eBook Review: Keeping Her by Cora Carmack

"Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather . . . ahem . . . complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?

But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.

As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it."

Rating: 4/5

You can buy Keeping Her as an eBook now.

I've read both of Cora Carmack's new adult novels so far and have really enjoyed them. Her first book, Losing It, was based on a young female character called Bliss, and her subsequent relationship with teacher Garrick. The ending of that book was great, but did leave some scope for the characters being revisited, which I had hoped would be the case. Carmack hasn't brought them back in a full length novel, but instead in this eBook novella, which promises to go back and revisit Bliss and Garrick and find out what they are up to next.

Bliss and Garrick have been happily loved up for a while now. They are working hard, and are now engaged to be married. Garrick realises he has to take Bliss back home to England introduce his fiancée to his family, although it isn't something he particularly wants to do, and Bliss isn't too happy about it either. They soon arrive in London, and things don't go to plan right from the beginning. Bliss is nervous, Garrick is worried and things seem a bit tetchy between the pair. Bliss begins to realise perhaps their relationship is not as perfect as they thought, and when a big surprise comes along, Bliss isn't at all sure she can handle it...

I really enjoyed revisiting the characters of Bliss and Garrick again, and seeing where they are at in their romance. It's nice to see that they are still happy together, and I thought it was a good idea to send them to London to meet Garrick's family and throw them into a new situation together too. I felt really sorry for Bliss, she's so nervous and her clumsiness comes out much to her annoyance, but you can't help but love her even more for it... she does seem to be meeting the in-laws from hell! I enjoyed the twist that Carmack throws in along the way too, it opens up the novella to a whole new angle, and the way she ends it once again leaves it open to revisit these characters in the future.

This was a fairly short story, and I read it pretty fast, but as I mentioned before, it is nice to read something with familiar characters, and those who have read Losing It will certainly enjoy the catch up with these characters again. I wouldn't advise reading this before its predecessor as this is definitely a follow up, and will spoil things for those haven't read the previous book. The eBook story felt very realistic, a couple of young and in love characters, unsure where they are going with their lives and relationships, and dealing with family issues along the way too. I really enjoyed this eBook, and I do hope Carmack brings back these characters for another catch up soon! If you loved Bliss and Garrick in Faking It, you will definitely want to get a copy of this.

Book Review: Wait For You by J Lynn

"Some things are worth waiting for…

Away from home for the first time and finally free from her past, nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten wants to keep her first year of college low key. Get good grades, avoid the parties and maybe – please God – make a few friends. The one thing she didn’t plan on was capturing the attention of the hottest guy on campus…

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of hotness. Avery knows she should stay away from him, but Cam is everywhere, with his charm, his kindness, his sexy dimple…Getting involved with him is dangerous, but ignoring their scorching tension is impossible.

And some things are worth fighting for…

When Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls, she realises that someone from her past is refusing to let her go. When the devastating truth comes out, will Cam be there to help her or will she have to face it alone?"

Rating: 4/5

You can buy Wait For You as a paperback or an eBook now.

I've been quite pleased with the few New Adult books I have read this year, a brand new genre that has come about and seems to be rising in popularity quite quickly. I've enjoyed books by authors such as Cora Carmack and Jessica Sorensen, so when a copy of J Lynn's (aka Jennifer Armentrout) book came through my doorstep, I'll confess the first thing I did was pop over to Amazon and see what sort of response it had had. Well. It was rather popular. Hundreds of five star reviews, and I also found out that this book was a #1 New York Times Bestseller as well. I decided I just had to give it a go and find out what all the fuss was about, even if I have to confess I was a bit confused by the cover at first (it soon makes sense once you start reading though!).

Avery Morgansten has finally managed to get out of her home, away from her parents and to a new life in college. She's determined to forget the things in her past that she has left there, and wants to invent a new Avery. When she meets fellow student Cameron, she's surprised at her feelings for him. She tries to stay away, but finds herself being drawn to him however hard she tries to not have any feelings for him. As the pair becomes closer, Avery wonders whether she can trust him and if she can reveal her past secrets to him. When she starts getting nasty emails and texts, Avery decides to ignore them but knows that her past is starting to catch up with her, even though she's hundreds of miles away. Will Avery be able to let Cameron in to help her, or will her past end up pushing away her future too?

