No Falling Allowed by Melissa West ~ Review & Giveaway reminder

Source: Received eBook from publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

My life just went South…

Twenty-four hours. That’s how long it took my life to flip upside down.

Wake up in bed alone after the best night of my life? Check.

Get fired instead of the promised promotion? Check.

Wealthy parents cut me off when I refuse to follow their path for my life? Check.

Now I’m in Cricket Creek, SC—a place where no New Yorker belongs—disowned and broke, with a new job that I can’t mess up. Oh yeah, and staring at my one-night stand, who happens to be the complete opposite of my type.

Southern.

Cocky.

Bartender.

Noah Hunter never should have made it back to my apartment in NYC, and I definitely shouldn’t be in his small town. But fate had another plan. Or a horrible sense of humor.

Who knew Mr. Wrong could feel so right…

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

We have a giveaway for this book going on HERE. 

Review...

I have alway enjoyed this authors books and this one is no exception.  She is a master at getting her characters in impossible situations that feels so hopeless; then she tells a story that has you flipping the pages wanting to know how things work out for the characters you have fallen in love with.  Yep that's what happened with this book too.

I adore Noah and Grace.  Both are complex characters that have personal challenges all over the place, kinda like real people do.  The time, the place, and the situation that draws them together are all wrong.  But the feeling, the attraction and the results are all right.  Where the story comes in is how these two try to figure out how to deal with pride, circumstances and others so they don't miss this opportunity to be together.

I enjoyed the polar opposite worlds they come from.  New York compared to Cricket Creek, wealthy compared to middle class, driven to make a career to driven to make a home and they all play in trying to keep these two apart.  It's an interesting and provocative situation that causes a reader to think.  I like that.

A fast read, I devoured this in a few hours.  It's a short 200 pages and I might have wished for a bit more.  There were just a few places where I wanted to hear the conversation instead get the gist of what happened.  But that didn't stop me from enjoying this one.  

When you just want a great love story between two unlikely people, then pick this one up and enjoy a few hours of pleasure.

                                 

Book Boyfriend ~ 11/29/14

Join the Book Boyfriend meme

• Pick your book boyfriend for the week
• Current read or not
• Tease us with something about your boy
• Don't spoil the book
• Link up with us
• Visit the other book boyfriend posts

So my book boyfriend for the week is

Colt

Miles from Kara (Charleston Haven, #2) by Melissa West

Kara Marcus is desperate to forget the past and move on. But she can’t escape her choices—especially when she finds herself falling in love…

Since the first day she stepped into her childhood Southern Baptist church, two truths have been engrained in Kara Marcus’s head: sex before marriage is bad and murder is a sin. And that’s why Kara can never forgive herself for what she did at the age of sixteen.

Now, as second semester of freshman year comes to a close, Kara has stood by her high school boyfriend, Ethan. But as they seem to grow further and further apart every day, Kara realizes that she has feelings for someone else: Ethan’s roommate Colt.

Suddenly, Kara’s clear-cut world shifts out of focus, and she’s torn between what her head tells her is right and what her heart is desperately pushing her to do—even if it means committing another undeniable sin...

Why?

Oh he has THAT look...

His arms were covered in tattoos and his chin-length dirty blond hair had this I-just-got-out-of-bed doing-things you-wish-you-were-doing look.  

And an Aussie accent...

I blamed his Australian accent on my complete inability to look at him --or talk to him-- without flushing.

He sees things...

His eyes swept down me, before returning to my face.  "If you were mine, and you were in that pool with some bloke I didn't know?  Hell yes.  I don't play games."

My breathing had stopped at if you were mine, and now I was struggling to stop looking at his lips, all full and inviting.  My eyes lifted back to his, and his expression said that he knew exactly what I was thinking. 

Patient and perceptive...

I closed my mouth and focused on the words pouring out from the guitarist, and each word seemed like it was meant just for us.  Words of passion and bravery and hope and love.  Words of longing and chance and willingness to try.  I closed my eyes as I took them in and felt Colt's breath against my cheek, my neck.

"I want to kiss you," he whispered, "but I won't.  Not yet."  I opened my eyes and turned toward him, his face so, so close.  "Why?"

"Because when I kiss you, I want to know that you're with me.  And only me."

Maybe a little philosophical...

He stood up, his body flush against mine.  "We're the same, you know.  Broken, but strong.  Misunderstood, but hopeful.  You...you make me want things I haven't wanted in a long time."

And sexy as hell...

I traced the edges of his pectoral muscles and abs, then stroked each hard line of the tattoo that curved from his left shoulder onto his chest.  I wanted to ask him to detail each part of it, how one image moved effortless into the next, like they told another story I hadn't yet heard.  But now wasn't the moment for talking.

Source:  Received an eBook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Review...

First of all, this is not a cheating story.  Felt the need to get that out of the way.  Now let's talk about characters, story, writing and afterglow.

Characters.  Kara has some baggage.  Her mother made a choice for her that she hasn't been able to get past.  It effects a lot in her life without her really noticing.  It's definitely effecting her relationships.  She's uncomfortable with sex but her boyfriend has no idea.  I like her.  She's stronger than she gives herself credit for.  She looks but never acts on her feeling for Colt until after she's broken up with her boyfriend, Ethan.  I respect that.  But mostly, this girl makes mistakes and learns from them.  Lots of mistakes.  And the learning comes a lot because of Colt.  I liked that.

Speaking of Colt, I adore him.  He's an Aussie with an yummy accent.  But his best quality is how he sees Kara.  He gets her.  While he sees her relationship with Ethan isn't right, he doesn't act on his feeling for her.  His dad was a cheater and Colt never will be.  But he's a friend to her.  And he sees through the facade that she puts up for others to see but he never pushes her.  So patient.  So kind.  So there for her.  Before you think he's perfect, he does have daddy issues and some pain he's still dealing with.  That's where all his sexy tats come in.  Yeah, you can read it to find out about that.

Story.  What makes New Adult books so awesome is the world of possibilities that make those early adult years so interesting.  Some books have fallen into a formula that works fine but is just fine.  This series breaks out of that formula with issues that feel real but don't have set solutions.  It's not a matter of the couple getting together and everything is good.  No, the story happens after they are together.  The characters in this series grow and learn from the problems they face as they fall in love with each other.  It isn't a love conquers all kinda of thing but real growth.  I love that.  It feels more real.  Oh and I was so glad the quirky Rose was back in this one to shake things up.

Writing. I enjoy this authors writing.  It's easy to slide through the pages.  I started this Thanksgiving afternoon and finished it that night.  

Afterglow.  Yeah, it's still hanging on.  I want to keep thinking about that yummy Aussie and his girl.  Hopefully, they show up in the next book.  I'm pretty sure that will be Sarah's book.  Her story was set up in this one and it looks to be just as real as the rest have been.

This one will appeal to the New Adult reader and anyone who loves romance that's real.

                    

Available December 2, 2014

About the series...

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Book Boyfriend ~ 7/19/14 & Review

Join the Book Boyfriend meme

• Pick your book boyfriend for the week
• Current read or not
• Tease us with something about your boy
• Don't spoil the book
• Link up with us
• Visit the other book boyfriend posts

So my book boyfriend for the week is

Preston Riggs!

Pieces of Olivia by Melissa West

Olivia Warren used to be a normal girl with a bright future.
But on one fated night, everything changed.

Hiding the scars of her past up her sleeves, Olivia transfers her enrollment from Columbia University to The College of Charleston, determined to pursue her own dreams for the first time in her life.

She intends to allow herself a bit of alone time to heal... that is, until she meets Preston.

Preston is best friends with her roommate, completely hot, and off-limits. But the chemistry between them is instantaneous—and as the pair begins to spend more time with one another, their feelings for each other build into something undeniable, something powerful enough to heal Olivia’s deepest scars.

Olivia tries to put her own past behind her and trust Preston, but she discovers that his past might be more present than she ever bargained for…

Why?

He draws Olivia in and helps her feel okay

I knew myself, and I knew that despite everything, I was slowly growing attached to Preston.  I couldn't put my finger on why or how it had happened.  I like being around him, how easy it felt, how comforting.  He never made me question myself.  I was just me, Olive.

~~~

Preston laughed.  "Must have been a hell of a  poem." And just like that, he'd made the conversation easy again.  I loved that about him.  How even the most uncomfortable moment became relaxed.

He gets it and he risks

"It's hard to trust someone when you've been burned before, ya know?  I prefer to stay in control, ahead of it.  Less damage that way."  I cleared my throat.  It was the second time Preston had revealed something to me.  He deserved for me to give something back.

~~~

Preston understood.  He understood a lot of things.

~~~

Preston tilted his head, allowing the rain to coat his face, and laughed, deep and full, the sort of sound you'd expect when something amazing happened.  Something much more amazing than standing in the pouring rain.

~~~

"They were calling for a clear day.  It's funny, ya know?"  Then something changes in his eyes, as though he remembered something he'd been trying desperately to find.  "Sometimes it's all just a guess, Olivia.  Life.  We move through it, we plan, we try.  But at the end of the day, like the weather, it's all just a guess.  We can't stay inside all day, afraid of the rain.  We have to live."

Oh and he's sexy!

A second passed with nothing, and I stepped away, disappointed, when the door opened and then he was there in the doorway, wearing nothing but pajama pants.  My gaze drifted greedily over his chest, down his ripped abs, and then to the small trail of hair that pointed down like an arrow, tempting me below.

Review...

A lot of New Adult books follow a pattern, the same pattern.  But those years right after high school and into adulthood do not follow the same patter for everyone.  Indeed, common patterns are the exception rather than the rule these days.  So it's nice to find one that breaks the New Adult mode in a really powerful way like Pieces of Olivia does.

This story is about a girl who has faced a devastating lose.  She's not living but surviving.  Everyone is worrying about her.  She's pushing away from things that have been planned for years.  Looking for a different path, one that could actually be more difficult for her recovery.  But she meets some people that change that.  A great roommate, a guy that she's drawn to and a quirky therapist.  She finds her life again.

Preston.  What an incredible guy.   A player but not a player.  He's protecting his heart and with good reasons.  He's accepting and comforting.  He gets that things are hard.  Patient and forgiving, he falls hard for Olivia.  I fell hard for him.

Kara.  That girl talks a lot.  Her best friend is Preston but he is quickly joined by Olivia.  She's trying to figure out her life and it's not as clear and it may seem.

Rose.  What a character this women is.  Forceful and daring, she pushes Olivia to face her pain and to let it go.  Love her and her ghost talking ways.

Can you see from the list of characters that this book is different.  These people are woven together to create the perfect storm that helps Olivia put the pieces of her life back together.  No one of them could have accomplished what they did as a whole.  It wasn't the perfect love between Preston and Olivia.  It wasn't just the great new friendship that Olivia desperately needed.  It wasn't just the quirky therapist and her chain smoking.  It was all of them together.  Because that's real.  It takes more than finding love again to heal.  It takes support to heal.  It takes Olivia being ready.  It takes Olivia being brave.  It takes all of them working together to create this story and I loved it. 

One of the best books I've read this year, Pieces of Olivia should not be missed. 

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