Here's to Yesterday by Teagan Hunter

Here’s to Yesterday by Teagan Hunter
Can Maura overcome her perfect image and finally be true to herself and her heart? 

You ever realize that what you're doing and where you are in life isn't where you're supposed to be? 
I did. 
My name is Maura Doughers. I'm perfect. I have the ideal soldier boyfriend and all the money a twenty-two year old girl could dream of. My life is just like it should be. But it's nothing close to what I want. 
I'm beginning to realize the person I am isn't who I'm meant to be....and maybe the person I'm with isn't the one for me. Is what I feel love or lust? I don't know... 

What I really want is forbidden and most certainly not something my parents would approve of. But what about me? What about what I want? 

Well, I'm about to get it. No matter the consequences. 

*While technically part of the Here's To series, this CAN be read as stand-alone as each book will follow a different couple.* 
**Recommended for 18+ audience for explicit language and sexual situations.**


MY REVIEW****

If you thought Here’s to Tomorrow was a great read, wait until you get your hands on this one!
I really enjoyed meeting the characters in the author’s first book, but whoa, when you dive into their story, you feel the chemistry explode off the page!

I felt these characters to be very real and relatable. I loved reading about the journey they went through to find themselves, as well as one another.

Maura's story is sweet and touching yet heartbreaking. Her journey is full of heart and leaves you feeling all warm inside.
I love that Teagan's writing gives me the warm fuzzies. <3

This book had me smiling a lot and the sparks between the couple had me on edge! --Without giving too much away just know it was an awesome read!

I also love the life that Teagan Hunter brings to the other side characters. The book and music references were also a great bonus!

and OH, the cover is gorgeous! 

This book! I LOVED IT!! I think even more than the first! 

You won’t regret this purchase ;-) 

5/5 stars!

Awkward girl + awkward boy = double cute awkwardness!

A-Kiss-Like-This

A note from the author: This novel, along with all others in this series, is a standalone with no cliffhanger. You're welcome.
                            
ABIGAIL DARLINGTON IS AWKWARD...
She will never be "that" girl. You know the one: that girl on campus, confident in her own skin. Always saying the right things. Putting herself out there. Knows how to talk to a guy without stammering.

Nope. 

Shy but clever, and easily embarrassed, Abby is fine being the wallflower in her circle of outgoing, beautiful friends; she would rather read about a sexy book boyfriend than actually have a live, breathing one.

...BUT CALEB LOCKHART IS WORSE.
Star goaltender for the University's hockey team, Caleb is quiet and broody, preferring the solitude of his orderly, regimented life. He doesn't like, or need people--and plans to keep it that way. One more year left of hockey and he'll be long gone.

AWKWARD NEVER FELT SO GOOD. 
Both their lives change the day that Abigail falls for Caleb. Well, falls directly on top of him, to be accurate. Because sometimes we don't settle into love.

We fall there.

WARNING: This book contains cursing, also has sex.

MY REVIEW ***


When sweet, quiet Abby meets Caleb, the cute, introverted hockey player their awkwardness instantly helps them connect.

This book is definitely a page-turner that kept me laughing out loud and up all night!

I loved reading about the brooding, swoon-worthy hockey player finding love when least expected.

The hilarious banter between the main characters and all their friends is also well done.

I also loved that although both characters were introverts, the sparks ignite between them when they were together.

Overall, Sara Ney delivered a cute, funny read. The only hangup I had was regarding a

disagreement the characters had and I personally thought it didn’t warrant so much drama.

This book is an awesome 4/5 read for me :) Definitely worth checking out

Never, Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarry Fisher

Never Never, a novella series. Book one of three. 

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen. 
Complete strangers since this morning. 
He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget. 

“Never have I had my mind blown reading a book like I have reading Never Never. It was intense, sweet, completely unpredictable and utterly fascinating. Can’t wait for the next book in this series!” ~Jen, The Book Avenue 

“Hoover and Fisher have combined their unique talents to deliver a deliciously twisted tale of deceit, love and friendship that keeps you guessing long after the heart-stopping end.” ~Vilma’s Book Blog 

“Twisted, sickly wicked, yet warming with a deep-layered love story. Tarryn and Colleen combine their forces for good. Alone they are talented. Together this epic duo is unstoppable.” ~Pam, The Book Avenue. 

