Early Book Review: Get Real by Tellulah Darling

Author: Tellulah Darling
Series: Get Real #1
Publisher: Te Da Media
Release Date: September 26th
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Get Real is a New Adult romantic comedy with sass, sex, and swoon, set in the world of “Cadabras"–humans with magical powers.

Francesca Bellafiore is a good Jewish girl, living up to family expectations that she use her magic to heal others. Underneath, she’s a wannabe badass with her heart set on becoming a detective and solving magical crimes. But nice girls don't disappoint their moms.

Party boy Rafael Muñoz does everything possible to publicly disappoint his high profile father. Privately, it's a different story. His carefully crafted bad boy reputation masks the fact he’s a master illusionist, forced into solo covert ops. The role is wearing thin and Rafael longs to be part of a team.

When Francesca meets Rafael at a friend's party, she's taken by the sexy stranger. Until he speaks. Beautiful plumage doesn't compensate for spectacular ego. Rafael finds Francesca's sweetness a turn-on. For about five minutes. Judgmental golden girls are more trouble than they're worth. Then a terrified girl with reality warping powers, locked and loaded on their destruction, whisks the pair to Manhattan. Francesca and Rafael are caught in a web of magic, minions, secrets, and enough sexual tension to power NYC. Desperate to prove themselves, their only chance to save the city and survive is to team up, trust each other–and maybe even fall in love.

Provided they don't kill each other first.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Te Da Media and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret that I love Tellulah Darling's books. So it should not surprise anyone that I adored Get Real.

Francesca was such a funny heroine. I loved her sense of duty. I was so sad for her because she was willing to give up her dreams to keep her family traditions alive, but in a way I also understood her and her reasons. I loved her relationship with her friends. I can't wait to read more about her in the next books and see how other characters perceive her.

Rafael....Oh my. He was cute. It was interesting to see things from his perspective too. It also helped me like him a lot, because I feel like I wouldn't have been too fond of him had the story been told only from Francesca's POV. This way I got to understand his reasons and I really felt bad for him.

What was interesting about this book was how the subject of sexual orientation was approached. It didn't give me the impression that it was something out of the norm and it wasn't taboo or something that needs to be kept a secret. Which was great and I really want to read more books like this. It was also refreshing to see how certain relationships are mended in a way, how sometimes we have the wrong idea about a person really close to us and how we can judge them harshly for something they didn't do. Lots of cold truths in there and I really enjoyed that.

At times the story moved a little too fast, but while a bit confusing, it also helped experiencing a little of what Rafael and Francesca were experiencing. I loved the phrases in other languages. It made the characters feel real in a way. It helped that I knew what the phrases meant, I know, but for me it made it real that these characters have a multicultural background.

I did not expect that ending. I really, really want to know what happens next.

Book Review: The Edge Of Always by J.A. Redmerski

Author: J.A. Redmerski
Series: The Edge of Never #2
Publisher: Forever Romance
Release Date: November 5th
My Rating:3.5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

He was taking the long road. She was taking the road to nowhere. It just so happened that they led to the same place…

When everything falls apart, love remains . . .

THE EDGE OF ALWAYS

Camryn Bennett has never been happier. Five months after meeting on a Greyhound bus, she and her soul mate Andrew Parrish are engaged—and a wedding isn’t the only special event in their future. Nervous but excited, Camryn can’t wait to begin the rest of her life with Andrew – a man she knows in her heart will love her always. They have so much to look forward to—until tragedy blindsides them.

Andrew doesn’t understand how this could happen to them. He’s trying to move on, and thought Camryn was doing the same. But when Andrew discovers Camryn is secretly harboring a mountain of pain and attempting to numb it in damaging ways, there is nothing he won’t do to bring her back to life. Determined to prove that their love can survive anything, Andrew decides to take Camryn on a new journey filled with hope and passion. If only he can convince her to come along for the ride…

You know, I was so happy when I heard there was going to be another book with Andrew and Camryn. I really loved them in The Edge Of Never and I was a bit sad when it ended. So when the new book was released I did a little happy dance and purchased the book right away.

I loved seeing them getting stronger as individuals and as a couple, growing up and doing the things they were dreaming about. I also liked that Camryn gets to come to terms to some events from her past and become a stronger person.

I'll be honest and tell you that when I finished the first book and read the blurb for this one, I kind of went "Oh, I know what will happen!". I kept hoping I was wrong. I really wished they didn't have to go through what they did, but I guess that's what helped them do the things I talked about earlier. My heart broke for them, even though I was expecting it.

There were some incidents that gave me the chills, especially since they can and do happen in real life. They're not done in a preachy way, they are just shown as things that happened to the characters and that can happen in real life if you're either in a bad place (mentally) or you aren't paying attention around you. I remember one of my teachers in college saying "Don't be afraid of what you do when you think things through, be afraid of those moments when your brain just isn't working". And that's what I felt happened in The Edge Of Always.

I really wanted to love this book as much as I loved The Edge Of Never. There were a few issues, however. Besides the slightly rushed ending, there were some scenes that made me go "Huh?". They were parts that didn't exactly fit with the image I had of Andrew and of Camryn.

The constant change of POV between Andrew and Camryn was one of the things I liked in both books. I feel like books told in 1st person aren't exactly complete, because I am a curious person and I want to see what every character feels and goes through. But J.A. Redmerski makes it pretty easy to figure that out because we get the two sides of the story.

The ending, even though it felt rushed, fit the story of Andrew and Camryn. And I did believe in their story and in their love. I do think that it was a sweet, sweet story of a love that heals and sneaks up on you. I heard that there's going to be a book about two characters we meet in this story and I'm very, very happy about that. I will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Mini Review: Deeper We Fall by Chelsea M. Cameron

Author: Chelsea M. Cameron
Series: Fall and Rise #1
Publisher: All Night Reads
Release Date: January 12th 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Two years after her best friend was involved in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, Lottie Anders is ready to start her freshman year of college. Ready to move on. Ready to start forgetting the night that ripped her life apart.

Her plans come to a screeching halt when not one, but both brothers responsible for the accident end up back in her life again.

Zack is cruel, selfish and constantly rubbing what happened to her friend in Lottie's face.

Zan is different. He listens to her awkward ramblings. He loves "To Kill a Mockingbird" as much as she does, and his dark eyes are irresistible. His words are few and far between, but when he does speak, she can't help but listen.

The trouble is, Zan was the driver in the accident, and now Lottie's discovered he lied to her about what happened that night. Now she must decide if trusting him again will lead to real forgiveness, or deeper heartache.

This was a very surprising book. It made me want to cry and punch something at the same time.

I found myself liking Zan even though, like Lottie, I tried not to. He has a lot of pain, though you can understand why when you get to the end of the book.

I was so sad for Lottie. She was really struggling to move forward with her life, but at the same time she couldn't let go of her friend, Lexie. She also felt guilty a lot. I think she needed to move on and I can imagine how difficult it was to accept that the one person who could help her do that was Zan.

I hated Zack and I wanted to hit him many times throughout the book.

There were a few things that confused me a little, like Zan's willingness to protect his brother, but in the ned I think it was a great read and I'll definitely read the next book in the series.

Mini Review: The Edge Of Never by J.A. Redmerski

Author: J.A. Redmerski
Series: The Edge of Never #1
Publisher: Createspace
Release Date: November 15th 2012
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Source: NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

Oh boy! This is one of those books that stick with you long after you've finished reading it.

I fell in love with Andrew. He has a great sense of humor, he's an amazing friend and he has great taste in music. I actually squeed a little when I read about what music he likes. (You could call it insta-love, if you want *giggles*)

Cam was great too. I felt like she was way more mature by the end of the book, happier and more comfortable with herself. Of course, I don't think I would've trusted a guy I just met on a bus (I'm a little more paranoid than it should be allowed).

The only thing that I didn't particularly like was the ending. It was great, but it felt completely rushed. The novel had a great pace, but at the end of it I felt like I took a wrong turn and got to the end before I was ready for it.

I did however love the book and I'm ready for another dose of Andrew. I mean, I'm ready for the next book *whistling*

Book Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Author: Jamie McGuire
Series: Beautiful #1
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: August 14th 2012
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

I have a confession to make. Before I read Beautiful Disaster I broke one of my rules and I read some reviews for this book. If you look, you'll see how mixed they are, so I was a little weary.

Based on the reviews I read though, I formed a plan in my head: don't fall for Travis. You know how I love the bad boy heroes. I didn't want to care for him too much. Well, good luck with that! Because, like Abby says, "it's the tattoos". I couldn't do it. But let me get back to Travis a bit later.

Beautiful Disaster and the companion book, Walking Disaster, are proof that there are more sides to a story and that you shouldn't judge one person using only information from one side. I'll tell you about that next week, when I review Walking Disaster.

I felt like both Abby and Travis are broken people. Abby never had a normal childhood and Travis... well, we don't know much about him, really. Because BD is told from Abby's POV I can see why most readers didn't like Travis. I mean, he was acting crazy, he was a little too violent at times (though not physically towards Abby), he was possessive and angry. I'm not trying to make excuses for him, but Abby didn't really come across as innocent to me. She was a little naive at first, but when she figured it out, she wasn't exactly fair to Travis. One moment she wanted him, the next she wanted nothing with him.

I liked America and Shep. They were both good friends for Abby and Travis and their love story was cute. Though at times both America "Mare" and Shep exaggerated at times with some of their fights, I think they'll make it in the end.

The thing I can think about that didn't... well, it wasn't as I'd expected it was. Abby's childhood. We know her dad wasn't great father material, we know she had to do stuff to get him out of trouble, but we're told that, not shown. There's one or two scenes where we actually get a glimpse of what Abby might have gone through in her past. I wish there were more of them or that there were scenes where she would remember something similar. It would've made me understand her more than I did.

I don't know if Abby and Travis would make it in real life. Maybe, maybe not. What I do know is that I liked their story and I think they do have a chance to make it. Oh, one thing I recommend. If you haven't yet read this book, I think you should wait and get both Beautiful and Walking and read them back to back. That's what I did and I'm glad I did it that way.