Book Review: Together We Caught Fire by Eva B. Gibson

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publish Date: February 4th, 2020

Series: Stand Along

Source: E-galley from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

A forbidden attraction grows even more complicated when the guy Lane Jamison has crushed on for years suddenly becomes her step-brother in this sexy and gorgeously written debut novel about the lines between love, desire, and obsession.

What happens when the boy you want most becomes the one person you can’t have?

Lane Jamison's life is turned upside down the week before her senior year when her father introduces her to his new fiancée: mother of Grey McIntyre, Lane’s secret, longtime crush. Now with Grey living in Lane’s house, there’s only a thin wall separating their rooms, making it harder and harder to deny their growing mutual attraction—an attraction made all the more forbidden by Grey’s long-term girlfriend Sadie Hall, who also happens to be Lane’s friend

Torn between her feelings for Grey and her friendship with Sadie—not to mention her desire to keep the peace at home—Lane befriends Sadie’s older brother, Connor, the black sheep of the strict, evangelical Hall family. Connor, a metal working artist who is all sharp edges, challenges Lane in ways no one else ever has. As the two become closer and start to open up about the traumas in their respective pasts, Lane begins to question her conviction that Connor is just a distraction.

Tensions come to a head after a tragic incident at a party, forcing Lane to untangle her feelings for both boys and face the truth of what—and who—she wants, in this gripping and stunningly romantic debut novel.

My Review:

Lane, Conner, Grey and Sadie are the main characters in Together We Caught Fire, a book about forbidden romance, teen angst, and a lot of other issues that may not be okay for everyone to read. There is definitely a need for trigger warnings with this book - suicide and drug use, among others.

The beginning of this book was extremely confusing, I wasn't sure what was going on. It got better but to be honest, the overall book fell a little flat for me. There were some great parts, I'll give you that. At first I enjoyed the playful friendship between Conner and Lane, and the time they spent together. But then things changed and their relationship changed to this weird back and forth. Sadie was an interesting character that felt out of place to me.

Overall, this just wasn't the book I was expecting. I think people are going to fall into 2 categories with this one, you're either going to love it, or not and it looks like I fall into the latter.

Book Review: Find Your Pleasure: The Art of Living A More Joyful Life by Cynthia Loyst

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publish Date: January 7th, 2020
Series: None
Source: E-Galley from publisher in exchange for honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

Find Your Pleasure is a pleasure revolution: where society has told women to feel guilty or ashamed for embracing pleasures, Cynthia Loyst shows you how to get to the heart of what you need and want, in every aspect of life.

Live: Uncover the beauty of everyday moments, celebrate family and friends, find fun and satisfaction in your workdays, and enjoy the immense rewards parenting has to offer—all while being mindful of taking care of yourself.

Love: Cynthia reveals everything from learning to enjoy your body more, ways to feel intimate and communicate effectively with your partner, and the keys to having better sex.
Inspire: Find out how to let your creative self bloom, seek out exciting new pathways in life, and let kindness guide you with Cynthia’s tips and tricks for mastering mindfulness and meditation.

Through her insightful anecdotes, Cynthia empowers women to revel in all of life’s joys, even the messy ones. Filled with beautiful color photographs, Find Your Pleasure is a treat for the soul that you can devour in one go or savor in tiny bites.

My Review:

What a simple thought this is...do what brings you pleasure in life, and don't feel bad about it. But like most people, I find this hard. I don't have time, I don't have the energy, I should do something else instead...etc. But Cynthia Loyst writes that it doesn't need to be super difficult or time consuming (if we choose), and we don't need to feel guilty for taking time to do what we love. I love these movements that have taken over - find a more joyful life, kon-mari your space - I'm not usually one to jump on these so-called "bandwagons", but there's something about simplicity and joyfulness that resonates with me this time around, which is why I wanted to read this book - I also really like Cynthia on The Social! And trust me when I say I'm working on this and decluttering my home, and man it feels great!

While Cynthia is first and foremost a relationship/sexual health columnist/writer, Find Your Pleasure doesn't only focus on those aspects. In this book she talks about finding pleasure with family, friends, in your work life, and home life. Plants make you feel happy? Fill your home with them! Want to lay in a hot bath for hours? Do it and lock the door so no one can bother you!

She writes about how women feel guilty taking time for themselves and how we stop doing the things we love for us becuase we've been engrained to feel this way from society. On Instagram I follow a lot of advocates (body positivity, equality, etc) and I'd say it's people like them and Cynthia Loyst that are paving way for a more accepting world a little each day, and I applaud them. Now excuse me while I go drink my coffee, and listen to Justin Bieber, because right now that's what brings me pleasure!

