ARC Review: Sincerely, Carter by Whitney G.

Sincerely, Carter by Whitney Gracia Williams

Sincerely, Carter by Whitney G.
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: April 30th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Just friends.
We’re just friends.
No, really. She’s just my best friend…

Arizona Turner has been my best friend since fourth grade, even when we “hated” each other. We’ve been there for one another through first kisses, first “times,” and we’ve been each other’s constant when good relationships turned bad. (We even went to colleges that were minutes away from each other…)

Throughout the years, and despite what anyone says, we’ve never crossed the line.

Never thought about it.
Never wanted to.

Until one night changed everything.
At least, it should’ve

Just friends.
We’re just friends.
I’m only saying this until I figure out if she’s still “just” my best friend…

First thoughts upon finished this book: Awwww!!!!! *goofy smile*

Let me tell you, I had been eagerly looking forward to Sincerely, Carter. First, it’s a friends-to-lovers romance, which I’m a total SUCKER for. And second, it’s Whitney Gracia Williams! I really enjoyed her Reasonable Doubt series so I had high expectations about Sincerely, Carter… and I adored it! I literally couldn’t stop smiling for most of the book. It’s a heartwarming, sweet, humorous friends-to-lovers romance that fans of the trope are sure to enjoy. I was addicted to Ari and Carter’s story!

“Some people come into your life for a reason, some a season, and some a lifetime.“

Whitney completely NAILED the friendship between Carter and Ari. They’ve been best friends since they were in fourth grade and they’ve been attached at the hip ever since. They’ve been through everything together and they know each other so well. I could just feel the strength of that bond of friendship between them. Everyone they know always questions whether or not they’re actually “just friends”, but Ari and Carter have honestly never thought about each other in a non-platonic way. But when Ari and Carter begin a new chapter of their lives after graduating college – Carter is off to law school and Ari is going to a culinary arts school – things start to change between them…

I turned to my left to look at Ari again, hoping that the past few minutes were a mistake–that I was in the middle of a strange daydream. That there was no way I could be this attracted to her right now–no way I could want to tell her to pull over so I could taste her lips. Both sets of them.
Holy fucking shit….

I love that it completely baffles both Ari and Carter that they feel an intense attraction towards one another. One minute they think of each other as platonic best friends, and the next… they can’t stop thinking about the other person. What they’re like naked. In bed. God, I couldn’t stop smiling and giggling at how much they realized they wanted each other. Lines are crossed and hearts are on the line and they soon come to realize that the best thing that ever happened to them has been standing next to them all along.

“I’ve loved you since fourth grade. Since fourth fucking grade. … I just didn’t know it. You’ve been there for every moment of my life and I’ve been there for yours, too. I do love you, I am in love with you, and I also know you better than you know yourself.”

I absolutely loved the banter between Carter and Ari. They send each other texts and emails that are so freaking adorable. And the flashbacks of their younger years together adds such great depth and humor to the story. The author did a fantastic job balancing the sweetness of their friendship and the sexiness of their newfound desire for each other. My only complaint is that I felt it was too abrupt when Carter and Ari started getting together. It felt a bit rushed – their friendship I connected with from the start, but the love between them took a little more time to feel. Still, this was a fantastic friends-to-lovers romance that put me in such a great mood while reading. I definitely recommend it!

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.


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ARC Review: Overruled by Emma Chase

Overruled by Emma Chase

Overruled by Emma Chase
Series: The Legal Briefs #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Links: EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A Washington, DC, defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing—with his southern drawl, disarming smile, and captivating green eyes, he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him, and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.

Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.

Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart, the mother of his beloved ten-year-old daughter. Jenny is getting married—to someone who isn’t him.

That’s definitely not part of the plan.

***

Sofia Santos is a city-raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.

But when Stanton, her “friend with mind-blowing benefits,” begs her for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi, to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. Her head tells her she’s crazy…and her heart says something else entirely.

What happens when you mix a one-stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage, and a gun-toting Nana?

The Bourbon flows, passions rise, and even the best-laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

I’ve been a HUGE fan of Emma Chase’s ever since I read and loved Tangled – there’s no character quite as unique as Drew Evans. So when I heard Emma was coming out with a new series, I HAD to read it! Unfortunately, the romance wasn’t as up to par as I expected. While Overruled has the author’s fantastic writing and laugh-out-loud humor… what ruined the story for me was the hero of this book, Stanton. Drew may have been a jerk, but at least he was a lovable one – Stanton has no redeeming qualities in my eyes (well, except maybe his love for his daughter, but that’s it). I just could not get over how much I disliked Stanton, and that affected my enjoyment for everything else about this book.

Young love is strong. First love is powerful. But what you don’t know when you’re young–what you can’t know–is how long life actually is. And the only dependable thing about it, besides death and taxes, is change.

Stanton Shaw has been in love with the mother of his daughter since, well, forever. When Jenny got pregnant when they were teenagers, Stanton was ready to give up his full ride to law school for her, but she pushed him to leave their small town and follow his dreams. And so he did, with the promise that he would come back for his family one day. Ten years later, Stanton is now a successful defense attorney… but he rarely visits home. Stanton still claims to love Jenny, though those ten years apart were filled with women for him. Granted, both Jenny and Stanton agreed to an open relationship, but if he really loved Jenny, would he have slept with all those women?

At this point, learning about Stanton’s supposed ‘love’ for Jenny juxtaposing his history of women while they were apart, I was already not liking him very much. And the fact that upon receiving Jenny’s wedding invitation in the mail, he had the audacity to be angry at her? For marrying another man when he never visited home and slept with countless women? I couldn’t tolerate him. He expected Jenny to wait for him while he did whatever-the-fuck he wanted to in D.C. and I had zero respect for him.

Currently, at the time of the wedding invitation, Stanton is in a friends-with-benefits relationship with co-worker Sophia Santos. The fact that they were exclusive didn’t make me feel better though. I honestly couldn’t feel a connection between Sophia and Stanton – they did extremely well chemistry-wise, but the actual romance between them was lacking. It certainly doesn’t help that Stanton still believes he’s in love with Jenny for a large portion of the book – which was too long for my taste. I really didn’t expect to read a book where the dumb, clueless hero is hung up on another woman for a majority of the book. I had hoped that Stanton would open his eyes early on in the book and see that the woman who was meant for him was right in front of him this whole time. Sadly, Overruled failed in that regard.

Now, Sophia I like more than Stanton, but only just slightly. I liked her in the beginning – she showed promise of being a tough yet likable heroine. But in the end, she became more of a doormat than anything once she agreed to ‘help’ Stanton win back the love of his life. Sure, Sophia never expected to fall in love with Stanton, but I was expecting this strong woman, once she realized her true feelings, to step up and fight for the man she loves. I also wanted Sophia to get fed up with Stanton sooner than she did when he continued to try to win back Jenny.

I might have hated this book based on Stanton and Sofia’s characters alone, buuuut, I have to admit I enjoyed reading Overruled when I wasn’t thinking about the romance. Emma Chase writes humor so well that I ended up laughing a lot, despite my dislike for the characters. Still, the romance was a bitter disappointment. I can see that the author tried to do something different, contrasting first loves versus last loves, but this just wasn’t a satisfying read.

I still love Emma Chase and her writing, and I actually am very much looking forward to the other two books in the series about Stanton’s friends, Jake and Brent. They show a LOT more promise that Stanton and I’m praying they won’t disappoint!

2 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.


Reading Order: The Legal Briefs series

Overruled by Emma Chase Sustained by Emma Chase Appealed by Emma Chase 

#1 ~ Overruled: EbookPaperbackAudible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Sustained: My Review • EbookPaperback • AudibleGoodreads
#3 ~ Appealed: My Review • EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.5 ~ Sidebarred: My Review • EbookPaperbackAudible • Goodreads


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Release Day Review: The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy
Series: Off-Campus #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

The Mistake is another complete WIN from Elle Kennedy!! I had such high expectations for this book after reading and adoring The Deal. I wasn’t sure if I would love Logan as much as I loved Garrett, but I do! I absolutely LOVED Logan in The Mistake – he’s laugh-out-loud hilarious, so adorable, and even though he makes mistakes with Grace, he owns up to them. I was hooked onto Logan and Grace’s story from the very start and I never wanted this book to end! If you’re a fan of The Deal, you DON’T want to miss The Mistake!

If you’ve read The Deal, then you know that Logan has a crush on his best friend’s girlfriend, Hannah. Logan is ashamed of feeling this way, but he can’t help feeling jealous of the love his best friend has found. And since he would never do anything to betray Garrett’s trust, Logan drinks and sleeps with girls to numb his misery. Not even the prospect of graduation makes him happy because he knows that when college is over, he won’t be able to do what he loves most anymore: play hockey. But meeting beautiful, sweet, innocent Grace and spending time with her seems to make him forget about Hannah and post-graduation. With each sexy encounter, the chemistry between them grows until Grace is all Logan can think about.

“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“Well, you were looking at me like you wanted me to kiss you.” His blue eyes become heavy-lidded. “So I was thinking I might do that.”

Freshman Grace Ivers never expected star hockey player John Logan to ever give her the time of day, but when she spends more time with him, she sees that there’s so much more to Logan than just a playboy hockey star. She has an insane attraction for him, but underneath that, she grows to care for him. So she’s humiliated and hurt by Logan when he messes things up between them. Freshman year doesn’t exactly end well for Grace, but sophomore Grace has changed and she has no time for stupid, sexy Logan, even when he tries to fix the mistake he made with her.

I absolutely LOVED Grace!! She’s awkward and hilarious with her nervous ramblings, a little sassy, definitely smart, but so down-to-earth and relatable. She’s the type of heroine I would love to be friends with. I loved how no-nonsense she was after Logan ended up hurting her, and how SHE wouldn’t give HIM the time of day. She’s really the perfect match for Logan. But Logan, my lovable, hot, clueless Logan, is truly genuine about getting back into Grace’s life and into her heart. And hot damn, Logan is seriously sexy as hell, with enough sweetness in him to make him the most swoon-worthy hero. He has a lot to make up for with Grace – and he completely stole my heart with the way he went about it. Here is one sweet and sexy alpha hockey star determined to win the heart of the girl he’s falling in love with… how can you not love him!?

“I need you. I can’t stand the thought of being without you.” He releases a shaky breath. “You’re the last person I think about before I go to sleep, and the first person I think about when I open my eyes in the morning. You’re it for me, baby.”

God, I LOVED this book!! Well-written, hilarious, heartwarming, so freaking sweet… Logan and Grace’s story was an absolute delight to read. The Mistake has so many light-hearted moments, especially when all the hockey boys are together, and at the same time there’s also a depth and seriousness with Grace and Logan that makes this book all the more meaningful. Elle Kennedy truly has a gift with the way she’s able to bring all these characters to life. Even as Grace and Logan fall in love, it’s also a journey of self-discovery for both of them. I never wanted their story to end.

The Off-Campus series is quickly becoming a top favorite series of mine. This is new adult at its finest! I really hope Elle Kennedy writes more books in this series, and that Dean is next!

5 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.


Reading Order: Off-Campus series

The Deal by Elle Kennedy The Mistake by Elle Kennedy The Score by Elle Kennedy

#1 ~ The Deal: My Review • EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Mistake: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ The Score: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads


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ARC Review: Remind Me by Ann Marie Walker & Amy K. Rogers

Remind Me by Ann Marie Walker & Amy K. Rogers

Remind Me by Ann Marie Walker & Amy K. Rogers
Series: Chasing Fire #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 21st 2015
Links: Ebook • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

First in a tantalizing new trilogy about reigniting a forbidden desire from long ago…

As heiress to a media empire Alessandra Sinclair was raised to put family obligations first. But everything changes the night her first love walks back into her life and turns her whole world upside down. Haunted by the memories of a secret romance with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, she can’t seem to get Hudson Chase out of her mind. Once again torn between two worlds, Allie must decide how much she’s willing to risk to have the love she’s always longed for.

Ten years is a long time to wait, but billionaire Hudson Chase didn’t become CEO of one of the country’s fastest growing companies by giving up on what he wants. Now that he’s got Allie in his sights again, he’s determined to make her regret breaking his heart. And this time, he’s going to make damn sure he’s not so easy to forget.

I’d been so incredibly excited to read Remind Me ever since I read the blurb. I’m a sucker for second chance romances, and throw in an alpha-male billionaire and I’m a goner. Unfortunately, Remind Me didn’t live up to my expectations. I was expecting a powerful love story that would sweep me off my feet, but Remind Me felt too formulaic for my tastes. At first, I was intrigued, but as I read on I came to realize that everything felt flat. There was no spark for me in this book. The premise had so much potential, but I’m sad to say this book didn’t work out for me.

“From the moment I saw you, I knew you were nothing but trouble.”

Alessandra “Allie” Sinclair and Hudson Chase live completely different lives – she’s the rich, upper class girl and he’s the poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks. And yet they met one summer and fell in love when they were teenagers. I wish we could have gotten more about Allie and Hudson when they were teenagers because they seemed so sweet and adorable together… and much more likable than when they’re older. Things end badly between them by the end of the summer, and Allie and Hudson go their separate ways and don’t see each other until ten years later.

Hudson is a reborn man. During those ten years, he’s become a billionaire and is CEO of his own company. He achieved everything he ever wanted – wealth, power, social status – that he wished he had when he met Allie so that he could be worthy of her. Now, though, with ten years to stew over a broken heart, Hudson is set on making Allie regret leaving him. As much as I wished I could like Hudson, he just came across as too insecure about his wealth. He name-drops a lot and uses money at every whim as if he could erase those years he lived in poverty. His character felt too flat, as if the authors were trying too hard to combine other previously written alpha billionaires.

Allie I liked slightly more, though that’s not saying much. She’s a girl born into wealth, with a family too obsessed with image to actually love each other. She has a fiancé named Julian when she and Hudson reunite, but Allie is too weak to resist Hudson’s seduction. Normally, I wouldn’t feel bad about cheating – if it’s written right. Julian felt like a seedy character so I didn’t feel bad for him, but I didn’t like that Allie is so overcome with lust for Hudson that she turns into a weak character with no backbone. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there was too much sex in this book. I had to skim over all the gratuitous sex to get to some actual plot, which was pretty predictable. And FYI, the book ends in a cliffhanger.

So overall, I just didn’t enjoy Remind Me as much as I wished I had. It had such great potential, but fell flat in the end. The characters and story felt too similar to those in other books for me to enjoy. I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t like it very much either.

2 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.


Reading Order: Chasing Fire series

Remind Me by Anne Marie Walker & Amy K. Rogers Release Me by Ann Marie Walker & Amy K. Rogers Reclaim Me by Ann Marie Walker & Amy K. Rogers

#1 ~ Remind Me: Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Release Me: Ebook • Goodreads (July 21, 2015)
#3 ~ Reclaim Me: Ebook • Goodreads (Oct. 20, 2015)


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ARC Review + Giveaway: Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren
Series: Beautiful Bastard #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 14th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

AN UPTIGHT BRITISH EXECUTIVE. AN ADVENTUROUS AMERICAN NEWBIE. A SEXY INTERNATIONAL SCANDAL IN THE MAKING.

New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Christina Lauren’s Beautiful and Wild Seasons series hook up in Beautiful Secret for an erotic intercontinental romp that celebrates the best of both worlds!

When Ruby Miller’s boss announces he’s sending her on an extended business trip to New York City, she’s shocked. As one of the best and brightest young engineers in London, she knows she’s professionally up to the task. The part that’s throwing her is where she’ll be spending a month up close and personal working alongside—and staying in a hotel with—Niall Stella, her firm’s top urban planning executive and The Hottest Man Alive. Despite her ongoing crush, Ruby is certain Niall barely knows she’s alive…until their flirty overnight flight makes him sit up and take notice.

