The Single Game: Amanda Black

Blurb:

In this third, stand-alone installment of Amanda Black’s Apartment Novels series, sparks fly during a sexy party game.

When Eden Foster’s parents tell her they’re moving from Chicago to the Illinois suburb of Aledo, Eden is crushed. That is, until she runs crying to her jock boyfriend, who she finds on top of her so-called best friend. Moving’s not looking so bad anymore.

Now a senior at Mercer County High, Eden is ready to re-enter the dating scene. Still burned over the betrayal of her ex, she’s looking for someone sweet and innocent. With the help of her two new friends, Zoe and Amy, Eden makes a list of what she’s looking for: an eager virgin, ready for training—and no jocks.

Eden thinks she’s found what she’s looking for in Logan Black, a shy and geeky classmate. But why are Zoe and Amy convinced that the answer to her search is a party game…with kissing?

Eden better get ready, because she’s about to play the Single Game.

Review: 4.5 Stars

Once I realized where this book was heading -- falling for a shy guy -- I was all in!  Part of me felt guilty for being so invested in a high school relationship and the other part of me was too busy reading with a cheesy grin on my face to even care.

After a bad experience with an asshole ex-boyfriend, Eden was ready to find a good guy who is pretty much the opposite of her ex.  No jocks.  No manwhores.

"...I'm tired of smarmy guys who think they're all that.  I'd rather have someone who didn't know what he was doing, but was honestly willing to learn."

Well Eden, you're in luck.  I think I'm in insta-love with Logan.  Book boyfriend alert!

"He's not the kind of guy you play games with or try to outsmart.  He isn't looking to hit it and quit it."

There's something that is simultaneously nice but scary about meeting your forever guy early on in life.  "Nice" because you don't have to deal with the dating scene bullshit.  "Scary" because you're so young and everyone talks about how much you change in your 20s.  I met my husband when I was 20...We count our anniversary as the day we started living together (which we did within a few weeks of meeting each other).  There's more to that story...but it was a bit scary to think about all the ways that arrangement could go wrong.

This book is a straight-up romance.  Minimal angst and drama.  It's refreshing, if you're cool with a low-drama read.

I love this quote (and the fact that it actually originated from the author's husband):

"I feel like I won the million dollar jackpot the very first time I played.  Why would I keep trying to get something better?  There is no better. I'm not stupid - I know how to cherish the treasure I've been given."

Oh Logan - I love you....and Luke (the author's husband) -- if you inspired that quote, points to you too!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spark: Erin Noelle

Blurb: 

I’m failing. 

My younger brother is getting worse, and my job - my duty - is to help him at all costs. We’ve tried everything modern medicine has to offer and nothing works. 

Nothing. 

Deciding to turn to unconventional treatments, we end up at Fire-on-the-Mountain, a holistic resort deep in the Rockies. 

In our search for medical marijuana, I find beautiful, free-spirited Hudson Shavell - a girl who may not only hold the key to heal my brother, but to fix me as well. Even though I can’t afford distractions right now, she’s all I can think about. All that I want. 

It’s funny how everything can change with one little SPARK.

Review: 4.5 Stars

I try to not read too many reviews before getting into a book.  If I know I want to read a book, I don't want to be tempted by spoilers or biased by others' options.  As a result, I was not prepared for this one.  I spent part of the book steeling myself for what might come, the next part breathing to avoid breaking down and then taking deep breathes to try to find my happy place again.

After seeing acquaintances have their lives turned upside down by untreatable epilepsy and related symptoms, I am completely in favour of trying medical marijuana.  I hope this book helps to shed some light on the topic.

The author did a very good job of making me feel connected to the characters.  At times, I could imagine myself sitting at the dinner table with the family, experiencing everything along side of Hudson and Crew.  I loved them as a couple, but wanted to pummel them at times too.

Looking forward to the next books in the series!

Aflame: Penelope Douglas

Blurb:

The tables have turned. Now I have the power—and it’s his turn to beg…

Everyone wants to be me.

Maybe it’s the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don’t care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can’t stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name.

I’m her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I’m surviving—something he thought I’d never do.

They all still talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on T.V? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate?

But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won’t be here.

Tatum Brandt is gone. I’m someone new.

Review: 3.5 Stars

Like many others, when I read the sneak peak for Aflame, at the end of Falling Away, I was pissed off.  I was really angry with Jared.  But that's not logical; he's just a character.  So, in the end, I settled with being pissed off at the author.  Although I agree that Jared and Tate's story never really reached the HEA point, it all felt like a financially-motivated decision to eke out one more book from a popular series; akin to a major studio doing a remake on a movie that is sure to fill seats.  So, with that in mind, it's hard to review this book without being biased by how I felt about the storyline.  I guess I fundamentally don't agree that Jared needed to leave Tate to find himself.

All of that aside, the book was an enjoyable, quick read.  I don't think the blurb does a very good job of representing the book.  But, I always liked Jared and Tate together, so I was happy to read about them and how their relationship progressed.  It wasn't as steamy as Falling Away, but it had its moments.  I don't think the extra book was necessary.  Not after the two previous books featuring Jared and Tate.  Still, I'm sad to see the series end.  I got attached to the characters.

Everything: Melissa Pearl

Blurb:

Jody Pritchett had a dream...but life had other plans. Instead of singing and dancing on Broadway, Jody's a twenty-year-old single mom, living at home with her disapproving father and overbearing sister. The choice to keep her little Angelia came with a high price and although she adores her baby girl, it doesn't take away the sting of kissing goodbye her chance at a career on the stage.

Leo Sinclair had his own dream...but got lost along the way. After a failed marriage that left him hollow and downtrodden, the Australian songwriter wonders what joy his future could possibly hold. Encouraged by the one family member who doesn't think he's a failure, Leo decides to stop living the life everyone expects him to and start chasing his dreams again. 

When the perfect opportunity comes knocking, Leo leaves Australia behind and hops a flight to LA. With his sights set on selling a musical to a Broadway producer, Leo is determined to finally realize his life-long dream. But life gets in the way again, when he spots a young mother outside his apartment in tears. He never realized how one person, one voice, and one Angel could have him contemplating abandoning his dreams once again. 

As these two burned hearts wrestle to overcome their past struggles, Leo and Jody must decide what dreams are worth clinging to...because, sometimes, everything you want is not everything you need.

Review: 4.5 Stars

This was a really sweet book that had me smiling throughout.  I loved Leo.  He is a breathe of fresh air in contrast to the way many men are portrayed in romance novels.  I also really enjoyed flipping back and forth to Youtube to listen to the songs the characters were thinking of at various moments.  It added an element of closeness to the story.  

As an aside, I really like the book cover.  For the most part, I find romance book covers to be pretty cringe worthy.  The guy in the picture gives off the same vibe I got from Leo's character.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan

I want to start my reviews off on a high.  I just finished reading Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan and loved it!

Blurb:

Normal is just a setting on the dryer. 

High school graduate Jeremey Samson is looking forward to burying his head under the covers and sleeping until it’s time to leave for college. Then a tornado named Emmet Washington enters his life. The double major in math and computer science is handsome, forward, wicked smart, interested in dating Jeremey—and he’s autistic.

But Jeremey doesn’t judge him for that. He’s too busy judging himself, as are his parents, who don’t believe in things like clinical depression. When his untreated illness reaches a critical breaking point, Emmet is the white knight who rescues him and brings him along as a roommate to The Roosevelt, a quirky new assisted living facility nearby.

As Jeremey finds his feet at The Roosevelt, Emmet slowly begins to believe he can be loved for the man he is behind the autism. But before he can trust enough to fall head over heels, he must trust his own conviction that friendship is a healing force, and love can overcome any obstacle.

Review: 5 Stars!

This book is a quiet, heartfelt book about learning how to love and support someone, even if you experience the world very differently from them.  It is the third book I've read recently about having a relationship with someone on the autism spectrum; the other two being Puddle Jumping  and The Rosie Project.  Carry the Ocean is written from both MC's (Jeremey and Emmet) perspectives.  It also has the added elements of Jeremey's disability (clinical depression and anxiety) and the fact that the two MCs are in a same-sex relationship.  

You can tell that there was a lot of research (or personal experience) behind this book.  The thoughtfulness in describing how the disabilities affect the MCs is clear.

My depression will tell me things are bad, really bad, and I can say I don’t believe it for a while, but at some point it’s the same as the game you play with kids, where you say “yes” and they say “no” and after a few rounds the adult switches but the child doesn’t catch on and ends up saying yes because they were tricked.

It gives a realistic portrayal of life for these two young men.  I also feel like the author included information that could be helpful to readers experiencing similar issues (or knowing others with similar issues).  Not only are certain techniques for dealing with the disabilities discussed, the author also incorporates online resources in the storyline.

What you can do is learn to manage your emotions. To learn how to tell yourself your feelings are not facts. That they seem real, are real, but that does not make them laws and truths.

It's my first m/m relationship, but that aspect is very secondary to other challenges the MCs face.  I appreciated that homophobia was not a significant issue in this book.