"The evil queen and the good fairy of romance have come together, and the results are more than I could have ever asked for." ~Holly's Hot Reads 

This novella is recommended for readers age 16+ due to mild language and sexual content.

MY REVIEW***

Wow! wow! wow!
This was such an amazing, mind-blowing, extraordinary, story!
Intense.
Riveting.
Chilling, yet thrilling!
You are sure to get hooked when you read the first chapter.
The suspense had my heart racing! The mystery had me on edge!
I felt like was in a teenage version of LOST, trying to figure out what’s going on!
I don’t even know what genre this book is considered!!
The romantic parts were as always beautifully executed.

Silas:
He smiles. “I don’t care what our real first kiss was, he says. “That’s the one I want to remember.”

I love the sparks between Silas & Charlie, even when they are not trying to have any!

Charlie:
“I’m pretty sure you’ll be the first guy to ever compete with himself over the affection of a girl”

#best collaboration ever for Hoover and Fisher. I applaud their genius!
I will admit it hurt my brain trying to piece together what could be happening to Charlie & Silas.
It had my heart racing with each new chapter.

There is a cliff hanger that took me surprise!
I was like what? Noooo! I need more!! and I truly do need more.
I love this book so hard, I can’t wait for the next book! (May 17th 2015 ;-)
Hopefully there will be no references to polar bears, smoke monsters, or putting numbers in a computer every 108 minutes! lol

Still here? GO 1-click already!!! You won’t regret it! 
5/5 stars

Love Like Crazy by Megan Squires

Love-Like-Crazy-Megan-Squires

Relationships. 

Love. 

Life. 

All things that can be considered—and oftentimes are—just a bit crazy. 

With an alcoholic father and an absentee mother, seventeen-year old Eppie Aberdeen has learned firsthand that life’s circumstances aren’t always sunshine and roses. 

So Eppie doesn’t expect the fairytale, because reality certainly isn’t one. She’s not waiting on the handsome prince with his white horse to come to her rescue. But even though she’s not waiting on it, that doesn’t stop nineteen-year-old Lincoln Ross from driving straight into her heart with his teal and white campervan and his too tall stature and perpetually goofy grin. 

It’s difficult to believe in a happily ever after when a happy now is quite hard to find. But Lincoln gives Eppie hope that despite the odds, a true and unconditional love might actually be out there. A revised fairytale. A new kind of love story.  But then again, that might just be plain crazy.

(Sigh) Talk about a breathe of fresh air! Megan Squires has truly delivered again. 

This is a clean, sweet romance that definitely gives you some feels!

I loved Eppie & Lincoln! They were relatable as well as adorable. 

Their names alone are enough to have you grinning from ear to ear. 

Eppie had me laughing out loud and Lincoln had me swooning through the book. Without giving too much away I’ll summarize to say: Eppie, is quirky and somewhat of a loner. Life has not been the easiest for her, with an alcoholic father and an absentee mother. She was even accused of trying to killing herself by falling out a window when she was 9 years old.  In comes Lincoln, sweet, trustworthy, giving and so swoon-worthy. His family dynamics, have him on the outside rather than in, with his overbearing family. But once Eppie & Lincoln’s paths continually collide the sparks take over all that is lost between them, as they learn together to move on from the past.

"Thank you, Eppie. Thank you for this life and this love, the likes of which I never knew possible. You took a leap with me, and I'll forever be grateful you trusted me to fall with you.”  ~Lincoln

This is definitely a recommendable YA read! 5/5stars

(ARC received in exchange for honest review)

Random Wednesday post: 20 things that I love!

1. Dates with my hubby & my boys
2. The smell of coppertone & banana boat sunblock 
3. Christmas
4. Sushi
5. Coconut (food, lotion, candles, etc)
6. Reading (NA.YA. Inspirational) & writing (my novels)
7. Dr. Pepper
8. Cotton Candy
9. The movie - The Notebook
10. Coffee especially Caramel macchiato 
11. Praise & worship music & Jesus 
12. Sunsets 
13. Taking pics &Scrapbooking 
14. The beach 
15. Fine point sharpies
16. Reese's pieces
17. Traveling with my family 
18. Cold weather so I can wear my scarves
19. Listening to Pandora dance stations while cleaning the house
20. Fall

Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks

Writing Great Books for Young Adults: Everything You Need to Know, from Crafting the Idea to Landing a Publishing Deal by Regina Brooks
The young adult book market is one of the healthiest in the industry, but little has been written to help authors hone their craft and truly connect with this audience. With the new edition of her indispensable guide, experienced literary agent Regina Brooks offers up-and-coming YA writers all the advice they need to create great content for this exploding market of readers.  Most importantly, Regina states, the key to success is listening to young adults so that YA writers can create characters with whom their readers can identify.




