-Zac's personality (could he BE any more adorable?! ) -The message of forgiveness and not ...
583331
Highlights:
-Tons of cute quotes!
-Zac's personality (could he BE any more adorable?!)
-The message of forgiveness and not letting the past haunt you.

The only thing I wasn't too fond of was Avery's tendency to make rash, often poor, choices, coupled with her selfish thinking. However, the story is about her overcoming her past, and her character arc rounds out these problems, which I was glad to see.

This novel contained no foul language, just a few replacement words such as "heck" or "freaking". If you're a fan of clean, contemporary reads, I highly recommend this novel as well as others by this author!
651474
Why do i always seem to smile when there is a part written with slade and skye???? That fuy is unreal! I love the over protectiveness that family has over skye!!! Its sooo cute!!!

Poor Arsen! What an emotional mess! I do truly believe the mothers apology is real but the whole 1/2 brother thing is a slap in the face! I so not know how he is going to get over that but i am hoping that he does forgive her. I have a feeling she might be really sick and he will regret it if he doesnt make up with her. Its really quite the journey he has been through! I didn't realize the abuse he had to endure with her. Sooo sad! And Ryan getting so emotional with having arsen replay his memories was upsetting!

What is in then suitcase cayson brought home??????? I couldve sworn that girl put something illegal in there to sabatoge cayson making it on the plane. But once he cleared security i finally let go of the breathe i sidnt know i was holding! I have a feeling somethjng is going to go down with whatever was in there and skye will not be happy. I hope she has a good pregnancy.

Lexie and conrad are in for a doozy!!! I hope she changes her mind about marriage because the really are perfect together.
2322142
Maddie Tyler is reunited with her high school crush, Jack McKenzie.  Both are at difficult periods in their current relationships.

Maddie has been dealt some bad hands.  She also is a bit nave.  I did like her though.  She is a good mother, which I value.

I like Jack.  He is a set designed.  My undergraduate degree is in industrial design, so I could totally relate to his career.  I also, love hockey, so I automatically have a soft spot for him since he played in high school and an adult league.  He is a great guy.  Most people wouldnt put up with all Maddies baggage.  I also appreciate that he is good with Maddies son, Todd.

The story has a bit of a soap opera feel to it.  At times, it seemed a bit unbelievable.  However, it was mysterious, making it interesting.

Complimentary copy provided publisher via manicreaders.com in exchange for an honest review.
1925752
Jeremy, a food blogger who has been working from home, is slightly down in the dumps about his physical appearance as he has gained a little weight in recent months. However, he was never described as seriously overweight, and if he is tall, then 40 pounds, while IS a lot, is not A LOT of weight, if you get what I am saying.

And Ryan could care less about his appearance, he likes Jeremy for who he is. BUT, of course, Jeremy lets his insecurities get the better of him. Ryan leaves, and Jeremy is left to push forward, alone.

At it's core, this is a story of true love and how it doesn't matter what you look like, it's who you are. You can be the hottest man in the club, but if you have a crap personality, you are nothing but a dog. Jeremy realizes that Ryan liked him for him, BEFORE he made any changes. Ryan wasn't embarrassed to be seen with Jeremy, and Ryan could not understand why Jeremy could not see him the way he saw him.

If I am being honest, this was my favorite by Jason Collins thus far.
4377280
First Impression:
Yes. Owen's book, YES! I couldn't wait to see how Owen turned out. I've loved him from the beginning.

The Story:
I really loved what Murphy did with Owen's story. I always felt like Owen was a bit stuck in between Fable and their mom. He was always used as a fighting tool for them and I wondered how that really impacted him. Well, we get to see all of that in this book.

Owen's in college now and the choices he's made are slowly catching up to him. Yes, he's had a good influence in Drew and Fable, but his mother has been lurking in the shadows for far too long. It's beginning to affect his life, his grades and his football career. So, his advisor sets him up with a tutor to help him get back on track.

Chelsea is hard working, smart and on track to graduate early. She has her own past that she's running from and so far, she's managed to stay on course with her life plan. Then, she's assigned a new student to tutor and she realizes that she may be missing out on some things in life. Like, a relationship with a sexy football player.

The Characters:
I adore Owen. Always have. Owen was everything I thought he would be and hoped for. Yes, he makes some questionable choices, but he really is a good guy. One of the things I love the most about him is that he really is a sensitive guy. His mother's lifestyle choices really impacted him, as well as put a lot of pressure on him. There were times that my heart broke for him, because I felt like he was put in a tough position with wanting to be able to do "something" for his mom, but he really needed to detach. I felt like Chelsea was a great influence on him. She gave him something positive to reach for.

I was a bit surprised that I liked Chelsea as much as I did. That may seem like a weird thing to say, but I wanted the best for my O, so the bar was set high. Chelsea was awesome. She is strong, but there is also an obvious vulnerability to her that made her appealing. Plus, she did help Owen in more ways than one. I felt like they complimented each other well and helped bring out the best in one another.

I can NOT write this review without mentioning my Drew & Fable. They are possibly one of my favorite book couples of all time, so of course I loved seeing them in this book. Naturally, they do appear, because they had a big part in raising Owen. I have always loved Owen and Fable's relationship, but I enjoyed seeing them now that he's a bit older too. Fable has always put Owen as a top priority. They really have such a great relationship. And I loved thinking about Owen as an Uncle to my namesake.

Overall:
I really loved it. When you connect with characters as I've had with this series, high expectations are normal, but I have to say that Murphy hit the mark with this one. Did I feel the same magic as I did with D&F? Pretty darn close. Owen and Chelsea's story is uniquely theirs, but I was happy that I got the same kind of feeling reading this one as I did with Drew and Fable's books.

I cannot recommend this series enough. It's one of my favorites and existing fans of this series won't want to miss Owen's story! Well done, Murphy!

Quotes:
~I pace the classroom, to agitated to sit. Back and forth in front of the whiteboard, my gaze constantly straying to the door no matter how much I tell myself I don't care when he shows up. I'd prefer he never show up.

I am also a complete liar.-Loc 1424

~Sitting on the roof of his car, the faint chirping of the crickets in the tall, dry grass, the even fainter whoosh of the cars rushing by, I'll never forget this moment. His fingers in my hair, the sound of our lips connecting again and again, the soft whispers and our accelerated breaths.

It's sensory overload.-Loc 1915
3365813
I love him.  I love the amount of detail on his little "name tag". I do wish his figure's skin tone was a tad bit darker though. Hopefully we will see a pop of Poe in his green tunic!
4649276
The thing I liked most about Faking It was how it focused on the idea that 'opposites attract'. Max and Cade are total opposites. Cade is the perfect "Golden Boy" who impresses parents and is very put together. He's calm, sweet, never gets mad, and never does anything outrageous. Max is tattooed, dances at a bar, has tons of issues, and can be pretty emotional and dramatic. They're not the couple you'd put together and think, "They're perfect for each other!!" But in a way, the fact that they are so different is what made them perfect for each other.. O_O

Just like Losing It , Faking It was hilarious!! I freaking loved the awkward moments. Just the idea of asking someone to be your fake boyfriend is hilarious. Then when Max's parents invited said fake boyfriend over for Christmas... lol. It was just so funny to see that one lie spiral so far out of control!

"My name is Cade Winston--MFA student, volunteer, mom-hugger, and your boyfriend for the next twenty-four hours. It's nice to meet you."

And another thing I thought was great was how Cora Carmack really made Cade stand out in Faking It. In Losing It I honestly thought Cade was a little... lame. It just made me sad how he was obsessed with Bliss and kept clinging onto her.. but I loved watching him come out of his shell in Faking It . He became a much more interesting character than he was in Losing It .

The one thing that annoyed me in Faking It was Max. I liked her a lot of the time, but sometimes she really pissed me off. I hate it when the "damaged" girl in books has this attitude that's like: "I'm not good for him! I'm poison. I'll just break his heart. So before I break his heart I'm just going to leave him... he'll get over me anyway." Grow up and put an end to the pity party!!! Seriously! It drives me freaking nuts. I hate those stupid speeches and Max had a couple of them. >_<

Although I really enjoyed Faking It and it had me laughing at several points, I didn't love it quite as much as Losing It. I'm almost not entirely certain why. I think maybe Losing It just packed a bigger punch. Or maybe it was because I read Losing It first and then I read Faking It immediately after so the "these awkward moments are hilarious" feeling wore off a little... I don't really know! But either way, Faking It was still an awesome book!
1259728
I liked Evie sense of humor. Levi, also had a good sense of humor. I really liked Evie and Levi, Levi in particular, especially when he tried to live as if he was blind in order to feel more connected to Evie, rather sweet, and cute, but Evie is even cuter!  Somewhat I questioned Julianne's sensitivity. Alana was so smart and cute. I also like Cherelyn, Overall, there were some scenes grossly funny. I did find the whole color painting declaration silly to the point of stupid. A rather suspenseful story, kept me on the edge of my seat wandering as to who did cause Evie's blindness... Stay tune.
3221041
I loved Elliott!! I cannot stress how much I loved this character, he just makes my heart swoon! On one hand he was a badass rocker, but on the other hand, he was incredible sweet, caring, intelligent, and just adorable. I wasn't quite as crazy over Kendalee as I was Elliott, but the author still made her a unique, complex, and realistic character that was literally going through hell. There were times it appeared as if she were ready to break, but then she would come back roaring like a mama lion and I had nothing but the utmost respect for her character. Daniel was an incredible character in that there were times he perfectly captured teenage angst, but he had some extremely honest and emotional moments that just stole the show.

Elliott Redeemed is definitely a romance but it is also so much more. Author Scarlett Cole has packed this novel with so many different themes and experiences, making it wonderfully complex without being too heavy. The imagery and dialogue are incredible that propelled me right into the novel as if I were one of the characters. This novel said so much about family, trust, pain from our pasts, and hope for the future. I cannot recommend this one enough to lovers of contemporary romance with an edge.

*Many thanks to Barclay for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
2937887
Jack is a playboy star football player.  Leah is the one who has to clean up him image when he screws up.  When something happens and Jack messes up huge, the only way out of the nightmare of his image is to do something to clean it up. Faking a relationship with Leah seems like such a great plan.  Is it possible for Jack to save his image and his career?  Is it possible to give up his playboy ways?  What happens when hearts become involved?  Could both Jack and Leah ever end up happy? I enjoyed watching this bad boy try to figure out his life.  It was sweet and enjoyable to read.
973655
This is one sweet story.
This is a novella, so super short, but Jay does a wonderful job with character development in the few pages he allots for these two. I felt invested in Zac's life, his happiness, his growth. Rudy was dorky and awkward and shy and I loved him. And blushing, gawd, the blushing is hot.

We start with Rudy. He is shy, a bit self conscious, but adorable. He has a crush on his work mate, Zac, but will never work up the nerve to make a go of it. Not that Zac is making that easy even if Rudy were inclined to.
Zac is aloof, standoffish. He has no interest in making friends at work, he is just there to get his job done. He was handed a tough lot in life to this point and has learned to keep people at arms - or yards - length away to avoid being abandoned and hurt.
With a bit of a liquor loose tongue and some holiday melancholy, Zac and Rudy are on a jaunt to the country.

Given a chance to explore a friendship and possibly more, Rudy settles into his home life comfortably surrounded by family. Zac learns how it feels to be embraced by a family and accepted at face value. Without even knowing to try, Rudy and his family enfold Zac in their family traditions and holiday cheer. Zac, ever wishing for and never knowing of family, learns to trust in the love around him.

This story also involves a rescue kitten and some mistletoe.

My only complaint? It ended too soon! (and I never complain about length! - I actually really enjoy quick reads) I think I would have enjoyed this even more had it been a full length book. I would have been happy to learn more about Zac's background. I would have also been happy to see Rudy flourish within a relationship. It would also be interesting to see them hit a rough patch and how they deal with it considering their very different personalities.

In short, definitely worth the read. Cute and sweet with an outrageously awesome family. Plus the characters are memorable. And who can resist a blushing, awkward virgin? Not Zac, and thank goodness for that!
3271078
He looks as cute as ever. He sould work well as a plush for cosplay! :)
803620
I really loved reading Jared's POV. He is more than just interesting, he's also broken and complex. He has both good and bad things going for him in his life, the bad things that constantly torment and haunt him and the good things he believes he doesn't deserve or should own him. In some ways, he is also a glutton for punishment, walking the fine line between self-inflicting pain or pleasure. Tate represents all that is good in his life and despite the distance he wedged between them, it is still pretty remarkable how well he knows her and can read her, in addition to how much time he spends thinking about her. It's amazing how he believes he hates her, only because he refuses to admit that he really loves her, thinking that love is what makes him weak. Tate gave a memorable monologue in Bully, but it is Jared's monologue and break away from his closed-in shell in Until You where everything about him makes sense.
1308585
Zac... William... Daniel...? The same? Did Dan hide that to protect Ellie? It's not resolved in my head. Loved it!!!
3122516
I didn't really like all those marshmellows.
The only reason I got the case was because of the marshmellow on the top right. That marshmellow has a combination of sweet and innocence, yet rebellious nature. Her eyes are squinting as if so she might prepare for combat while at the same time her blushing says if I kill you I'm going to do it in the cutest way possible. That marshmellwo is bae. 5/5 still though because her other marshmellow friends are part of her possy.
619805
Evie is a talented painter. She is also blind. When Levi saves Evie from an embarrassing moment, he feels something for her and he makes her a deal that she doesn't want to refuse! Levi is sweet and is truly interested in Evie but to Evie its all to good to be true. When secrets are revealed, will everything they have started to build, fall to pieces? I loved how Evie always tries to be positive and not let her blindness stop her.
4540383
#nomorechances #bigbadbully #tigersneverchangetheirstripes #secondchances #vicious

Everyone has had at least one person in their orbit that was a complete a-hole, someone who made you snarl at first sight of him, someone you wanted to avoid unless you are very stupid, someone who is just short of being a bully, someone who needs to be taken down a few notches. Vicious was all those things in spades.

Why did he get his very own book? Because there has to be something vulnerable, something redeemable about an unredeemable person.

LJ Shen created another memorable character, and I can't wait to meet the rest.