Book Review: Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 693 KB
• Print Length: 322 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1476715920
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (10 Aug 2012)

Layken and Will have managed to overcome the obstacles that threatened to destroy their love, proving that they are destined for one another. What they are about to learn, however, is that the things that have brought them together may be the very things that ruin their connection forever…

Layken is left second-guessing the relationship whilst Will is jumping over hurdles to prove his love for her. What the young lovers discover about themselves along this journey may change their entire world and the lives of those who depend upon them the most...

Layken and Will have been through a lot. Way more than any other couple their ages. The events of Slammed were intense and emotional and I absolutely loved that book. And for that reason, Point of Retreat had a lot to live up to.

Lake and her brother are still coming to terms with the death of their mother, but always there for them is Will and his brother. Together the four of them make up a happy, if somewhat dysfunctional, little family unit.

Until someone from Will’s past shows up and threatens to ruin everything. Now Will has to work to regain Lake’s trust, and rebuild what has been broken. Because Will cannot, will not, live without her.

Point of Retreat is told this time from Will’s perspective, which I just loved. His head is an interesting place to be and he carries the reader through the story with ease.

This story is not for the faint hearted. It is raw and often brutal, but also tender and poignant. This is a book to read cuddled up in bed with the duvet for comfort, a million calorie box of chocolates and an unlimited supply for tissues. I really love a book that can make me feel anything, and this one made me feel just about everything. Read it. Love it. I know I did.  

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Book Review: Love Unscripted by Tina Reber

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1494 KB
• Print Length: 670 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1451533969
• Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (8 Sep 2012)

An A-List Movie Star . . .

Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine a life where fans would chase him, paparazzi would stalk him, and Hollywood studios would want to own him. While filming in Seaport, Rhode Island, Ryan ducks into a neighborhood bar for a quick escape from legions of screaming fans . . . and finds much more than he expected.

A Small-Town Girl. . .

Nursing a recent heartbreak, Taryn Mitchell believes men are best kept at a safe distance. But when Ryan Christensen unexpectedly bursts through the front door of her pub, she can’t help but be drawn in by his humor, charm, and undeniable good looks. At six foot two, with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and an incredible body, Ryan has every girl in Seaport swooning. But Taryn isn’t every other girl.

A Relationship That Doesn’t Follow the Script . . .

Despite her better judgment, Taryn soon finds herself falling hard for Ryan. But is their bond strong enough to survive the tabloid headlines, the relentless paparazzi, and the jealous fans who seem determined to tear them apart.

Ryan Christensen is a household name. He gets chased down the streets, is the subject of every woman’s fantasy, and just longs to be left alone. Taryn Mitchell owns a local pub and feigns her contentment. Things are steady and unpredictable, until a movie shooting in Taryn’s town brings Ryan crashing into her life.

Taryn is one of the few locals who doesn’t obsess over the every move of the film and its stars, and when she aides Ryan after he is hunted down like an animal and physically injured, she is the breath of fresh air he has been craving. But Taryn is nursing a heartache, and doesn’t want to get burned again.

Within Taryn, Ryan sees what he has always wanted  - a good, down to earth beautiful woman, a place he could settle down and call home and someone to share his life with. And lowly but surely, Taryn lowers her defences and lets Ryan in – to her life, and her heart.

But just because there is obvious chemistry and affection involved, doesn’t mean the road will be easy for the new lovers. Jealousy, Ryan’s lifestyle and Taryn’s insecurity threatens to rip the couple apart.

Love Unscripted is one of those books I really can’t make my mind up about. In a lot of ways, it was a great read. There was good plot turns, interesting characters and a believable romance. But on the other hand, it was vastly over written and the book as a whole could have been a lot shorter. There was a great deal of repetition involved, with Taryn stressing over the same old things, Ryan pacifying her, Taryn getting wound up again. There was no clear resolve for the end of the book, which irked me.

But on the whole, Love Unscripted will appeal to a broad audience. This is the perfect book for when the rain is lashing down outside and you want to curl up on the sofa and disappear for a few hours.

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Book Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (UK) Ltd (5 Oct 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848451725
• ISBN-13: 978-1848451728

Ive left some clues for you.

If you want them, turn the page.

If you dont, put the book back on the shelf, please. 

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

Dash is perusing the bookshelves of an out-of-the-way bookstore when he comes across something that doesn’t belong. The red notebook has a serious of challenges to make sure he is the correct recipient for its purposes. Dash has found Lily’s book of dares.

But Dash doesn’t play by Lily’s rules, and he dares her back with his own concoctions. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares has the pair racing all over New York, making puppets and building snowmen and slowly but surely falling for each other – even though they have never met. They push each others boundaries and get them to open up in ways they never thought they would.

I absolutely loved this book. Not much can be said about this book without giving away it’s magic. And magic it has. Plenty of it.

Dash and Lily were two completely opposite characters that intrigued and drew sympathies from the reader. I couldn’t put this book down and the suspense nearly killed me. The whole thing was serendipity and I dare anyone who reads this not to fall for its charm.

There is, quite simply, no other book like Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. 

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Book Review: Between The Lines by Tammara Webber

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 549 KB
• Print Length: 320 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0983593167
• Publisher: Penguin (13 Sep 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0097JYTLG

Seventeen-year-old actress Emma is starring in her first major film role, opposite Hollywood It Boy Reid. The exclusive nightclubs, snapping photographers and screaming fans are a normal part of life for Reid but it's all new to Emma. The rest of the cast befriend her but Emma can't help feeling out of her depth. She's grateful to fellow actor Graham for his friendly support and thinks maybe he's interested in something more - until she sees him sneaking out of beautiful Brooke's room one night . . .

Reid has no holds barred in his pursuit of Emma; he loves the thrill of the chase but he's also experiencing something new. Could he be genuinely falling for his co-star?

He’s Hollywood’s hottest teen heartthrob. She’s just landed her biggest break after years of commercials and bit parts. Reid and Emma are worlds apart when it comes to their careers, but after undeniable chemistry in a screen test their worlds are going to be thrown together.

Reid is used to the fame – to the girls throwing himself at him, so when Emma doesn’t react to him like he expects, he is even more intrigued by her. Emma has no idea what’s in store for her. She didn’t really consider the consequences of accepting the leading role opposite Reid and how her life would change. Suddenly there are pictures of her everywhere, stories fabricated about her.

The longer Emma is immersed in Reid’s world, the more she can’t help thinking what her life would be like if she was normal. She would get to do normal things. Date. Prom. College.  And as if she didn’t have enough to keep her mind occupied, Reid’s interest in her beyond their working relationship intensifies. So when she is kissing the best looking guy on the planet, she shouldn’t be thinking about co-star, Graham, should she?

Reid wants nothing more than for Emma to fix him. For so long he has taken what he wanted and never looked back. But now he actually sees himself able to commit…if only Emma will give in and give him what he wants. And in between charming Emma, he is avoiding Brooke who is not only a fellow actor in the movie, but his ex, too.

Between The Lines was so much more than I thought it would be. I was expecting a light romantic read. What I got was something so much better with a fuller story. Emma and Reid’s relationship with their parents was nothing short of heartbreaking. I honestly felt for both of them and was brought to tears more than once.

Even though he has some serious character flaws, Reid was likeable and very believable. He drew my sympathies and I wanted nothing more than for things to work out for him.

Between The Lines could have been a glossy and completely unrealistic book. Instead it was gritty and raw and I really felt as though I caught a glimpse into the lives of real people. Each character, even secondary ones, were fully developed and riveting. I wanted to know more about all of them.

This book hit every note perfect for me. It made me feel plenty of emotion, I could barely put it down and when I had to, it was on my mind almost constantly. It left me craving more. I could not ask anymore from a book. Except a sequel. Which there is. And I want it right now. 

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