ARC Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

*Received from NetGalley*

Dare You To
(Book #2 in the Pushing the Limits series)
Amazon | Goodreads | BN
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen (May 28, 2013)
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, 470 pages
ISBN-10: 03732106391
ISBN-13: 978-0373210633
ASIN: B00BED2UE6
My Copy: ARC eBook

SUMMARY:

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

MY REVIEW:

Daring games taken to a whole new level. ROMANCE level that is. *swooning* Why...oh, why. Can I just kick Beth to the curb and take Ryan for myself?

I absolutely LOVED this book. The way Ryan doesn't give up on Beth and tries his damndest to make her feel loved and open her up, not just to him, but to herself as well is so damned cute! *sigh* where's my Ryan Stone? Baseball player? HELLO?!? HAWT! I will admit one of the things I wasn't hot about, was the fact that it took Beth forever to finally understand, but, hey, character building right? I guess I just wanted a fast HEA. But, then again, I'm a very impatient person.

The little cutsie things that Ryan would do for Beth just had my heart MELTING!

(yes, I would totally over dramatize myself swooning like this)

ME! ME, ME, ME! Yeah, I totally replaced Beth in those, it's-so-fluffy-I-could-DIE moments, while reading this book. KMcGarry definitely knows how to put a big ol' cheesy grin on your face. You know, those grins where you get an unexpected text/call from your boo thang/honey bee/role playing master and you just can't help but smile. Yepp, those. And not just those either. KMcGarry also has you wiping tears from your eyes with the heartbreaking moments in this book as well. WOW. Talk about an emotional roller-coaster. Not in the wow-fuck-me-this-book-was-horrendous, but in the omfg-that-roller-coaster-was-the-BOMB-I'm-getting-on-it-again. Or in this case, totally reading it again ;)

I kinda liked the fact that although Beth had her major issues, so did Ryan. With his ever perfect parents wanting him to do what they want him to do, and him going against the grain and pushing them to their limits had me enjoying the book that much more. I felt sorry for both characters, yeah, Beth has it bad, with her drug addict mom who is stuck with an abusive boyfriend, but in Ryan's world, his problems are big too. What he wants to do with his life and who he wants in his life is his decision not his parents.

From Pushing the Limits to Dare You To, KMcGarry definitely knows what she's doing. Delivering a book that will keep you up well past dawn, hooked on the boiling romance that is building between Beth and Ryan. Katie McGarry gives you another full blown teen drama, filled with indecision, hurt, acceptance and love. If you're into new adult novels, then definitely pick up Dare You To and if you haven't read this series before, go ahead and pick up the first book in the series: Pushing the Limits. 

Click HERE for my review of PUSHING THE LIMITS (Book #1 in the Pushing the Limits series)

MY RATING:

Buddy Review: Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Hai! So, Melissa of LilyElement and I decided to buddy read Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire together and what better way to finish off our buddy read with a buddy review! Enjoy :)

Walking Disaster
(Book #2 in the Beautiful series)
Amazon | Goodreads | BN
Author: Jamie McGuire
Publisher: Atria Books (April 2, 2013)
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, 448 pages
ISBN-10: 9781476712987
ISBN-13: 978-1476712987
My Copy: Paperback

SUMMARY:

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

BUDDY REVIEW:

Ana: Welcome, welcome. Tod—

Mel: Today we are talking about hookers. I mean Walking Disaster! And possibly some hoe bags that Travis likes to uhhh. Oops. 

Ana: *shakes head* uuhhhh....yeah. *coughs* 

Mel: SEXY TIMES!

Ana: Mhm! Sexy times! woohooo! For those of you who don’t know, Jamie McGuire released her new novel WALKING DISASTER *fangirling* 

Mel: HOLY SHIT THE PICTURE MOVES! I’m the one on the right - just FYI.

Ana: lol it does! WHAT IS THIS MAGICS?!?! haha -- Lol. Fine by me! The one on the left is fangirling HARDER! 

Mel: DAMN YOU! ;)

Ana: ;) -- So... excuse us and please feel free to fangirl along with us. We just can’t seem to get enough of Travis Maddox... yes, we’re leaving out the “Madd Dog”  nickname since we know he doesn’t like that nonsense! 

Mel: Being introduced to Travis Maddox in Beautiful Disaster left me wanting more. When I found out Walking Disaster was the same story told in Travis’s POV I was ecstatic. The actual story line told in Walking Disaster stayed true to the events that happened, thank goodness. There were extras thrown in that were basically events that Travis did on his own (without Abby). 

