[Review] Finding Cinderella - Colleen Hoover

Released: October 14th, 2013 

This novella is a companion novel to the Hopeless series, but it can be read as a standalone.

A chance encounter int he dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love comes with conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe.

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don't happen outside of fairytales. 

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Daniel soon realizes the way he pretended to feel about Cinderella and the way he really feels about Six may not be so different after all. Especially when the two loves of his life end up being one in the same.

Unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn't guarantee their happily ever after… it only further threatens it. 

"In reality, people are who they are and they'll never change."

This novella made my cheeks hurt. I was smiling and grinning and giggling like a freaking gossip girl. It was sweet, short tale about second chances of meeting your first love and about searching for "the one". Daniel and Six were in an unusual relationship that moved so damn fast but they understood it. They understood why the world worked the way it worked for them. And that what made it so damn awesome.

SQUEEEE!!! I read this awhile ago and I'm finally getting up off my ass to write a review on it. This novel is so fucking adorable. I've been looking forward to this since the wonderful Colleen Hoover first announced it.

Daniel and Six were funny as hell but they also had their romantic and intense moments. But, mostly funny as hell. I loved both their characters. They were interesting and different and they definitely captured my interest throughout the whole story.

The story starts off with Daniel who is pissed off with Val, and if you've read the Hopeless series then you'd know that they have a fucking weird relationship they have.

"So why the hell are Val and I even wasting our time on this exhausting relationship if we don't even really like who each other is?"

These two are a weird bunch. Like really, I don't even know what their relationship is based on.

And God, after Daniel ends things with Val.

Val: [glaring] "Can I talk to you?"Daniel: "Do I have a choice?"

Daniel knew Six was different straightaway when they first meet. But they couldn't date because Holder restricted it. He forbade it. But Daniel, being Daniel, asked her out anyway. And they went on a date. And he was so damn surprised that he enjoyed himself.

But let's not spoil the whole story. I want to mention some of the most hilarious parts in the book. Including…

Exhibit A
Daniel and Holder being gay.

“You're my best friend and I love you. I'm not ashamed to admit that I love a guy. I love you, Holder. Daniel Weasley loves Dean Holder. Always and forever."

"Daniel, go make out with your girlfriend," he says, waving me off.

I shake my head. "Not until you tell me you love me, too."

His head falls back against Sky's headboard. "I fucking love you, now GO AWAY!"

Exhibit B
Daniel's fucking flawless family. Part 1.

Daniel: “What neither of you like Val?”

Chunk: “I hate Val.”

Mom: “God, me, too.”

Dad: “Me three.”

...........

Dad: “Your mother and I are masters at reverse psychology, Danny-boy. Don’t act so surprised.”

Chunk: “Me, too, Dad. I reverse psychologized him, too.”

Dad: [high fives Chunk] “Well played, Chunk.”

Daniel: “You guys were just pretending to like Val? What the hell for?”

Dad: “Children are natural inclined to make choices that will displease their parents. If we had told you how we really felt about Val, you probably would have ended up marrying her just to spite us. Which is why we pretended to love her.”

Exhibit C
Daniel's fucking flawless family. Part 2.

“You talk to him about the fact that we haven't had sex?" Six says, completely embarrassed.

My father shakes his head. "No, he doesn't have to. I know because every night he comes home he goes straight to his bedroom and takes a thirty-minute shower. I was eighteen once."

Six covers her face with her hands. "Oh, my God." She peeks through her hands at my dad. "I guess I know who Daniel gets his personality from."

My father nods. "Tell me about it. His mother is terribly inappropriate.”

As you can see I have given you all three reasons (out of a million more) of why you should totally read this book.

NOW GO! IT'S FREE TOO (the best part)!!! GO GET IT!!! NOW! Yes, you! Now!

Oh, and there's a plot twist too! Kbai.

Minor Faults:

MY RATING:

5 FLAWLESS APPLES!!!!!

★ Amazon | B&N | iBooks ★

❤ READ MY REVIEW OF HER BOOKS ❤

Losing Hope (Hopeless #2) ❊ 4.5 APPLES!!!

Colleen hoover is a huge fan of music and she has an eclectic taste. She's addicted to diet pepsi, and it's a serious case. She gets excited with friend requests on goodreads. So far, she's written two series, which include the Slammed series and the Hopeless series. She is expected to have two more books coming out in 2014.

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Come Full Circle – Natalie-Nicole Bates + Giveaway & Excerpt!

PRESENTING COME FULL CIRCLE…

Fifteen years ago, Bethany Minor fled her hometown after being left at the alter by Dane Brennan. After the sudden death of her mother, she is forced to return home and face her past.

The years have been hell for Dane, and seeing Bethany again only reopens wounds he long thought closed.

When they realize the flames of their past love never died, Bethany and Dane will need to confess all before they can have a chance to reclaim their life that once should have been.

But when the truth of the past is finally revealed, will they still stand as a couple?

❖ Amazon UK | Amazon | B&N❖ 

EXCERPT:

Dane felt strangely nervous about meeting Bethany. What could she possibly have that belonged to him? When he’d seen her earlier, at first she’d barely acknowledged  his presence.

     But when she hugged him so hard it almost took his breath away, all of the old feelings came welling back up inside him, along with the regret of losing her, and the promise of everything a life with her would have brought.

     The feelings of loss and sadness became so acute, that he could actually feel a pain in his chest. He’d made so many mistakes, and the gravity of those mistakes was still apparent.

     Finally, he caught sight of her walking slowly up the street toward him. She was dressed only in a  loose-fitting old  sweatshirt and jeans, totally inappropriate for the cold, rainy weather. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, and beg her for a second chance. That, he would not do. He still had some semblance of pride and reality.

     “Bethany, why did you walk here in the rain? I would have been happy to come to you,” he said, and dared to push a few errant strands of her dark hair away from her face.

     “I need fresh air. Being in my mother’s house with all of her things…it was closing in on me.”

     “I’m sorry. Would you like to get out of the rain? We could go somewhere and get a cup of coffee, and talk,” he  suggested hopefully.

     “I’m not really to being around a lot of people, Dane. The funeral will be hard enough.”

     “Would you like to come home with me for a while? At least you won’t be alone.” He made the offer, but from the look on her face, he already guessed her answer.

     “No. Thank you for offering, though.”

     Her refusal made it sound as though she’d said no to a business associate, not someone she’d once loved.

     After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again.

     “So anyway, here is what I came to give you.” She produced a small, familiar-looking box, from the front packet of her jeans.

     He licked his lips. “I hope that’s not what I think it is.”

     She lifted the lid, and as he feared, it was the engagement ring he’d given her, when he thought of her as his princess. The round diamond twinkled proudly under the harshness of the street lights.

     “I don’t want it back,” he stated firmly. He didn’t ever want to see it again. The ring was a harsh reminder of what might have been.

     “Well, I don’t want it either, Dane. It belongs to you. I thought my mother returned it to you after…after we broke up. It was wrong for her to keep it.”

     She was trying to push the box into his hand, but he refused to open his hand and stepped back from her.
     “Throw it into the garbage, Bethany.” He pointed to the public trash receptacle.

     “I can’t throw it away; it’s too expensive!” she exclaimed.

     “Then give it away, donate it, sell it! I don’t care!”

     When she shrank back, he realized his tone was  harsher than he’d intended. Immediately, he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he repeated over and over again.

     He wasn’t sure exactly, how it happened, but his lips found their way to hers. He closed his eyes and basked in her familiarity, her taste, and his tongue gently parted her lips. As their kiss deepened, he became keenly aware of the contrast of the intense heat coming from her skin, and the icy coldness of her hand on his neck. In that one moment, he was ready to beg Bethany to escape with him forever.

     “Hey, Mr. Brennan.”

     The voice jolted him back to reality. A teenage boy  held the hand of a teenage girl as they passed by. They  looked vaguely familiar; most likely they were from the neighborhood.

     “Hey,” he answered back.

     “Hear that? If I’m Mr. Brennan, what does that make my father?” he whispered into Bethany’s ear.

     Without a word, she tilted her head back and connected her beautiful espresso brown eyes―the eyes he’d fallen in love with―to his, and held him captive.

     There was so much he wanted to say to her, but the words wouldn’t come. He touched a hand to her cheek, and found that her skin burned beneath his fingertips.

     He then spoke the obvious.

     “Bethany, you’re burning up with fever. You can’t be alone tonight. Come home, and let me take care of you,” he implored.

     She blinked a few times, and he held a tiny hope she would agree to leave with him, but she reached up and ran her fingers through his beard, and said, “You know I can’t do that.”

     “Well, at least, let’s go to the apartment upstairs at BFC. I lived there for a few years. It’s really nice.”
     Her eyes grew huge. “I never want to go to that apartment again!”

     Then she darted away from him, and hurried off in   the opposite direction.

     For a moment, he simply watched her leave, perplexed at her final words. Why was she so upset at the mention of the apartment? It wasn’t as though she ever stayed there. It was mostly for interns from the mortuary college, who were on-call during the night.

     He slowly crossed the street and walked to his car. Reaching his hand into the pocket of his jacket to get his keys, he  found the box with the engagement ring. A caustic laugh escaped his throat. While he was lost in their kiss, she’d found a way to return the ring.

               

✖✖✖ GIVEAWAY: $15 AMAZON GIFT CARD ✖✖✖

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❤ Meet the Author ❤

Natalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author.

Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography and antique poison bottles. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.

She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.

Check her out in these sites:

❖ Website | Twitter | Facebook ❖

This spotlight was brought to you by Shades of Rose Marketing Tours, you can see the rest of the blogs here.

RELEASE: Four Seconds to Lose - K.A. Tucker + giveaway!

Book: Four Seconds to Lose

Author: Addison Moore

Hosted by: InkSlingerPr

Released: November 4th, 2013

Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine year old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.

Twenty-two-year old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her doesn’t need to complicate her life with romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Links to Buy:

Four Seconds to Lose (Book #3)

Amazon | Barnes & Nobles | Other Retailers

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This release was hosted by InkSlingerPr

[Review] I Stand Before You - S.R. Grey

Released: September 3rd, 2013 

When it comes to tattooed bad boys, Chase Gartner is the real deal. Partying, engaging in meaningless sex, getting into fights---Chase indulges in it all during his late teen years, thus firmly solidifying his status as a heartbreakingly gorgeous but way-too dangerous-to-trust guy in his hometown of Harmony Creek, Ohio. Then, following one fateful night of reckless decisions, Chase's actions finally catch up to him and land him in prison. 

Now, four years have passed and Chase finds himself a free man. He returns to Harmony Creek, ready to pick up the pieces and start rebuilding his shattered life. 

Things are off to a promising start when he meets Kay Stanton, a young woman with a tragic past of her own. Despite a powerful attraction, Chase and Kay are naturally hesitant to become involved. That's why friendship feels like the safest option. But when passions ignite and love blossoms, a relationship that is destined and meant to be can only be resisted for so long. When Chase and Kay finally succumb to their feelings they realize being together feels more right and true than anything they have ever experienced. 

But their love is soon tested. Chase's wild past still haunts and tempts him, and Kay is keeping a secret that could tear them apart. 

I Stand Before You is a journey of hope and forgiveness, coming to terms with the past and moving forward. But mostly it's a story of two damaged people who take a chance, open their hearts, and find true love. 

New Adult/Contemporary Romance genres. First in a series. 

***warning: contains graphic sexual situations, drug use, some violence, and profanity***

"You're putting your life back together. Building isn't breaking, Chase."

This is the first novel I've ever read by S.R. Grey and I'm quite happy to say that it was pretty damn good. The characters were honestly freaking awesome and plot? A+ I loved it! Although I loved certain aspects of the book, there were certain parts that I found boring and unnecessary. Nevertheless, quite a fun read.

I guess I was expecting too much when I read the synopsis. I mean, Chase. HELLOOOOO. He's a tattooed bad boy. That's already half my type. Plus, he's super charming. He gets into fights, I find this attractive, don't judge me. And as I quote the synopsis, "heartbreakingly gorgeous". Damn straight.

The story starts off in Chase's point of view as he is going to his usual dealer's place. I liked how he acknowledged that it was wrong but he was just in way too deep to stop himself.

"We're in the express lane to damnation, and one step closer to burning every time we travel down that fucking dirt road. I know it, he knows it."

And God, when he meets Kay?

"Kay is a sandcastle on the beach, and I'm a fucking hurricane. I'd not only wash her away, I'd fucking destroy her."

I loved how he was trying to rebuild his life despite the horrible rumors people spread. I loved how strong he was in dealing with shit.

It's just so heart-breaking to see a man who used to be so strong, aside from the drugs, seem so weak and fragile in the hands of an equally fragile girl.

But they click. That was it. They just clicked.

"Maybe we aren't so very different after all. There's good and bad in both of us, and that's what binds us together, for better or worse." 

UGHHH. They're so cute together tho.

Chase: "I'll always be trouble, Kay."Kay: "Then be my trouble."

Le sigh. Too sweet.

I found Kay really bitchy at first though. Her first impression of him was that he was troublemaker and I didn't like how judgmental she was being.

"I plan to spend my downtime keeping an eye on bad-news Gartner, making sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Like screw up… again."

Well, bitch, that's just plain rude.

Anyways, pretty great read. A good one for your free time. ;)

Minor Faults:

• I wasn't too fond of Kay
• The scenes were too bland sometimes

MY RATING:

3 AND A HALF APPLES!!!!!

★ Goodreads | Amazon | B&N ★

S.R. Grey is the author of the bestseller Harbour Falls and Willow Point, first and second books in A Harbour Falls Mystery series. She is also the author of I Stand Before You, the first novel in the new Judge Me Not series (New Adult/Contemporary Romance). 

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

[Review] Unteachable - Leah Raeder

Released: July 27th, 2013

This novel contains graphic sexual content and strong language. It is intended for mature readers. 

I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night: intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn’t want to be abandoned again.

But I couldn’t run far enough.

I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.

My teacher.

I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The rules say one thing; my heart says screw the rules. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.

In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.

And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.

"It wasn't about flirting with death, like Mom. It was about wanting to live all the way to the seams of life."

Unteachable was completely indescribable. This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. The characters were amazingly developed and described, all of them captivating and interesting in their different ways. The storyline was absolutely beautiful and deeply moving. There was this sense of darkness that kept the story going and it was brilliant. This book was fucking brilliant.

Sweet Jesus. This is just undeniably awesome. I can't even begin to describe everything. Usually when I highlight quotes in a book, each and every one of them would make it to my review. But this time, there's way too many to mention.

Let's start off with Maise O'Malley. She is possibly one of my favorite heroines of all time. She's witty, quick and downright smart as fuck. The things she says are undeniably true and deep and her vocabulary is bloody complete. She is far more mature for her age due to growing up with a drug-addicted, absent mother. She can be realistic but when it comes to Evan she becomes a romantic.

I'm not going to do the whole rollercoaster/falling in love metaphor. I didn't fall in love with him up there. Maybe I fell in love with the idea of love, but I'm a teenage girl.

This is where she's so damn smart. I know how hard it is to tell the difference between actually falling in love and falling in love with the idea of love. The fact that she acknowledges this just shows how smart she is. She doesn't automatically say, "Oh shit, I think I'm in love after one goddamn rollercoaster ride." with the cheesy metaphor and shit.

God, and you know how some people just think that they're adults? They think that they're so damn mature. I love how she knows that she doesn't know how to answer life's questions – hell nobody does. But she admits that. And Jesus, I just admire that so much.

"I can't be the girl who teaches you how to open your heart and embrace life and all that bullshit, because I'm trying to figure out how to do that myself."

I think I'm in love with her. Honestly, she's just so smart and perceptive of this fucked-up world and she knows all these facts and she accepts all these things.

I was still a teenager, and part of being a teenager was constantly checking your answer against everyone else's. What did you get for number four? Is falling in love with someone twice your age gross, weird, amazing, or all of the above? The secrecy insulated me in a vacuum-sealed bubble.

Who fixes broken people? Is it only other broken people, ones who've already been ruined? And do we need to be fixed? It was the messiness and hurt in our pasts that drove us, and that same hurt connected us at a subdermal level, the kind of scars written so deeply in your cells that you can't even see them anymore, only recognize them in someone else.

I really don't fucking know how she is an 18 year-old girl.

And God, when asked whether or not she was in love with him?

"I don't think I know what being in love is yet. But this is different than anything I've ever felt. […] Remember when you thought I was jumping off to kill myself? It's like that. But no one catches you. You're just hanging over infinity."

Wow, I spent that much time talking about one character. See how much I love her?

And then all the other characters. Sweet Jesus Christ Lord Almighty, they were all so freaking perfect it's unbelievable. 

Evan was the sweetest, despite some of his too sappy, cheesy lines. But he was just so thoughtful and so considerate of her, I wanted to hug him to pieces. And Wesley and his mom ugh. CHRIST, I LOVE WESLEY'S MOM OKAY. SIOBHAN IS THE BEST.

"My consolation is embarrassing my children in front of their friends. THat's why the oldest went to college on the other side of the country."

Siobhan: "Biotechnology."Wesley: "The Terminator."Siobhan: "It probably involves a certain amount of naked men." 

Siobhan taught them not to break curfew by waiting for them in the dark kitchen one night in a white gown, holding a chef's knife.

HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE HER?!?!

But really, this book was so amazing. I have no words to describe it. If I could give it a million stars, I would.

Minor Faults:

• The book cover doesn't really suit the book

MY RATING:

6 MEGA-SUPER-DUPER APPLES!!!!!

★ Goodreads | Amazon | B&N ★

Leah Raeder was born in the 80s, which meant that she had fantastic taste in music and atrocious taste in hair. Since she was eight, she knew that she wanted to be a published author. Although back then, she imagined it as a more glamorous profession. Aside from being an author, she is also a voracious reader. In her non-bookish life, she is a graphic designer. Leah is from Chicago and has lived all over the world and is now living in the Windy City with her partner, Alexander.

Check her out in these sites:

Website | Twitter | Facebook