Sempre by J.M. Darhower

Sempre by J.M. Darhower
Release Date: originally self-published 2012; ebook on November 25, 2013; paperback coming February 25, 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 528
Series: Forever #1
Review Source: Edelweiss

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

A sexy novel about two seventeen-year-olds—one a victim of human trafficking; the other the son of the man who enslaved her—who fall in love and question everything they ever believed…
Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco grew up under vastly different circumstances. Haven, a second-generation slave, was isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege and excess.

Now, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think.

In a world full of chaos, where money and power rule, Haven and Carmine yearn to break free, but a string of events that began before either of them were born threatens to destroy them instead. Murder and betrayal are a way of life, and nothing comes without a price—especially not freedom. But how much will they have to sacrifice? Can they escape their pasts? And, most of all, what does it mean to be free

My Thoughts:
Looking back on my reading of this book I just think “ugh”, which is never a good thing. Full disclosure: I stopped reading Sempre at 70%, however I did skim through the rest, so I figure I have a right to share my thoughts (unlike a true DNF where I stop reading within the first 30% or so). I was intrigued by the idea of this book, but I mostly wanted to read it because bloggers whose taste I usually share were raving about it. Well, this is one case where we differ, because I definitely didn’t care for this one. I have to say, though, that it kept me reading that long (and this is a long book, so 70% is a lot of pages), and that’s something.

For this book to really work I think you have to be 100% behind the relationship between Haven and Carmine, and I just didn't really get their connection. They were cute together, I guess, but it felt like Carmine changed for no real reason, with no real trouble… but he was still a very complicated character. I didn’t really understand what made Haven care for him, except for the Stockholm Syndrome aspect of him being the first guy her age she’s ever really known, and the first person to treat her relatively well.

One thing that really distracted me about the book, and that I found problematic, was that Haven didn't worry about her mom more often. I could understand her not trying to escape her circumstances because she’s lived her whole life as a slave and doesn't really understand freedom, but to basically never think about her mom at all except in convenient scenes? Very strange. I was also confused by the way her intelligence was presented. She supposedly teaches herself how to read and soaks up information from Jeopardy like a sponge, which, okay, some people are like that. But then she would be completely naive about certain expressions or customs, while others, that seemed more obscure to me, she totally understood. Like can we talk about the cherry coke thing? Carmine asks her to get him a Cherry Coke, and Haven comes back with a Coke with real cherries in, which surprises Carmine. This clearly indicates that there was Cherry Coke in the fridge. Haven, why would you look past the pop can with PINK CHERRIES on it (no reading comprehension necessary) and instead go for regular Coke and add cherries to it? That is such a dumb little thing, but it really bugged me.

I guess the worst thing about this book, from my perspective, is that it was so high stakes -- like serious actual consequences happening, which I did appreciate -- but I never felt nervous or upset about things. I was actually pretty apathetic while characters were getting killed, and that’s a horrible way to feel. I think I was just so bored with repetitive scenes of things like cleaning the house and making dinner that by the time the action scenes were occurring I just didn’t care at all. The book is so incredibly long, and yet it feels like not a lot happens in it. Perhaps most frustrating of all was the fact that, despite its length, the book feels like it’s missing background information and character development -- you’re thrown into the situation without really knowing how it all works. For some books that can be awesome, but for this one it just felt confusing.

While there’s obviously something about Sempre that has made its readers praise it so much, I clearly missed out on that aspect. Sempre lured me in and made me give it chance after chance, but in the end I just couldn’t care enough to actually finish the book.

The Cover:
Not my fave, but it is very fitting.

Rating:
[2/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Chapters-Indigo (preorder) | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository (preorder)

Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes

Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 352
Series: n/a
Review Source: eARC from publisher

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Olivia

He tilts my chin up so my eyes meet his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get me into trouble. I don’t care.

At least at this moment, I don’t care.

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…

Z

I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that taste like strawberry Fanta.

It was just a kiss. That’s all. She’s just like any other girl.

Except that she’s not.

Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted.

My Thoughts:
I liked so much what this author tried to do. Bringing Oliver Twist into a modern setting isn’t an easy thing to do, because of the differences in society, with poor laws, orphanages, etc. So having a group home setting where the kids are computer hackers instead of pickpockets? It was a genius way of connecting the stories, and I give Vivi Barnes props for coming up with the idea.

But while I loved the idea of the book, the execution just seemed almost boring. I just wasn't into it at all, and I had a hard time finishing it, mostly because I didn't really care about the characters. I’m not sure why I had this lack of connection: maybe because I wanted more background information? Or because of one situation that I found a little implausible? Either way, I’m sorry to say that I didn’t really care for this one.

The Cover:
Not a fan, at all.

Rating:
[2/5]

Purchase Links:
Book Depository | Chapters-Indigo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble

No One's Angel by Kelly Walker

No One's Angel by Kelly Walker
Release Date: September 6, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 390
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
If you are looking for an intense, passionate love so wrong it is right, a story about losing your way but clawing desperately at any chance to find your way back, about hanging on to your last shred of sanity and trusting someone enough to let go of your fears, look no further. No One's Angel's angel is a New Adult (NA) Contemporary Romance about a girl learning to fight back and a boy learning to let go.

Tess used to spend more hours than she'd care to admit playing her favorite computer game, using the nickname Angel. She could pretend her life was different, and she could pretend Arion was just a friend. But a girl needs more to keep her warm at night than pixels, and she traded her virtual heaven for a real-life hell. Now she's on the run from a past she won't talk about, and the only place she has to go is the doorstep of the friend she's never actually met.

When Angel disappeared from their nightly games, it nearly destroyed Arion. He threw himself into work and women, but he can't help knowing the one-night stands will never compare to the angel who haunts his dreams. At first, when she shows up soaking wet and scared-shitless on his doorstep, he thinks his prayers have been answered.

But the more Arion tries to keep Angel close, the more her fear drives her away. If they are ever going to have a chance for a future, they'll first have to deal with the past that hasn't forgotten her any more than she's forgotten it--and Arion will have to learn how to let her go.

My Thoughts:
While I can’t say I truly liked this book overall, there are definitely some good points to it. The writing style flowed well, and I really liked how Angel (Tess) and Arion (Axel) met as gamers, and that their relationship was one that blossomed online. The author also did a great job with showing the fear and power that Nick had over Tess -- it felt very real.

What I didn't really care for how fast Angel and Arion got together romantically. It felt overwhelming for Angel to run from a horrible situation with one guy to a romance with someone else straight away, even if she did have history with Arion. Granted, Angel did have qualms about the situation, and it wasn't all smooth sailing, but it still felt sudden to me. Arion was actually a bit of a boring love interest, I thought. Even though we get his POV it never felt like we got to know him deeply, especially since he's a bit of an unreliable narrator, knowing and doing things without talking about them to the reader.

I also found that some things in the book felt a bit unrealistic, like the set-up with the police. There were things that happened that didn’t feel natural because there weren’t any hints or mentions beforehand. I think this book is very close to getting 3 stars, but I found it a bit too problematic. It doesn’t help that a story like this feels formulaic by now, and you need to really rise above it with a stellar plot and/or incredibly fabulous character building to make it stand out. I feel like a lot of New Adult authors need to realize that there are other ways to get people together besides having the guy protect a girl from assault. I’m a bit frustrated that this was the case here, considering Angel and Arion have such a fabulous and colourful history with their gamer friendship. Overall, not a title I really enjoyed, but I could see the potential in it.

The Cover:
Typical NA cover, I suppose, but I like it alright.

Rating:
[2.5/5]

Add No One's Angel by Kelly Walker on Goodreads. Purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, & Kobo.

How To Love by Katie Cotugno

How To Love by Katie Cotugno
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)
Pages: 389
Series: n/a
Review Source: Edelweiss; also received ARC from HarperCollins Canada

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

My Thoughts:
How To Love was such a different book than I expected it to be, especially after seeing so many people raving about it. The book was less actual romance and more about two people being in the same orbit, but on totally different trajectories. It’s a portrait of Reena, a girl who has generally always been the good, smart girl, but who lets herself do some pretty dumb things in the name of a boy who she's been obsessed with for forever.

I like reading “Before & After” stories, but it doesn’t always work to have those perspectives interspersed. I feel like the story was mapped out pretty well here, but because of the characters I had a hard time connecting with it. I feel like Sawyer was supposed to be this bad boy who you couldn't help but love because of how charming he was, but I didn’t feel that way at all. I found Sawyer to be very troubled. He was smarmy and he didn't treat Reena right at all. There's not a lot (or anything?) redeemable about 'Before' Sawyer, which makes it harder to truly root for these two in the 'After' section. This is especially true because being around Sawyer makes 'After' Reena seem very childish. I did feel like Sawyer had changed, and I applauded that he wanted to stand up and be there, but it felt like “too little, too late”, most especially because he was so blasé about the past. This guy treated Reena terribly, just left her without any notice, and then he comes waltzing back in years later and doesn’t even take the time to apologize or explain or anything. Reena, on the other hand, always let 'Before' Sawyer walk all over her, and while she tries to change this in the 'After', I didn't see any real evidence of her making better choices. She's let everything fester under the surface, and she takes advantage of the good people in her life.

This is a slower moving story, one you need to unravel, and it's definitely more of a character study and an examination of a relationship than it is a plot-driven novel. I didn’t wholly dislike it (the writing style itself was great), but I think I just wanted a happier ending where both characters stepped up. I wanted Sawyer to actually admit his faults, and I wanted Reena to choose to grow up. I felt like we deserved something more than just the promise of hope after reading about such misery throughout the book.

The Cover:
It's gorgeous!!

Rating:
[2/5]

Find How To Love by Katie Cotugno on Goodreads and HarperCollins Canada. Purchase through Book Depository, Chapters Indigo, Amazon.ca, & Amazon.com.

Crave by Monica Murphy

Crave by Monica Murphy
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Pages: 100
Series: Billionaire Bachelors Club #1
Review Source: Edelweiss

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Billionaire Archer Bancroft always gets what he wants—and he’s wanted Ivy Emerson, his best friend’s sister, for far too long. Being forbidden and untouchable only makes her more tempting. When a million-dollar bet with his friends throws down a challenge—last bachelor standing takes all—Archer knows he can win. That is, until one enchanted evening with Ivy takes his heart for a ride.

Ivy knows Archer is nothing but bad news: Infuriating, arrogant…and completely intoxicating. But despite her best efforts, she can’t seem to keep away. When a stolen kiss leads to a night of heated passion, Ivy realizes she’s in trouble and in head over heels.

But in the light of day, everything seems clearer and Archer’s not so sure a one-night stand is all he wants. Concocting a plan to keep Ivy by his side, Archer might just be willing to lose this bet…and win the jackpot instead.

My Thoughts:
‘Crave’ is a book of an in between length, a bit too long to be considered a novella, but definitely not what I consider full novel length. What this means is there wasn’t a lot of time for plot or character development. I did start off really enjoying this read because the characters had off the charts chemistry and there was a history there, which them knowing each other since they were teenagers.

What quickly became clear to me, though, was that both characters annoyed me. Ivy was argumentative for the sake of being so, and she rejects Archer but then is pissed off when he defensively does the same. Archer, on the other hand, was the stereotypical broken womanizer character, but we really don't get to know him well or understand who he is. He could be forgiven for the way he acts, considering he has to deal with Ivy’s hot and cold attitude, but then he totally lost my respect by ordering Ivy around and being completely macho and controlling.

I think why this failed to engage me is because it featured lots of misunderstandings and not communicating, which is my least favourite kind of romantic conflict. This book had a promising plot line (I can’t resist "brother's best friend/best friend's little sister" romances), but the execution failed to impress me. It all felt very shallow to me, I think because the length of the story stopped there from being any real depth or background.

The Cover:
I like it, generally.

Rating:
[2/5]

Find Crave by Monica Murphy on Goodreads & Amazon.

This is W.A.R. by Lisa & Laura Roecker

This is W.A.R. by Lisa & Laura Roecker
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Publisher: Soho Teen
Pages: 288
Series: n/a
Review Source: Edelweiss

Synopsis: (from book website)
everyone at hawthorne lake country club saw willa ames-rowan climb into a boat with james gregory, the club's heir apparent. and everyone at hawthorne lake country club watched him return.

alone.
​
no one believes that willa's drowning was an accident. after all, she held the club record for the 1500 meter freestyle. and the gregory family has a history of making troublesome girls disappear.
​
they all know james gregory killed her.
​
but none of them will say a word.
​
enter the w.a.r.--the war to avenge Willa's death. four girls. four very different motives to avenge, and only one rule: destroy
the gregory family at any cost. innocence is lost, battles are won, and the pursuit of the truth ultimately threatens to destroy them all.

My Thoughts:
I was so intrigued by this concept and I had enjoyed the Liar Society books by these authors immensely. To me, though, ‘This is W.A.R.’ felt like it had been written by entirely different people. While Liar Society features an incredibly smart and resourceful heroine, the girls here were way out of their league and were grasping for straws.

The first thing this book requires of its reader is a huge suspension of disbelief. Unfortunately I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t believe that every single person in a community (as insular as it was) would “know” that a boy killed a girl and just wouldn’t say anything about it because of how rich and important the family is. Of course there are people, rich and poor, that would lie for their own, but there are also tons of people with morals who would never corroborate a fake story. In order to enjoy this book you also have to believe that the local police department is so inept that they wouldn't find anything strange with the murder scene. You have to believe that in the drowning of a teenager they wouldn’t check the blood-alcohol levels or do a tox screen to see what caused her death. To me, this just didn’t make sense.

I also had a hard time with the motivations of the girls and what exactly they were trying to do. They want justice for their friend’s death, and instead of trying to gather evidence of what happened and actually get the killer prosecuted, they decide that taking away the inheritance of the culprit and his brother is the way to go. So apparently being poor is a good punishment for murder? They also apparently think that stupid teenage pranks will be enough to cause the grandfather of the boys to disinherit them. Ladies, if their grandfather is paying people off to cover up a murder, do you really think that pictures of a drug deal or having an antique watch go missing will make a difference?

This book is told from four perspectives, and each girl knows a little something different about the night their friend was killed. Unfortunately the voices here really blended together and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. The stakes of this book were just so high, and the immature teenage pranks that would have been fun or witty in another book just came off as ridiculous here. I so wish I could say I liked this one, because the authors are awesome, but I just wasn’t feeling it at all.

The Cover:
Generally like.

Rating:
[2/5]

Find This is W.A.R. by Lisa & Laura Roecker on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

This Girl by Colleen Hoover

This Girl by Colleen Hoover
Release Date: April 30, 2013 (ebook), August 13, 2013 (print)
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 304
Series: Slammed #3
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
There are two sides to every love story. Now hear Will’s.

Colleen Hoover’s New York Times bestselling Slammed series has brought countless readers to their knees with a whirlwind of love, passion, and heartache.

Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series.

My Thoughts:
I mostly picked up this book because I was intrigued by idea of re-telling a whole book from the POV of the other romantic lead. I wondered how it could tell the whole same story and still be new. The answer is, unfortunately, it can't. At least not in this case.

I really liked Slammed and Point of Retreat, but I felt like they could get a bit melodramatic at times. Still, Layken is a teenager and a lot is happening in her life, so it's understandable to an extent. Of course since this was the same story I felt the same thing here, which is unfortunate, because you would think Will's perspective might be a little more mature or different. Unfortunately the whole book just felt like it was a retelling of Will mooning over Lake and wanting to kiss her, but not being able to, and it was just all so incredibly tragic, apparently.

While I did find the first two books a bit melodramatic I still enjoyed them because the whole cast of characters made everything interesting and balanced things out. Here the book just featured Will and Lake, and the flashbacks were basically monologues about Will and Lake exclusively. Maybe I'm heartless but it just felt boring for the most part. The highlight, for me, were some conversations that Lake didn’t know took place between Will and her Mom.

I feel like a bit of a downer reviewing this one, especially since I know there are so many die hard fans of the books. If you're a huge fan of the couple then you will probably love it. For me, though, the in between honeymoon scenes weren't enough to bridge the story together, and even some of those really weirded me out (Public hotel pool sex? Ick. There are ways exhibitionism totally works in romances, but that scene completely did not). The flashbacks felt disjointed and kept referring to moments or details from the past two books that I had a hard time remembering.

Did this one have its good moments? Absolutely, but those moments weren’t enough for me to enjoy the book overall.

The Cover:
Like!

Rating:
[2.5/5]

Find This Girl by Colleen Hoover on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.