tears – Z. Elizabeth

Forever Too Far (#3) – Abbi Glines

Posted on June 26, 2013June 22, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Rush promised her forever… but promises can be broken.

Torn between his love for his family and his love for Blaire, Rush has to find a way to save one without losing the other. In the end one has to be more important. Letting go isn’t easy.

Blaire believed in her fairytale… but no one can live in a fantasy.

Her love for Rush and desire to have a family keep her believing that they can find a way for this to work. Until she has to make the right decision for her and the baby. Even if it breaks her heart.

Can they find the forever that they both want or has it all just gone… too far?

4.5/ 5 stars

Fallen Too Far review HERE
Never Too Far review HERE

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My Review

Okay, so if you have read my reviews on Fallen Too Far and Never Too Far you will see that although I did like them, I didn’t love them. Fallen Too Far was okay, Never Too Far was better apart from the ending that killed me but Forever Too Far!! Yes, this is my favourite book of the series. I absolutely relished it. I couldn’t put it down!

Abbi Glines is an amazing author and she really has done it again. She sucks you in to her books, makes you feel every emotion under the sun. I had tears, anger, laughter, I smiled, I swooned, I fanned myself. It was all there and Abbi conveys everything brilliantly. Kudos to this lovely lady!!

If you have yet to read Fallen Too Far and Never Too Far, then I would definitely recommend reading them, so when you reach Forever Too Far you can see their story and their journey be completed in the best possible way. The way they have gone through so much, alone and together, fought battles alone and together and came out stronger and so in love at the end, a family complete will make your heart ache in such a great way. They both deserved it so much.

I’d also say to read Twisted Perfection before Forever Too Far as a bit of the storyline links in with Forever Too Far so you won’t get confused over what is happening.

Blaire and Rush finally have their happily ever after. They are engaged, have a baby on the way and have the most amazing friends but family drama just can’t stay away from them no matter how much they want it to.

Of course, it comes in the form of Nan and her estranged father and so Rush and Blaire take a trip so Rush can sort this relationship out. But torn between his love for Blaire and the baby and his family, Rush has to decide which one is more important because he will lose one, whether he wants that or not.

Blaire sticks with Rush throughout everything, they have been each other’s rocks, but can she continue to be there when everything is just a mess. She needs to decide what is right for the baby and her.

It’s now down to Rush to make the decision. Will he make the right one and finally put Blaire first?

Ohhh Rush, my darling Rush. He really goes through the motions in this book. Family or Blaire first? Of course it’s got to be Blaire but yano things with Nan are never ever simple and shes on the war path yet again. Jesus can that girl take a break and not be a complete bitch?! You can see the dilemma he has. He NEEDS and WANTS to put Blaire first. She is the girl he loves, shes carrying his baby but then his sister is troubled and he does love her and she needs his help.

You see him make mistakes in Forever Too Far but you also see him redeem himself, think through everyone and see him journey through, making his own mind up about his life now, having enough of being in the middle of his family disputes, trying to get them all to calm down and talk without storming off or screaming at one another. Yeah this doesn’t happen.

You feel conflicted over some of his decision, but then you think “would I do the same?” Yes, probably but I would always put Blaire first and foremost in every thought. You feel proud of Rush for what he does for Nan and then definitely making sure Blaire is number one, like she really should be after all the shit. She was finally his priority. Her and the baby. Sod everyone else trying to get in their way; it was the two of them against the world. God knows it took them long enough.

My Rush Crush definitely grew with some of the things he would say to Blaire and the way he was so excited about his baby…how protective he was over him even though he wasn’t out in the world yet. You could see the love for mother and baby pour off of him and you really do fall that bit more in love with him over this fact. He’s grown up so much over the three books and you just feel like a proud momma looking at her baby. (Thank god I’m not, because Rush can definitely sex me up).

Blaire is just brilliant. You know how much I adore her and her strength from FTF and NTF and she certainly has grown up so much, much like Rush over the three books. Shes got herself and her baby to protect and look after throughout the pregnancy and all this family drama *COUGH* NAN just made her stressed because Rush was stressed and always running to save Nan from herself. I loved how Blaire was always worried about Nan, despite the need not to be, as Nan is a complete cow but that is what Blaire is about. She’s caring and sweet and has such a lovely soul, but she also knows how to stick up for herself, as you will definitely see throughout the book. That one scene at the beach, OH HELL YES Blaire, you are a total BAMF! Her love for Rush never falters, it only grows stronger with each thing that Rush does. Although at one point I was proud she had the courage to do that thing (HAHA not saying what) but it changes the dynamic and forces Rush to re-evaluate everything and he made the right choice.

Rush really is one lucky sonofabitch. I wouldn’t have put up with the Nan crap like Blaire did but it proves just how much she loves him and a love like this cannot be broken, no matter how much your family puts you through. Their chemistry and attraction to each other only intensifies throughout the book and the fact that Rush is so in love with Blaire and his baby, his protectiveness for them both had me in tears. He was so excited and scared for the arrival of the baby and when the baba finally graced the world, he just didn’t want anyone to hold him, his protective streak appearing. I loved that about him. Blaire and Rush really were the cutest couple with the cutest baby and amazing parents.

Their sex is still steamy. (Not as hot as Woods though – who has my heart) but it was hot and sexy and ‘give it to me now’ sex. Jumping from reading Twisted Perfection sex to Forever Too Far sex was the greatest thing I could have ever done and can those two be in my bed please? BY GOD, it would be amazing. The things these two can do….

RIGHT! Onto the song. I’m sure you all know by now that there is a song entwined into the storyline that Abbi has put on ITunes for us all to download and enjoy. I’m late to reading FTF so when I read this scene, I YouTube the song, and played it whilst reading the lyrics in the book. I can’t tell you how much I sobbed….ugly cried throughout listening to the song and reading the lyrics and how it integrates throughout the three books. It was perfect and showed all of Rush’s feelings and emotions for Blaire which was the greatest gift she could have ever relieved – next to Rush, her friends and her baby.

Forever Too Far also paves the way for Grant’s book and I totally love Grant. He deserves so much happiness as Nan is a psycho. We see his interest but can he go there? He knows who she is now and it doesn’t bode well for him because of Nan. DO NOT PICK NAN, GRANT! We will have to wait and see for his book which I cannot wait for!!

It was such a lush book for finish off Rush and Blaire’s story. I feel like I’ve journeyed along with them throughout the three books, watched them battle their pasts and their presents, fall in love, make an amazing family dynamic with their close friends and both grow into themselves, finally learning whom is the best important in their lives and who doesn’t deserve a chance.

Definitely give this series a go if you haven’t yet. Then fall in love with Woods and Della and their eagerly anticipated second book and then Grants two books too! You too will have a Rush Crush (Even if Woods is top of the list 😉 )

Book Tours, Emma Hart, New Adult

BOOK TOUR: Always Remember – Emma Hart

Posted on May 20, 2013May 20, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

It’s The Book Lovers stop on the Always Remember book tour and I shall be giving you my review 🙂

Synopsis

How long does it take for a long-distance relationship to break down? Sixteen months.
When Jen and Carl put their relationship to rest after Christmas, Jen’s biggest problem is going back to London ten days earlier than planned – and her ever-present attraction to Samuel ‘Bing’ Edwards.
Bing has no idea why Jen

left Devon so fast. All he knows is that he wants her as much as he did the first day he laid eyes on her – so spending time with her while Lexy is still in Devon isn’t exactly a hardship for him. When he finds out she’s single, the only thing on his mind is finishing what they started at his dad’s fiftieth birthday party.
Feelings that have been a long time building between the two explode, and they both find themselves sucked into an easy yet passionate relationship, with Bing determined to prove to Jen that she’s it for him. That she is The One.
But in a city like London, the odds are stacked against them, and there’s always that one person ready to stir things up…

And Jen doesn’t know how much of that she can take – even for the guy she loves more deeply than she ever imagined, and eventually she breaks. Bing isn’t down with that. He wants Jen, and he wants her by his side for good.

Jennifer Mason must learn that Samuel Edwards doesn’t do giving up. Especially not when his forever girl is involved.

5 / 5 Stars

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My Review

“I promised you forever. When I promised you forever, I promised to love you forever too.”

Being in a long distance relationship is harder than it seems, especially when your boyfriend won’t leave the countryside to visit you in the big city. It took sixteen months for Jen and Carl’s relationship to fizzle out and break up.

Returning back to London ten days earlier than planned, her biggest problem is now her best friends brother – Samuel ‘Bing’ Edwards. Why is it a problem? Because she has been attracted to him for a long time and now she’s single, it’s going to be harder to try and stay away.

Bing doesn’t know why Jen is leaving Devon earlier than expected, but what he does know is that is desperately wants her as his. He’s waited his whole live to have her and over the past two years, since his dad’s 50^th birthday and he’s waited patiently for his chance to have her. When he finds out shes single, this is his chance to prove to her he’s not a playboy anymore, he’s changed for the better and he wants her.

Their attraction to each other has been overgrowing for months, and although they throw witty and sarcastic comments to one another, they slip into an easy, yet passionate relationship with Bing determined to show Jen that shes The One for him. End game but how hard will it be to persuade her he’s changed?

Then comes along someone who is always there, stirring the pot and trying to get Bing back. It’s tearing Jen up and she doesn’t know how much she can take – even if she is hopelessly in love with Bing. It comes to a point where she can’t take it but Bing doesn’t give up that easily. He wants Jen forever and he is going to show her just how much she means to him.

What Jennifer finds out is that Samuel doesn’t give up. Especially when she is involved.

Emma Hart never fails to deliver. I have become obsessed with her books and with her along the way too. I can’t praise her enough. I don’t know how many times I can tell her I love her and her books without sounding completely stalkerish… but I DO! Never Forget was the first book I had read by Emma and since then I have been hooked by her books and her writing style. The way she can have me hypnotized by the plot, the characters, falling in love with them, wanting to smack them, laughing, crying, cringing (In a good way), oh holy, I am like a fangirl with this author and I know she totally knows it too. I even squealed when I was mentioned in the acknowledgements. THAT mention gave me a totally massive grin on my face. So thank you my love!

