Review: The Temptation of Lila and Ethan by Jessica Sorensen

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Temptation of Lila and Ethan by Jessica Sorensen
Series: The Secret #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: October 22nd 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ella and Micha series comes a gripping story of passion, pain, and the courage to love . . .

THE TEMPTATION OF LILA AND ETHAN

On the surface, Lila Summers is flawless: good looks, expensive clothes, and a big, beautiful smile. But a dark past and even darker secrets are threatening to bubble over her perfect façade. She’ll do anything to keep the emptiness inside hidden-which leads her into situations that always end badly. Whenever she hits bottom, there’s only one person who’s there to pull her out: Ethan Gregory.

Ethan set the rules a long time ago: he and Lila are just friends. He doesn’t do relationships. Although his tattooed, bad boy exterior is a far cry from Lila’s pretty princess image, Ethan can’t deny they have a deeper connection than he’s used to. If he’s not careful, he could be in serious danger of becoming attached-and he’s learned the hard way that attachment only leads to heartbreak.

When Lila falls farther than she ever has before, can Ethan continue to help as a friend? Or is he also getting close to falling . . . for her?

I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I didn’t like it as much as Ella and Micha’s story, even though I really, really wanted to. Lila and Ethan’s book was still enjoyable, just not as much as I expected it to be.

Lila and Ethan have very tragic, messed up pasts. For Lila, she’s had to live her whole life feeling unloved and unwanted by her parents, who are always disappointed in her no matter what she does. They want her to uphold their family’s image and reputation, regardless of how that makes Lila feel. And so she turns to boys, and then men, for sex, to feel the love and affection that she never had growing up.

For Ethan, he used to be a druggie with an even more messed up girlfriend named London. And after a tragic incident involving London, Ethan vowed to clean himself up and never get involved with drugs again. And thankfully, he’s the more clear-headed one between him and Lila. Ethan and Lila are the best friends of Micha and Ella, and now that Micha and Ella are finally together and living in San Diego, this leaves Ethan and Lila living near each other in Las Vegas.

Lila and Ethan try to be strictly friends, but… that never stays that way. 😉 There’s always this underlying tension between the two, and it’s like, Just get together, you two!! But they’re too afraid of losing each other’s friendships, and it’s not until Lila spirals down into abusing prescription drugs that Ethan finally decides to take matters into his own hands and help Lila.

Ethan is a badass, but he’s such a big sweetheart too! I really enjoyed his character, at least a lot more than Lila’s. Although Lila did start winning me over later on in the book. Lila and Ethan’s story is a very heartbreaking book to read, because their whole lives have been filled with nothing but pain.

“Everyone’s messed up.” I reach forward and slowly wipe away some of the tears running down her cheek with my fingertips. “In their very own fucked-up way, a lot of people just won’t admit it aloud and then try to change it.” I reduce the space between us and place a hand on her arm. “But you’ve done both of those, which makes you so fucking strong, Lila. I wish you could see that. You’re strong and amazing and beautiful and you deserve so much more than sitting on a bathroom floor in a skanky bar. You deserve to have an amazing life.”

But along the way, the two fall for each other, and they make each other whole. They finally find someone to care about, even love, who returns those feelings. I love the banter between the two, and I enjoyed their deep, meaningful conversations just as much. These two have a different kind of love than Ella and Micha, but it’s just as real and heartfelt.

3 hearts.

Reading Order: The Secret series

#0.5 ~ The Prelude of Ella and Micha: Ebook • Goodreads (Nov. 11, 2014)
#1 ~ The Secret of Ella and Micha: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Forever of Ella and Micha: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Temptation of Lila and Ethan: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ The Ever After of Ella and Micha: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Nov. 18, 2014)

26Dec2013

Review: The Forever of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

The Forever of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen
Series: The Secret #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: May 28th 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

Ella and Micha have survived tragedy and heartbreak. When they’re together, anything seems possible. But now they are thousands of miles apart, and managing their long distance relationship will put their love to the test.

Ella is back at school, trying hard not worry so much about her future. But with her father in and out of rehab, she’s having a hard time making it through the days. All she wants is Micha by her side, but she refuses to let her problems get in the way of his dreams.

Micha spends his days touring the country with his band, but deep down he knows something is missing. Being away from Ella is harder than he thought it would be. He wants her closer to him-needs her with him. But he won’t ask her to leave college, just to be with him.

The few moments they do spend together are intense and passionate, but it only makes it more difficult when they have to part. They know they want to be together, but is wanting something enough to get them to their forever?

Book 1, The Secret of Ella and Micha, was only an okay read for me, so I was hoping that book 2 would impress me more, and it did! I really enjoyed Ella and Micha’s romance this second time around. It’s not as angst-driven or as intense as the first book, but it’s still sweet and heartwarming.

In The Forever of Ella and Micha, Ella and Micha have to deal with having a long-distance relationship. Ella is seeing a therapist, working through her depression, and finally coming to terms with her mother’s death. Micha, bless his soul, can’t be there for Ella in person, but he’s always there in heart. Ella has a harder time showing how much Micha means to her, but Micha has no problem with showing his love for his ‘pretty girl’.

