Book Review: Finding Christmas by Jeannie Moon

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Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | 

Format: Kindle

Publishers: Tule Publishing

Published: 5th November 2015

Pages: 147

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance, 

Main Characters: Maggie, Will
Date Read: 21st December - 28th December 2015

Rating Given:

Synopsis:Small town Holly Point wasn’t big enough to hold the dreams of golden girl Maggie Benson. So when she left at eighteen, she flew right through college and into the adrenaline-pumping life of a navy fighter pilot. But without warning, a devastating crash destroys the career she loves and sends her back to her overly protective family to heal. Maggie can’t imagine how she can reconnect with the woman she was until the hot local high school basketball coach steps up to show her the way.
Former NBA star Will Fitzgerald knows how an injury can derail more than a career. Still, he’s happy with his life as a teacher and coach at Holly Point High School, until his quiet life is upended by the beautiful, brilliant, and hurting Maggie. Blindsided by the intense attraction, Will wonders if pursuing the woman of his dreams will answer the question of what’s been missing in his life.
Can Maggie trust enough again to let Will past her wounds, inside and out, so that they can both find the Christmas magic they’ve been searching for?

 I received a review copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Even though the cover itself doesn't have Christmas elements to make it look like it's a Christmas novel, the colour is Christmassy as well as having Christmas in the title to let us know. I do love that it's romantic looking as that is in keeping with the book.

To be honest I never read the synopsis I requested this one because of the author as I have always enjoyed her books plus I always like to read a Christmas book around Christmas time. So when I read that the main character was an amputee I wasn't sure what I was going to get with the book as I like light hearted books at Christmas so I didn't want to be depressed but thankfully it wasn't too depressing, yes there was depressing moments but all in all it wasn't too bad. I loved that it was about an amputee and how she was coping with it as it's different to anything that I have ever read plus its good that authors aren't afraid to tackle difficult issues. It was a very sweet book and I loved the relationship between Maggie and Will however I do feel as though it was a little rushed as everything happened within the space of a month which for me isn't realistic but I didn't mind too much as it was a short book so I kind went in with my eyes open in that sense. The ending was left a bit too open for my liking as there was a few unanswered questions that I would loved to have known.

I loved the two main characters but I wasn't such a fan of the secondary characters as they felt like they where a bit selfish but there was a couple of secondary characters that I had met in previous series so it was nice to see them again. Maggie is one of the strongest characters that I have ever read as she had such a difficult time especially trying to cope with being an amputee, there was times when she didn't cope very well but for the most part I forgot about her disability. For me Will is the most caring male character ever and I loved everything about him as well as the things he did for Maggie.

Overall another great Christmas book from Jeannie Moon.

Book Review: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern

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Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Format: Kindle

Publishers: Hachette Books

Published: 6th January 2015

Pages: 448

Genre: YA, Contemporary Romance

Main Characters: Rosie, Alex, Katie,
Date Read: 9th December - 20th December 2015

Rating Given:

Synopsis:Sometimes you have to look at life in a whole new way...
From the bestselling author of PS, I Love You comes a delightfully enchanting novel about what happens when two people who are meant to be together just can't seem to get it right.
Rosie and Alex are destined for one another, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, their relationship gets closer by the day, until Alex gets the news that his family is leaving Dublin and moving to Boston. At 17, Rosie and Alex have just started to see each other in a more romantic light. Devastated, the two make plans for Rosie to apply to colleges in the U.S. 
She gets into Boston University, Alex gets into Harvard, and everything is falling into place, when on the eve of her departure, Rosie gets news that will change their lives forever: She's pregnant by a boy she'd gone out with while on the rebound from Alex. 
Her dreams for college, Alex, and a glamorous career dashed, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother, while Alex pursues a medical career and a new love in Boston. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel, structured as a series of clever e-mails, letters, notes, and a trail of missed opportunities, Alex and Rosie find out that fate isn't done with them yet.

 I received a review copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The colourfulness of this cover is what stood out to me even though they where pretty much all similar colours it still looks colourful because of the colour that was used. I do like that it's in keeping with the actual story as well.

