ARC Review: The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski

The Girlfriend Request is my first Jodi Andrefski book, but the blurb and cover had me anxious to read this story! I had no idea what to expect, but I knew that there was a lot of potential for a great story here. While I did have some things that bothered me here, this one was a cute quick and light read that I did enjoy. Emma and Eli were adorable and I was rooting for them right from the start. 

Emma and Eli have been best friends since she moved in next door to him when they were kids. She has no idea how to tell him that she wants more though, so she creates a fake online profile in order to get to know him as more than just a friend. All the details are her, but the picture is one she finds online. But Eli knows something is off with her right away, and begins to suspect that "Kelli" and Emma are the same person. Just when he thinks that he is making progress with her, a new guy enters the picture and Eli is left wondering just what is going on. Can Emma and Eli get on the same page, or are there too many things standing in their way? 

I really loved these two together and their friendship was so strong. It was easy to see just how much these two meant to one another and their connection was undeniable. I did think that Eli's switch from one chapter just being completely friends and not wanting more to suddenly seeing her as more was a bit unbelievable. It was as if a switch flipped and things instantly changed. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of a transition there as he started to realize that they were more and his feelings were evolving. While I did like both Eli and Emma, I must admit that they both frustrated me a ton. Most of that was Emma though I did feel like Eli did some things wrong as well. This entire story could have been so much different had these two just spoken to one another. For friends who told each other everything, they had an extremely hard time actually talking to one another. I figured some of that would change once it was confirmed that Emma was Kelli, but it actually got worse after that with Eli not saying anything. 

The other thing that really bothered me here was the Jake situation. Not to spoil anything, but I felt like that got completely out of hand and seemed to be added just for additional drama. I understood his original purpose, but once things started to change it was something that I disliked and ruined things for me a bit. I think had the Jake situation not turned out like it did and this book not feeling so rushed, that this would have been such a great book. I think things were a bit too melodramatic at times, though part of that is the age group here, and that things just seemed to move forward too rapidly to really seem completely believable. I wanted more of these two talking and making that transition rather than a ton of drama with them just coming together right at the end. I would read more from Jodie Andrefski in the future, and I did really like Eli and Emma together. They had some really sweet moments and I think that this one is worth the shot, especially for YA fans.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes | 

Guest Post with Author Sidney Halston and Giveaway

Meet Sidney Halston author of Fighting Dirty.

Sidney Halston lives her life by one simple rule: “Just do it.” And that’s exactly what she did. At the age of thirty, having never written anything other than a legal brief, she picked up a pen for the first time to pursue her dream of becoming an author. That first stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Halston lives in South Florida with her husband and children.

| Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

ARC Review: The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean

Anything Sarah MacLean writes I want to read. When I saw that she had a new book in her new series “The Rogue Not Taken” I jumped up in excitement. McLean is such a great writer! I loved her previous series “The Rules of Scoundrels and “Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover” was one of my favorite reads in this past year.

In true MacLean fashion she writes about a peculiar heroine who wants to play by her own rules and not those of society. Lady Sophie Talbot is not of blue-blood. Her father won a title in a game of cards and with his hard work in the coal mines, he amassed wealth. The aristocracy looks down on her and her family because of these two traits but also because her and her sisters have even received a quirky name. Sophie is the youngest of the sisters and she feels the most constraint by society’s rules. She is also very emotional and sensitive about the gossip that surrounds her family. When she catches her older sister’s husband in romantic rendezvous with another woman, Sophie doesn’t hesitate to take matters into her own hands. Unfortunately, this has very big ramifications and Sophie thinks that her family will fare better in London without her. She runs into The Marquess of Eversley’s, or King as he is referred, carriage. King is not the least big happy to see that Sophie is dressed up as a boy and has used his carriage to escape from London.

Needless to say their adventure is never boring and Sophie being the courageous and dangerous heroine that she is, ends up shot. King realizes that Sophie is unlike anyone that he has ever met even though they both swear to part ways, they invariably end up needing each other’s help. King is known for his habit of ruining woman for marriage and based on this reputation Sophie forms an opinion of him.

MacLean always has adventured filled story and this one is no exception. There were also some very funny moments and some tender moments as well. Although Sophie considers herself the “unfun” sister, she is definitely fun. King has some soul searching to do as well since his own history often affects his present. There were two factors that stopped this from giving it a five. One is the sisters. Although Sophie identifies herself in relation to her sisters we don’t really see too much interaction with her and her sisters and I wish that there would have been more sisterly interactions at the beginning to better understand the Talbot sisters. Second, I thought her and King didn’t mesh well until more than half the book when they really started to understand each other and chip away at their misconceptions about each other. MacLean has some tricks and secrets up her sleeve and she shares some fun surprises with the readers. I personally cannot wait to see what she has in store for the other sisters and who she has in mind with the very sexy scot. I think this was another great MacLean romantic adventure.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N |

ARC Review: Not Okay, Cupid by Heidi R. Kling

I will admit that the cover of this book is what really drew me in. I had previously read a book by Heidi R. Kling and really enjoyed it, so I figured this one was worth a shot. Not Okay, Cupid had some cute moments and there were some things I really enjoyed. But on the whole, this book was just okay for me. I think part of my problem here was simply my age. While I do enjoy YA books, these characters were a bit hard to take at times. 

Hazel McCallister has her life all planned out. Her and her perfect boyfriend Jay will graduate and attend the same college before becoming engaged and eventually getting married. But before she gets the picket fence, Hazel catches Jay with her best friend Kimmy. Embarrassed by the public way it was revealed, Kimmy's brother Felix James offers to help Hazel get revenge on them by pretending to be together to make Jay jealous. But the more time Hazel and Felix spend together, the more the lines between real and fake become. Even though Hazel and Felix start to develop real feelings for one another, in the end it comes down to whether Hazel wants revenge or Felix more. 

I really liked Felix. He was cute and sweet, and I really felt like his feelings for Hazel were genuine. He had always liked her, but he had never said anything. Hazel thought that he was a slacker that was nothing but a player, and yet he had more to him than anyone knew. Hazel had everything planned out and thought she knew what she wanted. As the story progressed though, it became clear that she didn't know herself as well as she though she did though. I liked her and Felix together, and I really wish that these two had talked more. I felt like once they realized that it wasn't just a plot for revenge that they needed to communicate with one another. While some of that is age and immaturity, it was a bit frustrating here since they both made some poor decisions that easily would have been avoided had they spoken with one another.

Another big issue I had here was that there wasn't a lot of depth or development here. For the majority of the story I felt like Hazel and Felix didn't really spend much time together, so their connection while there didn't feel strong to me. I didn't believe that these two could possibly be in love, even having known each other for years. They simply didn't know one another well enough or spend enough time together for it to feel genuine. The other thing that bothered me here was that the dialogue was very repetitive and at times words or sayings used were downright cheesy. A few times wouldn't have been noticeable, but it was for the entire story and it got to the point that it distracted me from what was going on because I just kept rolling my eyes. I did think that this story had some cute moments though, and if you are looking for something light and sweet you might give this one a shot. If you are looking for something a bit deeper or mature though, this one might not be for you.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes | 

Guest Post with Author Sara Humphreys and Giveaway

Meet Sara Humphreys author of The Good, the Bad, and the Vampire.

Sara Humphreys is the award-winning author of the Amoveo Legend series. The third book in the series, Untamed, won two PRISM awards: Dark Paranormal and Best of the Best. The first two novels from her Dead in the City series have been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award. Sara was also a professional actress. Some of her television credits include A&E Biography, Guiding Light, Another World, As the World Turns and Rescue Me. She loves writing hot heroes and heroines with moxie, but above all, Sara adores a satisfying happily-ever-after. She lives in New York with Mr. H., their four amazing sons, and two adorable pups. When she's not writing or hanging out with the men in her life, she can be found working out with Shaun T in her living room or chatting with readers on Facebook.  For a full list of Sara's books and reading order, please visit www.sarahumphreys.com

| Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |