Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence by Kasie West

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…
Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.
Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

Publishes in US: July 1st 2014 by HarperTeen
Genre: YA contemp
Source: Harper Teen via Edelweiss
Series? No

Buy it: Amazon • Barnes & Noble• Kobo • iBookstore

Author stalk away: ~site ~twitter

 

    

    I wanted to read On The Fence because I was in the need for a summery read plus the fact that I have liked Kasie West's characters and writing style from her paranormal books. 

    The dynamic between Charlie, our tomboy main character and her brothers is so endearing. They are like an amoeba, where one is, you'll find the rest. They have folded into their circle of boyhood, wrestling with her, playing sports no holds barred with her, and letting her be with them all the time. Part of this group of guys is next door neighbor Braden, who is an only child and loves the inclusion. He has a dad who he dubs jerk and him getting out of the house when dear dad comes home drunk is what leads him to be out so late at night to begin the fence talks with Charlie. 

    And yes, we can all see where this is going. But I liked how they had a friendship first, and they were aware that if things changed, it would effect more than herself. But I like that as they have the deep conversations at night, she is working out things about herself and her mom who died when she was little. They have this deeper connection and it makes me smile. 

   Charlie's dad was also present. He was awkward a lot of the time, but he was at least trying. Red in the face talking about conditioner and bras, doing what men shouldn't have to do. I also like that he was in on some of the nerf action. Speaking of, I love the playful nature of the house. That and how the dares kept things adventurous and deepened their bonds. 

   Through her job she is also getting in touch with parts of herself that she didn't before. That she could be a little girly and it wouldn't be the end of the world. What I think the most important message was though is how she learned to be herself. That she could be girly or wear makeup if she wanted, but that she shouldn't have to be fake or only show half of who she was in order to be liked.

   The light nature to the book was also good. Because even though it had some rough subject matter--drunk dads and dead moms--it was dealt with and still managed to focus on the now. Being able to push through, showing your strength and at the same time vulnerability to open up to someone else and share feelings, to lean on them and to get through.

    The ending was sweet and nice, but I couldn't help putting down the book and wanting to get more time in their chemistry, in the sureity of their relationship, with others knowing, with their hearts a little less confused. 

   

Bottom Line: Fun, fast and light with slow romance that was sweet.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Did you ever have a hot next door neighbor?

Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post, Bought Borrowed and Bagged

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews,  check it out and sign up  here

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged is a weekly meme, hosted by TalkSupe, where I share with you the books I have bought, borrowed, or bagged. Link up with me here.

What I read:

Pieces of Me source: library

Kizer, Amber *

The Things You Kiss Goodbye Source: Harper Teen via Edelweiss Review

Connor, Leslie

Perfected source: Entangled via Netgalley

Birch, Kate Jarvik *

Sent:
thanks simon and schuster:

Last Week on the blog:

• Waiting on Wednesday, WoW
• Book Blast: Contact by Laurisa White Reyes

A Little Too Hot (A Little Too Far, #3) Source: bought Review

Desrochers, Lisa *

Five Ways to Fall (Ten Tiny Breaths, #4) Source: Netgalley Review

Tucker, K.A.

My week:

Kinda shell shocked. My lil girl is going into 1st grade on the 7th. Yesterday was her last day of Kindergarten

 birth

 1st day of K

 last day of K

What are you reading? Any of my books new to you or have you read any of my books? If so, what did you think?
Also, feel free to link up your blog and mailbox post.

Exclusive Giveaway and Excerpt: Faded by Chloe Miles

Faded (The Faded Trilogy #1) by Chloe Miles

Chapter Excerpt - Faded (The Faded Trilogy, Book 1)

It was just as stunning out there as it was inside the hall. A string of lights adorned the fancy stone railing, and little square trees formed a hedge along the inside of it. 

Hunter walked out into the middle and took a bow before he extended his hand to her. “Our own private dance floor.”

Savannah obligingly placed her hand in his. She couldn’t hold his hand like she could have in spirit form—she couldn’t take the risk in case somebody had seen her go out there—but Hunter could still hold hers all the same.

“It’s bad enough that I can’t be your proper date that everybody else can see you with,” he said as he twirled her around and then gently pulled her in closer, “but I didn’t want you to miss out on this part as well.” 

 “What do you mean a proper date?” she asked him. “Hunter, you’re still here to me. You’ve just faded a little, that’s all.”

A light dusting of snow had started falling above their heads, and Savannah lifted her eyes to see tiny romantic snowflakes falling only on them like their own little winter snow globe scene.

“I noticed their dance floor in there had a snow machine,” Hunter said as he watched the snowflakes fall above their heads before he let his eyes drift back down to hers. “I can do better than that.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Savannah caught a tiny snowflake as it landed gently on her hand. It might not have been really snowing like how Madison had wanted it to, but it was still romantic.

