Second Draft (Men with Wood, #1) by C.M. Seabrook

Synopsis:

It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen her, the only woman that’s ever gotten under my skin, and made me wish I was a better man. More than just the washed up hockey player, turned sports journalist whose body is almost as scarred as his soul. 

Layla Harper made me hope again. But life has a warped sense of humor, and I wasn’t the only Bennett brother that fell for the girl with the caramel colored eyes. 

The night I saw Travis with her I knew I’d lost, even before I had the chance to fight. Because one thing I never compete with my brother over is women. Even if the woman stole my breath, and my heart with one single kiss. 

And damn, what a kiss it had been. 

Now, she’s pregnant with my brother’s baby. A baby he wants nothing to do with. And he’s asked me to clean up his mess. 

What he doesn’t know is that I’m in love with her, and I have no intention of offering her the deal he’s laid out. I have a deal of my own. One that will finally make her mine.

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

I was 0.5 seconds away from loving this book!! The plot was definitely different, revolving around a very awkward and sticky situation but it had no trouble keeping me engaged. I found myself having emotional outburst while reading this. I smiled and laughed like a little school girl, I gasped & gave a lot of well deserved side eye, but I could not put the book down.

There were some things that I felt were unrealistic and earned a good eye roll but were not completely unbelievable. At times throughout the book the relationship between Layla and Carter seemed liked it was moving too fast in some areas and in others seemed like they were at a standstill. Their relationship lacked the consistency I was looking for but I still couldn't help but root for them.

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm

Synopsis:

Believe in the possible . . . with this brilliantly quirky, thought-provoking novel from New York Times bestseller, three-time Newbery Honor winner Jennifer L. Holm

 

Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer.

Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far?

 

Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?

 

With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.

Rating: ★★★½

Review:

I really liked this as a middle grade novel! Character wise you really forget that Ellie, our main character, is only eleven throughout most of the book but at the same time she still stayed true to her age characteristics. Which was awesome for two reasons, one because I've noticed recently in the middle grade genre characters act way above their age range and you really can't sympathize with them being early or preteen age. And two, it's a good thing for older audiences like myself because it doesn't always feel like I'm reading a children's novel, which keeps it interesting. 

I wish Melvin had better development because I really felt like there was so much more to be done with his character by the end of the book and I feel like there's more of his story to be told.

I loved how fast paced the plot was and the bigger learning experience young readers can get from this. I was unsatisfied with how the book ended. I just feel like the story was left undone and cut short to throw a bow on it and i'm left with so many questions.

As a whole I wouldn't say it was one of the best I've read but I do think this is a good middle grade novel. I can see me adding this to my daughter's book shelf when the time comes.

Black Butterfly by Robert M. Drake

Synopsis:

This book is a collection of memories and experiences Drake lived after the death of one of his brothers. He promised he would write him a few words after he failed to complete the task while his brother was alive. This book is everything… this book is for all who are breathing and for all who are no longer here. This book is for you.

Rating:★★★

Review:

I liked this but I didn't love it. I loved the sketches, I thought the poems were written beautifully, and I connected with and related to some of them but I still feel like something's missing. I originally added this book to my TBR because the cover caught my eye since it had a butterfly on it but once I read the synopsis of what the collection was about I was set on reading it. I wish I would have been more emotionally connected with the book as a whole. I still want to read more from Robert Drake and even though this isn't one of my favorites I still recommend it. 

Favorites: No Ears, I Am the Fire, Love Moments, Violent Storms, Not a Tomb, Forever Falling, Robin Williams, A Lover's Smile, & Live Die Less 

The Complete Collected Poems by Maya Angelou

Synopsis:

For the first time, the complete collection of Maya Angelou's published poems-including "On the Pulse of Morning"-in a permanent collectible, handsome hardcover edition.

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

Maya Angelou is my poetry grandmother and since her death I've always had the goal to read everything touched by her and I'm so happy to have completed all of her collections of poetry. Ms. Angelou had such a rich and perfect story time voice so I loved how automatically the voice in my head switched to her while I was reading. 

I always knew Maya Angelou to tell it how it was but this 100% made me realize just how much she never sugar coated anything that came out of her mouth. Looking at the time period she lived through and everything she experienced throughout the entirety of her life, I loved the rawness and realness she put in her poems because that's the real way to feel a poets emotions, happy or sad, and see from their point of view.

A few of my favorites were; Take Time Out because it's relevant to my current life situation, the whole collection of And Still I Rise because it was very uplifting as a black woman, and Our Grandmothers, which has accidentally added the name Zenobia to my future baby name list. And of course I can't forget the fan favorites Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise! I have nothing but love for this book and Maya Angelou in general.

Hot & Bothered (Out of Uniform #1 - 3) by Elle Kennedy

Synopsis:

Three sizzling-hot stories from New York Times and international bestselling author Elle Kennedy! 

Give a SEAL an inch, and he’ll take your heart. 

Heat of the Moment 

For almost a year Shelby has lusted over swoon-worthy Garrett, but she can’t figure out why he’s not interested…until she overhears him saying she’s too vanilla for his taste. When a heat wave sends the sexy Navy SEAL into her bakery, she finally has the opportunity to show him exactly what he’s missing… 

Heat of Passion 

Holly has too much on her plate to think about a serious relationship. A hot fling with a SEAL, though, is the perfect way to take the edge off. The last thing she expects is to run into her gorgeous one-night stand weeks later, and to discover that Carson wants the one thing she doesn’t: more. In the face of his methodical seduction, her resistance is crumbling… 

Heat of the Storm 

Will has waited fifteen years for the storm that sends Mackenzie into his arms. He’s the one man not scared of her psychic gift, and their one night of passion is enough to convince this tenacious SEAL that they are much, much more than friends. Now he just has to convince her of that… 

Warning: Contains dangerously hot Navy SEALS, and heroines not afraid to take them on one—or two—at a time.

Rating:★★★★

Review:

I can't believe I really enjoyed reading this. My thoughts for this book will be quick and simple because my thoughts are pretty straight forward for each story. 

Heat of the Moment followed Garret & Shelby and it was really steamy, unrealistic at some points, but overall a pretty cute adult romance story. 

Heat of Passion follows Carson & Holly and it was funny, unrealistic at some points, but the were the more relatable couple out of the book. 

Finally, Heat of the Storm follows Will & Mackenzie, which was basically porn on a page, but it also had it's funny moments despite being dry and lacking in it's non porn parts. Overall. I loved how they all intertwined together but I have to admit I ran out of steam by the time we got to Will's story and it seems like the author did, too. I noticed she didn't really focus on the actual plot of his story as much as she did the previous two, it seemed she focused more on the sex scenes more than anything else.

All in all I enjoyed the book as a collection.

Burned (Burned, #1) by Ellen Hopkins

Synopsis:

I do know things really began to spin out of control after my first sex dream. 

It all started with a dream. Nothing exceptional, just a typical fantasy about a boy, the kind of dream that most teen girls experience. But Pattyn Von Stratten is not like most teen girls. Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, a simple dream may not be exactly a sin, but it could be the first step toward hell and eternal damnation. 

This dream is a first step for Pattyn. But is it to hell or to a better life? For the first time Pattyn starts asking questions. Questions seemingly without answers -- about God, a woman's role, sex, love -- mostly love. What is it? Where is it? Will she ever experience it? Is she deserving of it? 

It's with a real boy that Pattyn gets into real trouble. After Pattyn's father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control until Pattyn ends up suspended from school and sent to live with an aunt she doesn't know. 

Pattyn is supposed to find salvation and redemption during her exile to the wilds of rural Nevada. Yet what she finds instead is love and acceptance. And for the first time she feels worthy of both -- until she realizes her old demons will not let her go. Pattyn begins down a path that will lead her to a hell -- a hell that may not be the one she learned about in sacrament meetings, but it is hell all the same. 

In this riveting and masterful novel told in verse, Ellen Hopkins takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride. From the highs of true love to the lows of abuse, Pattyn's story will have readers engrossed until the very last word.

Rating:★★★★½

Review:

I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook version of this and it was one of the best narrations I've ever heard. I've loved all of Ellen Hopkins books I've read so far and this one was no different. No matter what situation Ellen Hopkins decides to sink her teeth in she always elicits so much emotion and energy it breaks your heart and heals it all at the same time.

I'm not an emotional person but Pattyn's situations really tugs on your heart strings and gets you involved in the story. I found myself cheering her on even though something like breaking someone's nose isn't something to cheer on, I had to assess the situation.


What I like most about Pattyn's character is that she wasn't afraid to nor was she hesitant to admit her wrongs or her confusions about things going on in her life. She is one of the most relatable and likeable characters I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know, and not in a cliche kind of way. I thought Pattyn's dad was bad at the beginning of the story (classic abuser) but it was nothing compared to what we found out about the fall out between him and aunt J. And speaking of Aunt J, she's like america's own personal aunt, she's just that amazing as a person.

Even though I though the puppy love relationship was cute, I wasn't a fan of the insta-love that lead up to it. I wish Pattyn and Ethan  had more time as friends before they jumped right into being "in love". Also, the love square or relationship square, which ever you want to call it, was cute but a little awkward taking in the account the people that were involved.

I loved this and I recommend this to everyone!! Beware the heartbreak💔💔💔😭😭

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti

Synopsis:

After years spent living on the run, Samuel Hawley moves with his teenage daughter, Loo, to Olympus, Massachusetts. There, in his late wife’s hometown, Hawley finds work as a fisherman, while Loo struggles to fit in at school and grows curious about her mother’s mysterious death. Haunting them both are twelve scars Hawley carries on his body, from twelve bullets in his criminal past—a past that eventually spills over into his daughter’s present, until together they must face a reckoning yet to come. This father-daughter epic weaves back and forth through time and across America, from Alaska to the Adirondacks. Both a coming-of-age novel and a literary thriller, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley explores what it means to be a hero, and the cost we pay to protect the people we love most.

Publisher: The Dial Press
Release Date: March 28, 2017
Rating: ★★★

Review

***I received this eARC from netgalley in exchange for my honest review***

Character wise, my first impression of Hawley is that he needs professional help. You can tell he never allowed himself to grieve or let go of Loo's mother, Lily, judging by the amount of memories he's kept and how he basically builds this shrine to her everywhere they move. I love Loo's attitude! She just has this "take-no-shit-attitude" and I love girls and women like that. Sadly, I didn't start to love the characters until after about 45% of the book. I loved their relationship as father and daughter but I hate that it took so long for me to actually get to know them and love them.

Plot wise, I didn't like how the chapters detailing how Hawley got each bullet wound were squeezed into the book. There was no transition between bullet chapters and the rest of the book so, it felt like they were added last minute. I felt like I was reading two different books, one being a prequel and the other being the current book, smashed together. #PeanutButterAndJelly I feel like the plot moved really slow and I wasn't seeing the purpose or the end goal of the book.

Also, I didn't get any of the thriller vibes seeing that this is classified as being a thriller and to say that this is supposed to be a duel perspective novel, you get way more of Loo's point of view than Hawley and I wish I had an equal serving of both.