• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Goodreads
  • Trakt.tv
  • Bloglovin
  • Feedly

artsy musings of a bibliophile

  • Home
  • About
  • Reviews
  • Features
    • Annual
      • book survey
      • horror october
      • love-a-thon
      • read-a-thon
      • sci-fi month
    • genre guide
    • monotypes vs monoprints
    • monthly recap
    • the musing mind
    • top ten tuesday
    • trend alert
  • Policies
  • Contact

new adult

Review: Rebound by Noelle August

February 3, 2015 by Sana 3 Comments

NAR

ABOUT THE BOOK

Rebound by Noelle August
new adult contemporary romance published by William Morrow Paperbacks on February 10th, 2015
second book in Boomerang series

Adam Blackwood has it all. At twenty-two, he’s fabulously wealthy, Ryan Gosling-hot and at the top of the heap in the business world. His life is perfect, until a scandal from his past resurfaces and knocks the tech wunderkind down, throwing his company, Boomerang, a hook-up site for millennials, into chaos.

Three years ago, Adam married his high school love—and then lost her in a tragic accident. Now, the heartbreak and guilt he’s tried to bury with work and women begins to take over his life.

Alison Quick, the twenty-one-year-old daughter of a business tycoon—and the very ex-girlfriend of Boomerang’s former intern, Ethan—has a problem of her own. She’s got one chance to prove to her father that she deserves a place in his empire by grabbing control of Boomerang and taking Adam down.

But as Alison moves in on him, armed with a cadre of lawyers and accountants, she discovers there’s much more to Adam and Boomerang than meets the eye. Will earning her father’s approval come at the price of losing her first real love? It appears so, unless Adam can forgive her for wrecking his life and trying to steal his livelihood. But Alison hopes that old adage is right. Maybe love can conquer all.

Read More »

Review: Boomerang by Noelle August

January 10, 2015 by Sana 7 Comments

NAB

ABOUT THE BOOK

Boomerang by Noelle August
new adult contemporary romance published by William Morrow Paperbacks on July 8th, 2014
first book in Boomerang series

Welcome to Boomerang.com, the dating site for the millennial gen with its no-fuss, no-commitments matchups, and where work is steamier than any random hook-up.

Mia Galliano is an aspiring filmmaker. Ethan Vance has just played his last game as a collegiate soccer star. They’re sharp, hungry for success, and they share a secret.

Last night, Ethan and Mia met at a bar, and, well . . . one thing led to another, which led to them waking up the next morning—together. Things turned awkward in a hurry when they found themselves sharing a post hookup taxi . . . to the same place: Boomerang headquarters.

What began as a powerful connection between them is treated to a cold shower courtesy of two major complications. First, Boomerang has a strict policy against co-worker dating. And second, they’re now competitors for only one job at the end of summer.

As their internships come to an end, will they manage to keep their eyes on the future and their hands off each other, or will the pull of attraction put them right back where they started?

Read More »

Review: Focus by Alyssa Rose Ivy Blog Tour + Giveaway

February 22, 2013 by Sana 3 Comments

Focus | The Crescent Chronicles | #2 | Alyssa Rose Ivy | NA Paranormal | Self | 23 January 2013 | 268 (aARC)

ABOUT THE BOOK 
Freshman year of college is hard even when you’re not tied to the future king of a supernatural society.
Allie dives into college head first with Hailey as her roommate and the city of New Orleans as her backyard. As things within The Society heat up, Allie realizes that whether she’s with Levi or not, she’s in far too deep to turn back.

