Tag «rich girl»

Series Review: Broke and Beautiful by Tessa Bailey

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 Chase Me (from Goodreads):

College drop-out, Roxy Cumberland, moved to New York with dreams of becoming an actress, but her dwindling bank account is quickly putting the kibosh on that fantasy. To make some quick cash, she signs up to perform singing telegrams. Her first customer is a gorgeous, cocky Manhattan trust-funder if she ever laid eyes on one. And what could be more humiliating than singing an ode to his junk, courtesy of his last one night stand? Maybe the fact that she’s dressed in a giant, pink bunny costume…

After a night out to celebrate winning his last case, lawyer Louis McNally II isn’t prepared for the pounding in his head or the rabbit serenading him from the front door. But the sassy wit and sexy voice of the girl behind the mask intrigues him, and one look at her stunning face—followed by a mind-blowing kiss against his doorjamb—leaves Louis wanting more.

Roxy doesn’t need a spoiled rich boy who’s had everything in life handed to him on a Tiffany platter. But there’s more to Louis than his sexy surface and he’s determined to make Roxy see it…even if it means chasing her all over NYC.

Series: Broke and Beautiful
Author: Tessa Bailey
# of Books: 3 (Chase Me, Need Me, Make Me)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Humour
Heat Rating: Hot (Kink: mild in Need Me and Make Me)
Point of View: Third Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: March 2015 – August 2015
Source & Format: Public Library–eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I had Chase Me marked on my library wishlist for a long time and when my library card was expiring, I decided that this was one of the “new” series I was going to binge read before I lost access. The premise seemed fun and I’m always up for a lighter New Adult read.

The Plot:

The plot in these books is all about the chase (pun intended?) and the obstacles these couples face as they try to make their seemingly impossible relationship(s) work. Sometimes these books get a little too caught up in the back-and-forth of it all (Make Me #3 for example) but I still enjoyed the story. They get into a lot of hi-jinks along the way thanks to their unique personalities and circumstances so I always found each book was a refreshing story to me.

The Characters:

I really liked all the characters. As I said above, they were each unique and not carbon copies of each other.

I will say that I didn’t like our hero in Make Me as much as I had anticipated. It’s not that I didn’t like him, I just didn’t expect one of his character traits and that threw me off a bit. I actually read Make Me (#3) before Need Me (#2) as was the order I got them from the library. Had I read Need Me first, I probably would have known what to expect a little more but I still really liked him as a hero when it’s all said and done.

The Romance:

While all these couples had great romantic tension and chemistry, I feel like we only scratched the surface of their relationship. The stories are kept light, fun and flirty so we don’t get more than your necessary amount of soul baring from each character. So while I could see the basis of their relationships forming, they fall quick and hard solely based on a few interactions and not much else.

Series Rating: 4/5

Chase Me 4/5 | Need Me 4/5 | Make Me 3.5/5

This series is perfect for fans who want some lighter New Adult romances with plenty of laughs and steam!

Read if You Like: new adult romances, humours contemporary
Avoid if You: want deeper characters

Caught Up in Us by Lauren Blakely (Caught Up in Love Series #1)
Losing It by Cora Carmack (Losing It Trilogy #1)
Shame by Rachel Van Dyken (Ruin Trilogy #3)
Until We Break by Jamie Howard

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Single Sundays: Perfect Betrayal by Season Vining

Single Sundays: While this blog may be focused on reviewing book series as a whole, we can’t forget about the good ole’ standalone novel! On Sundays, I will review a novel that is considered to be a standalone novel. Here is this week’s offering:

Synopsis for Perfect Betrayal (from Goodreads):
To the outside world, Taylor Hudson has it all: beauty, money and social status. But Taylor’s privileged life is far lonelier than it appears.

Levi is the inside man on a job to steal fifteen million dollars from one of the town’s wealthiest families, putting him on a crash course with Taylor. Neither of them believe in love, but lust. . . that’s undeniable.

Now they’re locked in a wicked game of seduction and it’s unclear who is playing who. But neither of them expected the affair to lead to the deepest connection they’ve ever experienced. Because beneath Taylor’s perfect exterior lies a need for love that mirrors Levi’s own.

As the heist approaches, how can Levi protect Taylor from the truth?

Is he willing to give up everything to save the one girl who’s made him want to be a better man?

Author: Season Vining
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: Third Person, Alternating
Publication Date: August 18, 2015
Source & Format: Netgalley–eBook Thank you St Martin’s Press!

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I’m a sucker for romances that have a little bit of deception to them. When people aren’t supposed to fall in love but do–I am SO there. It may be cliché but it works for me!

Add to that the heist plot line and this book was a must request for me! I couldn’t wait for the sexual tension and the inevitable forbidden love!

The Plot:

The plot isn’t super focused on the actual heist in the sense that it is strictly a heist novel. The elements are there though and I thought it counter balanced the romance nicely. There was also a lot of character growth as well. I’ll talk a bit more about Taylor later but I enjoyed watching her grow as a person.

The plot progression overall reminded me a lot of a Harlequin romance, only with New Adult aged characters. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I just felt like this book had a much more subdued plot line than I expected. It coasted at a nice pace until everything hit the fan near the end. And what a splatter that was! Here I thought I had everything figured out but I was pleasantly surprised! Bonus points!

The Characters:

After the first chapter, I had come to the conclusion that Taylor was a bit of a cliche. I got the impression that she was your typical rich girl who comes across as a spoiled brat but really had a heart of gold. SO NOT THE CASE! She is a spoiled brat–but that made watching her grow so nice! When you learn more about who she is a person, you start to root for her a bit. You want her to succeed and find herself and I enjoyed watching that journey for her.

Levi also had some character growth but not as much. I feel like this was Taylor’s story first and foremost and Levi was just a catalyst for change. I liked him but I didn’t love him.

The Romance:

For me personally, I wanted more close encounters with these two. BUT, I appreciated why the romance was done the way it was. I like how the parallels to Romeo and Juliet were discussed by the characters. It helped establish their attraction and subsequent relationship. I liked the two of them together but I didn’t love them. I wanted a little more but, it definitely worked for this story I think!

My Rating: 3.5/5

This book wasn’t has high action/tension as I was expecting but I did enjoy it overall. It’s more subdued from my usual New Adult Romance reads but I liked the change of pace. It had a great balance between the romance, the heist and the character growth. I think those who want to dip their toes into New Adult would really enjoy this one!

Read if You Like: rich girl-poor boy stories, character growth
Avoid if You: want more suspense

Strangely Normal by Tess Oliver
Just a Little Crush by Renita Pizzitola (Crush Trilogy #1)
Shape of my Heart by Ann Aguirre (2B Trilogy #1)

Series Review: Rebel by Elle Casey

Series: Rebel Trilogy
Author: Elle Casey
# of Books: 3 (Rebel, Hellion, Trouble)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Humour?, Contemporary
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person

Thoughts:

PLEASE NOTE: I have not read book 2 (Hellion) or book 3 (Trouble) of this series before publishing this review!

Rebel was a book I bought using my mass amount of coupons from a recent Kobo contest and I was really excited to buy and read it. I’m not sure why looking back because the synopsis is pretty vague and doesn’t sound overly promising. I think it was the “humour” tag that was associated with the book and the high rating it has on Goodreads that contributed to me wanting to read this book first from the pile I bought.

I fear that I may have lost my funny bone in the last few months because these “funny” books have been doing nothing for me. I find it weird because I am the first person to laugh at something and I really do laugh at everything–from the immature jokes to the witty ones. That isn’t to say that I didn’t chuckle to myself during parts of the book–because I did–but those moments were few and far between.

Part of the problem was Teagan. I really wanted to like her but I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t like how immature she seemed to be (I’m the same age as her in the book and I felt like I was reading the mind of a teenager) and some of the things she says are just weird. I get quirky–I get the appeal, honestly–but there is a fine line between being adorkably quirky and just being plain weird and I fear Teagan is on the train to oddball station. She also isn’t the brightest person in the world and I really didn’t see too many other redeemable qualities about her either so I really had a hard time liking her.

Not liking Teagan put me at a big disadvantage too because the first half of the book is her trying to orient her new life and features very little romance or even flirting between her and Rebel. I didn’t feel any of the sexual tension between the two of them for the longest time and when there finally is some contact, I still didn’t really feel it and that really was disappointing to me. I wish part of the book was told from Rebel’s perspective because I would have gotten a better read on his character and simply had a break from being in Teagan’s mind. I also would want to see his perspective about why he even likes Teagan because it is truly beyond me.

As you can see by the warning at the top of this section, I haven’t read the next two books in the series. At the moment, I am undecided. As I was reading, I was looking forward to the next book because I liked the hero. However, once I finished Rebel, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to tolerate the heroine because she is Teagan’s BFF and shares a lot of the same traits. I am curious to learn more about the plot that was left hanging in Rebel regarding Teagan’s dad’s business but I really didn’t like the book enough for me to even care. Trouble looks a little more promising (or at least interesting to me) so I might suck it up and read Hellion one day but at this moment in time, I won’t be going out of my way to read it.

Conclusion:

If you want a book filled with great sexual chemistry–AVOID REBEL. I found Rebel to be more about Teagan learning to find her place in the world and she just happens to stumble along some man who likes her for some bizarre reason. I didn’t find it funny–but based on other reviews it seems like I am in a minority. My recommendation is to get the preview and see if you can tolerate Teagan’s mind before you buy this book.

Rating: 2/5

Similar Reads: Price of a Kiss by Linda Kage (Forbidden Men Series #1); Better When He’s Bad by Jay Crownover (Welcome to the Point Trilogy #1) and Stardust by Mimi Strong(Peaches Monroe Trilogy #1)

Synopsis for Rebel (from Goodreads):
Teagan Cross, college senior, rebel, and wiseass extraordinaire, goes from princess to pauper in a single phone call. Overnight, her life of privilege becomes one of survival, and no matter where she turns, it seems like the world is out to get her. She’s not going to fall apart, though. She’s a rebel and she’s strong … determined to live life on her own terms … and nothing’s going to stop her from getting things done and making things right. But when a twist of fate brings her to the doorstep of a different kind of Rebel, she’s forced to figure out when something’s worth fighting for and when something’s worth letting go.

Series Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

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 Pushing the Limits (from Goodreads):
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Favourite New Adult Series
Series: Pushing the Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
# of Books: 5 (Reading Order Here)

There are 3 novellas.

Book Order: Connected*

The exception is #1.5 Breaking the Rules which is a direct sequel to Pushing the Limits (#1)

Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult/New Adult, Romance, Drama, Mental Health, Dark
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating

Publication Dates:
July 2012 – July 2016
Source & Format: Public Library–eBook

I’m actually slightly embarrassed that it has taken me this long to write a review on this series. I totally thought I already had so I was shocked after I finished reading Crash Into You that I didn’t have to just update a previous blog post, rather I had to create one!

I read Pushing the Limits approximately one year ago. Although it had been out for a while it had just captured my attention one day at the library and I decided to pick it up. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be but after reading it I’m glad it wasn’t because I enjoyed it way more than I expected and it was so much better than I had hoped.

Young Adult or New Adult?

This series is one of those that straddles the New Adult — Young Adult line. Because they are in high school, I would tend to classify it as Young Adult but the subject mature is very mature and so are the characters so I don’t have a problem calling it New Adult (Katie McGarry classifies it as Young Adult however with Breaking the Rules as more New Adult). There is also a lot of mature subject matter that gives these books a dark edge to them — but it done extremely well and so beautifully.

My Review:

Pushing the Limits was probably one of the darker Young Adult/New Adult reads I had read up until that point in time. It deals a lot more with mental illness than other books but does so in a mature and respectful way. Echo and Noah are a great pair (as are all the characters in the next few books) and I loved watching them fall in love. I also really liked their personal development throughout the story. The rest of the cast of characters was great as well and I was excited to see them in the next few installments.

If you are like me, you will think it is pretty obvious who the next book will be about so I was shocked when I read the synopsis for Dare You To. SO DON’T READ THE SYNOPSIS FOR DARE YOU TO UNTIL YOU FINISH PUSHING THE LIMITS! At first, I wasn’t a fan of the idea but as soon as I read the book, I changed my tune. The female lead was a hard character for me to like but I really grew to like her as I read her story and I loved her match. I enjoyed reading Dare You To way more than Pushing the Limits and I really liked Pushing the Limits so that says something. I think it was because Dare You To wasn’t as emotionally dark as Pushing the Limits was.

Don’t be intimidated by the longer page length. You will see that they are quite long–over 300 pages, but when you read them they don’t feel long enough 😛 No, I joke, they are the perfect length and I find that you get so into the story that the pages just fly by.

Case and point, Crash Into You. I simply devoured the book because it was so much fun to read. I absolutely loved Rachel–she is definitely my favourite heroine yet in the series. She had some great comments early on in the book that made me laugh out loud and I loved her story. Her match is perfect for her and I loved watching them connect. Her family is also an interesting cast of characters and I’m glad to see that the 4th book will feature one of her brothers (and is it so greedy of me that I want another one focused on her brothers before I even read it?). It’s a tough call if I like this book more than Dare You To so I am going to call it a tie.

The Novella–Crossing the Line:

I did read the novella, Crossing the Line before I read Dare You To. You can essentially read Crossing the Line anytime, but probably after Pushing the Limits is the best time. It will be published in print with the Take Me On book when it is released. I wish it was a full blown novel because I loved the story but I felt like I got enough out of the novella so I wasn’t disappointed.

–October 30, 2014– Book #4: Take Me On

Words cannot describe how excited I was to read Take Me On. I checked my hold at the library every week since it became available and impatiently waited for my cue. Of course it never fails that I had a butt load of books to read before I could read it; and then I had to read it in the middle of midterms (sorry midterms, but you had to wait). Take Me On was everything I wanted it to be and more. I had so much fun reading about these characters and I loved their stories. Frankly, I couldn’t get enough so fans of Crash into You will be super happy with this book.

–January 4, 2015– Book #1.5: Breaking the Rules

I originally thought Breaking the Rules was a novella so I was shocked when I got my copy and saw it was a full length novel. In the end, I’m glad it was a novel because I feel like I have more closure with Echo and Noah. Unlike Pushing the Limits, this one seemed a lot more realistic to me. I think a lot of people who had relationships in high school can understand the mindset of these characters as they struggle to define their relationship before they start college. I thought it was really well done and fans will be extremely satisfied, but I wish I had read it right after reading Pushing the Limits just for the sake of continuity.

–September 15, 2019– Book #3.5: Breaking the Rules

If anyone can pack some punch into an 84 page novella, Katie McGarry is the author to do it. This novella perfectly echoes the Pushing the Limits tone. I loved the romance, I loved the themes and I really loved how it highlights a real life charity and the impact it can have on a person.

–June 9, 2020– Book #5: Chasing Impossible

Sigh…this was such a disappointment for me. Ever since we met Abby I’ve wanted her own novel so I was STOKED to read this one. But boy did it fall flat! I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t really remember the male lead and I think that was the problem. Their connection assumed a little too much that you had read about their other encounters in the previous books so I failed to really see the chemistry between them. And while I normally love the angst this series brings, I just felt like we regurgitated the same stuff over and over so I was bored with the struggle. If I had binged this series in one go, I think this review would be much different.

Series Rating: 5/5

If you enjoy stories where the romance is about finding someone who understands you for who you are, you’ll love these books. The romance is blended perfectly with character growth and the plots move quickly despite the book lengths. It’s a mature albeit dark story line so half the time you forget you are reading about high school students.

More than This by Jay McLean (More Series #1)
Hooked by Liz Fichera (Hooked #1)