Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Easy - Tammara Webber

Easy - Stand-Alone Novel
~Tammara Webber



Summary (from Goodreads):


When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex’s frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life.
 

Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she’s still the same intelligent girl she’s always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There’s just one problem—their only interactions are through email.


Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. At a downtown club, he disappears after several dances that leave her on fire. When he asks if he can sketch her, alone in her room, she agrees—hoping for more.


Then Jacqueline discovers a withheld connection between her supportive tutor and her seductive classmate, her ex comes back into the picture, and her stalker escalates his attention by spreading rumors that they’ve hooked up. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.


Review: 5/5 Stars


"So I don't want you to feel pressured. Or overpowered. But I do, absolutely, want to kiss you right now. Badly."  


Anyone who I add as a friend on here knows by now that I never pick up Contemporary YA novels. Most just don't work for me, and if all the flaws can hide behind vampires, zombies, and magic it becomes easier to ignore the faults. Thank you Tammara Webber for eliminating the doubt I had before reading this book.
Somehow this book just didn't have any problems for me. The characters where strong, emotions were present, and they behaved like normal people!


SPOILER FREE
I have a special place in my heart for college themed books; maybe that's because I'm going to be stuck at mine for another 3 years.


We get introduced to Jacqueline, the narrator, who has been dumped by her boyfriend of 3 years. She had followed him to college straight from High School instead of pursuing her own wants; a music school. Everything has spun out of control in these two weeks. From going unnoticed in the hall, to failing her first class. Jacqueline has hit rock bottom. This is exactly where we meet her, coming out of a college frat party. Some things happen as she tries to make her way home... and I'll leave it at that.


Skipping forward a bit, Jacqueline has decided to get herself back on the right track. In attempt to pass her Econ class, she gets pared up with a tutor, Landon. Their contact is strictly through e-mail. It's funny, they might have been a few flirty messages going back and forth, and it works with the book.


We also meet Lucas within the first few pages on the book, and come to later find out that he too is in the Econ class. He sits in the back, doodles, has a lip ring, tattoos, and stares at her during class; not in a creepy Edward Cullen kind of way though.
  

As part of "Project forget boyfriend" Jacqueline's friend decides it's time to date a bad boy (I point about to Lucas). This book is more of a mature YA book - fair warning to those a little younger that may stumble across this book. I will say that there is no insta-love, only some occasional lusting, from both the main character and of course the readers too. 
  
What I liked: 
-The way topics were addressed.
-All of the characters; even the bad ones. It says something when you can hate someone after just a few pages of words.
-The romance. Yes, there was a slight smirk as I wrote this. I do have a spot for my very own microbiology tutor. :)
-The emails. 
-Lucas. Yes he deserves his own bullet after all of this.
The Issues: 
To be honest I almost didn't have any, but then I stopped to think a bit. 
-It took a while to figure out some plot related issues.
-Confrontation of two things took too long (view spoiler)
-The ending. Why does a book just have to end? I NEED MORE.

Hopefully this encourages someone to check the book out. This book will be something I will open to a particular page just so that I can re-read a passage. Below is a quote... if you click it, just know it was spoilered for a reason. 

(view spoiler)


Feel free to leave comments and let me know how you liked it! 
Also stop by the above link so you can read the spoilers.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Exiled - RaShelle Workman

Exiled - Immortal Essence - Book 1 of 3
~RaShelle Workman

Summary (from Goodreads):


Worlds divided them. Chance brought them together. Only love will save them.
An alien princess exiled to Earth. An arrogant boy.
One week to get back to her planet or she'll die.
And, her only chance for survival? She must help the boy find his soul mate.
Piece of cake!


Stubborn, sixteen-year-old Princess Venus of Kelari wants one thing, to become immortal, that is, until someone exiles her to Earth, kills her irrihunter and takes her family. Now she wants revenge. First she’s got to get home. But before she can return to Kelari, the Gods have commanded her to help an arrogant boy named Michael find his soul mate. Only she doesn't know the first thing about love.


Rather quickly, her inexperience with human emotion is obscured by other matters--alien-controlled psychotic teens that are out to kill her, and a government group that is set on capturing and dissecting her. Worst of all, Venus will suffer a painful death-by-poisoning, thanks to Earth’s atmosphere, if she remains on the planet longer than one week. Still, Venus is a Princess and she's got a plan. Surely, with her help, Michael will fall in love with a human.


But time is running out and Michael is falling for the wrong girl--her.




Review: 4/5 Stars
I don't often review books, but this one deserves the attention. It's different from what is being advertised in most situations. It's not a dystopian, no vampire, werewolves, or fairies in sight here. Just aliens.


We start off with Venus and her 16th birthday, where in Kelari you receive a task which you must complete to become immortal. Nothing to be spoiled, things don't go as they should and she gets "exiled" to Earth. Here she must complete her task. Zaren, who is somewhat of a bodyguard, goes with her following his oath to protect and server her. (view spoiler)


The first human she stumbles across happens to be Michael. After a not too friendly confrontation she comes to learn that her task is to make him find his true love. Although the summary gives away the major spoiler in the book, there are other twists which make you want to continue reading. This book is one of few which kept me interested to the point that I did not pick up another while I was reading.


A 4/5 for me since I was constantly being sucked in. It did take a little bit to understand what was going on in the first few chapters, but once the terms became familiar it was alright. The first book in which I actually read about aliens and hope that this becomes a new theme. Will most definitely be buying the sequel when it comes out.


http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/213645512
Feel free to leave comments and let me know how you liked it!