“This night is perfect,” she whispered as she placed her arms around his transparent shoulders, “because you’re here.”

“I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” he said. “You’re the most important thing in the world to me, and I knew how important this was to you.”

Savannah looked back up at the falling snow. 

“You know how you said that I should forget about everything else and just be a normal girl tonight?” She shook her head to disagree before she had even said the words. “Normal is overrated. None of those other girls in there have real snow,” she whispered, “or you.”

Hunter gently twirled her around again before she held both her hands up to his. Their hands were barely touching, but that was good enough for her. Hunter was hers. She didn’t need anybody else to be able to see him to know that.

“Those other guys in there may be alive and have youth on their side,” he whispered as his eyes drifted to her lips, “but I’m the luckiest guy here tonight.”

Buy: Links: Goodreads |Amazon| Barnes & Noble | iTunes

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-Ends on 7/20/2014 11:59 pm EST
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Review: The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor

The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor

Bettina Vasilis can hardly believe it when basketball star Brady Cullen asks her out, and she just about faints when her strict father actually approves of him.
But when school starts up again, Brady changes. What happened to the sweet boy she fell in love with? Then she meets a smoldering guy in his twenties, and this “cowboy” is everything Brady is not—gentle, caring, and interested in getting to know the real Bettina.
Bettina knows that breaking up with Brady would mean giving up her freedom—and that it would be inappropriate for anything to happen between her and Cowboy. Still, she can’t help that she longs for the scent of his auto shop whenever she’s anywhere else.
When tragedy strikes, Bettina must tell her family the truth—and kiss goodbye the things she thought she knew about herself and the men in her life.
Leslie Connor has written a lyrical, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about family, romance, and the immense power of love.

Publishes in US: June 24th 2014 by Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: YA Contemp
Source: Harper Teen via Edelweiss
Series? no

Buy it: Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound Book Depository

Author stalk away: ~site

  (2.5 rounded up)

    I wanted to read The Things You Kiss Goodbye because Bettina's tragedy caught my attention, as well as the change in Brady and what sparked that. So, I've gotta say it was a little darker than I expected, and maybe I should have known that from the synopsis, but the cover still makes it look a little lighter and summery. Not that I mind darker but others might not, so figured I would throw that out there. 

     We got right into the drama after a little prologue, which I didn't really understand why it was there. It gave a date and then it went to chapter one, and I don't feel like it added much to the story, and I would have been fine with just starting at Chapter one. 

  

    We get a pretty good sense of Bettina, that her family was very traditional greek and strict and she was rebelling against it. She didn't quite fit in at school especially after her best friend, fellow dancer and leader in meeting new people and stretching their boundaries moved away. So I could see how she would be vulnerable and that Brady would seem as wonderful. And I did like him at first. I felt like things were a little rushed from saying hello to their carefree summer of dating and chaste kisses. Brady actually gets her dad's approval and then he convinced Bettina to join cheerleading to be at his games and so they can spend more time together. 

    I think that the shift we see in Brady was rushed. That one second they have a close and cute romance and then a switch flips. Maybe it is because we get it from Bettina, but I think that the warning signs are still there for the reader and I wanted to know more about what sparked the change in Brady. Why he was suddenly distant from her when he did revere her, and then the huge jump in their physical involvement. Of course I began to dislike him the more and more he became like a bully. I think that it was important that this showed that physical abuse doesn't always have to be a smack in the face--he hurt her hand, caused her to trip, pulled her hair, and then wrote it all off as he was teasing her and playing around. 

     What got to me though is how Bettina stayed in it. She knew it was an abusive relationship and she shouldn't let him go on with it. But she felt stuck. Her parents were strict and she used him in order to keep getting to get out of the house. 

    Things with Cowboy... Well, I think that in itself should have been the story. Instead of adding in Brady and the abuse, I think that she had enough material to just focus on Cowboy. The love triangle bugged me and so did the cheating, because she obviously had feelings for him while she was with Brady. Anyways, I liked that everything started slow and innocent. Even with the age difference, that didn't bother me. He was careful and he saw her for who she was. He called her Beta and they enjoyed each other's presence. Bettina felt like she could be herself around him, and that he understood her. He has his own back story that I think could have been elaborated on, and then the questions that were left unanswered at the end... I so wish that we could have had those answers... But since we don't I had to take rating down some. 

     Though there were some pretty hot kisses between Bettina and Cowboy, I liked how their friendship evolved into more. It wasn't just bam, I see you, we speak and I love you. Sure there was some serious attraction going on, but that doesn't and shouldn't equal love. 

  

    But I like where they left Bettina. Branching out, learning to stand up for herself, and then with her family adjusting and accepting that they are her parents and she has to do her part in the family and can't make all the decisions herself. The way that Bettina and her mother ended up having a lot in common and finally bridged their relationship was also good to see. Her friendships with Tony and Bonnie also changed a lot from the beginning to where she finally was okay letting others in a little more and realizing that Brady, nor any other person should make decisions for her or force her into things. 

    Another aspect of the story that I enjoyed was Bettina with Tony's nonna Regina. She is a fiesty old lady, and so blunt about everything. Seeing Bettina get used to her personality and then slowly opening up to her was nice. It was an unexpected friendship for her, and a source of comfort to one another. 

     The ending.... It was sad and it was powerful. Bettina had to go through something so hard, and she didn't have answers for why and how, and didn't know how to move on. I think that it was a perfect picture of grief, an example that I hadn't quite seen played out yet, and I think that is so important to show that everyone copes with tragedies differently and how they handle it and move on is varied. I know that Bettina didn't get the answers she wanted, and maybe that is why we didn't either, that shows how it is realistically. But still... It was hard. It felt incomplete to me and I feel like maybe the tragedy was just a simple way out instead of having to deal with the issues that it involved. 

   

Bottom Line: Dark and emotional story but felt incomplete. A lot that I liked mixed with stuff that I didn't.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever had a friend or boyfriend change in a huge way?

Waiting on Wednesday, WoW

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I also feature books that may have already released, but I am anxiously waiting to read.

This week, I'm featuring:

Falls the Shadow

Gaither, Stefanie *

When Cate Benson was twelve, her sister died. 

Two hours after the funeral, they picked up Violet’s replacement, and it was like nothing had ever happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to grant their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth. So this new Violet has the same smile. The same laugh. That same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all the same memories as the girl she replaced. 

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school. 

Or at least, that’s what the paparazzi and crazy anti-cloning protesters want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that, though. She’s used to standing up for her sister too, and she’s determined to prove her innocence now—at whatever the cost. But the deeper she digs for the truth, the further Cate's carefully-constructed life begins to unravel, unveiling a world filled with copies and lies, where nothing and no one—not even her sister— is completely what they seem. 

In a pulse pounding debut, Stefanie Gaither takes readers on a nail-biting ride through a future that looks frighteningly similar to our own time and asks: how far are you willing to go to keep your family together?

Releases: September 16th 2014 by Simon and Schuster BFYR

What are you waiting on?

Book Blast: Contact by Laurisa White Reyes

Contact by Laurisa White Reyes
Mira wants to die. She’s attempted suicide twice already and failed. Every time she comes in contact with another person, skin to skin, that person’s psyche uploads into hers. While her psychologist considers this a gift, for Mira it’s a curse from which she cannot escape.
To make matters worse, Mira’s father is being investigated for the deaths of several volunteer test subjects of the miracle drug Gaudium. Shortly after Mira’s mother starts asking questions, she ends up in a coma. Although her father claims it was an accident, thanks to her “condition” Mira knows the truth, but proving it just might get her killed.

PRAISE FOR BOOK:
“CONTACT is a page turner that will keep you guessing right along with Mira, right up until the last revelation. And it will make you reconsider the next time you wish you knew someone else’s secrets!” – Margaret Petereson Haddix, author of the Missing and The Shadow Children series

AUTHOR LAURISA WHITE REYES:
Laurisa White Reyes is the Editor-in-chief of Middle Shelf Magazine and the author of two middle grade fantasy novels: The Rock of Ivanore and The Last Enchanter. She is also the mother of five kids, a graduate student, a fan of Broadway musicals, and a lover of all things chocolate.

 Website * Goodreads * Twitter * Facebook * Pinterest

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Review: A Little Too Hot by Lisa Desrochers

A Little Too Hot (A Little Too Far #3) by Lisa Desrochers

This book is a stand-alone A LITTLE TOO FAR novel.
If you play with fire…
Tossed out of college and cut off by her parents, Samantha West is in pretty dire straits. So when her rocker best friend hooks her up with a job dancing at a gentlemen’s club, who is she to turn it down? Plus, there are rules to dancing at Benny’s: No touching, keep your clothes on at all times, and never get closer than three feet. Unfortunately for Sam, her first private client makes her want to break every single one of them.
Harrison Yates is scorching hot, but he’s got a past that involves being left at the altar not too long ago. Sam is determined to make him forget about his ex, but when she makes her move, it flings her life into a spiral of chaos she never saw coming.
Because Harrison Yates isn’t who he seems to be. And his secret will probably get her killed.

GR
Publishes in US: January 21st 2014 by William Morrow Impulse
Genre: NA contemp
Source: bought
Series? A Little Too Far #3
my review of 1st: A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers
my review of 2nd: A Little Too Much by Lisa Desrochers

Buy it: Barnes & Noble Amazon iTunes

Author stalk away: Website

Twitter 

FaceBook
Goodreads

Sacramento & Company TV interview

E-mail: lisadezwrites@gmail.com

 

    I wanted to read this one because I have enjoyed the others in the A Little Too Far series, and even Lisa's first series Personal Demons. Of course, I wanted to find out what she had in store for me in this one. 

    

    I could def relate with Sam, the main character. Life has dealt her a hard hand, and she feels like a disappointment to her parents. She's dropped (read failed) out of college, and she is semi-couch surfing. She is strong though, and she is open to accepting help from the people that are in her life. 

    Although I can't dance, I could still root for her as she went to Benny's untrained and a ball of nerves. But its not a strip club persay, she just dances and while she isn't wearing a ton of clothes, they all stay in place. This has to be such a hard situation, because you have to know that most of those girls are doing it for the money, and may feel like they don't have a choice. I do like though, that they get immersed into the culture and some of them discover they like it. Or at least aspects of it. 

    I liked Harrison at first, but the twist, oh the twist. It was hard to keep liking him. Although through many tv shows, I know the other side of it, but in this situation, I was pulling for Sam so it was a shock and slap in the face. The direction the story took after that was pretty unique, but I skimmed a bit. Until the karate scene. That is when my heart started really getting back into it. It was a hot scene, and the showing of a somewhat forbidden relationship. But then they were interrupted, which became quite the theme for their relation-whatever you wanna call it.  

   

    While this one was good, I enjoyed Lisa's other books better. I think once trust was broken with Harrison I couldn't get as fully into the romance. 

Bottom Line:  While this one was good, I enjoyed Lisa's other books better. I think once trust was broken with Harrison I couldn't get as fully into the romance.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever danced on stage in any capacity?

Review: Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker

Five Ways to Fall (Ten Tiny Breaths #4) by K.A. Tucker

Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.
Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.
If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

Publishes in US: June 24th 2014 by Atria Books
Genre: NA Contemp
Source: Netgalley
Series? Ten Tiny Breaths #4
my review of series:
#1 Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker
#2 One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker
#3 Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker

Buy it:

Amazon | B&N | iBookstore | BAM | Bookish | Indigo | Other

Author stalk away: ~site 

 

    I wanted to read Five Ways to Fall because I have totally fallen for K.A. Tucker's characters and the world she has built in relation to Kasey and Charlie... with Cain and his club making for a tight circle of friends and drama. This one helped prove to me that NA is still for me since the last I read was a DNF. 

    

     Reese is fiery and handles herself. But she has a lot of pain inside her not only from her new husband cheating on her early into the marriage to her father leaving her and a tumultuous relationship with her mom. She really stole my heart, but she also frustrated me because she made such rash decisions over and over and it only ended up in hurting herself and making a failed relationship hurt even more. Then dealing with the law and keeping herself out of trouble, I just wished that she could have learned more from the past and made her life better. She was doing that for the most part getting into a good job with her stepdad and devouring the paralegal world. 

     We know Ben from previous books, and he's the same here. Happy, goofy, funny, a player. But we get to see another side of him. We see his relationship with his mom, and some insight into his family life growing up. We get to see all professional and serious Ben at work and that is pretty hot. Ben also befriends Mason, Reese's stepbrother, and that creates an inside for getting the job there, and also shows how he will be friends with anyone. 

     Though we do see a lot of growth from Mason, and I liked that. He was able to find himself and be a little more laid back and accepting once in the hands of a woman. That was another thing that I liked about this one. Not only do we get a peek into the lives from some of our fave main and secondary characters from the first books, but this one also adds some strong side characters. Lina had a lot of personality and I appreciated the honesty but loyalty between her and Reese. 

    The ever present hot chemistry between the characters has swept me off my proverbial feet once again. Reese and Ben meet in an unexpected circumstance and then their first attempted hook up goes array. Which leads to some hilarity once they end up working together. But though there were some potential for hot moments that were unfortunately interupted early in the book, it makes for a better and longer tension to build between them with wanting to keep Ben's job, since her stepdad owns the law firm they both work for. 

    The ending took me by surprise in some ways, but I ended up loving it. I think that it worked out well and gave me a sense of closure with Reese and Ben even if I will miss them, and wish that I could get more time in their world. I was sad to find out this is the last planned in Ten Tiny Breaths series, but can always hold out hope that she'll change her mind, or that somehow I can love a new set of characters she writes just as much. 

   

Bottom Line: Hot, romantic and sweet.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Ever been in a relationship with a coworker?