Book Review: A Beautiful Mess By T.K. Leigh

Genre: Steamy Romance
Publisher:  Tracy Kellam

Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Links:  Amazon   Goodreads
Star Rating:

What happens when you lose everyone that promised they would always be there for you? How can you protect the few pieces of your shattered heart that remain?

Olivia Adler is a woman with a troubled past. After losing her parents at the young age of six and being raised by an uncle who she lost years later, she refuses to get attached to anyone, including friends. For the past decade, she has been able to remain unattached to any man, too worried about losing someone to get too close. Until Alexander Burnham walks into her life one night and changes everything. But he has issues of his own. And he’s keeping a secret that could turn Olivia's world upside-down. Will Olivia let Alexander in enough for him to get close and protect her from a force threatening her very existence, or will she push him away, scared of letting Alexander in, in order to protect her heart?

A Beautiful Mess is the first installment of a three part series sure to captivate the heart with a story of secrets, courage, and love.

My Overall Impression of the Book

I was gifted this book for an honest review. I give A Beautiful Mess 3 ½ stars. This book had the potential to be a 4-4 ½ star book if the plot was better. The book centered around Olivia Adler a woman with a trouble past. She losses her parents at the age of six and has major attachments issues, not just with men, but her friend as well. I actually liked Olivia’s character most of the time but she was a coward at times which really irritated me. The hero in this book is Alexander Burnham or Mr. Burnham in the bedroom :-). I loved Alex to pieces. The book was well written and it flowed. I liked how the book showed both Alex’s and Olivia POV. The love scenes in this book were incredible. So I liked the characters and the writing so what happened? The plot it what happened.

The book started out strong I was intrigued. But the plot went on and on and on. I mean the plot did not need to drag out to the end of book with NO RESOLUTION. Don’t get me wrong…I love a good cliffhanger. But this was not a good way to end the book. 

Characters 

Olivia – I get it…her parents died when she was six years old and she has some issues, but nothing else happened in her life for her to be this messed up? I mean she is a little over the top. Her parents died like 20yrs ago. I’m not saying she should not still be hurt, but I can’t believe she has not made any progress with her issues since she was six?

Alex – His secrets were silly and unnecessary. The secrets he kept from Olivia were unrealistic because of the field he works in. He could not possibly think that keeping the truth from her would keep her safe. How is she supposed to protect herself? And the letter!! I’m not going to go into the letter because I am writing a spoiler free review, but he really has the wrong priorities when it comes to Olivia.

Lastly, I do not think that it is realistic for Alex to be put in the compromising position he was put in as a child. No way.

With that being said I will be reading the next book. I just hope the plot is stronger in the next book.

Book Review: Undeniable By Madeline Sheehan (Undeniable #1)

Genre: Steamy Romance  
Publisher:  Madeline Sheehan

Publication Date: December 31, 2013

Links:  Amazon   Goodreads
 Star Rating:

Warning: This is not a "typical love story". This is an all-consuming, soul-crushing, tear-your-heart-into-pieces story. It’s intense, gritty and raw, dark and disturbing, and it doesn’t happen overnight. This is an epic love story that knows no boundaries and has no time limits. It grows and develops—with hurt, sacrifice, and heartache—over the span of a lifetime.

Eva Fox is the princess of the Silver Demons Motorcycle Club. Growing up with bikers in the club lifestyle is all that she knows. When she’s a young girl, Eva meets the reason for her existence. Deuce West is the sexy, biker bad-ass of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club. Like Eva, he was born and raised in the club—but that’s where the similarities end. Their first meeting is innocent, but as Eva matures into a woman, their chance reunions evolve into a fit of lust and love. Fate continues to bring them together time and time again, but their twisted journey is filled with pain, betrayal, and bloodshed that could tear them apart. Eva sees in Deuce what he cannot see in himself—a man worthy of love—and Eva spends her lifetime proving to him that her undeniable love is the one thing he can’t live without.

This is Eva and Deuce’s story.

It wasn’t easy.
Nothing worth doing ever is.
And love is worth everything.