If I'm honest, I have to say that there are a lot of similarities between this book and Jessica Sorensen's book 'The Coincidence of Callie and Cayden' which was also released this year. Much of the story was very, very alike, from things happening with the main female character, the romance between the shy female and the handsome main male, and the setting too. However, I didn't mind this and although I found myself drawing comparisons, the writing styles were different and they were both very enjoyable books.As I mentioned before, the cover seemed a bit strange to me at first, many of these New Adult books feature rather attractive men and women, so this one does break the mould but I like how it references the book.

I found the characters in the book to be really likeable. Avery, our main character, is a damaged young woman, haunted by something that has happened to her in her past. I guessed quite early on what it was, but I liked how Lynn tackled this in the story, and how it affected Avery. It was realistic to read about, and made Avery a sympathetic character. Cameron was the typical handsome college jock, very popular, clever and all the girls like him, so of course he has to go for the shy girl who lives near him, making everyone else jealous! Lynn writes him to be really likeable though, so I didn't mind that it was a tad predictable with that story, and I just wanted the two of them to get it together if I'm honest! I did get annoyed with Avery constantly turning down Cam, especially when she couldn't seem to justify why she was, but it did help build the pair's relationship a bit more.

I have to give a mention to a few of the supporting characters too, in particular Avery's friends Jacob and Brit. They were hilarious, and provided a lot of the comedy moments in the book, and pushed for the relationship between Avery and Cam too, which is pretty much what the readers of this book are doing too! I enjoyed the setting of a college, it worked well for the book and I learnt a thing or two as I was reading too, so even better. One thing I want to mention about this book was the realism in Lynn's writing. Some of the scenes were very vivid, they come alive in your mind and they were fun to read... even the love scenes in the book were very well handled and written, very sensual and tasteful I have to say which was nice to read.

I'm sure people will slate this book because yes, it's a bit predictable, and yes, it is a lot like many of the New Adult books out there, but for me, this was easy reading, a sweet love story and I enjoyed reading it. I loved the characters, J Lynn's writing style totally suited me and Avery and Cam were a lovely couple. As I mentioned, I did find myself getting frustrated with Avery in parts, but it's part of her character to be how she is and you just have to persist with her. If you've enjoyed other New Adults titles, then I would definitely recommend you pick up a copy of Wait For You. It felt very real as I was reading, like it could really be ahappening and wasn't too contrived, and was full of emotion. I really enjoyed Wait For You and am looking forward to the next book in the series, Be With You which is due in 2014. A great read.

Book News: Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess

Author Gemma Burgess has signed a new book deal with publisheds Quercus, and her first book with them Brooklyn Girls is out this summer! It's part of the 'New Adult' range that seems to be rising in popularity, and it sounds like a great story, I'm looking forward to reading it. It's out on 4th July.

You can pre-order Brooklyn Girls as a paperback now.

"Pia is living the dream: fresh out of college and sharing a house in Brooklyn with her best friends. So why is everything so complicated?

A drunken indiscretion has led to the loss of her boring office job, while her love life is a dizzy mess of accidental hook-ups and heartbreak...

Her parents don't trust her and, if she doesn't sort her life out soon, they're going to make her move back in with them...

But all that's nothing compared to the kind of trouble she's about to face.

At least she can rely on her friends - Coco, Angie, Julia and Madeleine. But how much can she really expect them to put up with?"

Book Review: Losing It by Cora Carmack

"Love.Romance. Sex. There's a first time for everything...

As far as Bliss Edwards can tell, she's the last virgin standing, certainly amongst her friends. And she's determined to deal with the 'problem' as quickly and simply as possible.

But her plan for a no-strings one night stand turns out to be anything but simple. Especially when she arrives for her first class and recognises her hot new British professor.

She'd left him naked in her bed just 8 hours earlier..."

Rating: 4/5

You can buy Losing It as a paperback or an eBook now.

I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about the whole 'New Adult' genre before I read this book. I thought it was aimed at teenagers who perhaps wanted something a bit, well, ruder than what would normally be aimed at them, but I think I got it wrong. It seems to be aimed at those people just venturing into adulthood, wanting something a bit more mature from their writing, and my first venture into this was Cora Carmack's debut novel Losing It. I have to admit I wasn't sold on the cover but decided that the story sounded too good to pass up, and so I got eagerly stuck in hoping for the best!

Bliss Edwards is a virgin, and it's a fact she's quite keen to hide. Her best friend is determined to find her man to do the deed with, but Bliss is sure she doesn't want to do it with just anyone. When she's out clubbing one night and meets a handsome young English guy, Bliss thinks she might have found the one. However, when it gets to the moment, Bliss isn't sure she can go through with it. Fast forward just a few hours later, Bliss arrives for her latest acting class and is shocked when her new professor walks onto the stage... it's the man she took home to her bed just last night...

I was a bit concerned about how a storyline about a girl proactively trying to lose her virginity would sit with me, as usually that isn't something that I would want to read about, and I think it's a bit of a dicey topic as well, especially if younger teenagers were to read this book. However, it's actually covered in quite a good way, and the leading lady Bliss isn't a woman who just wants to sleep with any man, she clearly wants it to be right and special which I think is a good message to promote. After the first bit of the novel is over and it moves on, it actually progresses into more of a slow burning love story rather than predominantly being about Bliss trying to lose her virginity.

Being set at a University/college, the characters in it are probably the same age as most of the readers this book is aimed at, and they're well written. It's mainly a group of Bliss' friends, including best friend Cade who was another of my favourite characters. I felt quite sorry for Cade actually, and hope he pops up more in Carmack's further books. Garrick, the British professor Bliss rather likes, is a perfect man in almost too many ways, a bit too 'dream come true' but it works for the purpose of the story! Bliss is very likeable too, and I liked that she wouldn't be pressured into anything she didn't want to do, even if she did get herself into some awkward and amusing situations! Bliss is the first person narrator for the duration of the book so we can really get into her head, and it allows for some really amusing anecdotes to pop up!

The main story is interesting to read but the book also focuses on Bliss' dreams of becoming an actress. Being only 21, she's still 100% unsure that's what she wants to do which I think a lot of readers will be able to resonate with, and I liked her indecisiveness - she was flawed and not afraid to show it, wanting to work out the best path for her first. Carmack's writing is enjoyable to read, flowing well and she isn't afraid to shy away from the naughtier scenes, writing these incredibly well and certainly getting steamy with her characters! However, it isn't crudely done and they fitted the theme of the book well and created the required sexual tension! The ending was almost a little too neat and tidy for my liking, but it couldn't have ended any other way, and I enjoyed the addition of an epilogue with a new narrator, that was a good final part to the book.

I enjoyed reading this book much more than I had expected to, and think that the New Adult genre is one that I will be able to enjoy. Carmack's book is a very enjoyable love story, and although it wasn't a long read, I was able to get fully into the story and couldn't help but warm to Garrick more than just a little bit lol! Carmack has written another book entitled Faking It which follows Cade from this book and it's due out in June, so I know I'll be seeking that one out too to find out more about these characters. If you haven't read any of the New Adult genre before, you can't go far wrong from starting with this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Book News: The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

Another release from the shiny new genre called 'New Adult' is the book called The Secret of Ella and Micha by American author Jessica Sorensen. I have had a proof of this sitting on my shelf for a while and I'm really curious to read it since I enjoyed my first New Adult novel just this week. It sounds really interesting, and it's out now as an eBook and as a paperback on 11th April 2013.

You can buy The Secret of Ella and Micha as an eBook now or pre-order as a paperback.

"The girl he thinks he loves needs to disappear. I don't want tonight to be irreversible, so I pull away, breathing him in one last time.

Ella and Micha have been best friends since childhood, until one tragic night shatters their relationship and Ella decides to leave everything behind to start a new life at college, including Micha.

But now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home. Ella fears everything she worked so hard to bury might resurface, especially with Micha living right next door. Micha is sexy, smart, confident, and can get under Ella's skin like no one else can. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. And he's determined to win back the girl he lost, no matter what it takes".

Book News: Losing It by Cora Carmack

The New Adult genre is something I've been quite interested in for a while, and Cora Carmack new novel Losing It is a book by Ebury Press that fits nicely into that genre. I can't say I'm 100% sold on the cover, although I have to say the guy in the British cover is much nicer than the guy on US cover (see here!). It's out now as an eBook but is out as a paperback on 28th March, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

You can buy Losing It as an eBook now or pre-order as a paperback.

"Love.Romance. Sex. There's a first time for everything...

As far as Bliss Edwards can tell, she's the last virgin standing, certainly amongst her friends. And she's determined to deal with the 'problem' as quickly and simply as possible.

But her plan for a no-strings one night stand turns out to be anything but simple. Especially when she arrives for her first class and recognises her hot new British professor.

She'd left him naked in her bed just 8 hours earlier..."