Ana: I agree. I think I really needed Travis’ POV. Abby was a bit... much for me. But you automatically see from Travis’ eyes, how he see’s Abby. She’s not as whiny or ehh in Walking Disaster as she is in Beautiful Disaster.

Mel: Being able to see what Travis was thinking made me understand why he reacted the way he did. In Beautiful Disaster I thought Travis was a little bit nuts, even though I still loved him long time.

Ana: I loved Walking Disaster, but if you’re new to Jamie McGuire, I would suggest you read Beautiful Disaster first. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Lol. But in all seriousness, don’t reading WD first. You’ll be so lost, you’re gonna wanna hitchhike to the nearest clue. The timing of events is all there, but if you didn’t read BD, some of what’s happened will be lost on you. 

Mel: I agree, Beautiful Disaster has to be read first to fully understand what the heck is going on and why.

Ana: THE MADDOX BROTHERS! *swoon* Can I just... eat them up?? They’re so...ahhh. YES please. I’ll have an appetizer of Thomas and Travis, and entre of Tyler and Taylor and Trenton for dessert. Nom nom nom. 

Mel: Bishhy, you can’t call dibs on ALL of the brothers. Share a least one with me! I loved that WD had Travis’s brothers in the mix. I read this on JMcGuire’s FAQ: “I have plans to write novels for the Maddox brothers in the future as well.” *fans self* I’m hoping that happens soon, I’m going to have withdrawals if not.

Ana: Oh, I mean... it’s a dinner for two ;) -- And YES *fangirling* ahh. I need me some more Maddox brothers! Thank you JMcGuire! 

We’re gonna keep this review short and sweet. If you’ve read Beautiful Disaster then stop wasting precious time and pick up Walking Disaster. MUST READ for 2013! READ IT NOW! *compelling you to buy the book* 

… Are you compelled yet? NO?! 

How about now? GOOOOOD! GO BUY THE BOOK!

Ana: Well, Mel. I had a blast reading WD with you, even if you finished it, like, a whole day ahead of me ;( BUUUT, what are you rating this bad boy? 

Mel: 1 MILLION STARS!

Ana: Holy SHAT! *starts collecting stars* -- Well, there you have it folks! ONE MILLION STARS for Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire. Love you some bad boy loving? Pick up this novel! BUT, if you’re a complete noob to JMcGuire, then you should totally pick of Beautiful Disaster FIRST! FIRST, FIRST, FIRST! 

***THIS REVIEW WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: MEL & ANA BITCHES!*** 

*sings* lalalalala the boys are waiting lalalalala

Don’t forget to bring your milkshakes! The Maddox brothers will be coming to your yards ;)

Manicure Monday #7

Manicure Monday is a meme hosted by Nite Lite Book Reviews. Take your current read and give yourself one fantastic manicure! 

SUMMARY:

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

Welcome back lovely people! It's MONDAYYYY!! YES, the only exciting thing about Monday, is that I get to show off my new mani! And we're 4 days closer the weekend hahaha.

Alrighty. So I did my nails on Saturday (big surprise for me too lol)  And then redid my ring fingers on Sunday (because I just bought a polish and wanted to try it out... and well... you know, I let the polish get the best of me).

Mani #1 - Saturday's madness

Mani #2 - Glitterfied Sunday!

Let us all just take a second here to swoon of Travis Maddox ;) 

WOOT! Walking Disaster was a really good book. Like... How can it go wrong when you get Travis Maddox delivered to you on a silver platter?

Description: I did an ombre design on all of my fingers except for my ring finger. I used Milani's Dude Blue and Sinful Colors Captivate Me blended in a white polish to lighten the colors up a bit.  (I didn't want the colors too matchy, matchy with the butterfly on the cover, but with the gradient from light blue to purple—I didn't just want to use blue, even if it was in different shades...yes, yes I'm a color whore.)

Two coats of the ombre blue - purple. Added a top coat to protect that design. Then got two glitter polished: NYX Girls Under The Moon (blue) and NYX Girls Fame (purple) and did an ombre with that to layer over our first ombre.  Add your top coat and voila!

Mani #1: For the ring fingers on this one, I just did a white base coat added a top coat to protect that. And then added a gradient butterfly using my stamp tool.

Mani #2: For the ring fingers on this one, I used NYX Girls White as a base and then added 2 - 3 coats of Sinful Colors Frenzy glitter polish (this is that new polish I was tellin' y'all about). As you can see, you can't even see that white base xD I got a little glitter happy ;)


Link up below if you're joining in on this meme! 

Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway: Relentless by Cassia Leo

Review + Giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! This tour is brought to you by Cassia Leo

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review*

Relentless
(Book #1 in the Shattered Hearts series)
Amazon | Goodreads | BN
Author: Cassia Leo
Publisher: ORLY Press (February 22, 2013)
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, 232 pages
ASIN: B00BJDHT4C
My Copy: eBook

SUMMARY:

Claire Nixon is a twenty-year-old college dropout with a secret.

To Claire, Adam Parker is just another flirty customer at the cafe, until a chance encounter and seemingly innocent comment spurs a bet between them. The bet is simple: If Adam can get Claire to reveal the secret that made her drop out of college, she has to re-enroll. If he doesn’t succeed, she gets to keep her secret and he has to stop stalking her at the cafe.

Claire thinks she has this one in the bag. She’s perfected the art of forgetting her past. But she isn’t prepared for Adam’s relentless pursuit or for him to share his own secrets. And she’s definitely not prepared for her rock star ex, and her secret, to come banging down her door one year later.

New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language, drug use, and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

MY REVIEW:

Claire Nixon dropped out of college after breaking up with her long time love/rockstar boyfriend Chris Knight. She just up and left her old life to start a new one. She has her secrets and isn't willing to share them. That is, until she meets Adam Parker (Jack Dawson *wink*) her new hot neighbor and makes a bet that if he could pull her secret out of her, then she has to go back to school. But Claire isn't the only one with a big secret.

I'll admit, it took me a while to get into this book. I felt the beginning really dragged, but the Titanic references kept me afloat. "Jaaack. Don't let go." lol. *tear* oh, but I do love that movie. And apparently these characters are movie buffs! Very nice. Once I got into the book, the pages were too short. Hell, the book was too short! I WANT MORE! MORE, MORE, MORE! This bet between Adam and Claire, I think, was...mehh. It was okay. But, it pushed along the story. Adam likes Claire. Claire likes Adam. They both have issues. They'd make a fantastic pair, right? Right.

While reading this book, you gather that Adam has anger management issues, is a pot head, and loves to surf. Oh, and has issues with his daddy. Claire on the other hand, loves to meditate (a lot), was in foster care most of her life, and doesn't like to watch MTV in fear that she'll see her ex boyfriend rockin' out. The background characters are minimal, but I think essential to the book. They didn't really "steal" the pages away from Claire and Adam, though Chris might have done that once his sexy ass self made an appearance.

What I liked about this book, is that these two characters aren't perfect. They have their secrets, they have their own ways of coping. And in the end, they're still not perfect and they're still trying to cope. I want to say it's a HEA kinda story, but Ms. Cassia Leo left us at a cliffhanger. *sigh*  BUT, this is a series and I'm extremely happy about that and can't wait to see where Shattered Hearts goes next. Also, I liked the relationships. It's, again, not perfect. Even the background characters, their relationship wasn't perfect, and I liked that. We can't all be the Brady Bunch.

I would definitely recommend this book. All you New Adult lovers out there. this one is for you. Cassia Leo definitely can stand on her own in this growing genre and has no problem throwing down with the best of them. There is sex in this book, so all you Erotica/Adult readers out there looking for something lighter then what you're used to, then this book will be good for you as well :)

MY RATING:

BLOG TOUR PRIZE: 

Autographed paperback copy of Relentless by Cassia Leo 

To enter in this giveaway leave a comment with your name and email I will randomly select on winner. 

***

Grand Prize 

One iPad Mini and $25 iTunes or Amazon giftcard; 5 autographed paperbacks

Here is the rafflecopter for the Grand Prize:

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Cassia Leo grew up in Florida and moved to California after graduating with a degree in journalism. She worked at two small newspapers before discovering her passion for writing romance. Her favorite color is lavender and her dream is to one day score a record deal based on her awesome shower singing skills.

Goodreads | Facebook | Website

10 FUN FACTS ABOUT CASSIA LEO::

1. Favorite movies: The Jerk and Waking the Dead.2. I'm four degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon.3. Favorite books: The Book Thief, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and The Pact.4. I'm tri-lingual and I've lived in three different countries; most recently, I spent six months in Portugal last year.5. Favorite movie quotes: From The Jerk, “My mother gave up everything to put me through cosmetology school,” and, “What’s happening to my special purpose?!” If you’ve read Relentless you won’t be surprised to know that I wrote a techno remix consisting of my favorite lines from Titanic. The first line of the song is, “I see the iceberg and I see it in your eyes.” Maybe someday I’ll record it and post it on SoundCloud. ;-)6. 7. Favorite music artists: Adele, Florence + the Machine, Agnes Obel, The Beatles, Rage Against the Machine.8. I can do a one-handed cartwheel.9. Favorite TV shows: Sex and the City, Homeland, Revenge, So You Think You Can Dance.10. I drink my coffee black and with a pinch of salt.

Vote For Me!

Hey guys! So, recently... like last week, I entered in Alyssa Rose Ivys' Focus Halloween Costume Contest. If you haven't heard of Alyssa, then you are missing out! She writes New Adult books, in Contemporary and Paranormal Romance. Sooo, I've entered in her contest for a chance to win print copies of Flight & Focus (Books #1 & 2 in The Crescent Chronicles series)  & a character named after *points to self* MOI in her book! Exciting, no? I think so! Soooo. Yes, I'm asking you guys to vote for me! BUUUUUUUUUT, There are two other people with awesome costume suggestions that are in the running as well! So, if you like their costume more, by all means, vote for them. I'm really contemplating voting for one of the others *hits desk* why didn't I think of that! Lol. okay. I think I'm done. 

Whose in the running: 

Click HERE to vote. (Vote by leaving your answer in the comments on Alyssa's post) 

*CLICK ON BOOK COVERS TO TAKE YOU TO GOODREADS*

    

Click HERE for my review of Derailed (Book #1 in the Clayton Falls series) by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway: Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Promo + Giveaway

Hey!! Thanks for stopping by! This tour is brought to you by: Full Moon Bites Blog Tours. Don't forget to fill in the rafflecopter below for your chance to win:

• 3 Ebook copies of Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Don't forget to check out the other blogs participating in this tour HERE.

Derailed (ARC copy)
(Book #1 in the Clayton Falls series)
Amazon | GoodReads | BN
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 26, 2012
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, New Adult, 260 pages
eBook/Paperback Words: Approx. 55K
ISBN-10: 1479209139
ISBN-13: 978-1479209132

SUMMARY:

When you're lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.

Broken over the death of her fiancé, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, she finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.

Looking for an escape, she instead finds a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible.

MY REVIEW:

This is a really good book. My first New Adult book and I really enjoyed it. When I first started reading this book, I thought I was missing something...like being thrown into a series without the facts, but as I continued reading, I was like.. okay, this is all intentional. I'm not supposed to know what happened to Adam, that's a secret. So, I continued to read and my confusion faded. Surprisingly, I finished this book all in one sitting. Fairly quickly might I add. 

We're introduced to Molly who ups and leaves college. Literally walks out of her Law class and hightails it out of Boston and back home to Clayton Falls. After the death of her fiance, Molly finds herself in a pile of guilt that has been building up since the death of her father 5 years ago. And being back in Crystal Falls, where she broke up with her high school sweetheart, Molly isn't ready for another relationship, but can't resist Ben and how comfortable and safe he makes her feel. 

I really liked Molly's character, she's hurting and holding in all this guilt, but she's still strong. Even if she thinks she isn't. When we are introduced to Gavin and then Ben, I thought there was going to be a major love triangle going on, with a shit load of pissing matches to go along with it. But, I'm glad to say there wasn't. But definitely a lot of flirting going on. Ben, Molly's ex-boyfriend and high school sweetheart has been waiting on Molly for 5 years and now that she's back in Clayton Falls, he has no intention of letting her go again, but all Molly wants from him is casual sex. Which then leads to frequent sex and a big hissy fit when Ben finds out she's gone on a "friend" date with Gavin. I really liked Ben's character, you can tell he really cares for Molly and I thought it was really cute. I believe it helps that he's a musician ;)

I would definitely recommend this book. Love yourself some contemp. romance? Then you'll love Derailed. This book did make me cry at certain part, so grab yourself a box of tissues while you're at it. Haven't tried New Adult yet? Well then! Derailed should be your first! :)

MY RATING:

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Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

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