New Adult – Page 2 – LairOfBooks

June 2016 Wrap-Up

Let me start off by saying, JUNE was EPIC!!!! I only read 4 books (finishing the 4th one tonight) this month because LIFE! It was a beautiful month filled with tons of memories that I will cherish til i’m gray & old. I married the love of my life who also happens to be my book soul mate & our little girl graduated from Pre-K as Valedictorian & Killed her speech! *Smiles*. I’m surprised to have even read these 4 books so lets get into them…

1. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes ★★★★★

I changed my rating of this book twice until I realized that if a book can move me to feel such strong emotions about a controversial topic such as Euthanasia, then that means it deserves my 5 stars. The characters in this book will stay with me for a very long time, I still have not watched the movie because I wanted to give it some time but it will def be soon (book to movie reaction post to follow).

My Review: Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

2. Becoming Rain by K.A. Tucker (Burying Water #2) ★★★★★

An edge of your seat, heart pounding, sexy New Adult novel that I DEVOURED! so far I have loved all of K.A. Tucker’s characters, they all are 50 shades of complex. Fast paced & filled with plot twists, Becoming Rain was better than it’s predecessor Burying Water. Each one of the books in this series follows a female lead and eventually her love interest with occasional guest appearances by some of the other characters from previous books. I enjoy seeing some of my favorites pop up in the next book.

My Review: Becoming Rain by K.A. Tucker

3. A Darker Shade Of Magic by V.E. Schwab ★★★★ (4.5 stars)

My 1st V.E. Schwab book did not disappoint. The writing was on point & I truly felt immersed into all of the London’s with the exception of Black London (not yet explored). This was a fast paced read, full of action, and magic however not much character development. One thing I found myself enjoying was the focus that was given to the plot/world building & that there was no love story. Although I do enjoy my ships, I didn’t feel the need to wonder who would be paired with who & instead enjoyed the magic and adventure V.E. Schwab takes you on. My guess is that book 2 will show more character development because of how the final chapters played out in ADSOM. My copy of A Gathering Of Shadows arrived a few days ago & i’m thinking that I will hold off on reading it because A Conjuring Of Light #3 doesn’t get released until February 2017.

My Review:A Darker Shade Of Magic (Shades Of Magic #1)

4. My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows ★★★★★

My 1st Owlcrate box was this month’s June Royalty box & it was EVERYTHING & MORE! no regrets here. I switched over to Owlcrate from another subscription box & I loved every single item I received. I was a bit skeptical on whether I would enjoy My Lady Jane because it’s being compared to The Princess Bride & Monty Python, both of which I’ve heard about, but never read/watched. Well, I have NEVER laughed this much reading any book EVER! this book doesn’t take itself seriously at all, in fact it does the complete opposite. Light & silly, My Lady Jane was exactly what I needed for the start of Summer. I’ve got about 70 pages to go tonight & will update this post with a star rating in the morning but it’s looking like a hands down 5 STARS! (Review to come)

***UPDATE*** Finished My Lady Jane today, Review in the link below 🙂

My review: My Lady Jane By Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Review: Becoming Rain by K.A. Tucker (Burying Water #2)

Becoming Rain by K.A. Tucker 
Series: Burying Water #2 
Published by: Atria Books 
Date of Publication: March 3rd, 2015
Genres: New Adult; Contemporary 
Pages: 370
Format: e-book
Rating:★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:
Luke Boone doesn’t know exactly what his uncle Rust is involved in but he wants in on it-the cars, the money, the women. And it looks like he’s finally getting his wish. When Rust hands him the managerial keys to the garage, they come with a second set—one that opens up the door to tons of cash and opportunity. Though it’s not exactly legal, Luke’s never been one to worry about that sort of thing. Especially when it puts him behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 and onto the radar of gorgeous socialite named Rain.

Clara Bertelli is at the top of her game—at only twenty-six years old, she’s one of the most successful undercover officers in the Washington D.C. major crime unit, and she’s just been handed a case that could catapult her career and expose one of the west coast’s most notorious car theft rings. But, in order to do it, she’ll need to go deep undercover as Rain Martines. Her target? The twenty-four-year old nephew of a key player who appears ready to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.

As Clara drifts deeper into the luxurious lifestyle of Rain, and further into the arms of her very attractive and charming target, the lines between right and wrong start to blur, making her wonder if she’ll be able to leave it all behind. Or if she’ll even wan to.

Becoming Rain is the story of Luke Boone the nephew of a big timer involved with running a car theft operating ring. Luke is also the person the FBI has decided to (unbeknownst to him) use as their pawn to take down the heavy hitters. We are first introduced to Luke as one of the characters from book 1 in this companion series. Considering that I had some background story from book 1 with Luke, I knew that he was overall a nice guy with just a little hint of greed. So, Luke was basically raised by his uncle Rust after his dad walked out on him, his sister, and mother. Rust took him in as his son & groomed him to one day take over his businesses/ventures both legal & illegal. Throughout the story, Rust pretty much keeps Luke in the shadows, not really telling him much but just enough to make him earn his plate. Luke puts in time at Rust’s garage as a mechanic with hopes that his uncle will soon move him up to manager. When Rust decides to let Luke in on his illegal dealings bit by bit I was genuinely scared for Luke who was in clearly over his head.
Enter Clara Bettelli aka Rain Martinez—>a cop trying but failing to get into the FBI who by chance, happens to fit the description of the female they want to go undercover & gain Luke’s trust. Rain can’t help but be attracted to her target & in the process of trying to extract information & gain Luke’s confidence, she begins to fall for him. This was made only easier by the fact that it was clear throughout the book that Luke did Not have full knowledge on the extent of all the illegal dealings taking place. Especially none where innocents were being hurt/killed…

I enjoyed these two characters immensely! Everything from the chemistry, sexual tension, and walks/jogs in the park with their un-athletic canine counterparts was enjoyable. The entire book was done undercover with a wire tap & all. The moments where Rain switched off her wire to get into some trouble were nerve racking but oh so GOOD! I kept thinking her team would barge in any minute & take them both in for questioning. This book had me at the edge of seat on more than one occasion OR peering up from my book to make sure no one was reading THOSE scenes above my shoulder on a crowded NYC train 😂 a steamy & very well done fast paced read.

I’ve been really enjoying K.A Tucker’s writing style and her ability to interweave multiple story lines into a single plot. Also, her characters are all so complex and richly layered that it makes getting to know them an interesting ride. In the end I’m always left with the feeling that I need to know what happens to these characters after the last line in each book. You get to know these characters intimately & love them flaws and all. This was even better than Burying Water & that in and of itself tells me that I’ll be finishing all 4 books in the series soon 😉

May 2016 Wrap-Up

My very 1^st monthly wrap-up! I honestly couldn’t even remember how many books I read this month so thank goodness for good ol’ Goodreads! This month I read 5 books & survived an EPIC book hangover after A Court of Mist & Fury so I think I did well lol…

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #4) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The beautiful conclusion to the Raven Cycle was perfect! This series will always be a favorite of mine. TRK was much darker than its predecessors & I felt deeply immersed in Cabeswater. Every time I put this book down & picked it back up it felt like I was fully stepping into a dreamland. These characters will forever hold a special place in my heart. Not just Blue & the boys, but the AMAZING supporting cast of characters we get. Especially loved the strong & individualistic women from 300 Fox Way!

One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker (Ten Tiny Breaths #2)★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Finished this one with a big cheesy smile on my face! Who would’ve thunk it…i’m diggin the NA books. I think mostly because, K.A. Tucker writes her cast of characters well & tackles some pretty serious topics while at it. Ten Tiny Breaths was told from Kacey’s perspective but we still got to know Livie (Kacey’s sister). In One Tiny Breath, we get Livie’s perspective. The younger sister who made it her duty to watch over her older sister & stuck by her side even when she hit rock bottom finally goes to college. Livie has had to keep a strong front ever since her parents passed away in a tragic car accident, her dad’s last words to her were his wish to see her off to Princeton to continue the family tradition. Livie’s story was one of self-discovery and finding love. There are some trigger warnings for child abuse with one of the characters in this story, these parts often made me pause and re-group but overall It was a solid read.

A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas (A court of Thorns & Roses #1) ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

This is only my 2nd fairytale re-telling, the first being The Lunar Chronicles & just like Marissa Meyer, Sarah J. Maas slaaaaaayed!!!! Of course there were flaws but overall I enjoyed this 1st book in the ACOTAR series.

What I LOVED about this book:
* The friendship btwn the trio (Feyre, Lucien, and Tamlin), the dialogue was often laugh out loud funny
* The introduction to the other courts (Day, Night, Summer, Autumn, Spring, Winter, & Dawn I believe), since we didn’t get much world building in ACOTAR it gives me hope that we will get it in ACOMAF
* Nesta’s revelation, so there isn’t just 1 badass btwn the siblings?!?!? LOVED IT! Hopefully we find out how she fared
* Rhys…yea leave it to SJM to throw in a bad boy to make things more innnneresting…I know where this is going SJM!

Burying Water by K.A. Tucker (Burying Water #1)★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Burying Water was a roller coaster of emotions for me, many times brutal/harsh & others sweet and Kismet. Our leading lady Alexandra is put through the ringer in the first half of this book. There are trigger warnings for domestic violence and rape. It was difficult at times but Alex proved to be “resilient” and tough as nails. In the second half of this book we get introduced to the small town of Sisters and all of its interesting residents. I absolutely love when a setting in a book is filled with charm and personality so much so that it becomes a character of its own. I LOVED this book! The plot, characters, the small town of Sisters which often had me wanting to leave the city & possibly own some horses lol.

A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns & Roses #2) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

After reading A Court of Thorns & Roses I was left with the same feelings I had after reading Throne of Glass. I knew that I wanted to continue with the series but also hoped to see some growth and world building. ACOMAF did just that & so much more!!! The personal growth displayed on Feyre’s behalf, the world building, the pacing & plot were all on point! This is my favorite book of 2016 so far & will be re-reading it at some point this year for ALL THE FEELS!

Review Burying Water by K.A. Tucker

Burying Water by K.A. Tucker.jpg

Burying Water by K.A. Tucker

Series: Burying Water #1

Published by: Atria

Date of Publication: October 7th 2014

Genres: New Adult; Contemporary

Pages: 354

Format: e-book

Rating: 5 Stars

The top-selling, beloved indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths returns with a new romance about a young woman who loses her memory—and the man who knows that the only way to protect her is to stay away.

Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him?

Non-Spoilery Review
I intentionally posted a partial synopsis from Goodreads because the entire length of it is very spoilery. Burying Water was a roller coaster of emotions for me. Alexandra was very young & poor when she met the man 20 years her senior who would sweep her off her feet. Handsome, successful and yet still managed to set his eyes on her? It all seemed too good to be true…their courtship eventually led to marriage and a life she would pay a heavy price for. A husband who treats her like a trophy wife, physically harms her, an adulterer, and a key player in the Russian mob. Alexandra Petrov found herself quickly drowning with no way out until one rainy night when her life changed its course.

“The mind, it can be a deceitful thing. But it is no match for the heart.”
― K.A. Tucker, Burying Water

Spoilery Review

The first half of this book was at times brutal and harsh to get through. I felt a range of emotions & quickly found myself loving Alexandra. A protagonist who was “resilient” and strong underneath all the hurt, I couldn’t help but root for her triumph. Viktor Petrov, a man in a position of power attained through illegal activity in the Russian mob viewed his wife as someone to satisfy him sexually & in all the traditional (old school) ways. Alex however, had dreams of becoming a nurse & was enrolled in courses which Viktor saw as taking time away from him. This alone angered me! Then there were often times Viktor had her dress up in skin tight revealing clothes to accompany him to the night club where all of his nefarious dealings took place. I could FEEL the awkwardness & out of place feelings Alex was experiencing. I couldn’t help but scream YES GIRL!!!! whenever she dished out a bit of anger when answering his questions. I also found it hilarious that Alex continued to have car trouble throughout the book simply because she wasn’t the type to drive expensive cars.

ENTER Jesse who I view as “the BOY next door” type, this should be a thing lol. Jesse aka the mechanic savant, finds Alex on the side of the road & helps her get gas, they exchange a kiss which is the beginning of many more encounters that feel very kismet. Jesse was everything that Viktor was not. He’s only 2 years Alex’s senior, blunt when speaking yet always conscious & caring of who he’s speaking to, and overall laid back. Of course, Jesse had his flaws mostly based off of bad decisions he made when he was a teenager running with the wrong group of friends. His relationship with his father the sheriff was strained because of those bad decisions in his past. Having an affair with a married woman didn’t seem like it would mend that relationship any time soon yet it felt right for both Jesse & Alex. Viktor hiring Jesse to restore/repair one of his most prized cars in his home garage felt like fate. When Alex finally made the decision to leave Viktor (after many brutal beatings), I was over the moon happy only to have that feeling squashed by the events of the night that Viktor tried to kill & leave her body buried in a snowy mountain. Thankfully, Jesse is tipped off to what happened & manages to get her the medical attention needed. When Alex wakes up, she can’t remember anything not even her name. She’s left with a scar from her temple all the way down to her chin. See Viktor wanted to make sure he robbed her of her beauty. He raped her, slashed her face, and physically beat and broke her ribs along with other body parts. I’m glad that at the end of the book she never quite remembers the events of that night in its entirety because it really was a second chance at life.

Alex’s journey leads to an amazing cast of characters, my favorite being the grumpy and recluse little old lady Ginny Fitzgerald. Ginny gave me so many laugh out loud moments but also much heart ache. Alex and Ginny’s stories have small similarities but two stuck out the most to me. The fact that she was raped in her youth by someone she also trusted & that both her rapist and Alex’s killed themselves (inadvertently or not). Ginny’s ability to take in another rape victim & help her heal after so many years of secluding herself makes Ginny hold a special place in my heart. Lastly, I loved seeing the relationship between Jesse and his parents (specifically his Dad) mend. Jesse’s parents were key characters in this book & I can now add them to my very short list of fictional parentals that ROCK!