My Review : Jake Undone by Penelope Ward

From Goodreads:
Nina Kennedy was alive…but not living…until she met him.

Planes, trains, heights…you name it, Nina was afraid of it and led a sheltered life ruled by irrational fears and phobias. When she moves to Brooklyn for nursing school, that life is turned upside down, as she develops an intense but unwanted attraction to her gorgeous roommate, who’s pierced, tattooed and just happens to be the smartest person she’s ever met.

Behind Jake Green’s rough exterior and devilish smile, lies a heart of gold. He makes it his mission to change Nina’s outlook on life. When he agrees to tutor her, they forge a bet and the stakes are high as Jake forces Nina to face her demons. He just wasn’t expecting to fall hard for her in the process.

What Nina doesn’t realize, is that Jake has been living his own private hell. Once he drops a bombshell, will their love survive it?
               My Thoughts:

     Meeeeeeeeee ohhhhhh Myyyyyyyyy!  What can I say?! Penelope Ward and her boys?! Perfect book boyfriends!! Me, Likey VERY..VERY MUCH!

    This is my second book from Ms. Ward and I  admit, I have  developed  some "mild addiction"  . Well, If you consider "mild" as : Me ,reading this ...then once in awhile  checking out her other books?! ( And one-clicking?! Darn! )  Yes. MILD ...still the word?! Hee hee!


    For the adoring fans of Ms. Penelope Ward, you know exactly what I mean! .... for the newbies, look at what you been missing?! This!


    Lemme, me tell you a little something about this book...  ( a little forewarning though,   "mild"  fangirling ahead. Hah! )



    Blink. Blink. <----That's a  normal  eye , blinking .   My eyes  after I met  Jake Green?  Bliiiiink . Bliiiiiink.. Oh-so-slooowly. Hellooooooooooo....Flirty eyes! Yes! One of the many body reactions I had for Jake Green!

Who is Jake Green?  Well...

GORGEOUS....

PIERCED...

TATTOOED.... and..... Take note :

the SMARTEST person!!!! ( as per Nina's statement and mine too!!! )  <------- Where on earth can you find ALL that attributes in one guy?!

Oh! ...and it never stops there ! Here's more  reason to love Jake:

"Behind Jake Green’s rough exterior and devilish smile, lies a heart of gold. He makes it his mission to change Nina’s outlook on life. When he agrees to tutor her, they forge a bet and the stakes are high as Jake forces Nina to face her demons.."

   So... same question still stands : Where on earth can we find a guy like that???? The answer is , NOWHERE but inside a Penelope Ward book! I just love the characters she created. You know they are not real ( which is a bummer! )  but still , deep inside , you want them to exist. ( like, really ..really exist!!! )

   The moment I opened this book, I dived inside the story right away.  I felt Nina's fears ....and  felt Jake like she did. My! The attraction was just BOOOM! There was really  that SOMETHING  about Jake's presence that will either  make you :  catch your breath...or not breathe at all!  Oh, there's even a  word for that, it's called FANGIRLING, ladies, fangirling!

  ....And I loooove how  Ms . Ward   wrote that SOMETHING !  (Take note: How Jake ate his banana! )

"He continued to devour the entire batch until the plate is bone dry....He ran his finger repeatedly across the plate licking the last remnants, which cause my insides to tingle.
     I suddenly wished I were wearing the plate. "

   Now, you see, how a lowly banana  can make   Nina  wished  she was wearing that particular plate???   ( And me wishing, I'm the banana?! Whoopsie! ) Oooooh my! Trouble. Trouble. He looks like trouble...and Nina  doesn't need any of that when she has her own  troubles to deal with.  But can she really stay away when Jake was practically her room mate? Moreover, when all the circumstances leads her to him? Oh, there's also a word for that : DESTINY. Destiny! *dreamy  sigh*

     I love the creative ways Jake did to help Nina deal with her phobias. It was the swooniest too! That stuck-inside-the- elevator scene?  , add up that playlist? Awwwwwwww-worthy!  Those bat Origamis too ? Me. Melt -melt!

