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.

Blog Tour: Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Montlake
Publish Date: December 10th, 2019
Series: Stand alone
Source: Finished copy from publisher in exchange for honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

**Spoilers (in my opinion) in synopsis, read at your own risk!**

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

My Review:

This was the first book by Collen Hoover that I've read and it definitely will not be the last! I seriously could not get enough of it! I went into this knowing nothing about this book. I didn't read the book blurb and to be honest, I'm glad I didn't because I feel like there are huge spoilers there and I liked not knowing. 

Morgan and Clara - mother and daughter - are two if the main characters in this book, and we switch between their point of views which I really liked. I liked seeing the perspective of a predictable, comfortable mother, and her teenage daughter, and I think Colleen Hoover nailed it! (Being the mother of a teenage daughter myself, I probably enjoyed this more than some others) I loved seeing their relationship change throughout Regretting You. The two of them go through so much, and instead of leaning on each other, they find support in the ways of a and old friend and a new friend. And watching each of these relationships unfold was exciting and intoxicating at times. 

This is definitely a book review that I want to keep simple and without any spoilers, but I also want to get across to you how amazing this book is! Colleen Hoover has a way with words for sure. Regretting You was raw, intense, funny, sad, you name it, at some point, you will probably feel it. Each character is written with so much...character. They unravelled throughout the pages until the very end. 

Get Your Copy Today!
* Indigo * Amazon (CA) * Amazon (US) *

Also available to order through your local independent bookstore. 

About Colleen Hoover: 

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including the bestselling women’s fiction novel It Ends with Us and the bestselling psychological thriller Verity. She has won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance three years in a row—for Confess (2015), It Ends with Us (2016), and Without Merit (2017). Confess was adapted into a seven-episode online series. In 2015, Hoover and her family founded the Bookworm Box, a bookstore and monthly subscription service that offers signed novels donated by authors. All profits go to various charities each month to help those in need. Hoover lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Visit www.colleenhoover.com.

Follow Colleen:  

Twitter * Facebook * Facebook Readers’ Group * Instagram *Goodreads

Giveaway Details:  -Canada Only (excl. Quebec—full rules found in the T&C on Rafflecopter -Giveaway begins on December 9th and ends on January 5th, 2020 at 11:59 pm EST -Winner will be drawn randomly through Rafflecopter, contacted via email & will have 48 hours to claim their prize

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A huge thank you to Colleen for writing such an amazing book, and the publishers for sending this one to me! Now I'm off to find some other books from CoHo that I can get my hands on!

\\Happy Reading\\

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: 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: Tell Me No Lies By Adele Griffin

Publish Date: June 12th, 2018
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Series: None (though it is a companion to Be True To Me)
Source: ARC from publisher for honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

A riveting novel about secrecy, complicated friendships, and heartbreak, set against the iconic backdrop of the late 1980s.
 
Lizzy Swift is a senior in high school, emerging from her nerd chrysalis to become a social butterfly. She starts dating popular Matt Ashley, whom she’s been pining for since freshman year. She’s delighted when rebellious new girl Claire Reynolds introduces her to Center City Philadelphia—clubs, street life, and the eye-opening art scene. As Lizzy begins to question her own long-held dreams, the changes in her life mirror the upheaval of a decade marked by a drug epidemic and the AIDS crisis. She’s no longer sure of her Ivy League ambition. While she has a special connection with Matt, something’s missing. And Claire carries around a mysterious sadness and talks about a breakup so bad she changed schools—but she won’t tell the whole story. Lizzy wants Claire to confide in her, even as she keeps her own embarrassing secrets.  
Before too long, the heady thrill of her new life starts to crumble under insecurities and deceptions.  When the truth emerges from the wreckage, will it be too late for Lizzy, Claire, and Matt to save their love and friendships?
Tell Me No Lies, a companion to the acclaimed Be True to Me, is a novel of unflinching emotional honesty about secrecy, lies, love, and identity.

My Review:

First off, this book is set in the 80's, which sounds super cool, but I didn't actually get an 80's vibe very much. To be honest, when it's mentioned about the yearbook I had completely forgotten about it up until that point. I would have loved a more nostalgic feel.
I've had a hard time figuring out if I truly liked Tell Me No Lies. I enjoyed reading it, yes but I couldn't commit to any one character, or theme. I would have loved to see more between Lizzy and Theo, I was hoping that their story would take more of a front line. The relationship between Matt and Lizzy began so fast, that I forgot she was pining over him for so long, but I did like their fun, playful relationship. The banter between them at times was cheery and heartfelt.
I feel like with all of the hard topics in Tell Me No Lies; epilepsy, suicide, AIDS, sex, trying to fit it, etc, Adele Griffin did a great job with keeping the book light. While tackling tough issues, I never felt uncomfortable or eager to read past that part. And I think that was the point with this book.
While Tell Me No Lies will not go on my favourites list, I think it's worth a read if you come across it yourself. 

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.