Review: Jessica's Guide To Dating The Dark Side (Jessica #1)

Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side (Jessica #1) by Beth Fantaskey

Publisher: Harcourt, 2009
351 pages, Hardcover

Source: Purchased from Book Depository

Release Date: February 1st 2009

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance, Fantasy, Supernatural

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

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The undead can really screw up your senior year ...

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.

My Review:

Jessica’s Guide To Dating On The Dark Side is very refreshing and a good change from what I normally read in my spare time. It is a book where our main characters are Vampires but one character just doesn’t know it yet, Jessica is a normal American teen that is until Lucius appears in her life and told her that she is his long lost fiancé and a Romanian Vampire Princess. Lucius is a vampire who has to bring and marry Jessica to save a war between Jessica’s family and Lucius’s family. The relationship between Lucius and Jessica was very intriguing to read about and I did not know where it would lead, if they were going to end up being together.

I liked the arranged marriage part because I have never read about that before, it made the book a little unique in its own way sort of. I was able to relate to Lucius and Jessica. There are a lot of twists and turns and surprises in this book, but it felt like you knew what was going to happen in the end anyway but it is still able to surprise in the end too, so it really doesn’t disappoint you any way possible.

Author Bio:

Beth Fantaskey, author of the YA novels Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Jessica Rules the Dark Side, Jekel Loves Hyde, and, most recently, my funny, romantic teen murder mystery, Buzz Kill.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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: Chasing McCree (Chasing McCree #1)

Chasing McCree (Chasing McCree #1) by J.C. Isabella

Publisher: J.C. Isabella, 2012
334 pages, kindle edition

Source: Purchased from Amazon

Release Date: April 14th 2012

Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School, Chick-Lit

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

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Briar Thompson had it all. The right clothes, the right friends, the right car. Being popular was all that mattered. Her parents were rich and treated like royalty throughout the community. She thought her senior year of high school was going perfectly, until the night her drink was spiked at a party by one of her so called friends.

That was the night she met Chase McCree.

Chase wanted to go back to Montana. To the ranch and the wild, wide blue sky that went on forever. He wanted nothing to do with flashy cars or spoiled rich kids. But he found himself head over boots for the quirky cheerleader who turned her back on her social status. She befriended him when no one else would.

Shunned and hurt by the people who were once her friends, Briar flees with Chase to his family ranch in Montana. There she discovers another world, and apart of herself she never knew.

The cowboy wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met. The cheerleader wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met. Apart their lives didn’t seem to make sense, but together, they were chasing forever.

My Review:

Man I think I come across this by pure mistake about a couple of years ago and thought yeah why not give it a go, these days that is how I decide I want to try a new book and guess what I fell in love with this book and I enjoyed every second of it. And it is because of this I am now in love with cowboys, this plot thought it gets to you it is about a young cowboy who is totally mature for his age and who is not at all who he seems to be, he meets this beautiful girl Brair who is a cheerleader faking everything in her life. He makes her see things differently and in turn Briar take a 1 in a million chance of a lifetime leaving with him for the entire summer.

During this summer Briar learns a lot about herself and her love for Chase grows even more, I Loved watching their friendship grow into love. They get up early in morning spends endless hours working on the ranch, hand in hand flirting in the hay, the pastures, the dirt and the hot sun. This plot moves onto the people who Chase had trusted on his homeland only to betray him, Chase is going to inherit something big and everyone wants in on it.

Author Bio:

I'm J.C. Isabella, and I love to write. I've been writing for about ten years now. Mostly it was just for fun, for me. But my friends liked my work, so I decided to self publish. I hope you enjoy the rest of my site, and the books I have written.

The reason I chose to write romance, is because I love a happy ending. In YA there are so many lessons to be learned, so many firsts to be had. Why not write about first kisses, first crushes, or trying to explain to your father you were bitten by your boyfriend, who happens to be a werewolf?

One thing I will always promise in my books is a happy ending. I've always hated getting to the end of a really great novel, and feeling let down because it didn't end the way I thought it should. So about ten years ago, I decided to write a book. I remember it was about these kids who hijack a boat to find buried treasure in Mexico....

Needless to say, my writing has come a long way since my teen years, and I know I have room to improve, but I feel guilty having these books sitting in my computer, with no one to read them. So I'm putting them out for the world to see!

I try not to take myself too seriously. I'm not an editor, nor am I a total wiz when it comes to grammar or language. I try my darndest though, and I hope to give people an enjoyable read that is nice a break from reality.

I put a lot of work into what I do, and I appreciate people reading my work. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Review: The Cinderella Princess (Royal Holiday #1)

The Cinderella Princess (Royal Holiday #1) by Melissa McClone

Publisher: Tule Publishing, 2015

151 pages, kindle edition

Source: Netgalley

Release Date: March 31st 2015

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

Links: Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon Au | Amazon UK

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Thanks to a philandering father, ad exec Emily Rodgers knows happily ever after doesn’t exist. Relying on a man only leads to heartache. She takes care of herself, and work defines her life. But Emily soon finds herself in the hands of a real-life prince who defines the words charming and sexy. Not to mention reckless. If Prince Lucas doesn’t find a royal bride, Emily’s dream of being named a partner at the advertising firm will die.

Luc’s fun-loving ways have made him a magnet for scandal. His father gives Luc an ultimatum—find a wife on a reality TV show or be disowned. Rules require him to marry nobility, but after he meets the uptight American sent to find him find a princess bride, his search for Cinderella might be over. Too bad Emily wants nothing to do with him. Perhaps he can show her that fairytale endings can happen in real life…

My Review:

The last thing Emily’s to do list was to leave the country to have to babysit a reckless royal. Prince Lucas Alexander Leopold Casimir Von Rexburg is in a reality tv show is to find a wife or he will be disowned by his own family. Emily has been given a job to get the show back on track and in perfect line of the schedule to find more princesses who are very willing to marry to always partying an out of control prince.

Emily spends more time with Prince Lucas and she sees that he is not what the tabloids and news make him say he is to be, she sees a very different prince and he is very caring and very considerate of others. But he is also one of the sexiest men Emily has laid her eyes upon, Emily is not here looking for a man she is just there to do her job and get back home to the states where she is promised a promotion with her company. She has never believed in HEA, she has seen it firsthand what loving someone does to you when they decided to leave you.

My Rating:

Author Bio:

Melissa grew up a fan of fairy tales and “happily ever afters”, but she had never read a category romance until her senior year of high school. Her A.P. English teacher, Mrs. Cooper, had the class study genre fiction and assigned each student a Harlequin Romance to read. Melissa’s story was set in the Canary Islands and she was hooked!

After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in mechanical engineering, she analyzed engine performance in Phoenix, Arizona, and read romances novels in her spare time. One day, she decided to write her own, but soon realized how little she knew about writing romances. She joined Romance Writers of America and started the long process of learning to write. A job change took her to San Francisco where she wrote during lunchtime and after work. She also met her future husband.

Six months after getting married, Melissa quit her engineering job to write full-time. That first manuscript, FIANCÉ FOR THE NIGHT, was her first sale. She was pregnant with her first child when she received “The Call.” When she was pregnant with her second child, she sold her third manuscript, THE WEDDING LULLABY, and signed with a literary agency. She’s represented by Annelise Robey and Christina Hogrebe at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. Her third child arrived while she was on deadline writing SANTA BROUGHT A SON. She was given an extension.

Melissa has published over thirty books with Harlequin Books and Tule Publishing Group. She is a two-time Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® Finalist, won a RT Book Club Reviewers Choice Award for Best Silhouette Romance with IN DEEP WATERS and was a Romance Writers of America RITA® Finalist for CHRISTMAS MAGIC ON THE MOUNTAIN.

When Melissa isn’t writing, you’ll find her driving her minivan to/from her children’s swim practices and other activities. Reading and napping are her current favorite hobbies. She also sends care packages to deployed service members and fosters cats through a local no-kill animal shelter. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her real-life hero husband, three school-aged children, many lovable, but oh-so spoiled indoor cats and two adorable, think-they’re-lap-dogs Norwegian Elkhounds.

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