Book Review: Guyliner by J. Leigh Bailey

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Guyliner
Author: J. Leigh Bailey
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Gay Fiction | Coming of Age
Released: October 17th 2016
Review Source: Corvisiero Literary Agency

Seventeen-year-old Connor works his butt off to maintain the golden-boy persona he’s created. He has the grades, the extracurriculars, the athletics, and a part-time job at his dad’s shop… every detail specifically chosen to ensure the college scholarships he needs to get the hell out of the Podunk town where he lives. The last thing he needs is an unexpected attraction to Graham, an eyeliner-wearing soccer phenom from St. Louis, who makes him question his goals and his sexuality. Sure, he’s noticed good-looking boys before—that doesn’t have to mean anything, right?—but he’s got a girlfriend. There’s no room on the agenda for hooking up with Graham, but the heart doesn’t always follow the rules.

As he and Graham grow close, other aspects of Connor’s life fall apart. Family pressure, bad luck, and rumors threaten to derail his carefully laid plans. Suddenly the future he’s fighting for doesn’t seem quite as alluring, especially if he has to deny who he really is to achieve it.

The first thing I was drawn to about this book was that amazing cover. It's perfect for the title and the story it contains inside its pages and super sexy. If those blue eyes don't draw you in, then I don't know what will. Then I was drawn in even more with the title, Guyliner. Then when you read the synopsis and see that there is a soccer eye-liner wearing soccer player, I was sold. 

The author did a really great job with Guyliner. I had never read anything that was just centered around M/M Romance only. I've read books, like J. R. Ward's Lover at Last, that had a M/M romance alongside M/F ones too. It was a nice treat to read something new and like I mentioned, great. I will definitely be checking out more titles that are in this same genre. 

So, Guyliner follows Connor, he is your typical high school athlete that everyone loves and admires. He is the school's all-star catcher for the baseball team and has the perfect girlfriend. Home life is a little hectic but he deals and works with his dad. Connor has his whole future planned out, the one thing he knows is he wants out of his little town when he graduates and he plans to do that via baseball. Then one rainy day in the weight room, Connor meets Guyliner. At first he wonders why this guy is wearing eyeliner but then his thoughts begin to wonder into unknown territory that freaks him out. Why was he just checking out the new transfer student? Needless to say, this freaks him out and he tries to avoid Graham (Guyliner) by all means necessary. But sometimes what you wish, isn't always what happens. Seems that Connor's life plans might be changing very soon. Will Connor maintain on the life plan he has mapped out? Or will Guyliner deviate him? 

I connected with all the characters in Guyliner, especially with Connor and Graham. They were fun to read about. I recommend this book, if you love a good romance and something quick and easy to read. Great book to sit by a fireplace and drink hot cocoa with while wrapped in your warmest blanket. Make sure to check out Guyliner today.

If you are curious or wondering how heavy the M/M gets, It won't make you uncomfortable or squeamish. It's written very tastefully, the author did a great job about that. 

Book Review: Alpha by Karina Expinosa

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Alpha
Mackenzie Grey #3
Author: Karina Espinosa
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Paranormal
Released: November 15th 2016
Review Source: Black Quill Publishing

It’s hard being a Princess.

Mackenzie Grey never felt as vulnerable as she does now—but that won’t stop her from getting what she wants: revenge. Kenz and her friends journey to a new land where everyone has a motive and everyone is a suspect. The Lunas find their voices after the massacre but question still stands—who is the real enemy? If Mackenzie wants to free herself, she will need to free them all; and it won’t be easy. As she approaches her 24th birthday—in the middle of a web of lies, deception, and murder—Kenz has to weave her way to the truth before she’s next on the chopping block.

With her companions, Mackenzie will make her final stand and change the course of the Lycan world forever…

Mac is back, the revolution failed and a tribunal is to be held. Likely to her death, what's a girl gotta do to be left alone? Everything's coming together in Alpha.

I really don't want to give too many spoilers. The King of the Lycans and his family is straight outta game of Thrones and it works for me, the whole magical underground of creatures are also having issues within themselves, alliances are being made and broken left and right as Mackenzie is trying to keep her head on her shoulders.

I liked how everything came together, I'm curious if there will be a book four since there is the opportunity for more but if not, it was a nicely wrapped up ending I'd felt satisfied. I have really enjoyed the series, the characters have some serious growth, and the characters stay true to their nature. The POV from Scar was a bit odd, it was short and I didn't really see how it added much. I would have loved a POV from Amy after all she had endured and would wanted to see her and Jackson's aftermath, how that played out.

I appreciate the arc in exchange for an honest review, I am thrilled to have gotten the chance to read the book. I have been anxiously waiting for it since Caged.

Book Review: All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

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ALL THE UGLY AND WONDERFUL THINGS
Author:Bryn Greenwood
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Coming of Age | Dark
Released: August 9, 2016
Review Source: Thomas Dunne Books

As the daughter of a meth dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. Struggling to raise her little brother, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible "adult" around. She finds peace in the starry Midwestern night sky above the fields behind her house. One night everything changes when she witnesses one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold, wreck his motorcycle. What follows is a powerful and shocking love story between two unlikely people that asks tough questions, reminding us of all the ugly and wonderful things that life has to offer.

Where do I even start with this one!?  I absolutely loved this book.  This book has a whole lot of ugly as the title suggests but there is beauty in overcoming the horrible things life sometimes throws at you.

The mother in me truly struggled to read certain parts of this book. Hearing the realness of what kids go through in a drug influenced atmosphere was so incredibly heartbreaking. I wanted to put myself in this insane world and hug Wavy and Donal and take them away from the horrible lives they had to endure for so long.

The story begins in the spring of '75 in a small town in the Midwest.  It's written in multiple point of views, which I normal freakin HATE but it works in this book.  Wavy, a six year old little girl, and her brother Donal, a baby, are dealt an extremely shitty hand. They live with a certifiably crazy, drug addicted mother, Val and occasionally Liam, their meth making/dealing father would come around.  Val's neglect forces Wavy to look after herself and her baby brother.  Two years later, after being moved around from different family member's homes, Wavy is back with her mother.  Standing in a field, she notices a man she had never seen before, on a motorcycle, coming down the road. He notices her too, causing him to crash his bike.  Both of their lives changed that day.  The book covers more than a decade of the lives and experiences of the characters.

I don't want to say anything more about the story line because I feel it would give the story away.  I had such mixed emotions reading this book. I think the writing was so raw and brilliant. It was unlike anything I have ever read before.  I had a love/hate relationship with Wavy's aunt, Brenda. The mother in me sides with every choice she makes, the 14 year old girl in me feels so sorry for Wavy.  While I felt closure at the end, I was left with a lot of questions.  I hope the author writes another book on Donal's life so I can see more from his point of view.

This book won't be for everyone so I have to put that out there. There are some topics some may struggle to read because at times it was hard for me but it was such an ugly, wonderful book. The title could not be more accurate.  I recommend everyone at least give this amazing story a chance. It's a life changing book that I'll never forget.

Book Review: The Event by Colleen Young

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The Event
The Taking Flight Trilogy #3
Author: Colleen Young
Reading Level: New Adult
Genres: Coming of Age | Romance
Release Date: June 24th 2016
Review Source: Author

Book Two of the Taking Flight trilogy came to a startling close and Book Three opens directly after “The Event,” which will cause all three main characters to examine and struggle with everything that’s happened over the last 18 months of their lives.

Weaving between the three points of view of Cory, Cole, and Samson, this installment of the series follows along as they grapple with new challenges like panic attacks, the meaning of family, religious faith (or lack thereof), and even a surprise wedding. The Event ultimately explores the fragile makeup of the human condition, the ties that bind us together, and how we must learn to live with the choices we make.

The Event is book three in the Taking Flight Series by Colleen Young. Book two in this series left us off with a huge cliffhanger, so this book finally leads us to the “big event” that has been alluded to throughout this series. This book might be a little hard for me to describe without giving too much away, and I don’t want to do that. So I am going to do my best to be as vague as possible while at the same time really try to sell you this book and series as a whole since I absolutely loved it from start to finish. As I mentioned in my review for book two, Cory (the lead female character of the series) went completely out of character for herself and made some really questionable choices. She and Samson (her best friend and guy who we have been routing for her to get together with) finally do get together, but her ex-boyfriend from book one, Cole, has never been too far outside of the picture. He was determined to get Cory back, fight for her even though she is with Samson now, and then in a moment of weakness while Cory and Samson are fighting, she gives in and cheats on Samson with Cole. Now, if I were to look at that one isolated incident as a one time mistake that was made during a vulnerable time when they were fighting, I could understand it a little. I don’t think it is right, I still am mad at Cory for doing that to Samson, but I could have let it go. The fact that even though Cory and Cole don’t physically cheat again, they are still overly affectionate and emotionally inappropriate with each other secretly behind Samson’s back. That really had me turning against Cory, whom I really loved prior to all that.

But all of that recaps book two. Like I mentioned earlier book two ends and book three starts with Samson finally finding out what Cory did with Cole, and let’s just say that the when and where he finds out that type of emotional information is not good. If you can gather that this book revolves around these characters going to college to become pilots, finding out really bad and emotional information about the woman you love while involving the topic of being pilots in training…well you can do the math. I guess this point of the story was where I became really conflicted. I had been routing for Cory and Samson to be together from day one, so when they finally did so in book two I was happy, but then when all was revealed to Samson I was hurt and sad for him. I didn’t want the tragic details of “the event” to cloud his judgment and have him forget all of what Cory did to him, but then again at the same time I still wanted them to have their happily ever after with each other. So let’s just say this third book starts out with a big cluster of mess.

Then there is Cole. Ugh Cole! Let me start by saying that I really liked Cole in book one. It is the first time I have read a book where there was a love triangle that I wasn’t necessarily pulling for one guy over the other. But once Cory and Cole broke up and she and Samson got together it just felt right and felt the way that it was supposed to. Cole really started grating on my nerves when he continued to pursue Cory relentlessly throughout book two and three. I completely blame Cory for the cheating, but Cole was all too willing to get into the middle of those two and try and screw it up for his own selfish reasons. Even in this book after the horrific event, Cole wedges himself into Cory’s family even further as someone for Cory to lean on even when she is at a really vulnerable point.

So did Samson just forget about all the indiscretions that he learned about Cory and Cole? No, and this book is a journey for all three characters to find truth, progress, healing, and to ultimately figure out what they really want and from who they want it with. They all need to fall to the very bottom before they can all begin to build themselves back up. Where the chips may fall when they get to the finish line is part of the wonderfully written suspense. I give this book four stars. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is just because book two happened to be my favorite in the series, but book three is still really good and I highly recommend this series to readers. As I have mentioned in previous reviews, Colleen Young has such a great way of writing that is smart, realistic, and she is able to give you the drama without dumbing things down for the readers. I have found that happens too much in YA books, but thankfully this author has found the knack to write a YA love story that is smart, funny and realistic. My only complaint is that this is the last book of the series. Let’s hope she continues it in some way. But if not, I definitely have this author on alert for any new series that she puts out there.SaveSave

Book Review: Taking Flight by Colleen Young

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Taking Flight
The Taking Flight Trilogy #1
Author: Colleen Young
Reading Level: New Adult
Genres: Romance | Coming of Age
Released: January 15th 2016
Review Source: Author

The trouble with growing up is that you have to figure out who you want to be…

As if moving out of her parents' house and away from her hometown wasn’t scary enough, Cory Sorrano finds herself at Southern Gulf University not knowing a soul on campus. She is chasing her childhood dreams of becoming a female pilot in the male-dominated aviation industry and already feeling the pressure to succeed.

On the first day of class, Cory quite literally bumps into Samson Wallis, a fellow Aviation major who is easy on the eyes but has an equally gorgeous girlfriend back home in Virginia. As the two help each other navigate through the ups and downs of their freshman year in college, people around them can’t help but notice their unmistakable chemistry.

As Cory struggles to understand her magnetic friendship with Samson, she also needs to make sense of her complicated relationship with her dark and mysterious flight instructor, Cole Turner. Will she ever be able to make it as a female pilot with all of these handsome distractions surrounding her?

Taking Flight is the first book of the Taking Flight Trilogy by author Colleen Young. This book follows Cory Sorrano as she heads off to her first year of college where she will study to become a pilot. She meets Samson, also in school to become a pilot. The two hit it off right away and become really good friends. There is an obvious attraction that they both have for each other but they also respect their friendship enough to not jump into anything. There is also Cory’s flight instructor Cole who is a bit of an enigma to Cory, but the attraction between the two of them is obvious from the start. Unlike other stories I have read before where there is a love triangle of sorts I didn’t find myself necessarily routing for one guy or the other. I really liked both guys and thought it was well written from a realistic point of view, where one guy doesn’t have to be the villain while the other is the hero who the girl has to end up with. Although both guys are very different personality wise, and Cory’s interactions with each has a different vibe, they are both truly good characters who would make good fits for her.

I didn’t really know what to expect about the tone and flow of this book when I started, but I quickly learned that it was a story that felt like a breath of fresh air. I say this because it is funny in a very natural and realistic way. Cory acts like a normal girl. She has some very funny interactions with her family that left me laughing out loud. She is also not your typical damsel in distress who needs to be saved by the boy she likes. She isn’t shy and reserved, and she doesn’t let stupid misunderstandings unnecessarily drag out in order to cause drama between characters. Cory is funny, she speaks her mind, she can hang with the boys, yet she also can be girly when she is around a guy she likes. I loved her sharp wit and great comebacks. I really liked her character. I felt like I could relate with her more than any other female character I have read about on a really realistic human level.

This story has it all…comedy, love, lust, growing pains and more. If you are looking for something that has a great story plot and all the above things I listed then this book is for you. I can’t wait for the next book to come out so I can see where Cory, Samson and Cole end up. The story ended unresolved and open ended so there is so much more to come and I want to know it all now! I give this story 4 stars. Great, great book!

You can also read Yara's review of Taking Flight HERE.

Book Review: Taking Flight by Colleen Young

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Taking Flight
The Taking Flight Trilogy #1
Author: Colleen Young
Reading Level: New Adult
Genres: Romance | Coming of Age
Released: January 15th 2016
Review Source: Author

The trouble with growing up is that you have to figure out who you want to be…

As if moving out of her parents' house and away from her hometown wasn’t scary enough, Cory Sorrano finds herself at Southern Gulf University not knowing a soul on campus. She is chasing her childhood dreams of becoming a female pilot in the male-dominated aviation industry and already feeling the pressure to succeed.

On the first day of class, Cory quite literally bumps into Samson Wallis, a fellow Aviation major who is easy on the eyes but has an equally gorgeous girlfriend back home in Virginia. As the two help each other navigate through the ups and downs of their freshman year in college, people around them can’t help but notice their unmistakable chemistry.

As Cory struggles to understand her magnetic friendship with Samson, she also needs to make sense of her complicated relationship with her dark and mysterious flight instructor, Cole Turner. Will she ever be able to make it as a female pilot with all of these handsome distractions surrounding her?

It's great when a book you never heard of before ends up in your inbox.  I'm so glad I received the opportunity to review Taking Flight for Colleen Young, if not I would have probably never heard about the series. You guys need to visit Young's website to see all the covers for this series. I LOVE each and everyone of the covers for The Taking Flight trilogy. The other titles in The Taking Flight trilogy are Remove Before Flight (book 2) due out March 25, 2016 and The Event (book 3) due out June 2016.

So Taking Flight is New Adult with characters that are attending a university. The main character Cory, is a aviation major and female. Why did I mention female? Well because only 2% of aviation majors are female and Cory has everyone rooting against her pretty much trying to discourage her about the major she picked because it's a male profession. That isn't going to stop Cory from chasing her dream. So everyone and anyone better step aside and let Cory do work.

This first book in the series we are introduced to the different characters that are all involved with Cory in someway or another. We meet Samson (swoon-worthy), the guy that becomes her "BFF" and her flight instructor who is a senior at the university, that's Cole. Then we meet Cory's friends from high school that all attend different schools now. And a few more folks that are enrolled with Cory at school. Cory is ready to tackle her freshman year and not let anything get in her way or distract her. Ha! Easier said than done. Cory is going to hit some speed bumps and I'm not taking about in the sky when she is flying, oh no. I'm talking about the "boy" kind of speed bumps.

Follow along in Taking Flight as Cory will have to learn to handle boys, flying and school. The story will keep you entertained till the end. I really clicked with Cory's character, she is snarky and I liked that about her. What will happen? Will Cory pass or fail? You will have to take my word and begin reading Taking Flight today! I can't wait to get my hands on book 2, to see what's next.

Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Contemporary | Coming of Age
Released: April 1st 2012
Review Source: Purchased

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and she's never felt more alone. All mismatched clothes, mad red hair and chaotic home life, she couldn't stick out more if she tried. Then she takes the seat on the bus next to Park. Quiet, careful and - in Eleanor's eyes - impossibly cool, Park's worked out that flying under the radar is the best way to get by. Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mixed tapes, Eleanor and Park fall in love. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you're 16, and you have nothing and everything to lose. Set over the course of one school year in 1986, Eleanor and Park is funny, sad, shocking and true - an exquisite nostalgia trip for anyone who has never forgotten their first love.

I had really high expectations for this book. There is so much hype surrounding it - John Green even reviewed it on the New York Times. Even after all of that, this book still surpassed my expectations. It’s witty, awkward, heart-wrenching, and so, so beautiful.

Eleanor comes from not-the-best of families - A father who doesn’t want her, a mother who’s stopped caring, and a verbally abusive step dad. Park, however, is the poster-boy for this city - Mom and Dad met in Korea while his dad was deployed in the military, they fell in love and came back to the U.S., and he has a close relationship to his brother.

When Eleanor returns home to her mother, after being kicked out for the past year by her step dad, she dreads having to start over again. That is until she actually starts speaking to the boy she’s sat next to on the school bus for the whole year. Don’t misunderstand the context - it was all baby steps, side glances, and learning one another. Which I think just adds to why these characters are so special.

They are truly in absolute love with each other, even at only 16 years-old. The language just makes your heart swell and an involuntary smile to spread on your face.

Although, I will say, it has one of those endings that leaves you wanting more even if the whole conflict in the story was resolved. I know even if there were to be a book 2, it would never compare to this masterpiece of literature.

There’s not much else I can say about this book other than to get your hands on it and have the best time while reading it. It really is all you can do.

Book Review: Stones by Polly Johnson

Stones
Author: Polly Johnson
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary | Coming Of Age
Released: December 9th 2013
Review Source: Harper Collins UK | Netgalley

Coo is trying to cope with the hand that life has dealt her. At sixteen, she feels she’s too young to have lost her older brother, Sam, to alcoholism. She’s skipping school to avoid the sympathy and questions of her friends and teachers, and shunning her parents, angry that they failed to protect her, and desperate to avoid having to face the fact that, towards the end, she began to wish Sam would leave forever – even die. Then, one day, truanting by the Brighton seafront, Coo meets Banks, a homeless alcoholic and she’s surprised to discover that it is possible for her life to get more complicated.Despite warnings from her friends and family, Coo and Banks develop an unlikely friendship. Brought together through a series of unexpected events, strange midnight feasts, a near drowning and the unravelling of secrets, together they seek their chance for redemption. That is, until Coo’s feelings start getting dangerously out of hand.

I put off reading Stones for a while. A few months, actually.  Not because it didn’t sound good, not because I didn’t want to read it, but because I wasn’t sure if I could handle such a sad sounding story. I regret postponing reading it because it was an enjoyable novel, for lack of a better word.

It was a gritty, realistic look on grief and how alcoholism can destroy a person’s life. Stones wasn’t a happy story, nor is it something I’d usually go for but I picked it up anyway. I'm glad I did. It's sad and deals with heavy situations, far from a light novel, but I don't regret reading it. Stones shows alcoholism from two different angles, both stark in differences, but both ugly. This isn't a fast paced novel, but takes us deep into Coo's life, at her worst, and on her way to her best.

The author did a fantastic job of potrying Coo (Corinne). I felt her desperation and lonliness. In her mind she's invisible to everyone, especially to her parents who are still heavily wrapped in in the death of their son, and I felt like everything she was going through was real.

Stones isn’t your typical book. Coo is grieving. It’s been nearly a year since her brother died, heart problems charged by his alcohol and substance abuse, but is it bad that she doesn’t miss him? Towards the end the alcohol made Sam angry, violent, and she doesn’t miss him because of the fists he raised to his own family. Worse yet, her parents have yet to really acknowledge her since Sam’s death. And that’s how she begins an unlikely friendship with Banks, a homeless alcoholic.

The friendship between Banks and Coo is a very unlikely one. She’s a sixteen-year-old girl who’s still dealing with the loss of her brother and he’s a thirty-something-year-old homeless alcoholic. They’re not two people you’d put together for a friendship, especially since it was alcoholism which drove her brother to being the brute he became. But it was the Coo/Banks scenes which I enjoyed most. Banks wasn’t just a tramp; he was an insightful man who wanted Coo to avoid the mistakes he made.

There are a lot of broken characters in Stones. There are double the amount of characters with issues and problems than there are without. I don’t think I’ve read a story before where the majority of characters, main or secondary, are broken.

Taking everything into account, I would recommend this novel. This may not be your cup of tea but at least give it ago. A novel out of your comfort zone now and then can end up being a favourite.