Book Review: The Marriage Mistake

The Marriage Mistake by Jennifer Probst
November 6, 2012
Simon & Schuster
328 pages
Source: borrowed from NetGalley

Goodreads Summary:

Carina Conte has had a crush on her brother Michael’s best friend, Max Gray, since she was a teenager. Now she’s earned her MBA and come to work at Michael’s new venture, America’s fastest-growing bakery empire. But some things never change: her family still treats her like a child. With three drop-dead gorgeous siblings, she’s still the ugly duckling of the bunch. And Max, the company’s new CEO, still barely notices her.

Max knows Carina Conte is strictly off limits. But hot-blooded lust wins out at a conference when the two share a scorching one-night stand—and are busted by her mother! Now, forced by old-world Italian tradition into a marriage he’s not ready for, Max is miserable—and Carina is furious. Her new husband is about to realize that hell hath no fury like a woman transformed….

My Review:

I have not read the first two books in this series, so this was my first time meeting these characters. But I'm happy to say that this shouldn't be a deterent for anyone else wanting to check out these books. You don't have to know how the other couples got together in the previous books. They are not in the book heavily and knowing the intricacies of how/why they got married makes no difference in enjoying the bigger story, which is all about Max and Carina. So I think you could start this series with whichever book you want.

Max and Carina have that awkward we-grew-up-together-and-I-should-see-you-as-a-sibling-but-I'm-actually-in-love-with-you thing going on. Carina has moved to New York from Italy to learn the ropes of the family business with Max training her. Yep, let the sexual tension begin. Max and Carina have their own past insecurities also hampering them. Carina is the insecure youngest child who really isn't anything like her siblings and is trying to find herself. Max was abandoned by his father as a baby and has commitment issues, fearing he'll be like his father. Plus they are surrounded by overprotective family members.

I enjoyed reading about Max and Carina. I liked them as individuals and as a couple. I thought the beginning of the story could have progressed a little faster. I'd have liked to see more "marriage" parts. I'm a traditional person, so I liked that they were "forced" to get married. It was interesting how they couldn't seem to get themselves together at the same time. They seemed to have a harder time being honest with themselves than honest with each other. But they did have a great chemistry going. The sex scenes were graphic at times and steamy, but they didn't overwhelm the book, although their tension between these moments seemed a little forced at times. But I did appreciate the chocolate scene (wink).

I actually enjoyed reading about what was going on with Max and Carina mentally and emotionally more than their hot and heavy moments. I loved that they made each other better people without really knowing it or trying. They just fit together. It was an enjoyable read filled with themes like overcoming your past, believing in yourself, taking chances, being honest with yourself and others, following your heart, fighting for love.

4 STARS

 

*Personal note: This book includes some graphic adult scenes and situations. I'm married and feel comfortable reading this. If I weren't married, I wouldn't, but that's just my personal feeling.

In My Mailbox & Stacking the Shelves (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi of The Story Siren, where bloggers share the contents of their mailbox - books bought, borrowed, received - and get to know other blogs.

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

 Purchased:

 

     
  

Rebel Heart by Moira Young - hardcover (see my review here)
Just For Now by Abbi Glines - ebook (see my review here)
Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay - ebook
Checkmate by R.L. Mathewson - ebook
White Trash Beautiful by Teresa Mummert - ebook

   

 

    

Signed copy of Significance by Shelly Crane
Signed copy of Accordance by Shelly Crane
Signed copy of Defiance by Shelly Crane
(I love this series and had to buy the signed copies from Shelly. The temptation was just too great!)

 

Won from The Book Asylum:

Seduced in the Dark by CJ Roberts (e-book)

Won from Michelle (but I don't know which blog):

Down to You by M. Leighton

 

Borrowed from the Library:

  

Fire by Kristin Cashore
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Book Review: Pushing the Limits

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
July 31, 2012
Harlequin Teen
392 pages
Source: Personal Purchase

Goodreads Summary:

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

My Review:

With many friends recommending this book, I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype. Well, it did. I simply loved this book. Echo and Noah are characters you cannot help but fall in love with. Echo has her mysterious scars that she hides and Noah has a tough exterior hiding the pain of his life. I loved how the backstory to each of Echo's and Noah's lives slowly unraveled throughout the novel. I loved how the relationship between Echo and Noah also worked itself throughout the book. Their stories are heart-breaking and I just wanted to wrap my arms around them both. They had to endure so much at such young ages. They may have had much to work through personally, yet I loved how they were able to support each other, needing and being there for each other when they didn't even know they were looking for someone to need.

The secondary characters were also well thought out, whether little brothers, parents, friends, etc, they added so much more depth to the story. They weren't just two-dimentional cardboard characters used as filler. Echo's dad was not my favorite, but Mrs. Collins was a refreshing adult character who persevered with Echo & Noah. It was nice to see a YA novel that admits that there are adults out there who can and will help.

The story was amazing and the ending was perfect. Well done, Ms. McGarry! This is one of those books I will gladly reread. I'm also looking forward to Beth's story in Dare You To coming out next year.

 

5 ECSTATIC STARS

Feature & Follow (1): Deal Breakers

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by both Alison Can Read & Parakunkee’s View. This is a great way to gain blog followers for book bloggers, follow other blogs, and get to know each other. Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we get to answer. You can find more info about this meme here.

You can follow me using GFC (see sidebar to the right). I'm also on twitter.

Q: What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can’t deal with bad editing?

This is a great question. I dislike poor editing but I can tolerate it if I like the story. But if it's excessive and the storyline isn't making it worth the trouble of self-editing in my head, it affects my enjoyment of the book.

But a huge turn-off for me is cheating. I hate reading about cheating. If cheating is a big part of the summary, I'll usually avoid that book. The lies and deceit just frustrate me. I just can't justify it and if excuses are made, they aren't good enough. This is probably one of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of love triangles in books. I understand the temptation to like a couple of people for different reasons. But if the character is already dating someone, I'd rather see them have some self-control, honesty, and self-respect before they act on anything. On the other hand, if the book has negative consequences to the person doing the cheating, I have much more respect for that novel and can better appreciate its value. It's the books that sugar-coat cheating that I feel are unhealthy. (Um, sorry, I'll get off my soap-box now, lol.)

November TBR Pile

I know I'm doing NaNoWriMo this month, but I still have books that I want to read. I'm going to try and slow down my reading so I can make sure I'm setting aside time for writing. I'm also a moody reader, and although I keep a running list of books I plan to read, I'm easily distracted by shiny objects (aka, new book recommendations or books that fit my current mood), and books are bumped around the list frequently. But I have every "penciled-in" intention of reading these books this month. With that said, here's my proposed To Be Read list for the month of November:

Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick (I've already started)
The Marriage Mistake by Jennifer Probst
Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
Naturally, Charlie by S.L. Scott
Checkmate by R.L. Mathewson
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
Toxic by Jus Accardo
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

(I'll line through the books once I've read them.)

Book Review: Revolution

Revolution by Shelly Crane
September 6, 2012
330 pages
Source: Personal Purchase
 

Goodreads Summary:

In the fourth and final installment, everything is on the line. Merrick's life is in the balance and Lily is their only hope. Ellie and her new powers are miraculous, but also problematic; if she's with the bunker family, they won't be able to sense when the Lighters are there. There are many new members to the bunker and sparks will fly, and with the food shortage, they will all have plenty to deal with. Miguel is intrigued with Rylee, her past and her spunk. Ryan and Elli are barely scratching the surface of their relationship. Cain and Lillian will have to deal with Daniel, who has no qualms about showing his true feelings for her. And Sherry and Merrick…what will happen to this happenstance family who have worked so hard to come together? Can they all survive? Can they all withstand the new enemy that is right outside their door? Can they beat the Lighters, once and for all…

My Review:

This is the fourth and last book of Shelly Crane's Collide series. I will avoid spoilers as much as I can. But I will say that if you haven't read this series, you should. The first book, Collide, has a few rough edges with the editing, but the story itself is great. And each book gets better and better. Shelly does a great job creating realistic and likeable characters and her take on the whole world being taken over by other species is unique. Collide is free on Amazon (kindle) right now, so grab it fast if you haven't read it yet.

Throughout this series, I fell in love with the characters and their seemingly endless struggles. I laughed, cried, mourned, and rejoiced with them. But Shelly did such a great job pulling it all together, tying up loose ends, mixing the bitter with the sweet, but ultimately leaving you hopeful and refreshed in the end. And can I say how happy chapter 3 made me! It set the stage for the rest of the book for me, and didn't disappoint. Sherry and Merrick were wonderful as always, as were all my other favorites. I love how the characters became each other's family. I'm sad the series is over, but loved every moment of it. Thank you Shelly Crane!

5 STARS

 

NaNoWriMo 2012


If you are unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to complete a 50,000 page novel by the end of November. Challenging to do? Yes. I attempted this last year and did not get very far, as my grandmother's cancer progressed quickly and she passed away. Let's just say writing was not a priority. But this year, everyone appears healthy and we have no major vacations planned, so I am going to attempt it again. I realize everyone participates (or does not participate) for various reasons. I am going to participate because, honestly, I need the accountability. Even if it's just me logging in how many words I wrote, that is motivation enough. I work, I homeschool my three kids, and I have all the church, sports, home, and family functions and demands everyone else has. But I've also been dreaming and imagining several books over the last year and simply need to get them on paper. I don't expect a publishable draft by the end of the month, but a first draft would simpy be wonderful. So wish me luck, and let the writing begin...