18 year old Josie decided that during her senior spring break to babysit for a new but beloved family in town. Although the Sharps seem like the perfect family they are hiding a secret that Josie just got in the middle of.
*Short Review*
Whoa.
I was completely aware that this was an erotic, new adult book. But I was completely unaware with how intense this book was or how fast the intensity was going to come.
I am not bothered by the sexual scenes because that is why I picked up the book (look at the cover).
I enjoyed this read but really only because of one thing. The author is very talented in details and invoking a scandal and oddly enough surprise. The way she was able to write this story without predictability blows my mind because the obvious was there.
Josie, along with the other characters didn’t have any personality. It was as if sex is what defined them and that bothered me because there was really nothing else to this book. Seriously, nothing. The ending was too easy and Josie, who I once I thought was naive, knew exactly what she wanted and what she was doing.
But I cannot help but like this book. Maybe this says some things about me *Kanye Shrugs*
Sourcebooks Casablanca To Be Published May 5, 2015 352 Pages
It is 1536 in England and Lord Wolf, a exceptional soldier has come for his bride. Eloise Tyrell, a lady in waiting for Queen Anne Boleyn, has no intention of giving herself to a man she barely knows.
But when he first kisses her, he claims her and Eloise is at the mercy of the Wolf. When corruption occurs at the court around Eloise’s beloved Queen, Eloise begins to realize that marriage within the courts is nothing like she thought it would be.
Lust in the Tudor court is exactly what this book. Lust on the left, lust on the right, lust every where.
Eloise apparently is a plain looking girl but the fact that she has a bit of a smart mouth makes everyone want her. I don’t have an issue with this but I felt the book was just going for shock factor. I didn’t feel love between the two but it was lust. She’s upset at him but then wants to screw him because he is so attracted to him. The same goes for Wolf. It was lust from beginning to end and not that something with that but if love is supposed to come I was expecting some love and romance not just blunt and brute lust and submission.
However, despite this I enjoyed this book but to say that I enjoyed the book based on the story isn’t the case. I enjoyed the book because Ms. Moss knows how to paint a really good image. This showed talent, passion and bluntness that I admire.
There isn’t really much to this story other than the sex. Yes, the author makes it a big deal about the King, Wolf and Eloise but eh.
Penny Harrigan is a low level associate living in Manhattan after having spent most of her life a small town. So when she is invited to dinner by Climax Well aka billionaire C. Linus Maxwell, she cannot believe her luck.
After wining and dinning in the most exclusive restaurant in Manhattan, Maxwell takes Penny to Paris and instead of the passionately love making she is expecting, Maxwell comes into the bedroom with a notepad and a bunch of oils to bring Penny to an organism that can kill her.
Soon Penny discovers she is a test subject for a new product Maxwell is inventing called Beautiful You. This product works so well that women all over the world have abandoned their men to lock themselves in their rooms until the batteries run out. But is Maxwell’s device really a plot to take over the world?
This is the first book I’ve read by Chuck Palahniuk and I wasn’t sure what to expect but it sure wasn’t this. This book was the most racially insensitive, culturally insensitive book I have ever read in my life. I couldn’t stop laughing from beginning to end because I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be a joke or if it was supposed to be a series read. Either way, I couldn’t take this read seriously.
Firstly, the book was insensitive to rape and women in regards to their sexuality and their overall being. Controlling women off their sexual needs although a interesting topic it wasn’t executed in the best light.
Secondly, stereotypes; the only person who wasn’t stereotyped was Penny. The black woman and the Latino woman were both outspoken, loud and lacked class or common courtesy. This bothered me . . . a lot.
Finally, my other issue with this book is how this plain jane woman who didn’t have an ounce of backbone all of a sudden is the savior of the world. No this isn’t a character development because Penny was just pissed off he threw her out within a hour of telling her it was over and his product sold millions. Penny was useless from beginning to end. She came off very materialistic and blame the author on this by constantly describing the designer brand clothing she was wearing.
However, Chuck knows how to write a book even if it was thrown together and have a crappy ending. I finished the book because for some powerful force I was drawn into it.
This book felt forced as if Chuck had to write this book for some contract. So I am taking this read as a joke.
Cara is back in her home town; Eden, North Carolina and she hates it. Fresh out of college, Cara has returned to find a job, save some money and leave as quickly as she came.
But when she meets Dax Allard during a job interview, she realizes her life will never be the same. Because Dax on top of that gorgeous beauty has a secret . . . a secret that Cara just so happens to stumble upon.
There was a lot of things wrong with this book but there were some really good things that as a reviewer I cannot overlook.
Firstly, Cara and Dax are as cliche bull crap as you could get. Cara and Dax are instant “love” at first site. I give Dax a pass because Dax technically imprinted on her because he is a beast like that. As much as I go back and forth regarding that I am okay with it.
But I am not okay with Cara. Foolish isn’t the proper word for her because she just jumps right in; even if her questions were never answered (it didn’t take long for Dax to give it up the answers) she still would have went along with it all. I am not a fan of Cara. She shows little common sense and complete disregard for getting out of Eden the moment she meets Dax.
Although I give Dax a pass on love at first site, Dax is a beast (not in a good way). He is way too possessive and has the traits of a abuser; its not cute. You can only say I was worried about you for so long.
But with all my heart I can honestly say, I like the way Falls write a story. Yes, the characters and their “love” is slack but she was able to tell the story smoothly without me wanting to throw my kindle against the wall. Falls wrote pretty well. The shortcomings were huge but you can see the talent as you read the book. Don’t get me wrong there were parts that I rolled my eyes but I kept reading because the potential there was really good.
The biggest issue I have is the ending. It bad. Abruptly ending is not the same as ending a story. Conclusions are hard (trust me I know) but stopping in what seem like mid-thought shows a lack of creativity and effort to finish something right.
Overall this was an okay read. I may actually read book two.
Wunderland Press Published March 3, 2014 307 Pages
Elodie Marais is a 19-year-old model from a small town in love with the fame and the fashion. As her modeling career grows, Elodie has the attention of two men but each will give her a different path . . that she may not be ready for.
All I can say is wow. This was not a good book. I picked it up because the cover is beautiful and the title is great.
What I didn’t like about the book was the dullness of the story but most importantly the main character. It is a known secret that some people do whatever to be a famous and well used model. But that seemed to be all she was about. That’s it.
There was nothing else other than the fact that she was poor, got played by her first love and then decided to sleep around in order to stay on top.
The setting was bad. Nothing really changed around her; she seemed to be getting older but never learning anything or progressing in her personal life.
After a divorce she thought she would never have, Aurora Alexander is ready to get back into the swing of things.
But after having bad luck at blind dates, she takes up online dating. Unaware that it is not as safe as everyone says it is.
I like Dawn Robertson. But I didn’t like this book.
The entire book from beginning to end felt incomplete. Aurora didn’t want a relationship but then felt some type of way when she was approached for sex. Granted there was a way to do it but something was just off about what Aurora wanted.
I felt the book was rushed. Not Aurora but the book itself. Because it felt rushed, I don’t think Aurora was developed nor her relationship that she ultimately formed. I wanted to like Aurora because I loved the realistic point of view in this story.
Online dating can be fun, scary and unsafe all at the same time; so I really appreciated the fact that Ms. Dawn decided to highlight this. But I do feel that it was a cliche book.
Aimee Roseland . . . sounds familiar? That is because she wrote the book FANGIRL_15. Check for the review here.
Creativity in writing is a must. But along with creativity there needs to have a sense of reality. This is what Ms. Aimee does.
The reality in her stories feel so possible, it makes for a wonderful read.
Enjoy, this lovely interview.
Have you always been a full time writer? Did you want to be anything else or did you do anything else besides write?
When I was thirteen I discovered romance novels (sigh…love at first sight) and started writingwhat might be considered “fan-fic” or more accurately “anti-fan-fic”. I was always trying to fix stories that I thought went wrong. “No, the heroine didn’t hold her tongue and allow herself to be kidnapped, she pulled her father’s rusty military sword off the wall and…” Eventually that evolved into writing my own stories, something I committed to working at every day. I think it’s at that point, when you commit to the dream, that you become a “real writer.” I have never wanted to be anything else.
Published July 8, 2014 288 Pages
How would you describe your style of writing? What do you want to leave the reader with once they finish your book?
I probably use more wit than I intend to with consideration toward the genres I write in, but I like to laugh a lot. My everyday language is peppered with movie references and snark, so that voice often bleeds into my character’s personality. I think most people are less rigid in real life than writer’s tend to make them and my writing style reflects that relaxed realism (hopefully.) My greatest desire for the readers of my stories is that during the adventure they have at least smirked once or twice, winced in sympathy, gnashed their teeth in shared outrage, and also, most importantly, that they have felt a swell of hope.
What inspired your latest book FANGIRL_15? Are you one of those readers who dreams of a life with a fictional character?
I am ABSOLUTELY one of those readers! Of course, knowing me, I’ve placed myself as some sort of ass-kicking hero that sweeps in to save the day for the lead figures rather than dreaming I could be the heroine that Mr. Perfect would love. (Any similarities between myself and my characters is purely coincidental…really…) The inspiration for Fangirl actually came quite a few years back. I was very single and reading novels voraciously. I met my sister for a walk one evening at a school park down the street, but with all those people running through my head I felt even lonelier than usual. The novel peeps were often my soul companions, and I ended up wishing for a second that they were real. Just like that, WHAM, they were there. Not the ones I’d been reading about, but Chloe and Lucien. I spent the next hour telling my sister their story, I can’t express how excited I was about it! I knew their story was going to be special, and important enough for me to let percolate till my ability had caught up with my desire. Eventually I felt confident enough to write it down and finally record their journey. Their reception has been as warm as I hoped it would be.
Self Published Published on Oct. 18, 2012 59 Pages
Have you ever written something that shocked you once you re-read it? If so, what was it and why was it shocking?
I think self-doubt is fairly universal. We’re our own worst critic. Well, maybe not everyone has that problem since I’ve read some seriously awful stuff…but I digress. My first novel was practically an epic. Hundred-thousand words, sprawling and soooo difficult to simply end. Once it was complete I set it aside and sort of cringed and berated myself and decided that it couldn’t be good enough for anyone else to read. After a while I went back and, with trembling fingers, re-opened the file. I started reading…and couldn’t stop. It was good! I actually laughed out loud and hunched closer and just grinned at the screen. I do that every single time that I finish a novel. The final edit gets done and I get to close the computer for a while. During my hiatus the doubts creep out to play. “It was too dry, wasn’t it? Not enough ‘show’? Too much ‘tell’? Will anyone like this but me…?” Then the time comes for a final read before the “publish now” button gets tapped, and each time I’m shocked anew. Not bad, Roseland…not bad…
Self Published Published on Feb. 10, 2012 328 Pages
Finally, if you had to give your old self ( when you first began writing) advice what would it be?
Do it now! Don’t stop! Start small and trust that you can edit anything but a blank page. All that advice you read about how your first novel is going to be the hardest is true. Once you finish one, the road block will be GONE. It will always be a struggle to create an entire novel, don’t let that be the excuse you use not to try. Creation is difficult. It’s the reason that “value” is synonymous with “cost.” If it’s worth it, it will be hard. No one ever strived for the cheap thing, they settled. Don’t settle. If you’re ever stuck, you need to ask more questions. Never expect as much from others as you expect of yourself, you’re going to be disappointed. Reach out. Reach back. Stretch forward. And most important. Take. More. Notes.
Open Road Media Romance To Be Published June 3, 2014 354 Pages
I received this book via NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review*
Aurelia has grown up being haunted by her parent’s death. She lives with her God-Parents when on her 18th birthday, she meets a man who turns her out. However this man comes and goes as fast as her next breathe.
When a unknown benefactor offers Aurelia more money than she has ever has, she goes to America with her best friend Siv to enjoy a year off before going to school.
While in America, she comes across this ball that has been held for centuries not realizing that she is about to open the door to something she is completely unprepared for.
This wasn’t a bad book. But it also wasn’t a book for me. What I loved about this book was the author painted a very pretty picture. I loved the intimacy she wrote about. It was detailed and romantic. I appreciated that and it made the book worth continuing. However, I was taken back by Aurelia. She was an extremely sexual person and I was taken back by that. She was so willing for a 18-year-old virgin. Like her arousal was so strong it was hard for me to believe that she was never with anyone in any form.
What I didn’t like about the book was the connection between Aurelia and her best friend Siv. The little back-story the author did give about how they became friends didn’t add any emotion to their friendship. It was boring and lack luster. Siv was a hornball and didn’t care how it went she was always game. Aurelia sat there and just let her do what she wanted at one point she even watched Siv have sex. To me they weren’t really friends but just two people that happened to get stuck together.
I also thought Aurelia as a character lacked which surprised me because there was such great detail in the scenery and the sex that it felt like the author just wrote characters just to be there. I also thought it was really weird how the summary state Aurelia was haunted by her parents, that was not true for half of the book. As a reader you know what happens to the parents but Aurelia doesn’t mention her parents . . . Siv does.
I was disappointed with that aspect because I was expecting more of a story around her parents with of courses lots of sex.
Again this wasn’t a bad story but it lacked passion, a bigger story than a stupid friend and a mysterious guy that knows how to turn on a girl. Overall this story gets 2.5 pickles.
Making and breaking your favorite reads since 2017
Motif by Tanya 