Trust: A New Beginning by Cristiane Serruya

Trust: A New Beginning by Cristiane Serruya
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trust is a complex story that is wonderfully developed with enough mystery and suspense to keep the reader guessing the whole way through. The character development in Trust was fabulous. The characters have their own issues, are not perfect, but are wonderful each in their own way. They were easy to relate to, especially Sophia, and by the end of the story I felt that I knew them personally. Their stories were interesting to say the least, and once they crossed paths their lives were woven together in an exciting, breathtaking way.

Sophia is a young, beautiful, rich widow. She is also very intelligent, which is a characteristic you do not often see in female leads. Ethan and Alistair are equally rich playboys. Either of them could have any woman they wanted – and they both want Sophia.

The author's writing is beautifully descriptive, sometimes overly so; it is nice while reading a story for some of the little things to be left up to the imagination. The brand name dropping was a bit much as well. However, the emotion the author was able to put into the story through her words was incredible, full of ups and downs. I really love book that makes me feel for the characters. And after that ending, I will definitely be looking for book two in the Trust series.

I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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So Many Reasons Why by Missy Johnson

So Many Reasons Why by Missy Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Emma is stuck in the past, dealing with the aftermath of a devastating attack from her childhood. She has not left her house willingly in the ten years subsequent to the attack and has continuing nightmares. Taking classes online, Emma finds an unlikely friend in one of her professors.

Simon is significantly older than Emma, her college professor, assistant DA, and divorcee with a young child. Emma and Simon's relationship seems to be doomed from the start, but you just cannot ignore the sizzling chemistry between them. Though he knows technically his relationship with Emma is wrong, Simon just cannot stay away from her. Ultimately he plays a large role in Emma's moving forward with her life. Ultimately, though, some things follow you even when you try to leave them behind. After her attacker is released from prison, Emma must find the strength to face her nightmares and overcome her fears.

This story was not about pitying the victim or forgiving the one who hurt you, but rather celebrating life and the fact that it will go on when you're willing and able to let go of the past. I really liked Emma. You would think that having agoraphobia would be a weakness, but Emma was a strong character despite that. She was a lot of fun, and adding Simon and his amusing personality to the mix made the story was overall enjoyable. The author was able to throw in a mix of fun, drama, happiness, tears, fear, and surprise into this story.

Two things could have made this story even better – 1) There needed to be distinct transition points between one scene and the next. Often times I found myself having to back up a sentence or two because I had not realized that the scene/day/speaker had changed, and what I was reading was not making sense. Better transition between scenes would have made the overall flow of the story more continuous and ultimately smoother. 2) The book is set in America, but there is a lot of English speak in the story. It would have been much more realistic if Emma had been English and living in America or the story was set in the UK. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this story very much.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.


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Bad Apple by Barbara Morgenroth

Bad Apple by Barbara Morgenroth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Neal Marchal lives a terrifying life. Orphaned and left in the care of a stepfamily who is at best completely crazy, she tries to get by day to day unnoticed and ignored. When the day finally comes when being ignored does not work for her anymore, she leaves home and finds sanctuary with the family of a new friend, Truly. However, her life is full of tragedy and even her wonderful new life with a wonderful new family could not protect her from her past.

Neal is a great character. She is simultaneously simple and complex. It does not make sense, right? On the surface, you see a teenage girl who has been taught she is not important and does not matter. She goes through life trying to hide. Within, however, she has a great love for life and for music. She has a sharp mind and eventually learns it is okay to speak it. Though it takes some convincing to make her believe her music is good and she is beautiful, eventually she dares to begin to believe.

I think my favorite thing was how the relationships were written. There is a true array of feeling within each one – and each one is different. This was a great story of a difficult subject. The writing is clear and riddled with emotion.

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Distraction by Tess Oliver

Distraction by Tess Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a great story! The premise was definitely unique, time travel with a twist. Poppy is an 18-year-old who lives with her grandmother and her sister in 1692 Salem. When Poppy is accused of witchcraft, her grandmother – a witch – sends her 200 years into the future to keep her safe. But instead of ending up in a future Salem, Poppy ends up in 1892 Montana.

Poppy is such a great character. She is innocent due to the time and place she grew up in and curious about the new world around her. It was really fun to watch her explore each new thing she discovered. Everyone seems to fall in love with her, even when they are trying hard not to. Caden is also a great character. I loved him. He has a roughness to him that makes him irresistible, but can also be so sweet. I enjoyed both of their points of view throughout the story.

As far as historical fiction goes, this did not disappoint. The author's writing and language seemed realistic for the time periods within the story and really helped to bring the story to life.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.


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A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After waking up in captivity, not knowing where she is or who is holding her, Sofia's life becomes a daily fight for survival. Taken under the vampire prince's protection, Sofia will do what it takes to survive.

Sofia is a great character. She is strong and is not afraid to stand up for herself – even to bloodthirsty vampires. There are a few mentions of her past life (before being kidnapped) but we do not ever get her full story. I am very curious about her and hope we get that in the next book. Derek is a great character as well. He is worried about his people and especially about Sofia. I would love to see him stand up to his brother and finally take control of things on the island! I am also curious about the Hunters and how they will fit into the next book.

The story is relatively short but is well developed and fast paced. It definitely keeps you guessing. I fell in love with the world Bella Forrest created for her characters, and I cannot wait for more Sofia and Derek!


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The Kiss Instructor by V. Anton

The Kiss Instructor by V. Anton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a super sweet story about growing up and finding your way. Alana is struggling at home with an abusive father and an abused mother. Not knowing what she can do to help, she tries to stay out of the way, having no one to turn to but her best friends, Adin and Chris. The three of them have been friends for years. The only problem…Alana is in love with Adin. Afraid to tell him her feelings and potentially ruin their friendship, Alana concocts a plan to get him to realize that maybe…just maybe…he is in love with her, too. When life gets in the way of Alana's plans, she has to learn to choose her own path and find her own happiness.

I love that this story was told from Alana and Chris's POV and left out Adin's. We get enough of the story through those two characters that having Adin added in would have been repetitious while leaving him out left a bit of mystery to the story. Plus, I really like Chris. He is the kind of friend everyone needs at least one of.

All of the characters in this story were great. From Alana, Adin, and Chris, whose friendship was completely believable, to the Alana's relations in Puerto Rico, including Med, they made the story come to life. The other thing I really loved was the descriptiveness the author used. Though you get this throughout the story, this was most notable after Alana arrived in Puerto Rico, almost like that is when her life really started. The descriptions were vivid and bright on the pages.

I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.


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Love Me For Me by Kate Laurens

Love Me For Me by Kate Laurens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Serena has gone off to college to try to start a new life for herself and try to forget her hurtful past. She is doing a good job of keeping her head down and keeping to herself until she meets Alex. Tattooed, mysterious Alex is hiding his own skeletons.

I really liked this book. Serena and Alex have amazing chemistry but both are afraid of being hurt. Their interactions were intense and incredibly sexually charged. Both characters were crafted out well with their actions being true to their pasts, and when they get together, sparks fly right off the pages.

The story was well written and held my attention through to the very last page. I am looking forward to more from Kate Laurens.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.


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