A Taste Of You by Sorcha Grace

A Taste of You by Sorcha Grace

First in the Epicurean trilogy

2.5 stars (maybe)

Catherine Kelly has changed her last night and left her home in California to start over in Chicago. She’s starting over as a food photographer with the help of her trusty best friend Beckett. When Cat takes on a job that unexpectedly leads her to meeting a gorgeous man she nicknames “Stormy Eyes”. William Lambourne is one of the world’s wealthiest man and the most eligible bachelor in Chicago. He takes pleasure in food and women. As Cat’s past haunts her, she uncovers deep secrets of William’s own past that could tear them apart. Apparently this is going to be a trilogy. I honestly don’t see the point in this, but Ms. Grace decided to throw us a plot line towards the end. This is what I consider to be my first official delve into erotica. There’s hardly any plot and what little plot there is isn’t really developed until the end of the novel. I’m not really sure if I liked it or not. There were a few things that bothered me about A Taste of You, but hardly anything happened for me to make an opinion. I guess I could make an opinion on the sex. I’ll do that towards the end.

The main female character is Catherine or Cat. I personally didn’t really like her, but she had redeeming moments. She realizes that something isn’t all right with William. I applaud her for this. Too bad she didn’t follow up on her intuition and ran away.

Why didn’t she run? Well, her best friend has a few lovely words to say about Cat’s “crazy” suspicions.
Here’s Cat’s suspicion of William “It feels like an invasion of privacy. I didn’t even know this guy a few days ago. He was a stormy-eyed stranger I met on the street. And now, he’s buying me shoes and jewelry?”
Beckett’s wise words of wisdom “Cat don’t over-think it,” Beckett warned. “I can hear you over-thinking it.”
 

I’ll get back to Beckett later. Other things about Cat that annoyed me:
She describes William’s stormy-eyes way too much. In almost every single passage his eyes were referenced. She hardly eats at all. There is nothing wrong with being a size six, but for her unless she’s a size nonexistent she’s not happy. It does improve a little, but it’s still so annoying. She has no friends besides Beckett and some old people in her building. Why can’t she have more friends in Chicago? I don’t get it.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 3

The main male character is William. William is like Christian Grey, but he likes food. A lot. So much so that he uses food in sex. At least Cat’s finally eating right? I don’t like how possessive he is or cold or how he has no personality. He acts like Cat is his and that no man has any right to so much as even look at her.


He is always extremely all over the place in emotions. One minute he’s flirting (if you could even call it flirting) and the next he is distant and cranky. I don’t have time for people like that in real life or in books. We know absolutely nothing about William other than he’s hot, rich, his family died in a crash (suspected), he cooks, and has lots of sex. Other than that we don’t know much about him and he is like a plank. He’s there but not really there. I personally would’ve liked a little something called character development, but it is erotica so I’m not expecting much.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 2.75

The Villain- Like I said it is erotica, so a villain is hardly ever present. There was no villain.

Villain Scale: 0

Beckett is a complete and total idiot. He gives terrible advice and because of this I don’t like him. He had potential, but he was constantly egging Cat on to be in a relationship with someone that could be a killer or psychopath. I don’t get it. Why would you encourage someone to be in a relationship with a guy who knows where she lives and they’ve only met a few days ago?

Character Scale: 3

So the sex… is I guess hot. It’s over the top sometimes, but it was entertaining. After a while it became kind of boring because it seemed to be trying too hard (hehe get it?). I’m not sure if I’ll read the sequel. Maybe I will, but unless I’m extremely bored or just happen to stumble upon it, I think I’ll pass. It’s not something I’m going to hunt down and personally request at the library or from a book store.


Cover Thoughts: The cover is mediocre and not really attention grabbing. It fits the book, but I don’t like the cover very much.

Thank you, Netgalley and Premier Digital Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

First in The Edge of Never series

1.5 stars

*There will be spoilers. I don’t want to spoil this book for people, but in all honesty I feel like I couldn’t give an opinion on this book unless I point out the things that bothered me.*

Camryn Bennett’s life has never been the same after the love of her life died in a car accident. She has a best friend, a job, and a family with problems. After a night at the hottest club in Raleigh, that left Camryn shocked and in a position she didn’t want to be in- she decides to leave. She grabs her phone and walks away from the only life she’s ever known. Camryn grabs a ticket for a Greyhound bus and finds herself on her way to Idaho. She meets Andrew Parrish on one of the buses to her destination. Andrew lives life to the fullest. Camryn finds herself doing things she would’ve never done before. Soon, Camryn finds herself being swept away by Andrew and she’s sees a side of him no one has ever seen before. Andrew has a secret though and it’ll either tear them apart or bring them closer. What to say about The Edge of Never. I’ve tried to stay away from reviews, but I’ve read a few. To be honest I don’t remember much of what I read, but I know they had problems with this book and their reasons for disliking it are probably similar to mine. Let me start by saying this it took me over a month to finish this book. When I requested The Edge of Never on Netgalley I was sure I would be denied. When I saw I was approved I was ecstatic because I really wanted to read this book. I had seen it around in groups when it first came out and it looked promising. Every now and then I would see a negative review on my newsfeed, but decided not to read them because I try not to read reviews for books I want to read or are reading. I wish I would’ve because I think it would’ve made me realize that this book wasn’t for me at all. It sounded like it would be my think and I’m sure it may have been, but it was horribly executed and I didn’t like it. This review will probably be formatted differently, but I’m trying to stick to my original formats. I don’t think that’ll work for this book though. I’ve decided to show my status updates or the gist of them in this review. I think it’ll give a better understanding as to why I have problems and my feelings towards The Edge of Never.

The first day I started this book was March 29, 2013. I didn’t finish it until May 6, 2013. Every time I look at that time line and think of how many days I wasted on this is beyond me. Of course it was the end of my winter guard season when I started this book and I had championships on April 6 so I knew that it would put me behind my reading schedule. I didn’t expect to fall so far behind that it would take me over a month to read this book.
 

 
My first status update is at 19% which for me was a great accomplishment for my first day during a busy season. This is my update. "I like it a lot, but I don't like some of Cam's POVs at times. Especially Andrew's. This bothers me a lot." This rings true for really the whole entire novel. I liked the book a lot at first. It was different and I was entranced. I didn’t want to put it down and Camryn’s problems were completely engrossing. Then we got onto the road trip and Camryn was on her bus of self-discovery. By this point she has already met Andrew and we even get his POV. At times I really liked Camryn and at others I stopped liking her. Once on the bus, Camryn became less entertaining and her musings were repetitive. I grew tired of her and just wanted her to be interesting again. Andrew had a terrible impression on me from the start. I didn’t like how he treated women. I’ll be honest slut-shaming doesn’t bother me. Maybe it’s because I do it all the time and I don’t care if you judge me for that. I’m a high school student and I know what I’m saying and sometimes I regret and other times I stand by it. Andrew on the hand is a complete boneheaded moron. I didn’t like how he talked about younger girls like were all nothing but jail bait. I happen to like guys that are older than me but I’m not going to lie about my age and Andrew is just an idiot that wants an excuse to call a girl or woman a slut.


At 21% I’m wishing we were back in North Carolina and not on a bus. I personally hate buses mostly because I spent a week on one for a trip to Chicago. While the trip was fun I learned I have terrible charter bus sickness. Therefore this book brought memories of being in an uncomfortable sit. Trapped with kids I saw every day at school and was with them for even for longer. This book is completely uneventful thus far. And then this happens…

At 25% I’m thinking this book is going downhill and nothing will happen. Then at 26% Andrew decides to beat the living daylights out of some creep that has been watching Camryn on the bus. Creep follows Camryn into the bathroom and tries to pay her to give him a blowjob. Andrew being the SCRATCH stalker SCRATCH hero that he is comes to Camryn’s rescue and beats up Creepy-Mc-Creeper. Just when I think it can’t get any worse I come across this atrocious sentence. “The cops commend Andrew- sort of vacantly- for stepping in, but he really just seems to want to stop talking to them altogether.” Andrew receives no punishment for viciously beating a man in a public restroom.

I don’t know what world these people live in, but that is considered assault and Andrew should’ve been arrested not commended. Why isn’t Andrew in trouble for this? I think it’s ridiculous.


Then we get to 28% where my status update is exactly this: “I personally think Adam is killing this story.” I find this hilarious I forgot Andrew’s name and called him Adam. This shows right there that I wasn’t connecting to the story and he wasn’t doing himself justice. This is probably irrelevant, but I think it’s funny and it just shows that Andrew would be completely forgettable at this point for me, but all I could think about was how he brutally assaulted someone.


At 37% I found myself in a particularly bad mood and this line wasn’t helping Camryn because now she proves to be a dumb idiot with this line. “She pulls it from between his fingers and all the while she watches every little move his hand makes until falls away from behind the counter. Slut.” She just called some random girl checking them in at a motel a slut. Like really? I guess in some ways I can’t be completely mad at Camryn for calling a girl a slut, but this girl obviously is just checking him out not doing anything threatening to her precious non-existent relationship. They are still just friends and Camryn shouldn’t freak out because this girl is a complete stranger. I’m probably going to lose any credibility about what I just said when I say this, but in some strange way I get why Camryn called the girl a slut because I experience this jealousy every so often when I see something that annoys me to no end with the guy I like, but I get it. I get why Camryn is angry, but the thing that makes me mad is the fact that she doesn’t know this girl at ALL! I feel like she doesn’t have the right to categorize or call someone a slut just for checking out Andrew.

At 38% I’m finding the story a little bit more entertaining, but I still can’t stand Andrew. Then at 43% I ditch this book and immerse myself in The Coincidence in Callie and Kayden (which is so much better). About nine days later I pick The Edge of Never back up again. You’re probably wondering why I need to know when you started reading again. Well you don’t, but I feel like unless you know that I pretty much wasn’t about to pick this up then. I did though because I felt like I still needed to give this book a chance.


At 50% I get to a scene that shocks me. It was hot, but I also felt frazzled and unsure of how to react to what I just read. Camryn and Andrew part take in a little escapade that leaves Camryn still in the friend zone. I don’t know why but this made me dislike Andrew even more. I felt like he was playing her and she was just too dumb to realize it.


At 56% Tweedledee and Tweedledum Camryn and Andrew are on their way to Louisiana, my home. Camryn wants to lie in a pasture and look at the stars. This occurs and ruins the romance that was blossoming. "She just told him to kill a snake and then says don't kill it literally. Camryn is incredibly dumb. Kill the snake and run." Camryn is dumb and she only becomes dumber as the time goes by. I think Andrew is just as stupid because he should’ve killed the freaking snake. What if that was a water moccasin? I highly doubt one of them would’ve walked away. As if Camryn can’t get any stupider she goes and does this at 60% (which is almost right after snake incident), "Did you really just leave your purse unattended in a bar in New Orleans. omg She's so stupid. Good thing she isn't from there. I see thievery in her future." How stupid can you be? New Orleans is one of the most dangerous cities in Louisiana. Not only is murder higher there, but so is theft. 1 in 25 people in New Orleans will experience burglary or theft. It’s not the fact that she did this in New Orleans that annoys me it’s the fact that she could’ve done this anywhere.

Luckily her purse wasn’t stolen. Too bad though because I wonder if the police would’ve gotten involved. Probably not because this book doesn’t have a lot of police involvement, except for what happens next and yet they still manage to get away. Andrew gets in another fight this time with some drunk guy that decides to hit on Camryn. He of course doesn’t take no for an answer and Andrew decides to almost kill him. I’m so totally done with that fact that this guy doesn’t get in trouble. What the hell?



At 71% I reach the conclusion of this, "I'm letdown by this. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. I only have a mild liking for it." I know it may seem like I completely hate this book, but I don’t. There’s just so much more to dislike than there is too love. I had such high hopes for this book and they were crushed.


At 73% these two finally have some sex. At least sex that I documented. I documented this little scene because of this line that I just can’t get over. “His green orbs flash on me once and then he looks down at me spread before him.” This doesn’t bother me at all in fact I was enjoying the sex scene until I read this and then I couldn’t stop laughing and take anything seriously. I wanted to take this part seriously because well it’s a serious part but if you say something so dumb I’m going to think you’re just an idiot. Andrew has green orbs for eyes.



At 89% I come across this scene, "I can't think of anything else other than the fact that she gave him a blowjob on the road. The last time I've read that or seen in it a movie was in Thinner and we all know how that turned out. Plus I'm pretty sure I can guess what Andrew's big secret is." For some reason, this scene was just weird. It was sexy (although the trucker driving next to them would probably disagree), but just weird. I still stand by my hopes of a gypsy walking out in the middle of the free way or interstate and them running them over and being cursed. I mean that would’ve made for an epic 10% of this book.


Then we are gifted this beautiful quote by Andrew, ”Baby, you are the best sex I have ever had,” I (Andrew’s POV) say and she purses her lips as if to say: Yeah, right, you’re just saying that because you’re currently biased. “And I mean that because you’re sitting in front of me and because I cherish my nutsack.” This pisses me off! He pretty says this to get out of being in trouble and then he says after a few lines of talking, “I devirginized your innocence, made you more comfortable with yourself sexually. And that is so hot to me.” By this point I’m done with Andrew. He is no Casanova and if I was Camryn I would’ve kicked his precious “nutsack”.


On to Andrew’s big secret because let’s address it. I saw that coming from a mile away. Of course I didn’t realize it was that serious, but it was definitely obvious when she met his mom. I have to say though even though I was pretty much in a serious hate-like relationship with this book I loved the ending. That probably sounds ridiculous but it makes me kind of curious about The Edge of Always. Maybe I’ll read it.


Since this was completely out of format here’s my usual scale system. :D
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 2

Swoon Worthy Scale: 1.5

The Villain- LOL There was obviously no villain.

Villain Scale: None

I’m going to talk about Camryn’s best friend, Natalie. She was an OK character. Even though she was funny I thought she was also a complete moron. No wonder she’s Camryn’s BFF.

Character Scale: 2


Cover Thoughts: Once again a beautiful cover as fooled me. I want that braid. It looks so perfect, but let’s face it we all know Camryn’s hair was way greasier than that.

Sketchy by Olivia Samms

Sketchy by Olivia Samms

First in the Bea Catcher Chronicles

3.5 stars
Willa was found raped, beaten, and left for dead. What happened to Willa shouldn’t affect new girl, Bea, but Bea’s unique gift compels her to want to help. Bea’s life has been a mess since she was sent to rehab and kicked out of her private school. A regular at anonymous meetings for recovering addicts and being the new girl at Packard High School isn’t something Bea looks forward to. Willa is the most recent victim of brutal assaults in the area. Bea has a new “skill”, one she wished she didn’t have. She’s able to see things from the other people’s minds and then draw them perfectly. The first time she looks at Willa in what her new school calls art class, Bea finds herself sketching about the night Willa was attacked. Bea’s the only one, who may be able to help Willa, but Willa doesn’t want Bea’s help and she’ll do anything to make sure she doesn’t get it. This books is incredibly different from what most YA has to offer when it comes to a heroine with a “special ability”. I’ve never come across the ability before and it was an interesting take on it. Not only was it a mystery, but it was a pretty fun story that I enjoyed reading. I’m not the biggest fan of mysteries, but I do love it when there’s a paranormal air thrown into it.


The main female character is Bea. Bea is a real character. She’s your typical bad girl. She does drugs, drinks, and smokes. All of these things have repercussions and she had to go to rehab because of them. Bea is a great character. She tells it like it is, she’s funny, and she doesn’t give up easily. She has a strong quality to her and a distinct voice. Her story was one I never got bored with and she had my attention at all times.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 9

The main male character is Daniels. Daniels isn’t introduced until almost the very end of the story, but he’s an obvious possible love interest for her. I’m curious to see where this is going to go because of Bea’s past and the fact that Daniels is a cop, but he also has a kid. These are all possible obstacles in the upcoming book and I’m curious.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 7.5

The Villain- I actually saw the clue and figured out who the rapist/ killer was the minute he was first mentioned. It wasn’t even something that was cause suspicion but it was the first thought that popped into my head and I was right. Hopefully the next book will be harder to figure out.

Villain Scale: 7
Chris is also a great character. He’s funny and he’s there for Bea when it seems like she’ll never have a friend. He always seems to have her back and he gives the story a certain fun quality whenever he’s around. Willa is a character that I didn’t really particularly like, but I still sympathized for her. I eventually started to like her a little more because I understood why she did the things she did, but I still don’t really like her. I wonder if she’ll be in the next book and if she’ll become Bea’s friend. It seems like they are sort of. Bea’s parents are present a lot in the novel. I’m not sure if it’s because of the fact that they watch her every move because of her previous drug habit, but I like that they are around. Her parents are just as much present as Bea herself.


Character Scale: 8.5

I enjoyed Bea’s tale and I even have a theory about where she gets her ability from. Seriously don’t read this because it might spoil it a little bit.  I think that Bea’s father has this ability and that’s why he no longer draws. There were several times in the novel where it seems like he has something hide and I’m pretty sure it’s that.  I look forward to the next novel in the Bea Catcher Chronicles.


Cover Thoughts: I love the cover it’s awesome. They eye has a cool effect and I love the colors.

A copy was provided by Amazon's Children Publishing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

He's Gone by Deb Caletti

*I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.*

He's Gone by Deb Caletti

3.5 stars

Dani Keller wakes up with a slight hangover to the sound of her and husband’s boat, The New View, banging against the dock. She thinks nothing of it and goes about her day on her Seattle houseboat. This Sunday morning isn’t like the rest though. Her husband Ian isn’t home. As the hours pass, Dani tries to go on about the day without worrying, but she starts to panic. Ian doesn’t return and irritation at him not being there turns into worry then panic. Dani realizes that Ian’s gone. He might never come back. The police try to figure out where Ian could’ve gone. Dani refuses to believe that Ian is dead and is sure he left her. Dani recounts her relationship of where their adulterous relationship began to the difficulties of the word soulmate and what it means for them, she examines all of the sins and choices she’s made and the one that she can’t seem to remember. I have read some of Caletti’s YA works and have a soft spot for them (my little sister who has discovered her love for contemporary can’t say the same). Caletti has a way of capturing my attention in her books and I was entranced with Dani’s recount of her sordid affair and just overall life story. This being Caletti’s first delve into adult romance I really enjoyed it. I’m a teenager that loves adult romances and I think I have developed a taste for what I like in my romances and this isn’t my usual romance, but I really enjoyed it. I haven’t really read Nicholas Sparks (mostly excerpts in my world that counts), but I have seen a lot of the movies based on his books. Each one of those movies has a certain feel to it and He’s Gone is very reminiscent to that feeling.


The main female character is Dani. I really liked Dani. She was strong and really funny. I appreciate Dani’s humor because without it this book would’ve been extremely depressing. Dani was always able to make the hard times of her life have a bit of humor in them and I admire her for it. I felt bad watching Dani go from a normal housewife to a wife desperate for answers. I immediately picked up on a pattern in Dani’s life about men and I happened to notice it before she admitted or even realized to it. I personally don’t condone cheating and it was probably the one thing that bothered me the most about Dani and her past choices. I don’t condemn her for it and as the story goes on my early revelation becomes something she addresses.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8

The main male character is Ian. Ian isn’t ever present in the present of the novel, but he is always there. I personally didn’t like him very much, but there were moments that made me love him as much as Dani did. There were things about their relationship that were sweet and things that weren’t. I hated seeing their relationship change once they were married. It was so different and it’s like Ian changed altogether. That change is what made me not like him.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 6

The Villain- There is no villain. It’s not that kind of story. Sometimes a book doesn’t need a battle to face with someone, but a battle within.

Villain Scale: Nonexistent

Dani’s mother and daughter played a big part of Dani’s story. Dani’s mom was hilarious and she like Dani has a funny personality, but is much cruder. I liked how her family was there for her and showed their support. There are other characters of course, but I won’t talk about them in the review because I don’t want to reveal everything that happens and each character plays a role in some way. I already feel like I've revealed too much.


Character Scale: 8

This is a very strong emotional journey. It started out as what could’ve been a romance and became a story about realization and evolving like butterfly (See what I did there? You’re probably really confused but if you’ve read the book it makes sense.) I definitely recommend this. I’m not sure for when maybe a rainy day. Since this story is based in Seattle it seems fitting. Give Caletti a shot she’s definitely worth it.


Cover Thoughts: The cover is beautiful in person. I love it and I just think that it somehow fits and it explains a lot about Dani’s journey. I’m probably interpreting the cover all wrong and thinking about it too much but I’m sticking to it. 

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

First in The Coincidence series

4 stars

On Callie’s twelfth birthday something was stolen from. It changed her life. She changed her hair, clothes, and outlook. She’s never told anyone about what happened to her and it eats at her constantly making life hard to cope with. Kayden has always hidden from his father. His brothers have gotten away and he can’t wait for the day he can too. One night, Kayden makes a mistake and his life almost ends. Callie stopped his father before he died. Now Kayden can’t stop thinking about her after he sees her again at college. As Callie and Kayden become friends he realizes that Callie saved his life and now she might need him to save hers. I surprisingly enjoyed The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden. Why is it a surprise? Well because I had started The Edge of Never before reading this. (Btw, I’m still reading The Edge of Never. I swear that book is never ending.) This book is so much better and I wish I would’ve started it first. This book isn’t perfect and in fact it’s kind of bad if you look at it in a literary perspective (which I didn’t do). This book is dark, but I consider it to be fluffy. This definitely has all the tropes of a NA novel. I’ve never read NA before, but like YA it already has clichés. There’s the mysterious bad boy (with anger problems) and a girl with problems and a past that haunts her. One of the things that I really liked about this book was how each chapter started off with a new task on Callie and her friend’s list that they created to overcome their fears and be new people in college. I really liked this and while I don’t think college was really portrayed very well I liked the atmosphere.


The main female character is Callie. Callie as I mentioned above has a dark past that haunts her. I think the author was trying to make Callie’s past a secret and if so I have to say she did a terrible job. When I received this for e-galley I pretty much forgot the synopsis and just dived into reading. The summary gives it away pretty and then the writing is a huge red flag. The writer made it seem like she was keeping some big secret, but I knew right away what this big secret was that was haunting Callie’s past. Callie is actually pretty bland of a character, but guess what I actually liked her. Why did I like her? I have absolutely no clue whatsoever and I’m just going to guess that it’s because I didn’t put much thought into reading this book. Callie has a past and that pretty much took over her entire personality making it seem like she didn’t have a personality before her life was stolen from her. While what happened to Callie is terribly sad, I find that Sorenson did a terrible job at executing the tragedy that Callie was forced to endure as a child. In my opinion, Callie’s tragedy was thrown in to be “an obstacle”. I hate saying this but I think that it’s the only reason that Sorensen wrote that in. It didn’t feel very authentic and even though I sympathize with Callie, I couldn’t bring myself to have a hate for her (it is a mild spoiler) attacker  like I felt I should have. As the story progressed it became easier to like Callie as a person because she was finally becoming a person. I do think that this way of coping that Callie does is also just another “obstacle” for Callie. What I want to know is if anyone finds out about it in the sequel.

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 7

The main male character is Kayden. I honestly don’t like Kayden very much. He’s not a person I would want to be with unless it was a one-nighter. Kayden has very bad anger issues which actually wind up coming to bite him in the butt. Can I just say thank you to Sorensen for actually giving a male a punishment. I’m tired of people getting away with something they wouldn’t have in the real world. Kayden is a bit of a douche bag to be honest, but I also, like Callie, can’t help but like him. Don’t get me wrong there are times when I wanted to punch him in the face, but he is actually a pretty entertaining character sometimes. Kayden is also not the brightest bulb in the box, but I’m not expecting him to be. Unlike Callie’s trauma, for me Kayden’s felt real. Maybe it was because it occurred in the book’s time frame, but it was a lot realer and it felt authentic when the scenes would come up. I don’t swoon for Kayden, but I definitely would give him a hug after that ending (which I will get to).

 
Swoon Worthy Scale: 7

The Villain- Seriously don’t read them unless you’ve read the book the spoil everything. Callie’s brother’s friend was the one who molested her and can I just say that I already knew that before it was even revealed. I mean who else would’ve done it with all of the “clues” that were subtly dropped around. I actually didn’t like him very much when he was thrown in to the story and I feel no sympathy for the ass-whooping he received. Kayden’s dad is the absolute epitome of jerk. I swear he oozes it. It’s disgusting; every time he’s around my skin would crawl. I think his dad was portrayed perfectly and props to Sorenson for making me want to punch him in the face. Although I didn’t have to do it because Kayden did it for me. You looked didn’t you? I told you there were big spoilers.


Villain Scale: 8

Seth was hands down my favorite character in the whole book. He brought Callie out of her shell and when he was around Callie was a person and he was funny. He made the book so much better. I want to know more about his past. Those little glimpses are not enough for me. How awesome would it be if he got his own POV in the sequel? Even if it is for a chapter or two. I’ll take anything. Luke is Kayden’s best friend and I really like him. He’s another character I want to know more about especially about his sister and what happened to her. I want to know more about these two because I really liked them and I want more.


Character Scale: 9

That ending!





Jessica Sorensen is absolutely evil. How can you leave a book with such an open ending and not expect me to want to punch my kindle. That was torture. You can’t do that. I need the sequel now. I suggest reading this right before the sequel comes out that way you don’t have to wait because trust me even if you don’t like the book I’m sure you’ll want to know what happened. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden is far from amazing but I went into this book without any expectations and just an opened mind and enjoyed it. Definitely good mindless reading.


Cover Thoughts: The cover actually fits. You probably thought when first seeing it “Great another couple on a cover.” Guess what there is a kissing scene in the rain and I totally loved it and all its cheesy glory.

  Thank you, Netgalley and Hachette for giving me this galley in exchange for an honest review!

Insomnia by J.R. Johansson

Insomnia by J.R. Johansson

First in The Night Walkers series

4.5 stars

Parker hasn’t slept in four years and after a trip a doctor he starts to suspect that he’ll die soon from lack of it. Instead of sleeping, Parker enters the dreams of the last person he’s had eye contact with. Parker’s tired. Exhausted to the point of death and dealing with other people’s haunting dreams and nightmares, Parker just wants sleep. If he doesn’t sleep he could face psychosis or even death. Then he meets Mia. A stranger whose dreams are calm and Parker is finally able to get sleep in them. As Parker becomes obsessed with making eye contact with Mia and getting sleep he starts to lose friends and his touch with sanity. Everyone thinks he’s crazy and now that Mia has a real stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker. Parker’s been blacking out and after notices strange things he realizes that he might be the monster after all. I was supposed to write this review about a week ago, but I have testing and haven’t been on the computer so I’m just now getting to it. Before I say anything else I’m going to say this. Insomnia is a fantastic debut and if you don’t pick it up you’ll be missing a great psychological thriller. This book is thrilling and I was never bored when reading Parker’s story. I started this book with somewhat medium expectations. I was hoping to be blown away, but wasn’t expecting anything. I’d been let down by the few of the titles I had recently received from Netgalley and wasn’t sure if I would like this. The concept is brilliant and reminds me a little bit of Wake by Lisa McMann, but it’s completely different. If you’re a fan of Wake pick this up. If you’re not pick, Insomnia up anyway because I can honestly say that it is a lot more fleshed out and enjoyable. This book has a very strong concept when it comes to dreams. We have some information, but we don’t know much about Parker and his condition. I think the concept was executed brilliantly and I really enjoyed this book. The opening dream scene even catches your attention and even though I was confused I was sucked in and wanted to know more.

 The main male character is Parker. Sometimes I really liked Parker and other times I wanted him to be locked up. Parker is definitely a hard character to like, but he is also easy to sympathize for. Starting Insomnia, I wasn’t sure if I would like Parker. I’ve been reading a lot more YA books with male POVs (usually alternating between male and female, but it still counts in my book) and I wasn’t sure if I would like him. Complete male POVs make me suspicious. Either I’ll really like the book or I’ll hate it. As the story progressed I would really like Parker. When Parker’s with Addie and Finn he is a regular teenager (not exactly but close enough). Once Parker met Mia and started to stalk her I stopped liking him as much. Here’s my biggest problem with Parker, he’s a good guy with good intentions. But that still doesn’t excuse him stalking Mia. You can argue that he’s not stalking her, but I beg to differ. Waiting outside someone’s job just to make eye contact with them is stalking. I eventually thought that he was done stalking Mia, but then he had to bring Finn into it. So while I don’t like the fact that Parker stalked Mia I understand why he did. I just don’t agree with it. Parker is also completely oblivious to Addie and the fact that she likes him. I hate this rule that he kept bringing up about not dating your best friends brother or sister. I think that’s a dumb rule. If my friend has a hot brother chances are I’ll be checking him out. This made up law is irrelevant and goes out the window pretty quickly. Parker, I think, was using this “rule” as a way to not end up committed to anybody. He’s afraid of commitment and I think it has a lot to do with his father.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 8

The main female character isn’t Mia! It’s Addie. I actually really like Addie. She was a great character and I instantly liked her. I think what Parker and her have is completely sweet. There’s this one part, a flashback dream, about Addie and Parker and it was one of my favorite part in the whole book. I don’t want to say a lot about Addie because I think she’s a character that still hasn’t gotten to fully reveal herself, which I hope we get more in the sequel.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8

The Villain- Mwahahahahahaha
Somethings, especially with this book, are better left a mystery. I love psychological thrillers.

Villain Scale: 8.5

Finn is my favorite character hands down in this book. He’s hilarious and he has such a relieving personality compared to the dark tone of the book. I love characters like Finn and he’s my definite favorite one. Then there’s Mia, who I personally don’t like. I still don’t like her and I think she’s only going to mess up things between Parker and Addie. I don’t want a love triangle and Mia seemed at the end like she decided that Parker was a hero and she wanted a piece.


Character Scale: 9

This book has a lot of great things in it. There’s a definite air of fear and a thrill that will leave you on the edge of your seat or bed (depending on where you read). I love the air of mystery sounding Parker’s condition and the psychology that is focused on. I can’t wait for the sequel and what this author brings to the table, because I know I won’t be disappointed.


Cover Thoughts: I absolutely love this cover. It is completely creepy and just bone chilling. I love it! I hope the rest of the series has just as amazing covers.

A copy was provided by Netgalley and Flux in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!