Mini Review - Carry Me Home by Lia Riley

Title: Carry Me Home (Off the Map #3.1)

Author: Lia Riley

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Kobo

Love doesn’t have to be perfect to be true…

Years ago, Tanner Green loved Sunny Letman. She was meant to be his first kiss, his first love, first everything. Then their world spun upside-down and out of control.

Free-spirited Sunny doesn’t do commitment. Sure, guys are great for a night or a week, but she always leaves first. That is, until professional skateboarder and town golden boy, Tanner Green, unexpectedly walks back into her life.

Despite their broken history, a fragile and undeniably electric connection still holds them together. Now Tanner has to convince Sunny that even though love isn’t always perfect, it’s worth sticking around for…

I’m not usually a fan of novellas. Many times, I feel like it’s just a way for publishers to get even more of my money. But there are times when I really enjoy novellas and actually look forward to reading them. And that was the case with Lia Riley’s Carry Me Home.

Tanner and Sunny have a history. When they were kids, they were supposed to be each other’s first everything. But things never turn out the way they are supposed to. After everything fell apart, Sunny and Tanner grew apart, but they never forgot about that time they shared. Now, Sunny doesn’t get attached to anyone. She’s seen what getting attached to men has done to her mother, and the last thing she wants is to be like that woman. But when Tanner walks back into her life, Sunny can’t help but feel connected to him. They share a history, after all. And unlike her, Tanner is more than willing to stick around. He just has to convince Sunny that getting attached doesn’t always end in disaster.

I really enjoyed the three main books in Lia Riley’s Off the Map series, but all three books were very much focused on Bran and Talia’s story. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that because I really loved reading their story. But the whole time I was reading, I couldn’t help but be curious about some of the other people that were mentioned, whether they were Talia’s friends or Bran’s friends and family. I can’t help it. I’m just a curious person who wants to know all there is to know about everyone. That’s why I’m so drawn to companion novels, but that’s not really the point here. I was curious about other people featured in the Off the Map world so I was happy to find out that Lia Riley was writing novellas about Talia’s two best friends. Carry Me Home was the first of those and I pretty much devoured it. I wanted to know all about Sunny and Tanner and their shared past. I wanted to know why Tanner behaved the way he did with Talia after Talia’s sister, who also happened to be his girlfriend, died. And I wanted to find out more about why Sunny was so afraid of commitment. I’m just a curious person, it is what it is. So all that to say I loved reading about Sunny and Tanner, finding out more about them and seeing them find a way to go back to being those two kids who were supposed to be all of each other’s firsts. And though their romance was off to a bit of a rocky start, I loved the way it all came together and I was happy with where it went.

Carry Me Home was a great for helping me satisfy my curiosity about some of the other characters in the Off the Map world. But as I often do with novellas, I couldn’t help but want the story to be longer. I got hooked on Sunny and Tanner and I wanted more. But I was still more than satisfied with what I got.

All Played Out by Cora Carmack

Title: All Played Out (Rusk University #3)

Author: Cora Carmack

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: May 12, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

First person in her family to go to college? CHECK.

Straight A’s? CHECK.

On track to graduate early? CHECK.

Social life? …yeah, about that…

With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay…Scratch that. She knows she hasn’t had the full college experience.)

So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a “to do” list of normal college activities.

Item #1? Hook up with a jock.

Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it’s impossible to get hurt…again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learn about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.

Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she’s never known. But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, normal item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he’s willing to take the chance when it’s more than just a game.

Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.

I wish this review could just be me telling you all to go and read Cora Carmack’s Rusk University series because it is seriously amazing and I can’t say that enough. But I’ll try to give you a little more than that and be somewhat eloquent. But trust me when I say that all I really want to do is yell “GO READ ALL PLAYED OUT” really loudly and leave it at that.

