"Forever Black" by Sandi Lynn

Genre: New Adult
Publication: February 16, 2013
Format: Kindle
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars

From Goodreads: When Ellery moved to New York with her boyfriend, she thought they’d live happily ever after in their small New York apartment. She never thought he’d pack his bags and leave because he “needed space.” With her newfound single status and fear of being alone, Ellery buries herself in her artwork and paintings until one night she helps a mysterious intoxicated stranger get home safely. Little did she know the mysterious stranger is none other than CEO and millionaire Connor Black. After finding Ellery in his kitchen the next morning and assuming she broke his #1 rule about sleepovers, he becomes intrigued, not only by her stubbornness and defiance, but by her kindness.

Connor Black, emotionally dead and damaged, that stemmed from a personal tragedy, made a vow to never love or fall in love with a woman, until Ellery Lane walked into his life by accident. After she opens up and shows him her world, Connor starts to feel emotions and feelings he never knew existed. Despite the rumors and warnings regarding Connor Black and his use and misuse of women, Ellery finds herself being drawn into his world. 

Ellery knows they can never be together because she is harboring a deep secret that could destroy Connor emotionally forever. 

Join Connor and Ellery as they embark on a journey of courage, love and strength. Will it be enough to save them?


My Thoughts: This book read like a rough first draft. It felt like the author wrote her story out, but didn't bother to go through it and fix any of her mistakes... and there were a lot of mistakes. Here's the thing: I am not a grammar Nazi. Really, it doesn't bother me if I'm reading a story and I happen to notice a few errors. Hey, it happens. In fact, I'm a prime example because I always, ALWAYS, find flaws in what I'm writing (especially reviews). Here's the part that pisses me off though. If you're going to self-publish your book, then at the very least you should EDIT your work. You should edit it until you think you can't edit it anymore, then you should do it once more! Hand it over to someone trust-worthy and then get them to edit it.

Okay, so I don't know the author and I don't know what she did, but if she did hand her book over to someone to edit, then she needs to find someone else for her future works. The reason I'm so mad about it though, is because this could have been a really great book. The story was good, the characters had great chemistry... but it all fell flat because of the first draft feel. I felt like we could have been given more insight into certain characters had they been "fluffed" out more, if that makes any sense.

Forever Black is like a bad (albeit milder) re-telling of Fifty Shades of Grey, but with a few plot twist here and there, replacing Christian with Conner. Although, I will say this, I definitely liked Elle over Anna any day of the week. Overall, I would NOT recommend this book, unless the author went through and at least fixed her grammatical errors and lowered the price. For $3.99 on Amazon, it's just not worth it.

My Rating:

"Addicted to You" by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Series: Addicted #1
Genre: New Adult 18+
Format: Kindle
Publication: August 22, 2013 (Indie)
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

From Goodreads: She’s addicted to sex. He’s addicted to booze…the only way out is rock bottom.

No one would suspect shy Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own.

Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they’ve pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They’ve mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment.

But as they sink beneath the weight of their addictions, they cling harder to their destructive relationship and wonder if a life together, for real, is better than a lie. Strangers and family begin to infiltrate their guarded lives, and with new challenges, they realize they may not just be addicted to alcohol and sex.

Their real vice may be each other. 

My Thoughts: I actually really enjoyed this book... with a few exceptions. Let's talk about what I really liked first though:

With the New Adult genre, it's hard to burst in with something original. I mean, there's only so much drama that can go around. But sex addicts and alcoholics? Yeah, that was definitely a new one. I thought the Ritchie's did a fantastic job of portraying someone with an addiction. I know what people are like when they're addicted to something- I grew up in it. So I was hesitant to pick up this book. I didn't want to read it, and be cheated out of the emotional upheaval that comes with addiction. However, I was impressed. Lo and Lil's flaws were spot on and the nature of their problems made sense. They're emotions were devastating and disastrous and exactly what a person would be feeling. They were real. 

I also really really loved the plot/story itself. Like I said, they get major bonus points for originality with this book. It was definitely something I hadn't seen done before and that was refreshing.

So, what was my problem? It's hard to put my finger on it exactly. While I definitely didn't want to put the book down, I couldn't help but feel cheated out of Lo and Lil's real relationship. Usually, when you pick up a New Adult book, it's about the romance. Which this story is... to a point. But what you're mostly getting when you pick up Addicted to You is an emotional roller coaster about addiction. Which is awesome, but I think a lot of people are going to go into it expecting more. I felt like every time we were about to go to another level of Lo and Lil's relationship, the door was shut on us- blocking the reader out. 

Which ties into my next issue: the sex. Okay, this story is about a sex addict (mostly), and while we can see Lily's struggle somewhat, we get blocked out from her experiences. If she's having sex, we don't read about it. She just let's us know that she did. Either one some random guy(s) or with Lo. Which would be okay... if it wasn't such a huge part of the story. It feels like we are just told these characters have this problem and then we see the after effects of it. We don't get roped into why they enjoy their addictions so much. Which makes it harder to connect with them. Especially for Lily.

Overall, I would probably recommend this series to someone who was engrossed in the NA genre, but who wanted a "milder" read.

My Rating:

"Allegiant" by Veronica Roth: A Non-Spoilery and a Spoilery Review in Two Parts

Series: Divergent #3
Genre: Dystopia
Publication: October 22, 2013 by Harper Collins
Format: Hardback, 526 Pages
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

From Goodreads: One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

I will be reviewing this book in two parts. The first is a Non-Spoiler Review (of Allegiant- however it will discuss the previous books). The second review at the bottom (which I will warn you about a head of time) will be a SPOILER review. Just a heads up! 

My Thoughts: SPOILER FREE: I don't even know where to being with this. Some of you will hate it, loathe it, and throw it at your bedroom door. Others, like myself, will love it. Allegiant was amazing for me. I read it without being spoiled first (thank God), but I did know that readers were finding it very upsetting. The backlash this book created was just ridiculous. So, yes I was worried. But I trucked on and it was worth it. I can also safely say, that this was probably one of the better endings to a series I've read in some time. I completely loved it and I will definitely continue to recommend the books and go see the films.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

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SPOILER REVIEW: Okay, I understand why people are angry when first finishing the book. It was shocking to find out that Tris died. It was upsetting. I sobbed like a baby and hid under my covers. BUT it made sense to me. The whole time I was reading it, I was getting more and more upset because I thought Four was gonna be offed and I was just NOT okay with that. He still had too much to figure out about who he was and how he could contribute to the rebellion. When I read Tris's last chapter I was obviously shocked, but I was also weirdly... content? That's not the right word, but I felt like things where as they should be. It made sense to me that Tris would die in that rebellion because she was the hero... and not just a hero, but one who made the hard decisions and accepted them. It was more then that though... at her heart, Tris was brought up in Abnigation- the faction that believed in sacrificing everything for the good of the community, to be selfless above all else. While Tris was more than Abnigation or Dauntless, it makes sense that she took the best part of if each faction with her. So of course, OF COURSE, she would sacrifice herself for Caleb and for the rebellion. And that IS what she did. She didn't want to go, but she knew she had to and she accepted that. 

Honestly, I think it was just perfect.

My Rating: