Review (Emotional Rant) ~ Outlander

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Goodreads * Amazon

My 4.5 Star Review

Just. WOW. I don’t even know where to start with this review…So many thoughts. So many feelings. Emotional overload…

I am really late starting this series, but the fact that this series has lasted this long and has so many fans, speaks for itself. Where do I fall among these fans. Hmm. I’m still not sure. I just honestly don’t know how I feel about this book. It’s horribly amazing really.

I’m going to do things backwards here and start with the negatives. First, I didn’t think the writing was wonderful – grammatically speaking. Two, sometimes I got confused. But, she means for you to be confused and slowly reveals the answers. This just tends to drive me crazy while I’m confused. Third, Claire got on my nerves so bad at times that I wanted to reach in and slap her. Seriously. She drove me crazy! Fourth, I think the horrible scenes outshine the good ones. Now I don’t mean horribly written. I’m talking ***SPOILERISH*** grit, gore, evil, unspeakable horrible vivid rape and murder. Stuff so horrible I wanted to vomit. I still feel sick.

That leads me to what is good, though. Diana is one heck of a storyteller. I just don’t even have words for how amazing. I was bored the first couple of chapters, but then I found myself so engulfed in this story that God help the man that tried to pry my kindle out of my hands. The scenes were so very gripping and dramatic. My pulse was constantly racing, heart constantly pounding. I wonder how many calories I burned off just reading this book. Jamie completely stole my heart. Diana made me fall for him so completely that I am hating her for what she put him through. It’s fear, and hope, and outrage, and hope, and hate and anger and hatred, and then a little more hope. I’m just still drowning in it all. I honestly can’t say that I’ll pick up the next book. I don’t know if I can handle it. Just. UGH!!!!

The good just wasn’t enough to make me forget. To help me cope.

Warnings: If anything disturbs you, I’ll go ahead and say don’t read this book because it’s probably in here.

****************************************************

S0, for those of you Outlander lovers out there. I’d love to hear your thoughts here. I feel like I’m drowning in it. I feel like I need to pick up a fluffy and shallow romance, and I usually don’t go for those kind of books.

Happy Reading,

Alison

Review ~ The Probability of Violet & Luke

Title: The Probability of Violet & Luke

Series: The Coincidence #4

Author: Jessica Sorensen

Release Date: May 5, 2014

Genre: NA Contemporary Dark Romance

Luke Price and Violet Hayes haven’t seen each other in a couple of months, not since they discovered Luke’s mother’s connection to Violet’s parent’s murders. But when Luke gets into some gambling trouble with the wrong people, destiny decides to throw the two of them together and they head out to Vegas to try and settle Luke’s debt.

As Violet spends time with Luke, she becomes torn on whether she should be with him. She definitely can’t deny that her life is better when she’s with Luke and she starts to wonder if going back to Preston was a mistake.

Things seem to be going well as Violet opens up more to Luke, but then she gets a call from the detective, not only to give an update on Mira Price and the case, but to give information about some threatening texts she’s been getting. The information is not only shocking, but makes Violet question what kind of people her parents really where and whether she’ll be able to trust anyone ever again.

Pick it up FREE right now~

The Probability of Violet & Luke

My *****5 Star***** Review

Violet & Luke have touched my heart, and I am just at a loss for words. I don’t know what it is about Jessica’s trips on the dark side that I crave so much. I’m typically a happy person. I haven’t experienced any of the horrific things her characters do, but maybe that’s why I just want to love them into the light! My heart breaks, but then hope soars – EVERYTIME! The passion between the two of them is so strong you’ll be fanning yourself through the erotic scenes. Maybe it’s always the great connection she gives her characters that leaves me breathless.
Ugh! She is killing me with these cliffies, though. I’d be ready to throw a giant hissy fit if I actually had to wait on the next book! Again, I can’t stress enough that if you haven’t read this series, you NEED to!

Happy Reading,

Alison

Review ~ The Destiny of Violet & Luke

Title: The Destiny of Violet & Luke (The Coincidence #3)

Author: Jessica Sorensen

Release Date: Jan. 7, 2014

Genre: NA Contemporary Dark Romance

Luke Price’s life has always been about order, control, and acting tough on the outside. For Luke, meaningless relationships are a distraction-a way to tune out the twisted memories of his childhood. He desperately wishes he could forget his past, but it haunts him no matter what he does.

Violet Hayes has had a rough life. When she was young, she was left with no family and the memory of her parents’ unsolved murders. She grew up in foster homes, living with irresponsible parents, drugs, and neglect, and trying to fight the painful memories of the night her parents were taken from her. But it’s hard to forget when she never got closure-and she can’t stop dreaming about what happened that tragic night. To make it through life, she keeps her distance from everyone and never allows herself to feel anything.

Then Violet meets Luke. The two clash instantly, yet they can’t seem to stay away from each other. Although they fight it, they both start to open up and feel things they’ve never felt before. They discover just how similar they are. But they also discover something else: The past always catches up with you . . .

My ****4.5 Star**** Review

I am so glad Jessica decided to give us Violet & Luke’s story! I have been wanting to read this since she first mentioned writing it!
Oh, but it’s not an easy one to read. Luke and Violet both have extremely ugly pasts. Their story is painful to listen to, but one you can’t turn away from. And then they find in each other something that might make everything else disappear. There’s a horrible connection between them, though, that they are about to discover. Oh, and it’s so incredibly heartbreaking.
If you enjoy emotionally dark reads that have just enough goodness to give you hope, then this is the series for you! I’ve said it before. Jessica Sorensen knows just how to drag you into the dark with her characters. You will feel everything they are feeling, and you’ll have to remind yourself to breathe. Emotionally Gripping!!

Watch for my review of The Probability of Violet & Luke, book 4 in The Coincidence series this Friday!

About the Author ~ Jessica Sorensen

Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author from the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

Website * Facebook * Goodreads

Happy Reading,

Alison

Teaser Tuesdays #14 ~ Raveling You

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today my teaser is from ~ Raveling You

Title: Raveling You (Unraveling You #2)

Author: Jessica Sorensen

Release Date: Jan. 13, 2015

Genre: Contemporary YA/NA Romance/Drama

Ayden Gregory may want to keep running from his nightmares, but he no longer has a choice. His past is catching up with him. And fast. He relies on one person to keep him from crumbling. His best friend Lyric Scott.

Lyric feels helpless watching her best friend’s world turn upside down. But she does her best to remain positive and upbeat. She gets their band their first gig and even with everything going on, her relationship with Ayden starts to heat up.

But when danger enters Ayden’s life again, even Lyric might not be able to help him.

Love her?

I shake my head at my thoughts, and Lyric’s face twists with perplexity.

No, I like her.

A lot.

I don’t even know what love is.

I can’t.

Can I?

This is from 13% in. It’s one of the lighter moments in Ayden & Lyric’s story. I’m loving it! I don’t know why, but seeing a character pulled from the darkness into the light always gets me!

What are your teasers this week?

Happy Reading,

Alison

Review ~ Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Title: Torn Away

Author: Jennifer Brown

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Jersey Cameron has always loved a good storm. Watching the clouds roll in and the wind pick up. Smelling the electricity in the air. Dancing barefoot in the rain. She lives in the Midwest, after all, where the weather is sure to keep you guessing. Jersey knows what to do when the tornado sirens sound. But she never could have prepared for this.

When her town is devastated by a tornado, Jersey loses everything. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she’s sent to live with relatives she hardly knows-family who might as well be strangers. In an unfamiliar place, can Jersey discover that even on the darkest of days, there are some things no tornado can destroy?

In this powerful and poignant novel, acclaimed author Jennifer Brown delivers a story of love, loss, hope, and survival.

My ****4 Star**** Review

Torn Away was fast paced and intriguing from the start. I’ve been a little obsessed with tornadoes since childhood as a result of one coming right by our house. We had damage, but nothing that amounted to any real loss. That same tornado ripped a baby out of my mom’s friends arms. That baby was found 3 days later under a stack of three mobile homes…UNHARMED. It was a miracle of God! Truly amazing! Well, that’s not the kind of book this is. This book gives you the truly ugly side of what a natural disaster can bring. It is heartwrenchingly sad!
While this is a book about the after-effect of a tornado, it’s a book about good and evil, too. There are some well-depicted villains that the heroine has to contend with. She is so very strong, though, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to have a pity party! Jersey will show you how to suck it up!
You’ll find this to be a very emotional read. The real life trauma that can take place behind the scenes of a tragedy are WELL portrayed. If you’re looking for an intense read, look no further!
Warnings:language

*I received a copy via NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.*

About the Author ~ Jennifer Brown

Two-time winner of the Erma Bombeck Global Humor Award (2005 & 2006), Jennifer’s weekly humor column appeared in The Kansas City Star for over four years, until she gave it up to be a full-time young adult novelist.

Jennifer’s debut novel, HATE LIST (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009) received three starred reviews and was selected as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a VOYA “Perfect Ten,” and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. HATE LIST also won the Michigan Library Association’s Thumbs Up! Award, the Louisiana Teen Readers Choice award, the 2012 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award, was an honorable mention for the 2011 Arkansas Teen Book Award, is a YALSA 2012 Popular Paperback, received spots on the Texas Library Association’s Taysha’s high school reading list as well as the Missouri Library Association’s Missouri Gateway Awards list, and has been chosen to represent the state of Missouri in the 2012 National Book Festival in Washington, DC. Jennifer’s second novel, BITTER END, (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011) received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and VOYA and is listed on the YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults list and is a 2012 Taysha’s high school reading list pick as well.

Jennifer writes and lives in the Kansas City, Missouri area, with her husband and three children.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/432859.Jennifer_Brown
Twitter: @JenniferBrownYA
Website: http://www.jenniferbrownya.com/

Happy Reading,

Alison

Review ~ Love Notes

Synopsis

How do you cope when the people you care for hurt you the most? When the way you feel on the outside, smothers you on the inside. And when you are left to face your demons alone, will you learn that only you have the power to overcome them?

Charlie has never had it easy. Between the constant moving and the incessant fat comments and jokes from her father, her self-worth is nonexistent. Her reflection in the mirror shows her nothing but a plain Jane. Music is the only thing that keeps her sanity in check.

Charlie catches the eye of the town star quarterback, Maverick. With her curves, her brunette hair, and the voice of an angel, Maverick has never met anyone like her. Everything that is different about Charlie just makes Maverick like her more. Unfortunately, Charlie doesn’t see it herself.

Proving it to her may deem harder than he thinks, especially when tragedy strikes and tears them apart.

Now standing on her own two feet she may finally learn exactly who she is, what’s she’s capable of and how very un plain Jane she really is.

My ****4 Star**** Review

I was sucked in with the first sentence on this one, and it never let go.

You start out inside Charlie’s head. Charlie’s a senior and has just moved to a new school – AGAIN. She has little to no self-confidence and this stems from the atrocious parents she has. They aren’t physically abusive, but they have mental abuse down to an art. I normally hate a heroine with zero self worth, but in this case it is completely understandable and you feel for her immediately.

So, you follow Charlie to her first day of school where she bumps into Maverick, the school football star, quite literally. She’s mortified, but he’s feeling something all together different. You start getting rotating point of views from Charlie and Maverick. You get to see Charlie the way she sees herself, and Charlie the way Mav sees her – beautiful and amazing.

Charlie instantly falls for Mav but doesn’t see what he sees in her. She even tries to rush to the physical, but that’s where I truly fell in love with Mav. He stresses that he really wants her, but that she doesn’t need to prove anything to him through sex.

I also love that Charlie finds Tori. Tori becomes Charlie’s other encouraging force. So, the building up of Charlie doesn’t just come from a relationship with a guy. I also love that Charlie isn’t fixed overnight. It’s a gradual work taking place.

Then tragedy strikes and just when I think all is going to be okay…I was CRUSHED! I mean I was literally crying. But, it’s through all of this that Charlie truly learns to see herself clearly and that self worth isn’t measured by other people. If you want to know whether this has a happy or sad ending, read the next paragraph. I won’t give away the ending, but I know some of you just like to know if a book ends sad or happy. If you don’t want to know, just skip the next paragraph.

For those of you like me, that have to know, you get a happy ending. I really would have wished for even more of an ending, but you get more in book 2, which I can’t wait to read!

As for any negatives in the story ~ there were a couple times that their actions didn’t make sense, but it was always silly things like why did he go off his own way instead of walking her to class, which would have seemed the normal thing for high school guys. There’s also a bit of editing that needs to be done. Then there’s one other crazy thing that I really can’t even answer to why it is. I read this book a month ago. I usually don’t get to write my reviews as I finish my books due to my crazy schedule. I always keep all my notes, though, so I remember all I wanted to say. At the end of the book in my notes I wrote, “5 STARS!!!” So, why did I give it 4 stars then? Well, I had a hard time remembering the book. I mean a really hard time. After reading all my notes, I went and read other reviews trying to get a firm grasp on what happened in the story. It wasn’t until I slept on it that the whole story came back to me. It’s really crazy! I can’t believe that this book had me crying and then I struggled to remember it. I really don’t have a clue as to what was missing to make it memorable for me.

Back to the positives. Who would I recommend this, too? Well, anyone looking for a YA/NA encouraging story. Just keep in mind that this is only for mature YA. There’s strong language and there is that one time Charlie tries to push Mav to sex, but there is no sex and that scene doesn’t go very far. She puts his hand on her breast, and he stops it there although it’s apparent he has been affected – evidence in the crotch area. This is also for all you YA/NA romance lovers. I truly love that this is a romance, but soooo much more!! I can’t wait to read the next book, Heartstrings, which is already out and about Tori and Will, Mav’s best friend. You get glimpses at their relationship or lack of one throughout Love Notes, and it definitely leaves you wanting the whole story!

I purchased this book myself on Amazon. It was free at the time of purchase, and is still free as I currently write this.

About the Author ~ Heather Gunter

Heather is a devoted mother of three gorgeous boys. She balances spending as much time with them as possible with writing, updating her Into the Night Reviews book blog and her day job. Her love of animals sees her home in Canton, GA bursting with numerous dogs and ferrets.

Heather campaigns passionately for anti-bullying initiatives and has a strong conviction to reduce peoples suffering at the hands of bullies.

A talented singer, who once dreamed of pursuing a career in that field, she has put that goal aside in exchange for her writing. A self proclaimed geek, whatever spare time she has is spent curled on the couch reading and listening to music.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6923563.Heather_Gunter
Twitter: @HeatherGunter5
Website: http://intothenightbookreviews.blogspot.com/p/heathers-author.html

Happy Reading,

Alison

Review ~ Veiled Innocence by Ella Frank

Synopsis

Tick, tick, tock.

Time.

That’s all I have now.

A small room, a photograph, and time.

They want me to trust them and confess my sins.

They told me they wouldn’t judge me—they lied.

I thought we could convince the world that this wasn’t a crime.

We were wrong.

Time doesn’t stand still.

The clock keeps ticking, the world is unconvinced, and now…

Now he is gone.

My ****4.5 Star**** Review

This was a powerful read! I won this book in a contest and picked it up to read without even reading a blurb. So, I had no clue that I was about to enter into the land of the taboo. This book will really leave you wrestling with right and wrong, and it doesn’t matter which side you fall on. Ella Frank did such an amazing job writing it that there’s no way she didn’t change some minds.

So, what is the taboo subject?? – an inappropriate teacher/student relationship. The characters?? The book starts with Addison. Addison is one cocky, confident, sexy seductress for an 18yr old, or maybe she isn’t. Then there’s Mr. McKendrick, the history teacher. He’s just in town for a year to spend time with his dying father. He’s not looking for any sort of relationship, especially not one with a student.

A forbidden relationship isn’t the only thing enclosed within the spine of this book, either. Death, physical abuse, attempted suicide, and mental breakdowns are aplenty.

You get the point of views of both Addy and Mr. McKendrick giving you a good taste of the struggles they’re both facing. This is one heck of a roller coaster ride! You can expect strong language and graphic sex scenes not appropriate for minors. Don’t confuse this book as pure erotic, though. This is one of those books where the sex scenes are important to the overall story.

So why not the extra half star? This book isn’t missing much. I’m just not sure that it’s one that I’d want to pick up and read over and over again. I reserve my rare 5 stars for those. Does that mean I won’t ever read this again? Absolutely not!

Who do I recommend this to? Romance readers that aren’t afraid of taboo subjects. However, I normally shy away from those taboo subjects and I love this book, so I would recommend it to any romance lover willing to take a risk.

This was my first Ella Frank novel, but it definitely won’t be my last!

Where to find the Author ~ Ella Frank

Website: http://www.ellafrank.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6451816.Ella_Frank
Twitter: @EllaFrank2012

Happy Reading,

Alison

Teaser Tuesdays #9 ~ Shocking Heaven

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today my teaser is from ~ Shocking Heaven (Room 103).

Never gonna stop needin’ you, E…never. You’re always gonna be there for me; whenever, however and wherever cos’ you’re in here, babe.” He grasped my hand and held it over his heart…”

Here’s the Blurb

Leaving her past behind, Eve Hudson, embarks on student life. Determined to take control of her life and move on from her turbulent past,Eve strictly orders no drama, no bullshit and definitely no relationships.

That was until she met deep and moody Jax Cooper, The vocalist for local band ‘Room 103’.

Jax is arrogant and egotistical, an alpha male straight through to his core, but so damn hot, and Eve soon finds his relentless pursuit of her, harder and harder to resist.

But both hold tortured souls and secrets, secrets that could blow their whole lives apart…literally.

Except sometimes it’s not secrets or damaged spirits that threaten their relationship…it’s life itself.

Eve soon finds out that if you’re going through hell, then the only way out the other side, is to just keep going.

This book contains explicit sex scenes, strong language and lot’s of heartache. And of course…one hell of an alpha male.

***********************************************

Looking at the reviews, I’m seeing most people either love or hate this book. I’m still not 100% sure where I stand. I guess maybe I’ll know tonight when I finish it.

What’s your teaser this week? Leave it for me in the comments or just leave me a link! If you decide to follow while you’re here, let me know how & I’ll follow back!

Happy Reading,

Alison

Blue Rose ~ Book Blast & Giveaway

Synopsis
“Four. My life has been shaped by four people. Four men, to be more specific. My father, my stepfather, my best friend, and my boyfriend. The first two shaped it in horrible ways, but what I am, who I am, is all because of four men.”

Alana Reardon has secrets. Some of them are too dark to tell, but everyone already thinks they know anyhow. At 20, she takes too many pills, hides the parts of her that she hates, and willingly becomes the person that they think she is. A slut. A whore. Trash.
There have only been two guys who ever saw Alana as more: Jack, the guy she can’t get over, and Dave, the one who never got over her.

With the help of therapy, facing her past, and the inevitable ways that life changes without your permission, can Alana learn to stop blaming herself? Can she allow love into her life? Is she ready to move on?

Warning: This book deals with topics of abuse and may trigger reactions in people who have experienced those things in their own lives.

Book Trailer

Excerpt

Later that day, at lunch, I had just found a seat by the window when he sat across from me. I was used to sitting alone. He didn’t say anything, and he had nothing to eat. He looked up at me, though, after a few minutes, and his eyes did it again. I hated my body, hated the way I looked, hated that somehow I owed my body and my looks to everyone else. But when Jack looked at me, I wanted to let someone touch me. I wanted him to hold me. He felt like safety.
It didn’t even make sense. He was just a broken kid, like me. He always wore the same threadbare hoodie. Most days, it covered his head. He was cute, but awkward. His hair was too long and usually greasy. His Chucks were a little too big, so they looked a little like clown shoes. Yet those gorgeous eyes were all I cared about. I hadn’t considered guys at all. I didn’t find them attractive, and I certainly couldn’t see the appeal of sex or of intimacy. With Jack, though, the thought of him near me didn’t make me nauseous.
“Do you want my orange?” I asked him.
“Are you sure?”
It wasn’t a groundbreaking question. But it was how I knew that what I naturally felt for Jack was right. Because no one had ever asked me that. No one had asked if I minded, if I was sure, if something was okay. They just took things.
“Yeah.”
He took it and I handed him my knife. It was flimsy plastic and wouldn’t even pierce the rind, so I took the orange back and peeled it with my fingernails. Jack just watched me and, when I handed him the orange, now peeled, he smiled. His upper lip curled more than it should have and he looked silly, smiling at an orange. But he drew the same smile from me.
“Thank you,” he said, and he pulled two slices free from the whole and handed them back to me. I didn’t eat them right away. I just watched him eat his part. He was messy and he ended up covering himself in the juices. He unzipped his hoodie after the orange squirted down the front. Underneath, he was wearing a washed out blue T-shirt with a train on it. He looked ten.
“Nice shirt,” I teased.
He looked down. “I live with my grandmother. She has no concept of clothes.”
“It’s cute.”
He smiled again and it was less awkward this time. “Do you live with your grandmother, too?”
I was wearing a huge black sweater over baggy black pants. “No. I just… I don’t like people looking at me.”
“Yeah. I get that.”
He didn’t tell me that I was too pretty to dress the way I did; he didn’t say my body was too good to hide. He just went back to eating his orange, letting the juice spill all over the train shirt. We were fourteen, but I already knew Jack would always be the only thing that mattered in my future.

Giveaway Time!!!

Enter to win a $25 Amazon GC!!
Giveaway is open Internationally. | Must be 13+ to Enter
a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author ~ Sarah Daltry

Sarah Daltry writes about the regular people who populate our lives. She’s written works in various genres – romance, erotica, fantasy, horror. Genre isn’t as important as telling a story about people and how their lives unfold. Sarah tends to focus on YA/NA characters but she’s been known to shake it up. Most of her stories are about relationships – romantic, familial, friendly – because love and empathy are the foundation of life. It doesn’t matter if the story is set in contemporary NY, historical Britain, or a fantasy world in the future – human beings are most interesting in the ways they interact with others. This is the principle behind all of Sarah’s stories.

Sarah has spent most of her life in school, from her BA and MA in English and writing to teaching both at the high school and college level. She also loves studying art history and really anything because learning is fun.

When Sarah isn’t writing, she tends to waste a lot of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies, and simply staring out the window.

Visit Sarah online at:

Website: http://sarahdaltry.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SarahDaltryA…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahDaltry
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sarahdaltry/boards/
Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/sarahdaltry

Happy Reading,

Alison

Review ~ Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

My *****5 STAR***** Review

When Colleen released Finding Cinderella free, I jumped on it. I’d seen so many rave over her Hopeless series, but I had yet to read one of her books for myself. Needless to say, I LOVED it! Despite it just being a novella, it was one of my absolute favorite reads of 2013. I knew then I needed to get my hands on the Hopeless books!

I was not let down! I was sucked in right from the start. The book starts out showing the dynamics of Sky’s relationhip to her best friend Six. You see clearly that both girls have some serious issues, but they are extremely close. Their characters are so well-depicted right from the start, and I felt like I knew them immediately.

Insert Dean Holder here. What can I say? The chemistry was instant! It was palpable, and yet there was zero rush to their relationship. Holder is just absolutely amazing!

Let me not neglect to point out that despite its very serious nature, the story is full of humor, too. Sky’s witty character was constantly entertaining. She’s one of those people you’d want to hang around just to see what came out of their mouth next.

“I nod and hope he backs the hell away from me, because I’m about to have an asthma attack and I don’t even have asthma.” ~ Sky

Then comes the high drama. I mean rough! Just like in Finding Cinderella, Hoover throws in something from left field that I didn’t see coming. I went from laughing out loud to utter depression. There were some serious heart-pounding, dread-filled moments. Then when everything came to a close, I had tears in my eyes, but joy in my heart.

I absolutely cannot wait to read Losing Hope!

Warnings: strong language, sexual content, incest, childhood rape, violence
I purchased my own copy via Amazon and reviewed it just because I WANTED to. 🙂

About the Author ~ Colleen Hoover

I love music. LOVE music. Namely The Avett Brothers, Lumineers, Pink, Eminem. I have eclectic taste? If you have any recommendations, send them my way!

I’m addicted to diet pepsi and could tell you in a taste-test which restaurant it came from. It’s a serious addiction, I tell you.

I get stoked whenever I get a message from goodreads saying I have a new friend request…so request me, dangit!

If you want to know when I have new books out or just want to be inundated by random, pointless blog posts, follow me at http://www.colleenhoover.com

Avoid my Twitter at all cost. It’s propaganda.
@coleenhoover
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5430144.Colleen_Hoover

Happy Reading,

Alison