What It Takes Review

(Goodreads summary)

After graduating college, Kelsey Morgan left her small-town Virginia roots to make it in LA. After years slogging in commercials and music videos, her movie career is finally taking off. But she's still miles behind her current costar, and Hollywood playboy, Patrick Lyons. Kelsey does everything she can to avoid Patrick off-set, hoping to not become fodder for the supermarket tabloids that scour the streets for Patrick, trying to get an exclusive look at him and his alleged woman of the week. Kelsey has successfully kept Patrick at a distance, and her reputation intact, until her drunkard brother-in-law Richard threatens to ruin everything by selling her darkest secret to the highest bidder. Now the victim of blackmail, Kelsey has nowhere else to turn but to Patrick's arms. But, can he be trusted? Or will the past destroy them all before she can find out if he's the hero she needs?(less)

My Rating 3 stars

My review

I received this ARC novel from net galley for my honest opinion. What it takes is a romantic novel about a girl afraid to let any man in.Kelsey has guarded her heart after having it ripped apart by her college sweetheart. Down the road, Kelsey is about to become the next big thing in Hollywood.. The novel started out strong with a headstrong heroine who doesn't seem to need a man. After the first few chapters, I became bored. There was scene after scene of what felt like uselessness. Parts that felt thrown in, parts I skipped past, parts that didn't really relate to the story at all. I never felt the spark between Kelsey and Patrick, and kept waiting for another leading man to step in and sweep her off her feet. Literally, I felt more passion for the side characters than the leading couple. (caution: the next part may contain spoilers) I found Kelsey annoying as a lead character. First off, she spent the entire novel whining about how her mom does 'whatever it takes' to keep a man happy, and how she would never want to be like that, but she does it the entire novel! She coddles her brother in law and makes excuses for him time and time again. It was rather annoying when she would give him what he wanted. She claims she doesn't want to be part of the tabloids, but she is an actress. Her secrets will come out sooner or later. The writing was a bit different as well. I believe a romance novel like this reads better as a first person POV, but this one was written in third person. The novel seems to go from third person, but switches back and forth as if the narrator can only tell what Kelsey is thinking in one scene, then suddenly the narrator knows what Patrick is thinking, but not Kelsey. Then the next scene the narrator knows what everyone is thinking. It was rather confusing. A novel like this isn't good when you know what all the characters are thinking and doing at the same time. Then Kelsey has a secret throughout the entire book, but refuses to tell us to the very end, even though the secret is predictable. It would have been better to let the secret out and feel Kelsey's struggles with her secret from the beginning.  Did I like the book? Yeah, it took me a while to finish, but I got there. Was I disappointed? Yes. Would I recommend it? No. This story line could have been great, if it were written differently. 3 stars for a nice try.

The Vincent Brothers By Abbi Glines Review

Summary
Getting a boy to fall head-over-heels in love with you isn’t easy. Especially when he’s been in love with your cousin for as long as you can remember.

Lana has lived her life in her cousin’s shadow. Ashton always made perfect grades, had tons of friends, and looks model-perfect. And she’s always had Sawyer Vincent—the only boy Lana’s ever wanted—wrapped around her finger. But now things are different. Lana has a chance to make Sawyer see her, and she’s taking it. If only he’d get over Ashton—because Lana is sick of second-best.

Sawyer’s heart is broken. He’s lost his best girl to his best friend. And then Lana comes to town. Ashton’s cousin has always been sweet and soft-spoken, but now she’s drop-dead gorgeous as well. Sawyer doesn’t know if Lana can heal his broken heart, but spending time with her might at least make Ashton jealous.

What starts as a carefree fling becomes a lusty game of seduction. Sawyer and Lana may have different motives, but their scintillating hookups are the same kind of steamy

My Rating:5

My Review:

Wow! Abbi Glines has done it again!  I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. Abbi has written a wonderful tale about high school and the woes of lover. Sawyer is in love with Ash, doesn't think he will ever get over her, then here comes Lana,Ash's cousin, who has been in love with Sawyer for years. Now that him and Ash are broken up, she is ready to make her move. The only problem? Will Sawyer ever let Ash go long enough to love Lana? This book hits all the high notes of being a new adult in love. The jealousy, the flirtation, the fear, she writes it all so well I even reminisced about my own yesteryear's (a decade ago! I can't believe it!) You could actually feel Sawyer's pain as he had to watch his brother and Ash together. The characters were well developed and the storyline was fast paced. I really don't have anything bad to say about this book, which never happens! All I can say is, pick up this book, and read it!!!!

Jet By Jay Crownover Review

Summmary

With his tight leather pants and a sharp edge that makes him dangerous, Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy. But Ayden Cross is done walking on the wild side with bad boys. She doesn’t want to give in to the heat she sees in Jet’s dark, haunted eyes. She’s afraid of getting burned from the sparks of their spontaneous combustion, even as his touch sets her on fire.

Jet can’t resist the Southern Belle with mile-long legs in cowboy boots who defies his every expectation. Yet the closer he feels to Ayden, the less he seems to know her. While he’s tempted to get under her skin and undo her in every way, he knows firsthand what happens to two people with very different ideas about relationships.

Will the blaze burn into an enduring love. . . or will it consume their dreams and turn them to ashes?

My rating- 5 star

My review:

Jet is a story about a couple who aren’t a different as they seem to think. Ayden is a country gal from Kentucky with a past that she isn’t proud of and Jet is a rock and roll musician that every girl dreams of falling in love with. They are living as roommates trying to keep a platonic relationship, but still having to deal with these romantic feelings that they try and hide from each other. I can say, without a doubt, that I LOVED this book. Jay Crownover has to be one of the best writers out there. Her stories always come out clean, well edited and flow so seamlessly and her characters are so diverse. You can tell that she has a flair for writing what she loves, and she knows these characters from the inside out. Even the back story of each character is intriguing. I love that each story does include the other characters, so it feels like a continuation of every other book from another point of view. Crownover creates a story with new adults, put in adult situations, that ACTUALLY act like adults. Does that make any sense? So many times I see writers who try and write books with adult characters, but the writing is so immature- not the case here! Sure Ayden can be a bit frustrating at times, afraid to open herself to hurt, but after learning about her past who can blame her? These are completely flawed characters who need relationships to help make them a better person. The best kind! Can’t wait until book four comes out! 5 stars for this wonderful book!

Reviews to come this week

Jet and Rome, both by Jay Crownover (one of my new favorites) and a book called  The Breeders.