Review: Spiked (Jennifer Lane)

Spiked
Series: Blocked, #3
Author: Jennifer Lane
Publication Date: October 1, 2016
Publisher: Psyched Publishing
Genre: New Adult, Sports Romance, Political Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

They say
University is the time
To find yourself
But I don’t need to find myself
Just want to find you

After watching his older siblings find their love matches at Highbanks University, Mateo Ramirez feels unlikely to follow in their footsteps. What girl would want him? Unlike his brother and sister, he battles diabetes and chooses music over sports. But at least he can write songs about his life—and the girl who caught his eye when their parents ran against each other for US President.

Hey, chica! Come conmigo
And baby, why don’t we go
Down under the bridge to the water
With you it can only get hotter

Jessica Monroe is a talented swimmer who dreams of representing Team USA at the Olympics. When she earns an athletic scholarship to Highbanks, she’s excited to attend the same school as the cute boy she met two years ago: Mateo. Too bad he’s not around when a teammate spikes her drink. Jessica may never trust men again.

Trust
Is a hard-to-earn thing
Just
Try to keep listening

Swallow
Down all of the unjust
Hollow
My chest, my heart will bust

College years are the time to shake off the past and find your future. But will that future find Mateo and Jessica together? Dive in and immerse yourself in the eagerly anticipated conclusion to Jennifer Lane’s Blocked trilogy.


Don’t judge Spiked by its cover.

That’s the first thing that came to my mind when I sat down to write this review. Yes, the shirtless man is what most of us have to come expect when we pick up a new adult romance novel, but Spiked isn’t your normal new adult romance. It’s layered, honest and complicated.

Jennifer Lane’s writing was stellar. Her knowledge of psychology and politics continued to shine in the newest addition to the Blocked series. Spiked was the fastest paced book in the series. There weren’t as many political situations to complicate the story. The focus of Spiked was Jessica and Mateo’s struggles and how they build and shape their relationship. I loved this change.

It’s easy to guess from the blurb that Jessica is raped. I don’t think I’m spoiling the story by putting that out there. What I loved about Jessica’s story is the way the entire rape situation was handled. It was done in a matter that felt real and honest. Jessica’s suffering after the incident was what would be expected. What wasn’t was the way Jennifer Lane dealt with it. I’ve read several books with rape in them recently. Spiked is the only one that dealt with the therapy aspect of overcoming the horrible experience. I loved that because I was able to get a feel for how Jessica was able to slowly recover.

Mateo’s story was also an important one. It put a spotlight on being a young person with diabetes. Mateo struggles with his illness was very relatable. I loved his thoughts and feelings about what getting an insulin pump meant to him. I also loved the way he responded to any political question. Mateo felt like a man who wanted to make his own decisions and not let his parents shape his decisions.

Their personal struggles were enormous in Spiked, but Jessica and Mateo’s relationship was simple. I really enjoyed how their relationship grew over time from attraction and friendship to love. The support they gave to each other was so sweet. Their relationship just felt so natural. Spiked cemented Mateo and Jessica as my favorite Blocked series couple.

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading Spiked. It was such a deep new adult read. I was so caught up in Jessica and Mateo’s love story that I was sad when it ended. I would have loved to have known more about the progression of their relationship.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Naughty Reads to Give Your Mom to Make Her Blush

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is Holiday Gift Guide Freebie (ten books to buy the YA lover in your life, 10 books to buy for your dad, etc.). Since I’m a HUGE romance fan, I’m going with the topic:

Ten Naughty Reads to Give Your Mom to Make Her Blush

Fun, right? All the book titles link to the Goodreads page for that book. So, here we go!


1. Stroked
Meghan Quinn

2. Big Rock
Lauren Blakely

3. Porn Star
Laurelin Page & Sierra Simone

4. Tapping the Billionaire
Max Monroe

5. Wallbanger
Alice Clayton

6. Calendar Girl
Audrey Carlan

7. Four Letter Word
J. Daniels

8. Turbulence
Whitney G.

9. Wicked Fall
Sawyer Bennett

10. Delicate Ink
Carrie Ann Ryan

Review: Kiss Cam (Kiara London)

Kiss Cam
Author: Kiara London
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

Synopsis:

In Kiss Cam, teen author Kiara London asks, what’s a little harmless kissing between friends?

