Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

(Catching Jordan series, book 1)

What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though – she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she’s ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he’s also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan’s feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart’s on the line?

WARNING: This review does contain a spoiler! Check yourself before you wreck yourself...

I don’t think anyone realizes how excited I was to read this book. I love football. No; love doesn’t even describe it. I fucking LIVE for football season. My dad was a football player, my brother was a football player; I grew up going to my brother’s games every week, going to Chiefs games on Sundays, KU football games on Saturdays, and watching games/highlights on Sunday and Monday nights. I've been in a fantasy football league for the past five years. It’s in my blood. To me, there is nothing better than putting on your favorite player’s jersey, drinking beer, eating incredibly unhealthy food, and cheering on your team with your friends and thousands of other people. Now maybe you have an idea of how much I love football…and because of that, maybe I set my expectations for Catching Jordan too high. Way too high.

The short of it: Jordan is a girl and the starting QB for her high school team. She wants a college scholarship to play D-1 football. Ty Green shows up and gives her competition for her position, and makes her weak in the knees. That is, until she finds out her best friend and teammate, Sam Henry, has been keeping a pretty big secret from her.

I just didn’t really buy into any of this. Now, before you start throwing flaming bras at me and calling me an “anti-feminist”, let me explain. Can a girl play middle school and/or high school football? Sure. Can a girl play D-1 football? As a kicker, maybe; as a quarterback…I don’t believe so. I’m not saying there aren’t girls capable of being great quarterbacks, but the chances of a D-1 school taking a chance on a girl are slim to none. And a school like Alabama with a top 5 football program offering a girl a full-ride scholarship just wouldn’t happen. Sorry. It just wouldn’t. I know, I know, this book is fiction but I just couldn’t ignore the little voice in my head saying, “Are you kidding me?! How is anyone supposed to buy this??”

I also wasn’t a big fan of Jordan or Henry. Jordan was arrogant, rude, and too much of a dude for my liking. I have nothing against tomboys, not a damn thing. But tomboys are still girls. Jordan didn’t ever seem like a girl to me. She was also an extreme hypocrite. She constantly talked shit on the cheerleaders for being sluts, bimbos, whatever else…and then she goes and gives up her virginity to Ty almost immediately. Honey, I don’t think you should be looking down on anyone for their sexual escapades because you aren’t a nun yourself. Speaking of that, the stereotypes in this book grated on me. Cheerleaders are automatically sluts in Jordan’s eyes and when one of them actually knows about football, Jordan acts like Hell froze over. I was never a cheerleader, but I was on dance team in middle school and high school; just because I’d rather dance than play football doesn’t mean I’m a bimbo who knows nothing about anything other than opening my legs. The stereotyping just really bothered me.

 I was never rooting for Henry. Not once. His actions pissed me off, and the fact that he was proud of being a “man-slut” didn’t help his cause. He just came off as selfish, and that made me prefer Ty over him, no doubt about it.

The saving graces in this book, IMO, were Marie, Carter, Carrie, and JJ. They are the sole reasons that kept me from giving Catching Jordan one star. I’ve seen a lot of really positive reviews, so I guess I’m in the minority with my feelings towards this book, but it just really wasn’t my cup of tea. I wanted to like it; I really, really wanted to like it. I just didn’t. 

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

Purchase from Barnes and Noble

That Wedding by Jillian Dodd

(That Boy series, book 2)

The gorgeous engagement ring on my finger mimics my happiness.

I feel so sparkly, glittery, and full of promise, because I absolutely know he’s that boy.

The boy I want to marry. My prince. My happily ever after.

But then our pastor starts asking lots of questions.

His parents say I haven’t dealt with my past.

I have horrible wedding disaster dreams.

I can’t find the perfect dress.

I have to manipulate him to get my way.

My old boyfriend asks me to run away with him.

My best friend says I’m going to ruin everything.

And forever starts to sound like a really long time.

Which totally freaks me out and makes me question everything I know.

Should best friends get married?

Will my past affect our relationship?

Are my horrible dreams a warning?

Will I ever find a dress?

Could his sexiness be clouding my judgment?

Am I going to ruin everything?

Or is it just a case of cold feet?

And then I have to decide. Am I willing to give up on true love forever, or am I going to listen to my heart and marry him?

“Don’t brides know that white wedding cake and an open bar are the only two reasons people go to weddings?” – JJ

I started reading That Wedding on October 4^th. I was the maid of honor in a wedding on October 6^th. After seeing my best friend since 3^rd grade get married, and almost feeling like I was there for JJ and Phillip’s wedding, I think it’s safe to say I am going to encourage all guys to steer clear of me for a few weeks; this girl may or may not have caught wedding fever and I think my pupils have been replaced with hearts. Don’t worry, I’m busy working on a cure to fix it so I’m not walking around like a lovesick puppy; but while I’m busy doing that, enjoy my review of That Wedding!

I thought I loved Phillip in That Boy, but sweet mother of all that is holy…I love him even more after reading That Wedding!! I am usually partial to the bad boy or more rebellious guy in books (and real life) but Phillip made me veer into the other lane and fall hard for the “good guy”, no doubt about that! He is the perfect balance to JJ’s personality, and I mean could he be more perfect?! He’s incredibly sweet, he loves football and drinking beer, and he definitely enjoys a nice roll in the hay; yep, I’ll take him! ;)

JJ grated on me a little bit towards the middle of the book, specifically her night at Kegger’s. I just wanted to reach into the book, shake her and yell, “Do you realize what you’re doing?!? YOU ARE ENGAGED TO MR. PRINCE CHARMING! SNAP OUT OF IT, HOMEGIRL!!” Luckily, she came to her senses and grew up towards the end of the book, which put her back in my good graces. Their night on the swings made me tear up and was absolutely one of my favorite moments from both books combined; it’s just plain perfect.

In all honesty, there are just too many things that made me this book wonderful so I’ll just list a few of my favorites:

1)     Naughty Dream Week

2)     Freebies: if you’ve done it with a guy in the past, it doesn’t count against you (I have always been a strong enforcer of the freebie rule)

3)     JJ’s spider freak out; more specifically, her ramblings on what the spider was thinking/planning

4)     The STD story (I really thought I was going to die from laughter)

5)     The fuzzy socks

6)     Their actual wedding day

7)     The tradition of kicking off the holiday season with a trip to KC to shop and see the Plaza Lights (I’m from Kansas, and my family has been doing that exact same thing for as long as I can remember; shopping, dinner, and the Plaza Lights the weekend after Thanksgiving)

I really liked That Boy, but That Wedding took Phillip and JJ’s relationship to a whole other level and I just absolutely loved it! It will make you swoon like you did over your very first crush, grin like the Joker (only not creepy…I feel the need to stress that; NOT CREEPY), laugh your freaking face off, and maybe even shed a few tears. It’s an incredible book, and I absolutely cannot wait for That Baby! This is definitely a series that you need to read now! Just a fair warning though: it may cause you to turn into a huge, googily-eyed, lovesick mess of a woman but trust me…it’s worth it!

Oh, and in case you were wondering…I think my pupils are still hearts. Damn it!

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

Purchase from Barnes and Noble

That Boy by Jillian Dodd

(That Boy series, book 1)

You know, being friends with two cute boys does have its benefits.

There’s Danny. Danny is a golden boy in every way. He has dreamy blue eyes and blonde hair that always looks perfect, even when it’s windblown or been stuck under a football helmet. He’s the boy every girl crushes on. The boy I get into trouble with, the boy I fight with, the hot quarterback no girl can resist, not even me. Being with Danny is like being on an adventure. He has a bright, contagious smile and abs to die for. He’s pretty much irresistible.

Equally crush worthy is Phillip. Adorable, sweet Phillip, who I have known since birth. Phillip has dark hair, a perfect smile, brown eyes, and the sexiest voice I have ever heard. He’s the boy I talk to every night before I go to sleep. The boy who rescues me, the boy who can read my mind, the boy who is always there for me, the boy who tries to keep me out of trouble, the boy who irritatingly keeps getting hotter, and whose strong arms always seem to find their way around me. And when he gives me that grin, I can never say no.

