Initially enamored - presently discouraged.
938638
Initially I was in love with Sonos.  I have 3 - Play 5 units, a sound bar, a sub, and most recently added the boost.  Maybe I have exceeded its capacity.  What I find now is that on a daily basis Sonos "forgets" what equipment I have, e.g. un-groups the speakers.  What I can see/use on one mobile device differs from another.  And, I can sit on top of the so called "boost" and get no Sonos connection with my mobile device.  I thought such products would get better, not worse, with time and improvements.  Initially enamored - presently discouraged. . . . and God help you if you need to contact customer service.
1689411
My Thoughts~~

So I really, really, really wanted to love this book. I wanted to devour this book but it just didn't happen. Don't get me wrong, this book was great but not over the top wonderful. It had:

a great title - CHECK!
not one but two great authors - CHECK!
great storyline - CHECK!
So why wasn't it super awesome you ask? Well I will tell you.

At first the story was going good. Flowing very nicely. I loved the initial storyline and the main characters, Aubrey and Chance. Their chemistry and banter was cute and totally not overdone. While the chemistry was there you could tell that there was something up with Chance. He's holding back without any blatant explanation. (That reason isn't revealed until much later.) At the time I was like "WTF Chance!!" But then later I definitely got why and changed my tune. I wasn't happy but I understood. Things fall apart between Aubrey and Chance and then the book fast forwards 2 years.

THIS is where I got a little pissy about the book.

Chance and Aubrey reunite at some point and the reunion really devastates Aubrey. She thought that Chance walked out of her life 2 years prior never to be seen again. I get that she was heartbroken. They had some kind of awesome connection and then he's gone and NOTHING for 2 freaking years. I totally understood why Aubrey was so standoffish towards Chance when he returned. Absolutely loved the fact that Chance didn't tuck-tail and run away. He stayed and fought for Aubrey.

I started to get pissy around this point because there is fighting for someone and then there is desperate looking attempts that make someone look pretty pathetic. For me, Chance went from hot Aussie stud muffin to not so hot kind of desperately trying to get Aubrey to accept him back into her life. I did not like that my whole view on Chance became a little murky for a bit because Aubrey was making him jump through hoops to prove his worth. But after I thought about it, it made Chance that much more appealing because he went through all that for her- for him--for them. I guess I didn't like the fact that it took Aubrey so long to accept Chance back in her life.

My perspective is my own but that's why it wasn't a total 5 star read. I would have to put it down and take a breather because I wasn't thrilled at the way Chance was being depicted. Of course I loved the ending and do not regret reading this book at all. I just don't like when good guys get run through the ringer like that.  That's all.

Happy Reading!!
903085
The beginning of the book drew me right in. A single mother, from rags-to-riches hot Latin male, what more could you want, right? I was loving the story and then the ending just kinda didn't do it for me. It feels like I was there, all there, for the first week of the romance and then wth happened. All of sudden we were months down the road and no idea how we got there or what happened in between. I wanted to hear about the dating and long distance relationship. I wanted it all!
3259008
I am still wrestling with my feelings about this book. I loved the first half. Obviously the premise is disturbing and twisted but Dunn somehow managed to make it feel realistic and natural in context. She is an exceptional writer when she wants to be. The description of the Fabulon and the Binewski silbings' childhood is the highlight because it was wonderfully imaginative and it had heart.

I cannot pinpoint exactly where in the story my feelings about the book changed although it was somewhere after the halfway mark. I know when I realized it though. My boyfriend asked me a question while I was reading and I nearly bit his head off. I apologized and said, "This book is just such so toxic it is putting me in an awful mood."

Bascially the book lost its heart. The author kept piling on one cruel and disgusting event on top of another. It did not feel natural, it did not feel like it had a greater purpose it just felt very pushed. I couldn't shake the feeling that the author was more interested in demonstrating her daring and how far she was willing to go rather than writing a good story. Pushing the envelope can be great if it is done in a thought-provoking and carefully crafted manner. However, it is a fine line and if you go too far too often the shock value is gone, the goodwill is gone and you are just left with a huge pile of garbage. I think the book reached this point and it made me angry because after the first half of the book I had high expectations. Pain is a major theme through the book but any higher point Dunn was trying to make about the nature of pain the second half (if there was one) got lost in the muck.

Towards the end my bad feelings began to soften a bit. I don't know if it is because the author managed to bring back some of what made the first half of the book great or because the second half of the book desensitized me so much that I didn't care what happened to any of the characters any more.

I suppose I would recommend this book to people with strong stomachs only because very few books have caused such a strong reaction and internal struggle in me and that has got to be worth something. Plus I have never read anything like it before and there is definitely value in originality.
3356866
Careful; some slight spoilers ahead.
I was really expecting to enjoy this story, but unfortunately it never quite took off into "awesome" for me. Towards the end, it felt like one endless repetition where Lucy was wiffling waffling about what to do about Derek and I started losing respect and faith in Lucy and I started getting frustrated with Cass as well. I felt like, for someone who is apparently constitutionally incapable of being tactful and graceful, Lucy was far too accommodating of everything that happened. From my read of the sample, I was expecting something funny, something witty, a bit more of a romp, but that wasn't quite what I got.
I was hoping for some witty banter, but that never really happened. I was hoping that Lucy would put her foot down at some point and just go after her happily ever after, but instead she disappointed me with her reversal of her original "follow your heart and that'll be the right way". I was really hoping that she'd be the one to wake up and realize that Derek was perfect for her and go after him, but that didn't happen. I was really hoping that she'd managed to persuade Cass to finally tell Julian how she felt, but that didn't happen either, and for no good reason that I could discern.  It also felt like Bowman was, for some reason, constantly trying to hide the fact that it was Julian that wanted Derek to marry Cass from the reader, which made absolutely no sense to me and just aggravated me. I'll also admit that I got perhaps unreasonably peevish at how Derek kept thinking about how irritating Lucy would be if she weren't beautiful - I'm really tired of the "if you're beautiful, you've got endless get out of jail cards" that's so prevalent in romancelandia. I wanted Lucy to sweep him off his feet with her intelligence, with her bravery, but in the end it just felt like everything fell just a little bit short.
Sure, Derek likes her personality, but I'm not convinced that he would have gone with her instead if she weren't beautiful. Sure, she ends up being brave and taking a stand, but I wanted to see it much sooner rather than at the end. Mostly, I think I was disappointed that it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. So your mileage may vary.
It's not a bad story. I don't really regret the money I spent on it, much. I just thought that it didn't hit the spot.

Would I reread? I don't think so. I got a little blegh towards the end and it just wasn't funny enough.

How much did I pay and was it worth it? $1.99 I'm not rending my hair about it, but meh.

How much would I pay for it in retrospect? I'd be happier if I'd paid 99 cents for it.

If in a series, does this standalone? It's the first book and it's clearly trying to set up multiple later books but it does stand alone.

Would I rec this story? Sure. It's not a bad read. Just, not sweet enough for cotton candy and not tart enough for lemonade.

Will I buy the next book in the series? I don't think I will. Cass is the next one and she frustrated me when she didn't just fess up to Julian about loving him. His current fiancee is a terrible human being, so it's not like she'd be doing anyone a disservice. I would read it if it were on KU, but since it's not, nope.
1019219
** WARNING ** WARNING ** WARNING **

** THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!! **

Finding Grace is just the sort of sappy, romantic stuff I love, and when the story worked, it worked beautifully.  Except it didn't always work.  Parts of it felt forced.  In the first chapter, Ms. Pawley went to great lengths to stress how Grace's personality was willful, strong, and that when riled, she was a force to be reckoned with.  This set-up was totally unnecessary as she did an excellent job showing us Grace's character during the telling of the story.

Also, I had difficulty with how Grace initially felt about Henry Shaw.  He was certainly handsome, but his behavior toward her (and his female companion) was reprehensible.  Why did Grace spend so much time dwelling on her fear of having her heart broken by such a horrid man?  It would have been much more believable for Grace to admit that the only reason she couldn't stop thinking about him was because he was so good-looking and then berate herself for it after each encounter with him.  An opinionated and strong character should not just up and fall in love with a cad just because he's handsome.  Fortunately, once Ms. Pawley got over this hump, the remainder of the romance was nothing less than ooey, gooey yumminess!

The final aspect of the story I take issue with is poor Charlie.  It's like Ms. Pawley couldn't make up her mind whether he should be a victim or a villian, and having him be a Jekyll/Hyde type simply didn't work.  He started out sympathetic enough, but even after Grace rejected him and we saw another side to his personality, I was still hopeful that the romance would revolve around Grace showing him how to be a man she could love and completely give herself to.  It's because he was initially shown to be such a sympathetic character that I never really believed the change in him when he became violent and verbally abusive.  And because Grace initially fostered such tender feelings for him, I also found it hard to believe she could completely turn on him in one evening.  Henry Shaw's behavior was no worse, and not only did Grace tolerate it, she couldn't stop thinking about him.  When Charlie came to Chicago looking for her, he continued being Jekyll and Hyde.  First, he was the angry monster, but then he became repentent, and ultimately I couldn't help feeling bad for him upon learning his fate.  I think this character would have worked better as either a victim who returns home a broken man after a final rejection, or a straight-out villian, whose ultimate fate would have been justified.

There were also a few typos and one glaringly ill-constructed sentence whose existence in a published book is absolutely inexcusible.  But overall, it was an enjoyable read: good romantic escapism.
979544
Completely personal tastes/preferences kept me from loving this book.  First, while I thoroughly enjoy a good second chance romance plot, my rational side frequently has difficulty with the concept of one true love.  My brain kept shouting at me that Jonathans devotion to Violet over a full ten years of separation translated to obsession, not love.  Second (and sadly since it was so thoroughly romantic), the poetry ended up being something of a stumbling block for me.  I enjoyed it when Jonathan was spouting it when he was drunk and I had no problem with it being part of the clues left behind by Violets father.  Unfortunately, while it might have worked to turn Violet on, it kept pulling me out of the smexy scenes.

Despite those issues, I REALLY REALLY enjoyed this book.  Poetry aside, the sex scenes are HOT.  The conflict and emotions that drive Violets reactions and decisions are completely understandable.  Her angst and trust issues are firmly rooted in her life experiences and don't seem blown out of proportion.  Jonathan is an intense, devoted, and sexy hero.  Though he stumbles along the way, none of his actions are irredeemable and it is never in doubt that he loves Violet.

Reese is still my favorite from the Billionaire Boys Club, but Jonathan is now a very close second.  Fans of the first four books should enjoy seeing Jonathan reunited with his one and only.
810800
I was really looking forward to wearing these beautiful pants, yet as I tried them on , even with my high waisted knee high spanx, I was devastated.  I wanted to wear these so much.  However, as I started putting them on, as I proceeded toward the hips, I felt the tightness and stopped. As one who has made lounge pants for a while now, I was almost sure of myself that these would be relaxing and a comfortable fit. Unfortunately, I ( being that confident) was wrong ( only after I threw out my bag it came in- I think).  Sure I could stand to loose weight. I get that. These are very beautiful and since I live in an area I can wear them year round...my heart ....well ...let's just say that it hurts.
1698872
I was taught that affirmations are to be positive, in the present tense, and only what you want to come to pass.  I've read this from many sources of inspiration (including from Shakti Gawain's Creative Visualization).  I was disappointed to see an affirmation that was somewhat negative, ""My fear of lack and limitation, has created the lack and limitation I am experiencing - right now."  I would never want to repeat such a depressing statement.  If I ponder lack, then invariably I will create more of it.  I do respect what the author is trying to do, however, so I did give two stars for effort.
4455897
If your sentiments following reading of this work are closer to those expressed in the second Spotlighted review (the reader who "forces" himself to the end of this first novel and then apparently quits), be forewarned or reassured by the reminder that this 4-part narrative, of which "Justine" is only the first quarter, did not begin to "grab" me until I was well into the second volume.  Initially I was attracted to the philosophical hype (Durrell's claim that he's representing modern love in a quantam, post-relativity space-time world), but soon that "bait" became insignificant to the love story, the author's love affair with a cross-section of humanity (as represented by the microcosmic Alexandria), conveying knowledge of the ways of the heart no less intimate than that of the most private personal relationships.

Rereading "Justine," I'm frankly knocked out all over again by the strength and fullness of Durrell's passionate prose (more "poetic" than his poetry).  It's unfortunate if he's not being read as much any more because his is an extraordinary talent and a unique voice--not hamstrung by the rebellion against Puritannism that characterizes so much American literature, not so exquisitely subjective, abstract and effete like much French writing, not mired in theological questions of goodness and evil like Germanic, Russian and Nordic literature.  And he's not restrained and pretentious, covering up as much as he exposes, like Ondaatje, an otherwise kindred spirit.  In his all-out, unashamedly candid and relentless examination of the many faces of love and in turn the writer as quintessential "lover" with stakes no less than the writer's own soul, his only equal in my experience is D. H. Lawrence.  Granted, there is in Durrell's narrator the "lost-generation" pose of someone suspicious of relationships, disillusioned by failed loves, insecure about his own regenerative capacities--and there's the flimsy facade of self-referential modernism (or post-modernism, if you prefer)--but don't let these peripheral matters fool you: Durrell is a true, full-blown Romantic, not only one of the last such writers but one of the best.

"The Alexandrian Quartet" is capable of captivating and transporting you to a place that you've never been and which perhaps never was, but at its completion you'll be fully convinced that you were there.  Even as I was reading the novel as a college student, I knew better than to wish to go to the "real" Alexandria, which is less a geographical location than a metaphor for consciousness itself, that place where desire meets its true objects.  (Because I wanted to share part of that place with my daughter, I named her after one of the characters in the novel--Melissa. Happy to say she did not take up the same profession as Durrell's Melissa.)
487533
*Possible Slight Spoilers* Please come back to my review later to vote or comment if you want to avoid any and all small spoilers*  Thank you

This book I read - Listened to carefully with my very own ears...and my mind wide open
A seed of love was planted...a hopeful seed.
I wanted to love this book so much more
You know how it goes,...girl meets story
Their love is cursed by a couple of cross young people...
cross and onery young people
Yes, each with their burdens to bear --- no one could fault them for that!
You know how it goes, girl meets boy, girl crushes on boy
They sealed the fate of their unease, of their convoluted complication
In a few moments of bonding, with one sweet evening
of companionability, and words improvised
Then girl finds boy in the usual unusual place..in front of her class
Behind that teacher's desk.
This girl annoyed me quite often, was it simply by acting her age?
Perhaps the fault is mine, and not in our stars.
Maybe, maybe not...on both counts.
For the sake of all equality, sweet Will annoyed me also
The push and the pull, Oh, the agony of the push and the pull!
School me? School you!  Make up your mind, sweet young teacher of mine.
It took more than two loving, smart and vulnerable little boys
and one ailing but courageous mother...to bring out the true nature
of these two onery young people...All of  their potential and full nature...All...
Of who and what they could be
I don't believe I saw it yet... and that makes me sad.
Though maybe that chance still lies...within the rest of their story.
2682666
My Review:
Overall.... 4.0
Performance... 4.25
Story.... 3.75

The beginning of this book started out so good. I loved the fact that Grace and Noah had been pen pals for four years because it built up so much history and emotion between them.
BUT...
I had an issue with the fact that Grace is 19 in this book. I loved the idea that the two of them truly fell in love during their correspondence, but with the timeline between the two of them, that meant Grace was ages 13-17 while they corresponded. Okay, yeah....now I'm liking the beginning of that story line a whole lot less. Noah would have been a grown man while Grace was little more than a child throughout most of their correspondence. Now, that whole aspect that I loved is feeling more than a little icky.

Luckily, I didn't really do the math throughout most of the first half of the book so that didn't occur to me until later. By that time, I was enjoying the story.

And I did enjoy this story overall. It's a New Adult romance so there's a lot of immaturity and angst on the part of Grace. She's young and the author wrote her that way. She's only 19 and doesn't know how to aim her life, unlike Noah who's much older and has been on his own with goals and reasons for life for a long time at this point. The two just seemed like they were at such different stages in life, even though they are both in college.

I liked how devoted Noah is to winning her. He's dreamt of her for years (yeah, there's that ick factor again...2 years before he dumped her and she was only 17...not even legal...ew. I just really wish the author had made her at least a couple of years older) and now he sees this as his opportunity. He came to this college specifically to win her heart and I do love his devotion.

The Woodlands is the name of this series and there are 5 guys total who live in this gorgeous house out at the Woodlands. Noah is the first to have his story told, but I liked all the guys, especially his best friend, Beau. I definitely plan to read more in the series because the book was written really well and it was interesting. My main issue was with the age thing, but everything else about it was actually pretty good. It stalled out a bit at the end, but overall I enjoyed it. I just wish that the rest of the series was available on audio too.

Note...the audiobook is done by two narrators because the book is broken into two POV's...both in first person, alternating between the hero and heroine. So there is a male and a female narrator. Both the narrators on the audiobook were VERY good. Noah has a bit of a southern drawl and they both did pretty good with him, although I will admit, I liked the male's version just a slight bit better.
267719
I wanted to love this based on the premise and I don't like giving such low-star reviews, but because of the hype and my overreaching hope of falling in love with a brand new world, I think it made my disappointment that much more. I realise books need hype to get in front of eyes, but sometimes the buildup sets a reader up for a bigger let-down. Schwab can clearly write and has an army of fans, but I'm afraid this just wasn't for me. I was never sure if it was meant to be YA or adult, as it leaned more toward YA as far as some of the more ... derivative elements, and character development (or lack thereof, until at least 2/3 of the way through the book). As I say, she's an excellent writer, but this was just not for me. I grew bored at various stages and when I find myself skimming, with a towering TBR pile of books on my nightstand, it's time to finish it and move on. Sorry to say, I'm not one of the legions of fans!
2443357
This one sounded really good judging by the synopsis. A "down-on-her-luck" fashionista working a crappy job who wins the lottery, who doesn't want to fall in love but meets a good guy, really caught my interest. I'm fascinated by the lottery and how that would affect someone's life by winning so I gave this a try. I enjoyed McCarthy's "True Believers" series so I had high hopes she could win me with this one.

The first half of the book was really good. Allison does in fact win the lottery and during a celebration at her local bar hangout she meets famous singer Marco Lucky. She's not affected by him or his fame and that in turn catches his attention. I'm not a big fan of overly slutty characters, as I've said before, but Marco is in a stage of reformation and leads a strictly celibate lifestyle after a big mistake he made previously. I really loved that he was trying to find out who he really is and was doing some soul searching. So he pursues her, she rebuffs his advances a few times but ultimately decides to give him a chance and the two form a really lovely bond and have great chemistry. Marco treats her really well and does some amazingly romantic things for her on their date and offers her a shoulder to lean on in a serious moment that made me swoon. Allison was a tough cookie but I loved seeing her let her guard down eventually.

The second half of the book was a little bit of a let down. Although Marco and Allison seem to take things slowly because of Marco's self imposed celibacy kick, the sex scenes and everything leading up felt cliched and predictable. Once they decided to get physical Marco sort of turned into a Lothario who only seemed to focus mostly on the sex. He did have moments where he was tender and sensitive but then he'd ruin it by saying or thinking something dirty or growling something to Allison. For instance, he was carrying her to bed after a round of sex and looked at her sweetly but then a boner ruined the moment and they screwed again. For me, it would have worked better if he would have just let the moment remain romantic but I understand the characters were fighting their feelings because they didn't see how things could work for them being from two different worlds. I did like them as a couple and thought they made a great team I just wished their physical moments were a bit more organic.

There was a big shake up with Allison's lottery win and when it first happened I was excited by how it was going to turn out but then the author ruined it by wrapping it up with a nice bow on top and for me, again, that felt contrived. I actually wanted to see how she handled this event and worked her life out around it but that's not the route the author went. I did think the end was pretty sweet but overall I wasn't in love with it by the time I finished. It was a cute story and the humor was well written so it wasn't a complete waste of time so if you are ok with some romance cliches and little to no angst, then you'll enjoy this one.
552981
I really like the beginning and truly like Meagan at first. And of course, I am such a sucker for a petite heroine and a tall hero. It has always come across to me as romantic.

Megan was born of wealth but both her parents died and she had a choice to go stay with her aunt but chose to turn herself as a maid to one of her best friend. Megan has a lot of spunk, attitude and spark to her little self. When she first met Lion I was rooting for them but somehow it turned south for me.  Her blushing grated on my nerve after a while...it seemed she was blushing left and right, up the middle all over whenever Lion is around.

To me, Meagan and Lion slept with each other too fast. And I didn't like the fact that he's already set to marry Pris. I don't mind them sleeping together just as long as Lion was free but she did it while he was intended to her friend and that is wrong on so many level. Regardless, of how she felt about him or about her he was not available for her to just have sex with. I didn't quite like her from then on. The way Meagan was pushing and pulling herself with Lion. She doesn't want him...but she wants him. She hates him but she has sex with him. It became a drag and to be honest I wanted the book to end so badly that I skimmed through it.

Lion, well he is sexy, tall and has a lot of charm. But I'm not sure if his character was supposed to come out this way for me, he is like a user. He wants Pris for her title yet he wants Meagan as a mistress. He's sweet as sugar when he wants to be but is really a jerk when he is pissed. And what I didn't like about him is when he is mad at women he likes to call them a Bitch.

Pris....I couldn't even say her full name because it is too gentle and graceful for a person like her. She is a piece of work that girl. I didn't care what happen to her. The characters are so frustrating to read about, and the secret Meagan kept was kind of dragging its tail till the end. And two characters I thought had potentials seemed to fade out quickly for me. It was an OK read but I skipped some. A little over halfway I didn't care what the reason was that led Lion afraid to fall in love I just wanted the book to end.
3560898
Forever Friday, by Timothy Lewis began as an enjoyable read.  The premise of the story was very promising.

Adam Colby, an estate seller, goes to a sale and  finds a secret stash of post cards with romantic poems that Gabe Alexander, sent his wife Huck every Friday during their marriage.  Adam is intrigued by this considering his marriage ended in divorce a few years earlier.  Adam hopes that reading the posts cards will reveal the secret to having a long, happy marriage.

Forever Friday tells the story of Gabe and Huck Alexander's marriage.  I am a true romantic and enjoyed following their love story, at times.  However; there were unrealistic moments that transpired between Gabe and Huck.  At times Huck seemed a bit naive about things that most married women would know not to allow in a marriage.  Gabe was very forgiving of things and each time a problem arouse everything worked out.  The book was very predictable.  Another concern I had was neither Gabe nor Huck wanted to have children.  I understand there are Christians that do not want to have children and maybe Timothy Lewis was touching on those individuals.  I was not happy with the Alexanders being so against having children, it was implied that was one of the reasons to a happy marriage.  Their not wanting to have children was one many coincidences and predictions I did not find favorable.

There is a character Mr. Jack that only makes one statement to Huck when she was a child, but throughout the book he is mentioned as if he made such an incredible impact on her life.  Which I found very unrealistic and forced feed to me as a reader.

At times I felt like the book was a bit rushed on certain points like towards the end or maybe something was missing.  It felt like Timothy Lewis new he had to come to a close and things got a little rushed.

I recommend this book strictly for passing time and not being spiritually feed. Even if you are not looking to be spiritually feed, I am not sure if this a good read, because of all of my concerns.  It was so unrealistic, by the time I got the last chapter I struggled to finish it.  I was over the flash backs and could not understand why Adam Colby was so intrigued by the Alexanders.

There were times I felt a since of warmth, but this is not a book I would rush to pull of the shelf.

Disclosure:  Products/Compensation was received in exchange for review all opinions are my own.
4847053
This book started out very promising with the flirtation between the heroine and her best friends' brother. The way she describes him, their bantering and his internal thoughts of admiration and love caught my attention. I thought to myself, oh good! I love a book where the hero admits he's in love and sets out to woo the heroine. Sadly, by the middle of the book his scheme of wooing has fallen apart and they share many frustrating moments and angry conversations.

The book fully redeems itself with a splendid, sweet and steamy ending, but it missed the opportunity to be so much better. Overall a satisfying read, but not fabulous.