Make it Right by Megan Erickson - Review and Giveaway

Title: Make it Right
Author: Megan Erickson
Series: Bowler University #2
Publication: September 9th, 2014 by William Morrow Impulse

Max Payton lives by two rules:

Size and strength win any fight, and never show weakness.

When a rash of assaults sends Bowler University for a tail spin, Max volunteers to help teach a self- defense class. One of the other instructors is the beautiful pixie-faced girl he keeps butting heads with...and who challenges everything he thought he knew.

Lea Travers avoids guys like Max - cocky jocks who assume she's fragile because of a disability caused by a childhood accident. She likes to be in control, and something about being with Max makes her feel anything but. But during the moments he lets his guard down, Lea sees a soul as broken inside as she is outside. Trusting him is a whole other problem...

When the assaults ramp up and hit close to home, Lea and Max must learn, before it’s too late, that true strength can come from vulnerability...and giving in to trust is sometimes the only way to make things right.

MY THOUGHTS:

4 out of 5 stars

I have to admit that I was a little nervous reading Make it Right.  I absolutely loved Make it Count (my review can be found here) that I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep the two books separate and that I'd compare them when they really deserve to be reviewed based on their own merit.

Well, that and I really really didn't like Max in the first book.  In fact, I kinda pictured him as Bumper from Pitch Perfect.  So the idea of reading a book with him as the focal point (and presumably romantic lead)...yeah. 

I wasn't sure it was going to go so well for me.  

But then there was a cat and suddenly there was hope.  Maybe Bumper Max wasn't as completely irritating as I thought he was. 

And then there is Lea.  Gah...hello new girl crush.  Without knowing any better, she may look like she is this fragile little flower with scars and limitations...but that is not it at all.  The girl is a total badass.  Sure she has her weaknesses and insecurities, who doesn't...but she is more than capable of handling her shi...situation and handling Max.

The two of them work.  The work so well that maybe maybe maybe a little piece of my heart that loves Alec and Kat so much can be freely given to Max and Lea.  

That's right, I said it.  I love Max (and Lea).  I'm not afraid to admit when I am wrong.

Make it Right ended up being a super fun read for me, in spite of my initial hesitation.  Cute and sassy and entertaining, I can't recommend it enough. 

Purchase:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play

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About Megan

Megan Erickson grew up in a family that averages 5’5” on a good day and started writing to create characters who could reach the top kitchen shelf.

She’s got a couple of tattoos, has a thing for gladiators and has been called a crazy cat lady. After working as a journalist for years, she decided she liked creating her own endings better and switched back to fiction.

She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids and two cats. And no, she still can’t reach the stupid top shelf.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Review: Had to Be You by Juliet Chatham

SYNOPSIS:

After college, Rory Finn left behind the familiarity of her quiet, picturesque hometown to pursue a professional career in the city. With her sights firmly on the future, Rory pressed on in hopes of forgetting the past until a jarring bit of unwelcome news forces her to confront it.

Her first love, the one she'd tried so hard to forget, is about to marry someone else. That pang Rory feels isn't envy, it's not even regret. It's love. But Rory can't be that girl. She won't. But if she doesn't, she'll never know what could have been. She'll never have another chance to tell him how she feels.

As she embarks on an impulsive, desperate bid to win him back, her mission turns into an unexpected and emotional journey of rediscovery. HAD TO BE YOU explores a history of love from its tentative beginnings to what may just turn out to be its final bittersweet end, as Rory ignores her head and follows her heart.synopsis:

MY THOUGHTS:

5 out of 5 stars

The best way to start this review is to put it all out there.  This book rocked my socks off.  Seriously.  I loved it.  LOVED IT.  LOVED IT.  LOVED IT.

It doesn't help that I am a sucker for a good "first love" story.  I mean, who doesn't love the chance to remember the way it feels, the flutters, the swoons...and for some, the heartbreak. 

The emotional reader in me gets giddy just THINKING about it and Had to Be You was everything I had hoped it would be and more.    

Rory and Matt.  Matt and Rory.  The best of friends, you rarely found one without the other.  Their relationship was a slow burn that was nurtured through years of pig-tail pulling and affectionate insults.  It happened over the years, before they even realized what was happening and when the spark ignited, resistance was futile.

True. Love. Forever.

Except for when they break up.  And get back together.  And break up.  And get back together.  And break up.  

Surely the next "back together" will happen...until it doesn't.

From the very beginning, when Rory learns about Matt's impending wedding, I found myself totally relating to pretty much every. little. thing.  The gut-punch of seeing the invitation...gah, I can still feel it and it hurts.  It hurts a lot.  And of course, the questions and what-ifs begin to fly...and the wine begins to flow...and ideas get tossed around.  Throw in some flashbacks to happier times and BAM...bring on the feels. 

The flashbacks made this book for me.  The parallels and connection to "real time" moments provided a depth to Rory and Matt's relationship that only knowing their history could do -- but in a way that didn't make me feel like I was being inundated with back story.  

This book has everything I look for.  I laughed, I cried, I fetal-rocked and found myself thinking about...well, thinking about people and places I hadn't thought about in a long time.  You know how a certain song can take you back in an instant to a very specific place or time in your life...yeah, this book did that for me more than a few times.  I wanted to wrap myself up in Rory and Matt's story and never ever let go.   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A lifelong New Englander, I divide my time between the North Shore and Cape Cod. My favorite things are beaches, boats, books, bars, the Boston Red Sox and boys, but not necessarily in that order. Consequently, you’ll probably find that these are the things I write about, too.

Author Links:
http://sunnybeachday.wordpress.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7778778.Juliet_Chatham
https://twitter.com/JulietChatham

GIVEAWAY:

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Review: The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson

SYNOPSIS:

A heartfelt, funny, and all-together human novel about the best mistakes a person can make.

   Jonathan and Rosie have been together so long they finish each other’s sentences—so when he (finally) proposes and asks her to move across the country with him, everyone is happily surprised.
 But when things suddenly unravel, Rosie sends Jonathan packing and moves back home with Soapie, the irascible, opinionated grandmother who raised her. Only now she has to figure out how to fire Soapie’s very unsuitable caregiver, a gardener named Tony who lets her drink martinis, smoke, and cheat at Scrabble.
It’s a temporary break, of course—until Rosie realizes she’s accidentally pregnant at 44, completely unequipped for motherhood, and worse, may be falling in love with the sentimental, troubled Tony, whose life is even more muddled than hers.
It’s not until Rosie learns the truth about her mother’s tragic story that she wonders if sometimes you have to let go of your fears, trusting that the big-hearted, messy life that awaits you may just be the one you were meant to live.

MY THOUGHTS:

3 out of 5 stars

This book perplexes me.  Part of me enjoyed it, part of me didn't.  There were elements that really brought it to life for me -- the humor, the "realness" of the situation, the fact that the family was most definitely dysfunctional and yet I spent a good part of the time trying to figure out what the point was.  

Maybe that was the point?  I don't know.

I loathed Johnathan, I have a love-hate relationship with Rosie...I absolutely adored Tony which I was not expecting to happen.  Soapie was a gem until she wasn't.  The ending...I was holding my breath until the very end hoping that it would turn out the way that I wanted.  

I'm not at all exaggerating when I say that I have no idea what to write for this review.  I read the book, I laughed at parts, I'm not sorry I read it...but yeah.  It didn't leave me with anything to talk about.  But I can't say that I didn't dislike the book, so there's that. **shrugs**

In fact, I know I have friends that will enjoy it and I probably should waited until they read the book and then let them write this review.

All in all, I guess I'd say if this book is already on your to-read list it is worth a try.  If your bookish likes and dislikes tend to align with mine,  I'm curious to hear what you think after you read it.  

Thank you to Blogging for Books for sending me a copy of The Opposite of Maybe in exchange for an honest review 

 

Review: Break the Sky by Nina Lane

SYNOPSIS:

A sizzling hot, new SPIRAL OF BLISS spin-off novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane

“Do you ever let go, storm girl?” he asked. “Ever lose control? Ever surrender?”
“Never,” I whispered. “I never surrender.”
A smile of both promise and warning curved his beautiful mouth.
“You will.”

Atmospheric scientist Kelsey March is under siege. Her tornado research project is on the skids and she’s fighting conflict in her university department. So when irresistible bad boy Archer West suggests a hot, wild fling while he’s in town, Kelsey is unable to resist his sexy offer.

Kelsey and Archer embark on a intense, exhilarating affair. But soon their differences and private battles encroach on their desire, and Kelsey discovers that Archer is a storm she can’t control.

MY THOUGHTS:

5 out of 5 stars

I've been on a bit of a Contemporary Romance kick here lately, so when I got an email about reading this one, I jumped at the chance to try a new-to-me author. 

The Spiral of Bliss series by Nina Lane has been on my to-read list for a while and I figured this was the perfect excuse to spend some of the last few days of my summer vacation binge reading.  I consumed all 3 books in that series in 2 days.  I couldn't put them down. 

Which then made me a little bit wary about reading a spin-off.

Like I've mentioned before, when I get attached to characters in a story, I don't like to say goodbye.  While I clamor to get my hands on a completed series, sometimes I will leave the final book(s) unread because I don't like to let go.  The same goes with a spin-off...if I am perfectly happy with the original characters, maybe I don't WANT to learn more about what happened to "other people".  I was perfectly happy with Hot Professor Dean and Liv.

But since I'm not one to back away from a commitment, I started reading Break the Sky...and I absolutely loved it.

Kelsey March is one tough cookie, so when paired up with Archer...um, yum.  The chemistry between the two of them was intense from the very first moment.  You just knew that there wasn't going to be a slow burn, there was going to be an explosion.  GAH!

That being said, there was a solid well-told story line written within the "fan-yourself moments".  I love a strong female character and it was great to see Archer find his place in the world when he has felt alone for so long.  Yes, Dean (and Liv) played an integral part in the story, but I didn't feel like they were toooooo present or that their moments overshadowed Kelsey and Archer -- yes, this is a spin-off, but it didn't feel like a spin-off.  So yay!

Now...here is the hard part for me.  I've read it and I want more.  Not because I feel like there story was lacking, but because I have developed an attachment to these characters in this world Nina Lane created.  My emotional reader cup runneth over. 

What a problem to have, right?   

   

Release Information: All for This (Here and Now #3) by Lexi Ryan

This one is at the very top of my "I NEED TO READ THIS RIGHT NOW" list!

Released August 4, 2014

New Adult Contemporary Romance

1) LOST IN ME is FREE through the ALL FOR THIS tour!

2) ALL FOR THIS will be $2.99 on release day and $3.99 thereafter.

**ALL FOR THIS is book three in the Here and Now series. It is not a stand-alone and it’s intended to be read after LOST IN ME and FALL TO YOU.**

 

What if you would never remember the day you made the most important decision of your life?

That’s what they’re telling me about the day of my accident—the day I put on Max’s ring and chose him over Nate. I’m counting on the wisdom behind a decision I don’t remember making.

Max is amazing—sexy, sweet, and kind. I was starting to believe happily-ever-after might be in my future after all. Then the unthinkable happened and my world imploded. If I’m going to make this work with Max, I need my missing memories, or at least answers from about those five days before my accident.

But what does my future hold if those answers aren’t anything like I imagined? 

Amazon US: http://amzn.com/B00MDWI3X4

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-</ wbr>This-Here-Now-Book-ebook/dp/B00MDWI3X4

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all- for-this-lexi-ryan/1118893146

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/all-for-this-2

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/all-for- this/id836873885?mt=11&uo=4

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lexi_Ryan_All_for_This? id=fMMzBAAAQBAJ&hl=en

About the Author

Once a college English professor, I now write full time. I live in rural Indiana, where, when I’m not writing, I get to hang out with my husband and two kids–a six-year-old boy and a two-year-old hellion, er, girl. Not surprisingly, reading and writing remain my favorite activities, though both come in bits and pieces these days, not the big hunks of time I enjoyed before I had children. When I’m feeling virtuous, I like to go running (I use that word liberally. I’m really, really slow) or do yoga. Don’t worry, I’m always careful to balance out such activities with a hearty serving of ice cream or a chocolate martini.

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