REVIEW: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

10:00 a.m.

The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.

The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03

The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05

Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival. 

Hardcover, 292 pages
Published January 5th 2016 by Sourcebooks Fire

Source: Netgalley

Purchase a copy: Goodreads | Amazon

OUR REVIEW:

Shel: I have so many things to say that I can feel my brain tripping over itself to try to get it all out in a way that isn't just a rambling ramble...hahaha...it's totally going to be a rambling ramble. 

Shel: I don't really know where to start so I'm going to just say stuff, okay? Okay. Court: Okay. 

Shel: First of all, I loved the diversity of the characters. Nijkamp created a 'cast' that looked a lot like the high school I work in. I work in a smallish town, a suburb of New Orleans, and it was so gratifying to see characters of color, who weren't all heterosexual, who had varied interests, and one who lived with Lupus--all of my students need to read books that reflect the world we live in and this book most definitely nailed it when it came to including realistic characters. Court: I was very, very, very impressed with the effortless of the diversity in this story. I feel like the gay best friend usually takes the cake of predictability in stories, but this book really did take each person and even in all of the chaos that was the main plot line...we were able to feel each person's struggles whether it be to please their family, regrets over friendship, being okay with their own sexuality...and even just being okay with themselves. I am impressed with this book not for how harrowing the story is, and how much it made my heart pound...but in how each character's voice shouted at me even when their part was not more than a page. 

Shel: I also loved how real it felt--the fear, denial, guilt, remorse, sadness and hope? Yeah, I can totally see all of those things flying over the faces of students considering the situation they found themselves in. Having lived through a few bomb threats on our campus, lock down drills, and an 'active shooter' practice, I cannot accurately describe the fear that I feel every time one of these things happens. I work with a lot of volatile personalities at my high school and as I read I imagined what it would feel and look like at my school and it was terrifying how accurate I think many parts of this felt. Court: It was scary. It was so realistic. And even in the face of someone saying it was "too realistic" for fiction...this happens too often in our time today, and I am a firm believer that we need stuff like this in our lives so that young people can read it and feel it and know how to cope with feelings they don't understand. Again, this goes with any of the themes that we encounter in the book, but as I grow up I wish that I had read more diverse books and even had more emotional stuff available to me so I could know how to handle all of my feelings better. Marieke nailed it. Absolutely nailed it and I shed a tear on the final page for how beautifully depicted this story is.

Shel: Just reading the synopsis, one can see that this isn't going to end well and yet I kept holding out hope that somehow every single person would survive, probably because I once again put myself in the shoes of the characters there, the parents of the characters, the teachers and their loved ones and I couldn't help but hope that they'd all be okay. Unfortunately no miraculous deus ex machina here...but I think I actually appreciated that Nijkamp didn't try to pretty it up; I'd have left happier but incredulous, I think. Court: I think that we had to have unfortunate fatalities in this book. AS we got to know our characters...I was so sad to lose a single one...Words cannot describe it, but each person left their mark on the page, and it was beautiful. 

Shel: After reading this, I jumped on Goodreads because I couldn't wait to see the enthusiasm I knew I'd find there, and I did. But I found a few naysayers as well. And while there were a few points I agreed with--some times the characters back stories and motives weren't as fleshed out as I'd like, I am still mixed on the inclusion of the social media stuff, and I almost wish I could've seen a little more into the future of these characters at the end--I was actually pretty surprised at how disappointed I was in how dismissive some people were. As someone who works in a high school, as a teacher, I can say that there were many parts that felt emotional and real to me. Maybe my experience isn't everyone's and maybe some have been out of the high school environment for a while and haven't lived in the current environment? I don't know. I know there were some things that probably don't ring true here, but overall I thought this really captured some aspects accurately. Court: Some story lines were definitely left for us to read between the lines, but in some ways I think that the nay saying would've been worse...like how many bad things happening to us can be included in one book...so I was appreciative that some things were left to our imagination...but I am altogether very pleased with how much I enjoyed it even though it was such heavy material. It is so, so, so heavy but Marieke Nijkamp made me believe in her story. She made me believe in her characters will to survive, and definitely can make you think how certain losses affect us and brave faces aren't all they seem. I am happy to have read this book, and been introduced to this author because her writing is profound and I think we need to see more of her around here! 

Shel: I will be recommending this to all of my students this week at school and for those of you who'd like to try something maybe you normally wouldn't, I definitely recommend this one. Court: This book should not be missed, and don't be afraid of it like I was! 

Happy reading.

About the Author

Marieke is a storyteller, dreamer, globe-trotter, and diversity advocate. She holds degrees in philosophy, history, and medieval studies, and wants to grow up to be a time traveler.

In the midnight hours of the day, Marieke writes stories full of hope and heartbreak. Her debut YA novel THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS will be out from Sourcebooks Fire in 2016.

REVIEW: Chaser by Staci Hart

Everyone knows you should never say never.

Cooper Moore never saw Maggie Williams coming. She was just his best friend’s little sister, the curly-haired, freckle-faced girl from Mississippi who was absolutely off limits. And he never thought about her any other way — not until he saw her that night, broken and brave. From that moment on, he knew he’d do whatever it took to protect her, even if it meant he had to stay away.

Maggie never expected to find her fiancé banging her maid of honor an hour before she was set to walk down the aisle, but life’s funny that way. The only option to save her sanity is to get the hell out of Jackson and move to New York where her brother lives. The only downside: Cooper is there too. And she just doesn’t know if she can stay away from him — the filthy rich, dead sexy playboy who’s allergic to commitment.

The second Maggie sees him again, she realizes he’ll be impossible to resist. Luckily, commitment is the last thing on her mind, and Cooper is the perfect escape. As long as she can keep her heart in check, everything will be just fine. Because she can never have feelings for him. Or at least that’s what she’ll keep telling herself.

Chaser is a standalone romantic comedy and book 2 of the Bad Habits series.

Source: Author

Purchase your copy: Goodreads

Shel: I follow Staci Hart on Facebook and it's a glorious thing (find her here ) because she's hilarious, shares sexy pictures, and teasers for her books; but honestly, one of my favorite things Staci does is share her book writing journey. Lately she's been sharing her excitement and nerves and love for Chaser and reading those status updates clued me in that this one was gonna hit me right in the feels and it did! Court: Ditto! She has the BEST graphics, teasers, and is hella fun. Shameless Author Plug - right here! We love her! 

Shel: Here's the thing, in genre fiction (namely romance), it's more likely than not that your characters are going to end up happy. We all know this on some level, whether we want to admit it or not, and so it's not really so much about how it ends, but how we get there. In Chaser, I wasn't exactly sure how we were going to get to that happy place but it felt like from almost page 1 that it was going to hurt at some point. How could it not? The synopsis tells you that this is supposed to be just a temporary thing--that he's a playboy and she's recovering from a cheating ex-fiance--and yet...and yet, within pages you know that there is no way in hell these two are walking away from this. Don't get me wrong, Maggie fights it hard. She doesn't think she's ready and keeps trying to convince herself that she's absolutely not falling for Cooper (LIES. Total denial going on here, Mags). And to Cooper's credit, he sort of tries to follow her rules (totally half heartedly), but it's evident to him (and all of us) that there's something more to this fling and he's smart enough and wily enough and persistent enough to see what this 'something more' is (he just has to convince Maggie). It's Cooper's sweetness and curiosity and willingness to explore the 'more' and Maggie's stubborn insistence that this is a fling that made me cringe long before I got to the 'shit hits the fan' part--this was the recipe for hurt. Thankfully, Staci Hart didn't kill us with angst or hurt and once I got over how I wanted to throttle one character...for reasons...I was able to pick the book back up (after putting it down because ANGST! WORRY!) and get the best reward--an ending that was immensely satisfying and really perfect for these two. I should note that Hart does all of this her trademark romantic comedy style--there will be lots of smiles to balance out those angsty bits. And BONUS! she also gives us a look at what's going on with Lily and West and Rose and Tricky, for those of you who've read With A Twist (and if you haven't, it's not a must but I feel like you'll be more invested if you read it first).

Court: O-M-G. Shelley had told me that she was riddled with feels, and I saw lots of tweets flying when she finished this one, but I wasn't prepared for it apparently. In the first book Cooper is the epitome of rich playboy who has it going on...but as we have figured out time and time again - there is usually more than what first appears on the surface. And there is so much moore to Cooper Moore than I ever thought possible, and I am in love with this story and these characters. Staci has given us a world of people in New York City that are up and comers finding their way in the world. I love their group, and on that note I do appreciate that this novel is less group centric than the last one. Maggie and Cooper give us a run for our money, and I am so glad to say that this one is a super quick read but one that is full of heart, feelings, and more than a few of my heart strings were pulled. Because ----SCENES---you guys. Whew. Man can sail, that is all I'll say! Whew.

Shel: ..and that's normally where I'd end the review, but I wanted to say something about Staci Hart's books--I love the worlds she creates. It's not so much that she's invented a new place or new tropes or new feelings, it's the way she takes what we already know exists and creates such strong scenes. In her Hardcore series I still have the strongest images of her characters running and jumping and flipping from rooftop to rooftop; there was a layer of grit mixed in with romance that I cannot forget. In With A Twist she made grading papers interesting, strenuous ballet practice inspiring,  and a tiny apartment seem more romantic than cramped and the scene at the end?! something I imagine I'd see on tumblr or Pinterest complete with twinkling lights and love pouring off the page. And in Chaser I've never wanted to go sailing, sit in the grass in Central Park, or be in a penthouse apartment more than after reading this book. Staci is not only great at making me care about her characters but she creates these places that are rich and hit everyone of my senses. I'm eager to see what she does with Tricky and Rose (and in the meantime I'm going to try to find time to read the one other series she has out that I haven't read yet: Hearts and Arrows).YES! Her novels are rich in setting, and rich in characters and what else can we ask for, I ask? Not one thing. I come away even when my heart is a flutter (mega flutters for Hardcore) and not sure where things will go...to formulating plans, and texting my plans, and then being wrong about my plans to Shelley...lol...they're great fun, and this reader is supremely happy with this book. Read it. Love it. We love it a lot! 

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life: a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, even though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f and ends with k. 

From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's sleeping, cleaning, or designing graphics.

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | FB

REVIEW: Keep Dancing by Leslie Wells

Publication Date: February 5, 2015
Percambio Press
Formats: Print & ebook
256 pages

Series: Come Dancing, Book Two
Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult/Chick Lit

Julia is a young book editor on the rise. Jack is a British rock star at the pinnacle of his fame.

Can they both get what they want—if what they need threatens to tear them apart?

It’s January, 1982. Twenty-four-year-old Julia Nash has just moved in with her boyfriend, rock and roll guitarist extraordinaire Jack Kipling. Their connection sizzles as Jack takes her to England to meet his mother, and then to a private Caribbean island for a sensual post-holiday retreat.

But back in New York, they hit a turbulent patch. Career-focused Julia is in the running for a new job, while Jack’s life becomes even more chaotic with an upcoming thirty-city tour. Although free-spirited Jack enjoys his partying lifestyle, he craves more support on the home front. But Julia doesn’t know if she can ever be a domestic goddess—or if her wild boyfriend can ever be domesticated.

On tour, Julia experiences private jets, mind-blowing concerts, shocking hotel room antics, and screaming headlines. Back home, she has to decide if their relationship can withstand the ravages of fame and conflicting interests—not to mention a suave bestselling author who seems to like more than her grammar sense.

Emotionally poignant, hilarious and steamy, Keep Dancing will delight brand-new readers as a stand-alone novel, and also serves as the perfect follow-up to Come Dancing.

Praise for Keep Dancing

“Set in the 80s and dripping with the excesses this time period excelled at, Julia and Jack have reached a point in their relationship where the hard work begins. Julia is working towards her own stardom, while Jack continues to play in the world that made him. As external forces do their best to force this unusual couple apart, Jack and Julia will need to decide if they should keep dancing or find new partners. Emotionally plump with laughter, love, and heartbreak…” —Smexy Book Reviews

“HOT”—“In book two of the Jack and Julia series, Wells once again titles chapters after hit songs, and finds even more ways to describe the excitement surrounding New York City as she did in the debut…” —Romance Times

“This is a 5 star series, and I recommend this as a wonderfully fun yet angsty read. I loved the chemistry between Jack and Julia and their crazy bad communication skills (they didn’t have cell phones, after all). The breakups were worth it, if only just so they could make up!” –Cindy Becker, The Book Enthusiast

Purchase this duo by Leslie Wells: 

Come Dancing: http://amzn.com/B00KVQAL98

Keep Dancing: http://amzn.com/B00T7278PM

Shel: In book 1 of this series, I loved that it was something different than our norm. It was set in time that I recognized: the early 80's and it was full of references that I totally got. In Keep Dancing we pick up not too far after Come Dancing left off and explore the relationship of Julia and Jack. As you might suspect there are some challenges--Julia adjusting to living with a rock star, Jack adjusting to living with a career woman..and all sorts of things in between. Court: It was for sure a world that I was very excited to dive back into. I loved the characters of Jack and Julia so much in the first book, and was not disappointed by the two in this one. Jack and his British accent and sayings, and especially the time period give something delicious and special that I devoured during my gym time this week! Devoured! 

Shel: Some of the reasons I enjoyed Come Dancing are the same reasons I enjoyed Keep Dancing--remembering life before social media and the age of the internet, imagining life as young woman in publishing, and the funny Brit-isms and behind the scenes things you'd like to think happen in a rocker's life. Additionally, we got a story of figuring out how you work when both of you love what you do and neither of you really want to sacrifice the job. We got to see these characters explore the idea of family and trust and love and hardship and how juggling all of those things can be hard and rewarding. Court: Keep Dancing like I said gave us all of the things that we loved in the first trip to the 80's, but I also enjoyed like Shel said us getting to expand on their relationship, and get to see Julia spread her wings a bit. Jack is a larger than life character, and it would be easy to just go on tour with a rock star and get swallowed up by that life style, but Julia definitely is not the type of girl to go down that road and lose herself to a man at all...which is why we and Jack both love her to death! 

Shel: I'll be honest and say that the first part took me a little longer to connect with--it sometimes dragged a little for me; but as the novel progressed, the plot progressed and before I knew it I was at the end of Julia and Jack's story. If you're looking for something different than your typical alpha/rock star story, this would be a fun place to start. Court: It IS SO FUN! And I must admit that it was a little bit of adjustment to get back into since it had been a while, and I had to remember where we'd been...but it is explained in a refreshing way, and not obnoxious, so I fell back into life and love with these characters and wouldn't mind returning again! 

First of all, thanks to Shel and Court for inviting me to do a guest post on their amazing blog, Must Read Books or Die. Today I’m going to write about what inspired me to write certain scenes in Keep Dancing:

1. The scene on the tropical island of Mustique is based on a trip I made to a similar Caribbean island. Iron-gated villas, bougainvillea and frangipani, white sand beaches… but the luau scene is pure imagination.

2. The disastrous cooking scene where Julia tries to make Cornish Hens is taken directly from my own experience. I burned those little chickens to a crisp…

3. The chapter where the television late show writer lets loose a bunch of rabbits in Julia’s office as a joke: This really did happen to me, but with different animals.

4. The scene when Ollie, Jack’s nephew, lets the praying mantises out of the cage: I had an ant farm when I was Ollie’s age. One morning I went into the kitchen where I kept my ant farm on the counter, and there wasn’t a single ant in it. They had all gotten out somehow… I’ll never forget the look on my mother’s face when I told her all the ants were missing.

5. Adopting a pet from the SPCA in New York City: Inspired by adopting a pet from SPCA in NYC.

6. The mirrored ceiling in the hotel—did you know hotels really did use to have those mirrored ceilings? And also you could put a quarter into a little machine, and it would shake the bed?

7. Erica Graham, the bitchy editor who competes with Julia: Based on real-life experience.

8. The big-shot author, Dermot Chase, is somewhat based on several bestselling authors I’ve known. But only in a good way.

9. Julia’s dream in the beginning of Chapter 19: She’s dreaming the same dream that haunts Anna inAnna Karenina, the pleasure reading she’s brought with her on tour.

10. The scene with the woman in the purple mask… I’m going to let readers use their imagination about that one!

Praise for the first novel about Jack and Julia: Come Dancing, an Amazon Bestseller and Apple iBooks Breakout Book

“Wells builds an emotionally poignant love story, abounding with romance and humor.” —Smexy Book Reviews

“Sometimes a book like this comes along and takes me out of the niche reading that I tend to find myself in…. I am in love… So very sex + the city.” —Must Read Books or Die

“It reads like a very, very good romantic comedy movie.” —Michelle & Leslie’s Book Picks

“Once you start, you are completely unable to put it down.” —Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews

“Like a well-oiled machine or a well-tuned guitar, Julia and friends work their way into your heart.” —Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

“Hot, sexy, and combustible.” —Blushing Divas Book Reviews

“Come Dancing is brimming with both humor and heart.” —Flashlight Commentary

“It’s a fun romp, and the sparkling characters definitely made it worth the read.” —A Bookish Affair

“I enjoyed reading Come Dancing! It had a good story, fascinating characters, and a charming vibe.” —Julie Anne, Teacups & Book Love

About the Author

Leslie Wells left her small Southern town in 1979 for graduate school in Manhattan, after which she got her first job in book publishing. She has edited forty-eight New York Times bestsellers in her over thirty-year career, including thirteen number one New York Times bestsellers. Leslie has worked with numerous internationally known authors, musicians, actors, actresses, television and radio personalities, athletes, and coaches. She lives on Long Island, New York.

Author Links

Website | Blog | Facebook | Google+ | Goodreads

Sign Up for Leslie Wells’s Newsletter.

About the Author Leslie Wells left her small Southern town in 1979 for graduate school in Manhattan, after which she got her first job in book publishing. She has edited forty-eight New York Times bestsellers in her over thirty-year career, including thirteen number one New York Times bestsellers. Leslie has worked with numerous internationally known authors, musicians, actors, actresses, television and radio personalities, athletes, and coaches. She lives on Long Island, New York. Author Links Website | Blog | Facebook | Google+ | Goodreads Sign Up for Leslie Wells’s Newsletter.

REVIEW: BURYING WATER BY K.A.TUCKER

  

About BURYING WATER: The top-selling, beloved indie author of Ten Tiny Breathsreturns with a new romance about a young woman who loses her memory—and the man who knows that the only way to protect her is to stay away. Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him? Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. He knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried. The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface.

Paperback, 368 pages

Published October 7th 2014 by Atria

Source: Netgalley

Purchase:

Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo ** IndieBound

OUR REVIEW:

It's fairly well established that we love K.A. Tucker and when we had the opportunity to read the first book in a new series, we took it..no questions asked. Trust me--this first book in the new series is definitely worth your attention. Hells to the yes. Can we have your attention please? Okay. Go on.

The first pages will break your heart, set the tone, and make you very curious about how all of this will work. Why? Because you basically get very close to the ending of the novel, right at the beginning. You learn, quickly, how Water ends up where she is. So why read the rest of the story? Because. Because there's so much story to tell and it's different than what you've read before from K.A. Tucker. 

Agreed. I feel that the dynamic of the story was refreshing in that it wasn't this big melodramatic reveal. We get the grit, and the grime, and the awfulness right up front. Then we slowly find out how things might've lead to this beginning, while also finding out where we go from here. I really loved the way this story is told. A lot. 

In alternating chapters (usually), you get the current story of Water and her struggles to live in her 'new' life and adjusting to not knowing her past AND you also get her past life from the POV of Jesse. And damn, what a story. I was drawn into it immediately and found that I really wanted to know how Water ended up in her predicament while at the same time I didn't. I just knew ... KNEW...it was going to be painful..it was going to hurt to find out why she didn't remember her past. So because I pussed out, many times, and put my book down out of sheer nerves, it took me longer than it should've to find out the ending of this story. Take my advice here: the ending isn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be. Promise.

I knooowwwww. You really have to get in this one, and find out how things are going to be. There are small hurts that Water has to figure out how she feels about it. How would it be to literally block out your entire life? I cannot even imagine how the human brain has this special defense mechanism, and of course, we as humans just have to poke and prod it to try to find out the how's and why's of every damn thing. This is another one for the existentialist in me that has to ponder the human condition allll of the time. Priorities definitely change when someone goes through the things that Water does. I really enjoyed the psychological component here. 

I definitely think this is a book worth reading. Between the great secondary characters, the way the plot unravels, and the love story of Jesse and Water I think it's something a little different than the norm. My understanding is that this is the beginning of a new series and there are definitely some very interesting characters that need exploring; I can't wait to see which character gets the next story.

I find that K.A. Tucker has a serious knack for writing a well rounded series, a well rounded companion novel, and just a kick ass heroine no matter what form they come in. I loved the nuances of a trope that usually makes me nervous as all get out, and how it came to be something I hadn't expected. Bravo.

Shelley: 4 1/2 stars
Courtney: 5 stars

  About K.A. Tucker:

  Born in small-town Ontario, K.A. Tucker published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader, and currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.         

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Novel Goodreads ** Author Goodreads ** YouTube ** Pinterest ** Instagram

REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: SHARING YOU BY MOLLY McADAMS

Synopsis:

Twenty-three year old, Kamryn Cunningham has left all she’s ever known and moved to a small town where no one knows her name, who her parents are, or her social status in the horseracing world. Months after opening her own bakery and evading attempts of being set up by her new best friend, she meets Brody. Kamryn fights the instant pull between them because there’s a detail she can’t dismiss. Brody’s married.

To say that twenty-six year old, Brody Saco has had a rough marriage would be an understatement. After marrying his pregnant girlfriend, he spends the next six years in a relationship filled with hatred, manipulation and guilt involving a tragedy that happened five years earlier. When he keeps running into his sister-in-law’s best friend, Kamryn, he can’t ignore that she makes him feel more with just one look than his wife ever has; and soon he can’t continue fight his feelings for her.

When staying apart proves to be too difficult, Brody and Kamryn enter a relationship full of stolen moments and nights that end too soon while they wait for Brody to file for divorce. But the guilt that comes with their relationship may prove to be too much for Kamryn, and Brody might not be strong enough to face the tragedy from his past in order to leave his conniving wife.

OUR REVIEW:

Poor Molly McAdams had to deal with my anxiety laden tweets for two days as I read this novel. TWO DAYS of me talking about the angst that I felt while reading Sharing You. (Sorry Molly! Thanks for being so sweet about my tweets). Now as I sit here trying to write this review, I am having a hard time writing it without spoiling it. I enjoyed the tweets, and I enjoyed the heck out of this book. I am not surprised by how good the writing was, but well...as you read, you will see that I was somewhat surprised by how I personally enjoyed the story. 

If you read the synopsis you might remember Brody and Olivia from Capturing Peace. Brody was the poor guy trapped in an awful marriage to ...twatwaffle Olivia. Guess what? They're still married. Guess what else? She's still a twatwaffle and add to the mix that she's an awful person and you now have a really good idea about why he needs to get the hell out of this marriage. For years, he's resigned himself to the fate of being stuck with her and her CRAZY ASS ways but then ..dun dun dun...he literally runs into Kamryn and things change. Before I go into why I'm okay with this..let me tell you a little about Kamryn. (To this I will say that I am the asshole that forgot we had already been introduced to Brody previously. Wow.) And Olivia is foshizzle a a twatwaffle, but Brody is...he is kind, and hot, and while he does some assholish stupid things (in my opinion) by not explaining himself when he should...well...you see that he literally lives in hell on earth. His situation is seriously a sticky wicket. 

Kamryn is smart, humble, sweet girl trying to live a life of her own; a life she built for herself after she leaving home. She never expects to feel what she feels for Brody and she struggles with it and is tortured by it for almost the entire duration of the book. I think it's important to know that she's not some random girl out to chase down another person's spouse and create havoc in a relationship. I think that is the most important detail of all. Her character made things so much more complicated for the entire situation, but the way her character developed as an individual. OMG. Y'all. It takes a while, but she comes into her own, and I loved her. 

Now back to what I was saying earlier about this Olivia + Brody + Kamryn mess. I am not a fan of cheating..honestly I'm not. And yet.....uhmmmmmm....the way that Molly McAdams writes these characters and their conflicts helps me feel less squeamish about it. Would it be less messy if there weren't 3 people in this relationship? Yes. But that's not how it happened and really, in real life, this kind of stuff happens...maybe not as dramatically (gah OLIVIA, twatwaffle extraordinaire..) but it does happen. What I want you to know is that if you aren't a fan of cheating in novels for any reason, then maybe this book isn't for you..but man, you'll be missing out because it was fun. The angst was a killer, in the best way. Molly McAdams had me going nuts until almost the very end and then finally I got some relief.  I'm not either. Hell, we've owned 2 well known series' forever because we are (i.e. me) scared shitless to read them due to the high level of angst. Oh, the angst...the GD angst. I was conflicted at first, and thought "OMG, what the ever loving fuck are these people thinking" more than once...but the writing is so very good (as always), the characters are way more than you might think at face value, and as by the beginning and end notes, it is clear that this story (or a real life version of it) means a lot to the author. It showed, and I think she did it justice. 

Shelley: 4 1/2 Stars
Courtney: 4 stars

About Molly:

Molly grew up in California but now lives in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas with her husband and furry four-legged daughters. When she's not diving into the world of her characters, some of her hobbies include hiking, snowboarding, traveling, and long walks on the beach … which roughly translates to being a homebody with her hubby and dishing out movie quotes. She has a weakness for crude-humored movies, fried pickles and loves curling up in a fluffy comforter during a thunderstorm ... or under one in a bathtub if there are tornados. That way she can pretend they aren't really happening.

Connect with Molly:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MollyMcAdams?ref=br_tf

Website: http://www.mollysmcadams.com/

Twitter: @mollysmcadams

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6436698.Molly_McAdams

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