Love is Blind by Shayna B.

Hailey Baker was a normal teenager- friends, the occasional party and a great boyfriend. But that all changes one night when an accident kills her parents and leaves Hailey with a serious back injury.

Seven months after the accident, Hailey has struggled to learn to walk again and is now about to start at a new school after moving in with her uncle. Determined to live a normal life, she doesn't let her injury slow her down. When she meets Blake Adams, her life changes once again- this time for the better.

Blake was the school's golden boy until he lost his sight in a freak accident two years earlier. Going through life withdrawn and miserable, he expects to remain alone for the rest of his life. But then he meets Hailey, and all his expectations are thrown to the wind.

Four Stars

“Since I’m blind, you shouldn’t get mad when I don’t see things other people can see.” 

This book was brought to my attention from one of my GR friends. Once I read the synopsis, I was intrigued. I love stories involving damaged Heroes. I find them extra brooding and extra moody. More often than not, that hard exterior is just a cover up. Buried underneath all that lays a man who’s sensitive, caring, loyal and loving. And boy was I right.

“What if I decide to keep going the way I have been?”

“Then I feel sorry for you. Life’s full of too many wonders to waste it wallowing in misery. Do you want to just exist? Or do you want to actually live?” 

Our heroine, Hailey is on the hard road to recovery. She’s been through a lot in the past year. She’s lost her parents to a horrific car accident, while in the same accident leaving her brother in a coma and leaving her with a severely injured back. Depression and doubt was plaguing her, especially when her prognosis for walking again was low. However, with the help of her Uncle Liam and her brother’s best friend, Jared, she was able to overcome a lot. Though she’s not a 100%, she is able to walk, but does have bouts where she still occasionally uses a wheelchair. After the accident, she wasn’t ready to face her friends so she moved in with her Uncle and started at a new school. 

He nuzzled at my neck. “I can’t change who I am.”

I shivered a little as his breath tickles me. “I’ll never ask you to change who you are. Although I might try to tweak you a little bit here and there.” 

Blake lost his sight about two years ago. A lot has changed since that time. He no longer wants to hang out with his friends, he’s become unapproachable and known to have a quite the temper. When he meets Hailey he was rude, harsh and just downright unfriendly. What did this girl want from him?

Hailey didn’t know what to make of Blake the first time she met him. She sensed a connection of some sort from him despite his cranky and moody disposition. It wouldn’t take long to find that out that she and Blake share a commonality. It was this commonality and empathy for each other that eventually brought them together.

He gave me a light kiss. “So you’ll be my girlfriend?

“Yeah, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

“You’ll probably regret it at some point.”

I laughed. “You’re probably right,” I agreed teasingly. 

This was story had lots of emotional moments and is very heartwarming. I really enjoyed seeing Blake’s moody exterior coming crashing down. Bailey didn’t try to change him. As a matter of fact, he was still pretty moody, but just a toned down version of him. I loved it. The pace was just right and nothing was rushed, nor was there a ton of unnecessary drama nor angst. Just an all-around good, YA story.

Reasons I fell for the Funny Fat Friend by Becca Ann

It’s stupid to fall for your brother’s ex. It’s even worse to enlist another’s help to win the ex over. But Brody is desperate and Hayley, his partner in American Sign Language, is more than willing to lend him a few tips. 

She’s the school’s matchmaker,’ and with her bizarre and positive personality, Brody finds her easy to talk to, even about the most awkward situations. Hayley’s tips seem to be working, but as Brody learns more about his matchmaker, he starts finding reasons to spend time with her, and not the girl he thought he was in love with. 

But Hayley isn’t ready to fall for anyone. Labeled the “Funny Fat Friend” within her group, her self image makes it impossible for Brody to share his feelings without Hayley shrugging it off as a joke. 

Convincing her Brody can, and did, fall for the “Funny Fat Friend” turns out to be harder than simply falling in love.

Written by Cassie Mae under the pen name Becca Ann

Four Stars

How could I want anyone else? She’s amazing, that girl. Damn sexy, funny, and just knows how to make me feel…all that crap you’re suppose to feel when you’re with the girl you just have to be around.

I need her.

No. I crave her. 

First off, do not get let the not so great title of this book steer you away. If I can be honest, it almost made me not want to read this book. The cover is cute and I really like it, but the title? Not so much. I hate that word: Fat. I’ve always had a complex about it, but I’m sure a lot of girls do. When do we women ever think we are ever skinny enough? lol. Exactly! However, I am a sucker for stories where the not so typical skinny minnies get the hot guy, so of course I had to read it. I’m very glad I did, too :)

“I’m not exactly Miss Size Zero.”

Huh?

“I’m what they call the FFF.”

“Meaning?”

“The Funny Fat Friend.” 

Hayley has always been the FFF. She’s also the friend that guys go through to get to the girl they actually want. Kind of like the matchmaker, per se. She’s set up a lot of her friends this way. She’s always felt that this was her role: The inevitable matchmaker. So when she notices her American Sign Language friend, Brody, always constantly swooning at his brother’s ex-girlfriend, Quynn, she offers her help. 

I take a deep breath and grab her hand. I’m not going to let her shake me off this time. “I like you, alright? I want to date you not out of pity, but because I…I needto. Hayles, I can’t get you off my mind.” 

Brody didn’t know what he signed up for when he takes Hayley’s offer to help him win Quynn’s heart. Brody has always been infatuated with his brother’s ex. She’s every guys’ dream: Blonde, skinny, friendly and popular. However, the more time he spends with Hayley, the more he likes her. He’s never thought of her as fat or ugly. As a matter of fact, Brody thinks Hayley is beautiful, inside and out. She makes him laugh, and just feels naturally comfortable around her. The quirky little thinks she does drive him crazy. Who knew this girl would turn his life upside down? 

I’m not going to stop until she tells me to stop. I love her. And I want to have one of my firsts with her too. 

It takes Hayley forever to believe a guy like Brody would be interested in a girl like her. Brody tries to send the right signals, but it literally goes over her head and/or she just ignores it. However, when she does let him in, it was one of those moments where I couldn’t stop grinning. I was so flipping happy, it was ridiculous. 

Just pure Awesomesauce! 

This is another one of those impromptu reads that I just needed. Just an FYI, this is strictly YA. Not too much hanky panky going around, but there was a little. Let’s just say that it was enough to make me swoon. However, I did find the clean language a little too clean. The stuff that came out of Hayley’s mouth were a bit on the very cheesy, clean side, but then again, I have a sailor mouth so the lack of dirty talk made me a bit uncomfortable. LOL! Yea. I know…I have issues. Fuck. Shit. Damn. I mean, is it really that hard to say? LOL! 

Whoops! There I go, rambling again. My bad. LOL. Anyway, I LOVED the fact that the story was told in Brody’s POV. I love getting into the guy’s head. Its so cute how he struggled to come to the obvious conclusion. He’s just a sweetheart. 

The relationship between Brody and Hayley matures at a nice rate; nothing was ever rushed. Sometimes, I wished it moved a slight bit faster, but meh! I was still all good with the results ;) This was such a fast, predictable and enjoyable read and would recommend it to anyone looking for a very good, very cute and clean YA story. 

Unmaking Hunter Kennedy by Anne Eliot

After a car accident--an event he considers a prank gone bad--pop star, Hunter Kennedy is forced to hide out with his aunt in small-town Colorado. He’s supposed to rest, heal his scars and attend high school in disguise until the press dies down. But he only wants to get back to work.

Worse, the girl who’s been assigned to make him over into a geek is a major geek herself. Vere Roth is a chattering pixie, a blushing tornado and a complete social disaster. He’s never met a girl who’s never-been-kissed, believes in romance and thinks Hunter’s a 'nice' guy.

Funny thing is...Hunter is nice around Vere because she’s his first real friend. He also can’t seem to stop sharing his secrets or keep her out of his heart. Knowing he’d never deserve a girl as sweet as Vere, he resigns himself to the friend zone, and helps his new bestie with her own makeover. 

She tortures him daily for ridiculous guy advice on how to snag her life-long crush. A guy Hunter thinks is totally wrong for Vere, and sadly, one who has taken note of Vere’s transformation.

When Vere asks her best friend for some kissing advice, Hunter can’t resist...

And that’s when things get out of control...

High School Romance, first love, sweet romance.

4.5-4.75 A++ Stars!

Cheekbones and muscles and…are boys allowed to be this beautiful? 

I’m a huge fan of this author…like HUGE. After I read Almost, and fell completely in love with the story and the writing, I was going to read anything this author put out. So when I saw this was going to be her next story, I was beyond excited. How could I not? Celebrity boy band singer meets and falls for an adorable, cute and geeky girl. Oh yea, I was all over this on release day :)

Girl was cute with that pink face.

“Would you stop?” She shifted her feet.

He went for honesty again. “I’ll try but, your cheeks! Makes you look like a little gnome.” 

There is no doubt that Vere is one shy girl, especially when it comes to her longtime crush, Curtis Wishford. He is her brother’s best friend and has been crushing on him forever. She has the tendency to blush beet red whenever he’s around and goes completely clams up when he tries to talk to her. Not to mention the incident that happened between that left her with quite a reputation. Poor Vere, she just can’t catch a break. Will she ever get over her shyness?

“I’m Hunter Kennedy. Some of this you know already, some you don’t. I’m a guy who was so lost and depressed that I freaked out and tried to hurt myself because I felt so down.” 

Hunter Kennedy, a seventeen year old heartthrob, is part of the boy band, GuardeRobe. Even though he has everything, he feels nothing but emptiness and loneliness. The fame, the money, the girls, could not cure him of his depression. He’s got no one to turn to; not even his own mother. One day, Hunter’s depression goes to the extreme and he almost commits suicide. Not knowing what to do, his mother sends him to Colorado to live with his Aunt after he is released from a residential home for treatment. The plan is for Hunter to go incognito, rest and be away from the limelight. He is not a fan of this plan. All he wants is to go back to work with his band, but he feels like he owes his mother for his “stunt.” So off to Colorado he goes. 

“I know, of course, you’re a person and all that. But to me, I’m determined to think you’re a fake guy, Dustin McHugh.” ~ Vere 

When he reaches Colorado, he meets Vere and her family. They live next door to his Aunt. Vere and her brother, Charlie, are enlisted to help Hunter blend in. Considering Hunter’s high profile persona and extreme good looks, it’s going to be hard to hide him. So Vere helps him become Dustin McHugh, Hunter’s dorky alter ego. Vere does everything she can to conceal Hunter’sassets. Take Hunter and add dorky clothes, a retainer, hat and glasses that darken in the sunlight, plus a lisp, and you’ve got Dustin. He is the anti-Hunter. No one recognizes him. As Dustin, Hunter begins to feel liberated. He no longer has to worry about paparazzi or a horde of screaming girls. He can just be. To top it all off, Vere has designated him as her BGF: Best Guy Friend. For some reason, Vere doesn’t get all weird and stuttery around Hunter. This is wonderful! She can practice being normal around guys with the help of Hunter. They soon become very close friends.

The twisting pain in my chest, or the strange way I feel like I suddenly can’t breathe without you helping me? ~ Hunter (inner monologue) 

Hunter has never felt this way about anyone before. Vere and her friendship have meant the world to him. For some reason, making Vere happy makes him happy. He can’t believe that she doesn’t know how wonderful she truly is. She’s sweet, kind, loyal and is truly a beautiful person, inside and out. 

The girl can make pie from scratch. And she comes over to hang out with Aunt Nan so they can watch TV and knit? KNIT. She’s actually making me a hat! Who does that kind of granny stuff?

The cutest girl in the world, that’s who. 

I just flat out loved Vere. I can totally see myself being friends with her and her BFF, Jenna. As for Hunter, well, he was just an amazing character. I really felt for his character and was so happy he found a friend and kindred spirit in Vere. She completely blindsided him with her sweet and caring persona. With her at his side, he felt like he could do anything. He was able to smile and laugh and just be himself because for once in his life, no one was using him for anything. However, when Vere asks him to help her with winning Curtis’ affection, Hunter begins to feel trapped. 

He knew, without a doubt that he wanted her, but it wasn’t his usual understandable, physical kind of want. He wanted what he couldn’t have. He wanted her to be his, as in, his girlfriend. He wanted the right to love her. 

Anne Eliot is a fantastic writer. The pace of the story was a little slow in the beginning, but eventually picked up. She really does her best to develop her characters so that the readers can better understand them. The switching of POV between Hunter and Vere were flawless. You can really get into their characters. She makes them so relatable that you have no choice but to love and care for them. Just amazing writing. I will read everything that this author puts out. This is a very clean YA story that I think teens and adults will just love. I just wish there was a little epilogue at the end, but that’s just me wanting more. I’m just greedy that way. Loved it!!

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1) by Katie McGarry

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

FIVE++ HUGE STARS!

This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year and it even made my very selective crack-book shelf. This story is ridiculously good, no, it is excellent. It’s simply brilliant. The story and its characters were emotional, raw and beautiful. It was not your normal YA story. It was so much more than that. 

For people like me and Echo, our souls contained more scar tissue than life. 

Echo had it all. She had her mom, dad and beloved brother, Aires. She was also part of the popular crowd, member of the dance team and dating the captain of the basketball team. This was her normal. This was her life before Aires died serving in the military and before the incident with her mother. Even though she cannot recall all the events surrounding the incident, the event left her scarred physically and emotionally. She will no longer have normal. Now she’s seeing a therapist, her father is now married to her now pregnant former babysitter and no longer part of the popular crowd. This doesn’t deter Echo from trying to achieve normal again. She believes that if she can remember the events of the incident, she can start to heal and possibly start accept her life now. However, no one will tell her what happened, not her therapist and certainly not her father. She’s left to try piece everything together on her own. Desperate to find out, she befriends and enlists the help of Noah.

Noah wasn’t always about getting high, chasing girls and earning a bad reputation. He once had a promising future until the day he lost his parents, leaving him and his two younger brothers parentless and in the mercy of the foster care system. He and his younger brothers were separated and placed in the care of different foster families. Noah’s first foster family experience ended in disaster and was unfairly deemed as emotionally unstable. Convinced that his brothers were also placed in an unsuitable environment, he is determined to find out all he can about his brother’s family, hoping he can dig up dirt to use in a possible custody battle for his brothers once he turns eighteen. Unfortunately, his therapist will not give him the information he needs. Initially Echo was only there to help him and vise versa. According to Noah, she’s a siren. He’s not supposed to feel anything for her. He’s not a commitment/relationship type of guy. So what is it about Echo that makes him feel differently? She makes him want more. What is going on?

”Echo, I can’t tell you what’s going to happen because I don’t know. I don’t hold hands in the hallway or sit at anyone else’s lunch table. But I swear…on my brothers that you’ll never be a joke to me and you’ll be much more than a girl in the backseat of my car.” 

Echo and Noah were not designed for one another. Plus, in their own eyes and in the eyes of others, they’re deemed as damaged. Who would want all their baggage? The road to their relationship was rocky. They both denied their feelings for each other, thinking that it’ll just add further complications to their already difficult lives. Fate, however, brought these two together for a reason. They start to develop a trust not easily given to others and they slowly start to heal. Their relationship was real and raw. They made each other realize that there was more to life than what was dealt; that it was okay to want more. Together they made a passionate couple and my heart ached for them to work everything out. 

There is so much more I can say about this book. I can easily delve into how much I loved Echo and Noah and how they complemented each other perfectly. I can also start going and on about the secondary cast of characters, like Lila, Isaiah and Beth, which were all amazing, but that would make this review longer than it already is. 

My parting thoughts are as follows: This was just excellent. Its one of those stories that when you finish, you just want to flip back to the beginning and read everything all over again. I love Echo and Noah’s story. I love how emotional it is; I love how it made me angry; I love how it made me tear up. I especially love how happy I was with the end result. I love everything about this story. I highly, HIGHLY recommend!!

Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer Armentrout

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

Five++ Big Huge Enormous Stars :)

Resistance is futile, Kitten 

Before I begin, I have to thank Rachael for loaning me her beloved copy of this awesome story. I don’t think I could’ve survived waiting until August. No worries, your book is safe and sound. You rock! ♥♥♥ 

♥♥♥ Daemon was a total babe, but he was stab-worthy, which at times, zeroed out the babe part. ♥♥♥ 

Daemon is still Daemon and, God, did I miss him. I loved him in Obsidian, but man, he was even more swoon-worthy in this one. There were several moments of utterly sweet Daemon that made me melt. I literally closed the book, sighed heavily and just hugged the book. Take the following for example…

His throat worked slowly. “Can I…?” There was a pause and my heart stuttered. “Can I just hold you? That’s all…that’s all I want.”

A knot formed in my throat and my chest tightened, cutting off my voice. I didn’t want him to leave, so I nodded.

Relief flickered across his stoic face, softening the hard lines, and then he walked around to his side, kicked off his shoes, and slid into bed beside me. He moved closer, extending an arm, and I went, curling against his body, my head nestled in the space between his shoulder and chest.

“I kind of like being your body pillow,” he admitted, a smile in his voice. “Even if you drool on me.” 

As you can see, his arrogant side didn’t go very far, but more often he came off just charming and hilarious. There’s a scene where he joins Katy while she films her VLOG that will have you smiling from ear to ear. Lots of good times to be had. He was just amazing in this book. His relationship with Katy takes on a whole new level. The constant pen poking during class and the obvious flirting is beyond HOT. At the same time, he wants nothing more than to protect her. He deeply cares for her and her safety. Katy accuses him of stalking, but he just denies it and claims that he was just "looking out for her." Uh huh. Sure. However, we soon find out additional reasons, aside from the obvious ones, why he’s so overbearing. Something about Katy is changing.

I did not understand boys – especially alien boys. 

Ah, Katy. Where do I begin with you? I love you, you know that. You are one lucky chick to gain Daemon’s affections. However, what I couldn’t understand is why you were so stubborn, especially in regards to his reasoning for him wanting to be with you. He saved your life for crying out loud. Isn’t that good enough? Ugh! Some of your actions and decisions just baffled me, but I’m glad you finally came around. 

I’m not really going to delve too deeply regarding the plot. There were so many things going on, too many surprises, and new characters to figure out, particularly involving Blake (or was it Bartholomew, or Bilbo, or Bob? I forget). Anyway, I wouldn’t even know where to begin when it comes to describing the chaos that is going on in the story. Just know that this was another brilliant installment of a series that I come to just LOVE. Jennifer Armentrout's writing is pure genius. There’s just something about her storytelling that has you utterly captivated and enthralled. This was an excellent and brilliant sequel. To say that I’m looking forward to Opal (Lux #3) is an understatement. I would be willing to give up my first child to have that book in my hands now. Okay, so that was a tad much, but when you read this, trust me, you’ll understand why I made that statement. I truly loved this!!

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer Armentrout

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.

Five BIG, BRIGHT Stars!!

Who knew aliens could be this sexy?

Well before reading this story, I thought it was a stretch. However, this author squashed my doubts and created a devilishly sexy, swoon worthy, alien hero. His name is Daemon and he's hot, sexy and extremely arrogant. There were multiple times that I just wanted to slap him. He got under my skin and he definitely got under the skin of Katy, our heroine. My goodness, did these two have chemistry. They fought and argued like no tomorrow. He ticked her off so much that, in one scene, she dumped spaghetti all over him (which was a "you go, girl!" moment for me). With all that pent-up tension between, they were just waiting to explode, and boy did they ever.  It was like their banter was a hot, verbal form of foreplay. It made for a great read. The story was fresh, exciting, and an excellent addition to YA paranormal romance. Definitely recommend :)

Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) by Jamie McGuire

(Cover above was the original cover when I first read this book)

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE. 

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

4.75 stars. :)

Travis is what made this book incredible. He's all kinds of intense. He's bad ass, a fighter, he's emotional and its safe to say that he goes from extreme to the next. There really isn't a middle ground for him. He's incredibly unstable. He can be sweet and charming one minute and completely lose it the next. I got extremely emotional while reading this book and its ALL because of Travis. Its strange because this book was told from Abby's perspective, but the writer did an amazing job making you feel what Travis was feeling. The reaction Abby provokes out of him when she decides to leave him is INTENSE. For anyone who's ever been heart broken, I can feel his pain. For someone as strong as Travis, it made me emotional when he unveils himself and reveals all his insecurities. I must have highlighted and bookmarked several pages that tugged at my heart. This book was all kinds of emotional and I couldn't put it down. Hence the reason why it took me less than 24 hours to read it. 

Why not 5 stars? Two reasons. One was Abby. She was utterly CLUELESS at times. It was evident to everyone else but her regarding Travis' feelings, but she just pretended she was just confused. Get real! He was so obvious, I just wanted to strangle her at time. Ughhh! Reason two, well their breakup was way overdrawn. They were apart for what seemed like forever. You knew they each wanted each other back, but neither had a balls to say it and it frustrated me to no end, but when they finally had their happy ending, I was finally content. All is right with the world. lol.