Monday, May 13, 2013

On Dublin Street (On Dublin Street #1) by Samantha Young





“I know you love me, Jocelyn, because there’s no fucking way I can be this much in love with you, and not have you feel the same way. It’s not possible.”

Blurb:

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

IMO:

I must admit, with that kind of blurb, I wasn’t expecting very much of this series. Oh, I definitely thought it was gonna be sexy and flirty and passionate but I didn’t expect the emotions that this book will evoke in me.

So, did I judge the book by its blurb? Guilty.

For starters, I love the multi-faceted characters. With these kinds of books, you expect the hero to be the one who is complicated and reluctant to commit. In here, it was the other way around. It was the heroine. Right from that, it was refreshing.

On the outside, Jocelyn aka Joss appears to be independent and strong but she’s been through a world of hurt. She’s rude and snarky but she’s covering up her vulnerable side. I thought at first her fear of relationship stemmed from the tragic death of her family but apparently, it’s more than that. This woman carries a heavy guilt on her shoulders. She’s so broken that she thinks being alone is the only way to go.

I understand Joss, really I do. She’s been through a lot and you just can’t blame her if she wants to protect herself from getting hurt again that’s why she doesn’t let anyone get too close. But sometimes, it’s difficult to not be frustrated with her. Her fickleness will drive you mad. And you just want her to just admit her feelings to Braden so they can finally be together. When Joss first learned of Ellie’s condition, I didn’t like the way she acted. But once again, I understand her and it was a good thing she came back.

Now the hero… Braden may appear to be arrogant and too sure of himself, but he has also experienced betrayal. He’s also wary of commitment and has been a serial monogamist ever since his divorce but atleast when he met Joss, he’s not afraid to acknowledge that he wants something more from her. One thing I didn’t like about Braden was his method of getting to know Joss feelings. Lying that you slept with someone else immediately on the day that the relationship went south was low and sick. But I guess sometimes, when you are hurt by the person you love, you want to hurt them too.

I adore Ellie and Adam as minor characters. I was also rooting for them to get together. Ellie is such a charming, lively, and strong woman. Adam is a nice guy although he can’t help his libido sometimes. He is also torn with his respect for Braden to ever pursue his feelings for Ellie.

Conclusion:

This book took me by surprise. I love it!

A-


This Girl (Slammed #3) by Colleen Hoover




“If I took every romantic poem, every book, every song, and every movie I've ever read, heard or seen and extracted the breathtaking moments, somehow bottling them up, they would pale in comparison to this moment. This moment is incomparable.” 



The Blurb:

Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from hispoint of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series.


IMO:

This is it. This is the last installment of a much loved series. I’ve been waiting for this but when I finally got a copy, I felt like I do not want to read it because after that, it’s over and I won’t get another glimpse of Will and Layken’s world again.

Basically a retelling of Slammed, This Girl shows the story in Will’s POV. I’m such a sucker for guys’ POV so I was very much excited for this. If we thought that reading the love story through Layken’s eyes, it was hard, it was also hard reading it from Will’s POV. Here was a guy that’s very much in love with this girl and after all that he’s been through, he deserved to be happy. However, due to certain circumstances, they cannot pursue this love as of the moment. It was heartbreaking seeing it through Will’s eyes.

And seriously, Colleen Hoover has such a way with words! Her writing just pulls you in and it holds a part of your heart and you just fall in love with it! I’m just quite lazy so you won’t see many highlights on my copy but the words are just so damn beautiful!

Now, let’s talk about the slam poetry. Some of them we’ve already read in Slammed but they’re nice to read again. However, there are new ones too and as usual, they are beautiful. Swoon.

Finally, the reader should be glad to know that although this is a retelling of Slammed, This Girl also has never-before-read scenes and new dialogues so one won’t feel like they just read Slammed all over again. And there’s that sweet epilogue at the end that you just have to look forward too.

I think my only suck for this story is that Will is just so perfect! He’s out of this world! Definitely my new book boyfriend. (Or maybe I’m just jealous because I want a Will Cooper in my life.)

It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to such an amazing series but I’m just so damn glad that I even get to read them. It does pay off to take a chance on newbie authors. I just want to thank the writing gods for Colleen Hoover.

Conclusion:

BUTTERFLYING AMAZING.

A satisfying end to an amazing series.

Thank you, Colleen Hoover, for Slammed.

A+





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