This book is an awesome resource!!!

Recently I have been doing lots of research on writing fiction. I looked at books on plot, structure and point of view, but I didn’t think about looking for one in the genre I was writing. I really didn’t find one that totally connected with me until I came across this title.

I knew that I wanted to write a YA novel for some time, but didn’t realize that there was so much I didn’t know about what goes into it!

This book is a great guide as well as introduction into writing fiction and young adult novels. It’s an easy read and has awesome tips for beginners or those who are just a little rusty. The book addresses plot, dialogue, setting as well as different points of view. The author also hits on publishing and finding an agent once your novel is complete. There is such a wealth of information in this book, that it’s definitely worth the buy!

My favorite part of this book was when I came across the section on how to appeal to the YA audience. I sometimes forget that I’m not a teenager anymore and what I may want a 16 year old to say or do, may not be relatable in today’s time. I also enjoyed the “themes” list, that helped serve as writing prompts for me.

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about the YA genre and even those just starting out in writing.

Regina Brooks is a literary agent, who has wonderful insight into this genre!


(Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Making Face by Amy Harmon WOW!!

Making Faces by Amy Harmon
Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.

"If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?” - Fern

I don't even know where to begin! A friend recommended this book to me! It was my first Amy Harmon book, and it definitely wont be my last!

This story is simply:
beautiful
but tragic.
Romantic
yet heart-breaking
and so full of faith!
It left me speechless and pondering for days.

It starts off with a sweet, caring girl, whose unrequited love, for the most popular boy in school, goes unnoticed until its too late.

Fern, Bailey and Ambrose.

Fern is the “plain-jane” girl (in her own eyes) who has been in love with the town wrestling hero, Ambrose Young. She’s a preacher’s daughter and her heart is just so innocent and pure. She’s lover of romance novels and an an aspiring writer.

She expressed her feelings well in this poem that touched my core!
“If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?
Does he make the legs that cannot walk and eyes that cannot see?
Does he curl the hair upon my head 'til it rebels in wild defiance?
Does he close the ears of the deaf man to make him more reliant?
Is the way I look coincidence or just a twist of fate?
If he made me this way, is it okay, to blame him for the things I hate?
For the flaws that seem to worsen every time I see a mirror,
For the ugliness I see in me, for the loathing and the fear.
Does he sculpt us for his pleasure, for a reason I can't see?
If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?” 

Long story short, at the end of their senior year, Fern finally seems to gain a little of Ambrose’s attention, but to her dismay, he, along with four other friends decide to join the military after graduation.

Tragedy strikes the five friends while away and only one returns and he is changed, both physically and emotionally.

“If God saved my life, why didn't he save their lives? Is my life so much more valuable? So I'm special... and they're not?” - Ambrose


Ambrose hides away and shuts everyone out, even Fern, who happens to work at his father’s bakery. Though Fern can see beyond his physical scars, he finds it hard to believe.

“You act like beauty is the only thing that makes us worthy of love,” -Fern


But as they slowly rebuild their friendship, somewhere along the way love shines through. It just goes to show that sometimes you just don’t realize the beauty that’s right in front of you. It takes looking past what’s on the outside to see what’s on the inside.


This is one of Fern’s quotes that I loved and could of written myself, because it describes me perfectly.

“Scripture comforts me, and romance novels give me hope." -Fern


and then there’s Bailey. Beautiful Bailey Sheen.
Make sure you guys dig deep and realize this story is not just about Fern and Ambrose.

It’s about love, loss, a little self discovery, true friendship and most definitely hope.

Bailey and Fern are cousins, and their relationship is the most precious thing I’ve read in such a long time!

Bailey is confined to a wheel chair, due to being diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Fern has somehow become his constant companion and help. Their relationship touched my heart so deeply, as we too have a young cousin who is wheelchair bound with MD. The storyline shows how Bailey lives his life knowing that tomorrow is not guaranteed.

It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that you aren't ever going to be loved the way you want to be loved. - Bailey


This was a very inspiring and emotional read that I highly recommend!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars