Embrace the Night - Amanda Ashley

Hello Lovelies!

I'm not going to apologize for being so absent because I've done that enough so I'm just going to jump right back in and play catch-up. New Review!

This is not a young adult book but it is one of my absolute favorite love stories. I have read it multiple times, let's go!

Goodread's Summary...

A creature doomed to wander the earth in eternal darkness, he searches the ages for someone to share the endless night of his existence, for that one woman who will recognize the man within the monster. An angel of purity and sunlight, she fears the mysterious stranger whose eyes promise endless ecstasy even as he whispers dark secrets she dares not believe. They are two people longing for fulfillment, braving the danger of a love like no other. Alone, they face desolation and despair; together, they will share undying passion, defy eternity, and embrace the night.

Thoughts...

I love this book! Gabriel is the perfect mixture of brooding and excitement. I've always loved a good vampire romance but this one takes the cake. I've read this countless times and I fall more in love with it each time. 

Gabriel meets Sarah Jane when she is a little girl and saves her from starvation. He watches her grow up from her window. Sarah Jane does not remember Gabriel bringing her to the orphanage. She is bound to a wheelchair and worries no one will ever love her. When she is almost killed in a fire Gabriel takes her home with him and heals her with blood. From this point on their romance really begins to move along. 

Sarah Jane wants more than anything to be a ballerina and Gabriel is able to give that to her. She also wants to be with Gabriel but of course his brooding self resists. 

Their story is beautiful and slightly horrifying at times because of course there can't just be a happily ever after can there? But their end is not Gabriel's end. 

Sarah Jane does not want to be a vampire, grows old and dies. Fast forward to the 1990's and Gabriel meets Sarah. She is in mourning from losing her husband and baby. Gabriel feels an instant connection with her and begins to wonder if Sarah Jane is really gone from his world.

I love when Gabriel meets Sarah. It's a very emotional part of the book and it gets to me. The way Ashley writes it comes across as a heart-stopping event that may forever change Gabriel....again. 

When I have read this book in the past (when I was a little younger), I stopped when Sarah Jane died. The portion with Sarah Jane is with Gabriel is the longer part of the book and I got very attached. The last time I read this book however, I continued to read and remembered how much I loved Sarah's part as well. It ties Gabriel's journey together very nicely and the book wouldn't be complete without it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romance. Yes there is a vampire element, but the fundamental story of boy falls for girl is beautifully written and well worth the read.

I apologize for the amount of plot in my review portion of this post but I don't think Goodreads did a good enough job with their summary on this one so I felt like I needed to fill you guys in. 

This book may be difficult to find. The writer Amanda Ashley is actually Madeline Baker. You may have to look under her name when looking or asking for it in a bookstore.

Below is my actual copy....you can probably tell how much I love it. :)

Thanks for reading! I will try my absolute hardest to be better about posting. Please leave me a comment or just a suggestion!

C.

To Meet You Again - Hayley Nelson

Hello Lovelies!

I know I have been slacking on book reviews lately but now I'm back with a brand new one. I just got this book recently and finished it last night.

Goodreads Summary...

A couple of years ago, Ruby Balbacois and Don Vernal shared a moment together. Sadly for Ruby there was no follow-through. But this Valentine’s Day she has the unique opportunity to fight for the relationship she never had the chance to explore, under very strange circumstances, and with the resistance of her best friend, Angelo de Laurentiis.

 4 out of 10.

Thoughts

This book was a let down for me. It sounds like a good concept in the summary and I was excited to read it but as I got further into it I realized that it was very poorly developed. Ruby is cynical about Valentine's Day in a way that is a little disheartening to say the least.

Her moment with Don was not electric enough for me to think the author should have based an entire book on it, especially not basing it two years later. Ruby does not have the qualities that a reader can fall in love with and the author does nothing to redeem her as the story goes on.

Don is a jerk. Not that it's surprising that he is but it needs to be said. He pretends to be with Ruby to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. It is also not a believable situation because one day he pretends to be with Ruby for the first time and the next day he and his ex are making out in the hallway. 

The only thing I found redeeming about this book was Angelo. He is sweet and caring and he's in love with Ruby. He has the wit and sense of humor that got me through this book. He and Ruby are great together and their relationship made me laugh.

The last nail in coffin however was at the end of the book Ruby can't and won't tell Angelo she has feelings for him even though she does. The book simply ends not resolving this situation and leaves the reader wondering with no hope for a sequel.

The book was very short. Too short to explain anything and really get a reader to fall in love with the characters. 

Overall I did not like this book and I don't think I will be reading any more books by Nelson.

Leave me a comment letting me know if you've read this book.

Thanks for reading!

C.

Measuring Up - Nyrae Dawn

Hello Lovelies!

My 4 day weekend has officially begun and to celebrate I'm sharing one of my favorite books with you all.

Measuring Up by Nyrae Dawn

10 out of 10! 

Goodreads summary...

Seventeen-year-old Annabel Conway is tired of the Hillcrest High School elite making her life miserable because she’s not a size two. This summer, she's hiring a personal trainer to help her lose weight.

Annabel doesn’t expect her trainer to be a gorgeous guy around her age. Boys like Tegan are jerks. They pretend to like girls like her so they can make an idiot out of them. Been there, done that. Totally not going there again. She kind of hates him on principal. Blond. Muscular. Funny. It doesn’t help that he knows her measurements!

Soon, Tegan's so much more than that. He’s the boy who teaches her to box when she has a bad day. Who jogs with her and lets her set the pace. Who kisses her until she melts. He makes her feel beautiful regardless of what the scale says. Unlike her mom, he doesn’t expect perfection, and he doesn't try to shield her from the world like her dad and best friend. Tegan likes her the way she is.

But what happens when he’s not there? He can’t always be there…

Will Annabel be able to stand on her own and learn that she already measures up? That her worth doesn’t lie in what the world thinks, the scale says, or even what Tegan tells her—but in herself?

Thoughts

I love this book. As a whole the book sends an amazing message about self esteem and being happy with yourself. Annabel goes from being pushed around by everyone, including people who think they are helping her, to being a strong person who is comfortable in her own skin. 

Tegan. He is truly remarkable. He starts out with this tough exterior that is a complete turn off to me as a reader but Annabel soon discovers the pain and hardened guy underneath. He sees Annabel for who she is and not what size she is. 

I love Tegans nickname for Annabel, Annabel-Lee, because it is from my favorite poem by Edgar Allen Poe. This also gives Tegan major points for being the perfect guy. Annabel-Lee is one of the sweetest things I have ever read and the fact that Tegan thinks of that when he thinks of Annabel is completely swoon worthy!

Annabel shows strength that I truly admire towards the end of this book. Tegan is gone and she has to be the strong person that Tegan made her without him. She struggles and her realization is that for her to truly be strong and confident with herself, she has to do it on her own. She finds strength that most people would kill for and becomes happy with who she is without anyone's help.

The love story part of this book is amazing. It's a true first love story with the awkwardness and butterflies that, if done right, can make me giggle. Tegan and Annabel together are funny and caring not just to each other but to everyone they come in contact with. 

I have read this book about 4 times and every time I have the same feelings toward it as I did the first time I read it.     

As always leave me a comment letting me know if you have read the book and if you agree with my thoughts (it's okay if you don't (: ). Also leave me suggestions of other books you would like for me to review. 

Thanks for reading!

C.   

Taking Chances - Molly McAdams

Hello Lovelies!

I'm trying to play catch up on reviews so let's just get started!

9 out of 10!

Goodreads Summary...

Eighteen-year-old Harper has grown up under the thumb of her career marine father. Ready to live life her own way and to experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit, she's on her way to college at San Diego State University.

Thanks to her new roommate, Harper is introduced to a world of parties, gorgeous guys, family, and emotions. She finds herself being torn in two as she quickly falls in love with both her new boyfriend, Brandon, and her roommate's brother, Chase. Despite their dangerous looks and histories, both men adore Harper and would do anything for her, including taking a step back if it would mean she'd be happy.

Okay so this book begins with a couple of pluses right out of the gate. 1.Harper is going off to college and 2. She is completely clueless in the world of boys (which is a roundabout way of saying this should be an interesting adventure). 

So her roommate, Bree, is funny right out of the gate. She pulls Harper into the college world. The story begins off and me as the reader expected it to go one way...it didn't. Enter Chase and Brandon, both of whom would get my vote. This book then goes into typical triangle story line except Harper likes them both. 

Chase is the bad boy who wears it well. Tattoos, alcohol and loose women. Harper stuns him with her distaste for him and he begins to fight to protect her. He does not, however, do this very well.

Brandon is the guy Harper immediately falls for. He is clean cut and sweet. His fighting for money gives him the edge that Harper can't help but find attractive.

That should be enough...

Enter Carter. 

And as Dawson Leery said best, "And the triangle becomes a square."     

And it doesn't end there. There are so many twists and turns in this book I can't count them all. It is sad through parts and happy through others. There is a huge twist that I literally had to stop and scream when I read it. 

It is a fabulous book that I read in a matter of hours. I couldn't put it down. The only reason that it is not getting a ten is that I don't think I could sit there and cry throughout the entire thing again. 

It's a must read if you crave a good romance with twists on every page. I would recommend it to anyone who loves to read.

Please leave me a comment letting me know how you like this book or telling me another book I should read and review. 

Thanks for reading!

C.