Breathe Into Me by Sara Fawkes (Review)

Title: Breathe Into Me
Series: Standalone
Author: Sara Fawkes
Published: April 8, 2014 - St Martins Press
Format: Egalley - Thank You St Martin's!

How did my life get so broken? It’s a question Lacey St. James asks herself every day. Stuck raising her little brother in a trailer park while she works a dead end job at a grocery store, she has a stalker exboyfriend, a bad reputation, and no way out.

And then she meets Everett, whose presence changes her entire existence.

Everett is an outsider to her small community, in town for the summer housesitting one of the grand mansions off the Mississippi coast. When he saves her in a bar one night, she’s grateful but wary of his intentions. Lacey doesn’t trust most men in her life, but for reasons Lacey she understand, Everett is completely captivated by her. He’s determined to show her that life can offer more than she’d ever hoped for, if only she believes in herself. As she works with him to free herself, Lacey desperately yearns to trust him, to move on and perhaps start fresh.

But what happens when she finds out that everything he’s told her about himself was a lie?

This was my first book by author Sara Fawkes, and I loved it.  Granted, I'm a total sucker for "white trash" books.  You know, where one or more of the characters grew up on the wrong side of town in way less than desirable conditions?  I love their stories, and Lacey's story in Breathe Into Me was no exception.

How To Say Goodbye by Amber Lin (Review & Giveaway)

Title: How To Say Goodbye
Series: Standalone
Author: Amber Lin
Published: April 7, 2014
Format: ebook received for review

Amy has a secret: no one’s ever held her hand. She doesn’t even know how to hug. Everyone thinks she’s smart, but straight A's are way easier than making friends. Then she meets Dane, a golden-haired surfer whose easy charm and hot touch teach her what she longs to know.

Dane lives for the salty breeze and a sweet wave, because that’s all he has. He’s been on the streets since he was fourteen. A drifter. Homeless. Then he meets Amy. Smart and accomplished, she’s everything he’s not. He wants to be the sort of man who deserves her.

Except that means facing down his past—and that past might very well swallow them both.

Part of putting herself out there was falling.

I've read Amber Lin before, and I've loved the book I read.  So going into How To Say Goodbye, I was eager to see how this book would be handled since it was a completely different type of book than the other I had read. (Which was called Giving It Up, if you are interested!) Amber Lin knocked it out of the park with this book, and definitely secured a place on my auto-buy list.

Bite Size Review: Bird After Bird by Leslea Tash

Title: Bird After Bird
Series: Standalone
Author: Leslea Tash
Published: April 2014
Format: ebook received for review

Dear Birdy, Princess Birdzilla von MuffinStuff, Keeper of Dreams, Lover of our Fine Feathered Friends, queen of my life and light of my world, I hope this letter finds you well. If you are reading this then I am gone, and sweetheart, I am so sorry.

Chi-town professional Wren Riley is 25 and a rising star in the business world. She can eat a man alive and laugh about it to her girlfriends in seconds flat--and she does, on the regular. Behind the power suits and the flashing, flirty eyes, however, Wren has a secret, vulnerable side. Following a devastating loss and the discovery of a bird journal she and her father made together years before, Wren sets out to seek peace, closure, and something she just can't name. Is that something tied to the little paper cranes she keeps finding along the way?

Laurence Byrd grew up a lanky Hoosier kid with the good/bad fortune of having the same name as the state's perennial basketball legend. With a better affinity for dogs than sports or school, he ends up in the Army instead of the Chicago art school of his dreams. Still, his service to our country is something he can be proud of--until an argument with the girl who means the world to him results in a series of events that blows his life apart. With no one left to understand him, black sheep Laurie pours out his heart into letters and drawings he never intends to send--then he folds them into paper cranes that he leaves behind like messages in little winged bottles. He never dreams someone might be finding them.

God damn it, Sylvia, for a few moments I tricked myself into feeling really alive. I cut it off before anyone got hurt, but just for a moment or two, I really thought I might feel something again--something like trust. Something like love. Not the kind of love we had, but something new. Something like hope.

Spoiler alert: Wren and Laurie are going to meet. And when they do, their lives are never going to be the same.

Bite Size Review! 

When I first saw this book, I was expecting one hell of an emotional read.  I thought perhaps it would be one of those books that tore you apart from the inside out, and I was giddy with excitement.  While the story itself didn't quite reach that level for me, it was still a pretty good love story.

Review: Feel The Rush by Kelsie Leverich

Title: Feel The Rush
Series: Hard Feelings #2
Author: Kelsie Leverich
Published: August 2013, Intermix
Format: Egalley - Thank you Penguin!

Picking the wrong men is a talent Meagan Mitchell has perfected. She’s sweet, confident, beautiful—and single. With her thirtieth birthday sneaking up on her, she needs a new plan. No more Mr. Wrongs or Mr. Bads, it’s time to find Mr. Safe…

Army Captain, Reed Porter, lives for the thrill—he’s an Airborne Jumpmaster with a rush addiction. He’s sexy and playful, and he quickly tempts Meagan with his rich Southern drawl and sinful looks. But slowing down and settling down are not in his agenda, making him exactly the type of man Meagan wants to avoid…

As their undeniable attraction heats up, Meagan has to decide if she’s willing to risk everything on a chance at love with a reckless charmer. Is she brave enough to bet her future—and her heart—on Mr. Thrill? Or will Reed finally learn that the feeling of a safe landing is just as addicting as the rush of the fall?

If you haven’t read Kelsie Leverich, I think it’s time you start. Not too long ago I read and reviewed The Valentine’s Arrangement, which I thought was full of drama, romance, and sexy times. Kelsie Leverich continued that legacy with Feel The Rush.

Review: Flawed Perfection by Cassandra Giovanni

Title: Flawed Perfection
Series: Beautifully Flawed #1
Author: Cassandra Giovanni
Published: March 2013, Show N'ot Tell Publishing
Format: Ebook received for review

Bobby Beckerson was the American All-Star hockey player--he was the spitting image of perfection to his family. Goofy, sweet and undeniably gorgeous, he had everything but the one girl he wanted: River Ahlers.

River Ahlers is successful in everything but love. She's been in love with Adam Beckerson since they were kids. Worst of all she's stuck right in the middle of the brothers dueling over everything and anything, and she doesn't even know she's the ultimate prize.

Adam Beckerson was a boy with a guitar, a smile that sunk girls' hearts and a stone wall around his own. He was anything but perfect, and no matter how hard he tried he was nothing compared to Bobby. Sweet, damaged, with boyish good-looks, nobody thought Adam loved anyone but himself.

Bobby loved River, River loved Adam and Adam only loved himself--or so everyone thought. Then one night everything changes, and as it threatens to destroy everyone involved a tragedy strikes that will break them all...

So for today's post, and my review of Flawed Perfection, I'm also including my own personal Dream Cast, which is something a bit new for me to include with a review.

Cover Reveal: You Make Me by Erin McCarthy

The guy she wants…

Growing up on the coast of Maine with a revolving door of foster siblings, Caitlyn Michaud spent one intense and passionate year falling in love with her foster brother, Heath. Then he left without a word. The betrayal devastated Caitlyn and made her vow to forget the compelling bad boy. But forgetting his sensual touch and their deep all-consuming friendship is easier said than done.

Isn’t the guy she needs…

Determined to move on, in college Caitlyn has risen above her small town impoverished roots and has joined a sorority, reinvented her appearance, and landed the right boyfriend. Pre-law major and frat president, Ethan, is thoughtful and always laughing, and he makes her feel happy, calm. He also gives her the social acceptance she craves.

But the perfect world she tried so hard to attain is ripped apart when Heath appears one night out of nowhere. Caitlyn remembers all the reasons why she loves him, even if they don’t make sense to anyone but her. Out of the military, Heath is as brooding and intense as ever, and he is determined not only to win her back, but to exact revenge on everyone who kept him from her…

And when one love allows her to breathe, but the other feels as essential to her life as air, how does she choose between them?

Excerpt from Dazed by Kim Karr (& Giveaway)

Dazed

Kim Karr

A Connection Series Novella featuring Aerie Daniels and Jagger Kennedy (River Wilde's cousin)

Jagger Kennedy never went looking for fame, he just fell into it. After scoring a major modeling contract, his clean-cut good looks and charm catapulted his career. But when his actress girlfriend breaks his heart, he moves to L.A. to try his hand at acting. He needs to make a change, and the last thing he’s looking for is love…

Aerie Daniels is a woman in control … until she meets Jagger. Her surprising connection with him leaves her stunned, and it’s unlike anything she’s ever felt. But just when she lets her walls fall, she makes a startling discovery about him that breaks her fragile heart into a million pieces.

To keep from losing the one woman he can’t bear to be without, Jagger is willing to give up anything—including his career. But even that might not be enough to regain Aerie’s shattered trust…

So here we are, April 1, and I'm super excited to share Dazed by Kim Karr with you!!  Have you read any of her books?  Is Dazed on your TBR?  Tell me what you think!

Tuesday Jams - The White Stripes (Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground)

Tuesday Jams!!

Want to share that song you been loving like crazy lately? Just grab the image above or make your own...and whether you have a blog or not, you can either leave your link in the linky below OR in the comment section. 

You can show a video, a music player..whatever suites your fancy. Just remember to have some fun!