I found Love, Rosie very hard to get into as it's a completely different style of writing than I'm used to with the whole book in the form of letters, notes, emails, cards. When I first started I actually thought I wouldn't be able to get past the whole writing style but I did to a point as it still annoyed me to the end but it was easier to get through the further I went into the story. It was hard to get an understanding of what all the characters looked like as it seemed to take ages before there was even a description on each of them. Throughout the book I wanted to bang Rosie and Alex's heads together as they both annoyed me with their feelings as there times when I didn't even believe in their feelings towards one another as it felt out of the blue sometimes. I liked that it felt the most realistic of books that I have read as it seemed to show real issues that where believable. There was some light hearted moments as well as some sad times but I just felt like it needed something else that I can't put my finger on what it was missing. Even though I liked the characters growing up throughout their lifetime I still felt like it dragged but at the same time it also felt like it was rushed with major gaps of times throughout. I didn't like the end of the book as it felt like it could have happened far sooner. I do feel like the film outshone this book which doesn't happen often but in this case the film won out.

There was times when I couldn't stand both Rosie and Alex. In the beginning I really didn't like Rosie as she was so annoying but throughout the book I felt she really did grow up and was more likeable. With Alex I didn't really like or hate him and I still can't decide what I think about him. Ruby was one of my favourite characters in this book even though she wasn't the kindest Mum she was still a light hearted and funny character. Katie was an ok character as she was like Rosie in the way we got to see her grow up to be a good character.

Overall, I felt a little let down by this book as I was expecting so much more for my first ever Cecelia Ahern book plus I adored the film but not so much with the book.

Book Review: Wallbanger (Cocktail, #1) by Alice Clayton

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Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

Format: Kindle

Publishers: Omnific Publishing

Published: 27th November 2012

Pages: 384

Genre: Adult/New Adult, Contemporary Romance, 

Main Characters: Caroline, Simon
Date Read: 22nd November - 9th December 2015

Rating Given:

Synopsis:
The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she's gaining an intimate knowledge of her new neighbor's nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy's athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed dating hiatus, and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly...
In a delicious mix of silly and steamy, Alice Clayton dishes out a hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight...

I have had this book sitting on my kindle shelf for a couple of years now so I thought I should finally start it and although I liked it I didn't love it.

With this cover I'm always confused by it as at first glance it looks like the legs are a part of the male models arms. Even though I know now that it isn't like that I still have to take a moment before I understand the concept. I also think it's a bit of a boring cover, usually I don't mind simplistic looking covers but not in this case.

When I first started reading Wallbanger I felt it was going to be a bit too ridiculous for my liking but I'm glad I carried on because I did get into it even if some of the things said was too out there. I was expecting it to be an hilarious book after reading reviews but most of the time I didn't find the things said/happened wasn't funny. There was some moments that I did find funny but not laugh out loud. I did like the growing feelings between Caroline and Simon but there was times when I just wanted to bang their heads together. It wasn't just the chemistry that I liked between Caroline and Simon it was also the friendship between them, they had great banter and helped each other out. I do feel like the ending was a little bit anti-climatic as I was just expecting more so I wasn't too happy about that but I did like there wasn't any unanswered questions.

I pretty much liked all the characters maybe some of their characteristics was annoying but apart from that they where all likeable. I didn't think I was going to like Simon but the more we got to know him the more he was easy to like and understand why he did what he did. Caroline was a little harder to warm to but I think that down to her referring to her 'Lower Caroline' it was so annoying but once I got over that she was a likeable character. The secondary characters were a great addition to the story.

Overall, I felt a little disappointed with this book as I was expecting so much more than what I got. There was some really good moments that had me enjoying the story.

Top 10 of 2015 - Books I'm looking forward to in 2016

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Books I'm looking forward to in 2016 (This list should be comprised of books released ONLY in 2016).

10.

Other Lives by Jamie McGuire - ??

No image or synopsis on Goodreads as of yet but I love Jamie McGuires books so I'm looking forward to it.

9.

Riders (Riders, #1) by Veronica Rossi - 16th February

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.
Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.
They fail.
Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.
But will anyone believe him?

8.

