Jet (Marked Men #2) by Jay Crownover

Ayden Cross is determined to leave her past behind her. She knows what she wants and is determined to get it – a future based on security and stability and the opposite of everything she left behind her in Kentucky.

Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy come to life – tall, dark, sexy as sin, covered in tats, clad in leather and skin tight pants, and the ability to transfix every person in a room when he performs.

When the two of them meet, the chemistry between them is undeniable. Jet makes Ayden want to forget about her best laid plans, the plans that she doesn’t really want, but thinks she should. Terrified of losing everything she worked so hard for and getting burned by Jet, Ayden keeps her defenses up and refuses to let Jet in.

Ayden makes the fire inside of Jet bearable and centers him in a way that no one else ever has. The closer he gets to Ayden, the more he falls, but she has built up walls that Jet just can't seem to get through. Jet is dealing with his own demons, and when push comes to shove, he walks away rather than staying and fighting.

Fear, insecurity, and family drama drive the two of them apart and threaten their chance at a happily ever after. Making it work will require them both to let go of what they thought they wanted and needed to be happy, and realizing that all they really need is each other.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up ASAP!! I loved Rule, but I love, love, love Jet! He is definitely worthy of book boyfriend status. I mean, who wouldn't want a sexy rock god who burns with a fiery passion? Sign me up! He is the ultimate fantasy – tats, leather, talent, passion – with a beautifully compassionate heart. I also really liked Ayden. Usually the female characters in these novels tweak my nerves a bit, but I totally related to Ayden. I understood her and why she did the things that she did, and I totally think that she and I could be friends.

While there is no major cliffhanger, the ending is open enough that there could be a sequel, something that I would gladly devour. I am also looking forward to the next book in the series featuring Rome and Cora. I have a feeling that it will be a good one. I hope that Rowdy and Nash get their own books too. I love this motley crew of characters and how they are so much more than outward appearances. Jay Crownover is an excellent writer and I love how she weaves the male and female perspectives together so that you get to see into the heads of both characters. She has quickly become one of my new favorite authors and I can't wait to see what’s coming next.

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Coming soon…

Rome (Marked Men #3) – expected release January 2014

Cora Lewis is a whole lot of fun, and she knows how to keep her tattooed bad boy friends in line. But all that flash and sass hide the fact that she’s never gotten over the way her first love broke her heart. Now she has a plan to make sure that never happens again: She’s only going to fall in love with someone perfect.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn and rigid, he’s bossy and has come back from his final tour of duty fundamentally broken. Rome’s used to filling a role: big brother, doting son, super soldier; and now none of these fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes the only color on his bleak horizon. 

Perfect isn’t in the cards for these two, but imperfect might just last forever . . .

The Forever of Ella and Micha (The Secret #2) by Jessica Sorensen

"You and I, good or bad, belong together. We make each other whole."

Ella and Micha found the love they have always been missing in each other in The Secret of Ella and Micha (review here) and their story continues in The Forever of Ella and Micha.

Ella and Micha's relationship is put to the test as Ella returns to school and Micha hits the road with his band. Distance, long absences, and Ella's fears threaten to ruin their chances at a happy ending. Ella and Micha love each other, but that might not be enough to build a future.

"Most people go into this blind. They don't know the bad side of the person they are with. But we know each other's flaws and cracks - we know what we're getting into and that makes us stronger."

This is another great one from Jessica Sorensen! What I love about this story is the way Ella and Micha love each other. Soulmates is the only way that I can think to describe them. They know each other so well and accept each other, flaws and all, unconditionally. Micha is my hero in this book. Even though he has his own issues, he is so strong for Ella, so unwavering in his love. He is her rock. Ella, despite what she thinks, is perfect for Micha too. She calls him on his BS and know what he is thinking and feeling even when he's trying to hide it. 

They are not perfect people and the each have a world of issues to overcome, but their love makes them stronger and better. This is what makes Ella and Micha's love story the perfect example of what true love should be. It's accepting, unconditional, unwavering, and something that doesn't force you to change, but inspires you to be a better version of yourself.

While there is no clifhanger at the end of the book, it is certainly open enough that there could be more. I know that I would love to know what the next chapter holds for Ella and Micha, but don't know if Jessica is planning on writing more. If not, I think that this book provides a satisfying conclusion to the story. I am really hoping that there will be more to come for Ella and Micha.

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Don't forget...

Coming soon is The Temptation of Lila and Ethan, a spin off novel to Ella and Micha's story. According to Goodreads, we should expect it in October, 2013, and I'm looking forward to this one! Check out the blurb below:

Ella's best friend Lila has always been a good girl who likes pretty clothes and preppy boys. But ever since the first day she met Micha's best friend Ethan, she hasn't been able to stop thinking about him. Girls have always flocked to Ethan--but never princesses like Lila. And until Lila came into his life he never wanted them to. From the outside the two couldn't seem more different, but somehow they have a connection deeper and more intense than anyone could have imagined. Can two people from such dramatically different worlds really have a love that lasts?

Oh, Sleepur! by Marty Schoenleber III

Oh, Sleepur! is a collection of poems by the spoken word poet, Marty Schoenleber III, and if you haven't checked out his work, you need to! I first came across him when Colleen Hoover posted a video of him performing one of the poems from her book, Slammed. Curious, I checked out his website and other videos and became an instant fan.

His poetry is everything a good poem should be - raw, brimming with emotion, thought provoking, and inspiring. Poetry, especially slam poetry, is a true artform and Marty is a master craftsman.

Check out Marty's blog here: http://mereair.wordpress.com/

Check out the videos of Marty performing two of my favorite poems from Oh, Sleepur!

Mewzeeum Harts (Museum Hearts)

Push

This one isn't in Oh, Sleepur!, but is probably my favorite poem of Marty's and worth sharing.

Inventoree (Inventory)

Take a deep breath inventory
Of yourself
Do not count your hands or feet
Not your wandering legs or
Wavering arms
Do not take inventory of your clothes
Not of your favorite shoes or
Your special hat—not even your
Coat that you save for those cold,
Cold nights
Ignore your car—payments or paid off
Your home—apartment, trailer, mansion
Your work uniform—whatever that may be

Make emergency stops only
You are still several miles from
The intersection of contentment and identity
And you have not been there
In far too long
Do not take inventory of how you look
In a summer dress or a tuxedo and bowtie
Don’t count your history with
Drugs and alcohol
Don’t count your computer, your television
Or that collection of movies
Or albums
Or books that you’ve been working on
Don’t take account of your ability to curl
Dead weight
It’s just curling dead weight
Don’t count the number of visible abs
You have
Or your BMI

You are so much more than a body
You are so much more than possessions
Your body and belongings have not
Done you well to feel like you belong

Instead take inventory of your joy
You have some joy don’t you?

Count your friends
Count your love letters
Count the moments when it rains
And you have an umbrella
Count the last time you had strawberries
Count the start of every kiss
Count the paid off credit cards
Actually, count those twice
Because freedom counts for twice as much
Account for all of your freedoms
Take inventory of playing catch with your dad
Your last home-cooked meal
Account for the last time you rode a bike
When you didn’t think about exercise, you just felt the wind
Count the times you wrapped birthday presents
Count the smell of the last bouquet of flowers you were given
Count the last time you went to the zoo
And you swore, nobody ever fell in love with the
Animals quite like you did
Cause you have an eye for beauty
And you’re seeing it everywhere
Take a deep breath inventory of the beauty you have seen

And when you can’t seem to find anything that matters
To take inventory of
Count those dark moments where you still
Have the hope to rack your brain
To try to find a memory where you had joy
If you still have hope to try to find it
That is joyful
All on its own
Because I know they can be hard to find sometimes
Those things worth taking inventory of
But I have found the greatest of these things is love
Not the way I love Pulp Fiction and Casablanca
But the way I love my wife
And my father and my mother
And a good rescue
Cause that is what I’ve had—a good rescue
And life is sweet like honey
Not because it’s easy
And certainly not because I feel good all the time
But because I have found joy in a rescued life that I can hope in
When I take a deep breath inventory
I have to realize all I have is love
The rest will go away someday
But not my hope and joy and love

Perverse by Larry Rodness

The definition of perverse courtesy of Dictionary.com:

Perverse:

1) willfully determined or disposed to go counter to what is expected or desired; contrary

2) characterized by or proceeding from such a determination or disposition

3) wayward or cantankerous

4) persistent or obstinate in what is wrong

5) turned away from or rejecting what is right, good, or proper; wicked or corrupt

Synonyms: 1) contumacious, disobedient; 4) stubborn, headstrong, willful; 5) evil, bad, sinful 

Perverse is billed as a coming of age story with a paranormal twist. It tells the story of Emylene Stipe, a 2nd generation Goth. Emylene's parents own the Pall Bearer's Paradise, a Goth club and hangout, which makes Emylene royalty in the local Goth community. Emylene's world takes a turn for the unexpected after striking up an affair with Stelio, a Geek store owner with a secret. Soon everything Emylene knows will be turned upside down as her world becomes infected by evil vampyres (book spelling), leaving her to fight to save her world.

Perverse was given to me by the author in exchange for a review. I am honestly torn about how to feel about this book. I feel that there were almost two competing stories - Emylene's coming of age tale and the paranormal battle against vampyres - that don't completely mesh together successfully. I'll start with what I feel was the least successful of the two - the coming of age tale. I think my preconceived notions of what constitutes a "coming of age" story might have a lot to do with how I responded to this aspect of the story. When I hear "coming of age" I expect a story that focuses on a character (or small group of characters) and chronicles a journey of discovery and/or transformation. It is a personal story and the story is generally told from the perspective of the character undergoing the transformation. This perspective is essential to the story, in my opinion. It is through this character that we as readers get our cues on how we are expected to react and build a connection to the story. We may not always agree with the character, but seeing the story through their eyes provides the thread through which we can experience the story and come to understand how they view the world around them. To me this is an essential aspect of a "coming of age" story, because without this understanding, it is difficult to see how the character's perspective changes over time.

In my opinion, the biggest obstacle for this part of the story was the author's chosen point of view. The story is told from an objective POV, where the narrator is separated from the story and simply tells the happenings. The story is never told through the eyes of Emylene and it is, therefore, hard to know what she is really thinking and feeling. Because I was never able to get into Emylene's head, it was hard for me to connect with her as a character and understand how she saw the world. She said her parents were overbearing and that she resented the responsibilities their positions in the community placed on her, but why she felt this way was unclear and it made it hard to sympathize with her and understand her need to rebel. Emylene's voice was largely absent from the narrative, making it was hard to understand her and recognize any changes that may have occurred. Aside from being more appreciative of her parents, she really didn't seem all the different at the end of the book. Usually in a "coming of age" story I expect the character to experience some significant change. This may have been a style choice made by the author, as it would certainly be a "perverse" play on the traditional format, but to me it was jarring and instead of intriguing, it left me scratching my head and feeling like I missed something. 

As far as the paranormal aspect of the story, I felt that it was much more successfully executed. It was imaginative and entertaining. This aspect of the book was much better developed and I feel like the book would have been stronger had this been the focus of the book. The ending is left open enough that there could be a sequel, but at this point I find myself hesitant to say that I would be willing to pick it up and continue the story. I just don't feel like I built enough of a connection to the story. I believe this story has a lot of potential, but like some other self-published/smaller publisher books, it suffers from the lack of a good editor.

Tangled (Tangled #1) by Emma Chase

Drew Evans is used to getting what he wants. He is handsome, arrogant, makes multimillion dollar business deals and can have whatever woman he wants. He has loyal friends and as the baby of the family, is spoiled. Drew is the master of his universe, until he meets a brunette bombshell in a bar who refuses to give into his advances. When they part ways, she remains in Drew's thoughts.

When the new associate at Drew's father's investment banking firm turns out to be Katherine "Kate" Brooks, the bombshell from the bar, Drew finds his life turned upside down. Kate is brilliant and ambitious, unavailable, and refuses to be thrown off her game by Drew. Drew and Kate become professional competitors as they both compete to land a huge account and the sexual tension between the two is palpable. When they are forced to work together, they will discover that professionally they make a great team. Drew still wants more. He is desperate to have Kate.

When his chance finally arrives, Drew finds himself feeling things he never thought he would, or could. Spooked by the depth of his feelings for Kate, Drew makes a mistake that causes him to lose his chance at love and happiness. After spending a week holed up in his apartment with "the flu," Drew realizes what an idiot he has been and sets off on a mission to get Kate back. Will Kate give him a second chance?

I loved this book! Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I loved that it was told from Drew's point of view. He is smart, witty, and a total playboy, but it made for an extremely entertaining narrative. I found myself shaking my head at his antics, smiling at his audacity, and laughing out loud. When I finished, I had the urge to go right back to the beginning and read it again. The characters were great, the story was well written, there are plenty of steamy scenes, which all make this a fantastic read. Drew is joining the ranks of my book boyfriends and I'm sure I will be picking this one up again and again.

There is another book which is in the works according to Goodreads. There is no cover or synopsis, so I'm not sure if it will be a continuing story or a spin off. I couldn't find out any further information from Emma's website either. Either way, whatever it is, I will most definitely be picking up the next book in this series. 

Until I Break by M. Leighton

By day Samantha Jansen is Laura Drake, the confident and in control author of salacious vampire romances, by night she is just Samantha, a shy girl with a broken past she struggles to overcome and make peace with. When Alec Brand walks into one of Samantha's book signings, she finds herself face to face with the living embodiment of Mason Strait, the broken hero from her novels. 

Alec is Samantha's darkest fantasy and biggest nightmare all wrapped up in a sexy, arrogant, and intense package. Alec is hiding dark secrets of his own, a monster inside of him that he struggles to repress. The connection between Samantha and Alec is instant and powerful, but the pair of them are deeply scarred and damaged. They have the potential to save each other or destroy each other beyond repair. Both characters will have to struggle to overcome their pasts and put their trust in each other, or break each other in the process.

I came across this book awhile ago and added it to my "to read" shelf, but when I heard that the author was pulling it out of production (click here for the author's blog announcement), I hurried up and grabbed a copy of it while I could. I have to say that I am glad that I did. Until I Break does deal with some heavy sexual issues, but I didn't find it any worse than some of the other romance novels that I have read. I actually found this book to have a very unique concept that it didn't fit the formula or mold of the traditional romance novel. I loved that both Samantha and Alec were broken and had their own issues to overcome. I liked how they were able to really "see" each other and look beyond the facades they presented to the world, and I also liked how the book switched perspectives between the two.

The only thing I didn't like was that it took too long for their relationship to reach its pinnacle and the ending felt somewhat rushed. Their relationship was very stop and go, with long periods where Alec would essentially disappear. I suppose this was done to amp up the drama, but it frustrated me at times. I also feel like I missed the point where Samantha and Alec went from being "in lust" to "in love" with each other. Their relationship lacked a lot of the tender moments that usually signal that transformation, instead it was almost like one day they weren't in love and the next they were, which kept me from fully connecting to them as a couple. These are small qualms and in no way distract from enjoying the overall story. I never once lost interest in the story.

It's a shame that M. Leighton has decided to pull this book, but I can respect her decision to do so. I know that sharing your work with the world is hard enough and can only imagine how hard it must be when your work receives such a negative response. I admire her unwillingness to change the story to placate others. If you can find a copy of this book I would suggest grabbing it and giving it a chance. 

Stealing Harper (Taking Chances #2) by Molly McAdams

Stealing Harper is the companion novel (novella really) to Taking Chances (review here...fair warning, it does contain spoilers), which is a heart wrenchingly good contempory romance novel. I found myself absolutely emotionally destroyed after reading Taking Chances, so much so that I couldn't pick up another book for a few days.

In Taking Chances we meet Harper as she arrives at San Diego State University determined to start a new life for herself. Harper quickly finds herself falling for two guys and smack in the middle of a love triangle. Brandon is tattooed, ridiculously muscled and handsome, a fighter in the Underground, and incredibly sweet and gentle with Harper. Chase is a hot, tattooed artist with a reputation for going through girls like socks. Even though she knows he's wrong for her, Chase gets under her skin like no one else can and is determined to become a better man in order to be worthy of Harper. Harper finds herself torn - she knows she loves Brandon and wants to spend the rest of her life with him, but she just can't seem to forget about Chase. One weekend of passion will have far reaching consequences for both Harper and the men she loves.

Stealing Harper allows us to reexperience the story from Chase's point of view. It doesn't really add anything new to the overall story, but if you were a fan of Chase before then you will "enjoy" this one. I say "enjoy" because as much as I would like it, Chase's fate remains the same and it is still emotionally devastating (even if I already knew what I was in for). If anything, this book made me love Chase even more. He is the perfect redeemable bad boy and one of my favorite book boyfriends. I loved being in his head as he struggled with his feelings for Harper and his desire to become a better man for her. I still find myself wishing for Chase's story to have a different ending, unfortunately you can't always get what you want...