     So, the chemistry between these two were  LOUD and CLEAR.   Then why oh why?!  NO ONE's making the first move????

"My heart hasn't beat the same since I laid eyes on you, Nina. Ever since that day, my entire life has been about doing everything in my power not to want you like this..because I don't want to drag you into my fucked up life."

Arrgh! See?? This is when the "Penelope Ward signature angst" takes over!!! .....and it's torturous!! But I . LOVE. IT!( Strange-strange! )

      Yes, Torturous. Like, waiting helplessly  for that "something" to happen ?  I keep telling myself that I can handle this..I can handle this.... then .... the moment of truth! All I could utter are these words, 'This. Is. Bad... This is just... just .. just...not happening!!
 

   

    The feels! The feels! There's no stopping now! It was a roller coaster ride of emotions.  I have no choice but to hold unto my dear heart and hope that I can go through this up to the last page.

    The string of events were perfectly placed and presented.  That ending? I could not ask for more.
     I  sighed , cried, smiled... such a beautiful, amazing story !  Sending my full applause to the wonderful Ms. Penelope Ward!

 
                      My Rating:

      5 LA-LA-LA-LOOOOVE STARS!!!!

 

 

My Review : Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

From Goodreads:

At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…


From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance—and the enchanting music that inspires one young woman to put her life back together.


                         My thoughts:

        Beat..beat..pause.  Beat..beat..pause . That's my heart beating for both Ridge and Sydney.  Oh, and yes, sometimes it beats really fast...then it beats really slow . Erratic . It's been   that way ever since I started reading....and specifically , it begun when Ridge and Sydney created music together.

       Ridge and Sydney were perfect together . Ridge was music and Sydney, lyrics. I can't count how many times I swooned and keep falling in love with these two!  I love Sydney . I love Ridge. Sydney  and Ridge...love love love!

      I love writing reviews as I love reading, but in this case, I am hesitant to write one.  Why? Because I know,what I am about to write won't cover what I really felt inside.  I can simply say , "This book was amazing" but it's not all that, it was way beyond. With this, I am compelled to say more. ( with the best possible way I could say!)

      If you thought you already read the most angsty book , think again, this one's on my top list. Never have I experienced a book that made me feel all kinds of tensions from the beginning and up to the end.  I was surprised  I did not burst into a thousand pieces while in the process?!  God, if there is one author who can create that layer after layer of angst. Ms. Hoover was on my top list! ( As she's on my top list of favorite authors! ) This woman won't  even make me catch my breath.. or relax a bit?! ( And I love you Colleen! ) There's always a story within a story..within a story and it never ends! It was a gradual reveal , keeping me on my toes at the same time making me so restless.

     As I go on with the book, I can't help but to think ahead, way ..way ahead ! I was thinking , will it be a happy ending for both Ridge and Sydney?  Because I really want to but with the things that's been happening? I really doubt that possibility is going to be bleak. Yes, I was THAT affected. I felt how Ridge and Sydney struggled with that undeniable growing feelings they had. They fought hard for what they thought was the right thing to do... to the point of NOT listening to what  their hearts are really saying...

“We try so hard to hide everything we're really feeling from those who probably need to know our true feelings the most.”

“How ever, I've learned that the heart can't be told when and who and how it should love. The heart does whatever the hell it wants to do. The only thing we can control is whether we give our lives and our minds the chance to catch up to our hearts.”

    There's so much to love in this book. I got my favorites , yes a lot of them! I would enumerate them in the best  possible spoiler-free way I could say!

    1.  That  music session , when Ridge was pressed against Sydney ?! Oh, and  it's not even sexual! But then, I was breathless the whole time! It was swooniest  ( okay , it was kinda sexy! ) moment, and know what scene crossed my mind? Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze 's "pottery session" on Ghost?! And what's  Ridge and Sydney doing?! Not even pottery?! It was weird.. or I am weird?!! It was same connection, it was .. it was... what's the word? Intimate. ( and very romantic! )

   2.  When Ridge just held Sydney...that tight embrace? No words was said, but the emotions are so loud and clear. That.... I was a goner!  Again, I can't fight the tears falling. I loved that scene. Be. Still. My. Heart. 

   3.  "Sydney.. " Just a word. One single word , coming from Ridge?!  I nearly died?! That. Was. Unexpected.  And I was crying! Over a name?!!!! Just a name?!!!!

   4. The "Pen thing" .  Gawd! That pen! Darn it! Darn it! I have NEVER imagined in my entire existence that a lowly Pen can do the sexiest thing ever?!  Now. You. Are . Curious.  Clue : You think body painting is sexy?! Think again!  ( Oh, now you are imagining! Hah! ) I looooved that scene, I am dying to trade places with Sydney at THAT very moment!! ( Heck! I would want to live in THAT fictional world!)  Then.... when Ridge whispered, " Your call.. " Sweet. Baby. Jesus.

    Okay, I can go on and on....and on. But I promised a spoiler free review. So, I leave it all up to you. This , I promise you, You'll going to end up "favoriting" everything!  Yes. Yes!


     Overall, I loved THAT ending. As if Ms. Hoover knew what's inside my heart... THAT was the ending I was  hoping ( and pleading?! ) to be! Perfect. Perfect. Prefect!


“I feel like my maybe someday just became my right now.”

     Here's to the amazing  Ms. Colleen Hoover :

      

My Rating:

5 I'll-FALL-OVER-AND-OVER-AGAIN STARS!!!

My Review : Stepbrother dearest by Penelope Ward

From Goodreads:
You’re not supposed to want the one who torments you.

When my stepbrother, Elec, came to live with us my senior year, I wasn’t prepared for how much of a jerk he’d be.

I hated that he took it out on me because he didn’t want to be here.
I hated that he brought girls from our high school back to his room.
But what I hated the most was the unwanted way my body reacted to him.

At first, I thought all he had going for him were his rock-hard tattooed abs and chiseled face. Then, things started changing between us, and it all came to a head one night.

Just as quickly as he’d come into my life, he was gone back to California.

It had been years since I’d seen Elec.

When tragedy struck our family, I’d have to face him again.

And holy hell, the teenager who made me crazy was now a man that drove me insane.

I had a feeling my heart was about to get broken again.

Stepbrother Dearest is a standalone novel.

**Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. It is only appropriate for adult readers age 18+




                     My Thoughts:

     Make way! Make way! ...Book hangover  coming right through!  ....and it's not going to be easy! So, I am bracing myself...

     Arrgh! I hate feeling this way.  Feeling drained, like you just ran a marathon? When clearly you been sitting all the time...both eyes and hands glued on a single book? That feeling. Yep, No other way to avoid it because that's the first experience you'll ever get after reading a very good book. In this case, that's what I've been going through right now.

     I'm not sure if this is the best time to write a review because I might be spewing senseless, incorrigible , messy words...anything that I would later regret.  But here's the deal, I got to let this feeling out or I'll burst into an ugly mess! This book is... Is.... Ahfjfjgnvkfkdjjddkfj!  <-------- bookworms' universal term for amazingness! ( or at least for me?! Hah! ) 

    I loooooooove this book!  The fun times ( that "pierced" veggie?! the "sneaky" pringles?! It was MEMORABLE! ) , the angsty times and the tear-inducing , make-you-wanna-grab-some-"ass- cream " moments? ( you'll find out why it's an "ass-cream after you read it! ) and the anagrams?! ( gosh! swoon-melting now! ) , I marvel those times and won't ever forget it. 

    This was my first book from Ms. Penelope Ward and definitely will NOT be my last!  I'm not really into angst loaded book ( or as I keep on telling myself but been picking a lot of it lately?! Hah! )  but after this book? I can say, I found a new favorite...and look?! It's angsty!! 

     I love how it was written. It was free flowing and it doesn't take more time to set you in that reading mood. Because right after I read page one, I was into that "mood"! 

     The title itself sounds forbidden which makes it more irresistible , right? Well, who could refuse a "forbidden" when it comes in that sinfully sexy tattoo covered , pierced , hands off , me-against-the-world hawt  package named Elec who happens to be your stepbrother dearest? Well, in Greta's case, he was! And boy, did her heart heart  gave a loudest THUD when they first met!  Or was that Elec's bag rudely dropped? Of course, Elec was on his rudest, most annoying "best" behavior when it comes to Greta! It became his life mission to torment his "little sis" ...until it backfired.. 

    When Greta returned his rudeness with her kindness...when he's being so mean , Greta was always nice...Elec was not prepared for these. Until he felt what Greta felt for him. Until Greta has given  him something she can't take back ... something he thought he doesn't deserved and wanted at the same time.  Then, he choose to leave her..   then.... drums rolling... the beginning of all the angst in the world!

   Gosh, I feel all the "feels"! I really wanted these two together, but clearly, the author here, ( the brilliant Ms. Penelope Ward! ) had other plans? Like , prolonging my agony, perhaps?! 

     Argh, the feels, the feels! It was such an emotional ride! That scene at the airport? I was crestfallen .It was such a sad , sad situation to be in! I felt the desperation  and also the helplessness. My heart broke into a thousand pieces. I was in tears, I was in one hell of a mess! And how did I exactly feel what Greta felt? Because Ms. Ward is so good! My connection with her characters becomes real. I love , love it . So much!

     Overall,  I love everything about this book. When I say everything ,it means from beginning to end page. I wish the story...Elec  and Greta 's story would never end. It was beautiful, that ending? Just Perfect!

     Looking forward for more from Ms. Penelope Ward. Thank you, Thank you so much for this beautiful, amazing story!


                        My Rating:

          5 ANGSTY AMAZING STARS!!!

My Review : Isla and the Happily ever after by Stephanie Perkins

From Goodreads:

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.
                             

                                   My thoughts:

If I could  squeeze  in all the fuzzy giggles, woozy dreamy sighing,  chocolate heartbeat flooopies.. soft cottony candy sweet nothings and every swoony things  inside a single book, then  "Isla and the happily ever after " is it!


I giggled, swooned, fell in love, cried madly , sighed audibly while reading this book. How can that even be possible to feel everything all at the same time?  The answer is simple : Because this is a Stephanie Perkins book!  I love her entire series! From Etienne and Anna...to Cricket and Lola ..and now, Isla and Josh?! I love them ,  I love them all!  The characters  will grow in you..right there, right here!  *points to my heart*  It made me  not only want to read about them  but I  wish that I was part of their story.

Boy, I would love to be Isla even for a day if it means I can have the artistic Josh for a boyfriend?! Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.  I looooove the cute  awkwardness between them. My heart pitter-patters and I swear I can see tiny   hearts fluttering like butterflies everywhere. It was just.... sooooo Gosh! Josh!!!

" Joshua Wasserstein. My crush on him is near unbearable. He looks up again, too, and I blush. Blushing.. "

  -----My thoughts (and Ms. Perkins words! )  exactly!  Nursing a 3 year old crush ..and on going? And NOW, that crush finally noticed you?   I feel you. Isla. I feel you! It was the best feeling ever!

      “Josh looks down at his sneakers, and then back up, and then back down. “You know that I like you. Right?”

My heart pounds so hard that he can probably feel the reverberations. But – for once – the words fall easily from my lips. “So stay here next weekend. Go out with me.”

-----This is just sooo cuuuuuuute!! I can clearly see that scene in my head and I just.. I just want to hug someone...something..anything cuddly and squeezy?!  But since, I was alone and reading, again, all I can do is SIGH.  Sigh.

