Review: Made in Nashville by Mandy Baggot

Made in Nashville by Mandy Baggot

Publication date: February 6th, 2014

Pages: 274

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):

An on-stage attack left Honor Blackwood with more scars than just the one on her face. It's been ten years since she left her spot at Nashville's brightest country music star. Is now the time to return? And is she brave enough to do it?

Country rebel and rock star, Jared 'Jed' Marshall is hot property on the Tennessee music scene in more ways than one. He's wild, he's sexy and everybody wants a piece of him. But when he sets his sights on Honor, is it pure attraction or just distraction on his mind?

Honor's record label signs the ex-boyfriend that dumped her and suddenly going back to her old life is harder than she thought. Can she get a new contract? Will she get to perform at the Marlon Festival? Or will Dan Steele destroy everything?

When a secret from the past becomes public knowledge it's no longer just about the music. Are all the people in her life lying to her to get what they want? An who is really behind the anonymous gifts she keeps getting sent?

Available at:

Review:

I receive an e-copy of this book from the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It is no surprise that a girl, such as me, raised in the south would find a contemporary book written about country music intriguing. I have started to notice a spike in rock star books and have drank the kool-aid. I find myself loving rocker romances and all their gritty drama that comes along with them. What was unique about this book was that instead of being rock 'n roll as most of the rocker romances seem to be, this was about country music. Southern men are often seen as gentlemen in literature. I was curious to see if this held true in the world created by Mandy Baggot.

Honor has issues. She has several, in fact. A little over a decade ago she was attacked on stage by a maniac and was left with a Z-shaped scar marring her face. Since that event, Honor has been in hiding. She dropped from the music scene and started working at a music store instead. She has no desire to go back into the studio, but when her advisor approaches her with a deal she is hard-pressed to refuse, she has to consider overcoming her fears and getting back into the swing of things. What Honor didn't expect was a hunky country superstar approaching her with yet another deal. Accompany him or his tour and he will not take no for an answer. Honor has to decide what she wants to do with her career and whether she wants to get back into the music that she fell in love with so many years ago.

Jared doesn't want any sort of romantic entanglement right now. He just wants to star in his first countrywide tour and find an act to accompany him on it. When he hears Honor's voice for the first time he is transfixed and has to have her on his tour. What he didn't expect was that he would find the tormented singer so attractive. Jared struggles to fight his feelings for Honor while trying to convince her to join him on tour. He also must tango with his dark past and keep it well hidden from Honor and the world.

When Honor's ex-boyfriend becomes a part of her record label, Honor wants out of her record contract and away from the man who broke her heart. Can Jared be the savior she needs or will he be yet another man who does nothing but lie to her?

I don't know what has been going on with my reading material but I have found the last two authors to be very repetitive in their writing. Whereas the last was the repeat of 'chortle', this one was the constant reference to Vince Gill. I am not sure if that was intentional to hammer home the fact the protagonists are involved in the country music scene or whether the author just really likes Vince Gill. It was another instance where I really wanted to turn the reading into a drinking game. Mention Vince Gill, take a shot.

Other than that, the story was fairly well written. There were points where I grimaced and there were moments when I actually laughed out loud (usual for me). I found Jared's chaste ways to be very unrealistic since he was a big time country singer and I found Honor's fear being overcome so easily as to dismiss seemingly maleficent scenarios as coincidences. If one is afraid of their own shadow then they jump when something dark and mysterious starts to happen in their lives. It's just not something that is easily gotten over.

All in all, I liked some of the book, but it wasn't as good as I had hoped it would have been. It was a bit shaky, but I can't say I hated it.

Review: Fierce by Clarissa Wild

Fierce by Clarissa Wild

Series: Fierce #1

Publication date: January 27th, 2014

Pages: 274

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):

Fight for your dreams. Fight for your life. Fight for love.

Nerdy girl Autumn Blakewood is the prime example of a goody two-shoes. She studies every night, is never late for class, and always follows the rules. She has never felt the need to step out of her comfort zone. That is, until she meets Hunter.

Hunter Bane is a cocky, confident bad-boy, who's nothing but trouble. He's a dangerous distraction to everyone around him. Sexy and strong, Hunter enjoys the swooning effect he has on women. Especially those who aren't used to attention, like Autumn.

Autumn finds it hard not to give into Hunter's advances, even though it all seems like a game to him. Trying to understand him is impossible, because she shrouds himself in mystery. What she doesn't know is that Hunter has more baggage than anyone should have to carry. When she discovers he's in an illegal frat club to save the one person that matters to him, Autumn realizes this could mean the end of her undeniable connection to him. Even their lives are at risk.

But it's too late to turn back now...

Available at:

Review:

I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Why did I choose to read this book? Two words. Cover. Appeal. Who can honestly look at this cover and say 'nah, not today'? I was curious about Clarissa Wild's writing since I had not read anything by her as of yet. I figured while I was exploring new authors, why not try this New Adult read out and see what I think. On a side note, the downfall of e-books is you can't close the book and admire the cover without losing your place. It's unfortunate in the case of this book.

Autumn is your typical nerd girl. She doesn't normally go out and have fun because there is studying to do. Her parents are not well off so the fact that they saved every penny they could to send her to college just makes her that much more adamant to do her best. She has never had a hard time focusing on schoolwork before. That is, before Hunter. He comes into her life with his smug smirks and stormy gray eyes and completely unsettles her. Autumn finds herself doing things she never would have thought she'd do. But Hunter has secrets that Autumn is dying to get to the root of at any cost. The boy that intrigues her so much is a mystery she loves to unravel.

Hunter has secrets all right and they all seem to center around his brother. He is involved in something nefarious and he just wants to do what he has to do to survive, but Autumn is a road block he wasn't prepared for. Hunter tries to push her away. He tries to tell her he is no good for her, but the sweet bookworm doesn't seem to believe him. Hunter has had a life of being seen as a bad seed, but Autumn seems to see him as much more.

Can Autumn find out what is going on with Hunter and help him find his way out of his troubles? Or will she simply be another smug conquest of Hunter's?

When I first started reading the book, I longed to love it. I wanted so badly to find a book about a nerd who finds love with a hunky bad boy. But it just wasn't there for me. The writing was a little lackluster and the story just didn't jibe well. It spent most of it's time relaying how scared and emotional Autumn was every single time she thought about Hunter, saw Hunter, touched Hunter... it got tedious and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot of the time. I wanted to fall in love with the characters but they just didn't feel real to me. They didn't suck me in like other authors have been able to do.

Also, there was a gross overuse of the word 'chortle' and 'fazed'. I ended up more focused on shaking my head and grumbling over another use of either of these words than I was on getting engaged in the story. In the case of 'chortle', it got so bad that now, if I see the word I internally grimace. It's a weird word to begin with but having it uttered almost every ten pages made the word painful within the confines of my mind.

One last pet peeve I found in the book was the fact that the author seemed to gloss over the word 'lesbian' but had absolutely no probably saying words like 'pussy'. If the homosexuality was such an uneasy topic that the correct term can't be uttered, then why include it at all?

I really wanted to like this book. I was DYING to love this book so I could buy a physical copy for my shelf of hunktastic cover models, but it wasn't there for me. It was just not written to the level I would have liked and the characters were not developed as thoroughly as they should have been.

Review: Defy by Sara B. Larson

Defy by Sara B. Larson

Series: Defy #1

Publication date: January 7th, 2014

Pages: 336

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army. Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Available at:

Review:

I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have found myself on a debut author kick recently and am trying to branch out and get to know different authors' writing styles. There are so many different facets to them and there are good and bad writers (a lot more of the latter when you attach the word 'debut' to their title). Sara B. Larson is a name I heard a lot about after her book Defy came out. I had gotten the e-book for review but with how large my pile is it seemed to have escaped my review schedule. Of course, I had to rectify this and the medieval fantasy vibe of the book intrigued me to no end.

Alexa, the female protagonist of the story, has had a raw deal her whole life. She has had to pretend to be a boy in order to escape an evil dictator of a king's breeding houses. In these breeding houses girls who have matured enough to procreate are used and abused by the king's soldiers in hopes of creating more and more troops for his army. Alexa's twin brother, upon watching their parents burn to death, decides in a flash to make Alexa into Alex, his mirror image by cutting her long hair and putting her in boys clothing.

Alexa, determined to survive adapts quickly. She even exceeds expectations by becoming one of the best swordsmen of the Prince's royal guard. Her duty is to protect the haughty Prince Damian from harm, however, when an attack is made on the Prince's life, Alexa risks exposing herself to protect her honor and her charge. It is only after she, another guard, Rylan, and Prince Damian are captured that she learns that Rylan's affections may not be as brotherly as she first thought and the Prince's fleeting softening may not simply be because of a trying situation. She finds herself caught in the middle of two men she longs to trust but fears she never will. Can Alex protect herself from discovery, free herself and her men, and find a way to help her kingdom thrive?

Alexa is a wonder of a woman. I could not imagine having to watch every move I make or every word I say to remove all feminine quality from them. I couldn't fathom having to live a lie for years just to avoid being raped and tormented my entire existence. Alex is a crazy strong heroine who I found incredibly likable. There were a few characters that I was supposed to like that I just couldn't. One was namely Damian. He just struck me as a weasel of a man with nothing but manipulation in his personality. Rylan seemed the more true at heart and the better match for Alexa as she navigated the tough waters of her capture and internal strife.

The love triangle hurts me a little. It truly does. If I were a guy and I was feeling a little something-something for my boss or soldier buddy beside me, I'd be a little skeeved. I'd start to wonder if I may be a little gay. Nothing really wrong with that, but... I'd question it, oh, I'd question it. In this book... not so much with the questioning. Odd. To avoid spoilers I will just tell you that you will find out in the book WHY that is and it just leads to further disappointment really. If the book had lacked the romantic aspects of the story, it would have been a fundamentally greater book.

Defy is a classic gender-bender bred and nurtured in a medieval world full of evil sorcerers, ruthless kings, and the pursuit of freedom and honor.

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Series: Red Rising Trilogy #1

Publication date: January 28th, 2014

Pages: 382

Synopsis (according to Goodreads):

"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow--and Reds like him--are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Available at:

Review:

I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes one just gets in the mood for a little science fiction with a lack of all the mushy romance hindrances. That is the mood I was in when I decided to pick up Red Rising from my embarrassingly large pile of review books. I was intrigued by the blurb across the cover that compared the book to the Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. Both book series have found a special place in my heart and I needed to see if Pierce Brown's debut novel would find a home among these great works of literature.

In the world created by Brown, humanity has become divided. There is a hierarchy between the people who now inhabit Mars. They are known by colors. All Darrow knows is his home as a Red miner. He has a dream of being the best Helldiver, reckless driller of the boiling mines, he can be and winning favor from his superiors the Golds. It is only when his stubborn wife tries to teach him to pull his head from the sand and look around at the injustice they suffer in their world that Darrow starts to wonder if there is more than just his little slice of Mars he calls home.

Soon Darrow realizes he and his people have been lied to all their lives. There is much, much more to their world than what they are shown. The Golds must be taken down in order for the Reds to escape their binds of slavery. It is only when Darrow meets the Sons of Ares that he is given a chance to play a vital role in the shift of society. Darrow is transformed and implanted into the Gold's world as a spy. He is meant to get through the Institute, the Gold's school, and find a place in their political structure so he can find a way to bring about an end to the power hungry color in charge.

What Darrow didn't know was that the enemies he thought were enemies may actually turn out to be the best of friends he could ask for while others live up to their color's reputation to bring about nothing but pain and pride. Darrow must find a way to make it through the Institute without being killed while also being mindful to keep up the facade he has adorned. Will Darrow abandon the color of his birth for the color of new allies?

I have to admit, all the information that went about in the book sometimes left me scratching my head. I had to flip back a few pages and figure out what the "bloodydamn" was going on. I thoroughly enjoyed the book though. It does seem to have that Hunger Games vibe to it with Darrow fighting against "the man" while also in a game of survival. However, where it differs is in the intricacies of the writing. There is strategy within these pages that was exceedingly light in the book it's compared to.

I have never had a book fill me with such rage as this one did. I could literally feel the anger and resentment Darrow felt leap off the pages and sock me in the stomach. I wanted him to succeed, I wanted him to murder and maim, and I wanted him to find peace in the end. Darrow crawled under my skin and remains there even after I finished the last page and set the book aside. Not many books can manage that feat. Especially not from a debut author.

Red Rising will have you bouncing in your seat and howling for blood, vengeance, love, and glory.