Now or Never Book Review

goodreads summary

Twenty-one year old Grayson Alexander finally breaks away from an abusive relationship and finds herself free for the first time in three years.

Determined to enjoy her new-found freedom, Grayson is intent on sticking with 'no strings attached' relationships—one-night stands, and steamy sex.

But she didn't plan on Derrick. 

Her attraction to the sexy man in uniform quickly turns into an unhealthy relationship. They both try to resist the pull, but neither can stay away. 

When tragedy strikes, Grayson realizes it's now or never—walk away or make it work

My rating 3 stars

My review

The book started out great, but as the book went on I felt as if Grayson didn't develop well at all. If you are looking for a story with growth and a character who is strong and heroic- this isn't the story for you. She makes this big decision to leave her abusive ex boyfriend, but her fears and trama from a physically and mentally abusive relationship are not show throughout the book. There is one scene where she has a flashback when a man's hand grazes her neck- but that is the extent. After volunteering and being around many women at a safe haven home for battered women- I didn't feel like the character portrayed this abuse well. Then the character kept embarrassing herself- I started to feel so bad for her. She was letting men walk all over her, not standing up for herself, and then basically becoming obsessed with the male love interest. It was quiet sad. Then she automatically accepts his apology for screwing her over and all we get is a little explanation at the end of the book on why he was such a jerk. I didn't feel like his character was well portrayed at all. Quiet jerk. That's what I would call him. THEN I kept waiting for the story to be about her abusive ex who was obsessed with her, but he never showed up. Those types of men don't give up. They stalk and beg and cry for forgiveness until someone is hurt or dead. What happened to him? He just disappeared mid way through the book. The writing style by the author was actually pretty well done- except for the fact that I may have enjoyed it better if it were in first person. There were a few instances where I had to keep rereading because I didn't know who was talking or who was saying what.For a free book, this book was satisfying and pretty sad. I wouldn't say I loved it or was blown away, and I may not read another book in the series unless it is free.
Wait...I forgot to add that Grayson has unprotected sex over and over again. The author would have done well to teach her a lesson. Give her herpes or something to make the story interesting....WTH???

Rome by Jay Crownover Review

Sometimes the wrong choice can be just right . . .

Fun and fearless, Cora Lewis knows how to keep her tattooed "bad boy" friends at the Marked in line. But beneath all that flash and sass is a broken heart. Cora won't let herself get burned again. She's waiting to fall in love with the perfect man—a baggage-free, drama-free guy ready for commitment. Then she meets Rome Archer.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He's stubborn, rigid, and bossy. And he's returned from his final tour of duty more than a little broken. Rome's used to filling many roles: big brother, doting son, supersoldier—but none of those fit anymore. Now he's just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the dark demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer through it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes a blinding flash of color in a sea of gray.Perfect may not be in the cards, but perfectly imperfect could just last forever . . 

My Rating :5 stars

My Review

I loved Rule, it was by far one of the best books I had read last year. When I saw Rome at the local bookstore, I immediately bought it. Rome is a different character that the normal men in Crownovers book. The passion and growth between Cora and Rome is breathtakingly and beautiful. They learn to make something good out of a bad situation. I love how the author blends all the books together with the storylines and the move one one book to the other is seamless. Cora is one of my favorite female characters, she has spunk and is not afraid to say what she thinks. I kept picturing Channing Tatum as Rome, perfect cast! I don't think I have anything bad to say about this book, its another five star book from Jay Crownover. I will be meeting her this summer, and am ecstatic about getting my copy of Rome signed.  

Love Like the Movies Review by Victoria Van Tiem

Written by: Victoria Van Tiem

Summary
In this irresistible romantic romp, movie fanatic Kensington Shaw is thrown into love—Hollywood-style—when her gorgeous ex presents a series of big screen challenges to win back her heart.

What girl wouldn’t want to experience the Pretty Woman shopping scene? It’s number two on the list. Or, try the lift from Dirty Dancing? It’s number five. One list, ten romantic movie moments, and a handful of shenanigans later, Kenzi has to wonder . . . should she marry the man her family loves, or risk everything for a love like the movies?


My rating: 4 stars
My review: 
I had heard some good reviews on this book, so I decided to buy it one night and see what the fuzz was about. Kensington Shaw is a girl in love, but is the man that she is engaged to really the one? What about the man who broke her heart  seven years ago, does he deserve a second chance? Kensington is in search of a love like the movies.
Writing Style: This book is well edited, and wonderfully put together. How the author matches up all the movie scenes and quotes goes so well in the book. As a child of the 90's, these movies are all my all time favorite.
Character Development: Kensi, her parents, her friends, the characters are all wellrounded and I could really get a feel on them.
Ease of reading: Yes, Yes, and Yes! Totally easy to read, and the way the author had integrated social media into everyday life and relationship, very believable.
Storyline: The story line flowed wonderfully, my only pout was that I guess the ending, which is typical for this type of romantic story. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a book, and is a fan of those romantic movies, because this book plays out so many of those scenes. It even made me want to pull out my old DVD player and watch a few of them.

Review by Bree (bookswithbree.com)