Juniper, Jasper, and Lenny have been friends forever and co-own a vlog channel called WereVloggingHere. Their fans are huge “shippers” who believe that Juniper and Jasper are perfect for each other, and, despite warnings from friends and family, a simple Truth-or-Dare inspired kiss soon spirals out of control into a whole new world of making out and surprise kisses.

Juniper and Jasper’s relationship begins to shift. But as fan requests for different “Kiss Cam” segments keep pouring in, Juniper puts her worries aside and convinces herself that it doesn’t mean anything. After all, it’s just kissing… right?


First, I have to say how much I love the cover of Kiss Cam. It, along with the title, is what originally drew me to the story. It’s a cover that actually goes with what the book is about. How often does that happen?

Kiss Cam is about three best friends who run a vlog together. They do all sorts of fun stuff like play truth and dare with their followers. Acting on one of their follower’s dares leads them to come up with a vlog game called “Kiss Cam.” The game revolves around Juniper and Jasper kissing for the camera. Juniper agrees to play along with the game even though her friends and family warn her it could change her relationship with her best friend Jasper.

If I had to pick one word to describe Kiss Cam I would pick cute. Everything about this story was cute. The characters, the plot, the vlog followers, the best friends to lovers trope: all cute. The cutest and my most favorite relationship of the book was Juniper’s relationship with her dad. So cute. He was so down to Earth and gave the best advice ever. I kind of wanted him to be my dad. Like I said at the beginning, this book was just cute.

There were a couple of things that kept Kiss Cam from being a 4 or 5 star read for me, though. One was Juniper’s narration of the story. It was hard to connect with her at times. She wasn’t an unreliable narrator, but she wasn’t an honest one either. Rather than reveal her true feelings and deepest thoughts, the author gave the reader Juniper’s observations and what she wanted to project to the world. Not knowing how she truly felt put an emotional distance between us.

The other thing that I needed from Kiss Cam was Jasper and Lenny’s points of view. They weren’t exactly necessary, but they would have helped a lot. There were times in the story that I could tell each of them knew something Juniper didn’t, or they were in on something together. I would have liked to know what was going on in their brains at that moment. I wanted to know them better — especially Lenny.

Overall, I had a fun time reading Kiss Cam. It was a simple, fast-paced story filled with a bunch of adorable moments. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a sweet young adult romance to escape with.

Review: Compromising Positions (Jenna Bayley-Burke)

Compromising Positions
Author: Jenna Bayley-Burke
Publication Date: November 28, 2016
Publisher: Entangled: Select

Genres: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Synopsis:

Falling in love is the last thing on his busy agenda but compromising positions can lead just about anywhere.When fitness empire CEO David Strong agrees to help teach a yoga class for couples based on poses in The Kama Sutra, he’s put in one compromising position after another. Especially since the instructor is his best friend’s little sister-in-law, doesn’t have a lot of experience with men, and is totally off-limits. She’s everything David’s never wanted. So he can’t understand why he suddenly needs her so much.

Sophie DelFino has fantasized about David for over a decade, but he has a type, and she’s far from it. He’s also got all sorts of rules and reasons why they shouldn’t be together. Good thing Sophie is all about bending the rules.


Compromising Positions is the first book I’ve read by Jenna Bayley-Shay, but it won’t be the last. I really enjoyed reading Compromising Positions. It was an adorable romance filled with so many fun moments.

I liked both of the main characters, but Sophie stood out to me. Carrying her family’s problems on her shoulders gave her a maturity beyond her years. The way she used putting her family first in the past as a way to encourage herself to go for what she wanted in the present was really cool. In her most immature relationship moments I had to remind myself that she was about ten years younger than David because she seemed so much older.

Sophie wasn’t the only one with a tough history. David’s family life was far from perfect. While Sophie took her past and used it as a positive influence, David’s past had a negative influence on him. It affected how he saw his future. I loved how he changed and what he learned about himself through his relationship with Sophie.

David and Sophie’s relationship was very sweet. It was a little forbidden and a lot hot. Their relationship started in a really fun way with partnering up to teach a Sensational Sex workout. I loved how their attraction to each other progressed from there and changed throughout the book.

I only had a couple of minor dislikes while reading Compromising Positions. First, it was told in third person dual points of view. The third person narration was good, but I would have preferred to read Sophie and David’s thoughts in first person. It would have made me feel even more connected to them. Second, there was a twist that came out of nowhere that I couldn’t decide if I liked. It just didn’t feel real or necessary to me. Neither of these things were big enough to truly impact how I felt about this book, though. It was just so much fun to read.

