Wildfire (Maple Hills, #2) by Hannah Grace Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Icebreaker on my blog, now!

I was a bit skeptical to go into this interconnected standalone sequel considering how I felt about Icebreaker, but I was so incredibly surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. Hannah Grace's writing definitely improved, and the forbidden romance was one hundred times more interesting to read about compared to the friends with benefits trope that Anastasia and Nate had in Icebreaker. Russ and Aurora's backgrounds are also leagues above when it comes to drawing the reader in and making them feel for the characters. Obviously, we do not want our characters to have suffered, but the raw emotions that both leads were able to portray were complex and well-developed.

Aurora's personal life was so interesting - I did not expect her to have such a complicated relationship with not only her father, but also her mother. Considering her father's business ventures and celebrity-esque status, I was worried that the author would not be able to incorporate it into her struggles in the book. However, Grace was able to truly create a family dynamic that weighed on Aurora's personal life, as well as create her father as someone that readers grew to despise as the story went on. Even with their limited interactions, I felt as though I would recoil from the way that he spoke to Aurora and the expectations that he would set for her even though they were not nearly as close.

That being said, the home life of Russ is just as convoluted as Aurora's, and honestly has much higher stakes but in a different sense. Without revealing the exact issues that riddle Russ and his father, I can say that Russ receives just as much pressure from his father as Aurora does from her. The sibling dynamic with Russ and his brother is much different compared to Aurora and her sister's relationship, and the author was able to show two sides of sibling interactions this way - supportive for Aurora and manipulating for Russ. I could have read even more about Russ and his brother's relationship as I found it really elevated the development that Russ experienced.

Russ and Aurora's forbidden relationship was fun to read - there was a sense of urgency and secrecy as you read the book, and knowing that they were both at risk of being fired the entire time made it all the more juicy to watch play out. Watching them constantly run around and hide in every nook and cranny at this summer camp had me cackling, and it was refreshing to see how much Aurora and Russ cared about one another from the beginning, rather than this being a summer fling turned something more at the very end. Their spicy scenes were low-key wild and so much better than the ones in Icebreaker - they were also well-placed out in the book and did not overwhelm the overall plot of the book.

This installment has renewed my faith in Hannah Grace's writing, and while this is still technically a hockey romance, it did not feel like it. While you do not need to read Icebreaker in order to read Wildfire, I would say you can read it for the background of the school and how important their hockey team is, but it could be skipped in all honesty. Wildfire provides readers with a steamy, emotional, and fun summer romance that will have you wishing you were at the camp too.

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Summer's Kiss (The Boys of Ocean Beach, #1) by Angel Lawson Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I downloaded this from a Stuff Your Kindle day a long time ago, and now that the weather has decided to lighten up, I figured I needed to make a dent in my summer romance TBR. I do not read too much reverse haram or why choose romance books, but this one definitely took me by surprise. I thought that Summer would be drawn to one boy and the rest would become somewhat of background characters, but that is certainly not the case for this new adult romance. To be honest, I did not even realize it was a reveres harem - I thought she would pick one boy after multiple books and a five-way love triangle (love pentagon?). Personally, if I found out a group of described beach bums only hooked up with girls in the summer and had a pact, I would be running for the hills.

The boys - Justin, Whit, Pete, and Nick - are a little... forgettable. There was never a moment where I found myself more drawn to one of them and they were all pretty subpar in my eyes. You could easily tell that this book must have originally been written for Summer to end up with one single romantic interest, given the amount of page time one of the boys receives compared to the others. Lawson definitely should have done some more revisions with her editor since you almost start rooting for the other boys to just disappear and let Summer and who I imagine the original love interest was to go off into the sunset together.

Summer's relationship with all of the boys is mostly on an individual basis - they are not really a "group" so to speak. She basically has four boyfriends but the boyfriends aren't boyfriends with each other, if that makes sense. I wish the author either stuck with the reverse harem trope or abandoned it, as it feels half-finished and not enough time was dedicated to develop their relationship as a full group. Outside of just being around one another, the boys really do not have a ton of interaction on page, and readers are basically only shown each boy having their little moments with Summer alone.

I think this would have worked a lot better if this was not a new adult/high school romance but rather a college romance - they all seem very immature, and considering Summer's most recent relationship, it definitely would have benefited from some maturity. The side plot with her author mother was interesting, but for a romance book, it took up a lot of page space when the author could have been deepening the relationship between Summer, Whit, Pete, Justin, and Nick. I will probably finish this series if I need something quick to read, but if you are looking for a fast read with lots of PG-13 moments, this could be the series for you. Much like the Summer Unplugged series by Amy Sparling, this romance book plays it safe when it comes to the actual romance portion of the plot.