Book Review: Twice In A Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books
Publish Date: October 22nd, 2019
Series: Stand Alone
Source: E-galley from publisher in exchange for honest review

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak.

During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.
Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he’s the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it’s possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason… and whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

My Review:

First off, HAPPY PUBLISH DAY!!!

This was my first ever Christina Lauren book, and it will not be the last! Fun fact that I just found out - Christina Lauren is actually 2 people; best friends who write together which is phenomenal! I think that's so cool, and definitely makes me want to read more of their books.
Twice In A Blue Moon was a great read, it starts off with a before narrative in Tate's POV. She meets handsome Sam and they instantly connect. Some could even say it was love at first sight. The two of them have plans for after London, and then abruptly, it all ends. Flash forward 14 years, and Tate has it all. She's an up and coming actress who's about to film the movie that will win her awards. But as you might guess, Sam comes back into the picture and Tate wonders, can once in a blue moon actually turn into twice in a blue moon?

The writing was great, and the story was told very well. It reminded me of Emily Giffin and K.A. Tucker. The fluid story telling made it so I could pick up the book wherever I left off and continue reading without having to backtrack a few paragraphs (or pages!). Also, isn't the cover of Twice In  A Blue Moon so pretty? Now go and read this book while I check my local library for The Unhoneymooners written by this duo!

Book Review: Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

Publish Date: April 16th, 2019
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Series: Stand Alone
Source: e-galley from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.


My Review:

I couldn't stop staring at this book cover! Seriously, isn't it beautiful!? Unfortunately, I spent more time looking at the book than actually reading it. I had such a hard time getting into this one, and I have no idea why. The reviews have been great, as of today (release day!!) on Goodreads, its a 4.14 star book but I struggled! I think it was Birdie - I had a hard time connecting, in fact, I just didn't like her! Daniel, on the other hand was likable. I found that I was reading for him. About halfway through I was a little more invested and was able to fly through the second half. The story was interesting, and fun! But I felt like there could have been a better focus on one or 2 story lines - I still have a few unanswered questions. 

In the end, I finished Serious Moonlight and a few people were intrigued while I was reading my ARC so I know that at least one person was eager to get their hands on this one thanks to me! By the quick look on Goodreads, if you've loved Jenn Bennetts other books, then chances are you'll love this one too, it just wasn't for me. Instead, I'll showcase the cover and take a quick look at it when I need all the feels that it gives me.

Book Review: Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: November 20th, 2018
Series: Stand alone
Source: e-galley from publisher in exchange for honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can you love someone you can never touch?

Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?

My Review:

The cover is gorgeous. That's what first got my attention I must say. Then it was the movie trailer that piqued my intrigue and one day, an e-galley showed up in my inbox and I was so excited.

Five Feet Apart is a heart-warming YA love story. We meet Stella, who basically lives in the hospital because of CF. She's been on this journey for as long as she can remember, and for as long as she can remember, she's been in control. She makes lists, crosses off lists, takes her medicine and everything else with care and routine. It's not until Will shows up at the same hospital, with CF that things start to get out of control. He's reckless, and cute, and not willing to let his illness control anything. Stella and Will share the same sickness but not much else. But friendship blossoms with Will's carefree attitude and Stella finds herself doing and feeling things she's never felt before. 

I must admit, there was a bit of medical jargon that had to do with CF that I had to Google. I needed to know what B. Cepacia is and how the medical vest worked and so much more before continuing so I will say that reading Five Feet Apart has made me a hell of a lot more aware of what cystic fibrosis is. So I got awareness of this awful disease if nothing else. But there is so much more to Five Feet Apart. It's definitely a book that will make the reader smile and then cry, and smile all over again. It is worth the read! And I cannot wait to see the movie! 

If you haven't already watched the teaser trailer, you can now!

Book Review: Only A Breath Apart by Katie McGarry with Excerpt and Giveaway!

Publish Date: January 22nd, 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jesse Lachlin is cursed.
So the town folklore says, but while Jesse’s had his fair share of tragedy, the only curse he believes is in his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year, Scarlett Copeland.
Scarlett Copeland is psychic.
Glory Gardner tells Scarlett she has hidden psychic abilities, but Scarlett thinks Glory is delusional. What is real is Scarlett’s father’s irrational fears, controlling attitude, and the dark secrets at home. Scarlett may have a way to escape, but there’s a hitch: she’ll have to rely on the one person she used to trust, the same boy who broke her heart, Jesse Lachlin.
Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other. But as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…

My Review:

"Stay, Tink." These two little words pulled on my heartstrings and from that moment on, I knew I'd fall in love with Jesses character.

