Tag Archives: new adult

Blog Tour + Review & Giveaway: Out of Time by Jen McLaughlin

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Out of Time by Jen McLaughlin

Out of Time by Jen McLaughlin
Series: Out of Line #2 (full reading order below)
Release Date: December 1st 2013
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Desperate to keep him…

I’ve finally gotten everything I ever wanted: love, freedom, happiness, and, most importantly, Finn. Our love is everything I expected it to be and more. We’ve finally found each other, but the world seems determined to tear us apart. We thought my father was the only obstacle between us, but now it’s the military. With Finn’s departure looming, we’re squeezing in every moment together before we run out of time.

Trying to make every moment count…

Being Carrie’s bodyguard was one thing. Being her boyfriend is another. Every day she’s mine is a day the sun shines in my life. Yet our time together is running out. Her father will never think a tattooed Marine will be good enough, so I’ll do whatever it takes to be worthy of her love. But the road will take me away from the girl who makes me feel alive–the girl I can’t live without.

Time only gets us so far…

Buy Links:
Amazon • B&N

review

Out of Line ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, with Finn receiving an ominous text, but Finn and Carrie are finally together for good. Out of Line was only an okay read for me, but I ended up really liking and enjoying Out of Time. Carrie was a much more likable heroine, and Finn really steps up his sweetness. They are finally not afraid to show their feelings and love for each other, and they make such a strong, adorable couple.

Still, Finn and Carrie have to keep their relationship a secret from Carrie’s father because he’s completely overbearing and protective of his daughter. He has a high position in politics, and because of an incident that occurred when Carrie was young, she’s smothered by her parents and by bodyguards. Her father needs to have protection for her 24/7, and since Finn is part of her security, they can’t let her father know about their relationship otherwise Finn will end up fired. In Out of Time, Carrie’s parents play a much bigger role in their lives, and they cause complications that Carrie and Finn have to deal with.

Carrie and Finn have grown throughout these two novels, and in Out of Time, we get to see a much more intimate side of their relationship. We feel how much they need each other, and how much they love each other. Carrie and Finn will do anything for each other, and I loved how their relationship changes and matures. They are good for one another, and bring out the best in each other. With Finn, Carrie is finally free to be herself, without her parents hovering and being overprotective. With Carrie, Finn finds the best things in life because of her. He’s protective of her, and time and again shows how much he’ll do for her. But Finn is still a bit insecure about himself. He feels he doesn’t deserve Carrie, that she deserves someone better than some tattooed surfer. They argue sometimes, but Carrie always lets him know that she loves him for who he is. I loved that about their relationship. They want and love each other for who they are, and nothing else–bad or otherwise–matters as long as they have each other.

Told from both Carrie’s and Finn’s POV, Out of Time is a great, moving sequel. The romance is wonderful, and the story will keep you hooked from start to finish. So many emotions play out for Finn and Carrie, but their journey is one you shouldn’t miss. I’d definitely recommend this series if you’re a fan of new adult contemporary romances.

3-hearts

lacey

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You can see the rest of the tour stops on the blog tour here.

Reading Order: Out of Line series

Out of Line by Jen McLaughlin Out of Time by Jen McLaughlin Out of Mind by Jen McLaughlin

#1 ~ Out of Line: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Out of Time: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Out of Mind: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

about the author

Jen McLaughlinJen McLaughlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She writes steamy New Adult books for the young and young at heart. Her first release, Out of Line, came out September 2013. She also writes bestselling Contemporary Romance under the pen name Diane Alberts.Since receiving her first contract offer under the pen name Diane Alberts, she has yet to stop writing. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.

Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

giveaway

Jen is giving away 4 $10 Amazon Gift Cards and an amazing grand prize! The grand prize winner will get to help name a character in book 3 of the series, and will get their name in the acknowledgement section of the book! Contest is international.

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Blog Tour + Review & Giveaway: Covert Assignment by Missy Marciassa

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Covert Assignment by Missy Marciassa

Covert Assignment by Missy Marciassa
Publication date: December 2nd 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
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Covert Assignment is a New Adult, Coming of Age Novel with a strong romantic element. Elle is ready for graduation and full-fledged adulthood: no more living like the leftover of her parent’s divorce. She’s about to graduate with her degree in Information Science (the 21st century term for Library Science) and has a ten-year plan as well-designed as any model for analyzing metadata: earn her JD/MBA, enjoy a couple of years as a single professional, then marry her college sweetheart, Adam, and start her own family.

Yet Elle feels like she returned to an alternate universe her final semester. There are pictures of Adam with a classmate who must be surgically enhanced, but he insists he wants Elle. CIA recruiters show up on campus, and they aren’t just interested in recruiting Elle for future employment: turns out she’s already working for them since they’re funding her thesis. Hot operative Preston Raddick is tasked to work with her. Preston isn’t just hot: he’s hot for Elle, but is he offering happy ever after or happy for right now? A fling with Preston could be the beginning of a new life plan, which is exciting and scary, especially with espionage thrown in. Elle needs a predictive model to tell her which decisions have the greater likelihood for happiness…

Covert Assignment is about the unexpected turns life can take when making “adult” decisions.

Purchase:
Amazon

review

Covert Assignment was a surprisingly short and fun read!

Elle is in her last year of college, and she finds out that Adam, her boyfriend of two years, has cheated on her. But she’s more angry than heartbroken. And then she goes to class and meets CIA recruiters, one of whom is a sexy CIA operative, Preston Raddick. Elle is a complete nerd (but an adorable one) and it turns out that she’s been unknowingly working for the CIA through her thesis. And now they’ve come to ask her for help and she agrees.

Throughout the book, Adam keeps coming back to Elle and groveling, begging her to take him back. She’s angry, but she’s still not quite ready to let him go. If she breaks up with Adam, then she feels like she’ll be alone. But then she starts being with Preston more, and thoughts of Adam are completely out of her head. Preston is a nice guy with great qualities–he’s a badass CIA operative, he can be sweet and supportive, and he can be sexy when he wants to. So of course Elle would develop feelings for him.

I really enjoyed the feel of the college atmosphere of the book, and Elle’s braininess. I hadn’t expected to have an in depth look at the CIA and its operations, but it was a lovely surprise. Covert Assignment was a unique and refreshing read. And towards the end, there’s a lot of action taking place. Everything builds up, everything’s intense, and the book ends with a bang. All loose ends are tied up, and I really enjoyed reading it.

3-hearts

lacey

about the author

Missy Marciassa loved getting lost in novels from the time she could read, so it’s no surprise she wanted to write. Her very first “novels” were re-writing the books she read to get the endings she wanted in second grade. Missy continued to read and write through grade school and high school.

After becoming rather disillusioned with fiction after writing literary criticism as an English major in college, however, Missy focused on her enjoyment of learning about people and studied psychology. Reading fiction fell to the wayside with all the reading and writing required for college and graduate school, but once Missy became a doctoral candidate, she rediscovered her love of fiction. Then she started getting the urge to write, an urge that wouldn’t go away (she refuses to diagnose it as a compulsion). Covert Assignment is the end result of that urge.

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Early Review: Before We Fall by Courtney Cole

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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

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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

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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