[REVIEW] The Little Bookshop on the Seine

title: The Little Bookshop on the Seine (The Little Paris Collection #1)
author: Rebecca Raisin 
genre: adult, contemporary, chick lit
published: January 7th 2020 by HQN (first published October 16th 2015)
my copy: paperback, 416 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

It’s The Holiday on the Champs-Élysées in a great big love letter to Paris, charming old bookstores and happily-ever-afters! 

When bookshop owner Sarah Smith is offered the opportunity for a job exchange with her Parisian friend Sophie, saying yes is a no-brainer—after all, what kind of romantic would turn down six months in Paris? Sarah is sure she’s in for the experience of a lifetime—days spent surrounded by literature in a gorgeous bookshop, and the chance to watch the snow fall on the Eiffel Tower. Plus, now she can meet up with her journalist boyfriend, Ridge, when his job takes him around the globe. 

But her expectations cool faster than her café au lait soon after she lands in the City of Light—she’s a fish out of water in Paris. The customers are rude, her new coworkers suspicious and her relationship with Ridge has been reduced to a long-distance game of phone tag, leaving Sarah to wonder if he’ll ever put her first over his busy career. As Christmas approaches, Sarah is determined to get the shop—and her life—back in order…and make her dreams of a Parisian happily-ever-after come true.

bookshop, romance, and Paris.

I got this book generally because it involves a bookshop and don't we all just grab every book that involves books and bookish people?

[REVIEW] Hourglass

title: Hourglass (Evernight #3)

author: Claudia Gray
genre: young adult, paranormal
published: July 1st 2010 by HarperTeen (first published March 15th 2010)
my copy: paperback, 329 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas.

After escaping from Evernight, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, an elite group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at its hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend--the vampire Balthazar--all her secrets threaten to come out.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful vampires of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they run, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca and Lucas have always believed their love could survive anything--but can it survive what's to come?

the best book in this disappointing series.

This is a reread and another overdue review. Just found this review I wrote a year back.

[REVIEW] The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

title: The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

author: Kelly Harms

genre: adult, chick lit
published: May 1st 2019 by Lake Union Publishing
my copy: kindle, 328 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City.

Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and—with a little encouragement from her friends—a few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amy’s heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible decision: stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.

But before she can choose, a crisis forces the two worlds together, and Amy must stare down a future where she could lose both sides of herself, and every dream she’s ever nurtured, in the beat of a heart.

it's about finding oneself and realizing that you don't have to take the world alone.

This is one of those books I picked up on Kindle Deals because I was thinking, "why not?" It sounds okay and it really seems like something I can speed though. It's not a story I can relate to given the single mother aspect but why not?

[REVIEW] The Weight on Skin

title: The Weight on Skin (Red #2)

author: Beena Khan
genre: adult, contemporary
published: July 15th 2020 by Beena Khan
my copy: kindle, 320 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

The good boy has gone rogue.
The Duet Novel to The Name of Red. 

Kabir's story continues in this dark, twisty, and steamy sequel. 

There’s only so many times a heart can break.
One day, it will be okay, but it'll heal all wrong.
It’ll heal with you outside of it. 

Eight months gone, and Kabir still hasn’t moved from the woman he still loves. 

Red.  

The name like a song on replay in his mind. He looks for her in other women but is left empty every time he wakes up in the morning. Gone is the good boy image he once had, instead it's replaced with a reckless playboy. He has the list of “Things To do” that Red left for him and placed it on his refrigerator, but he doesn’t know how to complete the tasks.  

Because some secrets are too big to bury. 

Ghosts from his past come forward forcing him to confront himself and his lifestyle. His best friend Nadia left him and cut off all contact, but now she returns in his life. He has to face these ghosts without losing himself completely. 

The sequel can be read without reading the first book. A story of healing, love, and pure chemistry that will make you add Kabir to your list of book boyfriends.

I liked the first book. but this one, not as much.

I read the first book in this series in August and I find Red and Kabir's love story to be absolutely beautiful. They have their flaws, I was frustrated at times, then ultimately loving both of them at the end. And also, how can you not enjoy a romance between two book readers? Their first interactions were really adorable!! (See my review here!!). 

[REVIEW] Stargazer

title: Stargazer (Evernight #2)
author: Claudia Gray
genre: young adult, paranormal
published: February 9th 2010 by HarperTeen (first published March 24th 2009)
my copy: paperback, 329 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 2.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

The vampire in me was closer to the surface . . .

Bianca, born to two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one. But she has fallen in love with Lucas, a vampire hunter who infiltrated Evernight Academy, the exclusive vampire boarding school she attends. Bianca will do anything to be with Lucas, even if it means lying to the powerful vampires of Evernight.

Her deceit leads her to dig deep into the mysteries of the school, and Bianca discovers that even those she trusts the most have their own dark secrets. When a ghostly force begins attacking Evernight—and targeting Bianca—she learns a shocking truth about her past that will forever change her future.

that got a bit better.

This is a reread.

Okay I finished the first book. Got through with this one as quick as the first one. Not that I enjoyed it or anything. I still didn't love it. Still a cringe-fest! But it did get a bit better than the first one.

[REVEW] Evernight

title: Evernight (Evernight #1)
author: Claudia Gray
genre: young adult, paranormal
published: February 10th 2009 by HarperTeen (first published May 27th 2008)
my copy: paperback, 327 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 2 / 5 stars
goodreads

Bianca wants to escape.

At the eerily Gothic Evernight Academy, the other students are sleek, smart, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in. 

When she meets handsome, brooding Lucas he warns her to be careful--even when it comes to caring about him. But the connection between them can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart...and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

that was bad.

This is a reread.

This book was gifted to me when I was 18-yrs old by a close friend (who I don't talk to anymore because distance and the lack of common interest does that). I read it then just for the heck of it and I reread it now just for the heck of it. But generally I just wanted to finish this series just to get it over with.

[REVIEW] The Name of Red

title: The Name of Red
author: Beena Khan
genre: adult, contemporary, romance
published: May 15th 2020 by Amazon Publishing
my copy: eGalley, 314 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Smashwords
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Two strangers on the same path. 

Survivors. Companions.

They will be each other’s salvation.

On a rainy, winter night, a mysterious woman in a red dress seeking shelter comes inside the restaurant Kabir was busy working in —primarily the bar— and night after night, drink after drink, she comes back to the same spot. That is where he sees her for the first time.

Hundreds of patrons around her try to speak with her daily, but she dismisses them. It appears she wants to remain in a blissful peace alone with her booze and books. After seeing the mysterious woman reading a book, and because of his shy nature, Kabir gains entrance into her life by anonymously leaving books with notes for her.

The Name of Red is the story of two strangers, two different personalities who meet on a winter, rainy night who challenge each other. They have a connection which blossoms into a friendship due to their fondness of books. But they both have secrets that can bind them together or threaten their newfound relationship forever.

grief, addiction, and finding the strength to move on

I tried this because I read that it's a romance between two readers (and don't you just want that? ALWAYS!!!). Also, a shy male lead? Yes, please! This really just seem like my type of romance at a glance (minus the booze I guess since I never really drink. but that doesn't really matter. lol).

[REVIEW] Bookishly Ever After

title: Bookishly Ever After (Ever After #1)
author: Isabel Bandeira
genre: young adult, contemporary
published: January 12th 2016 by Spencer Hill Press
my copy: eGalley, 250 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

In a perfect world, sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins' life would be a book. Preferably one filled with magic and a hot paranormal love interest. Unfortunately, her life probably wouldn't even qualify for a quiet contemporary.

Everything changes when Phoebe learns that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet section, might actually have a crush on her. So, Phoebe turns to the heroines in her favorite books for inspiration, but becoming as awesome as her book characters isn't as easy as it sounds. When another girl nets Dev for herself right out from under Phoebe's nose, she's crushed.

And, to up the suckage, she gets assigned as his co-counselor at a sixth grade camp and has to spend an entire week tied to the hip with the one guy on the planet she wanted to avoid. Can she make it through the potential danger of romantic bonfires and nature walks, or will her counseling career end in emotional disaster? Can she ever go back to her happy world of fictional boys after falling for the real thing?

bookishly cringe-y but adorable.

I saw this on Netgalley and ended up 'wishing' for the book. It was later became available and I got access. I actually forgot about it by then but I still got a bit excited because books about bookish people! Gotta love that! Took me a while to finally get around this though (because life) but here we are!

[REVIEW] Love & Gelato

title: Love Gelato (Love & Gelato #1)
author: Jenna Evans Welch
narrator: Rebekkah Ross
genre: young adult, romance
published: August 16, 2016 by Simon & Schuster Audio
my copy: audiobook, 8 hrs 17 mins
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Fully Booked
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

A summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with romance, mystery, and adventure. 

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home. 

But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything Lina knew about her mother, her father—and even herself. 

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more. 

Kirkus Reviews called Love & Gelato “a sure bet for fans of romance fiction,” while VOYA said readers “will find it difficult to put this book down.” Readers are about to discover a new place, a new romance, and a new talent.

fun read but not enough Gelato

I read this because Scribd Free Reads had me picking up books I'm not entirely sure I'll love. But who says no to free YA chick-lit romance? I've been eyeing this one since it came out but I've never been one to read YA contemporaries because I think I already outgrew them. But I enjoyed it this one 😊

[REVIEW] Well Met

title: Well Met
author: Jen DeLuca
genre: adult, romance
published: September 3, 2019 by Berkley Books
my copy: Paperback, International Edition, 319 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

cute and quick!

I read this because I had the sudden interest to read chick lit romance after loving One Day in December (although it's exactly a chick lit romance?).

Well Met follows Emily who arrives at the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland after a disastrous relationship. She's there to help out her sister, April, as she recovers from a car accident. While Emily helps out her sister, she was pushed to join the local renaissance fair as a guardian to her niece where she plays the role of a wench and meets the serious and somewhat rude head of the fair, Simon.

[REVIEW] A Pack of Blood and Lies

title: A Pack of Blood and Lies (The Boulder Wolves #1)
author: Olivia Wildenstein
genre: young adult, supernatural
published: April 18, 2019 by Twilight Press
format: ebook, 350 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

The primal rule of winning: don’t fall in love with the contender.  

Three months shy of her eighteenth birthday, Ness is forced to return to Colorado. Even though it’s been six years, and the wolves of her all-male pack don’t recognize her, she recognizes them. People who shun others because of their gender are hard to forget. 

Especially Liam Kolane—son of Heath, the crudest and cruelest Alpha to have ruled the Boulder Pack. Liam is as handsome as he is infuriating, as kind as he is punishing, and he makes Ness’s traitorous heart race, which isn’t good. After all, he’s a Kolane. Like father like son, right? 

When Heath dies, Liam vies to become the new Alpha and no one dares challenge him. 

Except Ness. 

Thus begins a treacherous game. 

The rules: winner takes all…including loser’s life. 

Fans of Kresley Cole and Cassandra Clare will devour A PACK OF BLOOD AND LIES.

Your usual supernatural romance.

I don't read much YA books these days. Heck, I don't even read a lot of supernatural/paranormal romance books. I picked this up generally because of the author whose writing I can devour in just a few days. Olivia Wildenstein's writing is always a quick read but this one just felt 'eh' for me.

[REVIEW] P.S. From Paris

title: P.S. from Paris
author: Marc Levy; Sam Taylor (translator)
genre: chick lit, romance
published: September 1, 2017 by AmazonCrossing
format: paperback, 288 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

From Marc Levy, the most-read French author alive today, comes a modern-day love story between a famous actress hiding in Paris and a bestselling writer lying to himself. They knew their friendship was going to be complicated, but love—and the City of Lights—just might find a way. 

On the big screen, Mia plays a woman in love. But in real life, she’s an actress in need of a break from her real-life philandering husband—the megastar who plays her romantic interest in the movies. So she heads across the English Channel to hide in Paris behind a new haircut, fake eyeglasses, and a waitressing job at her best friend’s restaurant. 

Paul is an American author hoping to recapture the fame of his first novel. When his best friend surreptitiously sets him up with Mia through a dating website, Paul and Mia’s relationship status is “complicated.” 

Even though everything about Paris seems to be nudging them together, the two lonely ex-pats resist, concocting increasingly far-fetched strategies to stay “just friends.” A feat easier said than done, as fate has other plans in store. Is true love waiting for them in a postscript?

Cute romance between an actress and an author!

Romance aren't my usual read that's why whenever I find myself involved in a romance novel, I get so excited! This one is clean and funny and cute romance between an actress escaping her lousy marriage and an author who's unusually selling well in South Korea.

[REVIEW] Dumplin'

title: Dumplin'
author: Julie Murphy
genre: young adult, contemporary
published: September 15, 2015 by Balzer + Bray
format: hardcover, 384 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

Self-proclaimed fat girl 

Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back. 

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all. 

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

Willowdean is definitely a protagonist worth rooting for!

The only book I read that deals with the fat-girl representation was Sugar and I absolutely LOVE that book. It's got great character development, the background story you'll expect from a book about a fat girl, and a really well developed romance which I LOVED! And it is one of my fave books.

I dive into Dumplin' somehow, thinking about that. Thinking that maybe they'll have similarities.

And ohmy, I was stand corrected.

[REVIEW] Dreamology

title: Dreamology
author: Lucy Keating
genre: young adult, contemporary, science fiction, romance
published: March 14, 2017 by HarperTeen (first published April 12, 2016)
format: paperback, 352 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Fully Booked
rating: 1.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Love is a dream. Then you wake up. 

For as long as Alice can remember, she dreamed of Max. Max is the boy her dreams--and only her dreams. Until the morning she finds him sitting next to her in class, very much alive. 

As Alice and Max get to know each other all over again, Alice learns that real Max is nothing like Dream max. He's complicated and stubborn and has a whole life Alice isn't part of. 

When their dream life starts interfering with their waking one, Alice and Max have to find a way to make the dreaming stop. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?

Flatly disappointed.

I'd really like to say that it's a not-you-it's-me case but I'd be lying. This book has a unique premise which really intrigued me. I was so eager to read it when it was released but after reading it, I was flatly disappointed.

[REVIEW] When Dimple Met Rishi

title: When Dimple Met Rishi
author: Sandhya Menon
genre: young adult, contemporary, romance
published: July 13, 2017 by Simon Pulse
format: export paperback, 384 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Fully Booked
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she's more than ready for a break from her family--and from Mamma's inexplicable obsession with her finding the "Ideal Indian Husband." Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn't have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers... right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that he and his future wife will be attending the same summer program--wherein he'll have to woo her--he's totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself. 

The Shahs and Patels didn't mean to start turning the wheels on this "suggested arrangement" so early in their children's lives, but when they noticed them both gravitating toward the same summer program they figured, Why not? 

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways. 

well that was an adorable read 💖

I was in a slump when I picked this up. I've been going through books and I thought that maybe reading a contemporary would help me out. Contemporaries are light reads and would really be great for relaxing and taking mind off things. And this worked! This helped me out and this was a really quick and adorable read (although I also had some issues with it).

[TOUR] Rowan Wood Legends

full tour schedule can be found at: YA Bound Book Tours

title: Rowan Wood Legends (the Lost Clan #2)
author: Olivia Wildenstein
genre: young adult, fantasy
publish: August 14, 2017
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

SOME LEGENDS ARE BETTER LEFT UNTOLD. 

I wasn’t the sort of girl who believed in fairytales, let alone tales about faeries. But that changed the day Faeries came to my small town and Hunters rose from their graves.  

On that fateful day, I received a book, a peculiar collection of myths and legends. Turns out it was so much more than stories. And just as I was on the verge of unlocking its secrets, it was stolen from me by someone I called a friend.

Now, I don’t know whom I can turn to, whom I can trust. All I know is that there are two sides, and I am straddling the great divide because I am both Faerie and Hunter. And although I swore I would never choose, I am slowly falling for one of those sides… 

Fans of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series will adore Wildenstein's Lost Clan series.  

i'm ready for the next book!

I hope you still remember my fangirling review of Rose Petal Graves. You don't? You didn't read it? Let me give you a brief rundown: (1) fictional Native tribe + faeries, (2) OMG that straightforward heroine that I sympathize to, (3) that romance (OMG that romance! not my usual thing but i still fangirl!), (4) the bantering between Catori and Ace is priceless also makes me love Olivia Wildenstein even more!, (5) also, did I mention Kajika?

[REVIEW] Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1

title: Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 (Fukumenkei Noise #1)
author: Ryōko Fukuyama
genre: manga, romance
publish: March 7, 2017 by Viz Media LLC (first published October 18, 2013)
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

We're hiding our true feelings. 

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Both boys promised Nino that they would find her one day through her singing, so she holds on to that hope and continues to reach out with her voice. Now in high school Nino serendipitously reunites with Yuzu, but she yearns to see Momo again...

just another shoujo romance.

This is one of those stories that felt so cliched -- overused shoujo romance plot with love triangle. A shy and comic relief guy who likes the girl and a serious and a bit more mysterious guy who also likes the girl. And a girl whose feelings bounces between the two.

[TOUR] Duels & Deception

tour schedule can be found at: Xpresso Book Tours

title: Duels & Deception
author: Cindy Anstey
genre: young adult, historical fiction, romance
publish: April 11, 2017
purchase: Amazon | B&N
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Miss Lydia Whitfield, heiress to the family fortune, has her future entirely planned out. She will run the family estate until she marries the man of her late father’s choosing, and then she will spend the rest of her days as a devoted wife. Confident in those arrangements, Lydia has tasked her young law clerk, Mr. Robert Newton, to begin drawing up the marriage contracts. Everything is going according to plan. 

Until Lydia—and Robert along with her—is kidnapped. Someone is after her fortune and won’t hesitate to destroy her reputation to get it. With Robert’s help, Lydia strives to keep her family’s good name intact and expose whoever is behind the devious plot. But as their investigation delves deeper and their affections for each other grow, Lydia starts to wonder whether her carefully planned future is in fact what she truly wants… 

cute romance in regency era

I joined the blog tour of Duels & Deception simply because: (1) I LOVE historical fiction and the Regency era is something don't think I've about (aside from the The Dark Days Club which will probably DNF at some point); (2) I've never read historical romance and Cindy Anstey sounds like a great place to start because I've read great things about Love, Lies and Spies, (3) OMG, lOOK AT THAT COVER!! It's too pretty!! 😍😍😍

[REVIEW] The Season of You & Me

title: The Season of You & Me
author: Robin Constantine
genre: young adult, contemporary, romance
publish: May 10, 2016 by Balzer + Bray
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Cassidy Emmerich is determined to make this summer—the last before her boyfriend heads off to college—unforgettable. What she doesn’t count on is her boyfriend breaking up with her. Now, instead of being poolside with him, Cass is over a hundred miles away, spending the summer with her estranged father and his family at their bed-and-breakfast at the Jersey Shore and working as the newest counselor at Camp Manatee.  

Bryan Lakewood is sick of nevers. You’ll never walk. You’ll never surf. You’ll never slow dance with your date at prom. One miscalculated step and Bryan’s life changed forever—now he’s paralyzed and needs to use a wheelchair. This is the first summer he’s back at his former position at Camp Manatee and ready to reclaim some of his independence, in spite of those who question if he’s up for the job.  

Cass is expecting two months dealing with heartbreak.
Bryan is expecting a summer of tough adjustments.
Neither of them is expecting to fall in love. 

fluffy, cliché romance.

YA contemporary romance is not my usual read. I got this book from Bookworms Unite 2.0 last year. But I was only able to read this last week because of #bookentine. Thank the stars for read-a-thons and reading challenges!

[REVIEW] The Dark Hour

title: The Dark Hour (the Keepers Saga #1)
author: J.F. Jenkins (Cloud S. Riser)
genre: young adult, fantasy
publish: November 10, 2014 by Blue Tulip Publishing
purchase: Amazon
rating: 2 / 5 stars
goodreads

Becca Simpson is a not so average teenager, and she knows it. In fact, she embraces it. She was chosen to be a Keeper, one who keeps the gates sealed between the magic world and the "normal" world. The only time she isn't safe from the dark creatures of the Other Side is the Dark Hour. Every night, at the same time, the gates between the two worlds open and Becca is left vulnerable until the gate closes and the minions disappear. But that's why she has Erik Manchester. As her Guardian, Erik is in charge of making sure no one, or no thing, comes after her to take her away. Because waiting for her on the Other Side is a tyrannical emperor, looking to use her status to meld the two worlds into one. 

With Erik, Becca feels safe, but suffocated. There are rules she has to follow in order to keep out of the hands of the emperor. Then Kyne walks into her life and challenges everything she knows. Not only does he know things about the Other Side, but he's from there. And found a way to stay in the normal world without frying.

glad that was done.

Admittedly, I don't know what came over me that made me request for this book (aside, of course, from that nice looking cover). I'm betting it's how the world was mentioned in the blurb. I was intrigued by the dark hour and the tyrannical emperor (which we should all admit is such a cliche! ohgosh).