THE RATING

THE REVIEW
Focus begins a little after the events of Flight as Allie and Hailey are settling in Tulane as freshmen. It felt good to be treated to Allie’s feistiness again and see her stand up for herself. However, as normal as she’d like her college life to be, it isn’t surprising to see Hailey, Owen, Jared and even Levi accompanying her to classes. At first Allie thinks it’s just a Pterons thing but things are much more serious than Levi let on.
As Allie is transitioning into her college and dorm life and making new friends, Levi is hard at work trying to make up to her. But Allie’s indecisiveness is as apparent as it was in Flight. It’s actually relieving to know where it’s coming from because we know it’s not that Allie doesn’t want to be with Levi. She needs time and Levi respects that even though he keeps trying.
What I really like about Focus is how Levi and Allie work on their relationship. As a reader, you get that they belong with each other but it’s not easy to guess how they’re going to work out the kinks. It’s obvious that Levi is a control freak and possessive as hell. But then Allie is hotheaded and stubborn like anything. So it gets really interesting to read about the sexual tension as well as their little arguments.
Focus gives more insight into the secondary characters as well and it felt good to know more about Jared and Owen. Allie’s and Hailey’s friendship also deepens more but I was sad when Jess didn’t make much of an appearance. However, it is understandable because both of them have started college in different states. Allie knows she’s in for good but is having a hard time as any so she immerses herself in her study. Allie also attends a few meetings of The Society and gets to see more of the hierarchy, even though she doesn’t truly understand its dynamics or her role in it.
Focus moved at a regular pace; though at times I found myself wishing that things would get more exciting somehow. It isn’t that there isn’t much action, but it has more to do with the fact that even though there is an underlying buzz that Pterons are being threatened; it’s more of the same. Though I will admit, Focus is much hotter than I was expecting it to be. There’s a lot of teasing going on and we get to see a sexier side of Allie, too. Focus ends in a much similar way to Flight meaning pretty unexpectedly but it left me wanting more because it was a pretty unpredictable end. Found has to be an earth-shattering end to a remarkable series. I look forward to reading it!

THE QUOTES

“Break ups aren’t fair. Why does only one person have power? We both agreed to start dating. Why do you get to make the decision to end it? Shouldn’t it be a joint decision too?”

“Relationships aren’t a democracy. Not everyone gets an equal vote.” 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Alyssa Rose Ivy can be found at 

| Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Buy Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2)
| Amazon | Amazon (Kindle) | B&N | Smashwords | 


THE GIVEAWAY
The following giveaway is part of the blog tour. Enter away and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks to Alyssa Rose Ivy and ATOMR for providing me a copy of Focus for review.

Review: Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy Blog Tour + Giveaway

December 4, 2012 by Sana 2 Comments

Derailed | Clayton Falls | #1 | Alyssa Rose Ivy | NA, Contemporary Romance | Self | 24 September 2012 | 199 (eARC)
ABOUT THE BOOK
When you’re lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.
Broken over the death of her fiancé, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, she finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.
Looking for an escape, she instead finds a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible.

THE RATING

THE REVIEW

The combination of the eye-catching cover and the intriguing synopsis of Derailed pulled me in and I knew I had to read it. What I loved about Derailed is the setting; Clayton Falls sounds like a perfect little town with a beachfront. The story is written in such a way that there are little revelations along the way as to why Molly is so lost and what made her so cautious in life.
Guilt is a feeling Molly can quite relate to on a significant level. It surfaced ever since before she left North Carolina to pursue her dreams to become a lawyer. She finds a home in Boston with Adam as her fiancé and Becca as her friend. But when Adam dies, Molly is again guilt-ridden and loses meaning. In order to escape the memories of Adam, Molly abruptly decides to leave Boston and revisit her hometown. 
Clayton Falls calls to her and overwhelmed with feelings of loneliness and numbness from grieving, she falls back on Kelly and eventually Ben, for support. Kelly is her best friend from high school who is getting married soon so a large part of the story revolves around her wedding. Molly is worse than she lets on; she is slowly inching away from her mother and sister and finds it hard to block out dark emotions.
Despite breaking up with Ben because of the events that followed after graduation, it is clear that Molly never stopped loving him. So while Ben feels familiar, for him having Molly back is a chance he is not going to let go at any rate. What Molly needs is to battle her inner demons instead of drowning in them and shutting everyone off.
Things start looking up when she opens up to Ben about her Dad and consequently about her past with Adam. It’s revealing to see where she is coming from and why was she holding back but she does get closure. It is actually inspiring to see her survive through a tough time in life. 
I would have liked it if there was more to Ben’s story of how he pulled himself together. Also, Gavin’s persistence made him unlikable to me but what was lacking in Gavin’s character was made up by Jack’s spunk. In all, Derailed is an enjoyable and a bittersweet romantic story of love lost and found.