One boy will give me my very first kiss.

One boy will teach me to make out.

One boy will take me to prom.

And finally, one boy will ask me to marry him.

They will both be my best friends.

But only one of them will be the boy I fall in love with.

Only one of them is That Boy.

You what type of romances I love just as much as those driven by angst? The ones where the boy and girl become friends when they are both just knee high to a grasshopper, they grow up together and stay best friends throughout grade school, middle school, high school, college…and then one day they both realize they are in love with each other. Those are the stories that turn me into a huge cheeseball and leave me grinning from ear to ear. THAT is why I love That Boy.

Jayden has two best friends: Danny and Phillip. Danny is the spontaneous, rebellious, smoking hot quarterback that every girl wants to date; Phillip is the more reserved, equally as hot, and so sweet he’ll give you a toothache prince charming of the two, but they were both so protective of Jayden that it made my heart smile. As the three of them grow up together, they start to notice each other in a “more than friendship” kind of way, and eventually one of them proposes to her. Which one asks her to marry him? Does she say yes? What about the other guy? All those questions are answered...but Jillian Dodd makes you wait. And wait. And wait to find out!! The first page starts off present tense with “that boy” proposing to her, but we don’t get her answer AND we don’t know which one it is until the end of the book! Luckily, the wonderful story of these three best friends consumed my attention and made me take my mind of the proposal…well…for a little while, at least!

I loved the way this book was written; each chapter was a significant aspect of Jayden’s life starting with her in 4^th grade. One of the main reasons why I love That Boy is because nothing feels rushed; you see these three characters grow up together from 4^th graders to college students. I have never been a big fan of “insta-romances” because I just don’t really buy into them; I love the stories where the characters come together over time…probably because I am a firm believer that the best relationships stem from friendships *shrugs* I can’t help it! I love seeing a friendship turn into a relationship.

I loved all three of the main characters, although I didn’t really find myself going back and forth between Danny and Phillip as much as I initially thought I would; I was pretty much planted on Team Phillip. I adored both of them, but what can I say? I have always preferred dark-haired guys over blondes! 

The ending was perfection, and when Jayden explains what “that boy” whispered in her ear after he proposed the first time, I melted like a stick of butter on a hot day; mainly because it’s the cutest freaking thing ever but also because he actually remembered that from so long ago!! It’s just adorable. Oh, and any book that references the Kansas City Chiefs definitely gets some points in my book! (Hey, I know they suck but I’ve been a Chiefs fan since birth, so damn it, I roll with them through the good times AND the bad!)

If you want a sweet, light, funny romance, That Boy is your book. It will leave you wishing “that boy” was proposing to you and trust me, you’ll want to jump right into That Wedding. Jillian Dodd, you just plain rock, girl! I said you were one of my favorites after I read Stalk Me., and after I finished That Boy, it only solidified that statement!  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go round up some hot guys for a game of strip football! ;)

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

Purchase from Barnes and Noble

Don't Let Breast Cancer Steal 2nd Base!

I'm sure y'all are aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it turns out Dina Silver is doing an amazingly awesome thing to help raise money for the Noreen Fraser Foundation. She is donating $1.00 of every sale from her book, One Pink Line, to the wonderful NFF! I mean, it's really a win-win; you get an awesome book and you're helping with the fight against breast cancer AT THE SAME TIME! So, let's all band our bras together (metaphorically, of course) to help Dina raise money for this incredible foundation and do our part to help fight the war against breast cancer! LADIES, DON'T LET CANCER STEAL 2nd BASE!

Oh, and don't forget to tell Dina Silver how awesome she is for doing something as incredibly generous as this! 

Click here to purchase One Pink Line from Amazon 

RELEASE DATE: Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan

JUNE 2013

SWEET MOTHER OF GOD! For those of you who have been eagerly anticipating the release date for Out of Breath (the final book in The Breathing Series) just like me, we finally have an answer!! In case you didn't see it, click here to see the announcement Rebecca posted on Goodreads, which also has the link to her blog. WAHOOOOO!!!!  

In the meantime, you can check out my reviews for the first two books in The Breathing Series here: Reason to Breathe (book 1) and Barely Breathing (book 2); there are also links to purchase both books at the end of the reviews in case you haven't read them yet. And if you haven't read them yet...what in the fucking fuck have you been doing?! Pardon my aggression, but seriously; read them now!

On a similar note: I was lucky enough to win autographed copies of Reason to Breathe and Barely Breathing from a giveaway Rebecca posted on Facebook a couple weeks ago. Well, guess what came in the mail today?? No; not my mail order groom - I'm still eagerly anticipating his arrival. (Do they even do mail order grooms? Who knows...maybe I really should look into that....) ANYWAY, I actually did get these today!!! Thanks Rebecca, you rock :) 

AND NOW...THE COUNTDOWN TO OUT OF BREATH OFFICIALLY BEGINS!!!! 8 MONTHS AND COUNTING... 

(Imagine the music from Jeopardy to make it more dramatic)

Wrong Bed, Right Guy by Katee Robert

(Come Undone series, book 1)

Prim and proper art gallery coordinator Elle Walser is no good at seducing men. Heck, she’s been throwing hints at her boss for months, but he’s completely clueless. Desperate to escape her mother’s matchmaking efforts, she comes up with a plan – buy some lingerie and climb into her boss’s bed. The plan goes brilliantly…until she accidentally seduces a sexy stranger instead.

Bad boy nightclub mogul Gabe Schultz just had the best almost-sex of his life. Too bad the smoking hot blonde thought he was his brother and bolted before he could finish what they started. Though her holier-than-thou attitude puts a serious damper on his mood, Gabe’s never been one to give up on something he wants. And he wants Elle. But does a man who lives on the dark side really have a chance with a proper lady?

Suck me sideways; this book was crazy good!!! Put together a smokin’ hot-tatted up bad boy, a conservative good girl, tons of flirting and sexual tension, and some of the hottest “hanky-panky” (read the book and you’ll know why I used that term) to ever grace a book’s page, and what do you have?? You have Wrong Bed, Right Guy. Now – tell me you don’t want to read it! You can’t; you physically can’t do it!

Elle hasn’t had the best luck with guys; bad boys in particular. After getting her heart broken by an ex-boyfriend who absolutely humiliated her, she has been trying to ignore her attraction to guys like him. Her mother has set her up on numerous dates, all of which have been miserable; there is one “good guy” that has caught her eye though; her boss, Nathan. He hasn’t picked up on the hints she keeps dropping, so against her better judgment she decides to get aggressive. She decides to show up at his loft, climb into bed with him, and rock his world. The only problem? The guy she climbs into bed with isn’t Nathan; it’s his brother, Gabe, who seems like the exact type of guy Elle has been trying to steer clear of, but Gabe isn’t about to let Elle walk away from him that easily.

Oh my goodness, I just positively loooove Elle and Gabe together! In all honesty, it took me a little bit to warm up to Elle. She was a little pretentious for my liking at first, but her feistiness towards Gabe was hilarious and after she started hanging around him more, her likability skyrocketed for me because she loosened up! I felt like I could absolutely relate to her in regards to always feeling like I find myself attracted to the wrong type of guy, and I have my mom trying to force “nice guys” down my throat (not literally!!) but those dates never turn out well. I love my mom more than anything but she has fixed me up with some lame dudes; bless her heart. I have my fingers crossed that I’ll find my “nice bad boy” just like Elle ;) I’m not ready to give up on that dream just yet!

Ohhhh, Gabe. I just love him. I want him to try out some of his hot bedroom moves on ME! Whew. He is just perfection. A bad boy with the heart of a teddy bear and the sex drive of a panther; sign me the fuck up! (I don’t know what the sex drive of a panther is really like…but it sounds good and you get the freaking the point!) And anyone who knows me, knows that tattoos are my weakness; the stories behind Gabe’s tattoos are just plain awesome. He is just exactly what Elle needs and these two could not be more perfect for each other.

Wrong Bed, Right Guy is one of the best books I have read this year, and I can’t freaking wait for the sequel!! I WANT MORE ELLE AND GABE! If you want a super steamy, incredibly well written, bad boy/good girl romance, look no further: THIS is the book you want to read. Go buy Wrong Bed, Right Guy now…and you can thank me later!

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

Purchase from Barnes and Noble (only available as nook book; pre-order paperback)

Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts

(The Dark Duet series, book 1)

Caleb is a man with a singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. For twelve years he has immersed himself in the world of pleasure slaves searching for the one man he holds ultimately responsible. Finally, the architect of his suffering has emerged with a new identity, but not a new nature. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors and kidnap a beautiful girl to train her to be all that he once was.

Eighteen-year-old Olivia Ruiz has just woken up in a strange place. Blindfolded and bound, there is only a calm male voice to welcome her. His name is Caleb, though he demands to be called Master. Olivia is young, beautiful, naïve, and willful to a fault. She has a dark sensuality that cannot be hidden or denied, though she tries to accomplish both. Although she is frightened by the strong, sadistic, and arrogant man who holds her prisoner, what keeps Olivia awake in the dark is her unwelcome attraction to him.

“He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within. I didn’t care that he would undoubtedly hurt me at any moment, right now; I just needed somebody to hold me, somebody to be kind to me, somebody to tell me exactly those words. It’s going to be okay. It wasn’t of course, I knew that. But I didn’t care. I needed the lie.” - Livvie

Disturbing. Romantic. Fucked up. Sweet. Heartbreaking. Sexy. How in the hell can all those adjectives describe the same book? I don’t know, I honestly don’t…but somehow they do. If I had to sum up Captive in the Dark in six words, those would be the ones I would choose. I had heard from other readers that this book was intense, so I thought I was prepared when I started reading it; I wasn’t. I don’t think intense is a strong enough word to describe this book! As incredibly fucked up as it was at times, I never wanted to put it down. I would ask what that says about me, but I think that would open up a whole can of worms that I just don’t want to deal with…so I’m just going to skate past that and move on.

In a nutshell: Caleb wants revenge on the man who took everything from him, and there is only one way to do that; get close to him, earn his trust, and then destroy everything and everyone that matters to him. How does he plan to get close to him? By kidnapping an American girl (because apparently American girls are the bee’s knees) and selling her to him as a sex slave. Caleb just needs to find the perfect girl to kidnap and train into submission, and after secretly watching Olivia for weeks, he realizes she is exactly the girl he needs.

I loved Olivia and as crazy as it is to say it, I think loved Caleb. Olivia was submissive, yet defiant and Caleb was sadistic, yet loving. Some of the things he did to break Olivia down made me want to punch him in the throat, but there were several instances where he was so sweet to her. When he first kidnapped her, I hated him; when he tortured her, I hated him; then it was like I got Stockholm syndrome and suddenly he wasn’t that bad. Okay, okay, maybe it wasn’t Stockholm syndrome; it was more learning about his childhood and what he’s been through; dude had it rough. Olivia’s childhood wasn’t great either, and my heart ached for her when she was telling Caleb the story of why her mom doesn’t love her. I seriously can’t even describe how much I felt for her throughout the entire book; it was almost emotionally exhausting.

I could never have imagined how much this book would just completely own me. Maybe I’m a little premature in saying this, but damn it, I want Olivia and Caleb together. There! I said it! I’m incredibly anxious to see where their story goes in Seduced in the Dark, but I don’t think I can read it yet; it would just be an emotional overload and I’m not trying to have a breakdown and shit. I’m going to read a few lighter books and then when I feel like my emotions are somewhat stable again, I’ll come back to Seduced in the Dark and finish Olivia and Caleb’s story.

Captive in the Dark gets a 5 star rating from me, without a doubt. CJ Roberts somehow makes you love someone as sadistic and fucked up as Caleb, and as scary as that is…it’s also incredibly fucking brilliant. This book will take you on a crazy, whiplashy (yep, made that word up) emotional rollercoaster, but it’s a damn good ride. 

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

Purchase from Barnes and Noble