Review: Unexpected (Unexpected, #1) by Amity Cross

Unexpected (Unexpected #1) by Amity Cross 

Published February 4th 2014 

From: Free on Amazon

Rating: 3 out of 5

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Synopsis:

Blair is looking for an escape. West is looking for a connection.

One down and out woman. One isolated rock star. Life at the top is lonely, but so is life at the bottom.

Blair is just looking for someone to take the edge off her crappy life. Dull the pain, breathe a little life into her neglected body. A chance meeting at a bar leads to a night of passion. No names, no personal details. Just sex.

Well, it wasn't personal until she sees the guy standing on a stage ten meters in front of her. How the hell didn't she realize that the guy who blew her mind is the guitarist out of that dirty rock'n'roll band, Affliction? And why is he chasing her down the street? And how does he know her name?

Sometimes you find the things you didn't even know you were looking for in the most unexpected places.

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Review:

This was a freebie from Amazon and I love rock stars so I thought, why not? I must admit, it's sat on my kindle for about a month. Once I started reading though, well, it is kind of addictive. 

Blair doesn't come across as a nice person. Actually she's a self-confessed super-bitch. She likes one off sex to take the edge off and this particular night, the night she meets super hot and tattoed West, ends in a different way to her normal slam-bam-thank-you-sir kind of nights.

West is on the look out for a connection. That's it. Call it sex, call it chemistry but when he meets Blair in that seedy bar he feels it immediately. Note: for those of you who hate insta-love then you'll hate this. Both parties think the other is hot and f***able. So they do. Blair does a runner straight after, only to see him on stage the following night. He chases her out of the venue then gets her to commit to spending the week with him. It doesn't happen quite so quickly as that but, you get the idea.

The story is short and has plenty of scope. There aren't that many characters in the story, and the rock star life described is very stereotypical of New Adult rock star stories. Personally, in real life, I don't think these two would have a chance at making it. But, hey, this isn't real life, is it?

I liked West, I didn't like Blair too much. I felt the connection sure enough, but I didn't get down into the depths of the characters. Yes, we're told why Blair is the way she is, and we're told why West feels alone. Apart from a few conversations between them which always ended abruptly (if not rudely) it was difficult to get into their minds.

Anyway, a good quick read, and yes, there are lots of hot scenes. There is also sequel :)

-CBx

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You can reach Amity Cross here:

Web

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Review: So Much to Learn by Jessie L. Star

So Much to Learn by Jessie L. Star

Published: February 21st 2014

From: Free on Amazon

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Synopsis:

"I need to learn," I said in a very small, quiet voice. "You have to teach me…" I faltered here as the whole thing was really just too sordid to put into words. I thought I had a good grasp of the English language, but I had no clue how to put my dilemma to him. 

"Teach you…?" He prompted. 

"Teach me it!" I finally choked out. "What happens when you actually like the…touching and the….the…fondling and the…it, you know." I had never been so embarrassed in my life. The age old 'you could have fried on egg on my face' adage actually seemed kind of plausible I felt that hot and flustered. But - would you believe it? - Jack still hadn't cottoned on to what I was on about. He looked at me completely blankly and I could almost see his mind whirring as he tried to connect the bits… 

After a rather hideous break up with her boyfriend due to her inability to 'put out’, Talia bullies her brother's best friend into teaching her the complexities of a 'full' relationship. Turns out uni courses have nothing on life lessons! 

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Review:

Let me start by saying this is a heart-wrangler story. By that I mean it will have your emotions all over the place. Your heart will do that stop/start thing multiple times and by the end you'll be so exhausted from the twists and unexpected turns you'll have to think about it for a while before you can function.

Things you should bear in mind before reading. This is a long book. The narrative is very full with descriptions and back story. The characters are all fully flushed out to so for me I didn't mind it too much. Secondly, if you want a hot steamy read with lots of flesh and all the rest then you'll be disappointed. This is not a 'sexy' book in the strictest term, though we do get lots of emotions flying back and forth. The story is also told in Australian English. I'm British English so fully familiar with the terms and phrasing but many might find the writing odd with unfamiliar grammatical words and sentences.

So, Natalia who is also called Talia or Tally has grown up with a close family network. That being her really cool mum, dad, older brother Matt and his best friend Jack. Jack has a sad history in his own family so basically lived with Talia's family since she was young. Now her, Matt and Jack all share an apartment in the city. Talia is 18 and studying Law at the same University the other two go to. Her best friend Simone comes from their small town back home and they've been friends since children also. Other characters are a member of their group such as Micky and Sam (brothers) and Tommo (again, who lived near them back home). The group is tight but they still have gripes with one another. Tally and Mickey don't get on from the get-go. In fact, Micky is downright rude to her most of the time.

Tally had an altercation with a guy at a party some time ago which didn't end well. Now she has touching 'issues'. She's just caught her boyfriend of six months in bed with another girl and he says it's because she's frigid and won't 'put out'. She's horrified that maybe something's wrong with her. She needs someone to help her get over these issues. Someone she trusts wholeheartedly. Someone like Jack.

As I wrote earlier this book has lots of twists and unexpected turns. The story is thorough and extensive. This isn't a simple tale of Talia overcoming her issues. But actually its about Talia becoming aware of who she really is and learning about love. She makes a lot of mistakes over the course of the story. She upsets people with her non-filtered mouth but she isn't unkind underneath all her normal confidence. 

On the whole I liked her. The only time I didn't was her jealous outburst at Haley because she thinks she's after Jack and being insincere all the time. The other characters also have their own problems and Talia learns how to balance her own judgmental attitude mixed with ongoing drama with being a good or sometimes not so good friend. The odds don't always go in her favour. 

Jack is a great character. I really liked him from the start mainly because he wasn't fickle when Talia was around although his hardest test was sleeping with his best friend's sister and living with the guilt of not telling Matt. Matt himself is a typical older brother. Very protective and always looking out for her. Eventually it becomes his downfall when he learns about Talia and Jack.

All in all a great book despite it being long and slow sometimes. I'd like to read more from Jessie Star now :)

-CBx

You can find Jessie Star here:

Facebook

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Review: Wicked Games (Games #1) by Jill Myles

Wicked Games (Games #1) by Jill Myles

Published: March 4th 2011

From: Free on Amazon

Rating: 3 out of 5

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Synopsis:

Abby Lewis never pictured herself on the survival game show, Endurance Island. She’s just not the ‘survival’ type. But when her boss offers her a spot on the show and the opportunity of a lifetime, she packs her bags and heads to the tropics to be a contestant. Once in the game, though, it’s clear that Abby’s in over her head.

No one’s more competitive than sexy, delicious – and arrogant – Dean Woodall. Sure, he’s clever, strong, good at challenges, and has a body that makes her mouth water. He also hates Abby just as much as she hates him. That’s fine with her; she’ll just ignore the jerk.

But the rules of Endurance Island are working against them. Abby and Dean are teamed up – alone – on the beach. It’s either work together, or go home. Stuck with no one’s company but their own, they learn they might just make a good team after all.

And Abby learns that with just a little bit of kindling, the flames of hate can quickly turn to flames of passion…

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Review:

I've seen the TV shows like this but have never read a story based on a survival show. I could only imagine that what was presented on TV was cleverly edited and did not show the characters as their true selves. We've all seen I'm a Celebrity, Survivor and Big Brother at some point.

Abby works for a media company. One that has a hand in the survival show in question, Endurance Island. Someone has dropped out of the celebrities and the production company think it would be a great idea to put an 'insider' into the running. Someone who can scoop the dirt and also write about her experiences after the show with a major book deal. Therefore Abby is more pushed than asked to take the final place. She isn't an ideal candidate but in her favour she did, with the help of a professional, edit a survivalists handbook a while ago. She picked up more than a few tips on how to survive when dropped on a desert island. 

Abby arrives and is immediately thrown into the competitive world of the twelve celebrities. They all want the prize of 2 million dollars badly. So much that they will literally step on you or shame you at every opportunity. The other competitors see Abby as weak and don't make her feel comfortable in her new surroundings at all. She's paired with the hottest guy on the show although she has no idea who he is and what he does in the real world.

Dean Woodall openly admits his eye is on the money but he does want the challenge of competing. He wants to win, and he'll do whatever or whoever he can to get what he wants. He doesn't understand why Abby is being so difficult and in the beginning is scared to have a conversation with her in case she chews his head off..again.

Abby and Dean get put into couples who must get through the first few days together. That means working together on tasks and getting along. They don't. In fact, they make themselves into a spectacle because of their instant dislike of one another. Eventually though, they do start working as a team and get good results.

But Abby starts feeling more for Dean than she should. Firstly she's the insider, she should act professional being as the cameras are on them all the time. And secondly, everyone who's in the competition has a game plan. Abby unfortunately doesn't. Her mindset is different because her goal isn't to win, just get as far as she can.

I did enjoy this book. The dynamics of the game are well thought out and there are some funny moments when Abby and Dean spar constantly. As with the game structure, this book has a structure to it as you travel through the days and weeks from Abby's POV. At times she is a little naive around Dean, she doesn't exactly know what his deal is but we're given little snippets from Dean's POV at the start of each chapter. As the story carries on you can see the different competitors begin to use and lie to each other to disrupt the accord of the game. 

There are some things I didn't like, however, that just felt off to me. I would say that if I was a media plant I wouldn't get hot and heavy (very sexy heavy) with my partner because it would always be on my mind that a) cameras are there, and everyone's watching, and b) when the show gets aired my entire family would see what was going on, and c) I have a job to do and that's the only reason why i'm there.

So, in contrast, Abby and Dean's closeness is believable but to go further? Obviously without this there wouldn't be a point to the book but that's my thought process.

The writing is great though the ending was a little predictable and finished very quickly. The other thing that struck me was how little we actually know about Abby at the end. After the show finishes she doesn't talk about her family or work at all. Something I felt could have taken away the one dimensional aspect the story had at times.

Still, there are others in the series featuring different characters for other reality TV shows. I might take a chance and try them out :)

-CBx

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You can reach Jill Myles (who also writes as Jessica Clare) here:

Web

Goodreads

Review: Rocked by Clara Bayard

Rocked by Clara Bayard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Published: February 25th 2013

From: Free on Amazon

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Synopsis:

She's dreaming of a life of excitement and romance. 

When rising rock star Joe Hawk wanders into the diner where Liss works her dark night is brightened by his incredibly blue eyes and sexy smile. The attraction is immediate and every moment is charged with erotic heat. 

He's searching for something real.

The first impression is easy. Taking the next step is much harder. The plus sized beauty has to overcome her insecurities to take a risk on a man whose life is the opposite of everything she's ever known and changing faster than either of them realizes.

From the first electric touch their chemistry is undeniable and the possibilities are endless

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Review:

This book was free on Amazon so I swiped it because I love Rock Star stories going for ordinary girls. In this short story, Lisa works at an all night diner. On a quiet night a gorgeous unassuming guy walks in and sits. They share conversation and then, being a gentleman, he walks her home. The story is very sweet. There are no twists or turns. Everything goes very smoothly except for self doubt on Lisa's part. This could only get 3 stars in my opinion because nothing really happens except at the end. I thought this one would be another Lick by Kylie Scott and I know there are a ton of follow-on stories to keep the tale of Lisa and Joe going. It's a shame the author didn't combine the books to a novel size rather than cut it up into novellas. Anyway, a good, nice read if you like Rock Stars! - CBx 

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Review: Meeting Trouble by Emme Rollins

Meeting Trouble by Emme Rollins

Publishers: Self Published

Published Date: November 3rd 2013

From: Free Download Amazon
My rating: 3 out of 5

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Synopsis:

Sabrina can't believe her luck-she's always dreamed of front row seats to see her favorite band, "Trouble," but when she bumps into lead singer, Rob Burns, and he invites her backstage, she finds herself hoping her luck doesn't run out-and that maybe, just maybe, all her dreams will come true.

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Review:

I love anything to do with rock stars meeting the girl next door. this book had a great story line. Sabrina bumps into Rob, literally, and gets injured. He takes care of her and makes sure she's looked after during the concert. Afterwards they meet again backstage and begin their wild couple of days.

The only thing wrong with this book was it was a little too safe. Yes, there's an abundance of sexy scenes and lots of talking in restaurants about food. Apart from that if you want wild rock stars being raucous and downright dirty, then this isn't the book for you. 

Simply, a girl meets a rock star who is an ordinary guy at heart and they fall in love. The ending was also a tiny, teeny-weeny bit disappointing with a perfect opening for another book...or not.

A quick read and a cute story.

-CBx

You can reach Emme Rollins here: 

Web

Goodreads