Avoiding Responsibility by K.A. Linde

(Avoiding series, book 2)

Lexi has finally given up her once destructive relationships and moved onto bigger and better things with a sexy new man in town. Just when she is starting to figure it out with him, her world is tilted once again with a phone call from none other than Ramsey Bridges. A year after his entrance into her life, Ramsey is trying to make amends and does the one thing she never expects – invites her to Jack’s wedding.

The wedding she had evaded at all costs. But no matter what she does, Lexi can’t seem to escape her past with Jack. But does she really want to?

Despite the explosive chemistry between Lexi and Ramsey, she is skeptical about trusting him after everything that has happened. When things are amiss with him, she starts questioning his motives. Can Ramsey be the one to remove Jack from Lexi’s life permanently or should she move on with her blossoming new life?

“There was no reason to lie for him…not anymore.” – Lexi

Everything changed. And there was no way in hell I could have ever seen it coming.

After reading Avoiding Commitment, I was 100 percent planted on Team Jack. I didn’t care that he was a huge dick and refused to give Lexi a real relationship; when they were together, it was almost like I could feel the steam rising off my Nook. I felt the sexual tension in every way possible. As dysfunctional as they might be, they just fit together. I wanted them together. I wanted Jack to pull his head out of his ass, kick Bekah’s bitch ass to the curb, and ravage Lexi right there in his office.

Not anymore.

K.A. Linde made me abandon ship on Team Jack and take a lifeboat over to Team Ramsey.

That’s right, y’all; I am in love with Ramsey. While reading Avoiding Commitment, I thought to myself several times, “Ramsey seems like a nice guy” but I never actually wanted him and Lexi together. I was so firmly rooting for Jack and Lexi that I didn’t want to even entertain the idea of her being with anyone else; even someone as mysteriously intriguing as Ramsey. All that changed after Avoiding Responsibility.

I fell for Ramsey Bridges…HARD. The little things he did for Lexi showed just how much he absolutely adored her, and it made my heart smile. And the scene in the kitchen at Ramsey’s house?! CHRIST ON A CRACKER. I needed a cigarette after that; it was that fucking hot. It was at that moment that I realized I was riding shotgun with Ramsey at the wheel, and Jack was in my rearview mirror, standing in the dust. How in the hell K.A. Linde managed to completely rip me away from Jack and throw me into the waiting arms of Ramsey, I’ll never know. But one thing I do know is that she’s good. Damn good.

Now don’t get me wrong, Ramsey and Lexi’s relationship isn’t all rainbows and unicorns; they have their fair share of shitstorms but it’s nothing that seems unfixable. They seem to perfectly balance each other out and the ending was like a breath of fresh air; just plain perfection.

Avoiding Responsibility gave me so much more than I thought it would. I never expected to love this new path K.A. Linde decided to take me on, but I did. I loved it. Sure, all the characters still pissed me off from time to time and they all deserved a nice punch in their suckholes on several occasions, but the frustration level (for me) wasn't nearly as high as it was in Avoiding Commitment. I absolutely can’t get enough of this series, and thankfully it’s not over yet. I can only imagine what K.A. Linde has up her sleeve for the third book; I’m already mentally preparing myself…

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

Purchase from Barnes and Noble

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

*This is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine. "Waiting on Wednesday" spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating.*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

(Pushing the Limits, book 2)

Expected Publication Date: May 28, 2013

Synopsis from Goodreads

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does...

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock - with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him. 

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams - and his life - for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

Troubles and Treats by Tara Sivec

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Chocolate Lovers series, book 3)

Drew and Jenny have spent years being the envy of their friends with their out of control sex lives – well, not really. Mostly it makes their friends want to throw up in their mouths a little.

With two little kids and two busy lives, for the first time, Drew and Jenny aren’t on the same page in the bedroom. Drew will stop at nothing to get his previously amorous wife back in the sack and Jenny will do anything for a full night of sleep.

Carter and Claire, and Jim and Liz are their usual (un)helpful selves and are full of advice for the disconnected duo, wanting nothing more than to help restore order to the usually happy couple’s lives.

In the third installment of the Chocolate Lovers Series, will Drew and Jenny find the spark that’s been missing in their marriage, or will the trouble they’re having cause a stickier situation than the time Jenny poured honey all over Drew and he fused himself to a tree?

*WARNING: This review does contain some colorful language. Because it's necessary. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.*

I have one word; HOW?! How in the holy hell does Tara Sivec continue to put out books that have me crying from laughter?! I can come up with only one logical explanation; I’ve said it before and you better believe I’ll say it again – Tara Sivec is an actual genius. She’s the kind of genius that talks about sexually curious ghosts, killer cats, and vibrator races.  If just those three things alone don’t make you want to read Troubles and Treats, then you should probably rethink your life decisions. Seriously.

I don’t think it’s any secret that I absolutely love all three of Tara’s books, however, I have a slight confession: I was a little nervous about this one. Don’t y’all throw your vibrators at me in anger just yet!! I was only nervous because I absolutely loved Claire and Carter in the first two books, and although I thought Drew was pretty damn hilarious, I never really felt much of anything for Jenny. I was worried that I wouldn’t connect with the couple the way I did with Claire and Carter, because let’s face it, the bar was set pretty high. Well, guess who ended up eating a nice, big piece of crow pie. This girl right here. (I don’t know if crow pie is a real thing, but you know what I mean…eating crow…eating your words…I think it’s a real kind of pie. Whatever, I give up.)

I love Drew and Jenny; love, love, love them! In the first two books of the series, here is basically what I knew about Drew and Jenny – he’s funny as shit and wears hilarious t-shirts, and she’s…well…she just gets a little confused sometimes; bless her heart. In Troubles and Treats, you get a more in-depth look into not only their relationship, but them as individuals. Jenny isn’t really as dumb as I thought she was in the first two books – and she’s actually pretty damn funny herself. Drew (maybe I should start referring to him as Meat Fairy) was funny as ever; between thinking his wife is faking an injury for workman’s comp to almost calling his own son a “cock blocking asshole,” his chapters had me laughing like an escapee from an insane asylum. Maybe I should have learned from the past two books in this series that unless I want people to stare at me like I’m a lunatic, I should probably read Tara’s books in the privacy of my own home. Not at my desk at work. Or in the waiting room at the dentist’s office.

I could probably list 264 reasons why I loved Troubles and Treats but considering it is finals week, I don’t have that kind of time. Or honestly, I’d probably just end up typing the entire freaking book and putting a headline above it that says “HERE IS WHAT I LOVED ABOUT TROUBLES AND TREATS”…and then I’m taking away from Tara’s book sales…and probably doing something illegal…and just being an all-around asshole. Well, I like to pride myself on not being an asshole (most of the time) and I would never do that to anyone, so y’all are going to have to just go buy the book yourselves.

I gave Troubles and Treats 5 vibrating, battery-charged stars, because once again Tara Sivec has made me cry from laughter. The Chocolate Series is by far one of the best trilogies I have ever read. EVER. Do y’all know how serious that statement is? Buy Troubles and Treats and read it right this second, if you know what’s good for you. Well, if what’s good for you is some vulgar language, sex, and ridiculous humor, that is. Seriously though, Troubles and Treats is just plain amazeballs; Tara Sivec and the Chocolate Lovers Series earn a STANDING O from me!!! And that’s O for ovation, not orgasm, you dirty birds ;)

PS – Yo, Tara! If you’re ever in the great state of Kansas, holla atcha girl!! I'll either take you out for drinks or to a KU basketball game; those are the only things to offer here :)

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

Purchase from Barnes and Noble

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

*This is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine. "Waiting on Wednesday" spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating.*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Beautiful Lie by T.E. Sivec

Expected Publication Date: January 3, 2013

Synopsis from Goodreads

He saw her first, but his friend made the move. 

She settled for the safer choice, but her heart knew the truth. 

They love, they crave, they lie. 

Garrett McCarthy, Annabelle Parker, and Milo Roberts were as close as friends could get. They shared in each other's joy during graduations, promotions, and engagements. They consoled one another through heartache and loss. 

When one of the friend's life is tragically cut short, it's up to the two left behind to pick up the pieces and find out the truth - no matter what the cost. As they slowly start to uncover the nature of his deception, and the very powerful people behind it, they begin to question everyone and everything, even themselves. 

Everyone has secrets - some do it for love while others do it for power. Those secrets can change perceptions, alter reality, and sometimes destroy lives. 

What do you do when you find out your whole life has been a lie?

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

*This is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine. "Waiting on Wednesday" spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly anticipating.*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Expected Publication Date: December 31, 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies...

That's what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder: a guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she's never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried. 

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he's nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn't at all who he's been claiming to be. When the secrets he's been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky's life will change forever. 

Avoiding Commitment by K.A. Linde

(Avoiding series, book 1)

Jack and Lexi never had a typical relationship. After 2 years without speaking, she receives a phone call that changes everything. He unexpectedly asks her to convince the new girl, Bekah, that he’s ready to commit. Jack is calling now after everything they had been through because there is another woman. She can’t believe it. Follow Lexi in this heart wrenching drama as she relives her past relationship, or lack thereof, with Jack, and not just in her own mind, but to his fiancé-to-be. Throw in Bekah’s hot brother who always seems to be in the right place at the right time, a past with more secrets to unravel than you can even imagine, and you get a recipe for disaster. Find out what happens to Lexi as she travels to Atlanta to get the closure she so desperately desires from Jack, and how the bumps of life seem to keep getting in the way.

“We both know what we are. We cheated on other people, and that was what defined us. That was what defined our connection for quite some time.” – Lexi

OH. SWEET. MOSES. This book…it just…I can’t even…

My world got rocked. Hard.

You know that couple that isn’t really ever a couple? They flirt, they stand just a little too close to each other all the time, they sneak glances at each other when they don’t think anyone is paying attention…but people are paying attention, they radiate beams of built up sexual tension; it’s the same “couple” that can go from love to hate to love faster than you can blink a fucking eye; they can go years without talking and yet when they see each other, they are like two sexually-charged magnets – drawn together. They fight like cats and dogs, and then make up like rabbits. They should be together…but they shouldn’t. They complete each other…but they rip each other apart. They don’t know how to live with – or without – each other. They’re the definition of dysfunction. They are the couple that people love to hate, or hate to love.

Jack and Lexi are that couple. And I hate to love them.

Their relationship is volatile, deceitful, unrestrained, and yet I think…no, I know…I’m on Team Jack. Don’t get me wrong, Ramsey seems sweet, sexy, and stable – but the masochist in me keeps getting drawn back to Jack. Is he a dick? Yeah. Did I call him a son of a bitch a couple times while reading this? Sure did. Were there moments that I wanted to punch him in the mouth? Fuck yes. But there is just something about him that makes me hate him and love him at the same time. I want to rip his head off and rip his clothes off at the same. It’s all very confusing!

The emotions that these characters evoked were intense, to say the least. I think I wanted to punch every single person in the face at least once. Jack and Lexi’s relationship frustrated me, upset me, excited me, and gutted me. The sexual tension between them dripped off the pages and if girls could get blue balls, I would have had a pretty severe case of them! Oh, and one of my favorite scenes??  The tunnel at his birthday party. SWEET JESUS, THAT WAS HOT. I mean…holy shit! I had to stop reading for a minute to compose myself because for me, that was one of the most intense scenes in the whole book. Within just those 10 pages, I went from getting hot and bothered to feeling like I got punched in the stomach. It was heart wrenching.

Avoiding Commitment is by far one of the best books I’ve read not only this year, but ever. In my whole damn life. The writing is almost flawless and the ending left me counting down the days until Avoiding Responsibility’s release date. I need more of this twisted love story in my life. If you want a book with some panty-dropping sex scenes, and more angst than should ever be allowed within one story, buy this book and buy it now! Oh, and while you’re at it, you might as well buy Avoiding Responsibility at the same time, because I can guarantee that as soon as you read the words “The End”, you’ll be dying to know what happens next...

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

Purchase from Barnes and Noble (only available as nook book)

Gabriel's Rapture by Sylvain Reynard

(Gabriel's Inferno series, book 2)

Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student, Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante’s fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever? In Gabriel’s Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel’s Inferno, Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader’s mind, body, and soul, forever.

This just didn’t do it for me. I am clearly in the minority with my opinion, but nonetheless, I had a hard time finishing this one. I read Gabriel’s Inferno months ago, and actually liked it so I figured I’d have to like the sequel, right? Wrong. Now, before y’all start telling me I suck and throwing your e-readers at me, let me say this; there were some redeeming qualities in this book. It wasn’t awful. But it wasn’t great either. The best word to describe it, IMO, is “mehhh…”

Gabriel grated on me a lot more in Rapture than he did in Inferno. Sure, he was condescending and arrogant and kind of dick-ish in Inferno, but I feel like his pretentiousness was taken to a whole other level in Rapture. Some of the wording was just a bit much, and his proclamations of love to Julia resulted in some pretty severe eye rolling on my part. I understand that’s his personality, but for some reason it just annoyed me this time around. I was back and forth on my feelings towards Julia. She had her moments where she was a strong character, other times she seemed like a bit of a doormat. The only character I really found myself drawn to was Paul; all the others, I could pretty much take or leave.

I’ve taken a couple art history classes in college, so I did enjoy the parts that referenced Botticelli and other artists. In all honesty, those parts were kind of the saving grace of this book for me. I didn’t find myself horribly invested in Gabriel and Julia’s relationship, and even though I knew it was useless, I found myself wishing over and over again that Julia would choose Paul.

Who knows, I might try and read this again in the future. Maybe I have just read too many books with alpha males recently, and it’s starting to wear on me. Maybe if I would have read it at a different time my opinion would have been vastly different. I doubt it…but maybe. For now though, unfortunately, I can’t chalk this up as a good read for me.

Purchase on Amazon Kindle

Purchase from Barnes and Noble