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Throttled (Dirty Air, #1) by Lauren Asher Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Lauren Asher I forgive you for The Fine Print... I was hooked into this book by the second chapter and considering I have never read a F1 romance book before, I certainly did not know what I was getting myself into with this series. When Maya's brother, Santiago, announces that he has signed a contract with a major F1 team, she does not expect to form an unexpected bond with her brother's rival, Noah Slade. As Santiago and Noah continue to clash - mostly in a one-sided rivalry on Noah's part - Maya is slowly acclimating to the F1 lifestyle and traveling for races.

Temptation runs high as Noah's notorious playboy past haunts him at every turn, while Maya's innocence to the reality of F1 only draws him toward her more - at with much more at stake than winning races, they have to decide if getting together is worth the risk of angering Santiago or putting Noah's future on the line. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the will-they-won't-they foreplay they had going on, as it felt very natural and had a great comedic presence that alleviated some of the more heavier aspects of the story. The progression of their initial interest in one another, to the attempts to stay away, to having this forbidden friendship turned relationship felt well-paced at first, but I do have to say I think their romantic relationship felt much more rushed.

Not for nothing, while Santiago seems to be a very great older brother, I did start to feel as though he did not understand that Maya was more than just his sister following him around the world for races - she was making a name for herself and building an online presence with her videos. He continues to "talk down" to her throughout the book, and it honestly put a sour taste in my mouth when he would make small remarks about her needing to do more with her life than just "follow him around" and that she "needs to find a real career" when she was gaining hundreds of thousands of subscribers on her channel.

The backstory for Noah was interesting and truly added depth to his character - a lot of focus was placed on his past experiences and how they impacted his competitiveness and responsiveness to his father. Watching him set boundaries or open up to others throughout the book was refreshing, considering the majority of the time we see the male leads stay emotionally suppressed. With Maya, readers gain a first-hand account of what Noah has to go through, and as we learn information at the same time or right before Maya uncovers it, it puts us into the emotional setting that the characters are in.

Maya seemed a bit naive, and with her new to the world of F1, I could see how she had trouble navigating this new environment while being on her own - that being, with her brother by her side - could cause her to be unsure of herself. Her as a character grew on me, and as she found more self confidence, she started to blossom into a more mature version of herself. I do think the forbidden romance aspect with adults can be a little overboard at times, considering both Noah and Maya are perfectly capable of entering a relationship with anyone's insight, but I am a sucker for it anyway.

You can add Throttled on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

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Jet (Marked Men, #2) by Jay Crownover Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Rule on my blog, now!

After reading the first book and watching Marked Men: Rule + Shaw, I knew that I wanted to continue on with this interconnected series - I love a tortured leading man, and Crownover does a pretty decent job in exploring a number of serious topics and issues in this series without glossing over the trauma some of the characters have experienced. The premise of this second installment certainly intrigued me - the fact that Jet and Ayden were roommates is a trope that I have only read a handful of times, and I was excited to see where it would lead these characters.

With Jet being a musician and me still riding the wave of the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott as I continue with that interconnected series as well, I enjoyed how much emphasis the author put on Jet's commitment to his music career and band. Often with musician-centered romances, the leading man will either abandon his band in favor of his girl, or somehow decide that music is not the life for him. Jet tells Ayden multiple times how important music is to him, and there are so many instances of Ayden realizing that she misjudged Jet's passions or work ethic because she did not understand what went into a successful music career.

Ayden as a character has me wading somewhere in the middle of she is tolerable and that I wanted to knock some sense into her. I understand that she has been through a lot, and considering what is alluded to in her past, I can see why she wanted to have a fresh start and be away from a family that seemed to only take advantage of her. That being said, she can clearly communicate her feelings and frustrations when necessary, so it was somewhat annoying to see her abandon her way of effectively communicating in place of passive aggressive comments and avoiding conflict when it was staring at her in the face.

Jet was a more well-rounded lead compared to Rule, in my opinion. Rule felt more reckless and temperamental compared to Jet, and it was nice to see a male lead that was at least able to regulate his emotions. Sure, both of them have gotten into their fair share of brawls and fist fights, but for different reasons and caused by different circumstances. Jet seems to play the long game whereas Rule acted in the moment, and it is a defining feature that separates their characters and personalities. I enjoyed how much Jet was ready to go to bat for his passions and career, while also recognizing that his actions affect other people - especially when it came to his relationship with Ayden and the complicated feelings that had for one another.

Rule and Shaw make a number of appearances throughout the book, and I would recommend reading this series in order if you do not want to be spoiled for the events of Rule. I enjoyed the callbacks to prior events, and Crownover was able to sprinkle these into Jet without overtaking Ayden and Jet's stories. For this book, we definitely saw more of Jet's support system in place of Ayden's, and while hers was still present, his life and burdens definitely kept the story moving along for me compared to Ayden's plot lines. Sure, Ayden's trials and tribulations were certainly burdensome and taking a toll on her, but I wish it was not mostly thrown into the book over halfway through.

If you are looking for some new adult college romance that tackles a number of issues while still incorporating a solid romance, this series is right up your alley. These books are quick and easy to read - a perfect series to dive into if you are in need of serious drama and fun, messy romance.

 

You can add Jet on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

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The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2) by Elle Kennedy Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of The Deal (Off-Campus, #1) and The Chase (Briar U, #1) on my blog, now! You do not have to read the Off-Campus series before the Briar U series, but it does include characters and relationships that may be spoiled for you.

With hockey season in full swing, I figured now was as good as time as any to dive back into this series after a few years break. This series is more of a filler read for me than anything else - I am not attached to the characters, and really only think about returning to the series when I need something quick and light to read in between longer reads. That being said, if that is something you are on the hunt for, this series may be just the thing for you.

After a disastrous encounter that leaves Grace and Logan on bad terms during Grace's freshman year, Logan is determined to win her back if it is the last thing he does - no matter the cost. As Grace navigates her sophomore year with Logan seemingly at every corner attempting to woo her and get back in her good graces - no pun intended - she also needs to reevaluate some of her friendships and her own insecurities that come with possibly dating a guy who has ran through half of the female student body.

Logan truly does do a 180 change after he realizes the massive mistake he made with Grace, and while I can appreciate the fact that he took it upon himself to change and try to win her back, he was low-key kind of stalking her around campus. Obviously, this was nowhere near the extent of being crazy obsessed with her, but he certainly made it his mission to be everywhere she was and was not taking no for an answer every time she turned him down. The man is certainly determined, I will give him that.

Ramona is probably one of the most annoying friends I have seen in a book in some time - she is insecure, needy, and just straight up annoying. I understand that she explains some of her actions in the book, but to me, it came across as her somehow ending up blaming Grace for her own insecurities, when she should have been doing some self-reflecting of her own. I am glad that Grace was not willing to forgive her easily and decided that they needed to have some distance, even after being friends for years. This makes some room for Grace to become friends with Hannah and the other guys in Logan's friend group, which are an improvement compared to only having Ramona as a friend.

The plot moves incredibly fast and is full of dual perspective realizations that, to the surprise of no one, Grace and Logan cannot stop thinking about one another. The each have their fair share of moments of jealousy, and the development of their relationship after Logan's error in judgement moved faster than I expected it to - he groveled, but he should have groveled more. I found the focus of their relationship was a little off-center, as Grace kept wanting to take things to the next level when they were still figuring things out, whereas Logan was looking to be a relationship man.

I have to say this book is nothing memorable in my opinion - it is a quick, feel good read that you can read in a couple of hours and forget about. I would have loved to see a more epic form of romance between Grace and Logan, but it read more like they were thrown together and just kept moving after realizing that seeing other people either would not work out or was sabotaged before it could get any further. I express the same sentiment towards The Deal - they are fun books, but nothing I would write home about. I am sure I will probably return to this series when I need a light refresher in the future, but my overall opinion is that the writing could immensely improve, and the characterization needs some serious work.

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Rule (Marked Men, #1) by Jay Crownover Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I will be upfront and say that I did watch Marked Men: Rule + Shaw before reading this book - I wanted to make sure that the story was going to draw me in before embarking on this series. I have been in need a new book-to-movie adaptation to hook my claws into, and I have to say the movie was enjoyable. That being said, after reading the book, there are a number of differences and plot points left out of the movie, which I believe would have made the movie more intriguing.

Shaw and Rule have a complicated history, after knowing each other for years and yet staying away from any real connection, they find themselves in the same city and suddenly thrown together after a drunken night. Now that they have finally crossed the line from family friends to maybe something more, they have to navigate this new dynamic while handling their own personal dramas. They both have complicated family issues, with Shaw's family trying to force her into a life she does not want, and Rule's mother holding everything that happens to her against him.

Rule's brother and friends definitely are the highlight of this book - they care deeply for Shaw and treat her like a little sister, while also keeping Rule in check and defending him against people trying to knock him down. Plus, they are not afraid to throw a punch and send a message when Shaw is basically being harassed by her ex-boyfriend. I really enjoyed their relationships with Rule and Shaw, in addition to Shaw's friends who were just as protective of her. Considering their familial situations, it was nice to see that there were people looking out for Rule and Shaw.

Shaw is put through the ringer in this book - it literally felt like at every turn, she was in a Saw trap with the amount of insanity her ex-boyfriend and parents put her through. This girl was getting thrown around like a rag doll every other chapter, both emotionally and physically. She is a very strong character, and you can see that she puts her needs above what others want her do to satisfy their own agenda. However, she has her moments and there were plenty of times where I was rolling my eyes at her actions.

Rule Archer... the man who changes his hair color every chapter and yet still has hair follicles... where do I begin? He is the classic "bad boy" trope in new adult books, more so for just... being a tattoo artist and getting piercings? I do not understand how this throws him into bad boy territory, but considering when this book came out, it was rebellious. His and Shaw's initial "distain" for each other could be chalked up to childhood differences, but it did give them the tension I was looking for.

I think Shaw sees Rule through her own lens, which causes her to justify every bad decision he makes or thing that comes out of his mouth. She is blinded by her lingering feelings towards him, and somehow does not realize that as her defending him has all of these drastic consequences that directly impact her, yet leave him just as an observer on the sideline.

If you are a fan of Perfect Addiction or Beautiful Disaster - both now adapted for the big screen - this series may be right up your alley. A tortured male lead accompanied by the "perfect" female lead is always a recipe for some mildly toxic romance that I would eat up like my life depended on it.

You can add Rule on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

It's Our Secret by Willow Winters Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of A Single Glance on my blog, here.

I had such a great time reading Winters's first installment of the Irresistible Attraction series, so when I saw that It's Our Secret was available for free on iBooks, I knew I had to read it, especially since I was in the mood to read a stand alone. The bickering between Dean and Allie was *chef's kiss* and very much appropriate for college students, it did not seem overly childish or too mature for their age. And with the knowledge that they were once involved with one another, it definitely adds on to the complexity of their characters as we try to figure both of them out as the story goes on.

Compared to the only other book by Willow Winters I have read, I would say that It's Our Secret is definitely on the spicier side of her work. This is new adult, but it really does read more so like an adult novel in the sense that I think the dynamic between Dean and Allie would have worked better if they had already graduated college, rather than still be students.

I do have to say that Dean and Allie's relationship definitely went from 0 to 100 very quick, so much so that I felt as if it was done over the course of a nine page chapter, and then all of a sudden they were fooling around with one another. Since the book is on the shorter side, I should have expected some quick revelations, but it just was not having the pace that I expected. 

There is a ton of mystery surrounding Allie and her past, especially when it comes to her self confidence and the way that she chooses to present herself to people. Dean's backstory is more fleshed out from the beginning and it makes the reader more interested in his character than in Allie, at least in my opinion. We really dive deep into Allie's past as the story approaches the third act, and it definitely adds much needed insight on her character and on the choices she makes.

The chapters are super short, which makes the story fly by so fast that at some points I was not even sure if I was processing what was on the page before the point of view changed or we were somewhere else in the story. Allie's emotions are all over the place and I felt like I was going to get whiplash from the amount of times she would change her mind about Dean or about the way she felt about anything that became an obstacle for their forming relationship.

Allie has a death wish like girl what in the world where you thinking??? She really saw a potentially dangerous situation and said yes, this is exactly the plan I need to finally get closure. Girl be so serious for two seconds and think about the hundreds of ways things could go wrong before just walking in blind and hoping for the best, because that clearly worked the last time. I was truly perplexed on how she thought what she was doing was going to end up going the way that she wanted it to, without any repercussions. 

I am still confused on what exactly the genre for this book was supposed to be -- romantic thriller? Romance with a hint of suspense? Contemporary? Honestly even after finishing the book I am a loss for how to categorize it without leaving out some of the aspects of the story. It had a strong beginning but then slowly became a touch choppy as we approached the third act, which felt as if it flew by, and then we were at the end.

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