Review Wednesday: Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

*This is a book meant for adults due to some inappropriate content for people younger than 18.*


Title: Wallbanger (Cocktail #1)
Author: Alice Clayton
1st Date of Publication: November 12, 2012
ISBN: 9781623420024
# of Pages: 384
Genre: New Adult, Adult Romance
Age Rating: 17+ (Language, Violence, Sexual content)

Buy it on Amazon

Book Description: 
The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she's gaining an intimate knowledge of her new neighbor's nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy's athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed dating hiatus, and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly...

In a delicious mix of silly and steamy, Alice Clayton dishes out a hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight...

Setting: San Fransisco, California in the 21st century
Point of View: 1st Person- Caroline Reynolds 

Goodreads Rating: 4.10

My Rating: 4.25


Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both title and cover
View on the Cover: It seems very scandalous. It seems to matcj the title very 
View on the Title: I know that there is an alcoholic drink called a wallbanger, but maybe it is a play on words with the sex.

Pros:

• The main characters are pretty interesting together. They complement each other.
• Caroline Reynolds is a hardworking interior desinger who is great at her job. She loves to bake in her free time while she listens to her neighbor's good-tasted music. She has had a lot of bad luck with seual partners that she decided to go on an indefinite sexual hiatus.
• Simon Parker is Caroline Reynold's neighbor and he isn't the typical neighbor. He has a very different seual life than the average man, but he hasa good taste in musc and an excellent photographer who gets to travel the world. He has a past that causes him to live this certain lifestyle.
• Together Caroline and Simon are hilarious as they try to play matchmaker with their friends. The entire encounter is exciting and captivating.
• This novel is extremely funny alomst as much as it is sexy. It continues to make you laugh. From the baking jokes to the harem jokes, this novel will make you laugh so hard.

Cons:

• The only thing I wish is that there was more depth to Simon and the other supporting characters. But, this is a series so there should be more characterization.

Critics' Reviews:

"Pure escapism...with a funny cast, snappy dialogue, and plenty of hot and sexy scenes.... Readers of Rachel Gibson and Helen Fielding will enjoy Clayton" -Booklist

Alice Clayton's Website:
http://aliceclayton.com/

Other Recommendations:

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Perfect Chemistry by Simon Elkeles
Easy by Tammara Webber

Review Wednesday: Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Title: Reign of Shadows (Reign of Shadows #1)

Author: Sophie Jordan
1st Date of Publication: February 9, 2016

ISBN: 9780062377647
# of Pages: 304

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Society

Age Rating: 13+

Buy on Amazon

Book Description:
Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.


Setting: Relhok in the future
Point of View: 1st person- Luna

Goodreads Rating: 3.66

My Rating: 3.0

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: Everything is dark and looking dead or at least dying.
View on Title: How are the shadows ruling over the land and people?

Pros:

• The main characters are a very interesting mix. The characters are complete opposites, but the novel makes you continue to question if that's really the case.
• Luna has a sense of duty to protect those she loves and will even do anything that will hurt her. She sees the best in others.
• Fowler is very closed off and refuses to let others see his weaknesses. He has a hidden past but realizes that he needs to hide his past more and more as he finds out Luna's past.
• The idea of Luna being blind is really interesting take on the book. Since she lacks in sight, her other senses are heightened, which is also a proven scientific fact.

Cons:

• There was a lack of characterization, which made the book seem a little slow.
• There was also a lack of depth in the storyline so it wasn't as exciting as it could have been.

Critics' Reviews:
“Effortless fantasy with high romance, REIGN OF SHADOWS keeps you intrigued until the final sentence.” -RT Book Reviews
“Star-crossed romance smolders.” -Kirkus Reviews

Sophie Jordan's Website:

https://www.sophiejordan.net/

Other Recommendations:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas

Review Wednesday: Beautiful Sacrifice by Jamie McGuire

*This is a book meant for adults due to some inappropriate content for people younger than 18.*


Title: Beautiful Sacrifice (Maddox Brother #3)
Author: Jamie McGuire
1st Date of Publication: May 31, 2015
ISBN: 9781511847506
# of Pages: 270
Genre: New Adult, Adult Romance
Age Rating: 17+ (Language, Violence, Sexual content)

Buy it on Amazon

Book Description: 
Falyn Fairchild can walk away from anything. Having already left her car, her education, and even her parents, the daughter of the next governor of Colorado is back in her hometown, broke and waiting tables for the Bucksaw Café. After every shift, Falyn adds to her shoebox of cash, hoping to one day save enough to buy her a plane ticket to the only place she can find forgiveness: Eakins, Illinois.

The moment Taylor Maddox is seated in Falyn’s section at the Bucksaw, she knows he’s trouble. Taylor is charming, breaks promises, and gorgeous even when covered in filth—making him everything Falyn believes a hotshot firefighter to be. Falyn isn’t interested in becoming another statistic, and for a Maddox boy, a disinterested girl is the ultimate challenge.

Once Falyn learns where Taylor calls home, everything changes. In the end, Maddox persistence is met with Falyn’s talent for leaving, and for the first time, Taylor may be the one to get burned.

Setting: Colorado Springs, Colorado and Eakins, Illinois in the 21st century
Point of View: 1st Person- Falyn Fairchild

Goodreads Rating: 4.08

My Rating: 4.35


Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both title and cover
View on the Cover: Why is the woman's hair on fire? Is she giving up her life?
View on the Title: Can a sacrifice really be beautiful when it's going to cause pain and suffering? What kind of suffering and sacrifice can be beautiful?

Pros:

• The main characters are a really interesting mix.
• Don't let Falyn Fairchild fool you. She is not very nice to men interested in her, but she is really great as a waitress. She is sweet, caring, and extremely hard working to the point where she refuses to take any short cuts for her personal mission, which is to go to Eakins, Illinois.
• Taylor Maddox is the perfect package. He's very attractive, successful, and a hotshot firefighter, or someone who fights extremely dangerous wildfires. He has his eyes set on Falyn and he is relentless in becoming closer to her. It's really endearing to read.
• This book really gets at your heartstrings. Falyn's past has more heartbreak in it than the other Maddox boys' women. Falyn's past truly speaks to why her current circumstances are so drastic from what they could be.
• The mystery compels you to read more. Why does she live a life of "rags" when she grew up in "riches?" Why does she hate her parents so much? Why is she cold toward men who are attracted to her? Why is she dead set on going to Eakins, Illinois?
• The secondary characters really add to the story. They provide a lot of depth to Falyn's character as she sometimes holds back information that is vital to know how the story will unfold.

Cons:

• It seemed like there lacked some depth in Taylor's character. If you don't love Maddox boys, then this series will seem slightly repetitive when it comes to the Maddox men.

Jamie McGuire's Website:

http://www.jamiemcguire.com/

Other Recommendations:

Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire
Perfect Chemistry by Simon Elkeles
Easy by Tammara Webber

Review Wednesday: RoseBlood by A.G. Howard

Title: RoseBlood

Author: A.G. Howard
1st Date of Publication: January 10, 2017

ISBN: 9781419719097
# of Pages: 432

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Age Rating: 13+

Buy on Amazon

Book Description:
In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.

Setting: Paris, France in the 21st century
Point of View: 1st person- Rune Germain, 3rd person- Thorn

Goodreads Rating: 3.36

My Rating: 2.0

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Cover

View on the Cover: It is absolutely beautiful yet haunting. The thorns might mean that she is stuck and tangled in something that she can't get out of. Is the mask a reference to Phantom of the Opera.
View on Title: Isn't the color of blood the same as the color of roses? I think that's redundant.

Pros:

• The writing was the only good thing about this book. The style is beautiful and that was the only thing keeping me reading. It made me hope things would possibly get better.

Cons:

• The jumping from the first person as Rune to the third person as Thorn was really confusing at first and made it extremely difficult to read even after figuring out what happened at the point of view switch. The concept of switching seemed like it was cool but it wasn't executed properly.
• The Phantom of the Opera is a classic and this novel did no justice to it. The novel was filled with so many cliches that weren't executed well either.
• The Rune's superpower through the use of her voice was pretty ridiculous and didn't really fit well into the story.
• The vampires were by far the worst thing in this book. It was awful.
• There was a lack of description, purpose, and action for the opera school RoseBlood.

Critics' Reviews:
"A rich, atmospheric story that readers will be hard-pressed to put down." -Kirkus
"This is an accomplished undertaking... A good purchase for paranormal romance collections, and the connections to a classic work of literature add appeal." -School Library Journal
"Part vampire lore and part love story, this will appeal to those who enjoyed titles like Beautiful Creatures and Vampire Academy." -School Library Connection

A.G. Howard's Website:

http://www.aghoward.com/

Other Recommendations:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine
Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan