NA Romance – Page 2 – The Talking Bookworm

When I Was Yours

goodreads summary:

“Marry me.”
“What?” I stared back at him, unblinking.
He moved closer, taking my face in his hands. “I love you, Evie. I look into the future, and the only thing I see clearly is you. Marry me.”

What’s an eighteen-year-old girl who was madly in love with her nineteen-year-old boyfriend say?

Of course, I said yes.

Twenty-four hours later, I married Adam Gunner at a Vegas chapel to the sounds of “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi. Not the best omen. I get that now.

Then, exactly one week later, I left him. I walked out, leaving behind my wedding ring, annulment papers, and my heart, and he never knew why.

I haven’t seen him since. Not in ten long years.

Now, he’s here, standing before me. Looking at me with nothing but hurt and hatred in his eyes, he wants answers.

Answers I can’t give.

review:

Before I bought this book I had no idea who Samantha Towle was. I purely bought When I Was Yours on a whim, completely based on the description. I had questions- what caused Evie to leave? What happened when they saw each other ten years later? I was intrigued. And I wasn’t let down.

Throughout the book you follow two timelines for them- The first year of their relationship and then ten years later when they meet again. Their dynamic is explosive. Their love is passionate. They truly are meant for each other.

I have found in many books that involve sex (gasp! yes there is sex as they are teens and that is what teens do) that authors don’t address the issues of consensual sex and protection. I give props to Samantha Towle. She is very forthright in addressing these issues. Adam is always asking Evie if she is okay with what they are doing, and that at any given point she can say no or stop. Also protection is a huge thing with me. We can’t have teens/young adults reading books where characters aren’t accurate and aren’t seen using protection. *Standing ovation*

This is a love story for the ages, intertwined with heartbreak. I couldn’t put down.

Also, because I loved this book so much I had to create a playlist for it and let me say I cried while making it. It’s been a few days since I finished and I still can’t get over it. I’d really like a sequel to find out when happens next.

rating: 5 out of 5

NA Contemporary, NA Romance, Reviews

Book Review: All Line Up (Rusk University #1) by Cora Carmack

October 12, 2015July 8, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.

Dallas Cole loathes football. That’s what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.

But life doesn’t always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It’s obliterated.

Dallas doesn’t know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn’t know that Dallas is his new coach’s daughter.

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

Review:

This is going to be short and sweet. I will be making a list as to why you need to read this book.

Loyalty is a main theme throughout the novel.
Dallas and her Father. Their relationship evolves as the story progresses and it’s something you’re going to want to read.
Carson is a hottie. Also a gentleman. But also… well you’re going to have to read it to find out. *wiggles eyebrows*
Dallas and her best friend have one of the best friendships ever.
The whole family and loyalty aspect within the football team. EPIC.

I know this is an out of character review, but trust me when I say you need to read this book. I classify this as a guilty read, but honestly, “guilty reads” also have depth in them. We are just too busy enjoying them to notice otherwise.

Rating: 4 out of 5

NA Romance, Reviews

Book Review: Confess by Colleen Hoover

August 11, 2015July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin.

Review:

It’s been a good two weeks since I read this book and I think I can finally write the review. The entire time I was reading Confess, I was at the edge of my seat. It is INTENSE. It is THRILLING. And it will leave you with an immense BOOK HANGOVER.

Let’s get the not so good stuff out-of-the-way first. Sadly, this isn’t my favorite Colleen Hoover Book. Also, I needed more of Auburn’s first boyfriend. I needed more of his story. Ahhhhh. It is not FAIR. MY FEELS. *cries* LIFE IS NOT FAIR.

Owen is also not my favorite male protagonist. The other book boyfriends have been better, but man did he have a good reason to be messed up like he was. Both Auburn and Owen have such depressing and sad backstories, your feels will be getting punched again and again and again. I did like that he always supported Auburn and was never a burden. He didn’t give her his messed up mess. He supported her, encouraged her, and was there for her. Four for you Owen, You go Owen!

Putting all the kidding aside, this book really makes you look inward and see what your reactions and decisions would be if you were in that situation. In a way, you do some soul-searching while reading this book.

The impression Confess has left me after several weeks have passed is this: Never Settle. Always Fight For What You Want. and lastly, Never Give Up.

Rating: 4 out of 5

NA Romance, Reviews

Book Review: All Played Out by Cora Carmack (A Rusk University Novel #3)

July 6, 2015July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Normally you don’t see something here, but since this isn’t a type of genre I normally review on here I felt the need to say something. Yes, this is not YA. It is VERY NA. It does have several, let’s see we shall call them, sexy scenes. If you are like me who’s not a fan of explicit scenes, know that this may not be the book for you. I skipped the sexiest scenes. There aren’t that many, but if you are willing to skip over them, then I can say you will enjoy this book. I would call this a guilty pleasure type of book. It is 100% sugary, carbs and all!

Goodreads Summary:

First person in her family to go to college? CHECK.
Straight A’s? CHECK.
On track to graduate early? CHECK.
Social life? …..yeah, about that….

With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay… Scratch that. She knows she hasn’t had the full college experience).

So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a “to do” list of normal college activities.

Item #1? Hook up with a jock.

Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it’s impossible to get hurt… again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.

Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she’s never known. But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, normal item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he’s willing to take the chance when it’s more than just a game.

Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.

Review:

OH MY! This book is pretty… hot. There is so much tension in it that you yourself will feel like you’re gonna explode. I could actually do without all the sexiness though. Some sexual tension is nice in a book, and some PG-13 stuff is fine, but I will say there was a little too much sexiness in this book for my taste. Nevertheless, Cora’s story telling is so addicting, I had to finish it.

I wasn’t super fond of Antonella’s voice in the book, but Mateo on the other hand, I LOVED him. He was hilarious, dropped too many f-bombs (that I didn’t like), and could at times be a little naughty, but overall, his voice felt more real and genuine then Antonella’s. Honestly, while he joked about the sexy stuff, he had more depth and felt more real as a character. I love guy characters that go after what they want with gusto and Mateo is definitely one of them. I can’t find that in real life, so the second best thing is to fantasize and read about it. Girls aren’t chased like they were in the old times. I miss that.

Mateo is like Isaiah’s cousin (from Crash Into You). That is all I have to say.

(KAYLA YOU NEED TO READ THIS!)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

NA Romance, Reviews, ya romance

Book Review: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

May 26, 2015July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she’s curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn’t mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They’re the good guys. They protect people. They’re…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club’s most respected member—is in town, he’s gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it’s his shot at his dream. What he doesn’t count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

Review:

First of all, let me insert this tweet so you can guys can understand how this review is about to go down.

I am HEAD OVER HEELS with OZ and with this entire book and concept. When I saw that Nowhere But Here was going to be the first book in a new companion series my first thoughts were… okay I think I can do this. I hope I like it. You all know how much I love the Pushing The Limits Universe, and I couldn’t bear parting ways with it.

Now onto the real deal…

Katie McGarry has done it again. I was texting Kayla (who has vowed she would not read this new book, because she is not into the whole motorcycle club thing) how amazing NBH is and just fangirled a lot that she had no other respond except, Katie McGarry is Queen. Because of my hardcore flailing and fangirling she ended up pre-ordering Nowhere But Here. Success!! (KAYLA YOU WILL NEVER LIVE THIS DOWN!) Kayla has now said that she will never ever doubt Katie McGarry again. GOOD.

You know what reoccurring theme I love that pops up in all of McGarry’s books? The notion of family. She doesn’t just focus on blood family, but on those individuals who aren’t blood related and that they are family too. I highly value loyalty, so the whole concept of friends are family too and should be treated as such is very close to my heart.

I could keep going on and on about how great this book is, but I will not. This may not be everybody’s type of book, but if you’ve liked Ms. McGarry’s past novels, I’m sure you will like this one too.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Disclaimer: Thank you Harlequin Teen & NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not sway my opinion.

NA Romance, Special Review

Book Review: More Than This (More Than This #1) by Jay McLean

February 7, 2015July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Disclaimer: Thank you Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not sway my opinion.

Goodreads Summary:

When Mikayla imagined her prom night, she envisioned a fairy-tale evening full of romance. So when betrayal and tragedy come in quick succession, Mikayla is completely destroyed. Suddenly, everything she loved and everyone she relied on are tragically, irrevocably gone.

Jake, a handsome boy she just met, happens to witness her loss. With no one to turn to, Mikayla is forced to depend on this near stranger and his family, and he in turn is determined to take care of her. But Mikayla—thrust into adulthood with no one to guide her—is desperate to contain her grief and hide what she considers to be her weakness. Mikayla and Jake both want more, but despite their growing closeness and intense chemistry, she tries to keep her distance and protect her heart. As he does everything in his power to win her trust, Mikayla must choose between remaining alone and safe or letting love in.

Review:

All I can say is WOW. I decided not to read the synopsis and just dove into the book. To say it surprised me is an understatement. I totally thought this would go another way. Did not expect all the twists and turns at all. When I saw this was a part of a “series” I groaned thinking please don’t tell me they split up, please noooooooo, but I’m glad they ended up having their happily ever after.

I do have to warn people that there is some adult content. I did not expect it and I was like Ahhhhh, and skimmed ahead really fast. If you don’t like reading it you can just skip ahead. If I knew it had some adult content I wouldn’t have read it, but since I had requested this on NetGalley I kinda just skipped ahead every time it happened and stuck it out. Oh also, a lot of cussing. More than I thought there would be. Just a warning to those that don’t like reading books with that kind of stuff.

Anyways that aside, it wasn’t a bad read. I kind of thought it would be. It could be the very cliché new adult cover that made me come to that conclusion. I do have to say it was a tad dramatic at times and there were some parts where I literally rolled my eyes and said come on, but if you can get past those few eye-rolling clichés, it’s actually really good. I kind of want to read the rest, but after going to the author’s goodreads and saw she was classified under mature young adult fiction, I kinda of don’t want to.

But let me sidetrack and say MEGAN IS A HORRIBLE BEST FRIEND AND HUMAN BEING. OMG HOW COULD SHE HAVE DONE WHAT SHE DID.

If you want to read an over-the-top, crazy, dramatic, very swoony love story, this is for you. I’m sure you’ll like it.

Rating 3.75 out of 5

NA Romance, Reviews

Book Review: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

January 2, 2015May 22, 2017 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

Review:

First review of 2015! Woo! *throws confetti*

Yes, I am on a Colleen Hoover binge this holiday season and I am absolutely not ashamed. I really wanted to read Ugly Love when I heard it involved pilots. I currently work in the Aviation Industry so I am always up for reading anything that involves that industry (and to see if they actually get it right).

First, I want to say that Ms. Hoover wrote about pilots in a stereotypical way that is actually true… most of the time. But not always. The first part of the pilot stereotype is that married pilots can be big douchebags, and want to bang any pretty girl they see. I’ve seen it. Once they get onboard, some take their ring off and “forget” they are married. Honestly, it disgusts me. But there are also those few that are like Miles. Those that are not sleeping around and are not complete douchebags. Which is probably why I’m still in that industry because those few make it better in a way. (We also have pilots like Tate’s brother, they’re nice, but also sleep around. Sigh. I’m nice to those, but I also make sure I put some distance between us.)

If you’ve read at least two Colleen Hoover books you know there is always some tragedy that will break your little heart. It could be because I’ve read 4 Hoover books by now that even though this tragedy was pretty bad, I didn’t feel as heartbroken as the first time [when I read Hopeless]. I absolutely loved that we have both Mile’s and Tate’s point of view, and that it alternates through the book. This is not your average split POV book though. Ms. Hoover had Mile’s POV telling us the story of the past, and we have Tate telling us the story present day. It was very easy to follow both storylines, and the way she did it added to the anticipation to the climax of the story. I was actually okay with how the story ended, probably because of that amazing epilogue that just made the world better.

(I wouldn’t mind a novella about Tate’s brother though)

Overall, Ugly Love shows how much Colleen Hoover has grown as a writer and storyteller. She keeps making characters we can relate to and I hope she doesn’t stop writing anytime soon.

(Warning: This book is the most mature book I’ve read of Colleen Hoover. There are some sex scenes and thankfully are not very explicit, but if you still want to read it and you dislike books that have sex scenes, you can just skip ahead and not read those sections. 🙂 )

Rating: 5 out of 5

NA Romance, Reviews

Book Review: Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5) by Colleen Hoover

December 20, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

A chance encounter in the 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.

Review:

Dear Lord, Oh My Gosh, this book was amazing (and it’s just a novella, not even a full novel *mind blown*). I always had a soft spot for Holder’s jerky friend Daniel. I knew he wasn’t a complete jerk, especially because he had Holder’s back. (Also I LOVE the name Daniel so that also made me a bit biased… hehe >_<)

I put this on my gift list and Anjie was nice enough to buy this for me for christmas, and Oh man am I ever thankful. I didn’t even know what it was about, just that Colleen Hoover wrote it and that was all I needed to know. Once I started reading it, I figured out that this was a novella sequel to Losing Hope and I was so freaking excited that I was able to see the whole gang again.

In Finding Cinderella we are blessed with Daniel and Six being in the spotlight. Honestly, this was the cutest thing that could have happened to both of them. You don’t even know how happy this makes me, that Six and Daniel were able to find that someone special in each other and the whole gang are like BFFs for life.

Finding Cinderella was funny, touching, a little heart wrenching, but overall a perfect double chocolate chip cookie in book form. Gosh I want another one like this. Ms. Hoover can we get more of the gang in our lives? Pretty please!!!??? *puppy eyes*

Rating: 5 out of freaking 5

NA Romance, Reviews, ya romance

Book Review: Take Me On by Katie McGarry

September 19, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she’d never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can’t stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she’d stay away from. Yet he won’t last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it’s his fault his family is falling apart. He can’t change the past, but maybe he can change Haley’s future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they’ll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

My Initial Thoughts:

The only thing I can tell you is that I knew I was going to love it. Why? Because I basically love everything Ms. McGarry writes. It’s like written in stone by now. 🙂

Review:

Wes. That adorable boy. He infuriated me a lot, but I forgive him for it. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t so fond of him in Crash Into You because of what he did then, but now after knowing his background story I can at least understand. I don’t know what exactly Katie McGarry does, but she makes me fall in love with every single one of her male protagonists. Seriously. It’s like magic or something.

I really liked Haley. I don’t think Wes could have found a better match. I loved that she was independent and kicked butt all on her own. I love it when we have female protagonists that can take care of themselves. I think what I loved the most about Haley was that she was willing to leave Wes behind to do what she had to do. Often we see a ton of female protagonists leave it all for the guy and honestly, I don’t think that’s good. A relationship is made of two people, not one if you know what I mean. Both people compromise, not just the girl. Okay, let me get off my soapbox.

I’ve been writing this review for almost 3 months now so I’ve forgotten a lot of what happened, but what has stayed with me was the development of Wes’ character. I can’t believe how much he changed from the richie rich guy in CIY to this new Wes at the end of TMO. (and one of the reasons why it has taken me almost 3 months to write this review was because I could not put into words how awesome this book was and honestly I still can’t, but dear gosh it was about darn time I did)

If you haven’t read Take Me On or any of the books in the Pushing The Limits companion series I suggest you do. It’s by far one of my favorites and you are seriously missing out.

Rating: 5/5

NA Romance, Reviews

Book Review: Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

August 22, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs.

My Initial Thoughts:

Please don’t be very repetitive and sucky… PLEASE!

Review:

Wow… I was blown away by Losing Hope. I was really hoping I would get an amazing book that could stand by itself and not feel like I was reading Hopeless all over again and… I got what I wanted! Huzzah!

Seriously, I don’t know what the heck Colleen Hoover is doing, but that woman has got this whole writing thing down to science. It’s amazing. Losing Hope gave more life to Sky’s story. We were able to see fill in a lot of the holes that were left by the last book. The last book was great, but this is truly a companion novel. We also get Holder in the past, in the present, and even future. It’s amazing.

Holder’s story is also a heartbreaking one. We finally get to see the impact Sky’s disappearance had on him since he was a boy and the change his sister’s death had on him. I can finally understand his anger, his actions, and his stalker-like ways. Once you see it though his eyes, you’re like wait that isn’t stalkerish at all. Wow. This totally puts things into perspective… and it definitely did. If you weren’t completely sold on Holder, you will be after reading Losing Hope.

Holder’s story stands on its own and I am glad I read it. After reading three books by Colleen Hoover, I am sold! I will buy any of her books from now on. I’ve added another name to my auto-buy author list.