Review: Lexi, Baby by Lynda LeeAnne

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Lexi, Baby
Series: This Can’t Be Happening #1
Author: Lynda LeeAnne

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Alexis Sky Martine thinks of herself as the average girl-next-door that does what she has to do to get by, have fun and enjoy life. 
She is madly in love with her sexy, drop-your-panties-at-first-sight, hottie boyfriend who is equally in love with her; more like downright obsessed. He treats her like she is his heart; like he needs her to exist; like he would do anything in his power to make her happy.
Lexi knows Landyn James loves her just as much as she loves him, if not more. Deep down, she also knows high school sweethearts aren’t expected to last, but their relationship is different. They are soul mates. Their connection is unbreakable.

What could possibly go wrong when you have love like that…?
Everything.
What will the future hold…?
Only time will tell.

MY THOUGHTS

Let me warn readers of one thing before reading this book:  CRACK.  You can’t help but keep reading the book even with the cliches and grammar errors.  Throw in a drool worthy cover and I was a goner from page one. I honestly didn’t know if I should give this book a rating of a three or a four.  I wanted to give it the four for the rating, but predictability and cliches tampered the rating down.

Landyn, Landyn, Landyn.  Sex-on-a stick is the best way to describe him.  He is hot, has money, and possessive as hell. He makes a huge mistake that costs him so much.  While I can see the reasoning of Lexi dropping him like an old hat after this mistake, I won’t support her in the decision she makes involving Layla.  I can understand Landyn being mad as hell for this secret.

Ryan felt like an after thought for this plot.  It was like the author needed another cliche or black spot in the dynamics of the drama.  While I found this to be almost too much,  it still kept me reading just to find out what would happen to him.  That boy needs some help and I did notice on the authors website that he will be getting his own book.  After this story though, the author is going to have to bring me a miracle in redeeming this man.

Trish was the typical best friend that was a tad too protective. On the other hand, where was this type of friend when I was younger and needing a leaning post?  I will over look this though and go with the flow. Like, I said — book crack. Must. Keep. Reading.

Also be prepared for the prologue and epilogue to be more like a chapter a piece.  In my opinion, they should have been chapters due to the length of them being quite long.  While this didn’t really bother me, others might have a quirk about this.

The ending leaves the reader on a cliffhanger and ready for another fix. While I couldn’t make a real connection with Tony in this book — mainly because we never really get to read/interact with him except in mentioning — I am anxious to read what happens to him and Trish.  Supposedly, the next book features them both.

While this book won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, I can guarantee that this series and author is going to be addictive to others.  I will be in the group looking for more and hoping for the quick release of more!

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

Review: Sometimes Never by Cheryl McIntyre

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Sometimes Never
Author: Cheryl McIntyre
Genre: New Adult

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Hope didn’t have the best role model when it came to relationships. She’s content with her current no-strings-attached extracurricular activity with the lead singer of her band. She’s never believed in love and commitment.

Mason starts his eighth school in five years anticipating nothing more than the usual—boring classes, fighting more than making friends, and girls happily willing to succumb to his easy smile. He’s never put much stock into love at first sight—until he sees her.

Regardless of their painful pasts, Hope and Mason discover that sometimes never can become forever.

MY THOUGHTS

I don’t remember what first captured my interest in this book.  I think I heard someone raving about this author and her writing on Twitter.  Regardless of how I heard about it, I couldn’t help but start reading it just because of the summary.  I am a sucker for flirting bad boys who are trying to capture the attention of the girl who could care less.

While the author does have a great voice in writing,  I am having a hard time expressing my feelings on this book in my own words.  I found the side characters to be much more entertaining than the main characters with this read.  I will flat out say that I was not a fan of Hope.  I wanted to slap that girl so many times for some of her actions.  While I enjoyed the build-up of the romance between Mason and Hope,  at times it felt like it dragged on forever and was full of repetitiveness.

Overall I enjoyed the book, but I will admit that it was a book that could become a little bit boring at times.  I had to set it down several times and then restart it again.  I think the main reason of this was because I became so frustrated with the main character of Hope.  Not one I would reread again, but it did give me a new author to keep on my radar.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!

Flawed by Kate Avelynn

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Flawed
Author: Kate Avelynn
Genre: YA/New Adult

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago — James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.

Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.

Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend — and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on — for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realizes James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact…

MY THOUGHTS

I consider myself as a reader with a spine of steel.  I can read a book without shedding a tear and be proud of myself in the end.  Yet with Flawed, my steel spine broke.  I don’t think I have cried so much for characters of a book in this genre in a long time.  This book strung me along with despair, sadness, and the hopes of goodness being able to emerge. With the final two chapters though, I was an emotional wreck.

Let us start with the characters. Sarah is the youngest in a family that has so many emotional and physical pain that I don’t think I could have survived if I were in her shoes. Her mother is practically locked in her own room so much that Sarah doesn’t even really know her.  She is just a fleeting image in her mind.  She has never been shown a mothers love and doesn’t even know what it is suppose to be like.  James is Sarah’s older brother.  He has always protected her as much as possible from their father.  He always tried to take the beatings their father dished out so Sarah would not have to suffer through them.  This is not to say that she escaped the physical abuse.  Sarah has plenty of scars to show that she has suffered from it as well.  Their father was a horrible man who use to be a boxer and is now working at the mill.  He works, drinks, and then turns on his family every chance he gets with his boxing experience.  When Sarah and James were younger, they promised to always be together and love each other.

Now lets discuss the writing.  Author Kate Avelynn has an amazing voice and talent.  She can bring out emotions in a reader with just a few words placed in the right context.  The suspense was built perfectly and just at the right pace.  The characters actually felt real to me and I can understand the reasons and events that shaped them into what they were.

The events that happen in this book are dark and depressing.  While this might be a turn off for some readers, I actually encourage you to dive into the lack of fluff and happiness so you can understand how emotional and real this book is.  While there are some sweet moments involving Sam and Sarah, it is by no means a fluffy and happy go lucky romance book.  The ending will rip your heart out and stomp on it with high heeled shoes.  Then just when you think your heart can’t possibly take much more, the author breaks it just a little more.  I was hoping for a different out come in the story, but I realize it wouldn’t have had the impact it did if the author would have changed even just one paragraph.

Flawed has left such an emotional impact on my reading that I am having a hard time accepting that the story is over.  I keep hoping if I reread it, I will find that it was just a dream and everything the characters went through didn’t happen.  Definitely a book that will be remembered for days after you read it.

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!

Easy by Tammara Webber

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Easy
Author: Tammara Webber
Genre: Romance / New Adult
Source: Publisher
ISBN: 9780425266748

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

MY THOUGHTS

Every once in awhile, a book comes along that blows you away and you weren’t expecting it.  With Easy by Tammara Webber, I thought it would just be another book about young adult romance that got slapped with the new classification of New Adult.  Seriously everyone? What is “New Adult” suppose to use for guidelines?  Anyway, when I started reading this book, I instantly fell in love with the authors voice and ability to portray characters with realism.

One thing I like about this book is the focus on the one subject that some feel should not be written about.  This one thing that is taboo to write about, is also one thing that needs to be addressed more so that victims of this crime will know that it is okay to speak up about it.  I am talking about the crime of Rape.  This one event can change a person for years to come whether you are the victim of the actual crime, or a person who knows someone who has been there.  We hardly ever hear about this subject in young adult books.  We hardly ever read about it in adult romance either.  I am glad an author pushed the envelope and decided to go there.

When Jacqueline is attacked after a late party by Buck — by someone she has known and doesn’t think would ever do such a thing — Lucas comes to her rescue.  He happened to be passing by when the attack occurs.  Jacqueline is fresh from a break up with her long time boyfriend Kennedy and sinks further into a depressed state after the attack.  When she finally comes back to life and school after a few weeks, she realizes that she might end up failing one of her classes from not showing up.  The teacher gives her one chance to make up her grade by agreeing to meet with a tutor and providing a substitute project instead of a failing grade on her tests.  Landon becomes her tutor thought they never meet in person and just talk through emails.  Or so she thinks.

What I loved most about this book is the slow build between Jacqueline and Lucas.  What starts out as some quick rebound thing, actually turns into what Jacqueline needed all along.  Lucas was sweet and considerate to her feelings.  He was supportive and heroic.  With that said though, he never went overboard on the ego.  They felt like real people you would come into contact with at a college without the over the top cliches that some stories have.

I can say that without a doubt, this book is easily going on my Top Picks for 2012.  One of the best young adult/new adult romance for this year.

MY RATING

Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!