New Adult Review: All The Wrong Reasons by J.L. Paul

Synopsis:
Irelyn's life is headed in the right direction: College education, new friends, fantastic boyfriend. Her dream of writing romance novels isn't too far out of reach. Her relationship with her family is good. And to top it all off, she's positive her boyfriend is going to propose soon. Yes, life is wonderful.

Until that night with Lucas changes everything.

Publication Date: February 24, 2011
Genre: New Adult, Mature YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: My own Tower of Books!



Review:
I bought this book for my Kindle when I saw it compared to Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. I adored that book and was excited to try something along the same lines. This didn't quite live up to my expectations but was still an enjoyable read.

I really liked the overall plot of the book. Irelyn gets herself into some major trouble when she has a one night stand with the smokin' lead singer of a band. Problem is that she has a boyfriend she's been in a long-term relationship with AND that she can't stop hooking up with band guy, Lucas. I love when characters make bad decisions and ultimately come out on top. I also loved Lucas and his bandmates/family. I read this book super fast to find out how everything was going to turn out, it was hard to put down.

All that being said there were a few things that kept me from rating it higher than I did (3 stars). There was a recurring theme of Irelyn blushing, like all the time. It started to feel contrived. Please keep in mind that I love a well-placed red-cheeked gal. It can add so much to a scene when put in the right place AND used sparingly. My last issue was that in a book like this that promises some angst and sex...I kind of missed the sex :) There was all the build up and then...*play music* cut to landscape shot out of the window. I'm no perv, but I want to know what these people are doing with (to) each other *waggles eyebrows*

I would say that if you like books in this genre that you should go ahead and read it. It was definitely still worth it for me and I'll be reading the second book in this series soon too. I could see room for improvement but was overall satisfied with the story.

Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Synopsis:
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

Publication Date: May 26, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Source: My own Tower of Books


Review:
One of my book friends texted me and told me I had to read this book. We have similar book taste so I bought it and started it the next day. I swear I would have walked around the house with my Kindle all day not speaking to anyone if I could've gotten away with it. It's like the perfect storm of everything I die for in a book.

I was skeptical the first two chapters because I thought 'Been here, seen this.' Um, no. The entire story is so unique and Abby and Travis's relationship is absurdly addicting to read. Their relationship is passionate and volatile...and sweet. Abby is so likeable and every decision she makes made sense to me, I didn't have to forgive the book anything because there was nothing to pick apart. Travis is...how do I put this...I mean, can I marry a fictional character yet? Is that possible? :)

Seriously though, there are so many reasons to love this book and I can't do it justice. Read it!! It stands on its own merit. This is definitely a must-read and I'm now dying to read it again. AND I *needs* to see this as a movie!

I am freaking out over this author and will be reading everything she writes! If you want to buy this book (and YOU SHOULD :) it's only $2.99 on Amazon. So worth that price and more.