Review: Fame and Privilege

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:

Billionaire Jenn Cooper has run her own movie studio for the last 3 years with the utmost success. Everything in her life has been easy due to the wealth and privilege she's been afforded. Ryan Price is a young and talented manager in Hollywood who represents up-and-coming starlet Julia Belle. What will happen when Price and Cooper try to collaborate on one of Hollywood's most promising stories to date? Let's just say that things in Hollywood never follow the script.

The title says it all! Fame and Privilege tells the story of instant-love between two people and how they try to resist each other to save their reputations.

Review: Dreams of Fire

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Meet Kara Hartman, a young painter living and working in D.C. She would love to let you believe she is just an ordinary young woman with a dream of sharing her art with the world. But she is hiding an astonishing secret: Kara can wield magic, the most powerful force in the universe. Traumatized by the loss of her brother, she wants nothing more to do with magic. But when an old foe resurfaces, hellbent on destroying all that she loves, Kara has no choice but to embrace the only power that can stop her.

The beginning holds promise but ends up flat in the end.

Review: The Lay of Lady Percival

'' ''I was wondering how future generations might remember this time.'' 

''That,'' Galahad said meaningfully, ''depends on who wins.'' ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:

Rome has fallen and the eagles have flown. Left alone with her child when her lover, Arthur, leaves these shores, Persephone finds her world changed when he returns - as war duke and then King of Britain. She has the one thing he needs:

His son.

But he will not accept her as herself.

Thus is born the legend of Percival.

She is willing to give up her life to protect the future of others. The only question is how far she has to go to accomplish her goal and is it worth it in the end?

Review: What Heals the Heart (Cowbird Creek #1)

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Joshua Gibbs survived the Civil War, building on his wartime experiences to become a small town doctor. And if he wakes from nightmares more often than he would like, only his dog Major is there to know it.

Then two newcomers arrive in Cowbird Creek: Clara Brook, a plain-speaking and yet enigmatic farmer’s daughter, and Freida Blum, an elderly Jewish widow from New York. Freida knows just what Joshua needs: a bride. But it shouldn’t be Clara Brook!

Joshua tries everything he can think of to discourage Freida’s efforts, including a wager: if he can find Freida a husband, she’ll stop trying to find him a wife. Will either matchmaker succeed? Or is it Clara, a woman with her own scars, who can heal the doctor’s troubled heart?

Two stars? Two and a half? Maybe three, but not full three. What Heals the Heart is captivating, but there were a few things that bothered me.

Review: Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja)

“ The ceremony is over when there is no more water. ”

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:

Some secrets demand betrayal.

'You’re seventeen, and of age now, and therefore old enough to understand what I’m going to tell you,’ my father said. ‘This place doesn’t exist.’

‘I’ll remember,’ I told him, but didn’t realise until later what kind of promise I had made.

When Noria Kaitio reaches her seventeenth birthday, she is entrusted with the secret of a freshwater spring hidden deep within the caves near her small rural village. Its preservation has been the responsibility of her family for generations.

Apprenticed to her father, one of the last true tea masters, when Noria takes possession of the knowledge, she becomes much more than the guardian of ancestral treasure; soon, she will hold the fate of everyone she loves in her hands.

The heartbreaking ending is worth the wait. 

Review: Maybe Someday (Maybe #1)

“ Sometimes in life, we need a few bad days in order to keep the good ones in perspective. ”

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:

At twenty-two years old, Sydney has a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter's cheating on her--and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one...

Original music created for Maybe Someday by musician Griffin Peterson can be accessed through the website listed in the ebook and paperback.

There's a soundtrack that is specially made in collaboration with this book. I can't get enough of it. I was vacationing in Mallorca when I read Maybe Someday and under the sun, I read it in one sitting. This book was addictive and I can't wait to read Maybe Not. 

Review: Confess

'' Everyday day of my life it feels as if I'm fighting my way up an escalator that only goes down. And no matter how fast or how hard I run to try to reach the top, I stay in the same place, sprinting, getting nowhere. ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:
Auburn Reed is determined to rebuild her shattered life and she has no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to become deeply attracted to the studio’s enigmatic artist, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?

The book begins with an ending that, in a way, plays a big part later on. To be honest, it caught me, I couldn't see it before I read it. Colleen Hoover does it again. 

Review: Hamartia

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Grace's nine-year-old son, Jordan, is dying. First, the Metagenesis disease will tear his soul from his body, and then it will kill him. Desperate for a cure, Grace agrees to take part in an illegal clinical trial cloning souls. Supported by her best friend Kay, the two embark on the ultimate "Vegas Vacation" to the past in search of the right soul to clone, racing against time to save Jordan's life. But someone is trying to stop them and when they discover why Grace must make a choice: let her son die or kill her husband. If she kills her husband, she triggers widespread Metagenesis, sealing the fate of the human race with a new plague.

Humanity is counting on Grace choosing to let her son die.

Hamartia = A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or a heroine.
'' There's supposed to be an action that reveals the protagonist's hamartia.''

Review: The Unfettered Child

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Her tribe is shattered. Her parents are gone.

When eight-year-old Samara faces the capture of her tribe, an unimaginable power awakens within her. Even as this magic threatens to consume her, a disembodied voice intervenes, offering guidance and helping her control these newfound abilities.

Meanwhile, Samara’s father chases his wife’s captors across an unfamiliar terrain. But can Orin find his wife in time to save her? Will Samara learn to control her power and reunite with her family? And who is the mysterious entity traveling with her?

Let me start by saying I really wanted to stop reading this book at about 10 %. This is definitely not a children's book even though the main character is eight years old. 

Review: The Art of Falling In Love

'' ''The world's always gonna be bigger than what you can fit in your hands. Being connected to the world around you is how you see all the art it has to offer.'' ''

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Claire Haynes always spends summer vacation at her family's beach house in Florida, sketching and dreaming of art school with her biggest fan--her Opa. But when Opa dies right before summer break, all Claire has left besides her memories is a sand-sculpting contest application with her name on it and the lingering question of why Opa filled it out in the first place. Claire has never even made a decent sandcastle, but she reluctantly turns in the entry forms, hoping the contest will help her navigate the grieving process by honoring one of Opa's last wishes.

When she meets Foster, a teenage boy with a talent for turning recyclables into abstract sculptures, the two join forces to win the contest and salvage the Summer of Art. They spend the humid summer days shoveling sand, devouring ice cream, and exploring Florida's art scene. Just like Opa, Foster understands Claire and her overwhelming need to create, but he has a secret that threatens to ruin everything: he's homeless and hiding from an abusive brother who would have him believe family trumps all.

When Claire's parents find out about Foster's homelessness, they offer him a home along with their hearts. But even picture-perfect families like Claire's can harbor an ugly side, especially in the aftermath of Opa's death. When someone close to Claire spills Foster's secret, they're both forced to choose between love and familial obligation. If Claire can't break through long-held beliefs and prove family is more than shared DNA, she could permanently lose Foster and a chance at the sand contest to honor Opa.

A grieving family's summer in Florida sunshine. Claire has made a vow to herself to keep her grandfather's memory alive since she feels that no one else in her family will.

Mini-Review: Holmes (Hotel #3)

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:
It's been six months since Holly broke her heart in paradise, but she didn't let the experience go to waste. She's moved to be close to the beach, and racked up some weekend frequent flyer points getting out to new experiences. She's not living to work anymore, but working to live. That dream job, it's exactly that. Holly's never had a better boss than Roger Holmes. But men. No, no men. Holly can't bear the thought of going through another heartbreak, and with Holmes City Resort hosting the International Conference for Hoteliers in a week, Holly definitely doesn't have time for a man. Yet, two men are standing there, demanding she choose one of them. Can Holly forgive the man who betrayed her and is now ready to try a real relationship? Or will promises kept win her heart back again?

Holly's heart has been crushed into little pieces by the revelation of Sean Cassidy's heritage and connections. Sixteen months ago she escaped back to Australia, but now the past wants to make amends with her, and neither of the men is willing to give her up. 

Review: Love Me, Love Me Not

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
When Hailey Brown is removed from her home and put into foster care, all she wants is a safe, comfortable place where she can finish school and move on with her life. It’s not easy adjusting to a new school and a new life, but Mr. and Mrs. Campbell and their teenage son, Brad, welcome Hailey with open arms.

As Hailey begins to adjust to her new life, she and Brad grow closer. For the first time, Hailey feels like she might have a real shot at a future. Soon, however, Hailey realizes her relationship with Brad has crossed the line from friendship into something more. But being with Brad would mean giving up the perfect life that Hailey has waited so long to have.

Can Hailey and Brad resist the feelings that are developing between them—or will they risk it all to be together?

No matter what we do in life, our pasts always catch up sooner or later. It's better to face it straight on than run from it, or that's what I would have told Hailey to do. 

Review: Oceans Away (The Atlas Series #2)

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
When the girl next door returns home as a millionaire to face the farmer who never lost hope, she's caught between the man of her past and the man meant for her future.

Adopted as an infant, Ireland Leighton grew up in the heart of the Midwest. After inheriting millions from her biological parents, she is determined to help others any way she can. The only string is a business engagement with another millionaire. Ireland returns to Iowa years later to plan her brother’s tropical wedding. The festivities would be easier if her sexy ex-boyfriend stayed out of reach and her future wasn’t already planned.

Time suppressed his feelings for the girl next door, but Gideon Taggart isn’t about to let Ireland escape again. Farmer by day, veterinarian by choice, his second chance with his first love is far from easy. He soon discovers that no matter how much he loves Ireland, she’ll always choose her family over a future with him.

Ireland Leighton had successfully avoided going back home for several years. Seeing her former love, Gideon Taggart, was just too painful. And now that almost her whole identity had changed, how could she face him? Having been raised on a farm, it came as a little bit of a shock to her to find out that her biological parents were heirs to a fortune. 

Review: Someday, Someday, Maybe

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:

Franny Banks is a struggling actress in New York City, with just six months left of the three-year deadline she gave herself to succeed. But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates - Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material - and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works.

Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.

When the world strikes us down, we have to channel our own inner Franny Banks' to get back up. 

Review: Lies You Never Told Me

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:

Gabe and Elyse have never met. But they both have something to hide.

Quiet, shy Elyse can't believe it when she's cast as the lead in her Portland high school's production of Romeo and Juliet. Her best friend, Brynn, is usually the star, and Elyse isn't sure she's up to the task. But when someone at rehearsals starts to catch her eye--someone she knows she absolutely shouldn't be with--she can't help but be pulled into the spotlight.

Austin native Gabe is contemplating the unthinkable--breaking up with Sasha, his headstrong, popular girlfriend. She's not going to let him slip through her fingers, though, and when rumors start to circulate around school, he knows she has the power to change his life forever.

Gabe and Elyse both make the mistake of falling for the wrong person, and falling hard. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive.

I had no idea what the book was about when I turned the first page. I remember picking it up on a layover because it had a store recommendation on it, then I put it on my shelf only to pick it up a full year later. The Lies You Never Told Me falls into the same category as E. Lockhart's We Were Liars, it'll blow your mind with the truth you never expected.