*Grabby Hands* Blog Tour & Review - The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad by Cookie O'Gorman

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad 

Author: Cookie O'Gorman

Publication date: April 25th, 2019

Category/Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Seventeen-year-old Sadie is tired of being a good girl.

Her Career Aptitude Test results say she's ideally suited for a career in the clergy (aka a nun), and on top of that, she receives yet another rejection. An aspiring dancer/choreographer, Sadie dreams of being featured on Dancer's Edge—but they say she's too sweet, needs more life experience. Her BFF, Kyle, and her oldest friend, 79-year-old Betty, agree: Sadie is in desperate need of a life makeover.

But she'll need a coach.

Sadie doesn't lie, cheat or steal--heck she doesn't even curse (part of the reason she hasn't checked off anything on her "Carpe Diem List"). Sadie doesn't know the first thing about being bad. But Kyle's twin brother, Colton, does. And he's willing to teach Sadie on one condition: she has to do everything he says for the next month.

A dazzling first kiss, two smokin' hot brothers and a bet that changes everything. In this enemies-to-more YA romance, Sadie learns:

Breaking the rules can be fun—especially when it leads to happily-ever-after.

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon 

4.5 “Carpe freaking Diem” Stars

ARC provided by the author

Thank you!!!

Cookie O’Gorman’s fourth YA romance was the absolute perfect choice for my long bus drive. It was everything I needed and more swoony than I expected. It was damn hot, too.

This author first made my go-to list when she released Adorkable back in 2016. If you haven’t read that book yet, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life, but you should definitely fix this problem and grab your copy.

Now, four books later (I still need to read her third), I got all the same feels reading The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad as I did  when I first read her debut. I’m one happy and highly satisfied reader, because this story made me laugh, swoon and fan myself countless times. This means Cookie O’Gorman’s magic is still very much alive!

While she gave me best friends falling in love in Adorkable, now we get enemies to haters with identical twins involved and those elements alone were enough to make me want to devour this book. That’s exactly what I did. The moment I was comfortable in my seat, I started reading and only stopped when I got my HEA.

The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad is full of famous YA romance tropes: bucket lists that are actually called Carpe Diem lists (or Naught List); nemesis falling in love; hot identical twins; good girls wanting to be a little bad and enlisting a bad boy’s help. But that’s not a problem at all, because in the hands of talented writers, a story full of tropes can still be unputdownable. This one was.

I’m so in love with both Sadie and Colton. Their chemistry was exactly what I look for in romance books; their banter made me laugh and smile so hard; and the way they slowly fell in love filled my slow-burned heart.

Sadie was a likable goody two-shoes, because despite being almost too nice (so much so that she gets a little annoyed with it and decides to add a little more edge and excitement to her life), she was funny, loyal and lovable. It was such a delight to read about a teenage girl who wasn’t embarrassed to have a healthy relationship with her mother, based on honesty, freedom and trust. There’s this scene where she calls her mother to tell her about something “bad” she did, and it made me laugh so hard, but also made me fall in love with her all the way.

I was also 100% into how her best friends where two ladies who were old enough to be her grandmother. Their encounters were always funny, full of love and wisdom that you only get when talking with people who have lived full lives.

For his turn, Colton was the bad boy with a heart of gold. The way he stood up for his twin brother was proof enough that he was one of the nice ways, despite the bad boy image he tried to keep. He had the makings of a great love interest from the start and he didn’t disappoint me.

I feel like I'm already talking too much and I don't want to spoil anything because there's nothing like reading a great book for the first time, right? But be warned that the slow burn and the intensity of Colton and Sadie's attraction might set things on fire (like your reading device), so proceed with caution.

Joking aside, I highly recommend The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad (and the author's other books) to everyone who loves YA romance. If you're already a fan of Cookie O'Gorman, then keep an eye out for your favorites because there's a scene in this book that will make you want to go back and reread her previous stories immediately.

Cookie O’Gorman writes stories filled with humor and heart for the nerd in all of us. Fiery
first kisses, snappy dialogue, smart girls, swoonworthy boys, and unbreakable friendships are featured in each of her books.

Cookie is a hopeless romantic, a Harry Potter aficionado, and a supporter of all things dork.
Chocolate, Chinese food, and Asian dramas are her kryptonite. Above all, she believes that real life has enough sorrow and despair—which is why she always tries to give her characters a happy ending. She is the author of Adorkable, Ninja Girl, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable,

Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder and The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cookieogorman/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cookieowrites

Author website: http://cookieogorman.com/

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*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

*Grabby Hands* Release & Review - A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.1) by Sarah J. Maas

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: A Court of Frost and Starlight
(A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.1)
Author: Sarah J. Maas

Age Category/Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Publication Date: May 1st, 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

The Winter Solstice. In a week. I was still new enough to being High Lady that I had no idea what my formal role was to be. If we'd have a High Priestess do some odious ceremony, as lanthe had done the year before. A year. Gods, nearly a year since Rhys had called in his bargain, desperate to get me away from the poison of the Spring Court to save me from my despair. Had he been only a minute later, the Mother knew what would have happened. Where I'd now be. Snow swirled and eddied in the garden, catching in the brown fibers of the burlap covering the shrubs My mate who had worked so hard and so selflessly, all without hope that I would ever be with him We had both fought for that love, bled for it. Rhys had died for it.

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon


4.5 "I missed you" Stars

I can't remember this person's name, but one reviewer said it perfectly: reading A Court of Frost and Starlight was like being reunited with friends and family. As strange as it may sound considering we're talking about faeries, these people are my own. Reading this series feels like being home.

A Court of Frost and Starlight was a prologue I didn't know I needed. There are no battles or complicated plot choices, despite giving hints of what will come next in the series. Instead, there are many scenes with my favorite characters and tons of FEELS.

It shows Freyre and Rhys' much-deserved happy life, and there are no words to explain how happy that makes me.

I'm glad to announce I'm still very much in love with my OTP, and very much in love with Rhysand. I don't care that he's freaking perfect. It doesn't bother me. It doesn't make me roll my eyes. It brings nothing but pure joy. 

So this book gave me exactly what I needed when it came to Rhys and Freyre. It was swoon-worthy and sexy and perfect and food for my shipping soul. That is all.

And when the inner circle got together to drink, exchange gifts, tease each other, I just LIVED. It was everything. EVERYTHING.

A Court of Frost and Starlight also made me feel things other than happy.

It made me frustrated and angry, but passionate about Cassian and Nesta (as if I wasn't passionate about those two enough)

It left me sad and heartbroken for both Lucien and Az (when it comes to Mor)! Damn, that hurt.

And super confused (and hopeful) when it came to Az and Elain!!

And then, OMG, Tamlin. This should hurt less. Knowing what he did, this should have hurt a lot less, but it didn't. I know, I know. There's no excuse for what he did to Freyre and Rhysand's family. There simply isn't. I wish that could make me feel the way Freyre does, but I hurt for him. The things he had and lost (his own fault, I know) have broken him, and that's tough to watch. 

Well, whatever. All I'm saying is, Sarah J. Maas can make me feel more with a novella in this series than many stories can accomplish after three hundred pages. That is all.

Side note: Why are all the covers in this series so perfect?

Side note 2: The last book I gave full five stars was A Court of Wings and Ruin. I'm shocked.

Side note 3: How am I supposed to wait for the next book now? *cries*

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

*Grabby Hands* Release & Review - Lennon Reborn by Scarlett Cole

Title: Lennon Reborn

(Preload #4)

Author: Scarlett Cole

Publication date: May 1st, 2018

Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Swerve

From the queen of heart-pounding, sexy, emotional romance Scarlett Cole comes Lennon Reborn, a stunning, shattering rock star romance in the Preload series.

Lennon McCartney is not a broken man. Because being broken implies being whole once. When a horrific accident deprives him of the one thing he loves—his talent as a fierce and explosive drummer—Lennon is left with a life chained by an abusive mother, by crushing guilt over a tragic past. A life he doesn’t want.

Dr. Georgia Starr is a legend. She’s one of the most successful neurosurgeons in the world, coming from a long-line of respected New York doctors. Her life is built around solving complex medical cases in order to bring relief and hope to sick children. But the one problem she can’t solve is how to live her life. How to be shake loose the burden of being her elitist, arrogant father’s daughter. How to be free.

Can a man who despises his life and a woman who desperately needs to live find the answers, and love, with each other?

**Warning: Deals with dark themes and deep personal struggles.**

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

4 “Grey's Anatomy with Rock'n'Roll” Stars

ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you, Swerve!

Here are the things I've said about this book before it was probably even written:

"I'm still so very much in love with all the band members, and dying to get my hands on the next titles. I'm guessing Lennon's story will reduce me to ashes, so I'm here...not-so-patiently waiting for that." - Review of Elliot Redeemed.

"While I have to say Lennon’s book is the one I’m most anxious about, I had a good time reading Nikan Rebuilt. It was a little different than what I expected, and maybe lower on the suspense and angst vibe than the previous titles in the series, but it was a pleasant read." - Review of Nikan Rebuilt.

So, yeah, I've been anxiously awaiting Lennon's book for a long time.

I'm glad to say it didn't disappoint.

Sure, it wasn't as angsty as I had imagined and sort of hoped for, but it was still a great and emotional read.

Lennon and Jordan are my favorite Preload members, so I couldn't be happier that Scarlett chose those two to start and end this great series. I'm sad to see all of them go, but at least I got to do it while finally learning more about Lennon, the drummer who acts like a jerk but is made of insecurities, trauma and a lot of love for his bandmates.

The story starts with a BOOM when a tragic event brings a huge chance into Lennon's life, forcing him to stay away from the only thing he thinks makes life worth living. I won't get into details because I believe going in blind is the best strategy, but I'll say I was shocked and a little pissed at the author for adding that trauma to Lennon's already long list. Having sad that, this choice made perfect sense considering everything Lennon believed about his worth and everything he learned throughout the book.

What followed were scenes that made me tear up. I got extremely emotional when he first realized what had happened and broke down, when he grieved what he had lost, when Petal stopped by and when he got a picture of her holding something he gave her...

I have to say this, though. I missed more of interactions between Lennon and his bandmates/brothers. I wished there had been more of that. The few interactions we got between them were stellar, especially the epilogue.

But since this is a romance, it makes sense that most of the book was focused on Georgia, the amazing woman tragedy brought into Lennon's life. With everything going on, Georgia was exactly the person Lennon needed to help him stay strong and go on with his life--she was extremely smart, patient and understanding. She didn't understimate his pain and suffering. She didn't try to sugarcoat the situation. She stayed by his side through all the bad moments and they finally got their well-deserved happy ending.

Again, I wished their relationship had been a little more angsty, but I was satisfied with the way things played out. I was also satisfied that, despite being a major influence in Lennon's new life, Georgia wasn't the only answer. It was Lennon's love for his family, as well as for Georgia, that made him want to adapt to his new life and keep going.

There were tons of touching messages and moments in this story and in the series overall. I'm so happy I got to read it from start to finish, and that the epilogue was the perfect addition. After everything those guys went through, they deserved their happy ending.

 

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

*Grabby Hands* Release & Review - High Voltage (Fever #10) by Karen Marie Moning

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: High Voltage
(Fever #10)
Author: Karen Marie Moning 

Age Category/Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

Publication Date: March 6th, 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Press
 

There is no action without consequence…

Dani O’Malley was nine years old when the delusional, sadistic Rowena transformed her into a ruthless killer. Years later, she’s tough, hardened, yet achingly vulnerable and fiercely compassionate, living alone by her own exacting code. Despite the scars on her body, driven by deeper ones carved into her soul, no one is more committed to protecting Dublin. By day, she ensures the safety of those she rescues, by night she hunts evil, dispensing justice swiftly and without mercy, determined to give those she cares for the peace she has never known.

There is no power without price…

When the Faerie Queen used the dangerously powerful Song of Making to heal the world from the damage done by the Hoar Frost King, catastrophic magic seeped deep into the earth, giving rise to horrifying, unforeseen consequences–and now deadly enemies plot in the darkness, preparing to enslave the human race and unleash an ancient reign of hell on Earth.

There is no future without sacrifice…

With the lethal, immortal Ryodan at her side, armed with the epic Sword of Light, Dani once again battles to save the world but her past comes back to haunt her with a vengeance, demanding an unspeakable price for the power she needs to save the human race and no one—not even Ryodan who’d move the very stars for her—can save her this time…

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

4.5 “High Fever" Stars

The Fever series is my favorite book series ever, and I will never get tired of it. That is all.

No. That's not all, obviously. But I won't write a long review because my thoughts are never coherent when it comes to these characters and this world I love so freaking much. All I want to say before is that I miss Mac and Jericho (because, yes, they still are my OTP), I'm completely obsessed with Dani and Ryodan, and I suspect I'm just going into another major book hangover. Honestly, I don't know why I read Fever books right after they're released because it always leaves feeling me depressed at the thought I'll have to wait another year or longer for the next one. I imagine that's how people felt when the Harry Potter books came out (I read them much later on).

So, yeah, this was another winner for me. Sorry for those who don't like Dani and Ryodan. Sorry for those who think KMM should've ended the series after the first 5 brilliant books. Sure they haven't been as spectecular, but when you have a world like the one she created and characters that can make you feel as much as they do after ten books, I have to say: Keep writing!

One thing, though. High Voltage read a lot more like fantasy romance than urban fantasy, but see the gif bellow if you think I cared:

This book gave me ALL THE RIGHT FREAKING FEELS, so I'm using gifs for the rest of my review. This was me when:

1. Chapter One ended

2. Dani thought about Ryodan:

3. Shazam was Shazam:

4. Chapter Seventeen happened and almost gave me a heart attack:

5. Chapter Twenty brought me Dani's dress and that car ride:

6. Jericho made a brief appearance:

7. Mac made an even briefer (is that a word?) appearance:

8. This quote gave me life: "He ran his thumb over the screen as if he might somehow touch Mac through it. And I thought, Holy hell, Jericho Barrons has a…not a vulnerability but yes, that. A weakness, a need. Mac. I’d seen it in her, too."

9. The letter revealed more about Ryodan's actions:

10. Every time Lor talked:

11. Chapter Thirty-One tried to end my life:

12. Chapter Thirty-Four finally brought me the words I wanted to hear:

13. All the other POV chapters got in the way of my ship time:

14. The villain was dealt with in one page:

15. Dani "evolved" and learned the truth of what she was/could do:

16. The Shazam twist came:

17. Roydan thought it was an illusion:

18. Everything about the last chapter and epilogue happened and just gave me life back:

19. I realize Fever #11 had no release date yet:

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.