Waiting on Wednesday (24)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where bloggers feature upcoming book releases that they're looking forward to.

This week I'm eagerly anticipating...

Leap of Faith

by Jamie Blair

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 3, 2013

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Can true love be built on lies? A teen on the run seeks relief and redemption in this gripping, romantic read. Leah Kurtz has finally found a place to call home, a town where she and baby Addy can live in peace, far from the drug-infested place she grew up. Chris is one of the best parts of her new life, the only person who’s ever made her feel safe. And now that she’s found him, there’s no way she can tell the truth:

Her real name is Faith, not Leah. She’s seventeen, not nineteen. And the baby isn’t hers—Faith kidnapped her.

Faith’s history catches up with her when a cop starts asking questions and Chris’s aunt spots her picture in the newspaper. She knows it’s time to run again, but if Faith leaves, she’ll lose Chris. If Chris is in love with a lie, though, did Faith ever really have him in the first place?

I love a good contemporary, and this one sounds incredibly intriguing!

Only For You by Beverley Kendall

Note: This book was previously published under the title "When in Paris"

Only For You by Beverley Kendall
Release Date: January 4, 2013
Publisher: Season Publishing LLC
Pages: 270
Series: Unforgettable You #1
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
College freshman Olivia Montgomery is thrilled at the chance to start over, escape the rumors that plagued her in high school. And she can finally put her juvenile crush, Zachary Pearson, where he belongs--in her past. Then her unrequited love strolls into her French class, shattering Olivia's newfound peace, and the feelings she'd thought buried for good come rushing back. Now she can't shake her unwanted attraction to the one guy who can twist her stomach into knots with just a smile...but has never given her the time of day.

Zach's good looks may have always gotten him his pick of girls, but it's the star quarterback's skill on the football field that gives him his pick of the Big Ten colleges. To escape the crushing demands of his win-at-all-costs father, Zach opts for a private university in upstate New York where...his present and past collide. And the one girl he's always wanted but can't have--and a class trip to Paris--turn out to be the ultimate game changer that has him breaking every one of his rules.

My Thoughts:
What’s this? A New Adult book with a non-player, non-tattooed, non-bad boy? Woohoo! Colour me shocked and amazed. I really enjoyed ‘Only For You’, particularly because there were real reasons and obstacles to keep the main characters at a distance from one another. So often in romance there’s a dumb misunderstanding that keeps the hero and heroine apart, so it was nice to see something original in that regard. I also liked how Olivia and Zach had a history of attraction but not speaking to one another.

It’s really important for me, especially in a romance, I think, to identify with the characters and understand their motivations and decisions, and I’m glad to say that was the case here, for the most part. There was one thing that I didn't get why Zach didn't just divulge the whole situation instead of skirting around it and having it lead to further misunderstandings, but it wasn’t anything big enough to cause me to dislike the book.

‘Only For You’ features straightforward writing with nice swoony bits and well developed characters, including the secondary characters. I really appreciated how the subplot of the secondary characters was woven throughout the whole book instead of just having a few mentions here and there like a lot of companion series books do. It was enough to make you interested in reading the next full length novel, but not too much where you felt like this book was incomplete without resolving that plot. Overall I just really enjoyed this book, a lot more than most New Adults I've read in the past little while.

The Cover:
Not bad, but the models looks way too old for the characters.

Rating:
[4/5]

Find Only For You by Beverley Kendall on Goodreads & Amazon.

Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance

Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 304
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Pride & Prejudice meets Veronica Mars in this slick romantic spy-thriller where nothing’s as it seems.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She's busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she's sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her "nothing amazing," it's no loss for Berry. She'll forget him in no time. She's more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother's death.

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can't Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

My Thoughts:
How much fun was this book?! So good! As the description states, basically if you combine ‘Veronica Mars’ with ‘Pride & Prejudice’ you’ve got ‘Spies & Prejudice’. That’s kind of a perfect concept for me since I love both. Our main character, Berry, is definitely complicated and layered. Berry is tough and snarky as she deals with the death of her mother, but she’s a total Veronica: someone you empathize with and cheer for, even when she’s quick to judge and makes some wrong decisions. We love Berry despite these things, because ultimately she just wants justice and is trying to do the right thing.

The main plot of the book revolves around an investigation that Berry starts when she spies her BFF's dad with a paper that has her mom's name on it. Berry’s on a quest to prove that her mom didn't kill herself, and along the way she has to decide how far she'll do to get information (e.g. could she betray her BFF if it brings her closer to the truth?). On the romance P&P side of things, our Mr Darcy is represented by Tanner, who brings some major sa-woon to the picture. He’s another very complicated character who has some secrets of his own.

‘Spies & Prejudice’ was such a great read, and I love how effortlessly high concept the book gets. There’s an intricate plot with spies and corporate espionage, and yet it still completely feels like contemp YA with friendship, family, and romance making up a large part of it. ‘Spies & Prejudice’ is the perfect read for fans of Veronica Mars, but it would also be great for Ally Carter fans, especially those who might want something a bit older feeling. I loved this book, and I can’t wait to see what the author comes out with next.

The Cover:
I like it.

Rating:
[5/5]

Find Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.