Nell DeLuca has always been focused on achieving her goals. Until now, though, those goals have all been straight forward: go to college, get good grades and graduate early. Nell knows exactly what she haas to do to achieve those goals, but she can’t help but feel like she might be missing out on other things in the process. So Nell does what she does best: she creates a list of things to do before she graduates, hoping to cram in all the typical college experiences she can in the few weeks she has left. And Nell finds just the person to help her with her list. Mateo Torres knows all about typical college experiences. As the star wide receiver of the Rusk football team, he’s done his fair share of partying and hooking up with girls. But Torres can’t help but be intrigued by shy and quiet Nell and he quickly becomes determined to help her with her list. Nell and Torres bring out different sides of each other when they spend time together. Before long, the two of them have to start asking whether completing this list is just a game or if it’s become something more.

GUYS. How do I even begin to explain my love for All Played Out and Cora Carmack. I feel like I say this every time I review one of her books, but it’s true. And anytime I read one of her books, I find a new favourite. With All Played Out that couldn’t be any more true. I loved this book so freaking much. I was lucky enough to get picked for Cora’s street team and got to read the book pretty early and I haven’t been able to shut up about it since. Like for real. Pretty sure some of my friends are sick and tired of hearing me talk about this book but I won’t stop. I can’t. Because All Played Out was simply awesome and amazing. I completely love the world Cora has created with her Rusk University books and I would be more than happy to read books in that world until the end of times. And I’m barely exaggerating when I say that. The story in All Played Out is a continuation of the two previous books, All Lined Up and All Broke Down, but it’s also very much Nell and Torres’s story. And I loved their story. I loved seeing them work together to complete all the items on Nell’s list. And their romance was everything I had hoped it would be. I loved this relationship so freaking much and I just adored Nell and Torres.

I’ve said before that I can relate to certain characters or that I’ve been able to see myself in some characters, but that has never been as true as it was with Nell. While reading All Played Out, I just couldn’t help but see how much like Nell I was when I was in college, and how much like her I still am today. Looking back on my time in college, it wasn’t until partway through my junior year that I finally started coming out of my shell and doing more than just study and focus on all things school. Even today, I would much rather stay home on Friday night to read or watch a movie than go out. Sometimes I almost have to force myself to be social (though, I will say that it is significantly more work to have a social life once you’re no longer in college, but that’s a discussion for another day). And that’s just who Nell was. It wasn’t until Dylan mentioned that she didn’t do much outside of study that she realized that her college experience might not have been as complete as she thought. So all that to say that I loved seeing Nell work to get out of her comfort zone, and do things that she wouldn’t normally do on her own. It made for such a fun story, especially when she had Torres along to help her. And holy Torres. I have officially found my favourite Cora Carmack boy. Torres is pretty much everything I would want in a boyfriend. Seriously, Cora pretty much wrote my dream guy. And I love him so freaking much. I don’t even really know what to say to even begin to explain why I loved him so much. Torres was always a favourite of mine in the previous books but now that I’ve gotten to know him better, well he’s even better than I thought. He’s more than just the cocky party guy you see in the other books. He’s also one of the sweetest, most caring guys ever and when I saw that I just fell for him even harder. I could go on and on about how much I love Torres, but I’ll let you go read All Played Out and see for yourself how fantastic he is, instead.

In cased it wasn’t obvious yet thanks to all the rambling I just did, I absolutely ADORED All Played Out. If you haven’t yet read any of Cora Carmack’s Rusk University series you seriously need to GET ON THAT. Seriously, you have no idea what you are missing. For my part, I’ll just be sitting here waiting (im)patiently for Stella and Ryan’s book. Also known as All Closed Off, the next book in the series.

Cover Reveal - Surviving Ice by K.A. Tucker

 

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Cover Reveal for K.A. Tucker’s SURVIVING ICE!! SURVIVING ICE is a New Adult Romantic Suspense novel, and the fourth novel in K.A. Tucker’s Burying Water Series, published by Atria books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster. SURVIVING ICE is set to be released October 13, 2015!

About Surviving Ice

Add Surviving Ice on Goodreads!

Ivy Lee, a talented tattoo artist who spent the early part of her twenties on the move, is looking for a place to call home. She thinks she might have finally found it working in her uncle’s tattoo shop in San Francisco. But all that changes when a robbery turns deadly, compelling her to pack up her things yet again.

When they need the best, they call him. That’s why Sebastian Riker is back in California, cleaning up the mess made after a tattoo shop owner with a penchant for blackmail got himself shot. But it’s impossible to get the answers he needs from a dead body, leaving him to look elsewhere. Namely, to the twenty-something-year-old niece who believes this was a random attack. Who needs to keep believing that until Sebastian finds what he’s searching for.

Ivy has one foot out of San Francisco when a chance encounter with a stranger stalls her departure. She’s always been drawn to intense men, so it’s not wonder that she now finds a reason to stay after all, quickly intoxicated by his dark smile, his intimidating strength, and his quiet control.

That is, until Ivy discovers that their encounter was no accident—and that their attraction could be her undoing.

Pre-Order SURVIVING ICE today!

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And don’t forget BURYING WATER, BECOMING RAIN and CHASING RIVER, the first three books in this thrilling series…

About BURYING WATER

The top-selling, beloved indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths returns with a new romance about a young woman who loses her memory—and the man who knows that the only way to protect her is to stay away.

Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him?

Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. he knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried.

The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface.

Get your copy of BURYING WATER now!

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About BECOMING RAIN

Luke Boone doesn’t know exactly what his uncle Rust is involved in but he wants in on it—the cars, the money, the women. And it looks like he’s finally getting his wish. When Rust hands him the managerial keys to the garage, they come with a second set—one that opens up the door to tons of cash and opportunity. Though it’s not exactly legal, Luke’s never been one to worry about that sort of thing. Especially when it puts him behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 and onto the radar of gorgeous socialite named Rain.

Clara Bertelli is at the top of her game—at only twenty-six years old, she’s one of the most successful undercover officers int he Washington, DC, major crime unit, and she’s just been handed a case that could catapult her career and expose one of the West Coast’s most notorious car theft rings. But, in order to do it, she’ll need to go deep undercover as Rain Martines. Her target? The twenty-four-year-old nephew of a key player who appears ready to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.

As Clara drifts deeper into the luxurious lifestyle of Rain, and further into the arms of her very attractive and charming target, the lines between right and wrong start to blur, making her wonder if she’ll be able to leave it all behind. Or if she’ll even want to.

Get BECOMING RAIN now!

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About CHASING RIVER

Armed with two years’ worth of savings and the need to experience life outside the bubble of her Oregon small town, twenty-five-years-old Amber Welles is prepared for anything. Except drying in Dublin. Had it not been for the bravery of a stranger, she might have. But he takes off before she has the chance to offer her gratitude.

Twenty-four-year-old River Delaney is rattled. No one was supposed to get hurt. But then that American tourist showed up. He couldn’t let her die, but he also couldn’t risk being identified at the scene—so, he ran. Back to his everyday life of running his family’s pub. Only, everyday life is getting more and more complicated, thanks to his brother, Aengus, and his criminal associations. When the American girl tracks River down, he quickly realizes how much he likes her, hoe wrong she is for him. And how dangerous it is to have her around. Chasing her off would be the smart move.

Maybe it’s because he saved her life, or maybe it’s because he’s completely different from everything she’s left behind, but Amber finds herself chasing after River Delaney. Amber isn’t the kind of girl to chase after anyone.

And River isn’t the kind of guy she’d want to catch.

Pre-order CHASING RIVER today!

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About K.A. Tucker

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

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Some Kind of Normal by Juliana Stone

Title: Some Kind of Normal

Author: Juliana Stone

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

What is Normal?

For Trevor normal was fast guitar licks, catching game-winning passes and partying all night. Until a car accident leaves Trevor with no band, no teammates and no chance of graduating. It’s kinda hard to ace your finals when you’ve been in a coma. The last thing he needs is stuck up Everly Jenkins as his new tutor—those beautiful blue eyes catching every last flaw. 

For Everly normal was a perfect family around the dinner table, playing piano at Sunday service and sunning by the pool. Until she discovers her whole life is a lie. Now the perfect pastor’s daughter is hiding a life-changing secret, one that is slowly tearing her family apart. And spending the summer with notorious flirt Trevor Lewis means her darkest secret could be exposed. 

This achingly beautiful story about two damaged teens struggling through pain and loss to redefine who they are—to their family, to themselves, and to each other—is sure to melt your heart.

I’m always on the lookout for contemporary books that go a little deeper than just a fun and adorable romance. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fun and I love the adorable, but sometimes I want something a little more. And that’s how I found myself reading Juliana Stone’s Some Kind of Normal.

Trevor Lewis used to have a normal that consisted of playing guitar with his band, playing football and being thief of the party. But then a car accident puts him in a coma and takes away that normal. Hoping to get his life back on track and graduate high school, Trevor ends up being tutored by Everly Jenkins. The last thing Every wants to be doing is tutoring Trevor Lewis. She already has enough to deal with trying to keep up appearances that her family is the perfect family. But pretending all the time is exhausting. And around Trevor, Everly discovers she doesn’t have to pretend. She can just be who she wants to be. Together, Trevor and Everly are discovering that just because they lost one normal, it doesn’t mean they can’t ever find a new normal.

Some Kind of Normal was the first time I read anything by Juliana Stone and I have to say I will be going back and reading more. Some Kind of Normal surprised me. I mean, I had read the synopsis so I kinda sorta knew what to expect, but at the same time you can never really tell much from just a synopsis. I expected this to be a story that would go deeper than just your typical contemporary romance, I just didn’t expect it to go as deep as it did. And I liked that it dug deeper, that Juliana Stone decided to tackle a number of issues with this story. And I loved that though those issues were all different, they all tied back to that idea of “normal” and what “normal” means whether you’re a teenager graduating high school and making your way into the world, or an adult trying to figure out who you are again. It’s a topic that can resonate with everyone because everyone, at some point in their lives, will have wondered whether they are normal or what normal even means. I know I’ve been there many times already in my life and I’m only 24. Hell, I wonder about “normal” every other day. It’s just what we do. We look at ourselves and at others and try to see what normal looks like. In that sense, Some Kind of Normal really resonated with me and allowed me to really relate to what the characters were going through.

I could definitely understand Trevor’s struggle with figuring out what normal was. I mean, the guy was in a coma following a car accident and had to find his way back to himself after a brain injury. Anyone would struggle with that. But I really felt for Trevor when I was reading his story. I could see how much he hated not being able to do what he used to be able to before the accident, how much he hated the way people were treating him differently because of the brain injury, and most of all how much he hated the fact that he was hating all of that. It was hard to read at times because I just wanted everything to work out for him, for him to just stop feeling like he would never be able to get his life back. And then there was Everly who struggled for different reasons. Her family was so focused on proving to everyone that they were a perfectly normal family that they stopped taking into consideration whether or not they were happy with their normal. And Everly struggled with it most of all. Her problems were definitely different from Trevor’s, but they worked together. They were able to help each other find their way back to some kind of normalcy. And it was really touching to see them together.

I really enjoyed reading Juliana Stone’s Some Kind of Normal. It wasn’t the story I was expecting and I loved how much it made me think about my own life and all the worries I have about “normal.” If you’re looking for a contemporary story that goes a little deeper, than this is the one for you. 

Off the Map series by Lia Riley

Title: Upside Down (Off the Map #1)

Author: Lia Riley

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: August 5, 2104

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

If Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found

Twenty-one-year-old Natlia Stolfi is saying goodbye to the past—and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she’ll act like a carefree exchange student, not a girl sinking under the weight of painful memories. Everything is going according to plan until she meets a brooding surfer with hypnotic green eyes and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he moved back home to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He’s never wanted anyone the way the wants Talia. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime…or if they were meant to live a world apart.

Title: Sideswiped (Off the Map #2)

Author: Lia Riley

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

It was only meant to last the summer…

Tahlia Stolfi has seen more than her share of loss in her twenty-one years. But then fate brought her Bran Lockhart, and her dark world was suddenly and spectacularly illuminated. SO if being with Bran means leaving her colorless NorCal life for rugged and wild Australia, then that’s what she’ll do. But as much as Talia longs to give herself over completely to a new beginning, the fears of her past are still lurking in the shadows. 

Bran Lockhart knows that living without the beautiful girl who stole his heart will be torment, so he’ll take whatever time with her he can. But even thought she has packed up her life in California and is back in his arms for the time being, she can’t stay forever. And the remaining time they have together is ticking by way too fast. Though fate seems determined to tear them apart, they won’t give up without a fight—because while time may have limits, their love is infinite…

Title: Inside Out (Off the Map #3)

Author: Lia Riley

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: December 2, 2014

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

The Off the Map series comes to a stunning conclusion

When Talia first moved from California to Australia to study abroad, she never dreamed she’d find the love of her life. Bran understands her like no one ever has before. And despite the numerous challenges they’ve faced, they’ve’ always managed to figure out how to stay together. But this time they’ll face their toughest hurdle yet. Is their love strong enough to keep them together?

Most New Adult series I’ve read are series in the sense that they are a series of companion novels (also, how many times can I use the word “series” in one sentence?). But Lia Riley’s Off the Map series was different. All three books, Upside Down, Sideswiped and Inside Out, are all part of one large story. And I loved reading that story.

When she decided to run away to Australia for six months as part of a study abroad program, Talia never thought she would do much beyond study and discover Melbourne. After all, she’s still trying to find a way back to herself after her older sister’s death. As she starts to put her life back together in a new place, Talia meets Bran Lockhart. And Bran sees straight through to everything she’s been trying so hard to hide. But Bran has his own baggage to deal with. After losing who he thought was the girl of his dreams, Bran is forced to move back home to Australia and move on with his life. But even though he swore he wouldn’t get attached to anyone that way again, he can’t seem to stay away from Talia. Together Talia and Bran will have to decide whether they want to be together or let geography force them apart.

Like I said earlier in this review, most of the NA series that I’ve read have been made up of companion novels all set in the same world, but focusing on different characters so that people who were secondary characters in one book end up the main characters in another. But Lia Riley’s Off the Map series wasn’t like that. All three books are about Bran and Talia and everything that seems to stand in the way of them being together. And as much as I am a strong supporter of companion novels and standalone books, I actually really liked getting to spend all this time with Bran and Talia. It didn’t feel like their story was dragged out or got too convoluted partway through. It was just their story, and their story needed three books to be told. And honestly, it could have been another book or two longer and I still would have read them. Lia Riley found a way to completely draw me into these characters’ story, making me feel like I was a part of it with them (or maybe that’s just me wanting to go to Australia, which is also entirely possible). But that’s all to say that because I believed in Talia and in Bran, I didn’t ever feel like their story was too drawn out. I was happy to see everything they went through, even if it wasn’t always pleasant, because it made them stronger and ultimately led them to where they ended up. And I was MORE THAN happy with the conclusion of their story.

Tahlia definitely hadn’t had it easy. Between her sister’s sudden death and her mom basically abandoning her family, things weren’t exactly going great for her. So I could see why she would want to run away to Australia for a few months. Hell, I don’t have half the stuff she did going on in my life and I’d hop on a plane to Australia without any second thoughts. So yeah, I got why she wanted to escape her life. For a while though, I wasn’t sure that she was doing the right thing by running away from it all. But in running away, she somehow found a way to deal with everything that was going on. And in large part, that’s because of Bran. And Bran, well he had his own set of baggage to deal with and it wasn’t exactly light baggage either. But, even if it took him a while to see it, he was good for Talia and Talia was good for him. Individually, I don’t know that Bran and Talia would have found their way as easily, but together they just worked. I just wished that there hadn’t been so many obstacles standing in their way. But then that wouldn’t have made as compelling a story, so there’s that. When it comes down to it though, I really loved Bran and Talia, both as individuals and together. And that’s all that really matters.

I really enjoyed reading all three books in Lia Riley’s Off the Map series. Each one had it’s own merits and I don’t know that I would be able to pick a favourite out of them all. If you’re looking for a New Adult read that digs a little deeper, then definitely check out the first book in the series, Upside Down.