Review: Fly with Me by Chanel Cleeton

Fly with Me (Wild Aces #1)
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Berkley
Format: eARC/Mass Market Paperback
Source: Berkely
Review by: Jenn

From the author of the Capital Confessions Novels comes the first in the steamy Wild Aces Romance series.

U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Noah Miller—call sign Burn—loves nothing more than flying hard and fast. When he meets a gorgeous and sassy woman while partying in Las Vegas, he immediately locks on to her.

Jordan Callahan owns a thriving clothing boutique, but her love life is far less successful. Her luck changes when six feet, two inches of sexy swagger asks her to dance and turns her world upside down.

One scorching weekend becomes an undeniable chemistry that they can’t leave in Vegas. But the long distance relationship and their different lives threaten to ground their romance. And when the dangers of Noah’s job become all too real, Jordan learns being with a fighter pilot means risking it all for a shot at love…

3.5 stars out of 5 stars

*I received an eARC of this title from the publisher but it did not influence this review in any way.*

1- Hot, steamy, and wild. I felt the chemistry between Noah and Jordan coming off the pages. Cleeton knows how to write sexual tension.

2- Interesting military field. Don't see fighter pilots in romance books as much as say Marines or Navy Seals.

3- I like how Cleeton showed how long distance relationships work. How both Jordan and Noah tried to make it work because they care enough about the other and in trying to make it work. Yes, I'm speaking from experience of having a long distance relationship for 2 years and only seeing that person once every other month.

4- I'm iffy with Jordan having to give up on her career and leave her family and friends and move to the other side of the world for Noah. I know Jordan was happy to do it but Noah wouldn't even think about retiring and leaving everything behind to be with her. It doesn't feel exactly fair when she built a career just like him and she's willing to leave it behind and he doesn't offer any other alternative from his end. If both had discussed leaving what they loved behind, I wouldn't feel as iffy with the situation.

5- I am SO looking forward to Thor's book. After that little preview at the end of Fly with Me, I’m hooked! He chose to be a fighter pilot rather than be with his fiancé? I'm SO there.

Quotes (#158)

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Morning Swooners,
It's Monday already?! This weekend went by way too fast! We had so much going on this weekend that I hardly noticed that it ended. Either way I am totally unprepared for today but I am going to give it my best. Lets get move on to the quotes.

“But I'd do it again. I know that now. I'd make that promise a thousand times over and lose her a thousand times over to have heard her play last night or to see her in the morning sunlight. Or even without that. Just to know that she's somewhere out there. Alive.”
~Gayle Forman, Where She Went

“A day might be just twenty-four hours but sometimes getting through just one seems as impossible as scaling Everest.”
~ Gayle Forman, Where She Went

“I've become to realize there's a world of difference between knowing something happened, even knowing why it happened, and believing it.”
~Gayle Forman, Where She Went

“You dumb-ass," I crooned, kissing her on the forehead. "You don't share me. You own me.”
~ Gayle Forman, Where She Went

“Quitting’s not hard. Deciding to quit is hard. Once you make that mental leap, the rest is easy.”
“Really? Was that how you quit me?”
~Gayle Forman, Where She Went

“I can't lose you again. It really will kill me this time.”
~Gayle Forman, Where She Went

“She said it was because one day I was going to have to go through a metamorphosis like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly and that scared me, so butterflies scared me.”
~Gayle Forman, Where She Went

Have a great day!

Favorite Friday (#60) - Nowhere But Here By Katie McGarry

Have a favorite book? Series? One that you've just read or are currently reading? Favorite Friday is a bi-monthly meme hosted by Books and Swoons where we spotlight some of our Favorite Reads. Everyone is welcome to join. Just enter your information on the linky or leave us a comment!

This week pick is: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

Nowhere But Here is an action packed filled novel! I loved the forbidden romance and mystery aspects of this story! Nowhere But Here is a great read anytime!

About the author:

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Author's links: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

I hope you can join us in sharing and talking about some of your favorite reads. Book talk always make me happy. 

What are one of your favorite reads?

Second Chance Read Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me
(Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: November 15, 20111
Publisher: Harper
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Review by: Jenn

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: BE A WEAPON. OR BE A WARRIOR.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel with a paranormal twist that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

When I picked out the Shatter Me audiobook, I was super excited. It has been years since I first read the series, let alone the first book. I wanted to go back and fall in love with Tahereh’s words. However, I forgot how much in a bad place Juliette was in the first book. She hadn’t spoken to anyone in almost a year, only stuck in her own head. Unfortunately, I didn’t really get that far into the audiobook, only up to when Adam enter the jail cell she’s in. The narrator did a great job but there were times, I just wanted press the fast forward button. The scene when Juliette just repeats to herself, like a mantra, “I’m not insane,” it made an even bigger impact at how destroyed Juliette was in the beginning. I remembered that when I first read Shatter Me, I really liked but it wasn’t my favorite. The best came afterwards, with the first novella and the second book of the series.

I’m not sure if I’ll listen to the other audiobooks, maybe I’ll reread the books instead but it won’t be the same since rereading as audiobook helps me look at my favorite books in a new light. However, I’m trying to reread some of my favorites so who knows.

Have you listened to Shatter Me on audio?

Review: Wild Crush by Simone Elkeles

Wild Crush 
(Wild Cards #2)
Author: Simone Elkeles
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: NLA Digital LLC
Format: E-book
Source: Personal Copy
Review by: Nahomi

When the only girl you want is the one you can't have...

Bad boy Vic Salazar breaks all the rules except one: Don't make a move on your best friend's girl. It’s a Guy Code that Vic lives by. It doesn't matter that he's had a crush on her for years. Monika Fox is off limits.

Monika has a secret of her own and when a tragedy throws her and Vic together, the only boy she trusts is the one she shouldn’t confide in. Vic.

As Vic struggles to keep his distance, and Monika struggles with her secrets, will their wild connection violate every rule both vowed never to break—about relationships, about friendship, about love?

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

     A while back I read Derek and Ashtyn’s story in Wild Cards and fell in love with this world and its characters. I was so excited when I saw that the second book Wild Crush was out that I purchased it immediately! The story is good. Wild Crush is filled with a lot of angst and drama. The pacing is a little slow, although the climax is intense. The story tends to drags a little towards the end.

     I felt a little hesitant throughout the entire story because I wasn’t sure how Vic being in love with his best friend’s girl would pan out, but Simone Elkeles covered all of her bases in this respect. Trey was living a double life and I don’t want to go into details, but his behaviors were meant to ease the, she’s my best friend’s girl and I’m breaking the code uneasiness.

      I didn’t really connect with Vic and Monika. Monika comes off as a strong character because of all of her issues, but she wasn’t my cup of tea. Vic is tough on the outside and a softy on the inside, which I usually love but something about him didn’t make me crush on him like I usually do with characters that are similar.

      It was great to see Derek and Ashtyn again, as well as Alex from Perfect Chemistry!! Overall it’s a good story, but not one of my favorites from Simone Elkeles.

Quotes (#157)

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Morning Swooners!

It back to the grind and after a really crappy sleep schedule and a busy, errand-filed Saturday, I'm not prepared for a long work week. But it is good to be back on the blog and with our weekly quotes. So with that, let's get on with it.

“Close your eyes, real tight, and then count to three hundred. That’s all you have to do. You just count to three hundred, and when you open your eyes, five minutes will have passed. And even if it hurts or things are shitty or you don’t know what to do, you just made it through five whole minutes. And when it feels like you can’t go on, you just close your eyes and do it again. That’s all you need. Just five minutes at a time.” ― Emma Mills, First & Then

“Experience is like evidence. When you're young and don't have much experience yet, you don't have much basis for confidence. All you really have is hope, and that can get shaken pretty easily. But as years go by, you start to gather this evidence. You made it through this or that and you did okay, maybe not perfectly, but okay, so when you stumble, which you will, you can look back and say, 'Well, I survived that, so I can probably survive this.' Or there will be things you're really proud of, evidence of your abilities, and you can look back on those things and say, 'I did it then, I can do it again.' Right now, you're just building up those experiences.” ― Charity Shumway, Ten Girls to Watch

“Most good things come with the risk of something bad.” ― Richelle Mead, Succubus Blues

“Very often the things we most desire come only after much patience and struggle.” ― Richelle Mead, Succubus Blues

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.” ― Alice Walker

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“If there's a single lesson that life teaches us, it's that wishing doesn't make it so.” ― Lev Grossman, The Magicians

That's it for me today. I hope you all have a great week!

Let's Chat Non-Bookish Edition: House of Cards

The husband and I are currently working our way through all the seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and Gilmore Girls on Netflix. But since I’ve been watching Grey’s Anatomy since it first premiered all those years ago and I watched Gilmore Girls live, the husband and I wanted to pick something new to the both us. So we picked House of Cards! And let me tell you, we are hooked! We watched season one in about a day and are already halfway through with season two. We probably would have been further along if we didn’t have visitors from out of town this past weekend and he didn’t have his second job to go to.

We honestly picked it on a whim and now I’m kicking myself for not watching it sooner. For those who haven’t seen the show, Frank Underwood, Kevin Spacey’s character, is one scary, ruthless, and relentless man and I’m scared to see how far this story will take him. As for his wife, Claire Underwood, played by Robin Wright, she is honestly my favorite character. I’m always trying to analyze her thinking and motivations and wondering what she will do next. With Frank, I just let him guide the story and no questions asked. However, with Claire, I want to know her motivations and the way she thinks. And I think it because her story line is not as clear as Frank. We know what Frank wants and that he is going to go for it because this is his show.

This show is definitely worth the hype and if you haven’t picked it up, I really beg you to watch. Just watch one episode and tell me then if you don’t like it because I refuse to believe it. And if you HAVE watched it, OMG don’t’ spoil me but also in a roundabout way tell me how this progresses. Gah! I need to go finish season two already!

Don't forget to comment down below!

Swoony Boy of the Month - Will from the Beautiful Bastard series

Swoony Boy of the Month is our new feature where we spotlight a favorite and/or swoony boy from the books we have read.

To celebrate our return from hiatus, I wanted to bring out one of my favorite book boyfriend, Will Sumner. Will won me over from the other Christina Lauren hotties by being a player who knows when to put himself together for the right girl. He's sweet, nerdy, and loves to pranks on his best buddies. Let's meet Will.

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“See, the problem with boobs is if you have big ones, you can never look thin. You get these burns on your shoulders from bra straps, and your back hurts. And unless you're using them for their intended purpose, they're always in the way."
"In the way of what? My hands, My face? Don't you blaspheme in here." He looked up to the sky. "She didn't mean it, Lord. Promise.”
― Christina Lauren, Beautiful Player

“Ben,” Max said, leaning back in his chair with a giant grin. “It’s finally happened.”
I groaned, resting my head on my hand.
“You got your period?” Bennett asked. “Congratulations.”
“No, you twat,” Max said, laughing. “I’m talking about Will. He’s gone arse over tits for a girl.”
― Christina Lauren, Beautiful Player

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“Hanna, I don't know if I've ever wanted something more than I want you.”
― Christina Lauren, Beautiful Player

“It wasn't just a physical attraction between us. Of course I'd been attracted to women before. But there was something more with Hanna, some chemistry in our blood, something between us that snapped and crackled, that made me always want just a little more than I should take. She offered her friendship, I wanted her body. She offered her body, I wanted to hijack her thoughts. She offered her thoughts, I wanted her heart”
― Christina Lauren, Beautiful Player

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“I’m nervous all of a sudden, and I feel just like you’re mine only for these little bits of time. I guess I don’t like that as much as I thought I would.”
He slid his finger under my chin and tilted my face up so I had to look at him. His mouth pressed against mine, once, before he told me, “I’ll be yours every second if that’s what you want. You just have to tell me.”
― Christina Lauren, Beautiful Player

“There is no way to mess this up,” I said, right against her mouth. “Even if we didn't get married tomorrow, you're the love of my life. I'm with you until we both die, at the same time, when I am one hundred and you are ninety three.”
― Christina Lauren, Beautiful Boss

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“What do you want to do tonight?” she asked.
I shrugged, running my fingers up through the soft tangle of her hair.
“This. Be married. Maybe put on a movie. Order some dinner. Go to bed and fuck for a while.”
“Can I switch up the order of that a little?” she asked, fingers sliding just under the waistband of my boxers.”
― Christina Lauren, Beautiful Boss

“Will laughed and shook his head. “We’re married, Hanna,” he said, and it sounded like he was still marveling at it, too . . .
“Say, I was wondering what you were doing in this tuxedo.” I wrapped his tie around my fist and tugged on it, bringing him closer. “Unless you’re just a really, really snappy dresser. But then, you have this ring on your finger, too . . .”
“I want to be sweet with you,” he said, palm curving over my shoulder and slipping down between my breasts. There was a weight there, a pressure to his touch I could feel even through the thin layers of fabric. Despite the softness in his voice, it screamed of possession, of lust. “I feel like I should be sweet tonight.”
― Christina Lauren, Beautiful Boss

Sa-woonnnsss! Will Sumner everybody!

Review: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Open Road Summer
Author: Emery Lord
Release Date: April 14, 2014
Publisher: Walker Books
Format: Hardcover
Source: Personal Copy
Review by: Jenn

After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

3 stars out of 5 stars

Here's the thing, I really want to like Emery Lord's book because I feel like everybody loves her and her books. But when I read When We Collided, it wasn't love at first chapter. I decided to forget about it because it happen sometimes. So I went in with high hopes to fall in love with Open Road Summer. And I did. For certain parts.

For the first few chapters, I was hooked on the story line and on Reagan and Dee's friendship. But then I started to dislike Reagan. She's mean and bitchy and judgmental. I excused it when I first saw a glimpse of her personality and once I learned about her mother abandoning by her dealing with high school bullies. She hates other girls for dressing with low cut tops and flirting over top with boys, all the while she did the same thing. I figured it would be addressed later on and/or she would come around and realized how she was acting. But I didn't see any growth from her. Even towards the end, I didn't feel like there was any character growth. As much as I didn't like When We Collided, Emery did write Vivi in a way that she realized that she screwed and that she needed to fix things. In Open Road Summer, I didn't get that from Reagan.

Aside from my dislike of Reagan, I really enjoyed the friendship she shares with Dee. I love that Emery wrote such strong female friendship and that Dee isn't on the back burner, only to come out to give her friend perspective or be in a filler chapter. I honestly haven't seen such friendship like his since the sisterhood of the traveling pants books. Also, I really loved the music portion of the book. I thought it was really creative and unique.

With this being my second Emery Lord book, and still not falling in love with her work, I have to admit I'm a little hesitant to pick up another of her books. I think I'll give her one more try and if it doesn't work, then that'll have to be it.

Quotes (#156)

Good Morning Friends,
We are BACK! Today we are having a double celebration. Happy Independence Day! Also, we are beyond excited to be back from our hiatus!! *happy dances* We can't wait to share all of the things with you! So, stay tuned because we have some great new content coming soon! Now on to our quotes.

“Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.”
~ George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

“Every flight begins with a fall.”
~ George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

“Sleep is good, he said, and books are better.”
~ George R.R. Martin

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
~George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

“There's no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it.”
~George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

“A woman's life is nine parts mess to one part magic, you'll learn that soon enough...and the parts that look like magic turn out to be the messiest of all.”
~George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

“We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.”
~George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

I hope Y'all have a great day!