Not one for letting loose and breaking rules, recently divorced Niall would describe himself as hopeless when it comes to women. But even he knows outgoing California-girl Ruby is a breath of fresh air. Once she makes it her mission to help the sexy Brit loosen his tie, there’s no turning back. Thousands of miles from London, it’s easy for the lovers to play pretend. But when the trip is over, will the relationship they’ve built up fall down?

Christina Lauren is one of my FAVORITE authors ever – I will read anything and everything they write! They write such incredible books with compelling characters that it’s hard not to fall in love with every word. When I heard they were writing a new Beautiful Bastard book, I HAD to get my hands on it. I freaking adore this series, and I couldn’t wait to read about Max’s brother Niall. I LOVE Max, and now we get to know not one but TWO sexy British men in this series!

If you’re a fan of the series, you should know that Beautiful Secret has a much different feel than the other books, though I loved it in its own way. There’s a wicked hot chemistry between the hero and heroine, but the romance between them is fumbling and slow. Nonetheless, Beautiful Secret is another winner from this fantastic author duo – it’s a sexy, sweet, adorably awkward book that fans of the series shouldn’t miss.

Ruby Miller has had a crush on Niall Stella since she first saw him at her job in London. It was so adorable how much she liked Niall – she’s an outgoing girl, but would always act shy and awkward anytime she’s around him. It made her so down-to-earth and relatable. Niall is a lot more reserved than Ruby. He’s recently divorced, but his marriage has a more lasting effect on him, making him cautious of starting a new relationship. Having been in only one relationship in his life, he’s clueless about women, and he’s clueless about Ruby’s crush on him. He nearly doesn’t know she exists, until they’re placed together on a work assignment and Niall can’t help but notice this gorgeous, passionate girl who fires him up unlike any other.

Like I said before, the romance between Niall and Ruby in this book is slow, but it doesn’t make it any less amazing. I loved the way Ruby and Niall got to slowly explore each other, in and out of bed. Ruby is sweet, loving, and patient as she coaxes Niall out of his closed-off demeanor. She’s got so much enthusiasm and fire in her that I loved this girl instantly. Niall, though, I took a while to warm up to, unlike the other Beautiful Bastard men. Niall is very unlike the other heroes of the Beautiful Bastard series – he’s different than a lot of heroes I’ve read before, actually, and it was a breath of fresh air to read about him. Because of his previous relationship, he’s withdrawn into himself – he’s not confident about himself or about women. He fumbles with Ruby, he’s a bit formal with her, but as they spend more time together, they grow more comfortable with each other. Ruby awakens in him a sexuality that he never thought he was capable of, and it’s highly sensual seeing Niall discover his desire for Ruby, and seeing him act on it. I fell in love with him gradually alongside Ruby, with this man who had so much heart but never had anyone to give it to.

What I love about Christina Lauren’s writing is that they write such real, believable characters that you don’t want to let go of. I found myself glued to the pages of Beautiful Secret, not that that’s surprising. I was surprised by the awkwardness between the characters, though the awkwardness was written in the most endearing way. This is a book about discovering yourself, to opening your heart up to another person, despite the risks, so of course there should be some fumbling during this journey. Everything about this book is painstakingly real and honest – it just took a while for me to warm up to it. I may not have loved Beautiful Secret as much as the previous two books in the series, but it’s definitely a book worth reading. I absolutely adored reading about Niall and Ruby!

4 hearts
lacey


Reading Order: Beautiful Bastard series

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren Beautiful Bitch by Christina Lauren Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren
Beautiful Bombshell by Christina Lauren Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren Beautiful Beginning by Christina Lauren
Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren Beautiful Boss by Christina Lauren

#1 ~ Beautiful Bastard: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Beautiful Bitch: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Beautiful Stranger: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Beautiful Bombshell: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Beautiful Player: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.5 ~ Beautiful Beginning: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.6 ~ Beautiful Beloved: My Review • Ebook • AudibleGoodreads
#4 ~ Beautiful Secret: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Beautiful Boss: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Beautiful: EbookPaperbackGoodreads (Oct. 4, 2016)


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