    And there's even MORE reason to sigh-swoon simultaneously . Here's one of the best holding hands I've ever read :

“Josh grins. “Just give me your hand.”

“W–what?”

“Your hand,” he repeats. “Give it to me.”

I extend my shaking right hand. And – in a moment that is a hundred dreams come true – Joshua Wasserstein laces his fingers through mine. A staggering shock of energy shoots straight into my veins. Straight into my heart.

“There,” he says. “I’ve been waiting a long time to do that.”

Not nearly as long as I’ve been waiting.”

  Imagine , "In a moment that is a hundred dreams come true" ?!  Hundred dreams come true!? Ahhh! I can't even! I am melting. I am melting into a puddle of  sweetest goo !!!

.....And here's the moment of  TRUTH:

“Does this…does this mean you want to be my boyfriend?” My question sounds both immature and momentous. But Josh doesn’t flinch.

“Yes,” he says. “I want.”

-----Me? I died!!!! I looooooooooooove it!!  My love for Ms. Perkins grows as I moved on through the pages. I love how intense Isla and Josh felt for each other. It was like they are inside this perfect bubble  and everything around them is fairy tale- like beautiful!  I wish it never  ends.  But , sigh... at some point conflict arises.

     Nooooooooo, how can all these happen????  How can a love that intense be  fragile?!  I desperately , flipped up the pages .... tears blur my vision.. heart beating hard....until that illustrations. Josh illustrations of his entire life. The good and the ugly.  My heart swells.


    I love how the story turned out. Everything is Perfect timing.  It was Kismet. Destiny. Fate. The ending? I got goosebumps! That was so wonderful , I wanna dance and float  at  the same time! Dance. Float?!  Yup! Indescribable form of pure  elation?  Or better yet, I'll  call it, a PERFECT HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

“What are you working on?” I ask.

“The last page.” He gestures towards the table, where a pencilled sketch is being turned into inked brushstrokes. It’s a drawing of us, in this café, in this moment.

I smile up at him. “It’s beautiful. But what comes next?”

“The best part.” And he pulls me back into his arms. “The happily ever after.”

                        My Rating:

         5 SWEETEST SWEETEST STARS!

    

My Review : Right Kind Of Wrong by Chelsea Fine

From Goodreads:
Sometimes wrong can feel oh so right . . .

Jenna Lacombe needs complete control, whether it’s in the streets . . . or between the sheets. So when she sets out on a solo road trip to visit her family in New Orleans, she’s beyond annoyed that the infuriatingly sexy Jack Oliver wants to hitch a ride with her. Ever since they shared a wild night together last year, he’s been trying to strip away her defenses one by one. He claims he’s just coming along to keep her safe-but what’s not safe for her is prolonged exposure to the tattooed hottie.

Jack can’t get Jenna out from under his skin. She makes him feel alive again after his old life nearly destroyed him-and losing her is not an option. Now Jack’s troubles are catching up to him, and he’s forced to return to his hometown in Louisiana. But when his secrets put them both in harm’s way, Jenna will have to figure out how far she’s willing to let love in . . . and how much she already has.



                         My Thoughts:



      "Right kind of Wrong" was the third book from the Finding Fate series. I love this  as much as the first and second book. If you ask me to describe each book in one word, this would be my answer:

1 . Best Kind of  Broken ---> The SWEETEST!

2.  Perfect Kind of Trouble ----> The "FUN-NEST" ! ( If there's such thing as that word?! )

3.  Right Kind of Wrong ----> This is the STEAMIEST!!!  Yes! Big Yes!  ..and Big thanks to Jack!


     Jack is just... damn HOT and sweet at the same time!!! He is that kind of guy who will protect you at all cost... at the same time he's THAT  kind of guy who's not afraid to say that three magic words  and really mean  EVERY. SINGLE. WORD.  If I put Jack in a mathematical equation .. ( Hah! there is?!!  ) ... it's  MUSHY-BALL + MUSCLES = JACK !!!  Seeeee?! If only MATH  is as interesting as this? I would be majoring in MATHEMATICS!  haha! ( no kidding! ) So, no need to ask me if I. Love. Jack?  Because I do. I do!

    Jenna, the love interest... well, was something else. I don't like her at all!  Jenna = ANNOYING  I mean, I love that she was a loving grand daughter, a loving sister...independent.. but not to  THAT extent. THAT  she won't fall in love???? THAT she won't settle?? I understood  her notions of love and what it did to her grandma and mom, but really???? Could that really happen to her??? With Jack????  Jenna.. Jenna.... Stop over thinking?  Will ya?!

   
     Super annoying Jenna  +  Super lovable Jack = Perfect  balance of everything! ( Strange Math! ) Yes , a lot of angst ( thanks to Jenna! ) but also a  lot of swoon worthy, "Awwwwwww" inducing moments. ( Courtesy of Jack of course! Well, thank you Jack. * batters eyelashes* )

     I love their chemistry. Ifelt the undeniable connection there. And when they do try to "physically connect":...my oh my! For me, that was the hottest  love scene Ms. Chelsea Fine  has written! I read a lot of steamy scenes but the ones with Jack and Jenna really stood out. There was that connection that was beyond physical level. I felt that it was something more, specially for Jack. And I love him for making Jenna feel that "something. "

Overall,  I love this book and  if Ms. Fine was still planning to write more on this series? I would gladly and excitedly wait and read it for sure!

     

                     My Rating:

            5 I-LOVE-JACK-AND-JENNA  STARS!!

Cover Reveal : My Lea by E. Mellyberry

Today , I am both happy and excited to be part of this cover reveal hosted by Giselle ( Expresso Book Tours ) , moreover , it's from my good friend E. Mellyberry's first New Adult book!

So, without so much ado, let me present to you ..... My Lea ( A Broken Lovestory #1)!

My Lea by E. Mellyberry
(A Broken Love Story, #1)
Publication date: November 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

BLURB:



A simple girl.


A broken guy.


One horrible incident.


When Lea Amelia landed her feet in San Francisco for her overseas study, her idea of freedom was simple, like eating junk food ten times a day, sitting in front of the TV in her PJs, or going out late with her friends without the need to check in with her mother constantly.


Then she met Andrew Jaya, her brothers’ best friend. A twenty-two-year-old guy whose physical appearance looked like he was crafted straight from God’s heavenly hands, but possessed a past as bleak as if it was drawn by Evil himself. A conflicted guy who wore sadness like nobody’s business beneath his mask, a perfect-looking mask she slowly peeled away.


He was also the guy who hurt her.


Suddenly, everything about her was no longer simple.


Andrew Jaya had convinced himself that not feeling was good for him. He’d been doing it splendidly for almost his entire life. But that was before his best friend’s sister stepped into his life and ruined it. After weeks of knowing Lea, all of those warm and wonderful feelings he’d long ago denied to himself started to reappear. Problem was, the brighter the light, the bigger the shadows that came with it.


His traumatic past refused to let him go.

When the unthinkable happened, the easiest thing to do was to run. But life often proves that the easiest way is usually the hardest. 

ADD to your Goodreads  TBR  HERE!

ABOUT  E. Mellyberry:

Melly is a full-time mom, wife, and fangirl. She used to work in a school and she’s very passionate about education.

Melly has been writing children’s books since 2011 under the name mellyberry. She loves reading all kinds of books in her spare time, mostly MG, YA, NA, contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. She avoids horror and sci-fi as much as she can.

Melly was born in Indonesia and grew up in a multi-language environment. When she talks to people, she could accidentally string words from different languages into one sentence. When she does that, simply reminds her to speak properly.

Her ideal vacation always involves a beach; usually it’s the Nusa Dua beach, Bali. She spent a few years in USA to complete her Master degree. It was during that time that she’d fallen madly in love with San Francisco and the Bay Area. According to her, San Francisco is no doubt the most romantic city in the world.

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