Compromising Positions was a cute contemporary romance. It was filled with super sexy situations that made me blush. I would recommend it to readers looking for a light and sexy read to escape with.

Book Tag: The Amsterdam

I was tagged by the Orang-utan Librarian for The Amsterdam Book Tag. (Thank you!) I feel like I’m cheating a bit since I’ve never been to Amsterdam, but I’ll get over it. 😉


Why Do We Have So Many Cheese Stores In One Street – A Cheesy Read.

I chose Sexy Lies and Rock & Roll because it has kind of a cheesy rock star plot. It was cute, but totally predictable.

Canal Parade – A Book that Celebrates The LGBT-Community.

I couldn’t pick just one. I had to pick both Him and Us because Jamie and Wes’ entire story is a celebration of the LGBT community.

Anne Frank House – A Book That Made you Cry.

I think I cried the entire last 1/3 of Bright Side. Such an amazing, touching book.

Museum Square – An Artsy Book.

I’m not sure if I’ve really read any “artsy” books, but Four Days would probably be closest to it. It’s a descriptive healing journey through New Zealand.

Pigeons, Pigeons Everywhere – An Annoying Character.

Bellini. If you’ve read Stroked you’ll understand why this reality star is on the top of my annoying list.

Red White Blue – Recreate The Dutch Flag Using Books.

And that’s my best attempt at the red, white and blue Dutch flag. (All amazing books, by the way!)

Review: Good in Bed (Jennifer Weiner)

Good in Bed
Series: Cannie Shapiro, #1
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Publication Date: April 2, 2002
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

Synopsis:

For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She’s even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.

But the day she opens up a national women’s magazine and sees the words “Loving a Larger Woman” above her ex-boyfriend’s byline, Cannie is plunged into misery…and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become.


Good in Bed is a book I jumped at reading when NetGalley sent out an email announcing it was available to download for a day or two. I hadn’t read any of Jennifer Weiner’s books before, but I wanted to. It was the perfect opportunity to try out a new-to-me author.

Sadly, Good in Bed didn’t turn out to be the book I was hoping it would be. From the blurb, Good in Bed sounds like an inspirational story. It wasn’t. Well, maybe the last few chapters were, but the rest of it was complete misery.

While I could completely empathize with Cannie and her entire situation, I didn’t like her. Her poor me attitude throughout the entire story put a damper on the book. I also didn’t like the way she treated people. At one point, I actually considered DNFing the book because I didn’t think I could handle anymore of her.

Another thing I wasn’t fond of in Good in Bed was Cannie’s trip to L.A. It seemed too perfect. Everything was just suddenly handed to her. That entire part of the plot felt out-of-place.

What I did love about Good in Bed was Cannie’s entire relationship with Dr. K. The support and friendship he gave Cannie was really cool. I loved the way their relationship grew over time and changed naturally. Dr. K was a great guy. Honestly, Dr. K is one of the reasons I didn’t give this book 2 stars. He saved it in the end for me.

The other reason Good in Bed got 3 stars is Jennifer Weiner’s writing. While I didn’t like Cannie, I was impressed that her moods influenced my moods. I credit that to great writing. It takes great skills to influence how people feel.

Obviously, I didn’t love this book. It ended up being just okay for me. I think it’s one of those “It’s not you, it’s me.” things because I know this is a very popular book.

Review: Scoring the Billionaire (Max Monroe)

Scoring the Billionaire
Series: Billionaire Bad Boys, #3
Author: Max Monroe
Publication Date: October 25, 2016
Publisher: Max Monroe LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Two love-matches made.
One to go.

Even though two of his best friends have settled down, Wes Lancaster is determined not to get sucked into some siren’s web. As owner of the professional football team the New York Mavericks and wildly successful BAD restaurant, his lifestyle is full as it is.

Well, it was, until Winnie Winslow, the new, sexy, stiletto-wearing Team Physician trash-talks him in the locker room without batting an eye.

Now he can’t stop himself from wanting her.

The only girl in her parents’ brood of five, she’s as outspoken as she is beautiful and the kind of woman who holds her own—and then some.

Always competitive at heart, if he’s going all in for love…
Wes sure as hell wants a Win-Win.

Prepare to get a little dirty because this one might go into overtime.
Game. On.


After finishing Banking Her (Billionaire Bad Boys, #2.5) I had to immediately start Scoring the Billionaire. I really, really wanted to know what was going to end up happening between self-professed ladies man Wes and single mom Winnie.

Scoring the Billionaire wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. It didn’t have the same rom-com feeling as the rest of the series. There was still Max Monroe’s great writing, over the top humor and super sexiness, but it had a more serious feel to it. Wes and Winnie had more at stake  in this novel than the characters in the other novels.

Wes has been kind of mystery to me in this series. I knew he was a wealthy ladies man who owned a football team and restaurant, but I had no clue what made him tick. His story went a lot deeper than I expected. Wes had some real commitment issues and getting to know why showed what a decent guy he truly was. Even though I wanted to kill him at times, I loved him. Winnie was an amazing woman. She took the toughest parts of her life and made them the brightest. I empathized with her the entire time and understood her hesitation to have faith in a relationship with Wes.

Together, Wes and Winnie were one hot tamale. Their story may have been heavier than Georgie and Kline’s or Cassie and Thatch’s, but it was just as sensual. Every time they were in the same room I was fanning myself. Their connections was so intense!

I loved Wes and Winnie, but my favorite part of this story was Lexi. I loved her so much! She was just so special. Her character brought so many amazing aspects to Scoring the Billionaire. She made me have faith in Wes when I didn’t want to. She made me love Winnie even more. Lexi completely stole the show!

Even though Scoring the Billionaire wasn’t quite the rom-com the rest of the series was, I still absolutely loved it. I cannot wait to read the last novella in the series, Scoring Her. I’m looking forward to seeing how Max Monroe finishes off this amazing series. Plus, I want more Wes, Winnie, Georgie, Kline, Cassie and Thatch!

Book Tag: The Anonymous Bookaholics

I can’t remember the last time I did a tag, so I’m super excited to have a fun one to share with you. Cristina from My Tiny Obsessions tagged me for The Anonymous Bookaholics Tag. Thanks, Cristina!


WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BUYING NEW BOOKS?

The rush I get when I buy a physical copy of a book is a little insane. I do it so rarely that it’s so much fun. I really try to limit myself on buying books, though. If I start to overflow my bookcase, my husband starts to complain.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU BUY NEW BOOKS?

Honestly, I try not to purchase books too often. I always check the e-book and regular library first. NetGalley is a savior, too.

BOOKSTORE OR ONLINE BOOK SHOPPING – WHICH DO YOU PREFER?

If I’m going to buy a physical copy, it’s more fun to get it from the bookstore. I usually end up ordering them from Amazon due to the cheaper prices, though.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE BOOKSHOP?

20150621_093202[1]

YES! My absolute favorite bookstore is Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon. I’ve been there three times and each time was completely overwhelming. So many floors of books.

DO YOU PRE-ORDER BOOKS?

Only if it’s one of my favorite authors.

DO YOU HAVE A MONTHLY BOOK BUYING LIMIT?

My husband would say yes that it’s zero books. Lol. But no, I don’t. I just try not to buy so many that he’ll notice all of the Kindle charges on the credit card bill.

BOOK BUYING BANS – ARE THEY SOMETHING FOR YOU?

Not really. I just do my best not to buy books unless I have to (ie: new favorite author release or binge reading a series when the library doesn’t have them).

HOW BIG IS YOUR WISHLIST?

I don’t think I can answer that. My TBR expands daily.

Review: Banking Her (Max Monroe)

Banking Her
Series: Bad Boy Billionaires, #2.5
Author: Max Monroe
Publication Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Max Monroe LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

When one Rulebook closes…

Thatch and Cassie have finally found their perfect balance of good and sweet, crazy and playful, and most importantly, hot and insatiable.

But what happens when they’re faced with a surprise neither of them plotted or schemed?

While Cassie seems to be taking everything in stride, Thatch can’t stop himself from worrying about every little thing revolving around the woman he loves.

How does a man handle that kind of anxiety?

Doing the only thing he can to ease his mind without pushing away the woman he loves, Thatch proves that once again, when it comes to him and Cass, you’ll never see what’s coming.

Another Playbook begins…

Wes Lancaster has always followed one guideline for play. He never gets involved with anyone working for his professional football team, the New York Mavericks.

It hasn’t been a hard rule to live by.

Until Winnie Winslow, the new take-no-sh*t team physician.

She’s beautiful, intelligent—and has no problem taking control of every situation.

She pisses him off. She turns him on.

As tension builds and desire heightens, Wes finds himself wondering how much longer he’ll be able to follow his game plan.


Banking Her is a super fun novella that follows Banking the Billionaire in the Billionaire Bad Boys series. You have to read at least that book before reading this one because it continues Cassie and Thatch’s story, as well as beginning Wes and Winnie’s.

Banking Her was a really fun ending to Cassie and Thatch’s story. It made me love this couple even more! Especially Thatch. He was already on the top of my book boyfriend list, but he managed to secure that spot for an even longer time! He’s just so dang sweet — even when he’s being a little creepy! And that’s hard to pull off.

I also loved getting to see Wes and Winnie meet and their attraction start to build. This short novella made me very excited to start Scoring the Billionaire! I think I’m going to have to continue my binge read of this amazingly sexy and funny series!

If you haven’t read this series yet, you need to pick up Tapping the Billionaire and get started! You’re missing out if you don’t!

Reviews: Banking the Billionaire (Max Monroe)

Banking the Billionaire
Series: Billionaire Bad Boys
Author: Max Monroe
Publication Date: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Max Monroe LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Uninhibited. Sarcastic. Confident. Beautiful.
With a thriving photography career that allows her to travel all over the world and capture the hottest of men behind her camera lens, Cassie Phillips is the woman who can’t be tamed.

Adrenaline-junkie. Jokester. Billionaire. Hot-as-sin.
At six-foot-five, with muscles for days, and that perfect playful smile, Thatcher Kelly is the kind of man you don’t want to deny.

Wild for wild.
Prank for prank.
The two most unlikely of people may be the only ones to see that some personality traits only run skin deep.

Uncensored. Hilarious. And too damn hot to put into words.
Grab a fan and get ready for one hell of a ride because when the opposite of opposites attract, things are bound to get a little messy.


I’m really kicking myself for putting off reading Banking the Billionaire for so long. I’ve wanted to read it since I finished both Tapping the Billionaire (Bad Boy Billionaires, #1) and Tapping Her (Bad Boy Billionaires, #1.5), but I got sidetracked with my ever-growing TBR. I’m so happy I was in the mood for a rom-com and downloaded it. BEST. DECISION. EVER.

To give a little series background, Banking the Billionaire is the second book in the Billionaire Bad Boys series. I would highly suggest reading both Tapping the Billionaire and Tapping Her prior to reading this book. The first book introduces the reader to Kline and Georgie. They’re the ones who introduce Cassie and Thatch to each other. The Tapping Her novella “finishes” Kline and Georgia’s story while also giving us a first look at Cassie and Thatch getting to know each other. Both are hilarious and help set up all of the crazy fun that’s to come when Cassie and Thatch fall for each other in Banking the Billionaire.

Banking the Billionaire is probably the funniest rom-com I’ve ever read. It was the perfect mix of crazy characters, hilarious situations, and witty dialog. I laughed out loud more times than I could count. My husband kept shooting me weird looks while I was reading because I kept laughing nonstop while he was watching some suspenseful TV show. I couldn’t help it! It was just so hilarious!

I absolutely adored Cassie and Thatch. Cassie was crazy and outrageous. She would do just about anything to get a rise out of Thatch. She’s definitely someone I would love to have as a best friend. Thatch was just crazy, but also cocky and sweet. He’s currently on top of my book boyfriend list at the moment. They were the perfect match. Both were headstrong, adventure seeking, fun-loving pranksters. They just simply got each other.

Not only was Banking the Billionaire funny, but it was also super sexy. Normally, there are just sexy moments in a book. In Baking the Billionaire those moments were endless. Cassie and Thatch had this amazing chemistry. They were so sexually attracted to each other. Their thoughts constantly revolved around their sinful desires and when they were going to be acted on. And when they got down and dirty, it was off the charts steamy.

I cannot say enough how much I loved Banking the Billionaire. It just so much fun to read. The minute I was done with it, I had to pick up the next novella in the series to get more Cassie and Thatch. I could read about them forever!

If you’re a fan of sexy romantic comedies, you really need to read Banking the Billionaire and the entire Billionaire Bad Boys series. Start at the beginning and enjoy the ride. It’s so worth it!