You're not supposed to want the one who torments you.
When my stepbrother, Elec, came to live with us my senior year, I wasn't prepared for how much of a jerk he'd be.
I hated that he took it out on me because he didn't want to be here.
I hated that he brought girls from our high school back to his room.
But what I hated the most was the unwanted way my body reacted to him.
At first, I thought all he had going for him were his rock-hard tattooed abs and chiseled face. But things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night.
Then, just as quickly as he'd come into my life, he was gone back to California.
It had been years since I'd seen Elec.
When tragedy struck our family, I'd have to face him again.
And holy hell, the teenager who made me crazy was now a man that drove me insane.
I had a feeling my heart was about to get broken again.
Charlie should be packing her bags for college, but the life ahead of her isn’t one she’s certain she wants. Maybe that’s what led her to sleep with a perfect stranger at the county fair. Finding out he was a carnie was like winning the bonus round of the world’s worst game.
Blue grew up in the carnival, never staying anywhere long enough to call home. He never thought of himself as the type to seduce a local, let alone fall in love with one, but his impulsiveness got the better of him this time. He should go where the carnival takes him, but for the first time he’s not sure if he wants to follow.
When he makes the decision to stick around, Charlie eagerly follows him down the rabbit hole; into a world with no regard for consequences or regret. Most of all, he shows her that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling they can create and share. For a price. Because the higher the roller coaster goes, the faster it all comes crashing down.
Carnival is recommended for ages 17+ for language, thematic elements and strong sexual content (Goodreads)
We all have a façade, a concealed mask we wear to portray ourselves to the world.
Fallon’s mask is real, what you see is what you get. Growing up with two loving parents in Chicago, graduating in Chicago, and now working a job she loves, she enjoys her life.
Her untarnished world is shaken when Luca crosses her path.
Luca’s mask is tightly controlled. Distrust, rivalry, and violence rule his life.
When confronted with insecurities, when the one you love wears his mask perfectly, when your life unravels and you don’t know why, do you keep trusting the person you love?
Everyone has a façade. Everyone has an ulterior motive (Goodreads)
Fair Warning: This an explicit book, with sex acts in almost every other chapter. There are things some consider kinky. The language is harsh at times, and the sex is graphic. If that is not what you are looking for, this book is not for you.
Go back to the days of high school and college with Crystal and Chad...
Chad is in the band Reckless. Crystal is their one and only groupie. The band is not going anywhere, mostly because their rhythm guitarist, Phil is too mechanical. Chad makes a decision without his bandmates, bringing Crystal into the fold. The rest of the band balks and laughs until they hear her play. They quickly forget Chad went over their heads and welcome her to the band.
After Crystal and Chad both go through painful break-ups, Crystal is a bit jaded. Then Paulie walks into their lives. He is exactly what Crystal and Reckless needs. He takes their band and Crystal's heart for a ride no one will forget. (Goodreads)
Olivia Warren used to be a normal girl with a bright future.
But on one fated night, everything changed.
Hiding the scars of her past up her sleeves, Olivia transfers her enrollment from Columbia University to The College of Charleston, determined to pursue her own dreams for the first time in her life.
She intends to allow herself a bit of alone time to heal... that is, until she meets Preston.
Preston is best friends with her roommate, completely hot, and off-limits. But the chemistry between them is instantaneous—and as the pair begins to spend more time with one another, their feelings for each other build into something undeniable, something powerful enough to heal Olivia’s deepest scars.
Olivia tries to put her own past behind her and trust Preston, but she discovers that his past might be more present than she ever bargained for… (Goodreads)
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Pieces of Oliva is a New Adult novel that in my eye’s breaks the mold of the typical bad boy/virgin pairing where the hero is over possessive and a man whore. While Preston is something of a playboy, it’s not nearly to the level of some other NA heroes.
The heroine while a broken individual because of an traumatic event in her past is no virgin. She was in a relationship with her boyfriend for years, and I’m assuming they were intimate together.
We’re introduced to Olivia who is going to Charleston College, much to her parents dismay. She makes her way to her dorm room only to find a guy, a very handsome guy, sleeping in her roommates Karas bed! And thus goes the first meeting of Preston and Olivia.
For once in a NA novel there is no insta-love. These two develop a friendship first, one that lasts quite a while. It’s clear that each has feelings for the other, but the don’t want to admit it. They each have issues that make it difficult to have real relationships.
I won’t spoil either of the characters issues, because it takes quite a long time for everything to be revealed which was a nice change.
Kara and Preston are best friends, and Kara quickly becomes one of their friends too. But it becomes apparent to both the reader and Olivia that there is something off about the best friends, a deeper connection then they want anyone to know. It’s obvious they had a past, once dated or something and its apparent that they used to have a thing together. Which isn’t a bad thing, it gives Olivia a reason to not want to go out with Preston.
Because of an event that took place about a year before the novel starts, Olivia is in pieces. She’s a shell of her former self, and has become a recluse. Therapy is needed to help Olivia heal, and she finds a wonderfully quirky woman named Rose. Through unconventional methods our young heroine
But eventually they admit their feelings to each other and its so sweet. They have their ups and downs, and have a lot of stuff they need to work through, but they work it out. This is a really genuine relationship and it made my heart melt. This is what more NA novels need to be like. It breaks the mold. We need more Preston’s in NA.
The only gripe I had with this book was the fact that the Poetry teacher wanted to help Olivia with her struggles, and we get a glimpse into a class or two where Olivia reads her poems, which are heart breaking. Then thats the last we hear of her until the epilogue! All of a sudden its “my poetry teacher became a good friend, helping me heal.” Would have been awesome to see more of that!
Overall an amazing novel and one that I will remember for a long time.
I’m excited for the next book which will be in Kara’s POV.
Fresh off the heels of a devastating breakup, Riley Benson is a mess. But with her ingenious plan to become a ball-busting heartbreaker herself, she’s pretty sure she’ll survive. After all, what better way is there to get revenge than to move on?
Riley’s determined to become the perfect bachelorette—she’s going to drink like a bro, belch like a beast and swear so much that she’ll make even the most seasoned sailors blush. After all, those are the qualities that every guy’s secretly looking for…. aren’t they?
Max Fletcher is in love with the girl who gave him chicken pox and his first broken leg. When his best friend seems to finally be out of the picture, he can’t help but want to keep Riley all to himself. And, after coaching her with the very best of the very worst love advice, it seems as if he might actually get what he's wanted after all those years. But just as the two come to the realization that they're actually kind of perfect for each other, along comes a secret that threatens to tear them apart. (Goodreads)
SYNOPSIS
Jet lag and alcohol might not have been the best pairing. It added up to a foggysensation in the elevator on the way to his room. Cassidy Miller had used everything else to escape from her memories, so why not try sex?Ronan Hawes slipped his card in the slot and pushed open the heavy door with one arm, indicating that she should precede him. She was so close, she got a whiff of whatever scent he was wearing.“God, you smell good,” she blurted out. The door clicked shut behind them. “What is that?”Expression sheepish, he admitted, “Calvin Klein, but I’m under contract withBurberry.”She smiled. “You unfaithful swine. What’s wrong with Burberry?”“Too ... British. Reminds me of Prince Charles. I have some bottles in the bathroom if you fancy it though.”“No,” she said, suddenly noticing the intensity of the inner gold ring of his irises.“You’ve met the prince?”“Several hang around the circuit, but I only got within sniffing distance of my own at a ceremony for an ex-teammate. I buggered off, though, before our aftershaves clashed.”Of course he was in that league. They all were. And what did she sound like? Anenthralled schoolgirl.“I know.” Ronan reached for her hand, teasing his thumb across her knuckles, making her breath catch. “This royal chitchat is putting you off, killing the moment. Just tell me to shut up.”“No, no, it’s um—” She broke off as his hand slid up her arm, sending a deliciousshiver to the back of her neck. She stepped back two paces. “Mind if I raid the minibar?”He looked surprised but recovered smoothly. “Nightcap? Pardon me for not offering, through here.”He led her over to the bar area and extracted a bottle. “Bourbon, wasn’t it? On the rocks?”Cass shook her head. “Straight up is fine.” She didn’t need him to take a trip to the ice machine. Better to get her drink and get this over with. She studied him while he poured. He was exceedingly good-looking. Enviable bone structure, square jaw. And suave. Definitely suave. What had she expected? That he’d jump her like some hick? Even standing still, her head was swimming, and her stomach was vaguely nauseated. All those drinks on an empty stomach. She’d be comatose if she weren’t careful. As if on cue, the room spun. She reached out a hand and made her way unsteadily over to the loveseat.“All right there?” The tiniest frown appeared between his eyes, but his smile remained.“Fine. It’s the shoes, not used to heels,” she mumbled. Oh God. Had she just slurred?He carried the drink over and set it on the glass coffee table, out of reach. She leaned over to grab it, nearly pitching face first onto the table. Now he was staring at her, not amused in the slightest. “You sure you’re all right?”She waved a hand in his direction and picked up the drink, then stared into the glass as the nausea welled up. “Excuse me.”She dashed for the bathroom.
