ARC Review: Under the Spotlight by Angie Stanton

Under the Spotlight is the third book in Angie Stanton's Jamieson Series. Each book can be read as a standalone story though, so it isn't necessary to read them before reading this book. There will be some things spoiled though as this book picks up after those two, with everything that has happened to the band. These books are sweet and easy to read, and if you are looking for a clean romance this series is one you will want to give a shot. 

After the band broke up, Garrett Jamieson finds himself angry and lost. He knows that he can't make it with a solo career, but he doesn't know what he wants to do. He spends his time drinking and hooking up with girls, and getting into trouble. When he gets arrested for again, his dad finally steps in and suggests a new direction that will hopefully occupy Garrett's time and keep him out of jail. He shows up at Sound Sync set to work behind the scenes this time, and become a music producer. There he meets the feisty Riley Parks. Garrett finds out that Riley was once a contestant on a reality show, and after hearing her sing he knows that he needs to produce her album. The only problem is that Riley vowed she would never sing again, and refuses to agree. What happens when Garrett refuses to give up, and Riley finds herself in an impossible situation? 

Garrett and Riley were both good characters that were likable but also had issues. I had to keep reminding myself of their ages, and I think that had a lot to do with some of the dumb things that they each did. Riley was 18 and Garrett was 22, so it made sense that they were still figuring things out but at times there were things that really had me shaking my head. Garrett was pretty oblivious at times and seemed to be very selfish. He often times would do whatever he wanted without informing others of his actions, which wouldn't have been such a problem if it didn't affect them more that him. It got pretty old, and he didn't really seem to grasp that it wasn't okay. Riley was feisty and fun, but she was also pretty naive considering how mature she seemed at other times. She was working at Sound Sync at a young age and knew about how her mother was, and yet she was constantly giving in to whatever her mother asked for even knowing that her mother would use her. She never put up a fight when it came to her mom, and then she was shocked and angry when her mother took advantage of her again. The main reason this really bothered me was the fact that she had no problem telling Garrett no, and I wish some of the fight she had with him would have been there with her mother. Her mother was a piece of work and while I felt badly for Riley, I also felt like it got way out of hand with too many bad things happening and part of that was Riley's fault.

The thing about this series for me is that there is very little romance in each of these books. They are clean with not much romance actually taking place and it usually doesn't happen until the end. The first time (and it only happens a few times total) that Garrett and Riley even kissed was at about 70% in, and even then not much of a relationship progressed from there. I didn't like that things seemed to be over before they ever really got started for these two, with them only reuniting at the very end of the book. I had the same problem with this book as the previous ones when it came to the ending. While I liked how things ended, I feel like they are pretty abrupt and would liked to have seen more. An epilogue or a look down the line for these characters would have been really nice for readers since things are just barely resolved when the book is over. I think if you want something quick and easy to read that is clean and doesn't have a ton of romance in it that you might give this one a shot.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depository | iBooks | 

Guest Post with Author Angie Stanton and Giveaway

Meet Angie Stanton, author of Under the Spotlight.

Angie Stanton never planned on writing books—she wanted to be a Rockette. However, growing up in rural America with her brothers’ 4-H pigs as pets, she found that dance didn’t quite work out. Instead, she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head, she began to write them down, and the rest is history. When not writing, she loves watching natural disaster movies, going to Broadway musicals, and dipping French fries in chocolate shakes.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

Guest Post with Author Angie Stanton and Giveaway

Meet Angie Stanton, author of Royally Lost.

Angie Stanton never planned on writing books; she wanted to be a Rockette. However, growing up in rural Wisconsin, with her brothers' 4-H pigs as pets, dance didn't work out. Instead she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head, she began to write them down, and the rest is history.

Angie is the author of six books including Royally Lost, Rock and a Hard Place, and Snapshot. She graduated with a Journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin, and is a proud double finalist of the National Readers Choice Awards for Love 'em or Leave 'em.

Find Angie at:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter |

ARC Review: Snowed Over by Angie Stanton

Angie Stanton is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. Her stories are sweet and filled with extremely likable characters that you can't help but fall for. I really enjoy her writing style and I think that her books always have such a great flow. They really pull you in and you become extremely invested in the characters and their HEAs. Snowed Over was no exception, and I really enjoyed reading about Alex and Katie. Snowed Over is a short holiday themed novella, and is the perfect read to bring the reader some holiday cheer.

After Katie's parents decided to separate a few months back, Katie is dreading going to her mom's Not Boyfriend's house for Christmas. This is the first Christmas that she and her sister will spend without their family and normal traditions. Katie gets a ride from a friend of her roommate's brother. Things don't start off well when Alex arrives late to pick her up and they begin the trip while a storm starts heading their way. After swerving to avoid a deer, Alex's truck ends up in a river and they are left out in the cold. They quickly find a cabin to hole up in and wait out the storm. Alex and Katie work to make the best of being snowed in and an easy friendship begins. Soon they are both feeling more than friendly though, and realize that they are starting to care more for each other. But with Alex needing to convince his fiance that he really is through with her they know that they should wait to pursue anything. What happens when they are finally rescued and have to return to the real world? Can Alex and Katie take their time snowed in at a stranger's cabin and turn it into a relationship, or will there be too many things standing in their way?

I really liked Alex, despite his heinous fiance/ex-fiance Trina and the fact that he let her treat him as a doormat. I thought that he was sweet and smart and he really seemed to be an all around good guy. He took care of Katie and I loved how they started off by developing a friendship first. Alex seemed like an easy going guy and he fit perfectly with Katie. Katie was really easy to like. She was smart and funny and was able to handle herself well. I loved how she looked after Alex and tried to take care of him as best she could. I also really loved how drama free she was. She actually sat and listened when Alex explained everything going on in his life and she didn't jump to conclusions. She cared about him and was very understanding of everything. I also loved how she was always on his side and didn't react like a catty girl when she was faced with Trina. Alex and Katie were really sweet together and there was a lot of sexual tension between them. They had great chemistry and were a natural fit for each other. I found them to be so real and believable.

I really enjoyed reading this story, and I liked that it wasn't your typical holiday novella. Katie and Alex really had to make the best of their situation and I loved that they were still able to capture the spirit of the holidays with their story. Their exchanging of gifts and cooking together was really adorable and I couldn't get enough of these two. They had great banter as well, and I really loved their wit. I have to admit that I really loved how thoughtful Alex was with their first date and even if I hadn't already been swooning over him that definitely would have done it. My sole complaint with this one was the same complaint I have with most novellas, and that is the length. I'm greedy, and I wanted more Alex and Katie. I would have loved to have seen more of the two of them as they went on their first date and beyond. I always want to get a peek into the HEA, and I feel like we were just starting with Alex and Katie's. I hope that maybe someday we will get more of Alex and Katie as I would love to read more about them. Snowed Over is a great holiday story, but its also just a really great romance. It is sweet and charming and will leave you feeling the holiday spirit. I recommend this one to anyone looking for a quick Christmas story that has a great romance to go along with it.

**Copy provided by Author**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble |

ARC Review: Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton

Let me start off by saying that I don't normally read a lot of YA books, in fact there are very few that I have read since I left high school. But when I was asked if I would like to read Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton, I knew from the blurb that I had to read this one! I really enjoyed this story and I am so glad that I took a chance on it. This sweet story really drew me in and kept me so interested that I devoured it in one sitting. I honestly wasn't sure how it would go with this one for me, as I love me some sexy scenes! That being said, I was surprised how much I enjoyed Libby and Peter's love story and it was nice to read a story that wasn't all sex all the time. I really felt their connection and depth of their feelings, and sometimes that can get lost when a book is filled with sexy times.

Libby has been living a nightmare of a life. Her mother and sister were killed in a car accident and her father left her with her aunt after he slipped into depression. Her aunt is mean and always drinking, and she has very strict rules about what Libby can and can't do. All the kids at school know that Libby's aunt is the town crazy and have always given Libby a hard time thinking she is exactly the same. One day while outside in her favorite spot, Libby meets Peter. Peter is in a famous rock band with his brothers, and they tour the country with their parents. Peter is constantly surrounded and never has privacy. He longs to be able to get away and have a normal life. When he meets Libby he realizes that she has no idea who he is or who his band is. They instantly connect and begin a friendship. As they get to know each other better, their feelings grow and they want nothing more than to be together. But with Peter constantly on the road and his busy career and Libby's nasty aunt they have little to no time to be together. They experience many obstacles in their way as they try to work out a relationship, and things seem to keep coming up that keep them apart. Both Libby and Peter feel strongly about each other and are willing to do whatever it takes to be together, but will their love for each other be enough to overcome everything that stands in their way?

I loved Peter. He was sweet and down to earth despite being extremely talented and having such a high profile career at such a young age. He was thoughtful and generous and very genuine. I really loved the times when he and Libby were together. They were fun and sweet and everything you look for in a young first love. Libby was great. Despite being young and suffering all the loss that she had, she was a survivor. She never gave up and she had a quiet strength to her that most people would not have had after going through everything she had. Not only was she strong, but she was also smart. Her and Peter were such a great couple and really seemed to be meant to be together. It was enjoyable to read their story and see them go from meeting and being friends to watching them as they fell in love. They had so much that stood in their way, and at times this story absolutely broke my heart watching as they had to go through some of the things they did. There were times that I really wanted to hit a few members of Peter's family. I couldn't believe that they did and said some of the things they did, and after all that I couldn't quite understand how Peter could ever forgive them. But I knew that Peter and Libby were meant to be together and had hope that they would be able to overcome anything to be with each other.

Overall, this story was a wonderful change from what I am used to reading. It was light, quick and refreshing like a glass of lemonade on a hot day. It gave me that sweet romance and love that just makes your heart happy. The only criticism I have, and I admit its a small one, is that I wanted more to their story. I felt that the ending came too quickly and I wanted to see more of what happened to them in the future. I just felt the way things were left was a little abrupt and I had hoped to get a little more of Libby and Peter. After reading Rock and a Hard Place, I can now say that I am a fan of Angie Stanton and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future. If her stories are all as well written as this one, I know that I will read anything of hers that I can get my hands on in the future. I cannot wait to read Snapshot, which is the second Jamieson Brothers novel and features Peter's brother Adam. I am really excited to read Adam's story, and I also hope maybe to get a little more of Peter and Libby too. Despite this book being young adult, I think that this love story has so much to offer any fan of romance. This book will make you fall in love with Peter and Libby and keep you turning the pages until you have read every last word.

**ARC provided by Author**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository |