Music of the Heart (Runaway Train #1) by Katie Ashley

For Abby Renard, the plan was supposed to be simple—join her brothers’ band on the last leg of their summer tour and decide if she’s finally ready for the limelight by becoming its fourth member. Of course, she never imagined stumbling onto the wrong tour bus at Rock Nation would accidentally land her in the bed of Jake Slater, the notorious womanizing lead singer of Runaway Train. When he mistakes her for one of his groupie’s, Abby quickly lets him know she sure as hell isn't in his bed on purpose.

Jake Slater never imagined the angel who fell into his bed would resist his charms by promptly kneeing him in the balls. Of course, the fact she seems like a prissy choir girl makes her anything but his type. So he is more than surprised when after betting Abby she wouldn’t last a week on their tour bus, she is more than willing to prove him wrong. But as Jake’s personal life begins to implode around him, he finds an unlikely ally in Abby. He’s never met a woman he can talk to, joke with, or most importantly make music with.

As the week starts comes to a close, neither Abby nor Jake is ready to let go. Can a sweetheart Country songstress and a bad boy of Rock N Roll actually have a future together?

Four Solid Stars

“I don’t think a girl has ever talked to me like you just did.” A shudder rippled through him. “Damn, that was hot.”

I shoved him against the kitchen counter. “You’re impossible!”

“And you’re everything I could ever want.” 

I am content. I am satisfied. My rocker fix has been fulfilled. I was clicking away at my TBR shelf when I noticed that this book just came out. Of course I jumped all over it. First off, look at the cover: Very sexy! Then when I read the description, I was hooked even more. A straight laced preacher’s daughter stepped onto the wrong tour bus, thinking it was her brothers’ Christian band, but ended up falling in bed with the notorious lead singer of the rock band Runway Train, Jake Slater. 

“I’ve only managed to do the drummer and the bassist so far, but I’m thinking I could get a threesome going and knock the others. Maybe I’ll gang-bang with the roadies when we stop for dinner!” 

Most heroines annoy me, but I immediately took a liking to Abby after that above quote. LOL. She didn’t take any shit from any of the guys in the band, especially from Jake. Hence why she didn’t leave their tour bus for a week. A bet was made between her and Jake: That Abby, and all her Christian glory, couldn’t last a week with them on the tour bus. Abby took that challenge and went with it. She quickly won over the other members of the band, though she did have to fight off some advances, but she didn’t mind. To her, they were harmless. It was Jake she was worried about. 

It’s a wonder I don’t need a chiropractor from your emotional whiplash. 

OMG. Just to warn you, as much as I loved Jake, he pissed me off a lot in the book. Even though he only knew Abby for a couple days, she was starting to get under his skin. Everything about her called to him: Her voice, her looks, her attitude – She was hisAngel. So of course what do guys do when they’re confused? Think with their dicks and end up doing stupid stuff to make her run away. I swear, Abby was a saint to forgive Jake with some of his antics. Time and time again, Abby forgave and left Jake so confused as to why this Angel had such a pull on him. 

“You just have an amazing, tender heart, baby. Because of that, you’re always going to feel more and hurt more than other people.” ~Abby 

Jake might be a badass rock star, but underneath all that, he is an emotional wreck. First off, he’s a Mama’s boy through and through. His mother is battling Cancer and he doesn’t really have any good coping mechanisms. He uses women as a temporary fix, but now that Abby has come into his life, he knows there’s so much more than a temporary fix. He has a good heart and Abby has her work cut out for her if they decide to try and make more out of their situation. 

“¡Agrrale el culo, chica!”

Abby’s eyes narrowed before she shouted, “Callete, cabron!” 

“What did he just say?” I questioned with a grin.

“Grab his ass, girl,” she replied.

“And what did you say to him?”

She grinned. “I told him to shut up and called him an asshole.” 

I think most readers will like this story, but in regards to the steam, well, bring your patience because our Abby makes our Jake work for it. Though their relationship happened fairly quickly, it was not short on drama, especially in the beginning when Jake was being an asshat. As much as I loved Abby and Jake, his band mates were freaking awesome, too, especially AJ. Yea, that’s him up there shouting Spanish obscenities. LOL. He made me smile numerous times. I cannot wait to see what he’s up to in book two. Highly enjoyed this story. 

Picture Perfect by Alessandra Thomas

Fashion design major Cat Mitchell has a closet full of gorgeous clothes - and not a single thing fits. After two years of runway modeling for easy cash, an accident shattered her lower leg bone and her self-esteem in just one swift fall. Ten months of no exercise, prescription steroids, comfort eating and yoga pants meant returning to campus as a size twelve instead of her former size two. 

When her gorgeous long-time friend with benefits sees her for the first time after her accident and snubs her in front of all her friends, Cat’s self-image hits rock bottom. Her sorority sisters all insist that she looks gorgeous, but all Cat sees is the roll of her stomach when she sits down, or the dimpling at the back of her thighs that wasn't there last year. Cat’s therapist prescribes something radical to stop the downward spiral - nude modeling for a nearby college's human form drawing classes. 

When Cat faces her fears and bares it all for the class, she realizes that she's posing naked in front the most gorgeous, buffest guy she's ever seen in her life. He asks her out after the class, and after one steamy night together, Cat's absolutely smitten.

Nate’s pretty close to perfect – he takes Cat rock climbing when he discovers that it makes her feel strong and becomes a great chef after he learns that the perfect pesto sauce makes her swoon. Cat starts to feel like her old self again - confident and beautiful - as long as Nate's around. Even when he discourages her from entering the Real Woman Project, a design competition for plus-sized apparel, she reasons that he's just trying to prevent old body image wounds from splitting wide open again.

But when Cat goes home with Nate for Thanksgiving, she discovers something shocking from his recent past that proves that he hasn’t always been so encouraging of women of all shapes and sizes. Cat has no idea what to think, but she does know one thing - this might destroy their relationship before it's even had a chance to get off the ground. 

Before Cat can figure out whether the real Nate is the sensitive, adoring guy she fell in love with, or an undercover asshole, she'll have to finally feel comfortable in her own skin - even if it means leaving him forever.

(This book contains sex and adult language.)

3.25 Stars

I am real. I am beautiful. 

I was so freaking excited for this book and for it to come out early made me just giddy. I was so amped up to read this. The description of the story was something right up my alley, as well very relatable to a lot of women with body issues. With that said, once I started to get going, I was starting to feel slightly disappointed. 

“My whole identity was wrapped up in being a model. In people thinking I’m beautiful. I loved that feeling. I don’t know how to get it back.” ~ Cat 

The majority of the book, at least to me, was Cat going off on how awful she looks. How she will never bet that “model” thin ever again and that no one will ever date her again. COME THE FUCK ON, CAT!! You are tall, blonde and a size twelve, maybe fourteen at most. I don’t know about you, but that is NOT fat. She kept going on and on about her “bulges,” and how she had to hide it constantly….yada, yada yada blah blah blah. It got repetitive and old fast. I get it. I’m empathetic believe me, but it’s like she was non-stop whining. PLUS, she had everyone (with the exception of one asshole named Jake) telling her she is gorgeous. Ugh. Just frustrating. I’m just happy she decided to get some professional help and that Nate entered her life. 

“But the truth is, from the moment I saw her again, I realized that not only do I not find the thinnest bodies the most attractive, but that what our bodies look like doesn’t even factor into the equation. I love her just as much meeting her now as I would have if I met her two years ago, when she looked different.” ~ Nate 

Nate is sweet, caring, wonderful, crazy sexy gorgeous and he has the hots for Cat. Cat of course constantly doubts a guy like him would like a girl like her. As if!! Yea, she got on my nerves a bit. He definitely helps Cat get her confidence and self worth back, but is tying all your happiness to one guy really a good idea, Cat? Apparently her therapist doesn’t think so. Nate does honestly love her, but if she ever found out about his past, will Cat just spiral downward again? 

Like I said, I was a little disappointed in this book. It was good, yes, but it just didn’t give me that swoon/wow factor I was hoping to get. Cat’s whining didn’t help the cause either. Please don’t hate me for this review. I understand her lack of self-confidence, but having her say she’s fat, unwanted, unlovable, when she TOTALLY isn’t ,was starting to give ME a complex. That was my biggest beef about the story. I realize that the story is trying to send a positive message and I commend that, but I just didn’t mesh with Cat’s character. 

Falling into You (Falling #1) by Jasinda Wilder

I wasn't always in love with Colton Calloway; I was in love with his younger brother, Kyle, first. Kyle was my first one true love, my first in every way.

Then, one stormy August night, he died, and the person I was died with him.

Colton didn't teach me how to live. He didn't heal the pain. He didn't make it okay. He taught me how to hurt, how to not be okay, and, eventually, how to let go.

4.75 Stars

Fermented grief is far more potent. 

HOLY SHIT! Man, this was just what I needed. I was so emotionally invested in Nell’s story, that I could not put this down and easily read this in one sitting. It’s emotional stories like this that make reading so much fun. Fuck. I was a blubbering mess by a third of the way through. It’s not really spoiler-ishconsidering you know someone important is going to die. I knew I was going to be a hot mess, but waiting for the axe to fall was excruciating. Be warned: You will cry. I did. Seriously. How can you move on from a loss like that?

This was such a unique story simply because I fell in love with the first Hero, Kyle, only to have him taken away like that…well, it broke my heart into a million pieces, I’ll tell you that much. Our main Hero, Colton, had a lot to live up to. How can you replace such a character as Kyle? Just like Nell, I found myself reluctantly drawn to Colton. In a way, it felt wrong to move on, but you honest to God, couldn't help it. I was so torn. 

“I find myself forgetting him. I see him dying over and over, but I can’t remember what he smelled like. What his arms felt like holding me. What sex with him felt like. What kissing him felt like. I can’t remember him. I can’t remember him. And I wonder sometimes if I ever really loved him. If it was just teenage infatuation. Thinking I loved him because he was my first. Because we’d fucked. I don’t know. I don’t remember. And now there’s you, and you’re…better than he was. Stronger. You turn me on in a way I don’t remember with him. You make me feel things he never did. The way you kiss me, it’s better than I remember his kisses being. When you made me come, I realized I’d never felt anything like it, ever. Ever.” 

Nell & Kyle

After the first few pages of the book, I was HOOKED on Kyle. He was so sweet and so sexy. He and Nell have been best friends since, like, forever. They’re the same age, born only two days apart. Together they learned to ride bikes, did homework, studied and just grew up together. They were thick as thieves and it was assumed that sooner or later they would end up together. Of course both were reluctant to try anything more until one day another boy asked Nell out, and Kyle flipped. Something was about to change between them, and let me tell you, their first kiss: So sweet and so amazing. As in the other firsts they will inevitably have: Exciting, thrilling and HOT. I loved where these two were headed. However, you knew something awful was coming and waiting for that axe to fall was torturous. And when it did fall, I was a just as heartbroken as Nell. It was a horrible feeling. No wonder Nell ended up a fucked up mess. Could she ever get over first love? Could I? 

But Colton is…I’m safe with him. He draws the truth out of me. He draws the pain out of me. Colton knows pain. He’s intimately familiar with it. Lives with it. Guilt, too. 

Nell & Colton

After falling hard for Kyle, part of me wondered how this author was going to proceed in making me fall for Colton. He had HUGE shoes to fill. Amazingly enough, I slowly fell for him. He left his home at only eighteen, moving to New York. Colton didn’t really become a prevalent character until the day of Kyle’s funeral. Nell and he were practically strangers, but for some reason, while mourning Kyle, they found a small sense of solace with each other, even sharing an illicit kiss. It wasn’t until two years later that fate intervened once more and threw Colton and Nell back together. 

“I’m not just falling in love with you, Nell. I’m falling into you. You’re an ocean, and I’m falling in, drowning in the depths of who you are. Like you said, it’s scary in a way, but it’s also the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. You are the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced.” 

Le Sigh. They’re both damaged. Nell has never fully healed from losing Kyle. As for Colton, well, we find out there’s a reason for why Colton left home at eighteen, broke and alone in the big city of New York. His story was far more than I expected. He suffered so much since moving out. He is such an amazing character and I can easily say that he is one of those unforgettable Heroes: Beautiful, protective, possessive, and oh so sweet. I Love Colton. All my doubts about loving him as much as Kyle, were shattered once I got to truly know him. 

“God, fuck me. Don’t do that,” he says, his voice ragged.

I’m puzzled. “Do what?”

“Bite your lip. It drives me wild. Bite your lip, and it’s over. Your mouth is mine.” 

Fuck! I have no words to describe the intensity of the relationship between Nell and Colton. For me, these two were like each other’s therapy; soothing each other’s wounds to the point where they could finally move on from their past. The way these two communicated, whether it’s through music, or through sex, one thing is for certain: They are fucking intense. The whole story was intense. I just fucking LOVED. Every. Single. Moment. 

After Math (Off the Subject #1) by Denise Grover Swank

Scarlett Goodwin’s world is divided into Before and After.

Before she agreed to tutor Tucker price, college junior Scarlett was introvert, struggling with her social anxiety and determined to not end up living in a trailer park like her mother and her younger sister. A mathematics major, she goes to her classes, to her job in the tutoring lab, and then hides in the apartment she shares with her friend, Caroline.

After junior Tucker Price, Southern University’s star soccer player enters the equation, her carefully plotted life is thrown off its axis. Tucker’s failing his required College Algebra class. With his eligibility is at risk, the university chancellor dangles an expensive piece of computer software for the math department if Scarlett agrees to privately tutor him.Tucker’s bad boy, womanizer reputation makes Scarlett wary of any contact, let alone spending several hours a week in close proximity.

But from her first encounter, she realizes Tucker isn’t the person everyone else sees. He carries a mountain of secrets which she suspects hold the reason to his self-destructive behavior. But the deeper she delves into the cause of his pain, the deeper she gets sucked into his chaos. Will Scarlett find the happiness she’s looking for, or will she be caught in Tucker’s aftermath?

4.25-4.5 Stars

“Scarlett, open your eyes.”

I do as he says, looking up at him with confusion.

His eyes burn bright with desire. “I want you to see me when I come into you. I want you to know I’m here. I want you to know I see you.” 

Holy. Mother. Of. God. This was such an unexpected surprise hit for me. I mean, just reading that opening quote above makes me both squirm and swoon at the same time. Before I go on and review, I have to stake my claim on Tucker Price. From this day forward, be forewarned, chicks…Tucker Price is Mine! Yea, that’s right. Mine! I love him!! 

I have to admit, when I read the blurb, I had already taken a keen to our heroine. She’s a Math major for cripes sake. Oh, just an FYI, I’m a Math geek myself. Proud owner of a Mathematics degree over here – love being a geek :) Therefore, it’s no surprise that I’ve always loved nerdy/geeky girls getting the hot jock. In this case, the hot jock is Tucker Price. But what brings these two souls together? Well, believe it or not, this story is far from typical. 

“I’m broken, Tucker. I’m hopelessly broken inside, and I’m not sure there are enough pieces in me to put back together. But when I’m with you, I feel like maybe I can actually be whole.” 

Solving math problems is Scarlett’s way of de-stressing. Her goal in life is to not end up like her alcoholic mother, dependent on people to get by. Her career ambition is to work for the CIA as an Analyst. It’s safe to say Scarlett is beyond shy. As a matter of fact, she suffers from social anxiety. She likes to keep to herself and has a hard time trusting people. And when it comes to her past, she definitely wants to keep that hidden. Except for her best friend, Caroline, no really sees Scarlett…that is until Tucker Price enters her life. 

Tucker is a star soccer player at the University, as well a well-known man-whore. However, to continue to play soccer, he needs to remain in good academic standing, which includes passing his Algebra class. So whom does he run into at the math tutor lab…Scarlett, of course. Tucker sees something in Scarlett, and vise versa. For some odd reason, no matter how opposite they might seem on the outside, they can both see past their façade and just be themselves around each other. They’re both hiding their past, afraid that what others may see, might make people run the other way. However…

“Everything just feels so right when I’m with you, Scarlett. I can be me. But it’s more than that. You give me something I haven’t had in a long time, if ever. You give me peace. It’s like the jumbled mess in my head can settle down, and I can be still with you. Like none of the other stuff matters.” 

I really, really enjoyed this book. If it didn’t start out a little slow, I probably would’ve given it more stars. I loved both Scarlett and Tucker. Their relationship started out slow and they both initially started as friends, but slowly turned into something more. And what was amazing was how they could be themselves around each other, how they became better and amazing people because of each other. Just loved it. Definitely recommend :)

Other favorite quotes:

“If I kiss you now, I won’t be able to let you go, and you’ll end up hating me. Tell me to walk away right now before it’s too late. Tell me to leave you alone so you can have the life you deserve, Scarlett Goodwin, and not get stuck with a fuckup like me.”

-----

Nothing easy is worth having.

-----

“I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you, Scarlett. That scares the shit out of me.”

-----

“You make me want to be a better person. This is me being a better person.” ~ Tucker 

Unbroken (Beachwood Bay #1) by Melody Grace

"Mom always told me there are two kinds of love in this world: the steady breeze, and the hurricane. Emerson Ray was my hurricane...."

Juliet McKenzie was an innocent eighteen-year old when she spent the summer in Beachwood Bay—and fell head over heels in love with Emerson. Complicated, intense Emerson, the local bad boy. His blue eyes hid dark secrets, and just one touch could set Juliet ablaze. Their love was demanding and all-consuming, but when summer ended, tragedy tore them apart. Juliet swore she’d never go back, and she’s kept that promise… Until now.

Four years later, Juliet’s done her best to rebuild the wreckage of her shattered life. She’s got a great boyfriend, and a steady job planned after she graduates. Returning to Beachwood to pack up her family’s beach house to prepare it for sale, Juliet is determined that nothing will stand in the way of her future. But one look from Emerson, and all her old desire comes flooding back. He let her go once, but this time, he’s not giving up without a fight. And Emerson fights dirty.

A heartbreaking history. An unstoppable passion. Torn between her past and future, Juliet struggles to separate love from desire. But will they find a way to overcome their tragic secrets—together? And after so much damage has been done, can a love remain unbroken? 

*This book contains adult situations and explicit content.*

4.5 Stars

Pretending like the past never happened is a recipe for disaster. 

Towards the end of this book, I started thinking….Oh my, God. This totally reminds me of The Notebook! Don’t worry folks, it doesn’t really end like that, but as I look back, it totally was just like the movie…well, not all of it per se, but it did have a lot of similarities: Young summer love, that all consuming-can’t-live-without-you type ending in heartbreak, the mother who frowned upon the relationship, the safe-sweet-third-person-boyfriend who just couldn’t take the place of her first love, and of course, the scorching kiss in the rain. Just look at the picture above…isn’t it gorgeous? Honestly, I read this book fast. I couldn’t put it down. 

There are two kinds of love in this world: The steady breeze, and the hurricane. 

The steady breeze is slow and patient. You can count on a breeze, steady and sure and true.

But there’s nothing steady about a hurricane. It’s wild and breathless and all consuming.

Emerson Ray was my hurricane. 

Juliet is headed back to Cedar Cove to pack up her family’s summer home and get it ready to sell. Going back to Cedar Cove is the last thing Juliet wants to do. She swore that she would never set foot to this place ever again. It brings nothing but heartache. Four years ago, not only did she have to deal with the death of her mother, but on the same day of her funeral, when she thought her heart couldn’t shatter even more, Emerson broke her heart. 

Emerson looks at me like I’m a goddess, like I’m water, and he’s been roaming in the desert for a thousand years in search of just one drop. Like it takes everything in him not to devour me right there where I stand. 

The relationship between Juliet and Emerson was an intense one. They made plans, four years ago, only for Emerson to suddenly call it all off. Juliet was beyond broken. She’s suffered from deep depression and panic attacks. Years of therapy and medication slowly brought her back to a life. She’s got a wonderful and supportive boyfriend in Daniel, and she’ll be graduating soon, though her career choice wasn’t her first choice. She headed for a safe life, the one she’s worked really hard for; she never wants to go through the heartache she felt that summer. 

But what happens when she runs into Emerson, because lets face it, you know it inevitable. How will Emerson react to her return? How will Juliet react? 

“You’re mine,” he says again fiercely. “Not his, not anyone else’s. You can try and pretend you don’t feel it, but you do. You’ll always be mine.” ~ Emerson 

Emerson is in utter turmoil upon running into Juliet. There’s no doubt that these two still have strong chemistry, but the way Emerson treats her at their initial meeting was cold and cruel. I seriously wanted to smack the smirk off his face. Why is he so cold to her when it was he who broke it off? This question was the biggest issue in the whole story. I hated wondering about it and thus, couldn’t stop reading until I found out. Emerson loves her, still does apparently. He was a hard guy to like, initially, but he slowly grew on me. As for Juliet, I felt for her. You can tell by the first few chapters that she is just one hot mess. The meds, the panic attacks: I was very sympathetic for her. As for the cheating…well, don’t worry, it wasn’t as bad I thought it would be. She handled it very well. But what of Juliet and Emerson, will they take a second chance?

I really enjoyed this story: The possessiveness of Emerson, the chemistry between him and Juliet – it was hard to walk away from their story. Like I said, by the time it all ended, I was an emotional wreck…happy, but still a wreck. Definitely recommend :)