Tag Archives: Forever Romance

Review: Elite by Rachel Van Dyken

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by

Elite by Rachel Van Dyken

Elite by Rachel Van Dyken
Series: Eagle Elite #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 14th 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

When I won the annual Eagle Elite College Scholarship lottery, I was thrilled. After all, my grandma had just died and I wanted to take care of my aging grandpa — he couldn’t be a farmer in Wyoming forever. And graduating from Eagle Elite meant opportunity.

But I wasn’t counting on meeting Nixon.

Nor was I counting on the rules of the Elect.

1. Do not touch The Elect.
2. Do not look at The Elect.
3. Do not speak to The Elect.

And worst of all? Don’t discover the secret they hide, because in the end, you may just realize… it’s about you.

*This is a New Adult Book, blood, violence, cursing, sexual references, and drug use. Not recommended for those under 17.*

This book… was nothing I ever expected. The beginning was less than stellar, so I wasn’t sure I’d even enjoy the rest of the book, but then… things started to get intense. Exciting. Thrilling. And very different from your average new adult/college romance. I can’t say that I loved it, but I ended up really enjoying myself by the end of the book.

The first third of the book was bad. I didn’t like it. It had too much of a clichéd boarding school young adult feel, which I’m not a fan of. The characters didn’t sound their age at all. They were in their twenties, but when they opened their mouths, they were 14 year old middle schoolers. Not good at all. The main character, Tracey, or Trace, is a freshman in college, and she wins a scholarship to Eagle Elite College, one of the top, prestigious colleges that houses the rich and wealthy. At the very top of the student body, the elite of the elite, is the group known as The Elect. The boys in The Elect–Nixon, Chase, Phoenix, and Tex–rule the school, and they have a very strict set of rules.

1. Do not touch The Elect.
2. Do not look at The Elect.
3. Do not speak to The Elect.

Um, yeah. Assholes, much? Basically, The Elect a bunch of good-looking, nasty bullies who rule the school and who all the girls fall over themselves for. Can you tell how much I didn’t like that? This was the entire first third of the book. Nixon would devise some scheme to humiliate Tracey, the new girl, and Trace would try not to cry. But it turns out that Nixon does all this to protect Trace from the other students. If he bullies Trace, no one else will. And once he withdraws his “protection” all hell breaks loose and Trace is completely humiliated and degraded. By this time, I’m not even sure where the book is going, but thank god, the plot starts to change. It moves away from the petty bullying, to the more mysterious side of the story. The Elect takes in Trace, and she gets to know them better, especially Nixon, but there’s always something she’s missing from their conversations. It’s like they have an inside joke, and Trace isn’t a part of it.

Eventually, things start to take a darker tone, but all the while, Trace and Nixon are getting closer together. There are secrets between them though, secrets that Nixon doesn’t want Trace to know. I don’t want to spoil it, even though it’s fairly obvious in the book what Nixon is involved in, but this was the reason why I started liking Elite a lot better. Plus, Nixon becomes a total sweetheart. I haven’t really forgiven him for being a complete jerk, but he was getting there. Because, oh my, the things he says to Trace? Swoon!

“Don’t you get it?”
My breathing became erratic as he leaned close enough to kiss me again. “I’d give my life for yours.”

By a darker tone, I meant that lives are at stake. It’s not some cutesy romance anymore. There’s death and violence, and everything is so much more than you can comprehend. You think that the story will be going one way, but the plot twists and turns, and Rachel Van Dyken does this flawlessly.

The rest of the story, after that awful first third of the book, was awesome! Rachel Van Dyken had me make a complete 180 about all the characters. I started caring for Nixon and Trace and the rest of the gang, and I was hooked onto their story. I couldn’t stop reading, because everything builds up, revelations are made, and all the characters are in constant danger. It’s so much fun to read! And I really started liking Nixon more by the end of the book. AH! He’s so sweet, even if he is a dangerous man.

“I won’t let anything happen to you – I swear on my life, I’ll protect you until the day I die,” Nixon whispered hoarsely.
“That’s a pretty big promise.”
“Well, you’re a pretty important person. Important people deserve big promises, and you, Trace. You deserve the world.”

Okay, so I give 2 hearts for the first third, and 4 for the rest of the book. 3.5 hearts! If you can get over the meh of the first third of the book, then I think you’ll enjoy Elite just fine.

3.5-hearts

lacey

Reading Order: Eagle Elite series

Elite by Rachel Van Dyken Enforce by Rachel Van Dyken Elect by Rachel Van Dyken
Entice by Rachel Van Dyken Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken Ember by Rachel Van Dyken

#1 ~ Elite: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Enforce: Goodreads (Dec. 2014)
#2 ~ Elect: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Entice: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Elicit: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Ember: Goodreads (Feb. 2015)

Early Review: Before We Fall by Courtney Cole

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

Before We Fall by Courtney Cole

Before We Fall by Courtney Cole
Series: Beautifully Broken #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: December 3rd 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Forever) in exchange for an honest review

Sometimes, one dark moment is all it takes to turn your world black…

For 24-year old Dominic Kinkaide, that moment took place on the night of his high school graduation. One dark incident changed him forever. He’s a hardened actor now, famous in the eyes of the world, but tortured in his own. He doesn’t care about much of anything, except for losing himself in the roles that he plays.

23-year old Jacey Vincent doesn’t realize how much her father’s indifference has affected her. She is proof that sometimes it isn’t one specific moment that wrecks a person, but rather it’s an absence of moments. She’s like a bird with a broken wing-strong yet fragile, as she tries to float through life, finding acceptance in the arms of random guys, one after the other… to fill the void that her father left in her.

Until she meets Dominic.

After jaded Dominic and strong-willed Jacey are thrown together, his secret and her issues create a dark and damaged energy that will soon turn their attraction to each other into an explosive storm.

Even though when the clouds have cleared and the dust has settled, both of them are almost obliterated… they’ve learned a priceless lesson.

Sometimes, before we fall… we fly.

I read Until We Burn, which is a novella told in Dominic’s POV, right before going into this, which is a good thing, because I might have balked a little at Dominic’s… darker side. He’s into some pretty intense stuff, and knowing more about him before starting Before We Fall helped a lot. So I’d recommend reading Until We Burn before reading Before We Fall, but you don’t really have to. It’s just to get a better background on Dominic, because Dominic is one huge jerk. If you thought Pax was bad, Dominic is even worse. And I can honestly say I loved reading his and Jacey’s story.

“… the best things in life are worth the greatest risk. Falling in love is one of those things. Can it break our hearts? Yes. Most definitely. But more often than not, before we fall, we fly.”

Dominic is a fascinating, enigmatic man. He’s a famous celebrity, but he’s a private one. He doesn’t let his fans know anything about him, and he never does anything to tarnish his gentlemanly reputation. We only get snippets of his haunted past, but we know that whatever happened to him broke him. It’s hard to like him at first, but Courtney Cole writes him in such a way that we want to know more about him, and we eventually care about him. To me, he’s the most broken of all the Beautifully Broken characters, and he’s the one who has to try the hardest to help himself. He feels he doesn’t deserve any happiness because of what happened in his past, but when he meets Jacey, she changes everything for him.

“You can have all of me,” I tell her simply. “I don’t know why you want it, but you can have it.”

I was really excited to read about Gabriel’s sister after reading If You Leave, and Courtney Cole doesn’t disappoint! Jacey seemed a bit weak in If You Leave, but she’s definitely more mature and tough in Before We Fall. And she has to be in order to deal with Dominic. Jacey and Dominic meet at Dominic’s rock star brother’s house, where Jacey is working, and they get off on the wrong foot. They’re attracted to one another, but they won’t do anything about it. Then when Jacey needs a ride home, Dominic has to give her one, but they end up busted and arrested after cops find some weed in Dominic’s car. They’re sentenced to community service together for 3 months, and during that time, they get to know each other better, though Dominic still hides his past.

I loved seeing Dominic slowly letting Jacey into his heart, because he’s got a wall of iron around it. Jacey manages to bring light into Dominic’s darkness, but his past still keeps them apart. Their story is beautifully written (Courtney Cole is such an incredible writer!), and there are so many twists and turns that you don’t see coming. Dominic’s past is dark and so heartbreaking, and we can feel just how much he broke after the day that changed everything for him. But no matter how despairing Dominic’s story is, I still had hope for him and Jacey. Dominic finds the truth, redemption, and finally happiness, and Jacey is the perfect girl for him. They need each other and they belong together, and even though there’s so much pain in Dominic’s past, I was smiling because of how sweet they are together. Their “Yes and No’s” are the most adorable thing ever!

Before We Fall is a heart-wrenching, gutting read that I really loved. It’s not an easy read, but you should read it anyway. You’ll be blown away by Courtney Cole’s writing, and the storyline will have you captivated and guessing.

4 hearts
lacey

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

Reading Order: Beautifully Broken series

If You Stay by Courtney Cole If You Leave by Courtney Cole
Until We Burn by Courtney Cole Before We Fall by Courtney Cole Until We Fly by Courtney Cole

#1 ~ If You Stay: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ If You Leave: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Until We Burn: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Before We Fall: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Until We Fly: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

Review: If You Leave by Courtney Cole

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

If You Leave by Courtney Cole

If You Leave by Courtney Cole
Series: Beautifully Broken #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 6th 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

26-year old Gabriel Vincent is a badass hero. Or he used to be, anyway. As an ex-Army Ranger, Gabe never thought he needed anyone. But after one horrible night in Afghanistan scars him in a way that he can’t get past, he needs someone who can help him heal…even if he doesn’t realize it.

25-year old Madison Hill doesn’t need anybody…or so she thinks. She grew up watching her parents’ messed-up abusive relationship and she knows there’s no way in hell that she’s ever letting that happen to her.

They don’t know it in the beginning, but Gabriel and Madison will soon develop a weakness: Each other.

But Gabriel’s got a secret, a hidden monster that he’s afraid Maddy could never overcome… And Maddy’s got issues that she’s afraid Gabe will never understand. They quickly realize that they need each other to be whole, but at the same time they know that they’ve got demons to fight.

And the problem with demons is that they never die quietly.

Oh my… If You Leave is a huge improvement from If You Stay, the first book in the Beautifully Broken series. I didn’t connect very much with If You Stay, but If You Leave took my breath away. It wasn’t perfect, but I still loved reading it. Courtney Cole is an absolute genius at wringing out the angst and pain and emotion to the max. In this book you really feel–the characters’ pain, their heartbreak, their fears, everything. Because of this book, I’m a huge, huge fan of Courtney Cole’s writing.

If You Leave tells the story of Madison, the sister of Mila from If You Stay, and Gabriel, the older brother of Madison’s friend Jacey (whose own book, which I loved, is coming soon!). From If You Stay, we saw how Madison took over her parents’ restaurant after their deaths, and how protective of Mila she is. Madison is very put together, and can sometimes act cold, but this is only because of how much she had to grow up at a young age. And in If You Leave, we truly see how much Madison’s parents’ deaths have taken a toll on her. We also get more in depth than we did in If You Stay about how abusive her parents’ relationship really was, and how that’s affected Madison and her fears and her relationships with men.

Madison and Gabriel meet, unbeknownst of their connection through Jacey, and are instantly taken with each other. They want each other, and are close to having a one-night-stand until they get into a car accident. They are unharmed, but the car explodes, and Gabriel freaks, badly. He just came back from war and has PTSD, but Madison has no idea of his problems and becomes wary of him. She takes him home though, helps him get through the night, and then she leaves, thankful that she never has to see him again.

But… of course they see each other again. And though they try to pretend their feelings are casual, they fall for each other so hard. The road to their happily ever after, though, is not easy. Far from it. They have to deal with Madison’s trust issues and Gabriel’s PTSD. They’re both broken, but together they’re happier than they’ve been for a long time.

Oh my goodness, Gabriel is wonderful. He’s an ex-soldier who recently retired and came back from Afghanistan, but the horrors he witnessed still haunt him daily, and he carries so much guilt. Courtney Cole writes Gabriel with such perfection, because he’s so real. His pain and his guilt and especially the love he has for Madison come right off the pages, and this beautifully broken man stole my heart. But the best thing about this man is that despite how alpha-male he is, he knows he’s broken and is willing to get help for his PTSD. He wants to be the man for Madison, but he knows he can’t when he’s still dealing with his guilt.

“Is everyone in the world broken, Gabriel?” Even to my own ears, my whisper itself sounds broken in the velvety night. I can feel the weight of Gabriel’s gaze as he stares down at me in the dark.
“I think so,” he finally answers. “In their own way.”

(Can you hear my heart breaking?)

If You Leave is so intense. It’s gripping and raw and passionate and real. Madison and Gabriel, especially Gabriel, go through hell and back. Reading this, I was on such a roller coaster of emotions. My heart broke so many times for Gabriel and Madison, at how many times they had to deal with death and other devastating parts of life, but I held on to hope for them. Despite being broken, they fight through their pasts and fears, and they fight for each other.

But death is part of life and the fear of it can’t stop us from living.

4 hearts (although there were some emotion parts that warranted a 5)! If You Leave is a beautiful, heart-wrenching story of how a broken soldier and an emotionally scarred woman find love and happiness through each other.

4-hearts

lacey

Reading Order: Beautifully Broken series

If You Stay by Courtney Cole If You Leave by Courtney Cole
Until We Burn by Courtney Cole Before We Fall by Courtney Cole Until We Fly by Courtney Cole

#1 ~ If You Stay: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ If You Leave: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Until We Burn: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Before We Fall: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Until We Fly: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

Review: If You Stay by Courtney Cole

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by

If You Stay by Courtney Cole

If You Stay by Courtney Cole
Series: Beautifully Broken #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 5th 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

For fans of Jessica Sorensen, J.A. Redmerski, and Abbi Glines…

Twenty-four-year-old Pax Tate is an asshole. Seriously. He’s a tattooed, rock-hard bad boy with a tough attitude to match. His mother died when Pax was seven, leaving a hole in his heart filled with an intense guilt that he doesn’t understand. What he does know is that he and his dad were left alone, and they have never been close. Now, he uses drugs and women to cope with the black void in his soul. He pretends that the emptiness isn’t there and this has always worked . . . until he meets Mila.

Sweet, beautiful Mila Hill is the fresh air that Pax has never known in his life. He doesn’t know how to not hurt her-but he quickly realizes that he’d better figure it out because he needs her to breathe. When the memories of his mother’s death resurface to haunt Pax, Mila is there to save him from his overwhelming guilt. Mila restores his broken heart, even as she evokes his powerful, sexual desires. Now for Pax to keep Mila, he needs to work on his issues-and stop being an asshole. But is that enough to make her stay?

I’m feeling pretty ambivalent about this book. I should have loved it, but I didn’t. I still really liked reading it, but I didn’t connect very much with it. If You Stay was the perfect setup for me–a bad boy with a tragic past who changes for the girl he loves, but it just didn’t click, and I’m not very sure why.

Pax is a bad boy. He’s a jerk and he knows it. He doesn’t care much for life, and he drinks and whores his way through it. And then one day he takes it too far, and overdoses on drugs. Mila finds him like this, dying, and calls the ambulance, saving his life. And even though the two of them should never come across each other again–the rich, spoiled bad boy, and the sweet, innocent artist–Pax and Mila do. They connect with one another in a way they’ve never felt before, and while their romance is sweet and a little heart-wrenching, I felt very apart from the story. I wasn’t as immersed in it as much as I wanted to be, and although it got better later on as I kept reading, it still wasn’t enough to make me love this book.

Pax is the quintessential redeeming bad boy who does a 180 once he falls in love. I wasn’t too much of a fan of his in the beginning of the book (like, wow, if you’ve read If You Stay–what a way to start a book), but he grew on me. He shows his sweet, warm, loving side once Mila gets under his skin and into his heart. He truly has a good heart, but life dealt him a shitty hand. If You Stay is mostly his story, though the book is told in both his and Mila’s POVs. We learn about Pax’s tragic, heart-wrenching past, and how he deals with it with Mila by his side.

Mila is the perfect girl for Pax. She’s got a touch of innocence in her, but she’s strong for Pax when he needs her to be. She tries to keep Pax at a distance because of his reputation as a bad boy, but slowly, she gets to know the real Pax and falls in love with him. And although their journey towards their happily ever after isn’t without its bumps, they try their hardest to make is work.

I love that besides the romance, there’s deeper meaning to the story. That no matter how broken you are, you can always find it in yourself to be happy. You can get help and fix yourself, but only if you allow yourself to be fixed. I really loved the way Courtney Cole integrated this into If You Stay, and her writing is phenomenal. I’d definitely recommend this book for the writing, and Courtney Cole’s perfect bad boy hero.

3 hearts! Although there were some parts that were 3.5-4, but I’m going to go with a 3 because I was expecting to love it more.

3-hearts

lacey

Reading Order: Beautifully Broken series

If You Stay by Courtney Cole If You Leave by Courtney Cole
Until We Burn by Courtney Cole Before We Fall by Courtney Cole Until We Fly by Courtney Cole

#1 ~ If You Stay: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ If You Leave: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Until We Burn: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Before We Fall: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Until We Fly: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

Review: Shooting Scars by Karina Halle

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Shooting Scars by Karina Halle

Shooting Scars by Karina Halle
Series: The Artists Trilogy #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 20th 2013
Purchase: Ebook

Sometimes the right choice can be the deadliest.

When Ellie Watt made the ultimate sacrifice for Camden McQueen, she never thought it would be easy. But walking away with her ex-lover, Javier Bernal, in order to ensure Camden’s safety has brought a whole new set of dangers. With Javier’s plans for Ellie growing more secretive by the moment, Ellie must find a way to stay ahead of the game before her past swallows her whole.

Meanwhile, Camden’s new life is short-lived. Fueled by revenge and pursued by authorities, he teams up with an unlikely partner in order to save Ellie. But as Camden toes the line between love and retribution, he realizes that in order to get back the woman he loves, he may have to lose himself in the process. He might just turn into the very man he’s hunting.

Told in dual POV from Camden and Ellie.

I’m a bit sad right now. Because… I didn’t really enjoy Shooting Scars as much as I wish I did.

I fell in love with Ellie and Camden in Sins & Needles, and after finishing that book, I was still going crazy for their story, pretty much still high off their story. Because that book is intense. Seriously, I had no idea of the wild ride that was Sins & Needles, but let me tell you, it was incredible. Edge-of-your-seat intense. Sexy. Dark. Angsty. All of which I LOVE. And did I mention I was Team Camden? Because I was SO Team Camden, even though Javier was one sexy mofo. He’s just too bad and unredeemable for me, unfortunately.

team camden

So by the time I’d finished Sins & Needles, I wanted Shooting Scars IMMEDIATELY. I wanted more Camden, more Ellie, hell, even more Javier. I had to satisfy myself with On Every Street though, which was brilliant! I applaud Karina Halle for writing the best novella I’ve ever read. And so after all this waiting, after all the teasers, when I finally got Shooting Scars in my hands (well, on my iPad in my hands), you can be sure I totally squealed. I read it as soon as I could, (which was pretty much the day after the book was released), but… I ended up disappointed. I didn’t not like it; it just wasn’t as good as the first book. Shooting Scars didn’t live up to my expectations, and I had such high expectations for it. I loved all the characters in Sins & Needles, and to see them fall flat in Shooting Scars was disheartening.

Everything felt too rushed for me. It seemed as if the book was just too fast and easy to read, even though I did take two days to read it. I wanted to get caught up in the craziness and angst, fall in love with the characters all over again, but the plot just zoomed by, and I couldn’t immerse myself into the story, even when I wanted to. Shooting Scars just didn’t have the same oomph, the same intensity, as Sins & Needles, and try as I might to love it, I didn’t.

I was so excited to be reading both Ellie and Camden’s POVs, and I was especially giddy for Camden’s, of course. But when I actually got to reading his POVs, he’d changed. Camden is entirely fueled by revenge, and I just could get a clear sense of his love for Ellie anymore, which was unfortunate. And Ellie didn’t seem as badass as she was in Sins & Needles. Yes, she’s stuck with Javier, but I felt that she could have done more to protect herself and others. Javier is his usually arrogant, mysterious, sexy self, and he’s so very intriguing. You wonder if he’s still in love with Ellie after all these years, and then you have to backtrack and wonder if he even knows what love is, if he’s capable of it. And that, he, was the best part of the book. Because if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Javier being unpredictable.

Shooting Scars does have intense moments, as everyone is now in Mexico. Travis appears in the flesh, and of course things get hectic when you have evil drug lords. You won’t be disappointed with the scenes of action and suspense!

Even though Shooting Scars was a let down for me, I’m definitely looking forward to the third and final book in The Artists Trilogy. I honestly LOVED Sins & Needles, and even On Every Street, and I’m hoping I’ll love Bold Tricks just as much.

3 hearts

3-hearts

lacey

Look at the pretty cover for Bold Tricks!

Bold Tricks by Karina Halle

Reading Order: The Artists Trilogy

On Every Street by Karina Halle Sins & Needles by Karina Halle Shooting Scars by Karina Halle Bold Tricks by Karina Halle

#0.5 ~ On Every Street: Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ Sins & Needles: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Shooting Scars: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Bold Tricks: Ebook • Goodreads