Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles

Title:  Just Remember to Breathe

Author: Charles Sheehan-Miles

My Rating: 4 Stars

Purchase: Amazon Kindle 

Synopsis: Alex Thompson’s life is following the script. A pre-law student at Columbia University, she’s focused on her grades, her life and her future. The last thing she needs is to reconnect with the boy who broke her heart.

Dylan Paris comes home from Afghanistan severely injured and knows that the one thing he cannot do is drag Alex into the mess he’s made of his life.

When Dylan and Alex are assigned to the same work study program and are forced to work side by side, they have to make new ground rules to keep from killing each other.

Only problem is, they keep breaking the rules.

The first rule is to never, ever talk about how they fell in love.

My thoughts:

I'm going to be honest. I didn't want to read this book. I saw the word "Afghanistan" and decided it wasn't for me. I'm not into war books, war details, ANYTHING to do with war. I'm not heartless, It just doesn't interest me in the slightest. So I wrote it off despite all my book friends raving about it. Then I was asked to review it for my blog. This is where my inability to say no got me in trouble. I pushed it off until the very last moment and now here I am kicking myself for it.

This book is NOT about war. Don't let my opening to this review lead you to believe that. And I knew from reading the synopsis that it wasn't. It was the fact that I knew there would be stuff from war in it that kept me from reading it.

What is this book about?

Young love
Heartache
Second Chances
PTSD
Failure
Overcoming obstacles

It's about real life and Mr. Sheehan-Miles did a wonderful job of creating an emotional, heart-wrenching story that sucked me in with the first sentence.

And the war stuff? It's there. But it's there in a capacity that it didn't turn me off. It is only a portion of the story and it was explained and described in layman's terms so a complete war idiot like myself could understand and sympathize.

So I apologize to Charles for jumping to conclusions and I thank him for writing such a wonderful story. I will definitely be reading more of his work in the future.

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Every Which Way by Calia Read

Title:  Every Which Way

Author: Calia Read

My Rating: 3 Stars

Purchase: Amazon Kindle 

Synopsis:
Severine Blake has seen far too many friends taken down in the crossfires of dating. She devises a precise course of action to protect her heart. The plan is working very well...until she meets Thayer and Macsen.

When the Sloan brothers come into her life, nothing is the same.Thayer is self-possessed, arrogant and used to getting what he wants. Being near him leaves Severine unsteady and shaken. He makes her question everything. Macsen contradicts his brother in every way. His calm personality captivates her. Severine is drawn to him instantly. But Severine quickly discovers that when you want something, that want can turn wicked. Giving in is not always easy, especially when your heart refuses to give up the fight.

What little illusion of love Severine has is soon destroyed. Every option is broken, and the protection she has built around her heart instantly crumbles.

There's just no right way with the Sloan brothers.

My thoughts:

Writing a review for this book is hard. All-in-all I did really like the story I just couldn't connect with it. It took me some time to get through as I had to force myself to keep reading.

The main character, Severine, seemed to be a strong independent woman hell bent on not getting her heart broken. She was witty, funny, and overall likeable. Her name bothered me a little because I had the darnedest time trying to pronounce it. I also didn't feel a connection to her and found myself questioning her decisions and annoyed at little things that she was indecisive about.

The Sloan brothers were a nice addition. I mean really? Two hot brothers, one a 6'9" basketball player - whew, fan me now! And I like the uniqueness of their names, Thayer and Macsen, which were very much pronounceable.

I think what got to me the most was the writing style. I found myself having to reread parts to understand what was going on. It felt a bit discombobulated. But at around 2/3 of the way through things picked up and I was able to connect to the story a little more. It is that last 1/3 of the story that will have be reaching for the sequel when it comes out.

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Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Title:  Hopeless

Author: Colleen Hoover

My Rating: 5 Stars

Purchase: Amazon Kindle 

Please note: Hopeless is written for ages 17+

Synopsis:

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

My thoughts:

Is it possible to top perfection? 

Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE the Slammed series by Colleen Hoover with all my heart. To me that book was perfection and I really didn't think that Colleen would be able to top it.  And she didn't top it. No, she double-decker ice cream scoop, hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, and sprinkles topped it.

I am once again amazed at Colleen's ability to bring her characters to life and how they can so easily get under my skin. Sky is strong, brave, but yet a broken young woman.  There are many points in the story that have you wondering why something that would bother or embarrass anyone else simply doesn't faze her at all. The reality is that I love that about her.  I envy her ability to take life so nonchalantly. I don't, however, envy all that she had to go through and wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. My heart broke for her in many places and I'm still not sure if it is completely put back together.

Holder is....well, Holder is scary. He's scary because he is so damn perfect. Not perfect in a flawless sort of way, because he definitely has his flaws, but perfect in a way that makes you feel protected, in a way that makes you feel secure, and perfect in a way that oozes swoon-worthy masculinity and makes your heart pitter-patter with everything that comes from his mouth.  There is no poetry in Hopeless, but Holder's words felt like poetry to me.

Before delving into this book, I didn't read the synopsis and I didn't read any teasers.  I simply put my faith in Colleen that she would write something that would blow me away.  And she didn't disappoint. So in this review I am not going to give anything about the story away.  I simply challenge you to pick it up and start reading.  Your decision to do so will be validated with the emotions your heart feels throughout the book.

Hopeless is a book that will make you laugh, make you cry, rip out your heart, shatter it in little tiny pieces, stomp on it a little, and then duct tape it all back together. It's not simply a love story, it a journey that will change you forever.  I am forever changed because of this book.

If you have a heartbeat and a soul, you should read this book.  Heck, even if you're a zombie, you should read this book.  You will LIKE it.  You will LIVE it.  You will LOVE it.

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