Feature and Giveaway: The Fragile Ordinary by Samantha Young

I am Comet Caldwell.

And I sort of, kind of, absolutely hate my name.

People expect extraordinary things from a girl named Comet. That she’ll be effortlessly cool and light up a room the way a comet blazes across the sky.

But from the shyness that makes her book-character friends more appealing than real people to the parents whose indifference hurts more than an open wound, Comet has never wanted to be the center of attention. She can’t wait to graduate from her high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the only place she ever feels truly herself is on her anonymous poetry blog. But surely that will change once she leaves to attend university somewhere far, far away.

When new student Tobias King blazes in from America and shakes up the school, Comet thinks she’s got the bad boy figured out. Until they’re thrown together for a class assignment and begin to form an unlikely connection. Everything shifts in Comet’s ordinary world. Tobias has a dark past and runs with a tough crowd—and none of them are happy about his interest in Comet. Targeted by bullies and thrown into the spotlight, Comet and Tobias can go their separate ways…or take a risk on something extraordinary.

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Feature and Giveaway: Strong Hold by Sarah Castille

“Shayla?”

For the longest moment Zack’s brain couldn’t process the sight in front of him.

Seven years, ten months and twenty-seven days. That was how long it had been since he’d seen her. That was how long it had been since he’d lived a life without regret.

Fight promoter Zack Grayson is on the prowl for a rising star. As the top recruiter of a prestigious MMA promotion company, he wants to take someone where he will never be able to go again: the top of the professional league. He didn’t expect that someone to be the woman he loved…and left.

Top-ranked MMA amateur fighter Shayla “Shilla the Killa” Tanner built walls around her heart when Zack left her seven years ago—and again when her husband turned violent. Now, seeing Zack is nearly enough to send those walls crumbling. But she can’t risk the exposure of the limelight, and she definitely can’t risk another heartbreak.

As Shayla and Zack grow closer, though, business turns personal. And once their passion unleashes, there’s no going back…

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ARC Review: Want You by Jen Frederick

I have been a fan of Jen’s for a long time, and Want You appealed to me right away with it’s forbidden storyline. I am a huge fan of forbidden romance stories, so this one sounded like it was made for me. After finishing though, I had to take a few days to really let it sink in and gather my thoughts. While there were things I liked here, this didn’t have the same feel as Jen’s past books that I have read and it wasn’t just the darker aspect of this story. Readers should be aware going in that this book could have some possible triggers and proceed accordingly. 

Leka and Bitsy met when he found her in an alley hiding. She was 5 and he was 12. Feeling a connection with her right away and being unable to leave her behind, Leka took her in and vowed to protect and care for her. But as they grew up together things began to change for both of them. Leka will do whatever it takes to protect her, even if that means sending her away. But Bitsy isn’t about to give up on a future with Leka, and is determined to show him that they belong together. 

I liked both Bitsy and Leka. These two did fit together and I didn’t have trouble believing in their connection. It was clear right away that after everything that they had been through that they needed each other. While I didn’t struggle with the characters themselves, I did struggle with their ages and how things went. I found a lot of what they were doing and getting away with to be unbelievable for their ages. Because of that it was hard for me to be fully invested in their story though I liked them. 

I also found that there wasn’t much conflict here and it was easily resolved. It also didn’t seem to be entirely believable for me considering the world and darkness that Leka operated in. Things were supposed to be on the forbidden side, and I see part of that, though for me it wasn’t truly forbidden and felt a bit forced. They were only 7 years apart, weren’t related in any way, and while they did find each other at a young age it was more that they belonged together and fit rather than being a case of Leka raising her or anything like that. So while I liked the characters and the ending of their story, I wasn’t fully invested and didn’t feel like their journey was a believable one. I am curious to see if there will be more in this world after reading the epilogue and I am definitely interested in reading it if there is. While this wasn’t my favorite of Jen’s books, I liked the characters and I do think it is worth the read.

**ARC Provided by Bocci PR**

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