4 Smooches!

Synopsis

When Willow Stone discovers that she is in competition with the exotic and worldly Molina for the coveted position of sex advice columnist, she realizes it’s time to up her game. Though she has impeccable writing skills, there’s no denying that a lifetime of being the good girl has left her ill prepared for this position. Realizing it’s her lack of experience that will keep her from achieving this dream, she decides to proposition the bad boy who once lived in her college dorm that always had a stream of women doing the walk of shame from his room on a nearly nightly basis. Surely someone that shallow, that experienced, and that wildly attractive could teach her a thing or twenty.

Only Wyatt has his own plans, and they don’t allow much time for teaching Willow what she would already know if she could just break free of the cool, calculating, proper demeanor that was part of being a Stone. His reputation has served him well through the years and being the black sheep of his family has never bothered him. What does, however, is Willow. She is a mystery to unravel, a present to be cherished, a young woman who just might rock his world by bringing him back into his family’s fold. She was everything they wanted for him and precisely what he had avoided since he started dating.

What will happen when the good girl gets mixed up with the bad boy?

Review

The good girl follows Willow and Wyatt as they work together to complete the sexual bucket list. Willow is the inexperienced girl that needs experience and knowledge in order to get a journalism job as a sex columnist and Wyatt comes across as the typical bad boy who loves them and leaves them. We learn that there is so much more to both of these characters.

Willow has been raised a certain way because of who her parents are, she is expected to behave a certain way and do things in the correct manner. At times you see the mask slip with her, especially when Wyatt is around. Wyatt helps Willow break down some of the barriers she puts up, he helps her be the person that she really is. Wyatt may seem like the bad boy, but he is actually a caring person who much like Willow wants to break away from the way that he is expected to behave.

Willow and Wyatt navigate their way through the list, giving Willow the insight that she needs to help her get the job. However neither of them accounted for the fact that staying together for the duration of the list would lead to feelings on either part. Wyatt seems to not be able to talk about his feelings, while Willow tries her best not to read too much into the situation between them.

Having some outside advice, can the two of them get their acts together and finally confess all? Or will they just continue to navigate the list and leave it as that? You will have to read this book to find out.

I really enjoyed getting to know Willow and Wyatt in this book, they have the relationship that goes from hardly knowing each other, to friends, to maybe more. Well done Emma Nichols on a brilliant read.

“You…amaze me. You really are a good girl. And I mean that in the best way.”

Stacey

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4 Smooches!

Synopsis

Ethan was Ashley’s secret crush, until he became an asshole.

Asshole is too good a word for him. It’s bad enough that he stopped talking to her brother, who was his best friend since preschool. It’s even worse that he went wild and got involved with criminal types. But the worst thing of all is the way he trapped her on this ridiculous road trip.

That’s what it is. Ridiculous. It just isn’t normal for a girl to get dragged from Virginia to South Dakota in a stolen car with just $1000 in cash. With Ethan Moore, who is way too hot and way too infuriating to be tolerated. But she’s stuck with him on a trip that is taking way longer than it should, sharing cheap hotel rooms, destroying cars, and eluding bad guys.

Yep. There are bad guys chasing them. Even worse guys than Ethan, and that’s saying a lot.

Plus, she’s having trouble keeping her hands off Ethan. In fact, she’s falling for him hard—when she isn’t wanting to wring his neck.

So, for two crazy weeks, her pride, her heart, and her life are all threatened. Ashley isn’t sure which she’ll lose first.

Review

Ashley and Ethan have known each other for a long time, but when Ashley and her family think Ethan got her brother into trouble with the law, they no longer saw each other. Until one fateful day when they both happen to be at the same gas station, and Ethan’s trouble with the law catches up to him in the form of men chasing them and shooting at them. From here on out these two embark on a roller-coaster road trip, trying to escape from the people chasing them while also trying to fight their attraction for each other. Will they both succumb to their feelings? And will they escape the men chasing them?

“She has to admit that she didn’t really dislike Ethan after all. He might be infuriating sometimes, but she cared about him. A lot.”

This was an enjoyable story. The characters were really likeable and the plot was original and exciting. However I did think that maybe the story went on for too long so at some points it dragged and the ending seemed to be resolved really quickly considering how long the story and their problems go on for.

“No wonder she resented him. After spending all night in bed with her, he wouldn’t even extend to her the common courtesy of getting an erection.”

Characters- I loved both Ethan and Ashley. I felt for Ethan massively; I could feel how upset and lonely he felt because of what Ashley thought of him at the beginning and how he still looked after her and cared for her. He was strong, sensitive, brave, handsome and just a nice guy, especially when we find out what he did for Ashley’s brother.
Ashley was equally likeable. She was strong, she didn’t back down, she was brave and funny and someone I could relate to and be proud to call a heroine of the story.

“She was absolutely crazy about Ethan, and no one else had ever infuriated her more.”

Plot- the plot was original and exciting. Especially the scenes when the men caught up to them. During those times it was fast paced and I would read quicker and quicker wanting to know if they would escape again or get caught. However like I mentioned I did actually think this story was too long. There were times it dragged a little and I think a few scenes could have been cut out or made a little shorter. The ending also seemed to happen rather quickly, especially the talk with Ashley’s parents. The epilogue also wasn’t my favourite as I normally like to see the charters further ahead in their lives or in their relationships.

“I think I’ve always been in love with you. I can’t imagine life without you. You’re…you’re everything to me.”

Overall a really enjoyable story with a creative plot and likeable characters. This story will keep your attention and you will want to know how it all ends. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Bethany

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Synopsis

Falling in love? Courtney Grayson has been there, done that.
Men, who needs them? Love wasn’t everything she thought it would be. This time around she’s doing things differently. She hasn’t sworn off men for good, just isn’t interested in settling. Trusting someone with her heart again? Someday, but not today.
Falling in love? Sorry, Clay Bradshaw is not the guy for you.
He’s never been in love and he doesn’t see it happening. Hooking up can be fun, but more often than not, women are a distraction he doesn’t need. He’s a busy man, and doesn’t have time to date, let alone fall in love. Will someone ever change that? There’s always a chance, someday.
Life doesn’t always go as planned, and love may find them both on the other side of someday.

Review

What an amazing, uplifting story about life after you start living your ‘someday.’ When Courtney has the worst day in the history of days, I mean, everything bad that could happen, happened to this poor woman, she is left alone. It’s almost like starting completely fresh. She no longer has a fiancé, or a job, or a place to live, or even cell phone. Life as she has known it for the past eight years has been completely turned on it’s head, and surprisingly, she handles it very well. Sometimes, life throws so much at you at once, you just have to deal. She starts to reflect on her relationship with her former fiancé, Michael and slowly starts to realize that her relationship with him was not healthy. She wasn’t herself with him. They were both just going through the motions of what a relationship should be, not really connecting.

I loved how Courtney was described. She’s realistic, adorable, and funny. She has her own little quirks that round out the story so nicely. I love that she isn’t afraid to speak her mind. That’s so refreshing in a character, and her being thirty, it really rings true for me. I remember being a lot more pensive in my twenties, wondering if I was ‘doing the right thing’ and now, much like Courtney, after her failure of a relationship, she starts to peel the layers of who she wants to be and isn’t afraid to just do that, be herself.

After a series of crazy events, Courtney meets Clay. A gorgeous mechanic, or so she thinks, and they immediately hit it off. Of course, who wouldn’t love a quirky blonde who blushes and flirts? I love how they aren’t afraid to speak openly to each other. They are in their thirties, and have certainly learned from their past fuck-ups. They begin their relationship with the truth, no lying and no hiding. This is something that’s hard to do if you don’t already know who you are and who you want to be. Both of these characters have endured times in their lives that they are not proud of who they were, and starting out fresh with each other proves to be the winning ticket. I loved how, dare I say, Alpha Clay is. He is strong, and a Southern Gentleman in public, but he is very ‘take what I want’ in the bedroom. Courtney and Clay’s chemistry is off the charts, but there is a nice balance of everyday life, some extreme situations, loving friends, and the start of someday.

I absolutely loved this romance. It was sweet, and really hit home for me. It’s nice to read about characters that you share similarities with. Characters that are bright, and vivid, and yet realistic. They all have their faults, just like anyone, but they own up to them and try to make their lives worth living. That’s all you can try to do. It was a beautiful story that came full circle, which I absolutely love about Carey’s writing. She always leaves me with a smile on my face.

5 SMOOCHES

~Nicole

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5 Smooches

Synopsis

My name is Tate. He doesn’t call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all. No, he’ll barely even speak to me.

But he still won’t leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I’ve been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to stay out of his way. I even went to France for a year, just to avoid him.

But I’m done hiding from him now, and there’s no way in hell I’ll allow him to ruin my senior year. He might not have changed, but I have. It’s time to fight back.

I’m not going to let him bully me anymore.

***This novel contains adult/mature young adult situations. It is only suitable for ages 18+ due to language, violence, and sexual situations.

Review

Wow, where do I start other than saying I do not know why I waited so long to read this book. It was absolutely amazing and unique. I bought Bully a while ago and it has been staring at me on my kindle for a good long time and after some pushing from my co-blogger, Amie, telling me how great a book this was, I finally picked it up this week and gave it a shot. OH MY! Why did I wait so long? I am a New Adult lover and this book had everything I want and love in a book. It was filled with angst, wit, unanswered questions, drama, supreme sexiness, and characters I could both love and hate.

Jared and Tatum were childhood best friends who did everything together until one fateful summer when Jared went away and when he returned he was a complete ass to Tatum. He and his friends literally went out of their way to make her life a living hell and they succeeded. Needing a change of pace, Tatum decides to spending a year abroad as an exchange student will finally make her high school career survivable. When she returns she isn’t surprised that the bullying and relentless picking on her picks right back up. But now one thing is different . . . Tatum! She isn’t taking it and when she finally develops a backbone her whole world changes. There are so many questions between them and if they could actually act civil around one another long enough to talk maybe they could actually get answers.

Penelope Douglas has a wonderful way with words. I was drawn in right away and the story was something so different I had to read until I knew how it would end. I loved how this story tackled real issues that are being faced by kids today. This was not a subject taken lightly. It takes a great writer to make you hate a character so much with your whole being and then suddenly also fall in love with him at the same time. Going into Bully I absolutely hated Jared and wanted to hurt him badly. He was everything I hated about high school. He was petty and mean and not afraid to publicly humiliate Tatum seemingly for his own pleasure. How was I supposed to root for him when I could barely stand to read about him. But that is where Penelope shines in her writing and the way she describes things makes anything possible. I honestly think any New Adult lover should read Bully and I personally am looking forward to a re-read in my future.

~Miranda

Synopsis

Luke Barringer finds himself in the desert near death, unsure of his name and with no recollection of his past. As the hot sun bears down on him, his will to live slips away, but he can’t close his eyes. Sleep is the enemy and now it seems he has found his own slice of hell. But through the mist of his agony, a girl’s soft voice drifts over him and the sound of it draws him away from the darkness. 

While riding her horse, Evangeline “Angel” Sharpe finds a man bloodied and beaten. Despite knowing that she’ll be in trouble for bringing him to the Bedlam MC compound, she takes him home to tend his wounds. While the handsome stranger heals, Angel finds herself falling for him. As the mystery of his past is revealed, she helps him struggle with the truth, a truth that will lead to his true identity . . . an identity that could destroy Angel’s world.

Review

I have read many of Tess’ books in the past and this is her first take on a Motorcycle Club read. Let me tell you, it’s sweet and sexy and very…dangerous. You are instantly enthralled with the lives of these hellions that reside on the footfall of a mountain in the high desert outside of Reno, Nevada. I love how she described the arid desert, the heat of the day and the cold of the night. Having lived in such a place, it was both familiar and eerie. The story opens up with a young girl, riding horseback and finding a man dying on the desert floor outside her grandfather’s compound. Angel is a decent human being and so she does what anyone else would do, she tries to help him. She gets him into the confines of her gated, secured life only to be thwarted by her grandfather. Of course, he doesn’t want a stranger within his walls, within his domain, no matter if his granddaughter trusts the man. The catch is, the poor man has been beaten and deprived of food, water and shelter for so long that he doesn’t remember who he is. It’s all a blank void, his mind, and of course, this makes Angel’s grandfather, Dreygon, extremely suspicious. He is the President of the Bedlam MC and doesn’t take too kindly to strangers, even ones that are half-dead. He strings up the man, “Reno” and proceeds to torture him some more. Of course, it’s a fruitless endeavor when Reno can’t remember anything. Angel saves him from more senseless torture and thus begins the relationship between Angel and Reno. It’s an instant connection, something they feel in their bones. It’s extremely passionate and even though Reno’s body is trying to heal, they still find a way to connect on some very intimate levels.

The combination of the amnesia, the crazy MC President grandfather, and in the end, the realizations that come screaming back into Reno’s head make for such a fun, fast paced read. I loved this first installment in the new series and can’t wait for more! It’s sexy, and sweet, and very intriguing. There are many characters that you just know are going to be trouble. The ending will leave you shocked! And I have to say, that is much appreciated after reading many books lately. It’s nice to be thrown off a bit. The one question you are really left wondering is if the newfound relationship between Angel and Reno will last. She sees him as her savior, as the man that will take her away from her horrible, confined life. Will he be able to, after he figures out who he is? I’m on pins and needles and can’t wait for more.

5 SMOOCH-A-ROONIES

~Nicole

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