Tag «Alternate POV Sequel»

Alternate POV Sequel: the inaugural book retold from the other lead’s POV

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Series Review: Sex on the Beach

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Between Us (from Goodreads):
I’m just a girl…

I’m a famous country star who’s spent her life cultivating a good girl persona to avoid bad press, but I’ve reached my limit. I’m going away for spring break with my two best friends from college, and we’ve vowed to spend the vacation seeking out fun in the sun—along with some hot, no-strings-attached sex. The only thing I needed was the perfect guy, and then I met Austin Murphy. He might be totally wrong for me, but the tattooed bad boy is hard to resist. When I’m in his arms, everything just feels right.

And I’m just a guy…

I’m just a bartender who lives in Key West, stuck in an endless cycle of boredom. But then Mackenzie Forbes, America’s Sweetheart herself, comes up to me and looks at me with those bright green eyes…and everything changes. She acts like she’s just a normal girl and I’m just a normal guy, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. My past isn’t pretty, you know. I did what I had to do to survive, and she’d run if she learned the truth about my darkness. But with her, I’m finally realizing what it’s like to be alive. To laugh, live, and be happy.

All good things must come to an end…

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Must Read Author (Jennifer Probst & Jen McLaughlin)
Series: Sex on the Beach
Author: Jen McLaughlin (Between Us); Jennifer Probst (Beyond Me); Jenna Bennett (Before You)
# of Books: 6 (Between Us, Beyond Me, Before You, Losing Us, Chasing Me, Finding You)

There is a spin-off short story called Holding On by Jenna Bennett

Book Order: Connected/Companion and Chronological

The first three books (Between Us, Beyond Me, Before You) take place simultaneously, following three different characters. The last 3 books (Losing Us, Chasing Me, Finding You) are sequels to each of those individual stories.

Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Drama
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Single (Before You); Alternating (Beyond Me; Between Us)
Publication Dates: March 2014 – March 2015
Source & Format: Own–eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

When two of your favourite authors decide to collaborate and create a New Adult series, you can safely assume you are going to get a good read. That’s the case for me with the Sex on the Beach novella series by Jen McLaughlin, fave #1, (Between Us); Jennifer Probst, fave #2, (Beyond Me); Jenna Bennett (Before You).

The Concept / Book order:

The series is a little different from other series out there. Basically, the series is six novellas focusing on one of three best friends when she is on spring break with her other two best friends in Florida. Each author has one character and writes their two respective novellas.

What is really cool about this series is that all the stories overlap. So what is happening to Mackenzie in Between Us is occurring while Carrie and Quinn’s own stories are. Between Us, Beyond Me, and Before You take place during the first spring break while Losing Us, Chasing Me and Finding You are their respective sequels. All the authors do a great job of interweaving all the stories together, having them intersect at various points yet without giving away the other stories.

This means you can technically read these stories in any order or not read one and still get a great experience. But, my suggested reading order is:

Between Us, Beyond Me, Before You, Losing Us, Chasing Me, and Finding You

For me, that series has the best chronological flow, especially with the last 3 books.

The Plot:

Because these are novellas, everything happens at an accelerated paced. But at the same time, I was expecting that considering this series takes place over spring break (which is a week long). So things happen fast but considering the setting and the format, I took that in stride. Normally it would bother me but I really enjoyed it. It could have been really superficial but I felt like it was pretty grounded all considered. You’ll understand why when I get to the romance review.

Beyond Me and Between Us are your typical New Adult romance plot-line (not that that is a bad thing); Before You is more romantic suspense which was exciting albeit very predictable (Finding You had a much stronger plotline I feel like). But what really surprised me was that I felt like I was getting full stories from start to finished. They never felt underdeveloped like most novellas do so it made them very easy and addicting to read.

The Characters:

I liked all the characters we meet. I thought the girls all had their unique personalities which made it fun and enjoyable to read. My least favourite character was probably Cassie from Before You because I just didn’t like her personality or thought process (her story was painfully predictable). However, her sequel book (Finding You) was a lot more intriguing for me and I liked her character more in that book.

The Romance:

Things happened fast but in all cases, I felt like the relationships that were developed did have genuine emotional connections. Sure, they were rushed because of the time constraints but I was satisfied that I could see where things would be going if they had more time together. Which is why I appreciated the follow-up stories. It was nice to see how things developed and how things were worked out several months later.

Series Rating: 4/5

Between Us 4/5 | Beyond Me 4/5| Before You 3/5

Losing Us 4/5 | Chasing Me 3.5/5 | Finding You 4/5

If you want great summer (or spring break reads) that are quick, fun and sexy, this is a great novella series!