Only A Breath Apart, a book about young love, curses, and deep dark secrets is yet another amazing read by the very talented Katie McGarry. How she continues to write books that make me fall in love again and again is amazing, and I was thrilled to get an ARC.

Jesse and Scarlett grew up together, and were inseparable when they could sneak about the land Jesse lived on with his gran. They climbed trees, chased fireflies and lived a carefree life when together, just the two of them. Things at home with Scarlett were not quite as carefree though and one day Jesse downright stops talking to Scarlett altogether. They go years without talking, and it's an unfortunate event that brings them slowly back together: Gran's funeral. Jesse may be able to inherit the land on which he came and went as a child and which keeps him grounded, but he has a lot to prove to some very different people.

Jesse, a young man who's been through so much in his short life has to deal with the whole farm land now that Gran is gone. It's a lot of work, but he's cut out for it. It's what he lives for. I really enjoyed this character and his commitment to his Gran and her farm. I felt like he was a loyal and kind friend with a few minor issues, but overall, I felt like Jesse was a true gentleman. I would really have liked more background on his friends, V, Leo and Nazareth though. I felt like these characters and their stories could have been expanded tenfold and it would help understanding Jesse a little more.

Scarlett, broken-hearted Scarlett. This poor young lady has been through so much heartache and it keeps tearing at her. She tries ever day to get up, go to school and be emotionless. It's just easier that way. But seeing Jesse at Gran's funeral stirs up emotions that she's not ready for, and Glory, town psychic says that Scarlett and Jesse may have to depend on each others help.

Only A Breath Apart is a book that deals with dark issues, it will make the reader cry and feel every emotion from beginning to end. Isn't that was makes a good read though, when you FEEL the book? (and also some pretty hot and steamy kissing scenes!) I'd encourage fans of Katie's other works and anyone else really to pick up Only A Breath Apart - you won't be disappointed. 

Once again, I have an exclusive excerpt for those who stopped by:

~SCARLETT~

“I thought you said you were meeting Camila.”

I jump at the sound of Dad’s voice and spin in his direction. “I am.”

Dad studies me, and I hide my hands behind my back to conceal the slight quiver that could announce my guilt. When I left him, he was in good spirits, but his moods can quickly shift. There are two patched up holes in my bedroom that can testify to this. Dad replaced the drywall, covered it with fresh paint, but the perfection can’t take away the memory of the way my heart pounded through my chest as he drove his fist through the wall.

He inclines his head toward the booth of balloon animals. “Camila appears to be working.”

“She’s getting off soon,” I say too fast as I bite back the need to ask why he didn’t go home like he said he was.

“Why did you leave us if she’s still working? You said Camila would be done by five-thirty.”

My mouth dries out, and the tremble in my hands travels to the rest of my body, but I force out a cleansing breath. Show no fear. Don’t give him any reason to doubt a thing I say. “She was supposed to be off by now, but her parents asked her to work a few more minutes.”

“If Camila isn’t getting off until later, you should have told me,” There’s a subtle sharpness to his tone that causes hurricane warnings in my brain. “I was showing you a great deal of trust by letting you find Camila on your own.”

“She’s only running a few minutes late. Her parents are watching me so I’m okay.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I glance over and my heart lifts when I notice Camila’s mom watching us. Her stare gives credibility to every falsehood rolling off my tongue. She’s not watching because she thinks I need a babysitter, but probably because she’s mentioned to Camila that she’s perplexed by my father’s strict rules.

I touch the crystals on the table as if I’m interested in them. It’s difficult to act normal as Dad looks at Camila’s mom then studies me. Please believe me, please believe me. Please.

I’m so stupid. I should have never left Dad early. I should have never lied. But I did. Dad was having fun at the fair, Mom was having fun and my sister, Isabelle, was having fun. They were all laughing and smiling. They’ve forgiven him, and I haven’t. I can’t, not again, and this is one of the many ways life is no longer simple.

I want to peek at him in an attempt to understand my fate, but I don’t. Eye contact doesn’t help when he’s angry. It only makes it worse.

Being in public won’t soothe his temper. He’ll just be more discreet. Like last year when Dad had arrived early to pick me up at a football game and saw me heading to the bathroom by myself. After I had returned to my friends, he called me away with a smile on his face. He had placed a seemingly loving arm around my shoulder, but his fingers dug into my arm as he severely whispered in my ear how I was irresponsible and that it was time to go home.

Dad didn’t cause a scene at the game. The yelling started the moment we were alone in his car and continued until he left me in my room. I stayed on my bed for hours, curled up in a ball and sobbing.

My throat swells as I think of how this will play out. Will it be like Christmas? Will he throw a lamp and force Mom to clean it up as I watch? Or will it be like this past spring and he’ll flip the kitchen table, breaking all the dishes that had been placed there for dinner?

Dad steps closer to me, and I’m filled with dread. “Next time, in a situation like this, you return to me and have Camila text you when she’s done working. I don’t like the idea of you being alone.”

All I want is to be alone, for my thoughts and actions to belong only to me. But he’s not angry, he’s believing me, and I release a breath I had unknowingly held and take the small win. 

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A HUGE thank you to Katie McGarry and her team at InkSlinger / Tor Teen for allowing me to take part in the cover reveals, excerpt reveals and for providing me the ARC for the review and giveaway. I'm so lucky to be part of such a great network!

Book Review: Save The Date by Morgan Matson

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: June 5th, 2018
Series: Stand alone
Source: ARC / e-galley from Netgalley in exchange for honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.
The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.
There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.
There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.
Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.
Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future. 

My Review:

Save The Date is a perfect summer read! I've said this before about another Morgan Matson read, Since You've Been Gone. But it's true, there is something summery and flirty about these books, like they need to be read outside on a warm, bright, sunny day. I had a lot of fun reading this book, and I was able to paint the picture in my head so clearly. With the playful banter between the family and the running around on the wedding day, it played out like a movie in my head. The only (minor) thing that I didn't love about Save The Date was it's predictability. There were so many obvious things about to go wrong, and each and everything that could, did. I'm not sure if Morgan Matson did this on purpose, or not, but I found that to get a little boring after the first few incidents.

Charlie is a fun, helpful and eager to please kind of girl. She would do whatever it takes to make the wedding weekend perfect, and to make sure things are running as smoothly as she can make them. And with everything going on in the upcoming days to the wedding, this keeps her extremely busy, almost too busy for her best friend Siobhan (who didn't play a huge part in the book and we could have done without her as the BFF, in my opinion). But along the way she learns that not everyone is as they seem, and sometimes you find friendship in the strangest of times. 

Overall, Save The Date is a fun read, especially if you have a big family (extended in my case) because you can so easily relate to this family - the lame jokes from one person (J.J), the b/f or g/f brought into all the inside jokes etc (Brooke), the noisy kitchen (everyone!!), the fun and exciting games (capture the flag) - it's all there. Though if you are planning your wedding this summer, maybe don't read this one right now, you don't want to start thinking that EVERYTHING can (and will) go wrong!

Book Review: Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

Publish Date: March 27, 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC ebook from Netgalley

Goodreads Synopsis:

For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn’t actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.
Sam’s stuck. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, financially. He works at a café and sleeps there too, on a mattress on the floor of an empty storage room upstairs. He knows that this is the god-awful chapter of his life that will serve as inspiration for when he’s a famous movie director but right this second the seventeen bucks in his checking account and his dying laptop are really testing him.
When Sam and Penny cross paths it’s less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other.

My Review:

I actually found this book super hard to get into. In fact, I couldn't. I tried so many times at first and found myself thinking of just about anything else. I knew I needed to read it for NetGalley and get a review up, so one night, I started again. Once I set my sights on actually reading it, I found that I was enjoying it! It was funny, heartfelt and I was finally looking forward to being able to read, and then it "expired" and I couldn't read my galley copy any longer! 
So to be honest, I can't write a fair review. I will say I have heard amazing things about Emergency Contact and the reviews are so good. I'd love to pick up this book at some time, and give it a second chance for sure!
If you've read it, what did you think?

Book Review: Keep Her Safe by K.A. Tucker

Publish Date: January 23, 2018
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 448
Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC Netgalley from publisher in exchange for honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

Making a Murderer meets Scandal in this story of police corruption, family secrets, and illicit affairs from bestselling author K.A. Tucker, celebrated for her “propulsive plot twists and searing seduction” (USA TODAY).

Noah Marshall has known a privileged and comfortable life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. But all that changes the night she reveals a skeleton that's been rattling in her closet for years, and succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family's life. Reeling with grief, Noah is forced to carry the burden of this shocking secret.
Gracie Richards wasn't born in a trailer park, but after fourteen years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it's all she knows anymore. At least here people don't care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop, murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Here, she and her mother are just another family struggling to survive...until a man who clearly doesn't belong shows up on her doorstep.
Despite their differences, Noah and Gracie are searching for answers to the same questions, and together, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department's dark and messy past. But the scandal that emerges is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.
Complex, gritty, sexy, and thrilling, Keep Her Safe solidifies K.A. Tucker's reputation as one of today's most talented new voices in romantic suspense. 


My Review:

Keep Her Safe, a new suspense novel by best selling author K.A. Tucker came out today! As many of you know, I love this author. The talent she exudes in her work is amazing. (Ten Tiny Breaths series will prove this). So obviously, I was happy to get the ARC of Keep Her Safe and provide a review for you all.

Noah Marshall has had an easy life. His mother is the chief of the police department and they live a pretty normal life in Austin. Friends, sports and school are life for him. He is a polite, handsome Texan with a good head on his shoulders. One night Noah's mom, Jackie, in a drunken state reveals some things to Noah that he doesn't quite understand and brushes off but in a flash his life is turned upside down and he comes to realize that it wasn't all just gibberish.

Gracie on the other hand lives in a trailer park where she doesn't know if her mom will make it day to day, or even hour to hour sometimes. Life has been harder for the both of them since Abe, a loving father and husband was murdered on the job on the Austin PD. Gracie is tough and sassy (she has to be to keep her neighbours honest). She takes care of her mom, herself and a stray one-eyed dog. So on the day Noah arrives on her doorstep, all guards go up and Gracie reverts to her protective self. Little do they know that their lives are about to change forever. From that moment, it will bring Noah and Gracie together in ways they never thought possible and will reveal answers to questions neither of them ever thought the need to ask.

Keep Her Safe is written through many POV's. We get Noah, Gracie, Abe and Sheriff Marshall. I love when authors do this, and can pull it off. I love how we get a full 360' view of the story being told. I did find a few of the parts of the book to be predictable early on, but it didn't ruin it for me. I still felt it when K.A. Tucker confirmed in writing what was going through my head.

Keep Her Safe has been listed as a romantic suspense, and yes, there is romance but it doesn't overpower the book. And it's not super gushy romance either. It's a mature, ever developing kind between some pretty awesome characters. There was enough to remind you that you are reading K.A. Tucker. (Again, read Ten Tiny Breaths series!)

While I wasn't a huge fan of K.A. Tuckers thriller, He Will Be My Ruin, I was a tad worried Keep Her Safe wouldn't live up (being it was a suspense novel) but I was wrong. Keep Her Safe was written with more finesse, more"umpf" and way more wow factor in my opinion. And I would happily recommend Keep Her Safe for any fan of K.A. Tucker, any fan of suspense or romantic suspense.

Book Review: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Publish Date: November 26th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
ISBN: 978-1-7436-4788-2
Pages: ebook, 464
Series: Pushing the Limits, #3
Source: ebook from NetGalley

Goodreads Synopsis:

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane 
The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 
Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. 
But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

My Review:

Crash Into You follows the lives of Isaiah (whom you'll remember from McGarrys previous books) and Rachel, both young teenagers with troubling lives but for very different reasons. Rachel is from a rich family. Rich with money, and a big house and cars. Isaiah is from the foster system, moving from houses to the streets where he now lives with his best friend Noah. The two characters meet one night, doing something they can both relate to - drag racing and hanging around cars. And from the first time they meet, they are not only forced together due to a bet, but they are drawn to each other on a deeper level. 

The relationship that is formed between Isaiah and Rachel is intriguing. They both know how different they are and they both have secrets but yet they can't stay apart. Their building relationship is true and meaningful even with Isaiah's tough exterior and his lack of trust to most people, and with Rachels "angelic" like ways, her inexperience and her lack of street smarts. I really liked that we got to dig deeper into Isaiah and see why he's the way he is, and doing so will make you see that he isn't as tough as he appears. He feels the need to put on this facade because of the system he was brought up in.  So to see that Rachel can break through this and bring out the real Isaiah is great. He's got a sweet personality and a big heart. We not only get to see more into Isaiah, but some of our other favorite characters like Noah and Echo play a role in Crash Into You and Beth is introduced to Rachel, which brings in a little drama but not too much. 

A true form to McGarrys other books, the emotion and strength behind the characters is unbelievable. McGarry can make her characters come alive in the pages of her books. Her writing is raw and true and because of that, you'll feel everything from the book. You'll get butterflies in your stomach when Isaiah looks at Rachel. You'll feel the shyness and newness of everything that Rachel feels and it's incredible. And just wait until things get really romantic! 

Crash Into You is a book where unlikely friendships and relationships are built and it's a story that proves that you can't judge a book by its cover, because you might just miss out on something or someone special.  I would recommend getting this book tomorrow if you haven't already read it. It's definitely worth every late night spent up.