Ella is it for me. The way I feel about her is never going to change. I will love her forever, but I need her closer to me, not thousands of miles away.
How am I supposed to tell her, though, that I’m ready to begin her future, when I know she has no clue what her future is yet?

BUT the two of them still have problems even though they love each other. Ella feels that she has too much baggage, and that she’ll only bring Micha down. It’s so heartbreaking to read what Ella is going through, because she’s not a happy girl. Micha makes her happy, but they can’t be together physically right now. Micha is traveling with the band, but he’s always worrying about Ella. Micha fights for the two of them, because he knows that the two of them are perfect for each other, and he’s going to make Ella realize it too.

“Ella, when are you going to realize that you two belong together? Everyone who lays eyes on you can see it and is envious of it because that kind of love isn’t supposed to exist.”
I wipe my some water from my face. “What kind of love are you talking about?”
“The kind of love that owns you.” She gets up, gives a quick look in the mirror, and combs her fingers through her damp hair. “The kind where you know the other person inside and out. Where you can go through hell and back and still make it out okay.”

I really enjoy reading Jessica Sorensen’s writing. It’s very simple, and yet elegant. And the way she writes Ella and Micha, she makes them feel so real, makes their emotions seem so real. I was finally connecting with both Ella and Micha, and rooting for them to have their happily ever after. And when they take a step back from their romance, and slow down a bit, they can finally appreciate and understand the love they have, and how beautiful and powerful it is.

“But, Ella, we can wait around, wasting years, hoping we’ll reach perfection in our lives. But it doesn’t exist. We’ll always have problems, but as long as we work through them together, I think we’ll be okay.”

I’d definitely recommend this series for romance lovers. The Forever of Ella and Micha didn’t have as many twists as the first book, but was okay, because I really liked book 2 more than book 1. This series, well, anything by Jessica Sorensen, is written in a very hipster-ish way. It’s an emotionally-driven book, and Ella and Micha just have the most heartfelt romance. 4 hearts!

Reading Order: The Secret series

#0.5 ~ The Prelude of Ella and Micha: Ebook • Goodreads (Nov. 11, 2014)
#1 ~ The Secret of Ella and Micha: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Forever of Ella and Micha: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Temptation of Lila and Ethan: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ The Ever After of Ella and Micha: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Nov. 18, 2014)

26Dec2013

Release Day Blitz + Excerpt & Giveaway: Wild Hearts by Magan Vernon

Posted in Giveaways, Spotlight by Lacey

Wild Hearts is the second book in the Forever Wild Serial. (This is a six part series with one book releasing every 3 weeks)

Going back to Chicago with her accidental husband should have been torture for Valerie. But when Wes has her bent over the first class bathroom sink, torture is the last thing on her mind.

After landing back in Chicago reality sets in. So does the glaring eye of her roommate, and her former friends with benefits, Max, who seems to be a lot friendlier since Wes came in the picture.

After a meeting with a divorce lawyer, Valerie and Wes find out that they have thirty days for both of them to sign the papers, ending their quickie marriage.

But Valerie doesn’t know if she wants to move on or forever stay Mrs. Wild.

Note from the author about the series:

Forever Wild is a serialized series. This means that each book in this series is only around 50 pages, novella length, kind of like a TV show episode. There will be six total books in this series, each one coming out every three weeks.

Wild Hearts is just .99 cents!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

And, some good news: ONE WILD NIGHT is now FREE!

One Wild Night buy links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

Wes put his chin on my shoulder. “What the hell is that?”

I put my phone down and turned to face him. “Nothing that concerns you.”

“Are you seriously sexting another guy while I’m in your bed?”

“What?” I raised an eyebrow. “No. Who the hell even says that word? That’s reserved for political scandals.”

“I’m saying it because you were dirty texting another guy while you had me in bed with you? Are you also sending pics of your boobs too?”

My mouth gaped open. “What the hell? Do you just think I’m some kind of slut?”

He groaned, propping up on his elbow. “No. I just know how guys think. If some dude is texting you at 1 AM it’s not because he wants to go out for tea and cookies. He wants sex.”

“And I’m sure you haven’t done that millions of times.”

“I’m not an animal, Val. I have a little bit more respect for women than that.”

“Says the guy who married a girl he just met in Vegas.”

He grunted, grabbing my phone and putting it on the table beside us. “I could have done a lot worse.” He placed a quick kiss on my cheek but let his lips hover just above it. “And I don’t regret it one bit.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out. Truth was, I was starting not to regret it either.

He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear before his lips trailed back to my cheek and then down my neck, his stubble tickling my sensitive skin. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now than here with you in this bed. I could lay here forever underneath these fake stars.”

I sucked in a breath, unsure of what to say next. But the moment didn’t really need words either. He breathed into my neck as if he was inhaling all of me. Trying to make a memory of my scent.

Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. When not writing she spends her time fighting over fake boyfriends via social media. You can find her online at www.maganvernon.com.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Magan is giving away an eARC of The Wild One and the winner will also get their name in book #4 of the series.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

26Dec2013

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Exquisite Betrayal by A.M. Hargrove

Posted in Blog Tours, Giveaways by Lacey

Exquisite Betrayal by A.M. Hargrove

A male Romance Author… a convention in Vegas… a female book blogger… a goal to lose her virginity… what next? Find out when you mix all the above!

Fallon McKinley is headed to Vegas for the Wicked Wenches Romance Con and losing her virginity is only one of her goals. The other is to meet her favorite author of romance novels, R.T. Sinclair. What she doesn’t realize is that the sexy green-eyed god she rams into at the airport is the real R.T. When they keep running into each other, she’s shocked, but excited, because the attraction is irresistible.

Ryland Thomas Sinclair doesn’t want anyone to know his true identity. He’s the author that all women love, but everyone thinks he’s a female. He hides his persona behind the public face of his twin sister, keeping his own a secret. But after meeting the lovely Fallon, his intentions to avoid a relationship come to a screeching halt. She’s put an unwanted kink into his perfectly laid out plans. His unusual reaction surprises him because after a heart-shredding breakup a few years ago, he’s managed to avoid women at all costs.

Resisting Fallon becomes more difficult than he imagines. Soon things are spiraling out of control, until a major miscommunication has Fallon walking out of his home and his life. Will Ryland Thomas succeed in losing the woman he loves? Or can he win her back?

Buy Links:
Amazon • B&N • Smashwords • iTunes

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss and quit her job. Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer. Her books include the following: Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge and Kissing Fire (The Edge Series); The Guardians of Vesturon series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent and Beginnings); Dark Waltz and Tragically Flawed.

Other than being in love with writing about being in love, she loves chocolate, ice cream and coffee and is positive they should be added as part of the USDA food groups.

Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Pinterest

Win a bracelet, a “She Said Fire” t-shirt & Boom! EP album download, signed copy of Tragically Flawed, & $100 Amazon Gift Card.

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25Dec2013

Review: Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #2.5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 17th 2013
Purchase: Ebook

In this electrifying sixty-page companion novella to the New York Timesbestselling Shatter Me series, discover the fate of the Omega Point rebels as they go up against The Reestablishment. Set during and soon after the final moments of Unravel Me, Fracture Me is told from Adam’s perspective.

As Omega Point prepares to launch an all-out assault on The Reestablishment soldiers stationed in Sector 45, Adam’s focus couldn’t be further from the upcoming battle. He’s reeling from his breakup with Juliette, scared for his best friend’s life, and as concerned as ever for his brother James’s safety. And just as Adam begins to wonder if this life is really for him, the alarms sound. It’s time for war.

On the battlefield, it seems like the odds are in their favor—but taking down Warner, Adam’s newly discovered half brother, won’t be that easy. The Reestablishment can’t tolerate a rebellion, and they’ll do anything to crush the resistance . . . including killing everyone Adam has ever cared about.

Fracture Me sets the stage for Ignite Me, the explosive finale in Tahereh Mafi’s epic dystopian series. It’s a novella not to be missed by fans who crave action-packed stories with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu.

Fracture Me was… okay. I mean, I really liked it, but Adam just got really annoying sometimes. The novella takes place at the same time as near the ending of Unravel Me, when Warner has escaped, and everyone at Omega Point is planning an attack on The Reestablishment. Juliette is freaked, which makes Adam freaked, Kenji has just woken up from almost dying supposedly because of Juliette, and Adam has to take care of his little brother.

I was really hoping this novella would make me like Adam more. He started turning really, and I mean really, whiny in Unravel Me. That wasn’t the main reason why I switched to Team Warner

because Warner does just fine on his own (SQUEEEEE I love Warner so freaking much). I was just hoping that Fracture Me would change my mind about Adam the same way the previous novella, Destroy Me, changed my mind about Warner. And I guess it kind of did. I like Adam more as a brother to James than as a love interest for Juliette.

In Fracture Me, it’s all about James vs. Juliette, which is not okay. I didn’t like how Adam had to choose between his brother and his love.

But Tahereh Mafi’s writing is flawless as always, and she builds up the tension and intensity of the war so well. And that sneak peek of Ignite Me? Yeah, that was my favorite part of the book. I suppose it’s not absolutely necessary to read Fracture Me, unlike Destroy Me, where we get a lot more info and a different perspective than just the rebels, but for fans of the series, or for those on Team Adam, you should give Fracture Me a go.

Reading Order: Shatter Me series

#1 ~ Shatter Me: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Destroy Me: Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Unravel Me: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Fracture Me: My Review • Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Ignite Me: My Review • Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
Unite Me (paperback bundle of Destroy Me & Fracture Me): Paperback • Goodreads

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Falling in love with romance one page at a time

Review: The Temptation of Lila and Ethan by Jessica Sorensen

Reading Order: The Secret series

Review: The Forever of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

Reading Order: The Secret series

Release Day Blitz + Excerpt & Giveaway: Wild Hearts by Magan Vernon

Excerpt

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Exquisite Betrayal by A.M. Hargrove

Review: Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi

Reading Order: Shatter Me series

Reading Order: The Secret series

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