Sarah

March 3, 2014

N

Series: Guarded Hearts*

Release Date: November 5th, 2013

Synopsis:

Nothing Left Lose is a sexy New Adult romance dealing with love, lust, loss and grief. First uploaded on Wattpad, it surpassed 25 million reads before publication.

Due to heavy subject matter and sexual content, this book is recommended for ages 17 +

Annabelle Spencer’s life is every girl’s dream. She has wonderful parents, great friends, and of course the perfect boyfriend, Jack Roberts. That all changes on her sixteenth birthday when her life comes crashing down around her. Her dream night turns into a nightmare when Jack is murdered right in front of her, and she’s kidnapped by his murderer, Carter Thomas, a big time drug and arms dealer.

After five months of being with Carter, she’s found, but the experience has totally changed her. She’s no longer the happy-go-lucky girl that everyone used to know and love; she’s now cold, hard and suffers from night terrors. It appears that Carter broke not only her body, but her spirit too. A shadow of her former self, her slogan for life now: “If you don’t care about anything, then you have nothing to lose”.

Carter is currently serving time for the murder of Jack, a conviction that Anna helped secure. But his retrial is coming up because some key evidence appears to have been tampered with. Unbeknown to Anna, death threats are being received by her father, the Senator. it appears that Carter is still interested in Anna and will stop at nothing to get her back.

Ashton Taylor is brought in to protect her. He’s a newly qualified SWAT agent, a bright spark, the agency’s new golden boy. He is assigned undercover, posing as her boyfriend. His job is to help her through college and keep her safe until the end of the trial in eight months’ time.

For three years Anna has been the broken, damaged girl, refusing to feel emotion or pain, but can Ashton help her rebuild her life and finally deal with the grief of losing her childhood sweetheart? Will he be the one to make her see that life is, in fact, worth living and that not all men will hurt her?

All the while, the shadow of the trial looms over the both of them, taunting them, reminding them that it isn’t over yet. After all, Carter Thomas will stop at nothing to be reunited with his “Princess”.

Ending

 HEA

Representation

No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia

Possible Triggers

• The Heroine witnesses her boyfriend being brutally murdered (on page and memories)
• The Heroine was kidnapped, held hostage and repeatedly raped by her boyfriend’s murderer (flashbacks and memories)
• Heroine suffers severe PTSD from her kidnapping
• Heroine was impregnated by her rapist and suffered a miscarriage when he beat her (memory)
• Heroine is severely depressed (on page) and has attempted suicide twice (off page)
• Heroine was repeatedly threatened with a gun (memories and on page)

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

*Books one and two are companion novels, whereas the following books in the series are Standalone

(more…)

Read on Add comment

Pushing the Limits, A Series by Katie McGarry

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Series Review

February 28, 2014

P

Quick Take: This emotionally charged series delves into the lives of interconnected young adults as they grapple with high school’s tumultuous highs and lows. Through the lens of the “wrong side of the tracks” trope, the characters confront challenging life events, evoking a powerful sense of angst and vulnerability.

(more…)

Read on 1 comment

Transcendence (Transcendence, #1) by Shay Savage

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

February 26, 2014

T

Series: Transcendence

Release Date: February 13th, 2014

Synopsis:

It’s said that women and men are from two different planets when it comes to communication, but how can they overcome the obstacles of prehistoric times when one of them simply doesn’t have the ability to comprehend language?

Ehd’s a caveman living on his own in a harsh wildness. He’s strong and intelligent, but completely alone. When he finds a beautiful young woman in his pit trap, it’s obvious to him that she is meant to be his mate. He doesn’t know where she came from; she’s wearing some pretty odd clothing, and she makes a lot of noises with her mouth that give him a headache. Still, he’s determined to fulfill his purpose in life – provide for her, protect her, and put a baby in her.

Elizabeth doesn’t know where she is or exactly how she got there. She’s confused and distressed by her predicament, and there’s a caveman hauling her back to his cave-home. She’s not at all interested in Ehd’s primitive advances, and she just can’t seem to get him to listen. No matter what she tries, getting her point across to this primitive, but beautiful, man is a constant – and often hilarious – struggle.

With only each other for company, they must rely on one another to fight the dangers of the wild and prepare for the winter months. As they struggle to coexist, theirs becomes a love story that transcends language and time.

Ending

 HEA

Representation

No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia

Possible Triggers

 • Child isfatally ill and has travel to the future to be cured. The couple basically loses their child.
• No abuse
• Mild violence
• Trauma and depression (Hero is completely alone after his family died.)

Safety Rating: Safe

• The Hero is a virgin
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

(more…)

Read on 1 comment

Searching for Someday (Searching For, #1) by Jennifer Probst

By Sarah

In 3-stars, Book Review

February 24, 2014

S

Series: Searching For*

Release Date: November 26th, 2013

Synopsis:

From “one of the most exciting breakout novelists” (USA TODAY) comes the first in an irresistible new series – a spin-off series of the bestselling Marriage to a Billionaire series – featuring a matchmaker who falls for a man who doesn’t believe in love. ~ jenniferprobst.com

Kate has given up on love – at least for herself. She is both blessed and cursed with the ability to sense a romantic connection between two people – a gift that her family passed down for generations. When Kate launches her own matchmaking company, Kinnection, with her two best friends in a cozy New York town, she has to put aside her own romantic disasters to make her business a success.

But when a furious man stalks into her office and accuses her business of being a scam, Kate is given the ultimate challenge to prove herself. Slade puts himself in her hands and asks Kate to find him love. Enraged at his arrogance but stubbornly eager to prove herself, Kate agrees, dedicating herself to the journey of finding him love … only to find herself falling for him along the way.

Ending

 HEA

Representation

No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia

Possible Triggers

• No OTT sad parts
• No abuse

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• Heroine is a virgin
• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM (Heroine is setting the Hero up on dates with OW, and he kisses one of them.)
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away (The Hero is set upon many dates by the Heroine.)
• Does Not have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

(more…)

Read on

Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

February 24, 2014

D

Series: Divergent

Release Date: April 25th, 2011

Synopsis:

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Ending

HFN

Representation

• BIPOC supporting characters

Possible Triggers

• Life and death situations
• Cavalier attitude towards death
• The Heroine’s life is frequently threatened

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No OW/OM
• Does have the Hero pushing away
• No Separation
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4/5 stars

(more…)

Read on 1 comment

A List of Phobias courtesy of Need by Carrie Jones

By Sarah

In Sneak Peaks

February 19, 2014

A

I find it interesting how many different phobias there are out there. They cover common fears to more unique ones, like the fear of sitting in a car.

Yes, that actually is a phobia but to each their own.

So without further ado, here’s a list of some phobias I learned from Need by Carrie Jones:

Phobophobia   Fear of having phobias
Mnemophia   Fear of memories
Didaskaleinophobia Fear of going to school
Sitophobia Fear of eating
Amaxophobia   Fear of riding in a car
Couplogagophobia   Fear of being the third wheel
Philophobia   Fear of falling in love or being in love
Scotophobia   The fear of darkness
Malazophobia   Fear of love play
Autophobia   Fear of being alone
Phonophobia   Fear of noises or voices
Teratophobia   Fear of monsters or deformed people
Hormephobia Fear of shock
Algophobia   Fear of eating
Pogonophobia   Fear of facial hair, mostly beards
Vitricophobia   Fear of stepfather
Necrophobia   Fear of death
Agateophobia   Fear of insanity
Merinthophobia   Fear of being bound or tied up
Nyctohylophobia   Fear of dark wooded areas or of forests at night
Nosocomephobia Fear of hospitals
Kinetophobia or Kinesophobia   Fear of movement or motion
Noctiphobia   Fear of the night
Asthenophobia   Fear of fainting or weakness
Atychiphobia   Fear of failure
Autophobia   Fear of oneself