Inescapable - Amy A. Bartol

My name is Evie Claremont and this was to be the making of me–my freshman year of college. I’d been hoping that once I’d arrived on Crestwood’s campus, the nightmare that I’ve been having would go away. It hasn’t.
I may be an inexperienced seventeen-year-old, but I’m grounded…sane. I look for rational explanations to even the strangest circumstances. Since meeting sophomore Reed Wellington, however, nothing makes any sense. Whenever he’s near, I feel an attraction to him–a magnetic kind of force pulling me towards him. I know what you’re thinking…that sounds fairly awesome. Yeah, it would be…if he liked me, but Reed acts as if I’m the worst thing that has ever happened to Crestwood…or him. But get this, for some reason every time I turn around he’s there, barging into my life.
What is the secret that he’s keeping from me? I’m hoping that it’s anything but what I suspect: that he’s not exactly normal…and neither am I. So, maybe Crestwood won’t be the making of me, but it could be the breaking of me. I’ve been left to wonder if the dark future my dream is foretelling is…inescapable. 

Do you know the plan a fighter has when he jabs repeatedly with his left hand so you are paying attention to it and then out of nowhere he lands a massive punch with his right hand that the guy never saw coming because he was too focused on the left hand? …. That, dear readers, is Amy Bartol and Inescapable! 

Paranormal stories are tough.  People either love them, or they don’t.  And then even the people that love them, don’t love all of them.  I’ve been fortunate enough to read some pretty great PNR series, and this is definitely one I’d add to the recommendation list for people who do enjoy PNR!  

Evie Claremont is a freshman a Crestwood.  She’s young and a bit naïve.  She’s had only one Uncle as her whole family all of her life since her mom died during childbirth and her dad has always been MIA.  Going away to school is scary and exciting all at once.  Being an academic scholarship student, you would think she tends to lean toward the boring and predictable but she’s actually funny and I enjoyed living in her head, “If I manage to get lost here, then I don’t’ deserve the academic scholarship they gave me.” This story works best because it’s told in the first person.  

There are a couple swoon-worthy boys (though, I think the general consensus is that Reed is the only swoon-worthy one).  Reed Wellington is different, he appears dark and dangerous at first and you’re just not sure about him.  Russell on the other hand, is the nice guy.  He’s a big, athletic, teddy bear that I certainly wouldn’t mind cuddling with! Evie has a pull to both boys and to be honest, by the end, I did too.  I really was #teamrussell for most of the book, but I can see why the girls are fawning for Reed as well.  Polygamy anyone? 

While the battle for Evie’s heart is going on, we get to meet some friends that Evie makes… Alfred, who she nicknames Freddie, is what she refers to as her twin.  He seems to get her and quickly becomes a friend.  Buns and Brownie are two girls who live in Evie’s dorm that bring out the fun, playful side of Evie.  They are the girlfriends that you get into moderate trouble with, but will also hold your hand when you are nursing a broken heart.   

“If I could save a moment of time, this would definitely be one.  I never seem to get enough time with you.” This is only the first book in a five book series and I can’t wait to read more.  For the first time I think, I really don’t know which guy I want to her to be with in book 5…I guess I’ll just have to keep reading.

 

 

 

Losing It - Cora Carmack

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 theater professor.

She'd left him naked in her bed about eight hours earlier. . . .

Okay, I'll be honest...I'm kind of a dummy.  I picked up this book because Cora Carmack is going to be at an author signing in NYC and I thought, since I'm going to have the opportunity to meet her, I should probably read her book.  I didn't know anything about it, I just picked it up and started at page one.  The title of the book should have made me a little less clueless.

I liked Bliss...I liked her name, her friends, her situation and even the way she talked about her mom...for the most part I felt like I could relate to her.  "Somewhere between Saved by the Bell and Gossip Girl, it became unheard of for a girl to graduate college with her V-card still in hand." I felt like from page one, I could identify with her struggles, things have changed a lot since our parents were in college.

So while her best friend sets out on a mission to get her laid before she graduates, Bliss is still torn with whether or not this is how she wants it to go down.  Can she really just give it up to a one night stand after all this time?

And of course with any good story, a one night stand (or a one night encounter) is never as simple as just that, "Whoever said one-night stands were supposed to be simple with no strings attached had clearly never met the disaster that was me."

The not so simple, but delightfully delicious Garrick enters the picture *and swoon* and it's as complicated as it can be.  He seems so perfect for Bliss...their back and forth banter is there from the first moment and only continues to get better as the attraction increases (even though it's complicated).

But with everything being the way it is in life, it doesn't always work out the way we want it to.  "My mother had told me once when I was little and had a friendship fall apart that some relationships just end.  Like a star, the burn bright and brilliant, and then nothing in particular goes wrong, the juts reach their end.  They burn out."  

This story was an unexpected good read.  It was cute and just the right amount of angst to keep you interested but not so much that you'll be twisted up in knots.  I do plan to read her next book, Faking It.  I hope the cuteness continues.

Losing Hope (Hopeless #2) - Colleen Hoover

#1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover held readers spellbound with her novel Hopeless, the story of what happened when a troubled girl named Sky encountered a long-lost childhood friend, Dean Holder. With Holder’s help, Sky uncovered shocking family secrets and came to terms with memories and emotions that had left deep scars.

Hopeless was Sky’s story. Now, in Losing Hope, we finally learn the truth about Dean Holder.

Haunted by the little girl he couldn’t save from imminent danger, Holder’s life has been overshadowed by feelings of guilt and remorse. He has never stopped searching for her, believing that finding her would bring him the peace he needs to move on. However, Holder could not have anticipated that he would be faced with even greater pain the moment they reconnect.

In Losing Hope, Holder reveals the way in which the events of Sky’s youth affected him and his family, leading him to seek his own redemption in the act of saving her. But it is only in loving Sky that he can finally begin to heal himself.

"I don't sit here and wonder if the face that she's dead will ever sink in.  I sit here and wonder when I'll stop having to watch her die."

OMG! Colleen Hoover, I don't know how you do it.  I feel like I should just give you my heart and you keep it and let me know when you are done.  

I don't know how you make everything you write turn to gold, but somehow (and for the second time) you've take the same story and given me something that I didn't even think we necessarily needed when I finished the first book, but now that I've read them, I can't imagine these stories not being written.  

I loved Hopeless, it was a five star book for me and I thought it was truly the best work to date for Colleen.  I didn't think it needed anything more, but somehow Colleen made me see how much adding Holder's POV to certain scenes makes Hopeless more complete.  

Was it as perfect as Hopeless? Probably not...but that's because with few exceptions, the mystery...the shock and awe, is gone and the few things we do learn in this book weren't enough to compare to the original....BUT and that's a big but, I do feel like Losing Hope, makes Hopeless, even better.    

We start with what happens before Lesslie dies and get a little more insight into what makes Dean the "Holder" we've all come to know and LOVE!

"What are the chances that the only two girls in my life I've ever loved...I've Lost?"

We are given a unique way of reading through his thoughts and I couldn't believe how much my heart broke all over again.  

I honestly can't imagine this book, now that I've read it, not being written.  I can't imagine a reading list without Colleen Hoover on it.  She is ridiculously talented and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!

Out of Breath (The Breathing Series #3) - Rebecca Donovan

"My insides still burned. I considered what I could do to push the torment back into the dark and return to my numb state. I couldn't do it on my own. I needed help. I was desperate."
Emma Thomas is hiding. From everything and everyone... including herself. But she can't hide forever. Her past will find her, and her secrets won't remain quiet---not if she wants to be forgiven. Emma learns that honesty can hurt worse than betrayal, and the truth may cost her the only love she's ever known.

This review was written in two sections, I wrote half of it while reading and the other half when I was done. 

To start, I re-read the first two books and realized (while I have been waiting forever!), that at the end of the second book, I was angry with Emma. I don’t think I could admit that to myself the first time…I mean when you think about all she has been through, I don’t think I thought it was okay to be mad at her, but I was. I wanted to scream out, HOW COULD YOU?! How could you leave Evan there without a word, get on a plane and go? How could you break his heart after everything he’s done for you? How could you be so selfish? – Seems harsh to say to the girl who has been through everything Emma has been through, right? But the second time around I realized that is exactly how I felt. Of course this re-read also brought back the knot in my stomach I had at the end of Barely Breathing, and that knot only got worse the hours leading up to Out of Breath.

We spent a looooong time being tortured by pushed back release dates, editing, teasers and the reminders that this is Emma’s story, not Evan’s or Emma and Evan’s story. So when release day was finally here, I waited up til midnight in hopes of starting to ease the tension that had grown in my stomach.

NOPE! The suffering continued. Part of this is my fault, as a reader. I had expectations (as we all do when it comes to sequels). I knew what I wanted, and when it wasn’t happening, I was frustrated and angry. I spent so much time feeling that way, I couldn’t enjoy what I was reading.

Here’s what I didn’t like - I feel like I don’t know this Emma…she’s not the same girl I just left a few days ago (even mad at her, I would say she’s not the same person). I don’t particularly care for these new friends (though I am glad that Sara is with us via the phone). And I feel like I am getting Cole shoved down my throat. I feel like he’s too much like Evan. He’s patient with her, cares about her, lets her set the terms. I want to scream, GO AWAY COLE, I WANT EVAN!!! So I did, to my friends Trish & Cristin who patiently/virtually held my hand through this book. I thought for a while they were going to have to hold my hair back for me because I was making myself sick over this book. It was in these moments particularly that I could hear those words from Rebecca Donovan, this is Emma’s story not Evan’s story. - ugh

So, I tried to like Cole, and it’s not hard to do. He IS a good guy, and he DOES care about Emma but there were two issues….the first being he’s just not Evan and I was too closed minded to see past that, and the second was that I just didn’t like who Emma was with Cole.

WOW! That’s it…at this point, I just really don’t like Emma. It’s carry over from the end of the last book too, but right now, who she is and the way she’s acting…I just don’t like Emma. Is it okay to say that? I don’t feel bad for her right now like I did in previous books. I know what she went through was hell, I cried through the first two books with everything she went through, but even fueled by her past, these choices are hers. And they are making me dislike her.

Honestly, my insides were twisted up through this whole book, and when I finally finished it…I still felt incomplete. I felt like I was meant to suffer through this book, like that was the intention for the readers. And then the epilogue – grrrr. The epilogue felt, sort of useless to me. I mean, I got it, but there was so much more that could have been done with it. And I just didn’t feel like it was a place to end the story. After all the pain, torture and suffering, I felt like I deserved more.

So while the story was my issue, the writing was good and the interchanging POVs – which happen in a back and forth way while you are reading – were actually quite spectacular. I only did a double take on it twice, once was the first time it happened, I had to re-read it because I was confused not realizing the POV had changed to someone else. The second time I think may have been a printing error, one part that was italicized that shouldn’t have been. I have to give Rebecca some major bonus points for this because, it was truly impressive.

I know this review isn’t explaining things all that well, but my frustrations are very specific to the story, and to put them in this review would give away too much. So here’s my advice, if you’ve read the first two you obviously have to read this book but keep in mind it’s not the same story, it’s not the same Emma, and my suggestion would be to keep an open mind. I hope that will help you enjoy it more than I did. 

 

Girl with Guitar (Kylie Ryans #1) - Caisey Quinn

After Kylie’s dad dies in a freak accident, he leaves her with nothing other than her crazy stepmother, Darla, and the ability to play guitar. When Darla kicks Kylie out and she loses her job all in the same day, she hops a bus to Nashville determined to make her late father’s dreams come true. Waitressing and saving her pennies to record a demo, her big break comes when she’s asked to join a tour going down the tubes with once platinum album-selling country music superstar Trace Corbin. But touring with Trace is hardly a dream come true since he’s pretty much drinking his career down the drain. If Kylie can’t pull Trace out of his rut, he’ll pull her and her dreams down with him.  

My heart went out to Kylie right in the first paragraph I read.  Whispered promises to a gravesite…the only person you’ve ever been able to trust and depend on is gone…if you can related, Caisey will tear your heart out page one.  From that moment, I was invested in the success and failure of Kylie Ryans, and hoping for the former. “I’m going to Nashville like we talked about.  Even though no one else was around, she lowered her voice to a whisper,  I’m going to make you proud, I promise.”  

She takes off to Nashville to try to pursue her dreams, and in doing so leaves behind the only friend she has left.  But, as Jason Alden will tell you in his music, in Nashville, “it’s a crazy town full of neon dreams, everybody plays and everybody sings” – so you have to be that one-in-a-million and/or be in the right place at the right time, singing the right song.   

The country music fan in me loved this.  I just went to Nashville for the first time and I felt like I was back there.  Walking the area where you can hear live music coming out of every bar.  I loved the rolling soundtrack of my favorite songs that played in my head while I thought about these characters.  I don’t know why, but right from the beginning I pictured Luke Bryan (must have been the tight jeans comment) and that’s what I pictured Trace to sound like, except he was always singing Lee Brice’s Hard to Love (which Trace does cover in this book!).  I want to break out my boots and sing and dance along! 

I liked Kylie, she was willing to work hard, do whatever it took to support herself.  She also seemed like the type of character you would want to be friends with.  I, of course liked that she had a snarky side to her as well.  I also felt for her being shoved into the spot light without being prepared for it.   

Kylie and Trace’s back and forth hate/tolerate relationship kept me entertained, and reading this whole book in one sitting.   Although, I can’t say I’d hate being stuck on a tour bus with him for a little while! I loved Trace’s road family and his sisters.  His sisters particularly, added another dimension into Trace that I was happy to get to know.  It was like he had two sides, and I wanted to slap one and hug the other. 

It’s a little bad boy Tim McGraw meets Country Cutie Faith Hill (back in the day)[or Vince Gill and Amy Grant – take your pick], when everyone warns her to stay away…there is just something about him that draws her in.  “Kylie was standing in the path of something wild and dangerous and a hell of a lot more powerful than her.”  But not every bad boy is good on the inside and Trace definitely has his fair share of problems (mostly of the alcoholic and female variety)…we’ll have to wait through the series to see how this one goes!  Caisey, you have won yourself a new fan!