 
My Overall Impression of the Book:

What can I say about Undeniable.  Well first of all I think my sense of the book was a little off because of the mood I was in when I started reading it.  I feel the book would have been a lot better if my emotions were not out of whack.  With that being said the disclaimer given was correct.  This is a tear your heart out earth shattering love story. There are no butterflies or rainbows in this story, but I love the authenticity of the story.  I mean this is real life. People cheat, people get used, people get disrespected, and people get their heart broken. This story is raw and gritty and not for the faint of heart. 

Characters:

Deuce – Is a jerk.  No ifs ands or buts about it.  He is the leader of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club and he first meets Eva when she is five years old.  They meet again and again until she is an adult and then things get really interesting.  I disagree with most of his actions and I warn you again that some people will be offended by this story, but things like this happen in real life.

Eva – I don’t know how I feel about her.  She made me angry on quite a few occasions but, I feel like she continues to get the short end of the stick.  She is the princess of the Silver Demons Motorcycle Club and her father Preacher is the King. Preacher loves his daughter but I disagree with the way he raised her, but hindsight is 20/20 and all a parent can do is raise his/her child to the best of their ability.

Kudos to the author Madeline Sheehan for being unafraid to tell a raw heart-wrenching love story.  I applaud her courage to tell is like it is.

Scandal's 2014 Midseason Premier Date

So ABC Network is never satisfied until Scandal fans are shacking and twitching with anticipation.  The hit series does not premier until 27 Feb 2014, unlike most network series that start their midseason premier in January.  I am sure the February premier date will not discourage die hard Scandal fans from tuning in just see what awesome coat Olivia Pope will be wearing that week.

2014 Movie Release Dates: That Matter to Me

2014 MOVIE DATES

Expect my upcoming reviews on the below movie titles this year.  I can't say I am ecstatic about the lineup but this list is not half bad.

OPENING DATE	MOVIE
January 10	The Legend of Hercules
January  10	The Adventurer:  The Curse of the Midas Box
January 10	Raze
January 10	Banshee Chapter
January 17	Ride Along
January 17	Jack Ryan
January 24	I, Frankenstein
February 7	The Lego Movie
February 12	Robocop
February 14	About Last Night
February 21	Pompeii
February 28	The Son of God
February 28	Nonstop
March 7	300: Rise of an Empire
March 21	Divergent
March 28	Noah
April 4	Captain America:  The Winter Soldier
April 4	Jinn
May 2	The Amazing Spiderman 2
May 2	Belle
May 16	Godzilla
May 23	X Men:  Days of future Past
May 30	Maleficent
June 6	Edge of Tomorrow
June 13	How to Train a Dragon 2
June 20	Think Like a Man 2
June 27	Transformer 4:  Age of Extinction
July  11	Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
August 8	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
August  15	Expendables 3
October 3	Gone Girl

Book Review: Stitch (Stitch Trilogy Book 1) By Samantha Durante

Genre: Dystopian & Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Samantha Durante (Self Published)

Publication Date: July 30, 2012
Links:  Amazon     Goodreads

Star Rating

Synopsis 

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

My Overall Impression of the Book:

I was gifted this book by the author for an honest review.  I give Stitch 2 Stars with a caveat.  Although I give this book 2 stars, I will be reading the sequel.  I know I know…if I gave the book two stars, why in the world would I read the second book.  

Well…

To be perfectly honest I would have just given up on the book all together if I was not gifted the book for the purpose of a review.  Simply put…the majority of the book was boring.  I mean somebody shoot me now boring.  The book revolves around Alessa…yet another college student that loses her parents at an early age.  Where have I seen that before…in every romance novel EVER.  But that was not the worse part of the book.  Alessa was just a boring character.  Her life was boring, her friends were boring, even her encounters with the ghost were boring.

To make matter worse, she became obsessed with this ghost.  A ghost that, as a reader, I could care less about.  She spend so much time in the first half of the book researching this dang ghost that I wanted to scream.  Her emotional reaction to the ghost and her feeling toward the ghost made no sense until the last 1/4^th of the book.  By the time the book got interesting…I was already over it.

I just did not love these characters.  This is Samantha Durante’s  first novel, so I am sure that her storytelling will improve with time.  

As stated before, I will read the second book.  The last 1/4th of the book was intriguing enough that I would like to know what happens with the characters.