Review Of: Anna and the French Kiss

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?

Oh Anna. How do I explain my feelings for you?

I really wanted to love Anna and the French Kiss as I've heard nothing but good things about the whole series.  I didn't hate it, but I feel pretty impartial to it.  I think that if the main couple weren't a bunch of cheaters and hypocrites I would have had a better bond with them resulting in me feeling a better connection to the story. 

If I separate the facts from the love story it is very charming, it's also in no way an instant love type of situation which helped with my opinion of the overall book. Anna and St. Clair's relationship builds up over time, from acquaintances to friends to best friends to love.  It was fun and heartfelt watching their relationship bloom, if only they would have waited until St. Clair had ended things with his girlfriend!

There were secondary characters present and while they don't completely fade into the background there isn't a whole lot of interaction between them and Anna.  I believe a few of them will pop up in the next books but I can't say that after Anna I'm left wondering what happens with them.

Overall, Anna and the French Kiss is an enjoyable contemporary romance about a girl making her place in a new world and gaining friendship as well as love along the way.  If you don't hold tight to your morals I'm sure you will enjoy reading Anna's story.

Review Of: The Stars Never Rise

Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

Oh, how amazing this book was.  There were so many twists and surprises that I didn't expect, at all, which totally added to my enjoyment The Stars Never Rise.

I've read my fair share of books about angels and I'm no stranger to stories involving demons but this was a whole new take on the whole thing. The writing and pacing was fantastic, the characters unique in their own right and the love aspect....a challenge that I am dying to see play out.

 

I really don't want to say too much for fear of giving away things that I enjoyed being surprised by. For what it's worth, I completely loved the book and can't wait for the next installment!

Sexy Saturday Spotlight: All I Want By J. Daniels

Sexy Saturday Spotlight is a new feature where I shine the spotlight on some of the steamier books I read.  These books are usually rated 18+.

This week the spotlight is shining on All I Want by J. Daniels.

Luke Evans is a heartbreaker.
I didn’t want to give mine to him. Not when he kept me out.
He gave me enough, just enough to make me fall in love with him. I say this to convince myself. But I know the truth.
I would’ve fallen in love with him at a distance.
Handing my heart over to Luke was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. I was naive when I wished for more, when I hoped he wanted the same things I did.
I try to hate him. I try to forget him.
But it’s not that easy.
Love is a ruthless bitch, and I’m her latest victim.

Tessa Kelly is a man-eater.
When she sets her sights on you, she doesn’t just consume your heart, she goes for your soul.
What we had was perfect, real, and all I would ever want.
But she destroyed it.
She destroyed us.
I try to hate her. I try to forget her.
But it’s not that easy.
Love is for people who have hope, and I have none.

All I want is the second book in the companion series Alabama Summer.  It technically can be read alone but if you want the background of Mia and Ben you should start with Where I Belong.

One thing I will say about these books is that everyone cusses like a sailor!  I don't know of anyone in real life who uses the word Fuck so frequently in day to day conversations, not to mention pussy and titties.  It's one thing to run across those words during sex scenes but the characters use them freely throughout normal conversations with each other.

All I Want is just as steamy as the Where I Belong but this story belongs to Tessa and Luke.  Luke has a lot of background issues that he wants to keep from Tessa, not because he doesn't love her but because he wants to protect her from it.  Tessa believes he doesn't actually want a future with her causing her to resent him. This all starts the cycle of misunderstanding and heartbreak.

Luke represents the kind of guy every girl wants to take home and fix.  That, along with his stellar skills in the bedroom, combine to make it impossible for Tessa to walk away.  Their so called hatred for each other equates to some steamy angry sex along with sensual make up sex.  For two people who hate each other they have a lot of sex, which I was okay with. I mean, seriously.

I actually preferred Mia and Ben's relationship to Tessa adn Luke, which made me prefer the sex scenes in Where I Belong.  That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy Tessa and Luke, they were still amazing and if I had read them first I probably would have had no problems.  But as it stands Tessa and Luke come in second place.

Review Of: A Court Of Thorns and Roses

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Magnificent. That word sums up my feelings about Sarah J.Maas' latest series.  I tried to get into Throne of Glass but failed, I'm now reconsidering my rash decision on it, in fact I may go out tomorrow and buy the whole damn series.

I'm not the best at reading books about faeries but goodness there are some yummy fae in this book, which btw I'm totally team Tamlin.  I have a feeling that ship will be put to the test in the next book.  I found Feyra to be a solid character who shows growth and potential. Although, I believe I may have reasons to want to throttle her in the next book but she could surprise me.  Also, talk about steamy scenes! There are a few moments between Tamlin and Feyra that are cause for a cold shower, I loved it!  Along with a mysterious anti hero who left me thinking of switching to the dark side. (Sorry Tam! I still love you!)

A Court Of Thorns and Roses starts off slow.  I'm not going to lie, I put it down several times in the first few chapters but once we had a firm grasp on how things work in this magical world the pace starts to pick up.  Towards the end of the book I started to grow concerned that certain events would be stretched out causing the timing to slow way down but turns out I had no reason to worry. Also, there was no pesky cliff hanger.  Readers are left knowing that there is more to come but without the feeling of holding your breath until the next book appears.

I'm pretty excited about this new series. It's an excellent example of how amazing the New Adult genre can be.  It still contains the feel of a YA fantasy but mixes it with some steamy writing targeted for the older audience.  As long as it doesn't turn into a horrible love triangle mess, I see it being amazing.