Blog tour stop: Running on Empty by L.B. Simmons

Title:  Running on Empty

Author: L.B. Simmons

My Rating: 4 Stars

Purchase: Amazon Kindle 

Synopsis: I had the perfect life.

Beautiful and loving husband.Three gorgeous little girls.
Successful career.

The only thing missing was the white picket fence. I really wanted that fence.

Three years ago, I lost that life. I lost my husband. And I lost myself. But, eventually, I found my way through the darkness. I’ve made peace with my new life. I have my girls, and that’s all that matters. They are my world. I have no illusions of ever falling in love again or getting whisked away on a white horse.

But then he came back into my life. On a freakin’ motorcycle.

There’s no way I’ll let him turn my life completely upside down. Absolutely no way.

The question is…

How long can I keep pretending that I’m happy with my life being right-side up.

My thoughts:

First of all, I have to say that I am fairly certain that the author was hiding in a corner of my house somewhere when she wrote a good portion of this book.  I swear I lived through parts of it...all you would have to do is change her three daughters to three sons. I was able to connect with the book on so many levels and the book was a good change of pace from what I had been reading.  If it weren't for a few small things, this book would have been 5 stars for me.

Alex is a strong single mother of 3 that has been through a tragedy that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.  This tragedy has left her a shell.  Devoting all her time and energy to her children and not thinking of or spending any time for her. 

Blake is a good looking former classmate and used-to-be best friend of Alex's.  A chance encounter on the highway brings him back into Alex's life. Blake proves to be amazing but there was something about him that just wasn't completely believable to me.  Possibly it was his willingness to drop everything to help out a girl that dumped his friendship long ago.  I would have thought there would have been a bit of resentment in there.

I also found the book lacking on the steam level.  That is probably just a personal preference but I just kept waiting for things to steam up and was a little disappointed they didn't.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable book.  Solid character develpment, lots of tear-inducing emotion, great supporting characters, and a nice HEA. I would recommend this book for lovers of chick lit and those looking for a book that will both make them laugh and cry.

In honor of the blog tour, Running on Empty is on sale for the month of February for only $1.99!  Pick up your copy today!

Stop by the following other blogs during the Running on Empty blog tour.

FEBRUARY 1: Natasha is a Book Junkie

FEBRUARY 2: My Secret Romance Book Reviews

FEBRUARY 3:  The Phantom Paragrapher

FEBRUARY 4: Sugar and Spice Book Reviews

FEBRUARY 5: Shh, Moms Reading

FEBRUARY 6: Enchanting Havoc

FEBRUARY 7: Little Pink Cupcakes

FEBRUARY 8: Three Chicks and Their Books

FEBRUARY 9: Devoured Words

FEBRUARY 10: Candy Coated Book Blog

FEBRUARY 11: First Class Books

FEBRUARY 12: Flirty and Dirty Book Blog

FEBRUARY 13: Have Book Will Read

FEBRUARY 14: Into The Night Reviews

FEBRUARY 15: Whirlwindbooks

FEBRUARY 16: Book Crush

FEBRUARY 17: The Book Whisperer

FEBRUARY 18: Buried in Books

FEBRUARY 19: Novel Girl

FEBRUARY 20: The Indie Bookshelf

FEBRUARY 22: Angie’s Dreamy Reads

FEBRUARY 23: Becca the Bibliophile

FEBRUARY 24: Sweet and Sassy Reviewz

FEBRUARY 25: Novel Seduction

FEBRUARY 26: Megan’s book blog

FEBRUARY 28: Book Bitches Blog

 

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That Boy by Jillian Dodd

Title:  That Boy

Author: Jillian Dodd

My Rating: 5 Stars

Purchase for Amazon Kindle

 

 

Summary (from Amazon.com):

You know, being friends with two cute boys does have its benefits.

There's Danny. Danny is a golden boy in every way. He has dreamy blue eyes and blonde hair that always looks perfect, even when it’s windblown or been stuck under a football helmet. He’s the boy every girl crushes on. The boy I get into trouble with, the boy I fight with, the hot quarterback no girl can resist, not even me. Being with Danny is like being on an adventure. He has a bright, contagious smile and abs to die for. He’s pretty much irresistible.

Equally crush worthy is Phillip. Adorable, sweet Phillip, who I have known since birth.  Phillip has dark hair, a perfect smile, brown eyes, and the sexiest voice I have ever heard. He’s the boy I talk to every night before I go to sleep. The boy who rescues me, the boy who can read my mind, the boy who is always there for me, the boy who tries to keep me out of trouble, the boy who irritatingly keeps getting hotter, and whose strong arms always seem to find their way around me.  And when he gives me that grin, I can never say no.

One boy will give me my very first kiss.
One boy will teach me to make out.
One boy will take me to prom.
And finally, one boy will ask me to marry him.
They will both be my best friends.
But only one of them will be the boy I fall in love with.
Only one of them is That Boy.

My Review:

Never judge a book by the cover.  That statement applies in full force with this book.  I probably would never have picked it up had it not been recommended to me by fellow readers. But I do have to say, that after reading the book and seeing the little doodles throughout, the cover is fitting.  I loved the doodles by the way, especially the "chicken shittedness" one!

I loved the voice in this book.  It was not perfect, choppy at times...well, maybe choppy isn't the right word.  No it was more like getting sidetracked and going off on a tangent, sort of how your brain works as thoughts run through your head...sort of like I am right now.  Anyway,getting back on track, it was like we were right inside JJ's head, hearing her thoughts as she had them.  Again, I loved it because I was able to relate since it was almost like reading my own thoughts.

JJ is a riot, with 2 male best friends, both of whom are hot - gosh I'm jealous!  She had me laughing throughout the book and then there are times when it was like BAM, and I find myself bawling my eyes out.  WTF!  How does she do that?  But in the end, there was a happy ending and that made me happy.

Wow, I don't know if any of that made any sense, I think my mind is still mush from staying up too late reading.  In summary a perfect, non stressful love triangle + hot guys + laughter + crying + staying up late to read and being a walking zombie the next day = this book earning 5 stars from me.  Can't wait to read That Wedding!

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Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

Title: Point of Retreat

Author: Colleen Hoover

My Rating: 5 stars

Purchase for Amazon Kindle

 

 

Summary (from Amazon):

Hardships and heartache brought them together...now it will tear them apart. Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will's past emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built.

Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge...how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop 'carving pumpkins.'

 

My Review:

 

22 hours is all it took
for Colleen Hoover to reclaim my heart
The characters she writes
that boy
that girl
tear at my heartstrings
and send my emotions a whirl.

(That's my mini slam dedicated to Colleen Hoover.  Colleen: I think you are one of my favorite people right now!)

Point of Retreat is the second book in the Slammed series by Colleen Hoover and is as bemazing as the first!  As I did with Slammed, I skipped right past reading the synopsis and dove right in, so I was utterly surprised to find that this is written in Will's POV. Seeing things from his side, gave me a whole different light to him.  In Slammed I saw him as very mature, responsible, mostly in control, and sometimes a little hard-headed.  Although I still see some of those after reading Point of Retreat, I also got to see the vulnerable and not-so-much in control side of him, his struggles, his heartbreak, but also his determination and strength.

Will loves Lake, Lake loves Will, this cannot be denied.  But is their love for each other for the right reasons?  And is their love strong enough to survive being questioned?

"Sometimes two people have to fall apart, to realize how much they need to fall back together" – Author Unknown

I lost count on the number of times that I cried throughout this book.  My emotions were all over the place (that damn vase had a lot to do with it).  One minute I was laughing and the next minute I found myself crying or frustrated beyond belief with one of the characters.  When a book is able to do that to me is when it deserves 5 stars, and that is just what I gave it.

Okay, time to play suck and sweet...my suck is that there is a wait until the next book is released.  My sweet, however, is that I have a new favorite author and a couple new books in my re-read category.

If you haven't read Slammed, the first book in this series, you need to stop what you are reading now and go buy it.  While you are there, pick up Point of Retreat because it is so butterflying amazing and a great follow-up to the first book.

(Note: if you are confused with my choice of words such as bemazing and butterflying, go read the book and it will all make sense.)

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Slammed by Colleen Hoover

 

 Title: Slammed

Author: Colleen Hoover

My Rating: 5 Stars

Buy for Amazon Kindle

Summary (taken from Goodreads):

'Slammed' is the first of a two book series. The second book, "Point of Retreat," will be available for download after March 2nd, 2012.

After the unexpected death of her father forces eighteen year old Layken and her family to move across the country, away from everyone and everything she knows, her outlook on life is anything but hopeful.

Enter Will Cooper: the attractive twenty-one year old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry. After a night together that turns out to be everything but the expected, both Layken and Will are left with feelings they never knew they could have. Unfortunately in Layken's life, things are never what they seem. Just as quickly as it develops, their relationship is derailed by a shocking revelation, sparking a tumultuous battle between their hearts and their ethics.

As if the dramatic turn of events in her life isn't enough, Layken is slammed again when her mother reveals a secret of her own. A secret so intense, all of Layken's current problems pale in comparison to her seemingly insurmountable future. Unable to confront the changes that lie ahead of her, Layken ignores her conscience as she turns to Will for solace. Struggles ensue as both Layken and Will search for a balance between that which keeps them apart and the feelings that pull them together.

My Review:

I got schooled this year
by
a
Book.
a book that I'm seriously,
deeply, madly, incredibly,
and undeniably in love
with.

When a book dominates my Goodreads feed with 5 star ratings, I jump at the chance to see what the hype is about.  That is the situation with Slammed by Colleen Hoover.  I had no idea who Colleen Hoover was (*hangs head in shame*) and I had no idea what her book was about, but with that many 5 star ratings, what do I have to lose, right?

I jumped blindly into this book without even glancing at the synopsis but came out with my eyes wide open (albeit, a little bloodshot from crying.)  Slammed is about poetry, love, heartbreak, death, sacrifice, responsibility, The Avett Brothers (had to throw that one in there for you Colleen) and overcoming hurdles that life throws at you. I don't want to attempt a summary of the book for fear that I will give away spoilers, but I will say that it is an emotional journey that you shouldn't dare miss. 

I give Slammed 5 stars due to the emotional turmoil it put me through, the heartache I felt for the characters, the way that it made me laugh out loud, and the fact that it kept me from sleeping because I just couldn't put it down. 

I would recommend this book to anyone that loves YA and loves to experience an emotional journey and with a price of only $2.99 for the Amazon Kindle book you can't go wrong.  So go!  Click over to Amazon and pick up this book now!

And with that, I am off to Google poetry slams in my area.  After reading about them, I kinda want to experience one for myself. 

(By the way, the opening of my review was an adaptation of a poem from slammed, giving all the credit to Collen for that one.)

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Fissure by Nicole Williams

Title: Fissure
Author: Nicole Williams
Rating:  4 Stars
Purchase for Amazon Kindle

My Review:  

In Nicole Williams' Eden series, we follow the story of Bryn Dawson and her swoon worthy, perfect, every bit of a man, William Hayward. In Fissure, we get a story of William's every bit as swoon worthy brother, Patrick.

I fell in love with Patrick with the little bit of him we got to experience in the Eden series so I was overly excited to read a story that was not only dedicated to just him but is also told from his perspective. *insert girly squeel here* While it is not necessary to read the Eden series before this one, I think it is beneficial so that you know the background of the story and characters.

This story picks up approximately a month after United Eden in which Patrick had professed his love to Bryn right before she was betrothed to William, the love of her life and Patrick's brother. Not surprisingly, Bryn chose William but this left Patrick with a big whole in his heart that he didn't know how to fill despite the many women that would no doubt line up to try and help him fill it.

In an attempt to get him out of his funk, Patrick's father enrolls him at Standford. Patrick is not amused with this idea and spends the first couple of days lounging around campus, cat-calling as the co-eds of Standford passed by on their way to class. When he finally does attend class, he ends up sitting next to the one person that had the nerve to call him out during his cat-calling escapades, Emma Scarlett...and her big, beefy boyfriend of 6 years.

Patrick soon finds that Emma is to be the one to fill the void in his heart, however, her, her boyfriend and her brothers do not make this an easy feat for Patrick.

I loved this book, I love Nicole's writing style and I so love Patrick's wittiness. This book has romance, it has action, and it has a little bit of paranormal. I so badly wanted to give it 5 stars. I agonized over it but I just couldn't put that last star to it for a couple of reason's. First, it wasn't until the ending that I found myself not able to put the book down. The ending is very action packed, but I would like to have seen more of that throughout the rest of the story. Second, I really, really would have liked to have seen more of the paranormal aspect of the story with the immortality show through. However, I have no doubt that we will witness more of this in the next installment of the Patrick Chonicles, Fusion.

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Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton

Title: Rock and a Hard Place

Author: Angie Stanton

My Rating: 5 Stars

Purchase for Amazon Kindle

 

 

Summary (from Amazon.com):

One day while watching the Interstate exit for her dad’s long awaited return, Libby’s life is rocked when Peter Jamieson steps off his tour bus and into her life. After a couple chance meetings with Peter, Libby breaks away from her perfect behavior and her life changes course.

Peter longs for normalcy away from the screaming fans who know nothing about the real him. He is amazed to discover Libby has never heard of him or his band. Soon their friendship turns to love. While Peter battles his family's growing interference so he can spend time with Libby, she struggles with her eccentric aunt who turns more bizarre each day.

Their lives are torn apart when Peter's family intrudes and Libby disappears. Peter’s desperate search for her comes up empty. Can they find their way back to each other while the world plots against them?

My Review:

What is it about a story with a rock star that gets to me every time? This was such a sweet story with a feel-good ending.

Libby has lived a hard couple of years after the death of her mother and sister and then having her father abandon her, leaving her to live with her low life aunt. With no friends and no true family there for her, she lives her life dreaming of the day her father will return for her and life will be okay again.

After an uncharacteristic meeting of Peter, a member of a famous band, Libby finds herself now dreaming of a boy she never before knew existed.

This book receives 5 stars in my book, not because it was perfectly written, but because it was a good story, I couldn't put it down, it held enough emotion to bring actual tears to my eyes, and I got an ending I was happy with.

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