Wednesday, October 17, 2012

EASY by Tammara Webber


This book totally rocked my world.  By defying convention, Easy by Tammara Webber surprised me and impressed me and made me want to read it again.  Immediately.  That's a rare occurrence, especially with as big a TBR pile as I have J.

 I'm not gonna lie.  The story had a couple of things that usually put me off.

1) An MC who follows her boyfriend to college and has lost her identity b/c of a guy. 

Um yeah, no need to explain why this independent woman wouldn't like that.

2) Heavy subject matter with the possibility of whiny-baby drama and preaching.

As a reader, I want to escape, to be entertained and ultimately a story with a spectacular HEA.  Usually, I steer clear of the heavy.  And preachy books pretty much turn me off.

Luckily, Easy took everything I'd come to expect from this kind of book and flipped it on its head.  Drama that was never preachy, romance that redefined HOT, and enticing characters that grow throughout the story yet stay true to themselves.  Why yes, you can have it all.

Easy centers around Jacqueline, a sophomore in college whose boyfriend has recently broken up with her.  She followed him to school instead of pursuing her dream as a concert bassist.  Jacqueline thought Kennedy was her one.  She never saw his betrayal coming.

After a frat party, Jacqueline--who was the designated driver for the night and completely sober--leaves by herself and is sexually assaulted by Buck, one of Kennedy's frat brothers.  (*Sidenote: If there's a better name for a sicko rapist, I don't know it.  Right on, Webber.  Right. On.)  Lucas, a complete stranger, saves Jacqueline right in the nick of time, beating the sh*t out of Buck before he can rape her.  But the close call changes Jacqueline forever.  She just wants to forget it ever happened--but how can she with Lucas popping up all the time?

I can't say enough about this book.  All of the characters were incredibly well developed.  It was believable that Jacqueline would commit to this relationship and lose a bit of herself.  I think this probably happens to so many young girls.  Not necessarily the following to college bit, but the loss of self.  It was believable.  It made her believable.

Instead of looking down on her for her vulnerability, I liked her more for it.  Jacqueline was willing to risk her heart, and quite frankly, Kennedy was the asshole.  That much was clear.  His reason for breaking her heart: He wanted to hook up with as many girls as possible before settling down so as not to ruin his future political aspirations.  Blech.  I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

Whereas Lucas…well.  He was absolutely delectable J.  Prepare yourself, ladies.  A bad boy with a tragic past and a protective instinct for women--which was totally endearing and not at all possessive-stalkerish?  *Cue angels singing*  Thank you, Lord, for Lucas.  He was so sexy, so smart, so incredibly attractive on every level.  If he was real, I'd be all over that.  Seriously.

This romance is a must-read.  I know everyone under the sun has pretty much recommended this book, but I'll add my voice to that.  Easy was a great read by a great author with a very powerful message.  No girl deserves to be raped.  Ever.  For any reason.  Period.

If I ever get a chance to thank Tammara Webber for writing this book, I will.  And if you're a woman--or if you have women you love in your life--you should, too.

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

TUNE IN TUESDAY: NEW DAY

 
Hi all!  Tune in Tuesday is a GReads meme currently being hosted over at Kate's Tales of Books and Bands.  Every now and then an artist comes out with a song that's inspiring, positive, and still totally bad a**.  "New Day" by Alicia Keys is all those things :)  And I decided to use the vid that intoduced me to this song--which features the choreo of one of my favorite choreographers: Miss Gigi Torres :D


Great music and a smooth groove.  You can't beat that ;)  Have a great day everyone!

Ninja Girl

Sunday, October 14, 2012

STACKING THE SHELVES (5)

 
Hi everyone!  This week I got some really great books, mostly urban fantasy/paranormal and one really great contemporary.  Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

 
List of books:  Isle of Night by Veronica Wolff
                        Vampire's Kiss by Veronica Wolff
                        Bloodfever by Veronia Wolff
                        Grave Memory by Kalayna Price
                        Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

 
List of eBooks: Easy by Tammara Webber

I won the Veronica Wolff books in a giveaway over at Paranormal Indulgence--which is totally awesome!!  Since I already own and reviewed Book 1 (Isle of Night), I'm planning to donate a copy to my local library so that others may partake in the fantastic series.  Just finished Kiss of Steel, and it was WOW!  The cover drew me, but the story rocked.  Easy by Tammara Webber was a pleasant surprise (review to come shortly ;D), and I just think I got a great haul.

Hopefully you all had as great a week in books as I did!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

Thursday, October 4, 2012

MOONGLOW by Kristen Callihan


There's something great about knowing that you're going to love a book.

And with Kristen Callihan, you just know.

The fantastic gothic world she created in Firelight gets even better in the second installment, Moonglow.  The romance, the danger, the hero and heroine, the reasons to read this book were too many to name, but I'll do my best to sum up.

Ian Ranulf, the Marquis of Northrup, never thought he'd fall in love again.  After countless women, all paid, all with the same features, he knows his type: red hair, green eyes, the perfect body.  But when he finds Daisy, the only survivor at the scene of a recent werewolf attack, she awakens Ian's protective instincts.

Recently widowed, Daisy isn't the type of girl to swoon at the sight of blood.  Though one of her dear friends was murdered by the were, Daisy is reluctant to trust the Marquis.  Her gut feeling where Ian is concerned is to run far, far away.  But his flirtatious yet dangerous nature calls to something deep within Daisy, that side of her which was beaten back in a loveless, abusive marriage.
Together, Ian and Daisy discover several more bodies, and a plot which revolves around women who wear the very perfume Daisy created for herself.  With a killer led by scent and an intelligent heroine determined to save herself, Ian will have to be very careful not to lose his life--or his heart--to the one woman he never saw coming.

If you want to know why to read…

Ian + Daisy = Out-of-this-world Chemistry.

These two characters really got to me.  Ian and Daisy were perfect for each other.  And it wasn't just the romance--though that was *sigh* spectacular!!  At the moment, I can't think of anything I've read recently that has two characters with better conversation and more natural chemistry.  I couldn't put it down!

Daisy was so smart and fearless.  Usually the two don't go hand in hand; the heroine does something stupid, which makes this ninja roll her eyes.  But not Daisy!  Callihan made sure to give her power so she could protect herself.  And Daisy was just as much of an unapologetic smartass as Ian and had a great sense of humor.  Wow, a girl with brains and bravery.  A rare sight in Queen Victoria's London J.

And Ian Ranulf.  Oh, he was such a strong hero.  Scottish, bad boy werewolf with a tragic past and effortless charm whose brogue gets stronger when his blood is up.  Need I say more? J

Great plot.  The whole perfume angle was interesting, and I have to say I just love these Ellis sisters.  Can't wait for Poppy's story!  Moonglow was even better than the first book, and I'd totally recommend it.  If you love romance and gothic goodness, you don't want to miss Daisy and Ian.

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: THE SECRET SISTERHOOD OF HEARTBREAKERS by Lynn Weingarten

 
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading (click the image above to be directed to her page). Anyone can participate! Here are the rules:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open it to a random page
  • Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO REVEAL SPOILERS! (Be sure not to spoil the book for others!
  • Make sure your sentences don't reveal something important!)
  • Include the title and author to, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
 
Just starting this YA, but it looks like a good one.  Plus, the MC is named Lucy.  Love that name :-)

Teaser:

"She held her hand against his.  She waited.  Her mouth tried to open in a gasp of love, but she would not let it.  Her eyes began to water, but she sucked her tears back in."

--page 260

Hope everyone has an awesome week!

Ninja Girl

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

SAM CRUZ'S INFALLIBLE GUIDE TO GETTING GIRLS by Tellulah Darling


I have a thing about great titles J.  I'm not sure if anyone's noticed, but 75% of the time I'll mention whether or not I felt the book title was freakin' fantastic, semi-awesome, just blah...  You get the picture.

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls was one of the greats.  I mean, come on, it's undeniable!  How could I say no?  Answer: I couldn't--and I'm glad I didn’t.  Tellulah Darling (love that name btw) delivered a fun book with interesting, off-beat characters and a cool twist on the girl-and-boy-who-are-best-friends dynamic.  (A big thank you to NetGalley!) 

When Ally gets jilted on her B-day, she's more upset than heartbroken.  Why is it that guys can "love 'em and leave 'em," but girls have to get so attached?  Guys like her best friend, Sam, must have some kind of secret formula--one that avoids feelings and the dreaded "L" word.  Determined to break the cycle, Ally enlists Sam to turn her into the ultimate heartbreaker.  Sam accepts the challenge--but when Ally starts acting more like him, it throws him off his game.  Sam Cruz, player for life, isn't used to feeling off kilter.  He's not used to seeing his best friend as a hottie.  He's not used to watching her go on dates with other guys.  And he's definitely not used to being jealous.

The characters were so quirky.  It was like Ally and Sam knew each other so well that they had something completely unique.  Their background, their conversation, their familiarity was really surprising.  You don't usually read about girl-boy relationships that are so tight they can talk about anything.

And I do mean anything!

From the title, you can tell it's not exactly going to be a wholesome read, but there was this phrase on the Goodreads summary: This book contains strong language, drinking, euphemisms, and lots of “bow chicka wow wow.”  This is a book that doesn't pull any punches.  Ally and Sam are so comfortable with each other that sometimes (lots of times) their language isn't…well, PG13.  The warning is right there, so I don't understand how you'd go into this not knowing what to expect.  *shrugs*  But I will say don't take the warning lightly.  There really is a lot of cursing, drinking, hooking up etc.

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls was fun and funny.  There were a few moments when I laughed out loud and a few where I sighed in girlish delight.  One sentence of dialogue comes to mind ****SPOILER****  Ally to Sam: "I'm the perfect girl for you.  And you can't handle that."

The book was on the short-side and a very quick read.  I also love the cover, very eye-catching.  Nothing comes easy for these two best friends.  The story has plenty of angst to go along with the quirk, but if you can handle it, I'd say you're in for a heck of a good time J.

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

Sunday, September 16, 2012

STACKING THE SHELVES (4)

 
Hi everyone, Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  This'll be my virtual edition since I didn't manage to get out to the bookstore :p


List of eBooks:  Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling
                           Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kate
                          Measuring Up by Nyrae Dawn

All great books, all finished in about 2 days!!  That means they had to be pretty freakin' awesome because I am not a speed reader.  Out of the three, Sam Cruz's had the most quirky/unique characters; Hearts was the hottest (I mean, seriously scorching); and Measuring Up was the most heartwarming <3

Happy reading everyone!

Ninja Girl