THE QUOTES

“The message was only three words, but his failure to respond had changed everything.”
“I felt a surge of guilt—the only thing I seemed to feel anymore.”

“The light was brighter than I’d expected, and I froze for a second, shivering as I realized how little stood between me and that train—or really how nothing did. Kind of how nothing stood between life and death.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Alyssa Rose Ivy can be found at 

| Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |
Buy Derailed (Clayton Falls, #1)
| Amazon | Amazon (Kindle) | B&N |

THE GIVEAWAY
As part of the blog tour, there will be six winners and one of them will be winning a print copy of each Derailed and Veer, the second book in the Clayton Falls series. So enter away! It’s international.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Alyssa Rose Ivy and ATOMR for providing me a copy of Derailed for review.

Review: Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy Blog Tour + Giveaway

September 11, 2012 by Sana 6 Comments

Flight | The Crescent Chronicles | #1 | Alyssa Rose Ivy | NA Paranormal | Self | 16 August 2013 | 255 (eARC)

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sometimes you just have to take flight.
A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.
Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

THE RATING


THE REVIEW

Sometimes you have to take flight in life to explore the options you never knew you had. Allie would never think that let alone do. Her life is planned out to a tee but she is rather unaware of the fact. So Allie takes a leap before her life starts revolving around Princeton. The leap is a plane ride from New York to New Orleans for the whole summer.
Flight begins with Allie and her bestfriend, Jess on their way to New Orleans. As much as Jess can’t get enough of guys, it definitely hasn’t rubbed off on Allie and her decision to not get involved with the next guy she lays her eyes on or ever. But Levi sees her and he can really be an annoyingly stubborn guy when it comes to getting what he wants.
Allie has had enough of cheesy lines and clingy boyfriends but Levi is definitely not having that. Persuasion is his middle name and it doesn’t hurt that Allie is undeniably attracted to him. Next thing I knew I wanted Allie to punch the guy as much as I wanted her to give him a chance. Levi turned out to be very temptingly good at being bad.
The paranormal element in the book is definitely something unique and enchanting. I was fast caught up in the electrified world Levi has to offer to Allie. It’s nothing I have read before and I ended up enjoying it immensely. The secondary characters play their roles perfectly and I actually liked Hailey with her perky attitude towards life and her sudden adventurous spirit.
Flight is a fast-paced book and I was quickly fully absorbed in the story that I couldn’t get enough of it. The ending was so unexpected that it took me a minute to realize that there are no pages left! An engrossingly rich book by Alyssa Rose Ivy you wouldn’t want to miss reading. Also, that hot scene on the cover actually happens and it’s pretty swoon-worthy! I need to read Focus. Now.

THE QUOTES

“I like the beach during the day, but I love it at night. There is just something about listening to the waves in the darkness and the soft glow of the stars reflecting off the water.”
“Not everything in life is black and white. Sometimes the best parts are gray. Just remember that not everything can fit into one your neat little boxes.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Alyssa Rose Ivy can be found at 

| Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |
Buy Flight (The Crescent Chronicles, #1)
| Amazon | Amazon (Kindle)  | B&N |

THE GIVEAWAY
As part of the blog tour, there are two giveaways: a US only for a print copy and an international one for the eBooks. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Alyssa Rose Ivy and ATOMR for providing me a copy of Flight for review.

Older Posts »

Footer

Subscribe via Email

© 2011 - 2023 · theme: minimal finery · artsy musings of a bibliophile