LOVE DRUNK COWBOY
Author: Carolyn Brown
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (May 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402253583
ISBN-13: 978-1402253584

SUMMARY:

Carolyn Brown’s first five cowboy/country music single title mass market romances have sold over 65,000 copies All Austin Lanier wants is to sell her inherited watermelon farm, slip on her stilettos and run back to corporate America. Until the drop dead sexy cowboy next door, Rye O’Donnell, decides he’ll only take the farm if he can get the fiery woman who owns it as part of the deal…

MY THOUGHTS:

Love Drunk Cowboy is the first book in the “Spikes and Spurs” series by Carolyn Brown. It is set in present day Texas with a western theme involving Austin and Rye.  Austin inherits her Grandmother’s watermelon farm but wants to sell it and return to the city life.  All it takes is one look at Rye and she thinks that farm life might be the life she has been missing. 


I actually liked this book!  I loved Rye and Austin as a couple.  They were fun, witty and easy to enjoy.  As you read about their journey, you can’t help but wish for your own piece of country life just so you can have as much spark as these two! 


While at times, Austin acts as though she has forgotten her city smarts, fans of Western Romance will more than likely enjoy this new series.  If you are a fan of the author, I am sure you will want to pick up this new series as well.  Sit back, turn on the music of Watermelon Crawl by Tracy Byrd, and enjoy the fun new series by an author who brings the spark to the genre of Western Romance!


MY RATING:

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS

ASHES, ASHES
Author: Jo Treggiari
Source: Publisher
*I received this ARC free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (June 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545255635
ISBN-13: 978-0545255639

SUMMARY:

Epidemics, floods, droughts–for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she’s rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can’t continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There’s something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

MY THOUGHTS:

With all of the Dystopia books that are being released lately, I wasn’t surprised to find another one in my review pile.  I actually put this one behind a few others just so I could get a break from these for a bit.  So when I started reading it, I came at it fresh and ready to jump into the end of the world story.


Ashes, Ashes was not one of my favorite Dystopia books.  I wanted so much more from it.  While I liked the character of Lucy and her strong self of independence, I felt the romance between Lucy and Aidan was less than thrilling.  I never could really figure out Aidan’s role with some of the other characters.  While I enjoyed the premise of Sweepers and such, I didn’t feel there was enough action and drama to warrant the 341 pages in ARC format.  Some of the scenes were repetitive and some of the characters were confusing.  The character of Grammalie Rose was left unfinished in not knowing if she has secrets that need to be revealed or if she is just grouchy at times.  Del was a nuisance and I couldn’t figure out her interest in Aidan and Sammy.  While it is explained a little bit, I wanted a little bit more back story to warrant her affections for them.  Henry was fun and flirty.  I felt Lucy could have had a better chance with him than with Aidan. 


The ending was not one I was really a fan of either.  There were still some things left unanswered.  Plus it didn’t feel believable. Without giving away a spoiler, it is hard to write the one thing that could have made the ending better and believable for a follow-up book if one is planned.  THE VIAL! Why does she do what she does with it? Why not hand it to the one person in the camp that can use it? Plus, the book is heavy on narration and not enough dialogue between the characters to keep you engaged in the plot.


Overall, this was just a decent read with many flaws that need to be worked out.  Not one I would reread again, but I might pick up the sequel if there plans to be one just to see if some things plan to be answered further.  


MY RATING:

BITTER END
Author: Jennifer Brown
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (May 10, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316086959
ISBN-13: 978-0316086950

SUMMARY:

When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole, a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her, she can’t believe she’s finally found her soul mate-someone who truly understands her and loves her for who she really is.

At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her best friends, Zack and Bethany, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all of her time with another boy? But as the months pass, Alex can no longer ignore Cole’s small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats. As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose “love” she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose – between her “true love” and herself.

MY THOUGHTS:

I actually finished reading this book a few days ago but I was at a loss for words on how to describe my feelings for it in a post.  Yes, it was that good and that emotional of a read.  Physical abuse in the young adult genre is a subject that is not touched on that much.  I think authors are either afraid to talk about it in a novel for this genre, or it might even be something that is frowned upon.  In Bitter End, author Jennifer Brown stepped over that boundary and gave it her all.  I am so happy that she did and shared a story that teens need to be aware of.

I could understand when Alex falls for Cole.  He seems like the perfect guy that is sexy, sweet and romantic. Yet as you read further into the relationship, you start to realize that Cole isn’t so perfect.  He is possessive, controlling, and yes he is abusive.  We can all say that we would never be in a relationship that involves abuse, but you never really know what a person goes through and how easy it is to fall into this trap of a relationship.  The way the author tells the story,  she builds it to where the abuse is slow in progression.  You don’t realize you are in one until you are in too deep.

When Alex starts making excuses for Cole and his actions, you start to feel the conflict that she is going through in picking between her love for Cole and her love for her friends.  I cannot express how much this book effected me.  It was written beautifully and in my opinion, needs to be in school libraries for young teens to read.

If you haven’t already bought your copy of Bitter End, you need to grab yourself one.  An emotional read that will have you thinking about the book for days after.

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

CUT
Author: Patricia McCormick
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Push; Reprint edition (May 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545290791
ISBN-13: 978-0545290791

SUMMARY:


A tingle arced across my scalp. The floor tipped up at me and my body spiraled away. Then I was on the ceiling looking down, waiting to see what would happen next.

Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside.

Now she’s at Sea Pines, a “residential treatment facility” filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn’t want to have anything to do with them. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with anyone. She won’t even speak.

But Callie can only stay silent for so long….

MY THOUGHTS:

I have only read a few books on the topic of cutting.  I enjoyed the ones I have read, but I had a really hard time enjoying this book by Patricia McCormick.

It starts out slow and features Callie in group therapy.  She never speaks and tries to tune out everything that the group is sharing.  Since I have never been a cutter myself,  I personally can’t share what a cutter goes through.  While the author gave me a glimpse into what all it can do to people, I never felt the connection the Callie that the author was wanting.  I understand that this book is a reprint of the book that was originally published in 2000.  Does it feel like a dated book? Yes.  It seems the author muted it a bit back before young adult books were really allowed to touch heavily on certain subjects.

You can tell the author was really trying to get a message through with this book, yet since I couldn’t get the connection I was wanting with Callie, it didn’t impress me as much as it should have.  It is a short read at only 151 pages long, so it doesn’t take up a huge amount of time in reading it.  A book that was just okay, but not one I would reread again or even search out.

MY RATING:

 
  If the library doesn’t have it, don’t worry about reading it! 2 STARS