his record won't catch up with them at some point. Though neither is prepared for the explosive result when the past collides with the present…

 Thoughts

I really enjoy this series but I wasn't too keen on Robin before I read Believe. In less than a chapter I was completely taken in by Robin and Phoenix! Robin was a lot less confident than she had seemed through Jessica and Rory's eyes especially after the incident. It was refreshing to read about 'THAT girl' from a different perspective and to see  how Robin reacted and felt in regards to it. I think at times she blamed alcohol to heavily for the incident. I loved Phoenix, he seemed like such a cliché bad boy but turned out to be a sweet boy who lived a clean life according to his convictions. I admired how hard he worked and I enjoyed his banter with his cousins. The way he pursued Robin and saw the real her was just what they both needed! Once again great chemistry and a fresh relationship. I also enjoyed seeing how the group's dynamic changed and grew in this instalment and seeing them from the more outsider view of Phoenix. I'm looking forward to next book already!

 Rating

I love this series and each book is just an fresh and passionate as the last!

 

Related reviews:

The Only One by Magan Vernon.

True by Erin McCarthy.

Sweet by Erin McCarthy.

 

Three great books- thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read them!

 

Have you read any of them?

Can you recommend any other Elizabeth Scott books?

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxx

 

 

Review Copy Cleanup!

RCC is a month-long event in which Celine from Nyx Book Reviews and Vicky from Books, Biscuits, and Tea challenge us to read as many review books as we possibly can!

Guidelines

The Review Copy Cleanup 4.0 runs from 1 to 28 February.
It starts and ends at midnight according to your local timezone to avoid confusion.
Every book you received for review counts towards the challenge, both e-books and hard copies (even audiobooks for review, if you have those), including all genres and lengths.

I missed out on this last year so I've signed up! I love that it links in with my NetGalley challenge. As I've mentioned, and it's probably clear in my stacking the shelves posts, I am addicted to requesting on NetGalley and signing up for blog tours! I definitely need a month to catch up and hopefully get ahead of myself!

Goals 

•  To get ahead of myself! I want to have read all of my review books up until the end of March.
• To make sure I draft a review for each book I read!

I've made a shelf with what I'm hoping to read here.

Are you joining in?

Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx