Book Obsessed: 03/01/2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

Review: Perfectly Broken by Prescott Lane

Publish Date: March 25, 2014
Kindle {p.293}
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Author
Peyton Mayfield, Reed Langston

Even after years of trauma therapy, Peyton still believes she’s broken. She has little desire to date or show off her natural beauty, content simply to hang out with her best friends and run her pie shop in New Orleans. But her world turns upside-down when a handsome architect and self-confessed player shows up in her shop and thinks she’s perfect, much more than the usual hook-up.

While Peyton does her best to resist his charms, believing she could never be enough for him, she can’t deny the obvious heat between them. With Reed determined to have her, Peyton must decide whether to continue to hide behind her apron and baggy clothes or take a chance and share her scars with Reed, a man with a playboy reputation and scars of his own -- a dark past he can’t possibly share with Peyton, not after learning the horrors she’s endured. But if they can find a way to trust each other, and themselves, they just might be able to heal, to save each other, to live perfectly broken together.

The story seemed to start a bit slow for me, and took some time to get into. It took some time for me to warm up to both Peyton and Reed. But the secondary characters, Dr. Lorraine, Quinn and her boyfriend Bret, were hits with me from the start. It's not that I disliked Reed and Peyton, I just felt that the time it took for her to finally agree to go out with him dragged on too long. But once they did get together, that's when the story came alive.

Peyton truly seemed to blossom into this great person when she got with Reed. I'm sure she had always been that person, just suppressed it until Reed came along and revived it. Together they seemed to bring out the best in one another. He helped her to trust, and to live again, where as before she was just merely existing.

On another note however, it sadden me to see what became of Peyton's twenty year friendship with Quinn's brother became by the end. I'm still on the fence about how feel about that whole ordeal.

The only time I ever had an issue with Reed was when he made his final break from his friend-with-benefits, Heather. Yes, she was a horrible person, but I just couldn't get behind the way he spoke to her. His vulgarity and blackmailing of her was too much like something his father would do. And Peyton's reaction to Reed not telling her about his father's past seemed to be more of an over reaction. It wasn't something Reed had done, but something his father had done. Plus, Peyton already knew that there was something off with Reed's relationship with his father, she just didn't have the full story.

The ending felt somewhat rushed, but overall, I enjoyed the story. Everything was neatly tied up some years down the road in the epilogue, but one thing I would have liked to seen in said epilogue was more about Quinn's brother. Other than that, it was definitely worth the read.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Review: Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins

Publish Date: March 25, 2014
Mass Market Paperback {p.457}
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publicist
Colleen O'Rourke, Lucas Campbell

Does being nobody's fool mean that you're nobody's love?

Colleen O'Rourke is in love with love... just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell, her first love, broke her heart... an experience Colleen doesn't want to have again, thanks. Since then, she's been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends.

But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man who's ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe they've got some unfinished business waiting for them—but to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man she's ever loved.

I loved both Colleen and Lucas,in the beginning of the book, although I was a tad bit upset with Colleen after reading their back-story. She was so upset with Lucas for breaking her heart, but in my opinion it wasn't Lucas who broke her heart but her father. Colleen just took it out on Lucas instead of her father. After seeing how Colleen treated Lucas and how she handled the situation of their breakup, I have to say I sided with Lucas 100%. Sure, he probably should have said something to Colleen, but I understand why he didn't. Colleen thought her dad hung the moon, and who wants to be responsible for telling her otherwise.

When it came to Ellen, Lucas just seemed like he had checked out of their relationship. His heart just wasn't in it. I liked Ellen, she seemed a wonderful person, but Lucas just didn't love her enough. Where at times Colleen came across as being cocky and full of herself to the point of being annoying.

Lucas' uncle Joe, I felt snubbed him in the end. Maybe it's just me, but I felt Joe could have, should have, done better by Lucas. As far as his cousin Bryce, didn't like him one bit. I never understood why everyone just loved him. Sure, he may have been nice to look at, but the bus stopped there. He was about as deep as a mud puddle. I so thought Paulie deserved someone better than him. Plus Colleen was constantly trying to get Paulie to be the one to change to snag Bryce when it should have been the other way around. Bryce was the one who needed some major growing up to do.

This book started out as though it was going to be a five-star read for me, but around the end when it came to light what Colleen had done, I lost all respect for her. Her actions dropped this book to about a 3 for me. I just couldn't get past what she did. Lucas was able to forgive her, which is great for her, but she was irredeemable for me. Maybe if her actions were revealed earlier in the story and she had a chance to make amends, instead of it being revealed in the chapter before the last, where there is no time to turn her character around, maybe I could have rebuilt my image of her. But as it stands, Colleen is not one of my favorites. I know the characters are supposed to be flawed, and still find love, but there should be time for the reader to repair that love of the character, or don't make their flaws so insurmountable. To me, Colleen turned out to be more like her father than expected.

Although I would have liked to have seen the author address whatever became of the guys from Colleen's prom night,overall it was a funny, quick paced read which is to be expected from Higgins. She never disappoints when it come to the humor in her novels.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing Colleen's brother Conner find love, as well as Faith and Honor's brother Jack. I can't wait to see which ladies will have these two men toeing the line.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Review: Four Friends by Robyn Carr

Publish Date: March 25, 2014
Trade Paperback {p.366}
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Publicist
Gerri Gilbert, Sonja Johanson, Andy Jamison, BJ Smith

Gerri can't decide what's more devastating: learning her rock-solid marriage has big cracks, or the anger she feels as she tries to repair the damage. Always the anchor for friends and her three angst-ridden teenagers, it's time to look carefully at herself. The journey for Gerri and her family is more than revealing—it's transforming.

Andy doesn't have a great track record with men, and she's come to believe that for her a lasting love is out of reach. When she finds herself attracted to her down-to-earth, ordinary contractor—a man without any of the qualities that usually appeal to her—she questions everything she thought she wanted in life.

Sonja's lifelong pursuit of balance is shattered when her husband declares he's through with her New Age nonsense and walks out. There's no herbal tonic or cleansing ritual that can restore her serenity—or her sanity.

Miraculously, it's BJ, the reserved newcomer to Mill Valley, who steps into their circle and changes everything. The woman with dark secrets opens up to her neighbors, and together they get each other back on track, stronger as individuals and unfaltering as friends.

The characters and their issues draw you in as a reader because they are real and relatable. I was drawn to some characters more than others, but I still wanted to know the outcome for all of them.

Of the four friends, I was most interested in Andy and her budding relationship with her carpenter. I instantly adored Bob, the carpenter. I didn't understand why everyone in their lives was finding it hard to believe that Andy would be involved with Bob, but I however immediately got her attraction to him. They got to know one another as friends before it became something physical. I must admit, Bob may have been my favorite character of the entire book.

Sonja, I was iffy about. But once her marriage blew up, I loved her. The Sonja after her marriages falls apart was stronger, more real than the Sonja before. I didn't like her husband George before nor after. He just seemed so uncaring about what Sonja was going through.

Gerri, I felt for what she was going through, but at times I felt she should be focused on her own issues instead of telling Andy what she needs to do. When she should have been nosing into anyone's business it should have been Sonja's but BJ had to pint out everything going wrong there to Gerri. That proved to me that Sonja was right in her assessment that Gerri and Andy are friends and just includes Sonja.

I truly did enjoy every minute of this book. Great story, great characters, my only issue was the characters excessive use of the word "gd." But it was not enough to deter me from the story.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

In My Mailbox {158}

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I'll post what books I've received either by mailbox/library/store.

I'll try to post an entry of IMM every Sunday that I receive books by mail/library/store of that week.

Books via Amazon