Review: The Perfect Game (The Perfect Game #1)

The Perfect Game (The Perfect Game #1) by J. Sterling

Publisher: Lake Union, 2013
379 pages, kindle edition

Source: Purchased from Amazon

Release Date: June 25th 2013

Genre: New Adult, Young Adult, Romance, Sports, College, Contemporary, Chick-Lit

Links: Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

He's a game she never intended to play.
And she's the game changer he never knew he needed.

The Perfect Game tells the story of college juniors, Cassie Andrews & Jack Carter. When Cassie meets rising baseball hopeful Jack, she is determined to steer clear of him and his typical cocky attitude. But Jack has other things on his mind... like getting Cassie to give him the time of day.

They're both damaged, filled with mistrust and guarded before they find one another (and themselves) in this emotional journey about love and forgiveness. Strap yourselves for a ride that will not only break your heart, but put it back together.

Sometimes life gets ugly before it gets beautiful...

My Review:

I love sport romances but some character can be immature in most new adult books and that causes problems for people reading the books.

That is kind of what happened in this book but there wasn’t a lot of it in this book. The book kicked off great and one of the main characters Cassie, she was the perfect girl in the beginning feisty and she even had some spunk. With drooling of the man whore jock Jack chasing her, she stood her ground when it came to him and she did not relent with his bad boy reputation intake. Then she would do something which showed lack of common sense and that would make me want to throw things not my kindle of course, but she could be frustrating.

I could say we all loved the bad boy falling for the good girl and change his ways with the snap of your fingers just like Jack, though I do not like characters who instantly change but tell me what girl doesn’t like a guy who does not fight his feelings for a girl he likes, like Cassie. He wanted her with everything he had and went for it and grabbed at with all his might. Yeap, he made the mistake but he did show his love for Cassie with everything he had. I thought what he did was a shit move and is paying for his consequences and bad choice but he is a good guy.

Author Bio:

I got fired from my last job. It's true. I know you're sitting there thinking "Jenn, how could anyone in their right mind fire someone as amazing and awesome as you???" And i'd love to give you a good reason, but the truth is- being this awesome is clearly very scary to other less awesome people.

So I said screw them and started writing my first book. And you know what I realized? Writing books that mean something to me is a million times better than working for my ass off for someone who doesn't really care about anything other than the bottom line.

My soul feels more satisfied.
My heart, more full.

So thank you for reading, loving and recommending the stories I write.
I appreciate it more than you know.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | TSU | Twitter | Goodreads

Review: Bait (Wait #1)

Bait (Wait #1) by M. Mabie

Publisher: M. Mabie, 2014

370 pages, kindle edition

Source: Purchased through Amazon

Release Date: October 13th 2014

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick-Lit, Eroctica, Love

Links: Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

He was trouble from the start, but I couldn't resist.
She was the best kind of trouble. The kind that was so wrong, it felt right.

I’ve tried and failed to stay away from him.
I’ve done everything in my power to make her mine and keep her.

He’s almost impossible to say no to.
She never tells me yes.

We’re always fighting.
When we’re not fighting, we’re… well… making up.

He makes me laugh so hard.
I miss her laugh the most.

I'm a liar.
She knows the truth, but won’t admit it.

Sometimes, I wish I'd never met him.
I wish we could meet all over again. I'd do better.

His girlfriend knows.
The guy she’s with is a fool.

I’ll never love anyone like I love him.
She doesn’t love me enough to choose us.

It was the wrong place.
It was the wrong time.

It should have been him.
It will always be her.

This book contains adult situations and is recommended for adult readers.

My Review:

Bait is told in dual points of view through the eyes of Casey and of Blake. These two could not have been more wrong for each other, yet somehow I couldn’t stop rooting from them. They are both written in ways that, on the one hand, you want to love, and on the other hand, you love to hate. Their chemistry is undeniable and the sex is steamy and oh, so satisfying! The dedication that Casey showed, and his inability to let go of what he desired with her was incredibly admirable. There was just something that had me rooting for him, even if he was technically the “other guy”. His chapters are written in a way that gives us the perfect glimpses into his head; it’s impossible to dislike him. My heart continually broke for him, and I honestly don’t know how he found the desire to keep pursuing this relationship. As a reader, you get a true feeling of kismet and that these two characters are meant to be together, which I honestly think is hard to accomplish through print.

As for Blake, I loved the complexity of her character. As the woman who couldn’t choose between two men, you wanted to hate her. For leading both of these men on and not being able to choose between heart and head, you wanted to dislike her. Somehow though, I completely felt and understood her plight. Between the way she is written and her point of view chapters, there was just something about her that made me feel for her. I often found myself getting frustrated with her and internally yelling at my Kindle pushing her to do the opposite of what she was. However, every step she took just made me appreciate the journey she was on a little more. She has a lot of redemption that needs to happen, especially after that ending, but I have absolute faith that M. Mabie will pull through!

This book is one that I know a lot of people may pass over because of the love triangle or cheating aspect. However, I can honestly say that it isn’t like anything I have previously experienced. M. Mabie is such a talented writer that she truly makes you fall in love with these characters. She might make you feel morally ambiguous at times for thinking a certain way, but it’s quite honestly done beautifully. There are scenes in this book that had me laughing out loud, and there were scenes where my heart was utterly breaking. The cliffhanger is rough and left me with so many unanswered questions. I seriously can’t WAIT to get my hands on the next book in this series! Time cannot come fast enough until I’m sucked back into this vortex!

My Rating:

Author Bio:

lives in Illinois with her husband. She is the author of the steamy comedy Fade In. Her sophomore release, Bait, is the first book in the angst-filled erotic Wake Series. She writes unconventional love stories and tries to embody "real-life romance."

She cares about politics, but will not discuss them in public. She uses the same fork at every meal, watches Wayne's World while cleaning, and lets her dog sleep on her head. She has always been a writer. In fact, she was born with a pen in her hand, which almost never happens. Almost.

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