The Natural History of Us (The Fine Art of Pretending, #2) by Rachel Harris - 5th April

One class assignment. One second chance at love. The school player is all in. Now he needs to win back the sweet commitment girl who's forever owned his heart. 
Justin Carter has a secret. He's not the total player Fairfield Academy believes him to be. Not really. In fact, he used to be a one-woman guy...and his feelings for her never went away. Too bad he broke her heart three years ago and made sure to ruin any chance she'd ever forgive him. 
Peyton Williams is a liar. She pretends to be whole, counting down the days until graduation and helping her parents at the family ranch. But the truth is, she's done everything she can to get over Justin, and salvation is just around the corner. With graduation one short month away, she'll soon break free from the painful memories and start her life fresh. Of course, she has to get through working with him on one last assignment first. 
For Justin, nothing ever felt as right as being with Peyton, and now that fate's given him a shot at redemption, he's determined to make the most of it. And for Peyton...well, Justin Carter has always been her kryptonite.

7.

Reign of Shadows (Reign of Shadows, #1) by Sophie Jordan - 9th February

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.
But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.
With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.
With lush writing and a star–crossed romance, Reign of Shadows is Sophie Jordan at her best.

6.

The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire, #1) by C.J. Redwine - 16th February

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.
In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.
But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

5.

Bedmates: An American Royalty Novel - April

From the bestselling author of Suddenly Royal comes the first in a sparkling new series about America’s favorite royal—the First Daughter.
Everyone makes mistakes, especially in college. But when you’re the daughter of the President of the United States, any little slip up is a huge embarrassment. Maddie McGuire’s latest error in judgment lands her in police custody, giving the press a field day. Agreeing to do community service as penance and to restore her tattered reputation, Maddie never dreams incredibly good looking but extremely annoying vice president’s son, Jake Simmon, will be along for the ride.
Recently returning from Afghanistan with a life-altering injury, Jake is wrestling with his own demons. He doesn’t have the time or patience to deal with the likes of Maddie. They’re like oil and water and every time they’re together, it’s combustible. But there’s a thin line between love and hate, and it’s not long before their fiery arguments give way to infinitely sexier encounters.
When Jake receives devastating news about the last remaining member of his unit, the darkness he’s resisted for so long begins to overwhelm him. Scared to let anyone close, he pushes Maddie away. But she isn’t about to give up on Jake that easily. Maddie’s fallen for him, and she’ll do anything to keep him from the edge as they both discover that love is a battlefield and there are some fights you just can’t lose.

4.

The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk, #1) by Samantha Young - 6th September

Welcome to Hartwell, a quiet seaside escape where uncovering old secrets could lead one woman to discover the meaning of a love that lasts…
While Doctor Jessica Huntington engages with the inmates at the women’s correctional facility where she works, she’s always careful to avoid emotional attachments in her personal life. Loss and betrayal taught her that lesson long ago. But when she comes across a set of old love letters in the prison’s library and visits the picturesque town of Hartwell to deliver them to their intended recipient, she finds herself unable to resist the town’s charm—and her attraction to the sexy owner of a local bar proves equally hard to deny.
Since his divorce from his unfaithful ex-wife, Cooper Lawson has focused on what really matters: his family and the boardwalk pub they’ve owned for generations. But the first time Jessica steps into his bar, Cooper is beyond tempted to risk his heart on her. Yet as their attraction grows hotter and Jessica remains stubbornly closed off, he begins to realize it will take more than just passion to convince her there’s only one real thing in life worth fighting for….

3.

The Other Side of Gravity (Oxygen, #1) by Shelly Crane - 15th March

My name is Maxton and I’m a trader.
I live on a soulless planet where gravity, oxygen, and everything else are sold to the highest bidder on the black market. People are sold on the black market, too. You have to work really hard not to become one of those people. Pay your taxes, keep your friends and family close, and more than anything else—don’t get caught by the Militia. But all the rules changed for me the day I found her.
My name is Sophelia and I’m a stowaway.
I’ve been a slave for almost as long as I can remember. Waiting for the one day, one second, for my proprietor to turn his head so I could run and never look back. Now I'm on the run. And on a planet where no one is on your side and people would turn you in for a good meal or a piece of a silver, being on the run on Landu is the last place you want to be. Until he found me.
I won't survive without him.
I can't breathe without her.

2.

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, #1) by Cassandra Clare - 8th March

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

1.

Dirty (Dirty Dive Bar, #1) by Kylie Scott - 19th April

The last thing Vaughan Hewson expects to find when he returns to his childhood home is a broken hearted bride in his shower, let alone the drama and chaos that comes with her.

Lydia Green doesn't know whether to burn down the church or sit and cry in a corner. Discovering the love of your life is having an affair on your wedding day is bad enough. Finding out it's with his best man is another thing all together. She narrowly escapes tying the knot and meets Vaughan only hours later.Vaughan is the exact opposite of the picture perfect, respected businessman she thought she'd marry. This former musician-turned-bartender is rough around the edges and unsettled. But she already tried Mr. Right and discovered he's all wrong-maybe it's time to give Mr. Right Now a chance.After all, what's wrong with getting dirty?

What are you looking forward to reading in 2016?

Top 10 of 2015 - Best Book Boyfriends

Best Book Boyfriends of 2015 (MUST be from a book released in 2015 and from a book you've READ in 2015)

10.

Finn Carter - Conspiracy Girl by  Sarah Alderson

9.

Jordan Garrison - One More Shot (Hometown Players, #1) by Victoria Denault

8.

Jase Hollister - The Closer You Come (The Original Heartbreakers, #1) by Gena Showalter

7.

Dean Wyatt - Angel of Redemption by J.A. Little

6.

Devin Garrison - The Final Move (Hometown Players, #3) by Victoria Denault

5.

Caine Carraway - Hero by Samantha Young

4.

The Substitute (The Wedding Pact, #1) by Denise Grover Swank

3.

Zack Grantham - Zack (Cold Fury Hockey, #3) by Sawyer Bennett

2.

Will Fitzgerald - Finding Christmas by Jeannie Moon

1.

Ben Nicholson - Deep (Stage Dive, #4) by Kylie Scott

What do you think of these lovely men? Who did you pick?

Top 10 of 2015 - Best Dual POV's

Best ________ of 2015 (Readers/bloggers choice. Please fill in the blank with ONE of these topics - villains, contemporaries, dual POV's, Novellas, Adult titles, New Adult titles, Love triangles, Couples, Bad Boys or Debuts. REMEMBER - this list must be from books you've READ in 2015).

For this one it took me a while to decide on which to go for as for the couple of years that I have been doing this I have gone for couples and I wanted to do something different this year. It was hard to decide as I will either have a couple of days with pretty much the same list or not enough read of that particular topic to even make a top 5!

In the end I went with Best Dual POV's of 2015.

10.

The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never, #1) by J.A. Redmerski

I think without having a dual POV I wouldn't have liked this book as I think what made this book was because knowing what each of them was feeling I was able to get a better understanding of why they did certain things.

9.

Inspire (The Muse, #1) by Cora Carmack 

I loved that this was a completely new kind of paranormal read and added to that I get to see alternating POV's made it for a very enjoyable read.

8.

Catching Heat (Feeling the Heat, #3) by Alison Packard

So many huge things happened in this book that I'm so glad that I got to hear what both of the main characters where thinking in these particular moments.

7.

The Accidental Assassin (The Assassins, #1) by Nichole Chase 

A completely new kind of read for me and it was such a great read especially getting the alternating POV's which is always a plus in my eyes.

6.

The Hook Up (Game On, #1) by Kristen Callihan

There was times in this book where I didn't like how one of them was treating the other so to get alternating POV's it was very helpful to get a better understanding of why they where saying some of the things they where saying.

5.

Rule (Marked Men, #1) by Jay Crownover

To get inside the head of Rule is a must for this book and I'm so glad we got it as he had a lot of issues and to know where his head was at helped me to love Rule. I'm also glad we got to hear from Shaw as it's always nice to know what both of the main characters are thinking especially these two.

4.

The Final Move (Hometown Players, #3) by Victoria Denault

I'm so glad we got dual POV's in this book as throughout this series we didn't get much from either of the characters so I felt it was needed to get to know them both all over again.

3.

 

Alex/Zack (Cold Fury Hockey, #1 & 3) by Sawyer Bennett

All of the Cold Fury Hockey (so far) have dual POV's but knowing each of these two books main characters was what made this book and without one of them would in my opinion spoil the books.

2.

The Closer You Come (The Original Heartbreakers, #1) by Gena Showalter

Knowing both of these characters helped me understand where both of them where coming from and I think without hearing from one of the characters would've made me not like them as they both have issues that they had to work through so it was better to know these issues so I could like them both.

1.

The Substitute (The Wedding Pact, #1) by Denise Grover Swank

This was one amazingly funny book and I'm so glad we got to know both of the main characters thoroughly.

What was your Best dual POV's books of 2015?