ARC Review: Chance Encounters by Jessica Prince

This is for all the fairy tale lovers out there who root for the underdog and live to see the tables turn in life. This book touched on every romantic bone that I have and because it is well written, witty and entertaining, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Melany has had it rough. She was verbally abused by her Mother in a horrifying fashion and abandoned by her Father. She was mocked by the guys she liked as a teenager and publicly humiliated and more than one occasion. When Melany is first introduced in this book, she is this nervous, stuttering mess. And at first I was like, OMG, not one of these heroines who bites their lip all the time and can't put together a complete sentence. But that was not at all the whole story with Melany. The author was so good at putting together the story of Melany's history and what led to her being the way that she was that I was enthusiastically rooting for her through most of the book.

Melany meets Chance while she is literally pining away for Logan who she has been in secret love with for years. Chance is not at all put off by Melany's stuttering or her penchant for extreme rambling. Like, Melany would pick a topic and just go off. Where most people found it weird, Chance found it endearing. Chance is a great guy who has been unlucky in love. Every woman he has wanted has been into someone else. Even with that history, Chance decides to accept Melany's request to...you guessed it, help her get with someone else- Logan.

Melany and Chance develop a really strong friendship in which Chance helps Melany to accentuate her positive features and stop dwelling on her anxiety. Here's the interesting thing though- Melany changing her "look" wasn't what ultimately led to her internal change. It was having Chance supporting her and even though she didn't realize it, loving her, that gave her the courage to start facing real life. The problem is that Chance doesn't think Melany can handle knowing that he is in love with her because when he first met Melany she couldn't handle anything. For Melany's part, she is still so used to being the ugly duckling that nobody wants that she can't believe that Chance would want her. Melany spends almost the entire book believing that Chance is trying to help her get another guy...even though he is possessive of her and oh yeah, having wild monkey sex with her at every turn, lol. The girl was seriously clueless.

This book is the best of character development and storytelling. The author also does an outstanding job using supporting characters. The friends of both Chance and Melany add a lot to the story without overshadowing the plot. There are many hilarious moments in this book involving Melany's best friend's 3 sons and all of the other characters. I actually laughed out loud several times while reading this story.  I'm not saying that there is anything groundbreaking in this book. It is a play on a popular Cinderella trope but i don't care. I really loved this book and I definitely want to see what else this author has to offer.

**ARC provided by Social Butterfly PR**

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ARC Review: The Boy Next Door by Ella James

I am really torn with how I feel about The Boy Next Door by Ella James. On the one hand, I couldn't put this book down. I read it in pretty much one sitting, only stopping because I had to go to bed so I could go to work the next day. I had to know how everything would play out for these two and I didn't want to stop reading. On the other hand though, there were some things that just didn't work for me and that is what kept me from being able to really love this one. 

Dash was Amelia's hero from the moment they met, when he saved her on one of the worst days of her life. She quickly became best friends with his sister and the three of them grew almost inseparable. One night everything changed between them though, and Amelia's world was once again turned upside down when he left and broke her heart. Now years later Amelia has landed an internship that could turn into her dream job at a film studio, but the lead animator on the project is none other than Dash. He is no longer the boy next door though, and his secrets could ruin them both.  

I felt the connection between Dash and Amelia right off. These two had a lot of chemistry and it was clear that they had very strong feelings for one another. The problem for me though was how weak both of them were. Amelia let Dash walk all over her, forgiving him with little to no remorse or consequences for the way he treated her. Dash was a bit depressing if I am honest, and spent the whole book being propped up by a character who was almost as weak as he was. Amelia let him get away with so much and was beyond understanding and gave him so many chances, yet he continued to be unable to let her in or even be honest with her. While they had chemistry and things were hot between them, I really felt like the chemistry and connection wasn't enough here. I just wanted more substance. I also really wanted to see more light hearted and sweet moments between these two. Things were so serious and depressing at times that the mood on this one was kind of a drag. I wanted to see some scenes that would have shown them growing close again in a sweet or fun way to sort of break up the super emotional stuff. 

The other big thing that kept me from loving this book was this huge secret that had been kept all book long. It didn't come out until the very end of the book, which felt far too little too late for my taste. Not only did I not really feel sorry for Dash like I feel I was supposed to (he was old enough to grasp what he was doing and his excuses were just that...excuses) but I also felt like because it came out so late it was basically just brushed aside as though all that had happened was no big deal. Of course Amelia just got over it super quick and everything was tied up in a neat little bow. It just didn't feel genuine and I found the entire thing to be a let down after so much build up. Like I said though, this book was one I didn't want to put down and Ella James is a great writer. She knows how to draw you in and keep you turning pages until you have devoured the entire book. That being said though, this wasn't my favorite book of hers.

**ARC Provided by The Next Step PR**

Purchase: | Amazon | 

Guest Post with Author Victoria Denault and Giveaway

Victoria Denault loves long walks on the beach, cinnamon dolce lattes and writing angst-filled romance. She lives in L.A. but grew up in Montreal, which is why she is fluent in English, French and hockey.

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ARC Review: The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick

Amanda Quick takes a break from Victorian era England to visit the glitz and glamour of the 1930’s era. To me, it’s a fantastic murder mystery in the same vein as Agatha Christie and M.M. Kaye with the wonderful style that is none other than classic Amanda Quick. It’s an entertaining and exciting read and a good change of pace from what we’ve read in the past by AQ. As per her usual style we have a head strong female lead and the man willing to do anything to protect her as she rushes head first into dangerous situations. The two main characters I loved, Irene is a journalist trying to uncover the truth about a friends murder all the while trying to hide her past. Oliver is a retired magician (I really love that) who turned hotel resort owner. Something about Irene makes Oliver want to protect her he wants to find out the truth also but he needs to protect her even more. The side characters are very interesting also and it has me wanting this to turn into a series with them the main focus.

Anna Harris was an orphan who found herself working as a secretary for a woman of wealth, but one night Anna finds her boss dead with a message written in blood, “run”. Anna also finds her boss’ stash of money and a notebook filled with what looked like gibberish in a bag in her room along with a note saying she needs to run and take the notebook and to not trust anyone. Anna runs as far as she can go reinvents herself and takes up a job in a local gossip rag in Hollywood California. Four months later under the new name Irene Glasson, she finds herself once again the victim of circumstance. There is something fishy about up and coming actor Nick Tremayne, one of Irene’s coworkers started to uncover some dirt on him and was later found dead in her bathtub, next a former lover of Nick’s winds up dead in the pool of a celebrity getaway resort. Irene is determined to prove the Nick is behind these deaths as well as another murder up in Oregon.

Oliver just wanted a quiet life after being a world famous magician whose career ended in disaster. But the murder of an actress in his resort’s pool throws a monkey wrench in that plan especially since the journalist who found her body won’t stop sticking her nose into trouble and that her past has come back with a vengeance. Oliver is the only one who can keep her out of trouble and safe, or can he? One murder leads to the movie studio threatening Irene who ends up losing her job and home; there is another murder and several attempts on Irene’s life as she digs in deeper to Nick’s past to uncover the truth. As Irene’s past and present collide she finally has to trust someone with the truth, her growing feelings for Oliver and his devotion to his friends and family prove that he is the right one to confide in. But can he save her from her past as well as her present?

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It had that 30’s murder mystery feel it without it being too obvious. I really hope Amanda Quick continues with this I would love to see Raina and Luther to get their own story (I’m jumping to conclusion there) and definitely want more.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Feature and Giveaway: Payback by Christina Phillips

Gage…

I don't fuck girls who work for me, but as soon as Amelia turns those big green eyes on me I know she's trouble. I can't keep my hands off her, and the almost-but-not-quite-sex we share in the kitchen is the hottest thing I've ever had. Except she calls it quits, before we've even started.

Instead of moving on, she’s all I can think about and that's bad news. I'm breaking all my rules for her, and don't even care.

Until I find out who she is and what she really wants. She's after payback, but there's no way she's going to get it. No way in hell...

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