Book Review: The Trouble With Love by Lauren Layne

The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

As Lauren Layne’s salacious Sex, Love & Stiletto series returns, a jaded columnist discovers a steamy way to get over an old flame: falling for him all over again.

As Stiletto magazine’s authority on all things breakup-and-heartache, Emma Sinclair writes from personal experience. Five years ago, Emma was Charlotte, North Carolina’s darling debutante and a blushing bride-to-be. Now she’s the ice queen of the Manhattan dating scene. Emma left her sultry Southern drawl behind, but not even her closest friends know that with it she left her heart. Now Emma’s latest article forces her to face her demons—namely, the devilishly sexy guy who ditched her at the altar.

After giving up everything for a pro-soccer career, Alex Cassidy watches his dreams crumble as a knee injury sidelines him for good. Now he’s hanging up his cleats and giving journalism a shot. It’s just a coincidence that he happens to pick a job in the same field, and the same city, as his former fiancée . . . right? But when Emma moves in next door, it’s no accident. It’s research. And Alex can’t help wondering what might have been. Unlike the innocent girl he remembers, this Emma is chic, sophisticated, and assertive—and she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. The trouble is, Alex has never wanted her more.

Review:

Even though this is the fourth book in the Sex, Love & Stiletto series, this book can be read as a standalone as well. Emma and Cassidy (Alex) are bright, cute, and sexy characters without being overdone.

In general, I enjoyed the book and reading it was a pleasure. Probably the best part of the book overall is that these two already have a rough past with each other and their nearly non-existent recognition of each other in the present is the biggest challenge these two have to face. There are tons of misunderstandings and a lot of untold information that resulted in Emma being ditched at the altar. How these two break through some extremely thick walls is well-written and it all makes sense. There isn't anything convoluted or unbelievable. I buy these two as being in a previous relationship. I buy how they deal with each other at work because they have to be professional.

If you like to read good, solid romance you will enjoy "The Trouble With Love."

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


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Book Review: "Losing It: A Collection Of VCards"

Losing It: A Collection of VCards by Nikki Jefford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Losing It is a collection of chapters from various authors. Each chapter is either an extension, or another point of view or, an addition to a previously written book. Each one of these written chapters is about the loss of virginity of a character and in some cases, the characters.

I admit, the first chapter I read was the chapter written by the author I was most interested in reading because I'd read all of her novels. Her chapter was the couple's first time from the other party's point of view. Because I read the novel, I didn't need set up or backstory. For the rest of the chapters, the backstory or set up worked sometimes. Sometimes, it simply didn't and there were some I simply couldn't read because I didn't know enough.

One particular chapter, if I had to guess, was the first time the author had ever written a sex scene or love scene. Because the use of language by the characters was immature and a huge turnoff. From the female character's point of view, being full of cheer because her boyfriend was rubbing her "boobs" blew the mood for me. I read the whole thing just to see how many immature terms for the human body were used. You buy it and read it to find out how many times that is.

Overall, it wasn't a bad idea for these authors to join forces to create this type of book. On the other hand, there are various reasons why it might not be for everyone. For example, some don't like various genres. This doesn't mean you won't like the book. In the case of one particular chapter, where one of the characters is a newly created vampire, I got interested in an author I'd never read before and will be interested in looking into reading that particular book/series in the future.

3.5 Stars!

I was given an advanced reading copy in return for an honest review.

Star Scale:
5 Stars: Excellent! Skip all of the other reviews. Run and buy this one. Right NOW!
4 Stars: Very Good! Read a few more reviews just to see that I'm right. Then run and buy it.
3 Stars: Good! If you waited to get it on sale or was able to get it through your local library, you won't exactly die without it.
2 Stars: Fair. Read more reviews. Maybe I missed something that most others did not. If there are more good reviews than bad, give it a go.
1 Star: Poor. Don't bother. It's simply not worth your time.


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COVER REVEAL: "Wild Reckless" by Ginger Scott

Very Mature YA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 17, 2015

Kensington Worth had a vision for her senior year. It involved her best friends, her posh private school in downtown Chicago and time alone with her piano until her audition was perfected, a guaranteed ticket into the best music programs in the world.

Instead, a nightmare took over.

It didn’t happen all at once, but her life unraveled quickly—a tiny thread that evil somehow kept pulling until everything precious was taken from her. She was suddenly living miles away from her old life, trapped in an existence she didn’t choose—one determined to destroy her from the inside, leaving only hate and anger behind. It didn’t help that her neighbor, the one whose eyes held danger, was enjoying every second of her fall.

Owen Harper was trouble, his heart wild and his past the kind that’s spoken about in whispers. And somehow, his path was always intertwined with Kensington’s, every interaction crushing her, ruining her hope for any future better than her now. Sometimes, though, what everyone warns is trouble,
is exactly what the heart needs. Owen Harper was consumed with darkness, and it held onto his soul for years. When Kensington looked at him, she saw a boy who’d gotten good at taking others down when they threatened his carefully balanced life. But the more she looked, the more she saw other things too—good things…things to admire.

Things…to love. Things that made her want to be reckless.

And those things…they were the scariest of all.

Excerpt

I know I shouldn’t, but I turn around anyway, and I give Owen my full, undivided attention. His friends have already left, and he’s slowly walking backwards, showing me his middle finger
and smiling with that faint half-grin I’ve seen far too often over the last three days.

I don’t know what makes me do it. In fact, I don’t know why I am the way I am with Owen. I’ve been careful and timid and obedient my entire life, my only mission to please everyone—please my father, Chen, my mother, my friends, my teachers. Please, please, please, please, please. That’s all I do. And all it’s done for me is land me in Woodstock, away from my friends and the senior year I was expecting to have. I’m not pleasing Owen Harper, too. So I stand with my tray and raise my arm
slowly by my side, my eyes zeroed in on his until I’m pointing at him. I close one eye and cock my head slightly to the right, like I’m making sure I have him in my sights—and then I pull the trigger.

“Jesus H Christ, Kensi! What’s wrong with you?” Willow asks. She pulls my arm back down, but I keep my eyes on Owen, staring into his gray-blue eyes—eyes that look like a wolf’s. “What are you doing?”
“I’m starting a war, Willow,” I say, my heart speeding up and my breath growing more ragged as reality catches up with me.

I’m starting a war with a guy who doesn’t lose; a guy who doesn’t play by the rules.

A guy who scares me, and who knows where I sleep at night.

About Ginger Scott

Ginger Scott is a writer and journalist from Peoria, Arizona. She is the author of five young and new adult romances, with her sixth title, Wild Reckless, set to release on March 17, 2015.

Scott has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scott is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

"The Silver Linings Playbook" and Why You'll Hate The Book!!!!!

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Since the reading of the book has primarily come down to movie vs. book, I plan to review the book with that in mind. If you saw the movie and enjoyed it as I did, you probably won't like the book. Might also depend on the order. Read book, see movie or vice versa. Since I saw the movie first, multiple times, that's my comparison and review,

In the book, with few exceptions, this book takes place in South New Jersey while the movie takes place in Ridley Park which is in PA (Delaware County). I think the movie people figured out that Pat, a huge Eagles fan, belonged in Pennsylvania.

Here's everything in the book that no one will like:

1. Pat's father is barely a character in the book, Robert DeNiro is movie magic,
2. Tiffany spends most of the book running behind Pat and never speaks to him,
3. In the book, Pat was in the hospital for FOUR YEARS for what seemed like a man who got pissed for finding his wife cheating, not for a mental illness. Who gets put in a mental institution for beating the shit out of the guy who screwed your wife?
4. Like the movie, Pat's diagnosis is never disclosed which is potentially dangerous as it can lead to people thinking all mental illnesses are the same.
5. Pat calling the mental facility "the bad place," and calling his divorce from Nikki, "apart time" has to be the most childish crap I've ever heard come out of an adult character's head. What's worse is that the author chose to use this terminology throughout the entire book.
6. Not telling Pat anything and hiding everything from him was a horrible idea. It shows the author's naiveté and lack of knowledge about mental health issues.
7. The fact that Pat worshipped the ground Nikki walked on yet, never questioned why she never showed up, made no sense.
8. Except for Pat, all of the characters are really just non-characters with names. They have no depth and they rarely speak. I would say that 95% of the entire book is Pat narrating and every other word is "Nikki."

All in all, it was an easy read. Had I not seen the movie, I think my review of the book would be the same. In a book where the main character is dealing with a mental illness and trying to live in the world with that illness, I expect to know the diagnosis, I expect the symptoms to be made known and I expect to understand why one might be having some of the troubles that come with that particular illness. This book does NONE of that. 


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