Waiting For Wentworth: 08/01/2015

Review: Bite & Release (Bite & Release #1) by Cory Cyr

Bite & Release (Bite & Release #1) by Cory Cyr

Publication Date: June 2, 2014
Page Count: 272
Published by: Createspace
Source: Purchased

**Due to sexual content, language and violence, this book is only suitable for ages 18 and up**

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Ryan Chase left Fairbanks, Alaska, when she was 21 years old to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Somewhere along the way her dreams of stardom crashed and burned, along with her life. Thirteen years later she is forced to return to Fairbanks because her unforgiving and emotionally-distant father has suddenly died. Ryan seizes the opportunity to not only escape her abusive husband but to be able to attend her best friend's wedding. What could go wrong? It's only Fairbanks, Alaska... While wishing she was anywhere but her father's funeral and wake, Ryan is struck senseless by a stunning, drop-dead gorgeous man. Her thoughts turn carnal and she desperately wants to know him in every way-and position-possible. There's only one problem... He's the devil's spawn. He's the one who marked her for life. He's the kid she used to baby-sit. And he's hotter than hell! Shea Michaels has loved Ryan Chase for most of his life. After surviving an unspeakable childhood, he became a man of whom she could be proud of...if she ever came back. Now that she's returned, Shea pursues her with a vengeance, undaunted by the thirteen year age difference that Ryan uses as the shield between them. Confusion, guilt and lust bombard Ryan as she battles the memories of the little boy she used to know while still being drawn to the heart-stopping man he has become.

The synopsis sounded promising, but this was just meh. I didn't really care for either Ryan or Shea. I know I was supposed to feel something for them, but heck if they did anything but annoy me. I also didn't feel any connection between them. I was TOLD there was a connection, but I didn't get to experience any of it firsthand. There was also a lot of telling regarding where they were going and what they were doing. There needed to be some action other than the sex scenes.

I also didn't like the over the top immature inner dialogue from Ryan. She goes on and on about how she can't be with Shea because (shocking) she used to babysit him and she's 13 years older than him. The age difference didn't bother me at all. What DID bother me was that Shea declared his love for Ryan when he was 8 and had been carrying a torch for her for 13 years. I never felt that it was real true love. It just seemed like an extended and exaggerated crush.

Besides annoying and overly dramatic dialogue, our protagonists also have potty mouths. A search shows 187 Fu@ks in this story. There had to be more than that. There's at least 1-2 Fu@ks on each page, sometimes 3 or 4 or even more. It's a bit of overkill and really loses it's effectiveness after the 100th or so time.

This story really had so much potential, but in the end it was really a disappointment. I can't believe I spent money on this book!

My rating: 2 stars

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Wednesday has become my favorite day of the week because I get to share the books that I am super excited about and can't wait to read.

Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins

Expected publication: November 3rd 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire

Synopsis from Goodreads:

They exist in two different centuries, but their love defies time.

Cassandra craves drama and adventure, so the last thing she wants is to spend her summer marooned with her mother and stepfather in a snooty Massachusetts shore town. But when a dreamy stranger shows up on their private beach claiming it's his own—and that the year is 1925—she is swept into a mystery a hundred years in the making.

As she searches for answers in the present, Cassandra discovers a truth that puts their growing love—and Lawrence's life—into jeopardy. Desperate to save him, Cassandra must find a way to change history…or risk losing Lawrence forever.

This sounds really good! Time travel. Romance. And.... I like the cover.
If I only had an ARC. Ahem. (I know eArcs are available for request on EW and NG.)

What are YOU waiting on this week?

Title: Dan In Real Life

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Director: Peter Hedges

Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook

Release Date: October 26, 2007
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Tagline: Something's happening to Dan. It's confusing. It's awkward. It's family.

Storyline:

Dan Burns (Steve Carell), a widower and parenting advice columnist, meets a beautiful stranger (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore and is instantly smitten.

The Good:

This is a comedy that relies heavily on family dysfunction to bring about the humor. Watching Dan (Steve Carell) in awkward situations is alternately hilarious and painful. As Dan's life becomes more and more frustrating, the movie gets funnier.

I fully believed Dan's loneliness and struggles to be a good dad. I've never really cared for Steve Carell, but I found him to be a bit charming here.

The plot is straightforward and easy to follow.

The Bad:

There's not much of anything bad I can say about this movie. I know it won't be for everyone, but I like it.

"You are a murderer of love!"

If this were a book:

Hmm, I don't know if I would read this. I don't think the humor would come across quite as well, and the physical comedy would be hard to express.

Final Thoughts:

This is another movie that I enjoy watching whenever I need a pick me up. It never fails to put a smile on my face. There is a great cast playing the supporting roles of the extended family members. Unfortunately, there are so many that each one gets very little screen time. Even though it has a pretty simple plot, it still manages to be funny and realistic. There are a few cringe worthy moments that annoy me, like the pig face song, but otherwise this is a very witty and entertaining movie.

*Movie Reviews inspired by Chick Lit Fridays at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.*

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Wednesday has become my favorite day of the week because I get to share the books that I am super excited about and can't wait to read.

The Next Together (The Next Together #1) by Lauren James

Expected publication: September 3rd 2015 by Walker

Synopsis from Goodreads:

How many times can you lose the person you love?

Katherine and Matthew are destined to be born again and again, century after century. Each time, their presence changes history for the better, and each time, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be tragically separated.

Spanning the Crimean War, the Siege of Carlisle and the near-future of 2019 and 2039 they find themselves sacrificing their lives to save the world. But why do they keep coming back? What else must they achieve before they can be left to live and love in peace?

Maybe the next together will be different...

A powerful and epic debut novel for teenagers about time-travel, fate and the timelessness of first love. The Next Together is told through a mixture of regular prose, diary entries, letters, "original" historical documents, news reports and internet articles.

Doesn't this sound really good?

What are you waiting on this week?

Buried (Hiding from Love #3) by Selena Laurence

Publication Date: August 4, 2014
Page Count: 190
Published by: C.P. Writes, LLC
Source: Purchased

**Due to sexual content, language and violence, this book is only suitable for ages 18 and up**

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Seven years ago, Juan Martinez lost everything—his only parent, his home, his life as he’d known it. Alone, lost, and desperate, he turned to the Reyes Hispanos—the RH—one of the most violent gangs in South Texas. But when you sell your soul to the devil, you pay a heavy price. Juan has served hard time, and now, out on parole, he wants to disappear—from the RH, from memories of all that he’s lost, and especially from the gorgeous woman who just showed up next door.

Beth Garcia grew up following after her older brother, David, and his best friend, Juan. She always dreamed of a day when she’d be old enough for Juan to look at her as someone other than David’s little sister. When she finds him living at the halfway house next door, she knows he’s still the same guy inside. But the path to absolution is dark, and even Beth may not be able to discover the real Juan.

Can a man with a damaged soul and a beautiful heart let a woman with fierce loyalty and unwavering love risk it all to save him? Or will his past bury them both this time?

Buried was my least favorite book in this series. I was actually really looking forward to reading it because the synopsis sounded so good. I thought I would like it more than I did. One of my biggest problems was the setting, which I didn't enjoy at all. It wasn't what I was expecting, so that kind of ruined the whole book for me.

Beth and Juan were okay characters, but I didn't find anything especially remarkable about either one. Oh, the insta-love. Gah. Beth and Juan hadn't spent more than a few moments together and they were already declaring their love and devotion to each other. Why didn't this work for me? Because the 'love' was leftover feelings from when they were younger, and it seemed more like nostalgia than actual feelings.

I really wasn't very impressed with the story either. I thought a lot of scenes were unrealistic and over the top. The violence that was portrayed felt forced just to prove the point of how dangerous Juan's life was. And Beth almost seemed too accepting of the violence.

Overall, this book was a big miss for me, but I did enjoy the rest of the series. I have to say that this author is new to me, and I did enjoy her writing, so I'll definitely have to check out some of her other works.

My rating: 2 stars

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Wednesday has become my favorite day of the week because I get to share the books that I am super excited about and can't wait to read.

Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis

Expected publication: October 6th 2015 by Disney Hyperion

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it's hard to escape it. So when a group of men show up at her house uninvited, she assumes it's just the usual media-grubs. That is, until shots are fired.

Liddi escapes, only to be pulled into an interplanetary conspiracy more complex than she ever could have imagined. Her older brothers have been caught as well, trapped in the conduits between the planets. And when their captor implants a device in Liddi's vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her hands: One word and her brothers are dead.

Desperate to save her family from a desolate future, Liddi travels to another world, where she meets the one person who might have the skills to help her bring her eight brothers home-a handsome dignitary named Tiav. But without her voice, Liddi must use every bit of her strength and wit to convince Tiav that her mission is true. With the tenuous balance of the planets deeply intertwined with her brothers' survival, just how much is Liddi willing to sacrifice to bring them back?

Haunting and mesmerizing, this retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans strings the heart of the classic with a stunning, imaginative world as a star-crossed family fights for survival in this companion to Stitching Snow.

I can't wait to read this, but there are 2 things about this synopsis that threw me for a loop - I forgot this was a companion to Stitching Snow. And I forgot it was a fairytale retelling.

What are you waiting on this week?

Title: If I Stay

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz and Jamie Blackley

Release Date: August 22, 2014

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes

Tagline: Live for Love

Storyline:

Mia Hall thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam. But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate.

The Good:

Hmmm... I liked seeing Adam and Mia together. While I do like Mia, and especially enjoy Adam, I like the book versions better than I did the movie versions. Okay, so that's not particularly good, but that's all I've got, so...

The Bad:

I didn't enjoy watching this movie very much. I thought it was just okay. Maybe it was just me, but I thought it was boring and drawn out. And I absolutely hated how they portrayed Adam as being so selfish and self centered. I don't remember him being that way in the book, but maybe my memory is failing me. I also didn't think Chloë Grace Moretz and Jamie Blackley fit the roles of Mia and Adam. Totally not what I was expecting. Oh, I almost forgot my big WTF. Why was Mia wearing a summer dress on a snow day? This was very distracting to me throughout the movie.

The Ugly Cry:

Surprisingly, I didn't cry. I thought for sure that I would, and there was a singular moment that my eyes welled up, but the tears failed to fall from my eyes. While it did have emotional moments, I knew they were coming since I read the book. I don't know if my knowledge of the book lessened the emotional impact on me, or if it was the long, slow, and drawn out movie that sucked my tears up.

If this were a book:

This is a book, and one that I have read a few times over the years, and I really like it. I actually prefer reading Where She Went more, but maybe that's just me.

Final Thoughts:

I've owned this movie since last Christmas (I think) and I put off watching it because I was worried I would get emotional and cry. I should have just watched it sooner because it didn't impact me at all. I'll have to watch it again sometime just to see if I enjoy it more.

Overall, this was just an okay movie. The book is much better. Where She Went is SO much better, and Adam is amazingly awesome in it. And I don't care if Gayle Forman never intended on writing a sequel to If I Stay. She gave the fans what they wanted and now what? She decides she only wants to write Adult books? Whatever.

*Movie Reviews inspired by Chick Lit Fridays at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.*

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Wednesday has become my favorite day of the week because I get to share the books that I am super excited about and can't wait to read.

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

by Jennifer E. Smith

Expected publication: September 1st 2015 by Poppy

Synopsis from Goodreads:

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan only have one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they'll retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night will lead them to friends and family, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

This sounds like another cute contemporary from this author. While I thought The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight was just okay, I enjoyed reading This is What Happy Looks Like and Happy Again. I haven't read The Geography of You and Me yet because... wait. Why haven't I read it yet???? I don't know why!!!!! But I need to read it.

What are you waiting on this week?

Most Likely to Succeed (Superlatives, #3) by Jennifer Echols

Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Page Count: 352
Published by: Simon Pulse
Source: eArc received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In this sexy conclusion to The Superlatives trilogy from Endless Summer author Jennifer Echols, Sawyer and Kaye might just be perfect for each other—if only they could admit it.

As vice president of Student Council, Kaye knows the importance of keeping order. Not only in school, but in her personal life. Which is why she and her boyfriend, Aidan, already have their lives mapped out: attend Columbia University together, pursue banking careers, and eventually get married. Everything Kaye has accomplished in high school—student government, cheerleading, stellar grades—has been in preparation for that future.

To his entire class, Sawyer is an irreverent bad boy. His antics on the field as school mascot and his love of partying have earned him total slacker status. But while he and Kaye appear to be opposites on every level, fate—and their friends—keep conspiring to throw them together. Perhaps the seniors see the simmering attraction Kaye and Sawyer are unwilling to acknowledge to themselves…

As the year unfolds, Kaye begins to realize her ideal life is not what she thought. And Sawyer decides it’s finally time to let down the facade and show everyone who he really is. Is a relationship between them most likely to succeed—or will it be their favorite mistake?

I'm feeling a little sad that this series is over. This was my favorite book in the series because of Sawyer (DUH!) And I'm glad to say that after not liking him too much in book #2, my Sawyer love has returned full force!!! What a relief, too. I was really worried about what would happen with his story, but I am happy to say that I really, really enjoyed it.

If you read my previous reviews on book 1 and 2, you will know that Sawyer is my favorite character in this series. I just knew that something great was lurking beneath the surface, and it was amazing to see his true self finally emerge. The more I learned about him, the harder I fell for him. His past was hard to deal with, and his family/home life wasn't all that great, so I was glad to see him trying to rise above his upbringing and better himself. He deserved love and happiness, and that was what I really wanted for him. I also loved seeing him soft and vulnerable, especially after so many scenes where he was portrayed as an uncaring player and party animal.

My Sawyer love is on level to rival my love of Johnafter... and I DO love my Officer John After. That's something for me to think about.

I liked Kaye well enough, but I didn't love her. Or maybe I really tried to like her because Sawyer liked her so much. Either way, I didn't understand her at times, and I didn't always agree with her decisions. But I did enjoy her when she was with Sawyer, and I knew how happy she made him, so I was at least willing to give her a chance.

The supporting cast of Tia, Will, Harper, and Brody all make appearances, and of course I like all of them. But there were more than a few unlikable characters this time around, like Sawyer's dad, Kaye's mom, and Aidan. They were the ones making things difficult for Sawyer and Kaye and trying to keep them apart, and there were plenty of times that I wished bad things to happen to them (even though I know that's not very nice of me.)

This entire 3 book series was really quite enjoyable to read. The storylines were fun and cute, all of the couples were likable, and most importantly, it had tons of romance. This is definitely a series you should read if you enjoy light YA contemporaries.

Super duper thank you to Simon Pulse for granting me an eArc of all three books in this series.