Almost by Anne Eliot

At a freshman party she doesn't remember, Jess Jordan was almost raped.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite. Three years later, Jess has managed to make everyone believe she's better. Over it. Because she is.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite.

Unfortunately, until Jess proves she's back to normal activities, her parents won't discuss college. So, she lands a summer internship and strikes a deal with hockey jock, Gray Porter: He gets $8,000. She gets a fake boyfriend and a social life. 

Jess has no idea Gray signed on for reasons other than money. She also never expects to fall in love. But Gray’s amazingly hot, holds her hand all the time, and makes her forget that he’s simply doing his job. It’s like having a real boyfriend.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite.

Gray Porter is hiding secrets of his own. About Jess Jordan. About why he’s driven to protect her, why he won't cash her checks, or deny her anything she asks.

FIVE MASSIVE Stars!!

Member: BBB. Boys in Books are Better 

I'm so in love with Gray Porter. Let me repeat. This is me shouting it out because I cannot stress this enough: I'm in Love. Seriously. In LOVE with Gray Porter!. Gray has got to be the sweetest, cutest, most unselfish, most honorable book boyfriend ever. And for me to say that, is a huge deal. 

I'm sooooooo unbelievably happy right now. I'm so happy that I chose to read this amazing story. Seriously amazing. Its told in a two person perspective, Jess & Gray. Jess is fighter. During her freshman year, she was almost raped by a senior hockey player, until someone stopped him. Enter Gray Porter. Gray was just a scrawny freshman hockey player taking on the senior when he stopped the almost incident. He did everything he could to help Jess. He quit the Varsity team for her, and was ready to testify on her behalf. So unbelievably honorable Mr. Porter was. Unfortunately, Jess' parents, along with the coach believed nothing good could come out of prosecuting since Jess couldn't remember anything. 

Flash forward to the end of Junior year. Jess & Gray are competing one another for a summer internship. The payoff $8000 for the summer. Both could seriously benefit from this internship: Jess can get a letter of recommendation for college &normalcy points from her parents and Gray gets much needed money for college. Jess, however, needs to convince her parents that she's over her traumatic past and that she's coping with her PTSD. She convinces herself that getting a boyfriend would definitely prove to her parents that she's normal and ready for college. Convinced that the other will get the internship, Jess & Gray enter into a contract of sorts. They managed to convince the company to take both of them for the job, but only paying one intern (Gray). In return, Gray will pretend to be Jess' boyfriend for the summer. Gray has always harbored feelings for Jess and agrees to this arrangement. However, their pretend relationship leads to more. Both are torn with their feelings for one another. Is it all just pretend or is it more? Will Jess' nightmares from that horrible night ever stop? Will she remember Gray's involvement? Ahhhh, the turmoil. Loved it. 

Jess' character was pretty frustrating at times, but for the most part was real and honest. She was going through some major issues. Gray was just an absolutely perfect hero. He was so unbelievably sweet and patient with Jess. And that letter he wrote her? OMG! I could read that 50 million times and it would still have me swooning. It reminded me so much of Jane Austen's letter in Persuasion, which I find kinda funny considering the author's name is Anne Eliot. Get it? Anne Elliot? Persuasion people! LOL. 

Loved everything about this story. The references to Austen, Twilight, Hunger Games, Star Wars, their text messages...everything. Oh and trying to decipher those texts had me cracking up. Seriously, I freaking loved, LOVED this book. It was so adorkable. I can seriously go on and on about it. HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend. :)

Sempre by J.M. Darhower

Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco had vastly different childhoods. Haven, a second-generation slave, grew up isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege, never having to answer for anything he did. Both now seventeen, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide, making them question everything they ever believed. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think.

Five++ grandi bellissime stelle!!

I was two percent into this book and I was immediately hooked. From that point on, it just kept getting better and better. After reading this book, I just wanted to flip back to the first page and just re-read it. This was a brilliantly told story. It was story about two very damaged individuals, finding comfort and happiness with each other. Despite their very different upbringings, all the sufferings, all the sacrifices, the involvement of the Mafioso & despite all the violence, Carmine & Haven's story outshined it all.

Colpo di fulmine. The thunderbolt, as Italians call it. When love strikes someone like lightning, so powerful and intense it can't be denied. It's beautiful and messy, cracking a chest open and spilling their soul out for the world to see. It turns a person inside out, and there's no going back from it. Once the thunderbolt hits, your life is irrevocably changed.

Yep. That's exactly what this story did for me. It's intense. It's tragic. It's beautiful. I LOVE it. Per sempre.

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends. 

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter.

Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

Definitely FIVE Stars :)

Yep, finished in one day. It was that good. I could not put this one down. I had my doubts when I first read the premise: A 30 year old female and a 16 year old male stranded on an island after their plane crashed. They survived through many hardships while on the island and formed a bond that couldn't be broken, no matter the age difference. T.J., our hero, grew up fast and I didn't feel any sort of creepiness that would be associated with forming a relationship with 30 year old Anna. The story was beautifully written and I gobbled up everything thrown at me. I felt heartache and even shed some tears. I just absolutely lovedit. I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend!! =)

Review: Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

  He counts her smiles every day and night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him—just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he’s homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day.

Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She’s the same as a million other girls—certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe.

When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile, without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend. After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it’s not long before their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both their love and their lives.
Blake’s heart beats for Livia’s, even if her hands have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love never fails, right?

In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once.

 

 Five Stars

Absolutely riveting!

I cannot begin to describe the feelings that consumed me when I finished this story. From the book summary, I thought this story was just about two characters forming an unlikely bond. What you really get is an engrossing story line with a cast of well-developed characters. The plot is compelling and kept me reading to find out what happens next! I ended up caring and relating to the characters who I know will stay with me for a very long time. There is angst, suspense, violence and bloodshed, yet the overall feeling I took away was heartwarming and hope. When you get to the end, you will wonder if you would have done the same thing. Ms. Anastasia is an amazing storyteller! I highly recommend letting her take you on a journey to Poughkeepsie. It will all begin with a simple smile.

I have to say this book is likely my most favorite contemporary romance fiction for 2011. I read the ebook version, but I also had to buy the paperback too! Thank you, Debra Anastasia, for sharing your story!

Five Stars

Absolutely Amazing....This was one of the most wonderful books I have ever read!! Every character was fantastic in their own awesome way!! This phenomenal book be taking it's rightful place on my favorites shelf!!

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 :)