Read if You Like: novellas, connected/interweaving stories, new adult
Avoid if You: don’t like insta-love, want a longer story

Girl with Guitar by Caisey Quinn (Kylie Ryans Series #1)
Just a Little Kiss by Renita Pizzitola (Crush Series #1)
Love Game by Emma Hart (Game Series #1)
Gone for You by Jayne Frost (Sixth Street Band Series #1)

Series Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Slammed (from Goodreads):
Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she’s losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: New Favourite Author 2015
Series: Slammed Trilogy
Author: Colleen Hoover
# of Books: 3 (Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl)
Book Order: Chronological but This Girl is an alternate POV of Slammed
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult/New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Drama
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Single

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

Despite finishing Hoover’s other series Hopeless before this one, Slammed was the first book I read by Hoover. When I first picked up Slammed from my library, Hopeless had been sitting on my Kobo for probably 2 years unread. I think it’s vague synopsis and all the hype made me hesitant to read it. But I have always heard really good things about Slammed so when they added new eBooks at my library and this series was one, I made sure I was near the top of that holds list. (Afterwards, it encouraged me to pick up Hopeless and I am so thankful that I did!)

My Review:

Slammed started out like any other Young Adult/New Adult where the lead moves to a new town after the death of a parent. Enter the angst-driven heroine and the cute boy who notices her right away and you’ve got the basis of many New Adult novels out there. But this book is nothing like those other books and it quickly sets itself apart through its characters, plot lines and poetry.

Layken is angsty–but not in annoying way. Obviously she is upset about what has happened to her family and it shows. I don’t think anyone can blame her for feeling and thinking the way she does. So this is well-done (read: valid reasons for) angst and I wish all authors did angst like this. However, she isn’t my favourite heroine ever. Her stubbornness bothered me a bit and because I didn’t love her, it stopped me from giving Slammed a 5/5. Will is a great character though: he had me smiling and charmed from the minute we meet him. And I loved watching them together because it was more than a physical attraction that drew them together and I could see why they liked each other. Despite not loving Layken, I really did feel like they were a good pair.

Then comes the “shocking revelation” and it really was shocking! I had no idea what was going to happen and when it did, my attention was grabbed. It’s not often that I get surprised by a plot line: so when I do, the book gets major points and this one does for sure!

As for the poetry aspect, like most people (in my classes at least) it was my least favourite subject in English. That definitely changed when I got to university and studied English and read a variety of poems. I don’t like writing poems but I don’t mind reading them. However, Slam Poetry is something that I have no experience with–just those clichéd bits on sitcoms and I watched a YouTube video one time of a Dad’s message “To the Boys Who One Day May Date My Daughter” (it’s really well done!). Reading this book almost made me wish that I was listening to the audio books because it would really add to the reading experience–though it really isn’t necessary as Hoover bolds/italicizes words so you get the gist of how it would be performed. So while poetry really isn’t my thing, it was refreshing to read (I find most people choose music lyrics instead of poetry) and added to the story in a way I didn’t expect.

I didn’t really think Point of Retreat was a necessary sequel per say, but it sure was icing on top of an already awesome cake. I really felt like Point of Retreat tied up some loose ends from Slammed that weren’t necessarily left dangling but it was nice to have them neatly wrapped up nonetheless. Of course there was a great twist along the way that I didn’t see coming (I should honestly know better by now).

What I love about Hoover’s work is that she doesn’t stretch out her character’s stories by publishing more books than necessary. Two, plus an alternate retelling is the perfect amount for this series. It might be tempting to read This Girl right after Point of Retreat or even congruently with Slammed but I wouldn’t. It actually chronologically follows the events of Point of Retreat and is told like as flashbacks to the past (ie Slammed). So read it as if it were a Book 3 or else you read major spoilers 🙂

(Though I enjoyed reading This Girl and appreciated how it told a different side of the story and provided some insight into Slammed‘s events, it was a little nauseating to read. You know, like that couple that is overly in love and always shows it? It was kinda like reading that at times. BUT, I enjoyed reading it and thought it was a great way to wrap up the series).

Rating: 4/5

It may not be my favourite YA to New Adult series ever but I loved every minute I spent reading these books! They are just so well done with touching characters, amazing plot twists, poetry and great messages about family and love. I laughed, I cried and I smiled throughout the entire series. I will definitely be picking up anything and everything by Colleen Hoover in the future!

Charade by Nyrae Dawn (Game Series #1)
Someone to Love by Addison Moore (Someone to Love Series #1)
On Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #2)

Series Review: Rosemary Beach by Abbi Glines

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

book book2 book book

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Favourite New Adult Series, Favourite Author
Series: Rosemary Beach + Too Far; Perfection; Chances Series
Author: Abbi Glines
# of Books: 14 (See All Books + Reading Order Here)

There are also a number of novellas. See the reading order and list here.

Book Order: Chronological but connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Drama, Contemporary
Heat Rating: hot
Point of View: First Person, Single (The Too Far Series), Alternating (Twisted Perfection onwards)
Publication Dates: December 2012 – ongoing
Source & Format: Own–eBooks + Public Library–eBooks & Paperbacks

I decided to create one homepage for this series because I realized that there are quite a few more books that are going to be published (yay!) in this series that are technically classified as “Rosemary Beach” and not by a spin-off series title.
That being said…

This review post will begin to review books 9+ in the Rosemary Beach Series (so anything after You Were Mine). If you have not read books 1-8 this page may have some spoilers.

Read reviews for books 1-4 (Too Far Series) here

Read reviews for books 5-6 (Perfection Series) here

Read reviews for books 7-8 (Chances Series) here

Alrighty, now that that is all out of the way…

–December 17, 2014– Book 9: You Were Mine

You Were Mine is probably a novel that readers of the series have been waiting for since Fallen too Far–I know I have. And my anticipation for this book increased incrementally after Simple Perfection and the CRAZY twist we get. And after reading it, I have to say that it is the perfect answer to all fans’ wants. Thankfully, the story isn’t dragged out into two books and sticks to the one. It’s heart-breaking, sweet and just a great addition to the series.

–April 22, 2015– Book 10: When I’m Gone

I walked through rain, hail and sunshine to get When You’re Gone–I’m not lying! We had the weirdest weather when I left to go pick this book up! So despite it being in the thick of exams AND already having 2 books on the go, I finished this book in day. It was really addicting because it was a such a sweet romance! I loved Reese’s story and how she was trying to find herself after years of abuse and working with her learning disorder. And her hero (I don’t want to give away exactly who he is for those not yet reading the series) was the perfect compliment for her. Though I don’t love the alpha male tendencies it wasn’t overwhelming and he really did let her work through her issues on her own when it came down to it. Of course, there were some dramatics but they weren’t anything new (ie unexpected) to the series–it’s your regular antics but it was still fun to read! I’m looking forward to their story wrap up in the next book, When You’re Back.

–August 1, 2015– Book 11: When You’re Back

When You’re Back has to be my least favourite book in the series. I was expecting a completely different plotline with this book given how the previous book ended

–one that emphasized character growth and not just jealous inducing situations. I’m tired of sequel books where the leads are the most desirable people in the world that everyone wants to bang, regardless of the fact that they are in a committed relationship with someone. Because when that is the case, the leads to communicate and the entire plotline becomes something that could have been prevented if they had just SAID THEIR FEELINGS!

I just felt like this book went in the wrong direction. I felt like I had been there, done that with this book so I was really disappointed in it. It was a good bridge for the next two books–and I will admit there was one great twist–but overall, it was sub-par at best.

–January 23, 2016– Book 12: The Perfect Goodbye

I was really curious to see what would be in store Captain in this book. He definitely isn’t a favourite character of mine but the bits and pieces I knew about him had me more than a little anxious to see what Abbi had in store for him.

I have to say that I enjoyed this book a lot more than When You’re Back. The execution and flow was simply much stronger than the previous instalment. I liked the back story we got for each character and how it made me love their characters even more. They were also stronger characters individually can while I found myself frustrated with them at times, knowing their past and what was happening, I found it easier to understand and look past it.

However, I thought the ending was rushed. Everything wrapped up too quickly but at the same time, I’m glad it won’t be dragged into a sequel book. At the same time, I made me excited for the very last novel, Up in Flames by dropping a few little hints…I can’t wait for this grand finale!

–August 11, 2016– Book 13: Up in Flames

The grande finale is here! I’ve been waiting for this story since book 1…and it wasn’t entirely what I was expecting.

I gotta give Glines credit here: this story is unlike anything else we’ve seen in this series. It’s perhaps a bit of a risk but it kept me curious to see how everything would fall into place. I’ve found the last few novels to be very similar to each other, and while enjoyable, I wasn’t overly impressed.

But this one was different. It grew on me as I read and I got into the story more and more. And by the end, it had won me over.

I dunno how else you could have concluded this story–and this series–but Glines does a great job! I’m going to miss this series!

Series Rating: 4/5

One the best and one of my personal favourite New Adult Series. Full of swoon-worthy guys, drama and great heroines–a must read for any New Adult fan!

Read if You Like: soap opera like drama, hot new adult romances
Avoid if You: don’t like some alpha male tendencies, new adult novels

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young (On Dublin Street Series #1)
Rule by Jay Crownover (Marked Men Series #1)
One Week Girlfriend (One Week Girlfriend Series #1)
Dirty Secrets by Emma Hart (The Burke Brothers Series #1)

Synopsis of Fallen too Far (from Goodreads.com):
To want what you’re not supposed to have…

She is only nineteen.

She is his new stepfather’s daughter.

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother.

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

Series Review: Wanted by Amanda Lance

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Wanted (from Goodreads):

Considering she’s a girl who calculates everything, Addie Battes knew the statistical probability of being abducted in her lifetime—too bad she never analyzed the odds of falling in love with her captor.

While stopping at a crowded rest area one summer night, seventeen-year-old Addie accidentally catches a truck hijacking in progress. Desperate to rid the crime of its only witness, one of the thieves kidnaps Addie. Yet surprisingly, when a renegade thief attempts to silence her for good, Addie is saved by the very man who abducted her. Now, forced on board a cargo ship in the middle of the ocean, Addie finds herself surrounded by international smugglers who want nothing more than to throw her overboard.

All except the artistic and intriguing Charlie Hays, whose strange protectiveness convinces Addie to trust him, even when common sense tells her otherwise. Yet, despite her doubt, and his unrelenting temper, their relationship develops into something much more. But, Charlie’s scorned colleague has stowed away, and as he seeks revenge against his coworker, Addie and Charlie are forced to put their new love—and lives—at risk.

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Favourite Freebie Series 2014
Series: Wanted
Author: Amanda Lance
# of Books: 2 (Wanted, Conviction)

The book, Outlaw, is Wanted retold from Charlie’s POV

Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Dark, Crime, Suspense
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: April 2013 – October 2013
Source & Format: Own–eBook

Why I Picked It Up?

One of my favourite books is a novel called Stolen by Lucy Christopher. It’s about a girl who gets abducted by a boy and the novel is told as a letter to her captor. It was so intriguing and unlike anything I have ever read and it’s always in the back of my mind. So when I saw the premise for Wanted one day when browsing the free bestseller’s list on Amazon, I immediately grabbed it (and eventually its sequel when it was available for free as well).

My Review:

I’ve read a lot of crappy free books but this wasn’t one of them. The writing was well done (though it would be nice to have some page breaks when things change to keep things straight) and Ms. Lance does a great job describing the scene and how Addie is feeling. I really liked Addie as a character and I enjoyed the rest of the cast as well.

I was worried about the romance between Addie and Charlie but I have to say it really grew on me. I saw their connection and liked how they interacted. But, I didn’t like how quickly everything happens (but I’m not surprised because it is an extreme situation and things always escalate quickly in those situations) and the age difference between them. Addie is extremely mature for her age (even before the whole abduction thing) but she is only 17 and I think I would have had an easier time with things if she was 19 years old instead.

I was excited to see where Conviction was going to go and I quickly dove into it. I didn’t love it as much as I liked Wanted but I did enjoy it. I just didn’t find it as exciting and suspenseful but it does pick up near the end. And while I was more accepting of their relationship in Wanted, I found myself a little uncomfortable with their relationship now. The inner psychologist in me found a few things unsettling and I just didn’t like Addie as much as I used to. But, don’t let that discourage you from reading the series because it does compliment the story well.

I will be picking up Outlaw because I’m intrigued to read why Charlie does what he does in Wanted so I’m looking forward to that.

–August 24, 2018– Book #1.5: Outlaw

**I stopped reading at 30% (middle of Chapter 6)**

It’s been a long time since I read the full novels in the series but I find that usually doesn’t matter for an alternative POV sequel. And that was the case here for the most part–only I’m not sure how much of this material was new vs rehashed.

The reason I DNF’d this though was that it was awfully repetitive within itself. Charlie runs the same inner monologue for the first quarter of this book and there is very little interaction with Addie. Charlie’s POV is exactly what I imagined it would be (slang, grammatical errors) but it was also hard to read for an extended time.

Series Rating: 3.5/5

Wanted 4/5 | [Outlaw DNF] | Conviction 3/5

This series isn’t for everyone and I think a lot of people will have a hard time accepting the relationship between Charlie and Addie. It isn’t the normal everyday relationship between a heroine and a hero and that is why I liked it, but I know others won’t.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Addicted to Him by Lauren Dodd

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Series Review: Contours of the Heart by Tammara Webber

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Easy by Tammara Webber | Contours of the Heart Series

Other books in the series:

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Favourite New Adult Read 2014 (Easy)
Series: Contours of the Heart
Author: Tammara Webber
# of Books: 4 (Easy, Breakable, Sweet, Brave)
Book Order: Overlapping + Connected

(Breakable is a prequel to Easy but is also an alternative POV of Easy); Sweet & Brave is Connected

Complete?: No, Brave, will be published in the near future
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mature Subject Matter
Heat Rating: very warm
Point of View: First Person, Single

Thoughts:

**This post was originally posted as a Fresh Friday review of the first book of the series. It has now been updated to include the newest publications in the series.**

Easy is one of these New Adult reads that seems to be everywhere. I see it all the time I log into Kobo and all of my friends on Goodreads have read it and rated it very high so my curiosity was peaked. I wasn’t a fan of the vague synopsis but when my library got a digital copy of it, I grabbed it right away.

I’m glad I did–this book was great! It was a good blend of romance and cuteness but it also had some very intense moments that I thought were handled extremely well when compared to other reads of the genre.

I feel like I should mention that one of the main topics in this book is sexual assault and in particular, rape. I know that this makes a lot of people uncomfortable but it is a fact of everyday life that this occurs throughout the world. The opening chapter of the book describes Jackie’s assault and it was very hard to read and get past. So be prepared that this may strike a cord with you. Nothing is graphically described but you can easily get a clear picture of what is happening to her.

I know it will also probably upset some people regarding how Jackie handles the situation but I also found it to be realistic. There are some facts at the end of the book that capture the realism surrounding this topic. So while I personally don’t support her way of dealing with the problem, I could understand why someone would choose to follow that course of action and I tried to not let that dampen my respect or like for her.

Reading this book reminded me a lot of Veronica Mars’ third season–just without the funny wit and mystery solving. But both the book and the 3rd season deal with rapes and the Greek university system so I was used to this subject matter in these settings.

There is one part of this book that is very predictable–like I called it within reading the single sentence but I enjoyed watching everything unfolded despite that. I really felt the connection between the two of them and thought they were a good match for each other so I am happy on the romance front.

Breakable is described as a prequel and alternative retelling of Easy. DON’T read the synopsis unless you have read the book because it will be a spoiler. I’m really excited to read it because I feel like it will add another dimension to the story told in Easy.

UPDATED (Oct 5/14): I just finished Breakable and I have to say it was fantastic! It was everything I thought it would be. I was great getting the other side to this story and learning about this particular character’s past. Although it was pretty long (it’s 50 pages longer than Easy but it is longer than the average New Adult read) I never felt bored or dragged on. The flipping back and forth from the past to the current really drew me in, despite the fact that I already knew what was happening in the current since I read Easy. Just very well done and fans of Easy will love this hands down!

~~Although nothing appears to be planned for other books in this series,~~ on Tammara’s website she has stated that Breakable is last we will see of Jacqueline’s story. However, she might write about other characters in the series. I personally hope that this will be the case because I really want to read about a particular childhood friend of the hero’s sometime in the future 😉 And it looks like I got my wish with the announcement of Sweet, set to be released April 2015!

Conclusion:

For people who don’t enjoy reading about more mature subject matter like sexual assault, you probably won’t enjoy parts of this book. But those who like realistic New Adult reads will like Easy so I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5/5

Similar Reads: Wait for You… by J. Lynn (Wait for You… #1) and Someone to Love by Addison Moore (Someone to Love #1)

Synopsis for Easy (from Goodreads):
Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl’s struggle to regain the trust she’s lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

Series Review: Fall Away Penelope Douglas

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Bully (from Goodreads):
My name is Tate. He doesn’t call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all.

We’re neighbors, and once, we were best friends. But then, one summer, he turned on me and has made it his mission to screw up my life at every opportunity. I’ve been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to hide from him. I worried about what was around every corner and behind every door.

So I left.

I spent a year studying abroad and bathed in the freedom of life without Jared. Now I’m back to finish up high school and get the hell out of here forever. I’m hoping that after a year of breathing room, he’s moved on and forgotten all about me.

But even if he hasn’t changed, I have. I’m not interested in avoiding him or turning the other cheek anymore. We’re going to go head to head, because neither of us wants to back down

Series: Fall Away Trilogy
Author: Penelope Douglas
# of Books: 5 (Bully, Until You, Rival, Falling Away, Aflame)

Until You is Jared’s POV companion to Bully.

There are some novellas in between the novels. Full list here

Book Order: Connected but Chronological

Bully, Until You and Aflame follow Jared and Tate’s story; Rival and Falling Away focus on different characters. However, they all follow a chronological order of events.

Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Drama, Contemporary, Dark
Heat Rating: getting Hot
Point of View: First Person (Single POV for Bully & Until You; but Alternate for Rival, Falling Away & Aflame)
Publication Dates: February 2014 – April 2015
Source & Format: Own–eBook

**This post was originally posted as a Fresh Friday review of the first book of the series. It has now been updated to include the newest publications in the series.**

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

When I read the synopsis for Bully, I flashed back to my memories of elementary school. The whole idea that boys show that they like you by teasing you. Casual “teasing” is one thing but bullying is another–so while I had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen in this book, I was curious to see what else was at play.

The Plot:

While I found the romance of the book to be predictable, I did enjoy the ride we take getting there. I didn’t find it boring to read because there are some interesting events that happen and make the book more entertaining. I also found it to be pretty mature considering I went into the book thinking about elementary school romances. There isn’t really anything “elementary” about Tate and Jared’s relationship.

The Characters:

Tate is a strong female character and I’m glad that she develops some backbone as the story progresses. However, I often found that she was trying a little too hard to be tough, so it came across as a little over the top. I also didn’t like how easily she was falling in love with Jared. Given their past, I understood where the feelings were coming from but if I was in her shoes, let me tell you that he would have had to work a lot harder to get back into my good graces.

I think what would have helped me get a better grasp on their relationship is getting Jared’s POV as the events unfold. I’m so used to New Adult readings alternating POV between characters that I almost get disappointed when I don’t get both. Fortunately, Until You is Jared’s POV. ~~I haven’t read it yet, but I am really excited to because I’m hoping to get some more insight into this mysterious character.~~

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I’m really excited to read Rival. It seems like it is going to be really refreshing and Madoc seems like a really interesting character to me. Falling Away also seems really interesting so I will definitely be keeping my eye out for the rest of the series.

–October 25, 2014– Book #1.5: Until You

I finally managed to read Until You and it was everything I wanted to know about Jared. It was the perfect companion novel for Bully. I loved that it wasn’t just a retelling of Bully. It started a little before and ended a little after Bully but the events weren’t just regurgitated for the sake of creating another novel. It was extremely well done and fans of Bully will love reading Until You. I highly recommend that you read it after Bully but before Rival in order to get a fuller reading experience with all the characters.

–October 25, 2014– Book #2: Rival

Rival though, is my favourite of the series! I read it in one sitting and got so sucked into the story. It was packed full of drama and I loved Madoc and Fallon as characters. I enjoyed their relationship a lot more than Jared and Tate’s in Bully (but reading Until You warmed me up to them more). However, I was a little worried at the start of Rival given their past relationship. But as the book progressed, I was rooting for them all the way. I think it helped that we got both characters POV throughout the novel so you got a better grasp on each of them.

I am super excited for Falling Away and have been since I read Until You and figured out which characters were next.

–February 21, 2015– Book #3: Falling Away

Have you ever finished a book where you can’t determine how you actually feel about it? I’m not talking about indifference or the “meh” factor (as I like to call it) where it was just so-so and nothing all that exciting. I’m talking about a book that had its great moments but had not-so-great moments in between–leaving you happy but disappointed all at once? I give those books the “mixed feelings” tag on Goodreads and I create that tag for this book specifically.

I went into this book with high anticipation because I’ve been waiting for this couple since the first book. So I was a little disappointed that this book takes place a few years later but I let it slide because it probably was for the best.

But when I actually saw them together I had to double check I wasn’t rereading Bully because parts felt like a regurgitation of the first book. The heroine seemed super immature despite being 20 and the hero gave me the creeps a bit because he was a little too alpha. Which often made me feel like the relationship bordered on the unhealthy side of things. It was just that the intensity of their relationship, especially when they really had limited interaction before this book, was a little too extreme for me and it made me uncomfortable to read about. Which is why I had mixed feelings: sometimes I loved the couple together (they did have great chemistry) but other times the angst was just too much for me to take.

I also felt like there were too many things going on with these characters lives. Now, I like a lot of things happening in books and I understand that people lead complicated lives but this just seemed a little excessive to me. It kinda felt like the author decided to pile as much tragedy/drama into these character’s lives as possible and it was overwhelming. I really felt like this book was 50 (ebook) pages too long and I would have enjoyed it more without the super packed character pasts.

I’m not sure how I feel about Aflame. I really don’t think it is necessary but I will read it just to finish off the series.

–June 14, 2015– Book #4: Aflame

I was adequately warned about Aflame going into it thanks to the comments below. not that I had high expectations for it before I was told, but I think it helped me be prepared for what I was going to read.

I have mixed feelings about Aflame because I can appreciate what the author was trying to convey (young people make rash decisions). But I felt like Tate and Jared were thrown into a situations that would cause the most drama even if it wasn’t the most logical; and I found that to be frustrating because there really was no reason for the plotline we get. It also made me realize how immature and reckless these two are and how unhealthy their relationship is. I really hope young people reading this series realize this isn’t what a healthy relationship looks like.

Series Rating: 3/5

Bully 4/5 | [Until You] 4/5 | Rival 5/5 | Falling Away 3/5 | Aflame 3/5

This series takes your classic romance story and puts a darker spin on it. I’ve read a lot of New Adult novels but this series standouts because of the relationship between the characters. The classic “dark secret past” isn’t some random event that happened before the characters met their partner–it happened with their partner so the relationship dynamic is completely different. So if you enjoy darker high school/new adult romances, this is a great read to pick up! But it does lose its lustre as the series progresses and the relationships border on the unhealthy.

Always by Ellery Rhodes (Always #1)
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (Pushing the Limits Series #1)
More Than This by Jay McLean (More Series #1)
Fall from India Place by Samantha Young (On Dublin Street Series #4)

Series Review: Sweet by Wendy Higgins

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Sweet Evil (from Goodreads):

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Best Reads of 2013, Sad to See Go Series 2014
Series: Sweet Trilogy
Author: Wendy Higgins
# of Books: 3 (Sweet Evil, Sweet Peril, Sweet Reckoning)

There is a Book #4: Sweet Temptation. It is an Alternate POV Novel to the series

Book Order: Chronological (Alternate POV: Sweet Temptation)
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Angels, Romance, Paranormal
Heat Rating: really warm *spicy YA*
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: May 2012 – September 2015
Source & Format: Public Library–eBook

My Expectations:

When my library finally got these books in, I jumped for joy! Being a student, I can’t afford to buy every book that I desperately want to read (which is a lot if you could see the list I have) so I wait and wait until the library gets it. Thankfully, with eBook collections, the libraries my way seem to be getting more and more books at a faster rate and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Despite being really excited to read Sweet Evil, I was also really hesitant. Normally, I enjoy angel-themed young adult books but lately, I have read a few “duds” that seem to be rehashes of other books I have already read. However, after reading the summary for Sweet Evil, I was intrigued by the plot but I wasn’t sure what else to expect.

The Concept:

I have to say, Sweet Evil kind of blew me away! I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did and I literally devoured it in a day. Overall, the book was refreshing when it could have been very stale. The concept of Nephilim who have to do bad things was really neat and it kept me interested in what was happening. The world of guardian angels, demons and Nephilim was straightforward so it was easy to understand but had enough to it that kept me reading.

The Plot:

Each book starts a little slow but it isn’t long before you find yourself enraptured with the characters, plot and world. New twists and secrets are revealed as you go and help add to the story. By the time I was halfway through, I couldn’t put these books down!

I will say that the finale wasn’t as action packed as I had anticipated but it does a great job of bringing the series to a close so I can’t complain all that much!

The Characters:

I also genuinely liked Anna. It could have been really iffy because totally “virtuous” characters can get very annoying, very fast but I liked seeing her struggle with her true nature and feelings. I really admired and respected her when all was said and done which was great. I went into Sweet Peril (#2) with the worry that I would end up hating Anna by the end of it due to her “good-girl” character but I find she has enough relateable flaws that I only ended up loving her character more

The Romance:

And I really liked the relationship between Anna and Kaiden and how it develops throughout the story. To be truthful, I really love that relationship and it is a major reason why I loved these books so much.

–March 3, 2018– Book #4: Sweet Temptation DNF’d at 35%

Unfortunately, due to time constraints I had to DNF this book. I was enjoying getting Kaidan’s POV a lot. He’s one of my favourite male characters in YA ever. So it was cool to reminisce with him and see his perspective on the events of the previous novels.

That being said, I would have enjoyed this novel a lot more if I read it right after reading the original trilogy. It doesn’t get overly descriptive in terms of events and therefore it relies on the readers ability to remember what happened in the original novels. It’s been so long for me that I’m a little foggy on all the details (though I could have read this recap before) so I probably didn’t enjoy it (or appreciate it) as much as I could have. So I highly recommend reading Sweet Temptation right after finishing Sweet Reckoning.

Series Rating: 4/5

Sweet Evil 5/5 | Sweet Peril 4/5| Sweet Reckoning 4/5 | Sweet Temptation DNF

One of the best Young Adult series I have read in a long time. It isn’t a fluffy, teen soap-opera read. It’s a touch darker, a touch steamier and much more mature than most Young Adult reads out there. While it isn’t a fighting action-packed story, it has enough action and events at a great pace that entice you to keep reading. Filled with a great romance, awesome characters and a unique plotline, this is a must-read series for fans of paranormal YA reads! Be prepared to spend all day reading these!

Read if You Like: older YA stories, angels, romance
Avoid if You: dislike YA paranormal

Angel (Burn) by L.A. Weatherly (Angel Trilogy, #1)
A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies (A Beautiful Dark Trilogy, #1)

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Series Review: Taking Chances by Molly McAdams

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Taking Chances (from Goodreads):
Her first year away is turning out to be nearly perfect, but one weekend of giving in to heated passion will change everything.

Eighteen-year-old Harper has grown up under the thumb of her career marine father. Ready to live life her own way and to experience things she’s only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father’s unit, she’s on her way to college at San Diego State University.

Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family, and emotions. She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with both her new boyfriend, Brandon, and her roommate’s brother, Chase. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both men adore Harper and would do anything for her, including taking a step back if it would mean she’d be happy.

Series: Taking Chances
Author: Molly McAdams
# of Books: 3 (Taking Chances, Stealing Harper, Trusting Liam)
Book Order: Connected

Stealing Harper is an alternate retelling of Taking Chances. Trusting Liam is a sequel to Taking Chances with a different set of leads.

Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Love Triangles
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: October 2012 – June 2015
Source & Format: Public Library–eBook

PLEASE NOTE: That I have decided not to continue on with the series. Read my rant why below…

I won’t lie, I went into reading Taking Chances with low expectations. As you may or may not know from reading my other posts, I seriously dislike love triangles in novels and because the entire premise of this book is based on a love triangle, I didn’t expect much. The only reason I was even convinced to read this book was because of the high Goodreads rating and some reviews I found on the site.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book overall–I guess “meh” is probably the best word. Harper annoys the bejesus out of me–that much I know. I can get past the innocent military brat routine–that makes sense to me because of how her family life is described in the novel–but otherwise I just don’t get her.

What I don’t get is how or why all the sudden men are trying to get with her?!

It’s like one instance she is some normal girl and then BAM! Total boy magnet! She’s in college for one week and suddenly she has two alpha males banging down her door to get with her. She doesn’t even have to speak to the one and he is at her feet! I tell you, if my college experience was anything like that, I wouldn’t be blogging or spending so much time reading my novels and watching TV…by myself! I’m not sure why this bothered me so much as it is a common occurrence in New Adult reads; but I think it is mostly because I just don’t get Harper’s appeal to the opposite sex.

My biggest peeve is with Chase–he literally talks (“talks” is being generous, more like they take jabs at each other) to her for two minutes and he falls instantly in love with her. And not just, “I have to sleep with you” love, like soul mate-your-my-one-and-only love. I will say though that they do develop an actual relationship after a little while so that helps a bit but not by much.

But wait! Let’s not forget the token male BFF who has always loved her and desperately wants to be with her! Yup, that is right, it isn’t just a love triangle but a love square–UGH! Completely unnecessary and predictable.

I just don’t get love triangles and how Harper deals with Chase, despite her feelings and relationship with Brandon baffles me–it’s like the elevator doesn’t reach the top floor for her. I just didn’t see how the dots connected for her and how one minute she could be incredibly immature and then in the next be spewing mature lessons on life.

What isn’t predictable is the one plot twist we get about a halfway through the book. I was so shocked, I had to reread the last five pages to make sure I didn’t skip a chapter. I applaud McAdams for taking that turn, but what I didn’t like were all the actions that followed.

BUT, enough of my rant 😛 Overall, the book was slow and I think it could have lost about 50 pages and got the point across. There were a few grammatical errors (such as incorrect tenses) but nothing to rip your hair out over.

Stealing Harper is a retelling of Taking Chances, but told from Chase’s view. I will read it when my hold comes in from the library as I am curious and hoping for some more insight about what makes Harper this amazing girl, but I am not counting down the days until I get it.

~~I will update my review once I read it.~~

Since posting this review, I have decided not to continue on with this series and will therefore not be reading the remaining novels in the series.

Series Rating: 2/5

Taking Chances 2/5 | [Stealing Harper] N/A | Trusting Liam N/A

I wasn’t expecting to like this book, so I am not surprised that I didn’t. I can appreciate some of the twists McAdams throw out there, the book just didn’t do much for me. Avoid if you hate love triangles, but pick it up if you do!

Read if You Like: slower stories, world-building, alternate dimensions
Avoid if You: dislike slow stories, want more romance

Torn by K.A. Robinson (Torn Series, #1)

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Series Review: Wait for You by J. Lynn

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Wait for You by J. Lynn | Wait for You Series

Synopsis for Wait for You (from Goodreads):

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for…

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Must Read Author
Series: Wait for You
Author: J. Lynn (aka Jennifer L. Armentrout)
# of Books: 6 (Full List Here)

There are also novellas. Find the full reading order here.

Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mature Subject Matter
Heat Rating: hot
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: Februrary 2013 – November 2016
Source & Format: Own–eBook

**This post was originally posted as a Fresh Friday review of the first book of the series. It has now been updated to include the newest publications in the series.**

Why I Picked It Up / My Expectations:

Jennifer L. Armentrout is a must read author for me. I’ve loved her paranormal Young Adult reads so I was stoked when I learned she was writing a New Adult book.

My Thoughts on Wait for You:

I read Wait For You when I was in a New Adult genre obsession phase (ie, I was basically reading only New Adult books for a solid two weeks) and it came out as one of my favourite reads.

The relationship between Cameron and Avery was great. I really liked both of them as characters and I could see their connection. I liked that both had issues to work through but they did so in a healthy way. I can’t stress how important the “healthy” bit is to me because sometimes I feel like books give people the idea it is completely normal to have crazy-passion filled and often obsessive relationships–especially in a genre that is attempting to be “realistic”–I just think it is important to remember it is fiction and most relationships in real life are not like that. Luckily, that isn’t the case here so I digress 😉

But I do have to say this book does a great job handling the subject matter that it brings up. This part was handled in an extremely mature way and isn’t something that is discussed often in New Adult reads. I also felt like it was realistic in how the characters deal with it and feel so I really respect that about this book–so kudos!

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I’m really excited to read the next book and even though it isn’t a direct sequel of Avery’s story, I have enough clues from this book to get me excited for the sequel!

–July 15, 2018– Book #1.5: Trust In Me

Clearly it has been 5 years since I read the first book in the series and my thoughts on Armentrout’s work greatly differ now. I find her writing to be formulaic now but I did remember enjoying this book and how refreshing it was to her other works so I was optimistic going into this.

Considering this is an Alternate POV retelling of Wait for You, this was the perfect way to reorient myself with this series. Somewhere in my head I labelled this as a novella–it’s not, it’s a full blown novel. Which is fine, but it wasn’t the quicker read I was expecting.

Since it has been 5 years since I read the first book, I don’t know how much is repeat and rehashing vs how much is fresh material. But when I was halfway through, I found myself getting bored because I did know how it all ended. Perhaps, I would have gotten more out of this if I read it closer to Wait For You or even alternated chapters? Or maybe I just got bored of Cam? I think I liked him as a bit more of a mystery personally and spending that much time in his head didn’t do it for me.

–September 4, 2018– Book #2: Be With Me

**DNF’d at 30% (start of Chapter 10)**

This is just so boring! Nothing really new here. And I don’t feel the chemistry between these two at all–which is a shame because I felt it in the other book. Maybe if we had Jase’s POV I wouldn’t feel that way? Also, the lack of maturity (from both leads) is irking me. I do like the about violence against women aspect but I wish it was elaborated on more.

This is where I part ways with this series…

Series Rating: DNF

Wait for You 4/5 | [Trust in Me 3/5] | Be With Me DNF

When I read the first novel 5 years ago, it was one of the first in the NA genre and I was a pretty loyal JLA fan. But I’ve grown tired of her formulaic writing over the years and I’ve frankly read a lot more impressive novels in this genre since so I’m not going out of my way to recommend this series to anyone except diehard JLA fans.

Read if You Like: mature subject matter, new adult romance
Avoid if You: a lighter read, dislike JLA’s writing style