Review: About that Night by Julie James

Series: FBI/US Attorney Book #3

Format: Mass Market Paper Back

Pages: 284

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Borrowed from the Library

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley Sensation

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

He's Playing Games

Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But after being stood up on their first date, Rylann never expected to see him again. So when she finds herself face-to-face with Kyle in a courthouse nine years later, she's stunned. More troubling to the beautiful assistant U.S. attorney is that she's still wildly attracted to him.

But She's Making The Rules

Just released from prison, Kyle Rhodes isn't thrilled to be the star witness in a high-profile criminal case—but when Rylann comes knocking at his door, he finds she may be the one lawyer he can't say no to. Still as gorgeous and sharp-tongued as ever, she lays down the law: she doesn't mix business with pleasure. But Kyle won't give up on something he wants—and what he wants is the one woman he's never forgotten.

 

Review

I’ve heard a lot about Julie James when I was at the library I was like: what the hell. I grabbed the three books they had and decided to pick this one up first because of the synopsis. I was not disappointed and will definitely be reading more Julie James.

Rylann and Kyle are both great. Aside from Rylann’s name which bothers me. But she’s a great confident character. I like competence porn and Rylann and Kyle both had that. Kyle isn’t the typical computer geek hero which surprised me, but I liked it. The running Twitter Terrorist thing and his reactions to it are hilarious.

They definitely have the kind of romance I love. They banter, but it’s witty instead of cruel. And they definitely have some great sexual chemistry. I’ve mentioned that I like when couples have to deal with real problems. This one did that, but instead of it being a problem it was reality. They both have to work and care about their jobs. It’s nice to see an author acknowledge that being in a relationship doesn’t mean the rest of your life goes on hold.

My complaints are minor things. I wanted a little bit more development on Rylann. Mainly, I wanted more of her family. I also wanted more relationship development. Heck, I would’ve settled for an epilogue.

Even though this is a contemporary romance, Ms. James has some great world building. I want to spend more time in Chicago with all of these characters including the minor ones. I’m a huge sucker for sequel bait.

Thanks for reading!

Review: The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan

Series: Game On #2

Format: Ebook

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: New Adult, Sports, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self-published

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

Gray doesn’t make friends with women. He has sex with them. Until Ivy.

The last thing star tight-end Gray Grayson wants to do is drive his agent’s daughter’s bubblegum pink car. But he needs the wheels and she’s studying abroad. Something he explains when she sends him an irate text to let him know exactly how much pain she’ll put him in if he crashes her beloved ride. Before he knows it, Ivy Mackenzie has become his best texting bud. But then Ivy comes home and everything goes haywire. Because the only thing Gray can think of is being with Ivy.

Ivy doesn’t have sex with friends. Especially not with a certain football player. No matter how hot he makes her…

Gray drives Ivy crazy. He’s irreverent, sex on a stick, and completely off limits. Because, Ivy has one golden rule: never get involved with one of her father’s clients. A rule that’s proving harder to keep now that Gray is doing his best to seduce her. Her best friend is fast becoming the most irresistible guy she’s ever met.

Which means Gray is going to have to use all his skills to get himself out of the friend zone and into Ivy’s heart. Game on

Review

Another great New Adult read for me. I like this one a little bit less than the first one. And Ms. Callihan is definitely on my list of authors to keep an eye on.

I do like Gray and Ivy. Gray was very well developed and I loved when he would talk math and science. It feels very natural which is harder to do then you might think. Ivy is likeable, but I didn’t connect to her as much as Gray.

They are a great couple. I love their relationship and seeing it grow from friendship to romance. I’ve said I like texts in books and they were here and were done well. One of my favorite thing about them was the nicknames. I actually don’t like endearments in fiction or real life because they often feel forced. But their’s felt natural.

My main issue is how focused Ivy and Gray are on each other. There is a delicate balance the author has to find and I often wished they would take a step back. I just wanted to see more of their other relationships especially for Ivy.

This series is a great New Adult one with a football storyline. If that sounds interesting to you I recommend them.

Thanks for reading!

Review: The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan

Series: Game On #1

Format: Ebook

Rating: 4.5 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: New Adult, Sports, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self-published

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love.

Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right?

Too bad he’s committed to making her break every rule…

Football has been good to Drew. It’s given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she's shut him down. Completely.

That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it’s up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she’s truly hooked. It's a good thing Drew knows all about winning.

All’s fair in love and football…Game on.

 

Review

After two kind of disappointing new adult books this gave me exactly what I wanted. The only thing that could make it better—hockey. It did remind me of Sarina Bowen.

I totally love Anna and Drew. They have issues (obviously) but they are great people. I really like them as individuals and as a couple. I think Anna especially has some very real hang ups. I’m sure some people would find her running away annoying but it didn’t bother me.

The writing worked for me. This is the hardest thing to put into words in any review I write. It’s emotional, but not overly-dramatic which I like. And the two POVs were distinct. I wish there was a little more Drew especially in the middle of the story.

Like I said before, I like Anna and Drew as a couple. They have great chemistry and I was very invested in them. I especially liked how Ms. Callihan approached the realities of being in a relationship. It’s not easy and requires work and pain can be a part of that. I always like books that spend more time exploring that aspect of a romance.

I recommend this book and plan to read more Kristen Callihan. I’ll probably pick up the next book in this series in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for reading!

Review: #Nerd by Cambria Hebert

Series: #Hashtag Series #1

Format: Ebook

Rating: 3 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: New Adult, Sports, College, Contemporary Romance

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

Two people from completely different worlds are about to be thrown together...

In more ways than one.

She wants to keep her scholarship. He wants to stay on the team. An awkward alliance doesn't even begin to cover Rimmel and Romeo's relationship.

But that's about to change.

It starts with a dare. An initiation. A challenge.

Quickly, it turns into more. But when you're a victim of your status, there is no room for anything real. The rules are clear and simple.

Stick to your circle.

And never fall in love with anyone on the outside.

 

Review

I decided to buy this book and read it because it was compared to the Ivy Years series by Sarina Bowen. I guess I see why, but I’m definitely team Bowen still. I am curious to see what will happen to these characters so I will continue the series, but it’s not a must read for me.

I like Rimmel-despite her NA cliché odd name. She is likeable and I really like her when she’s with the animals like Murphy.  I wish she wasn’t clumsy, but that’s a personal pet peeve of mine. Romeo (an equally ridiculous name) bothered me for like 75% of it. He was very full of himself and kind of a douche. At the end he started to be redeemed for me. I did really like the side characters like Ivy and Braedon.

The plot and romance are pretty cliché and predictable. I actually called some plot points from the beginning. I don’t generally mind cliché, but I know some people try to avoid that.

My biggest problem was the writing. It felt weak and under-edited. There were a lot of odd word choices and things didn’t flow well. But I always wonder if it’s the writing or dialect I’m just not used to.

I did like the tweets at the beginning of each chapter. It was a little different and they were often funny. They’re definitely ridiculous, but still enjoyable.

Thanks for reading!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Fall TBR

 

Top 10 Tuesday was created by the Broke and the Bookish. You can find more information here

 

I want to be honest: I may not end up reading all of these books, but I would like to. Some are newer releases or are coming out this fall and others are books I’ve owned for a while. There’s even a re-read thrown in.

1)      Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

2)      Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

3)      The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

4)      Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

5)      Persuasion by Jane Austen

6)      Forever with Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout

7)      Nuts by Alice Clayton

8)      November 9 by Colleen Hoover

9)      Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas

10)   Falling into Bed with the Duke by Lorraine Heath

Thanks for reading!