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9. A Little too Far – By Lisa Desrochers

Wow! I’m not really sure how to describe this book. This was a taboo read at its finest! Once I read the description of this novel I knew that I had to read it…..it was just too wrong to not be good (if that makes any sense)! Lexie is a girl that was cheated on and dumped by her boyfriend. She was still reeling from it and knew she had to get over him. She has a very close relationship with her step-brother (her father married his mother). They have been like best friends for years. They are about as close as two people can be, consoling each other, talking, etc……but they get a lot closer! She is utterly confused by what has just happened between them, and they both know that it’s wrong and that their parents will be less than thrilled if they find out. She is temporarily relieved by the fact that she is travelling to Rome in a couple of days to study abroad. Well, she ends up meeting a handsome young deacon at confession one day and they end up spending a lot of time together. He will be joining the priesthood in eight months and has taken a vow of celibacy. Feelings develop between the two of them and he is beginning to question his future with the church. She doesn’t know why she keeps getting involved in these forbidden relationships…and she is still fighting her true feelings for her step-brother!!! This was a page turner and a jaw dropper, but certainly not a disappointment!!

7. Good – By S. Walden

This was a book dealing with a student/teacher romance. It was a taboo read for me because of their age difference, she was 17 and he was 28. Cadence is essentially a good Christian girl who just made a horrible mistake in her junior year of high school. This mistake put her in juvenile detention for ten months! Now that she is in her senior year, she is trying to get her life back on track. Things are not looking up for Cadence, she is being bullied, her best friend won’t have anything to do with her, and she has lost the trust of her parents. The only light in her day is math class...and it's not because she excels at it! Her math teacher, Mark, doesn’t treat her as an outcast. He helps tutor her in class and he just seems to see her for who she is. Feelings develop and their relationship is kept secret….but you know that won’t last. This was a very good book that hooked me and wouldn’t let go. There is somewhat of a cliff-hanger at the end, but it will leave you wanting much more of their story.

5. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (Book 1),

The Redemption of Callie and Kayden (Book 2)

– By Jessica Sorenson

I really enjoyed these two books. They deal with serious issues of abuse, but the story was very good. Callie was a girl that had short hair and wore clothes that were way too big for her. She preferred to go unnoticed. Kayden was a popular high school football player who seemed to have everything going for him. When their paths cross at a party one night, Callie and Kayden are brought together temporarily by unfortunate circumstances. They later meet up with each other at university. They both have demons that they need to face. They also have an attraction and a need for the other person. There were a lot of twists to this book and there was a pretty big cliff-hanger at the end of the first novel, but it was so good and so worth it!

6. Present Perfect – By Alison Bailey

This book was emotional! I loved how it started out in the character’s childhoods. I liked seeing the bond that these two best friends shared throughout the years. Amanda Kelly has a need to be perfect. She needs to be able to control things in her life. She has a constant feeling of worthlessness and not being able to measure up (especially to her older sister). The only thing that she feels good about his her friendship with Noah. He is the shining star in her life. Things change for Amanda and Noah when they start to develop feelings of more than just friendship. She is too afraid to take it to the next level with him because she thinks that she would ruin it for them and their friendship. A lot of things happen in this story…it is touching, funny, hopeful, and very sad. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end.

2. The Slammed Series – By Colleen Hoover

    Slammed (Book 1), Point of Retreat (Book 2), This Girl (Book 3)

This was such a well written series. It has a teacher/student relationship, but it’s not a big age difference. This series won me over very quickly because of all of the emotions that were felt. It was sad, heart-warming, laugh out loud funny, and sweet. The characters were likable, relatable, and so real. I love this author’s writing!

1. The Thoughtless Series – By S.C. Stephens

    Thoughtless (Book 1), Effortless (Book 2), Reckless (Book 3)

Wow! I absolutely loved this series! These books had everything that I look for in a fabulous story. It had sexual chemistry and tension, a love triangle, angst, angst, and more angst….and probably the hottest male character to have ever been written! It is essentially a love story involving a rock star, but it is so much more than that. The emotions that these characters feel is just so intense that you are feeling it right along with them!

February 16, 2014

My Top 14 Books of 2013

I read a lot of books in 2013!!! I had such a hard time narrowing it down to just 14 books…and even then, I kind of cheated because I am counting trilogies and series as one book!!! When I was going through the list of the 88 books that I devoured in 2013, I realized what a fabulous reading year that I had. Some of these books may not have been released in 2013, but if I read them in 2013…then I counted them. For a book to make my list it has to grab me right away, it has to have characters that I care about, and it needs to make me feel the emotions. If I smile, swoon, laugh, cry, feel anxiety, or want to throw my Kindle like a Frisbee (because the story has me so worked up)….then that is a fabulous book!

I tried to do this in order of which ones I liked the most. I hope that this list inspires some of you to try a few of these books and I hope that you love them as much as I did.

Her Spotlight of the Week

13. More Than This – By Jay McLean

This book was hard to put down once I started to read it. It was filled with emotion and had me feeling everything right along with the characters. I love that about a book! The characters were well developed and I got invested into their story. Mikayla (the main female character) faced an unthinkable tragedy….one night changed everything for her. In that same night, Jake (the main male character) met Mikayla and his life changed as well. This story deals with loss, friendships, love, heartbreak, and learning to live again.

12. Me Before You – By JoJo Moyes

This book made me question my own beliefs. It was very well written and thought provoking. It is about a man who lived an exciting and adventurous life, but he was in a horrible accident that leaves him a paraplegic. It was about him dealing with his new life and coming to terms with what the future was going to hold for him. He gets a personal care assistant who is new to this career and she makes every effort to show him that his life can be exciting again and that he can do things that he used to love doing. This is a story of an unlikely friendship and of hope. It will have you smiling, crying, feeling angry, frustrated, but it will leave you thinking!

10. The Sea of Tranquility – By Katja Millay

This book was so good. It was a very emotional story of two young people trying to get through their lives in their own unique way. Nastya was trying to move past something horrific that happened to her, and Josh was trying to live his life alone as best as he could. Nastya dressed provocatively, wore way too much make-up, and made a choice not to speak to anyone-at all! Josh experienced a lot of grief in his young life since his parents, sister and grandfather all died. He was left completely alone. Nastya was immediately drawn to Josh and his ability to cut himself off from the hustle and bustle of high school life. She starts to visit him in his garage at his house, despite the fact that he doesn’t seem to want her there. He does find himself wondering about her secrets. They soon develop an intense pull and feelings for one another. This is a very well written and heart felt story. It will leave you thinking about it long after you’ve put it down.

8. Unteachable – By Leah Raeder

This was another story about a student/teacher relationship, but it was very different from the other ones that I have mentioned in this list. The characters in this book were very flawed, but at the same time they were also likable. The story was very intense, raw, and gritty. They realize that their relationship is wrong, but they don’t want it to end. They both have demons in their closets….issues with past relationships….and messed up families. This book had me wanting their relationship to work out….I just didn’t know if it would!

4. Gabriel’s Inferno (Book 1), Gabriel’s Rapture (Book 2)

– By Sylvain Reynard

All I can say is that this book was well written and very well researched. It is a romantic story between a university professor and his graduate student, but there is a lot more to it than that. They have a bit of a history together that only she can remember. They both have things in their pasts that they are not proud of and a lot of emotional baggage. The first book starts out with Gabriel (the professor) being a real jerk to Julianne (the grad student). I couldn’t get over how mean this man could be!! Ugghh! When their relationship finally begins there are a lot of obstacles and people in their way. This is quite the romantic journey.

3. Beautiful Disaster – By Jamie McGuire

This was another book that hooked me from the get-go. It is based on university students, but the story had some different twists to it. Travis Maddox is definitely a bad boy…and he is an underground fighter in a secret club at the university. He is also a very promiscuous, non-committing womanizer. Abby is trying to change her image and be a good girl who stays out of trouble. She has a past filled with casinos, poker tables, and a horrible family life. The characters in this book are well developed and I was easily swept up in their lives. Can Abby resist Travis’ charms? I don’t think I could!

    2 Book Lovers Reviews

14. Easy – By Tammara Webber

This book deals with some serious subject matter. It is about Jacqueline, a girl in university whose boyfriend just broke up with her out of the blue. She tries to get on with her life and ends up going out to a party one evening….and she gets attacked and nearly raped. A stranger comes to her rescue and beats her assailant to a pulp. Lucas (the stranger) just also happens to be a teaching assistant in one of Jacqueline’s classes, and this makes a relationship out of the question. Lucas and Jacqueline are drawn to each other, but he has some secrets from his past that he is hiding. This was a very good story with great characters. It’s definitely a good book for young women to read.

11. Welcome to Sugartown – By Carmen Jenner

This book had a little bit of everything in it. It had romance, steamy scenes, humour, and some darker issues. There were times when I was laughing out loud (the little brother is adorable). It had a gorgeous tattooed biker, a sex-starved best friend, and a pie baking virgin! The other characters in the book were just as colorful and made the book fun to read. I am looking forward to making a return trip to Sugartown when the sequel is released!