Always Remember takes place a year and a half after Holding On. We last see Bing and Jen in a compromising position. Did they or didn’t they kiss? Well you find out in this book. And no, I’m not going to spoil it and say, you’ll have to read and find out yourself.

Bing drives down to Devon to pick up Jen due Lexy request. Bing doesn’t know about the break up and Jen isn’t in the mood for spill the beans. She just doesn’t want to be in a car with Bing for 6 hours. She is sexually attracted to him and being so close will be torture, so in true Bing and Jen style, they spit witty comments back and forth to one another until the snow gets too bad to drive and they have to stop for the night. That isn’t good news for Jen because it means spending the night next to Bing as they have to share a bed. No, it’s not good at all as she wants to jump his bones.

During the days before Lexy and Alec arrive home, Jen needs Bing to take her food shopping and he happily obliges. They have a snowball fight and that is where everything changes for them both.

Over the course of the book you watch Jen and Bing grow and find love together, despite the obstacles that are put in their way in the form of a jealous ex. At one point it all becomes too much for Jen to handle. Too much to continually fight against Heidi, even though Bing has no intentions of ever going back to Heidi. His love is too strong for Jen, but when it becomes too much, Bing has to fight to keep Jen his. There is no way in hell he is letting her go. He’s waited years for her to be his and now he’s got her, well she is not leaving him. Not ever.

And Sam knows the perfect way to prove to her that she is the end game.

Can Jen be real? I want her as a friend so badly. She is still sarcastic and witty and hilarious with the things she comes out with not just aimed at Bing, but towards Lexy and Alec too. I will never stop laughing at her comments. They are too comical! But you can always see shes scared to be with Bing. Scared she will be another notch on his bedpost and she doesn’t know if she can trust him. He needs to prove that she can. You can obviously see why though, from Never Forget and a bit of Holding On, but you see her grow and blossom and alright she has insecurities about being with Bing, once they get past that, her journey is one that you’re proud of. She still has a smart and dirty mouth on her but you still her fall in love, find her ‘bada bing’ and that is what I loved reading about. She may have lost her way for a while but her determination and protectiveness/possessiveness comes out in full force. I freaking love Jen and she and Bing are definitely made for one another. They are both potty mouths but together, they calm each other down and you see the love pouring for one another throughout the book. (They still bicker though, but that just makes them, them.)

Now Bing/Sam. Oh Bingaling! Can he be my boyfriend? I won’t tell the other 5000 boyfriends I have haha. Ohh he made me fall in love with him. He is definitely not the playboy he was 2 years ago. He’s changed over the years, not wanting to whore around and wanting to prove to the one girl he’s always wanted that he’s different, that he can and will be a great boyfriend, if only she will let him. He continually proves to Jen that he’s a changed man, that she is his one. The one what he has always had a crush on, the one he wants forever. He will fight for her and prove just how much she means to him regardless of the bitch wanting them to split them up. No, no one will ever come between them. Ever. And he even demands everyone to stop calling him ‘Bing’, his name is SAM. This just proves how much hes changed during the past 2 years.

“My name isn’t Bing. It’s Sam…I stopped being Bing the second i met you. A real man gives up one night stands for the one girl he cant live without, and you’re that girl, babe. I gave it all up to give you forever.”

You see his romantic side come out and to be fair to him, although he doesn’t really know what he’s doing, by Jesus, the lines he comes out with are completely swoon-worthy (Even if sometimes they are followed by smutty comments – just the way we love him.) The way he treats Jen, and just the way he needs and wants her, oh God, I was falling in love. I keep saying it, but they really are each others ‘bada bings’. They both change for the better, make one another calmer but freaking smoking in and out of the bedroom.

Bing/Sam is still like Jen. Witty, sarcastic and smutty and of course, you all know how amazing their banter is together and when they are not together too. You will be laughing, swooning and blushing at the comments he comes out with. If I was Lexy I would be smacking his arm at the things he was saying in front of her. But it’s in all good humour though and that is what makes Jen and Sam, Jen and Sam.

Bing/Sam was with Heidi for 6 months. But to be fair to him he only went back because the sex was good. It wasn’t because of the bleach blonde bimbo. She was a bitch. She was just on a long list of girls on his bedpost. But now she is back and wanting Bing back. She wants him for one more night and Bing doesn’t want to touch her again – not even with a barge pole. He only wants one blonde and that is Jen but Heidi is making is hard on Bing and Jen and is like a boomerang and keeps coming back, no matter how many times they tell her to F**k off. She continually messes with them one too many times and that is when Bing has to fight to save his relationship. I loved that Jen put her in her rightful place towards the end, when everything worked out for her and Bing. Heidi definitely deserved a bitch slap (Not that it happened). I would be punching her face for being so pathetic enough to want Bing back after he makes it clear he doesn’t want her and for being petty and doing anything she could do to break them up. Oh gurl, you be gettin’ bitch slapped right now!

The alternative POV’s are something I absolutely love reading in books. Each character had their own personality and you could easily distinguish them, which I am so happy about as sometimes male and female POV’s in books can be a bit funky, but Emma knows how to write both male and female POVS and pure brilliance. I loved knowing Sam’s feelings and emotions for Jen and vice versa for Jen. You really get to see inside their heads and know just how much they have liked and now love each other.

Alec and Lexy as much as me? Well YAY because my fav couple is still the couple I fell in love with. They are perfect and still hopelessly in love with one another. They are a big help with Bing and Jen throughout all the drama in the book and you can really tell that they are protective with one another and the people they love. They are still the cutest couple EVER and I loved how they ended up in the epilogue. They truly got their happily ever after.

Oh god, I am not going to tell you what my favourite scene is because it is one massive SPOILER and I am in no way going to give away what happens. Let’s just say I was giddy and I cried and I cried laughed and although I loved the whole book, this is a pivotal point in their relationship and by god I freaking loved the outcome of it. They both go on a journey and for it to end that way, it was the best thing since sliced bread.

The sex scenes are pretty hot if I say so myself. There are a couple of scenes that will get you hot under the collar…they certainly did with me! Jen and Sam’s sexual chemistry is booming; its like a magnet between the two of them. You could see it slightly in Never Forget and certainly in Holding On but it only intensifies in Always Remember. When you read them, you will act like Jen, all breathy with Bing is speaking close to her. *Shiver* I sure as hell was biting my lip and there was one really intense sex scene which I was like just…holy shit yes.

It was the perfect book to finish off the Memories series. The epilogue will have you grinning at how far both couples have gone and how they are still the same people even after growing up. They still have their own personalities that distinguish they all but they still have the same over-powering love for one another, sibling love, best friend love and of course pure love for their significant other. It truly is a perfect send off knowing just how happy both couple are and knowing that they really are each others ‘bada bing.’

For those of you who have yet to discover the wonders of Emma Hart and her Memories series, then check out my review of Never Forget and Holding On. You won’t regret buying these books because you will be given romance, laughter, tears, sexy times and a whole lot of love in these British novels!

And who doesn’t love adding British book boyfriends to their boyfriend list?

New Adult, Samantha Young

Until Fountain Bridge (#1.5) – Samantha Young

Posted on April 27, 2013April 25, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Ellie Carmichael had a crush on Adam Sutherland, her brother, Braden’s, best friend, for years, and although Adam treated her with proprietary concern he made it clear he thought of her only as a little sister.

Over the years, as Ellie’s crush develops into love, her romantic idealism makes it difficult for her to move on. To make matters worse, as she’s gotten older, Adam’s attitude has changed toward her. His affection for her is now joined by attraction, but his loyalty to Braden, and his fear of losing the only family he has, stops him from claiming Ellie the way she wishes he would.

But one night his attraction is put to the test, and as much as Adam would like things to remain the same everything changes between them in a simple brush of the lips.

Soon lust, love, jealousy and heartbreak combine to force change upon their relationship… and Adam discovers the hard way that life is too damn short to spend it on regret.

5 /5 stars

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My Review

“I want every piece of you. Even the stuff I missed without even knowing I was missing it.”

Ellie has been writing diaries since she was a kid. Shes documented everything throughout her life up until a couple of months ago. Ellie now lives with Adam, the love of her life since she was a child, and he finds her surrounded by her diaries one day.

Intrigued by them and wanting to know her versions of events between them over the years, he starts to read them with her and so this starts the beginning of their ‘relationship’ to the point in which they are at now. The diaries conveyed a lot of jealousy, heartbreaks and hidden attraction until a few pivotal points in their friendship happen changing it up.

Join Ellie and Adam throughout their history, to their present, where they are happy and in love. Life is definitely too short for regrets.

Even since I read On Dublin Street, Ellie just took over me. She was, is, an amazing character to read. She’s caring, loyal, a romantic; tries to see the good in people but she’s also got a spark in her which Adam seems to set off a lot. It makes her feisty, but causes her heartbreak every time.

So when Samantha Young mentioned how she had written a novella about Adam and Ellie which was a freebie for all of those who had pre-ordered Down London Road, I knew I had to email her and get my copy, because I wanted to know about their story. As we know, Ellie has been in love with Adam since a young age. But when did Adam realize he had feelings for her? It fills in the blanks for all the questions we had during On Dublin Street for these two.

As mentioned, Ellie has moved in with Adam and is sorting out boxes that she should have unpacked weeks ago. There she stumbles upon what she is looking for – her old diaries. Adam comes up to see what she is doing and that is how this novella starts. Adam wants to read them and know how much he affected Ellie when they were growing up. With Adam being seven years older, we follow Ellie’s journey of growing up, harbouring these feelings for her brother’s best friend, going through Adam’s over-protectiveness, being angered by Adam’s brotherly ways, to turning into an adult, dating, having her heart broken by boyfriends, being confused over Adam. You name it, Ellie documented every little detail and feeling in her diaries over the years.

Although many of us love Adam, he was a bit of an idiot throughout the diary entries, but alas, he didn’t actually know Ellie’s feelings and when he realized his feelings for her, he wanted her but couldn’t have her because he thought it would affect his friendship with Braden. When you read the novella, you will understand the pain and heartbreak that Ellie encountered time and time again by Adam. Sometimes not on purpose as he didn’t know that he was doing it, but others – he did. And these were the parts I literally wanted to sob for Ellie. (I couldn’t as I read this in the library.)

It was a great yet heartbreaking read. It was heartbreaking to see Ellie go through all the pain of loving Adam since her childhood but great to read the history of their story. I loved the journey of Ellie growing up, trying to forget her feelings for Adam by dating other guys but none of them seemed to match up to him. She never felt that spark when she kissed them but then everything changes when they brush lips one night. That was it then. She was in love.

I also liked how we got to see Adam’s side to what he was reading after every entry. You could feel his emotions once he read them, see the guilt, the pain, the anguish of how he was making Ellie feel, even if he didn’t know it. My heart really did go out to him because of it because he spent years being in love with her too, but didn’t do anything. You do seem him man-up though, as we also see in On Dublin Street, but we see exactly what happens in the bedroom.

I have to say, I sat in a quiet area of the library, only one person hidden behind the book cases. I had my Ipod in and normally when I read, the music doesn’t go in until I really listen to it and during some pivotal points in the book, two songs came on that just described those scenes brilliantly. So brilliantly that I wanted to burst into tears there and then, but I had to hold my tears back.

The first song is: Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without you.
Not evening joking, this came on when it was Ellie’s illness scene. I am not going to spoil what happens but it kicks someone’s butt into gear. I sat listening to the lyrics, reading the words on my kindle, wanting to sob my little heart out. It truly was a fitting song to what was happening and what had happened previously.

And the next song was The Fray – Look After You.
This came on during the last diary entry where they talk about their future and then into the present, where it ends their journey to where they are at now. I am in love with this song so much, and it fits Ellie and Adam’s love perfectly. It fitted those scenes perfectly and it made my heart ache in a good way over the lyrics and reading what the two of them were talking about. I would highly recommend listening to this song during the last entry.

I command Samantha Young for this amazing novella. I am so happy to have read about Ellie and Adam’s history, to understand their relationship more, to how it all started to where they are at now. For those who haven’t had the chance to receive this freebie by pre-ordering Down London Road, you are missing out. But you won’t be missing out for long, as you will be able to buy this novella in June.

If you loved On Dublin Street, then you really need to read this. You will love Ellie and Adam even more than you probably do. (Then when Down London Road is out – which is amazing btw – you will see even more of these two!)

New Adult, Romance

Falling Into You – Jasinda Wilder

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

I wasn’t always in love with Colton Calloway; I was in love with his younger brother, Kyle, first. Kyle was my first one true love, my first in every way.
Then, one stormy August night, he died, and the person I was died with him.

Colton didn’t teach me how to live. He didn’t heal the pain. He didn’t make it okay. He taught me how to hurt, how to not be okay, and, eventually, how to let go.

5/5 stars

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My review

So you know how I always mention that if a book makes me cry then it’s a great one? Well I full on ugly cried throughout this book, so much so, I had to stop, redo my make-up so I could go to work.

Oh god, Jasinda Wilder completely drew me in with Falling Into You. It didn’t take me long at all to read it because I literally devoured it. I couldn’t get enough. Ms. Wilder had me beaming, then sobbing then feeling every single emotion both Nell and Colt were feeling. The songs, dear god, they set me off and because I was also listening to music on my Ipod, songs that were convenient to that scene appeared and I was a mess. But I did like feeling this way as I’ve said; books that make me sob are great ones.

Nell and Kyle grew up together. Since the moment they were born they have been inseparable and to everyone, it seemed inevitable that one day they would end up together. During one argument, their confusion for how they were looking at each other differently came to light and since that moment, they had been together. From best friends to lovers, it seemed an easy transaction for them both. And it was perfect. As a first love, Jasinda captured what it was all about. From the awkwardness of talking about sex, to the desire they had for one another.

But then, I was on edge, because of the synopsis. I was waiting in suspense of when the death of Kyle would happen. I didn’t like that feeling at all because I was dreading it. Dreading to find out how he would die. And oh god, I cried so much I had to put my kindle down and take a few minutes before I could continue. My heart broke for both Kyle and Nell.

I instantly loved Kyle. He was the best friend Nell ever had. He was always there for her, making her happy, comforting her when she was sad or upset and he was protective over her. They were both there for each other. When feelings changed for one another, it was inevitable. They grew up together, spent every day together; they knew everything about each other so it was just down to time as to when they would be together.

They were happy-go-lucky, in love with one another, waiting to take the next step all their friends were taking. Shift two years in to the future, and they were the happiest they could have been. Then one night it was all taken from Nell. Kyle was taken from her in the most terrible and perhaps heroic way. He saved her but Nell couldn’t see that. She saw her kill him.

When this scene occurred I, 1. Thanked my stars I wasn’t on the train to work, and 2. Cried my heart out until I just had to shut my kindle down and get some sleep. It was just heartbreaking watching Nell’s reactions and sobs and cries for Kyle, and it just hit my core, the amount of pain they were both feeling, all different types of pain consuming them.

Since that fatal day, Nell was never the same. She didn’t cry anymore, she held all the pain and guilt inside of her, still blamed herself for Kyle’s death and just pottered on in life, having nightmares of that night. She still held on to everything, wanting Kyle back. It choked me up over how she kept all the pain inside and wouldn’t let it out. Kyle was her best friend and boyfriend whom she loved and watching him die that way, I know I would never be the same again.

At the funeral we meet Colton – Kyle’s brother whom Nell has never met. There is this connection between them, they share pain over Kyle but it was more than that. But Nell runs and tries to ignore it. She has just lost Kyle.

When she saw Colton after two years, busking in Central Park, that spark is still there, but so is the pain, for both of them, but more so Nell. Colton can see that and is determined to help her through it. Not to tell her it will all be okay, because it won’t, but just get her to open up, get her to release all the pain and to cry. He sure as hell knows about pain, suffering through his childhood and then the pain he suffered in New York. But he’s dealing with it and tries to help Nell deal with it too.

I loved Colton. Sure he seemed like the tough guy and he was, but he was now reformed. Under all the exterior and the tattoos he was just has broken as Nell, but he found ways to get through it. He was caring, protective and music was his way of speaking. I adored all the music he wrote, they were all heartfelt and had me crying. He wasn’t perfect by any means but he really loved Nell and would do anything to help her through the pain, in turn, helping himself too. His advice and his own past experiences of pain and getting through it were enlightening and truthful. And as I’ve mentioned, they both went through horrific things but together, they were trying to make things okay and less painful.

I liked how things weren’t all rosy and cherries on top, they were both feeling the effects of losing loved ones but together, they made it bearable to live each day and to find love with one another. Even at the end of the book, they were still hurting but being together, falling into each other, they knew they were meant to be and they would always be there, to ease the pain somehow and down the line, maybe erase the pain and just leave the guilt and grief behind and turn it into great memories of lost loved ones.

The sex scenes. Oh heck. Seriously, you’ll be fanning yourself because the chemistry between the two of them is off the scale as is the sex. Colton certainly knows what he is doing and how to bring intense and explosive pleasure to Nell. There’s this overwhelming connection that they both share and it just made the sex between them even hotter. They both know what they want and how to please each other and I just…*sigh* would like a Colton for myself.

Music is a massive factor in this book. The music spoke the emotions that both Nell and Colton are going through. Each song represented what they were feeling, from pain, to love, there was a song for each chapter of their life. And it didn’t help that I was listening to my IPod when I was reading this book and songs relevant to the scenes would play, which in turn made me break down reading the scenes.

Falling Into You, is definitely a Five star book. I loved every second of this book. It’s emotional, but there are parts where I was laughing and smiling despite the theme of the book. You’ll want to hug all the characters, take their pain away too and connect with them, not just through the music but you’ll think about your own losses. Your heart will ache but it will get better, you’ll make it through the book, through Nell and Colton’s journey to try and be okay and in the end, you will be.

You all need to give Falling Into You a read, Jasinda Wilder wrote an AMAZING book!

New Adult, Romance

True Love Story – Willow Aster

Posted on March 5, 2013March 5, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Sparrow Fisher is transforming. No longer dressed up in antiquated clothes and ideals, she is finally trying on her freedom.

Before she moves to New York City, she meets Ian Sterling, a musician Sparrow has dreamed about since she first saw him. The attraction is instant, but their relationship isn’t so simple.

Over a five year span, Sparrow and Ian run into each other in unusual places. Each time, Sparrow has to decide if she can trust him, if he feels the same for her, and finally, if love is really enough.

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My Review

True Love Story begins with Sparrow bumping into her ex-boyfriend Ian at the airport. You instantly find out that she is still reeling from their break-up and she also tells you how long it’s been since they met, been in and out of each other’s lives and how long since they broke up.

But now she has to spend time on a plane, sitting right next to the only person she has and will ever love. The only person who has broken her heart so badly she can’t get over him. And the only person she wants to be with, but can’t.

We then go back to the time they met for the first time and that is when the story truly begins. We get to find out what Ian did to hurt Sparrow so badly. Throughout the years, we see them both flutter in and out of each other’s lives, but every time they do, they both leave a bit of one another with the other person. They start off as friends, with an instant physical and sexual attraction to one another and over the years it flairs into something more. Something that never of them really expected, but welcomed no less as it meant they got to be together one way or another.

I loved the journey that both Sparrow and Ian had throughout the five years they had known each other. They both had a lot of growing up to do (Even if Ian was 28 when they first met and Sparrow 18). They grew up in the sense of love. They grew up in themselves and what they wanted. Their friendship / relationship was raw. It had passion and you could really see the love they had for one another. Age meant and means nothing and it was really nice to see them just being together. Their playfulness together, their smoking hot sex, their need for one another. It was intoxicating.

Their journey was a long one. Five years is a big time span to go through everything these two did. Everything they did was playful, it was raw, it was overwhelming and you could see that Sparrow and Ian really did belong together. They changed one another for the best; that is until Ian made the biggest mistake of his life and lost Sparrow. He then dedicates his months to trying to get her back with notes. Love letters; pouring his heart out to Sparrow, who in turn, doesn’t reply, but they do really get to her. She’s more than upset about the incident but although she loves him, she can’t forgive him or trust him anymore. It kills them both.

I do have to say, and to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever said this, but I really didn’t like Ian throughout the book. Controversial I know but there was just something about the way he acted with and without Sparrow that just didn’t sit right with me. I know he wanted Sparrow is enjoy her youth and enjoy college and NYC but it just annoyed me how he’d go months without taking to her, whereas she was going crazy because he was all she could think about. And when they did see each other, he would just go back to how they were months ago, pretending that they hadn’t just gone months without speaking or seeing each other. Hell no buddy. That would not sit pretty with me. Yes, I know he had to tour (He’s a musician), but it doesn’t take 2 seconds just to ring and ask how someone is. (I know at the start they weren’t officially together and maybe I can see why he wouldn’t call, but the things he said to her, you’d expect him to make an effort.)

But when they do get together, sure he makes an effort but I couldn’t see past everything and especially what he does to Sparrow. I was say thinking “Good on you for ignoring him all these months.” I just got angry at him for everything he did. And although he proves just how much he needs Sparrow, how much he does love her and how much he would do anything to have her back, I just thought it was too late. He’d done the deed, now he can pay the time for breaking her heart.

True Love Story is a story about true love. That much is true. It’s about a journey finding love throughout the obstacles thrown your way, about trusting the person you love, staying in love for years to come even when you’re not with that person. It’s about loving that person forever even when they have hurt you. And it’s about doing whatever you can to hold on to that love, to get it back and to prove that love can conquer all throughout everything.

I would definitely recommend True Love Story, but if you’re like me and get easily annoyed by the ‘hero’s’ stupid actions throughout a book and then holds a grudge even when they redeem themselves, then maybe don’t read it? Or better yet, do read it and tell me about it. We can have a right old chatter over Ian and his ways.

The story is a nice one; it takes you on a journey with Ian and Sparrow, but also the parents and the friends. You see the characters grow up over the five year span, but also love and go through heartbreak and agony. You see that age gaps are not an issue when you love that person with everything.

I hope this review doesn’t put you off, because really, I did like this book to some extent but it wasn’t the greatest book I’ve read. I did have high hopes for it given that so many people have rated it 5 stars. But to me it was more 2.5/3 stars.

J.A Redmerski, New Adult

The Edge Of Never – J.A. Redmerski

Posted on December 18, 2012December 17, 2013 by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ – Adult Contemporary Women’s – New Adult Fiction

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My Review

“For the first time in my life, I’ve felt whole, alive, free. You were the missing piece of my soul, the breath in my lungs, the blood in my veins. I think that if past lives are real then we have been lovers in every single one of them. I’ve known you for a short time, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

Twenty year old Camryn Bennett has always been different to her friends. She’s been one to over think her life and she knew that she wanted more; more than just a repetitive lifestyle. She had her life planned out with her boyfriend Ian, until an accident took him away from her. Since then, she hasn’t been herself and a black cloud has overtaken her.

One day she just decides to pack a few essentials in a bag and get on a bus. She’s fed up of everything happening in her life, from her brother in prison, her parents’ divorce, and her best friend accusing her of being a lying bitch. She decides to start living for her, hence setting out on a road trip to Idaho, even though nothing is really there for her. You’ll see why she picks that place when you read this book.

When she steps upon the bus, little does she know everything is going to change and her life will turn upside down for the better.

Andrew Parrish is 25 and on a trip from Texas to see his dying father in Wyoming. It could have been easier to get on a plane but he decides to get the bus instead. He’s in the same mindset as Camryn where he needs time to think about everything that is happening in his life and what he’s going to do. You will definitely fall in love with Andrew. I want him to take me on this road trip and show me everything that I am missing in my life!

When they both meet, its obvious Camryn doesn’t want to speak to anyone. She’s there for herself, to travel alone and when she gets to her destination, she’ll turn around and go home. She only wanted this trip to discover herself and sort out her thoughts and feelings. Little does she know, but Andrew’s protective instinct takes over when a man is constantly checking out Camryn, not to her knowledge, and he does everything to make sure the man stays away, which leads to small talk and then they slowly build a friendship spending the trip together and even beyond that when they decide to just drive anywhere, to really live on the wild side without any planning or thinking about where they are going.

They were both characters who were amazing together. They both pushed each other to be themselves, especially Andrew, who makes Camryn come out of her depression and her shell and admit things she wouldn’t even dream of to Ian. He makes her push past her past, makes her be fearless and to own her own sexuality. In turn, they fall in love and it was like they were truly meant to be and truly be on the same bus together. The banter and flirting made their friendship all the more important to me, and with the alternative POVs from both characters, you begin to see them falling for each other but because of their own personal trauma’s they just didn’t want to admit it, thinking it was easier to keep at arms lengths. But love concurs all in the end.

This book and their journey really made me think about my life. If I could, I would pack my stuff up in my duffle bag, go to the airport and get the first flight out of Wales and just live my life to the fullest. You see the pain from both of them, but together they manage to make each other come alive and slowly the pain simmers away until love overtakes and they both feel alive being together. Meeting one another on the bus was definitely fate; to bring them back to life with the help of each other.

I have to say, when I finished this book, I was walking around my house like a zombie. I didn’t know what to feel because so many different emotions were pulsing though me. I was happy, sad, and distraught and all these feeling were swished about together that I was going “I don’t know how to feel.”

I had seen so many people raving about this book and I just had to download it right away. Sweet baby Jesus, this book did not disappoint at all. I was captivated by the synopsis, then every single scene that occurred throughout the book. I do have to say; I’ve never cried so hard or so much reading a book as I did with The Edge Of Never. My mother even asked me who had made me cry and I had to tell her it was this book, which made her laugh. My heart was breaking at what I was reading and I kept throwing my Kindle down and taking deep breathes throughout one particular event because I couldn’t handle it. When books turn me into an emotional wreck, you definitely know it’s a great book to read!

Seriously, you HAVE to give this book a read. I know I say it about many books I read but when you feel so passionate about a book, you really need to make other people read it and see why you love it.

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to backpack across the world? Just you and a backpack with a few necessities. No bills. No getting up at the same time every morning to go to a job you hate. Just you and the world out ahead of you. You never know what the next day is going to bring, who you’ll meet, what you’ll have for lunch or where you might sleep.”

New Adult, Romance

Wallbanger – Alice Clayton

Posted on December 12, 2012December 12, 2012 by Z. Elizabeth

Synopsis

Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.

Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Each moan, spank, and–was that a meow?–punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O.

Enter Simon Parker. (No, really, Simon, please enter.) When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick…

In her third novel, Alice Clayton returns to dish her trademark mix of silly and steamy. Banter, barbs, and strutting pussycats, plus the sexiest apple pie ever made, are dunked in a hot tub and set against the gorgeous San Francisco skyline in this hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight.

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My Review

“Open this door you asshole, or I will come through the wall.”

Caroline Reynolds is an interior designer in San Francisco. She’s recently moved into a new apartment with her cat Clive. It’s a great apartment, but there’s just one thing that riles her up nearly every single night…

Enter Simon. He’s the neighbour who has late night wallbanging sex with a different girl each time. You have the girl who giggles, the girl who meows and the girl who likes a bit of spanking. It angers Caroline to no end that he keeps her up at night but even more so, it causes her to become sexually frustrated since she’s lost her O. And yes, that means her orgasm.

Since a bad date ended with sex, the guy she slept with has taken away her O and she loathes him for it. So after weeks of hearing but not seeing the guy who keeps her up at night – and not in a good way – she confronts him when he’s in the middle of his throne of passion and it begins the making of their friendship.

Simon, Simon, Simon. What can I say about him? He’s sexy, funny, caring, a photographer; he travels AND he would definitely give you the best night of your life. Alice wrote this guy to an absolute T. I loved the banter between him and Caroline. They had me laughing so hard at their scenarios and conversations, especially their texts. He’s fond of Caroline and you can also tell he can be sensitive, which is an instant attraction. He definitely would be my type of guy.

Caroline was a great character. She was content in being alone and would happily admit it, but damn girl; she really needed someone to get her O back. She could give as good as he got with Simon, which made their friendship stand out to me. It was flirty and witty and of course there was chemistry between them but it just took a while for them to do anything about it.

The sexual tension between them both literally sizzled out of the book. I could feel it on every page I turned. I did love when they finally had sex. It was long awaited but it was definitely the right time for them both. They were unconventional in the way they began the relationship but it was a great read when they got together.

The sex doesn’t come until near the end of the book but the book was so much more than that. It was about friendships between each other and their friends, being sexual attracted to one another yet not doing anything about it because their friendship seemed more important at the time even though they both wanted something more, and when it did happen, it flourished at every turn.

I bloody loved the names they had for each other, such as Wallbanger, Cockblocker, Nightie Girl etc. They totally made the story and the relationship between them. I have to say though, my favourite scene was when they were ‘telling the truth’ and you finally saw Simon spill his true feelings to Caroline. For two people who wanted to match up their friends together, they took a long time to finally tell each other they had feelings for one another.

This was the first book I had read of Alice Clayton, but the RedHead series looks so good that I will be downloading those books right away!

Seriously, you need to read this book. It had me feeling so many emotions throughout the book and I fell in love with Simon. He was such a character, as was Caroline and they were matched perfectly for one another. So glad I downloaded this book, I couldn’t put it down at all. So going to have to reread this soon.