Review - The King - J.R. Ward

Title: The King
Author: J.R. Ward
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Release Date: April 1st, 2014
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #12
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Synopsis via Goodreads

Long live the King…

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle--with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything--and everyone--at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response--or the distance it creates between them.

The question is, will true love win out... or tortured legacy take over?

My rating:

So this was me when The King finally came out:

Guys. This was intense. I cried four times. Four. I almost never cry while reading anything, but for some reason the feels were just exploding out of me.

Hey, J.R.?

Jeez. Okay. Time to get my shit together and write something resembling a review. *clears throat*

Beth & Wrath
Aka Queen B and Khal Drogo (Ah, come on. Don't tell me when you picture Wrath you don't imagine him looking a little like Jason Momoa). Anyway, honestly, I'd forgotten how much I loved these two. I'm glad I'd just done a re-read of the entire series because there were a few references to Dark Lover that would've baffled the hell out of me. Case in point, a lovely conversation between Beth and Tohr.

[Beth] "'Do you still root for the monster?'

There was a pause. And then the Brother laughed in his trademark baritone. 'Are you telling me there's another Godzilla marathon on?'"

Beth and Wrath go through some serious issues throughout the entire book. At first, most of it just felt like arguing and I was starting to get tired every time I saw a shift to one of their POV's because I didn't want another argument or lengthy reflection on how the current argument was ruining their relationship. But then the love and general concern and all around stress of their situation kept shining through their rants, and it was all good. J.R. did an excellent job titling this book. Each problem Beth & Wrath had, each decision they made influenced the throne somehow and it was interesting to how they'd work through the problems. Which, of course they did. They were the reason for my continuous flow of tears, mostly towards the end when it got really sappy. (But in a good way.)

Assail/Sola

Like, you don't even understand. They are the main reason I was anticipating this book. I FELL FOR THEM SO HARD in Lover At Last. Each time either one of their POVs showed up, I did a little happy dance even though they were in the shittiest circumstances. If you read LAL, you know Sola's been kidnapped. Assail turns into a raging psychopath (which, you know, is just a euphemism for badass bonded male) to get her back. Is it bad that I enjoyed all the murder he executed on Sola's behalf? Yes? Well WHO GIVES A FUCK. They were awesome. All of their moments post-kidnapping were so heartbreaking and intense. Assail was gentle and kind to both Sola and her grandmother (who was HILARIOUS, btw). Watching the way he loved her with this quiet, brooding intensity made me swoon many, many times. Observe:

"Through the windows of the kitchen, he saw her [Sola] standing by the table, rifling through a suitcase as if searching for something she was leaving behind.

Out here, my love, he thought. What you have lost is out here.

And then her grandmother made an appearance with the cousins, and it was clear that the female did not approve of the leaving.

Just one more thing to adore about her."

I wanted them to stay together and live out their HEA, but sadly that just wasn't the case. I won't say more, but DAMN. Oh, and P.S. when is J.R. going to give them more air time? They deserve it!

Trez/iAm/Selena
Trez gets a lot of air time in this one. iAm gets just about as much, too, I guess. In LAL I was really curious to see where Trez and Selena's relationship would go, but by the time I was well into The King...meh. I stopped caring at some point, and found myself wanting to skip ahead to the parts about Assail/Sola and Beth/Wrath. There wasn't anything wrong with Trez's POV or storyline, though, I just tired of it fast. Like, I get it. He sleeps with everyone, he's wanted back in the Territory to be a sex slave, etc etc. Each time his POV arrived, that's all he went on about. It got too monotonous and I got bored. Even his thing with Selena was shadowed (no pun intended) by all of his misgivings. He wasn't good enough for her, he was dirty, but he wanted her so bad. He was a walking contradiction, nearly having sex with the woman at one point and then trying to get away from her the very next.

Xcor/BoB/Layla
Another subplot that kinda faded for me. Maybe it's because none of these players have much air time, too. I don't quite know what to say about any of them. Xcor was...different. Not as hard, not as badass. Like a washed out version of himself, and not in a tortured hero kind of way. More like a "who the hell are you and what have you done with Xcor" kind of way. Layla definitely didn't have enough air time to make an impact, either. I mean, she made some big decisions regarding Xcor that are definitely going to be game changers, but I couldn't bring myself to care. And the decision that Xcor made towards the end (not gonna spoil it, but damn) just made me lose all respect for him as an antagonist (or at least an anti-hero).

The Brothers/Lassiter/John Matthew
In my opinion, the Brothers needed to be in the spotlight a bit more. They were just...there. A few would pipe in with a burst of individuality with a witty quip, but most of the time the Brotherhood functioned as a group. i.e. "The Brotherhood did this.." Or at least that's what it felt like. Lassiter, being the fabulous angel he is, commanded that spotlight a few times. His scenes were hilarious. John Matthew was pretty involved throughout the whole thing, especially in Beth's POV and more than a few times in Wrath's.

I know it sounds like I'm kind of going in on the subplots, so a couple people are wondering why I gave it 5 stars. Mostly for the effortless and engaging writing style that J.R. has. Even if I didn't care about Trez or Layla or Xcor, I still read it and loved it because there was no way I was missing out on anything J.R. wrote. Plus, the feels. The feels definitely make the 5 star rating, on both Beth/Wrath's end as well as Assail/Sola's end. The angst, the crying, the anger, the romance, the sappiness, the humor, even the arguing. All of that and just the fact that I enjoyed this book immensely. Couldn't put it down actually, and the thing's long as hell.

Now that The King's done. Who's up next? Trez? (Please, no.) Xcor? (Meh.) Assail? (HELL. FUCKING. YES!)

Hiatus - Duration Unknown

Yep, you read the title right. I'm taking a hiatus. Not sure for how long, though.

Here's the reason why: right now it feels like blogging has taken the ultimate back seat. It's something I have to remind myself to do. And when I actually sit down to do it it feels slightly forced. So I want to take time away to focus on other things. School, friends, family. Finding Waldo. Stuff like that, y'know?

All quirkiness aside, this doesn't mean I won't be reading every single day. I don't think anything could stop me from doing that. But I just need a breather from the pressure and resulting guilt of abandoning my blog for weeks at a time. Hope you guys can understand.

Until next time, blogosphere!

Life of a Blogger - TV SHOWS

Life of a Blogger is a super awesome new meme started up by Jessi over at Novel Heartbeat. This week's topic is: TV Shows.

I don't watch TV as much as I used to. Which kinda sucks 'cause I feel like they keep getting better. Back in the day, I had an entire list of shows I watched and could rattle off but now I either 1) Don't have time for TV or 2) Forget that the show exists, miss several episodes, and never catch up. It's a sad endless cycle, really. As of right now, these are the shows I'm trying to consecutively watch:

• The Vampire Diaries (CW) - Ever since I read the books, I've yet to miss an episode. Okay. That's a lie. I'm totally slacking right now, and I still have to watch the past 2 (?) episodes. BUT that might be because this season kinda blows so far. 

• Awkward (MTV) - I'm a comedy addict. I need to laugh and this is by far the most hilarious show on TV right now. I thought it was totally stupid before I actually got into it, but I'm SO GLAD I did. It has such weird, yet relatable humor.

• Nikita (CW) - ...I feel like the last person in the universe who still watches this. It's probably THE MOST UNDERRATED TV show out there. I know there's only like 6 episodes left until it's done forever, but I can't NOT watch it. So much action and guns and romance and complexity AHHH!

• Witches of East End (Lifetime) - Seriously, everytime I sit down to watch this show I wonder why. The graphics suck. The acting is...meh and so is the plot. I think I still watch it for the love triangle and the deliciousness that is Killian. Call me shallow, but DAYUM that man is all kinds of attractive. 

 

• Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime) - Back when I thought I wanted to be a lawyer (I think I still do?) this show was like my Holy Grail. It's funny, has a slightly fantasy-esque romance that's so sweet, and has the sassiest, most sophisticated protagonist I've seen in a while. I've NEVER BEEN BORED with this show and I always hate it when I miss an episode. It's on hiatus right now, though, but I won't be missing it when it comes back on.

• True Blood (HBO) - Vampires. I know. But it's just so good! I'm still kinda pissed with how the last season ended. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it yet, but GAHH! This show can be so gruesome and then so raunchy, but I keep watching it. Anywho, Eric Northman. YES. Did that make sense? No? K.

• The Legend of Korra (Nickelodeon) - As an addict of Avatar: The Last Airbender, OF COURSE I'd watch this too. I mean, it's not as good, but I like it. The only thing is I have to watch nearly all of the episodes On Demand 'cause it comes on on Friday at around 6 or 7-ish? (correct me if I'm wrong lol) and I'm usually either eating, sleeping, or relishing my freedom from the monotonous prison that is high school.

• Devious Maids (Lifetime) - I was iffy about this show at first. I'm not a big fan of whodunit plotlines. But now it has me hooked. Each maid's story is so complex and I find myself rooting for them and getting scared because I didn't know what would happen next. My favorite characters have to be Valentina and Remy. I loved their sorta-forbidden romance.

Then there's the shows that I don't currently watch, but turn to whenever they come on:

• Big Bang Theory - Quirky geniuses & Sheldon Cooper. 'Nuff said.
• The Voice - Singers who can actually sing. 'Nuff said.
• Law & Order: SVU - SO DRAMATIC AND MOVING! *clears throat* ...'Nuff said.
• Modern Family - Entertaining and strangely addictive. 'Nuff said.
• One Tree Hill - Grew up with this show! 'Nuff said.
• Pretty Little Liars - Intense and mysterious. Plus, I want their closets. 'Nuff said.
• Family Feud - I seriously wanna go on this show someday!! 'Nuff said.
• Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - Um. Will Smith. 'Nuff said.

And just for the hell of it, there's the shows I used to watch when I was younger & sometimes turn to whenever they happen to show up because I still enjoy them (and I'm a giant kid) :

• Charmed - Badass witches.
• Zoey 101- This show was the reason I wanted to go to boarding school in Malibu. Alas, that never happened and I never got over it. Le sigh...
• Drake and Josh - Friggin' legendary show, and the definition of my childhood!
• Danny Phantom - I had the hugest crush on Danny Phantom. Don't judge me! Oh, and the theme song was cool and fun to sing.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender - If I could be a water-bender, I would. No question.

There's probably about a million more shows that I'm missing, but these were the ones that came to mind. So whadya think? We share any in common? Or do you just want to commend my taste in TV? Or do you want to recommend any shows? Or do you want me to stop asking questions that start with "or"? Okay. I'm done. :P

Review - Shadows - By: Paula Weston

Title: Shadows
Author: Paula Weston
Publisher: Tundra Books
Release Date: September 10th, 2013
Series: The Rephaim #1
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Synopsis via Goodreads

Love. Nightmares. Angels. War. A fast-paced, compelling debut novel from a fresh new voice in YA.

It’s been almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant.

It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams, he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense.

Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth – and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly – who can she trust?

My rating:

This book was surprisingly good! From the synopsis, I thought it'd be fairly cliche. You know, girl is in car accident. Car accident kills family member/friend. And then she spends her every waking moment moaning and groaning about the unfairness of it all and pushing everyone away. AND SUDDENLY...a boy--who is unbelievably attractive, of course--swoops into her life and fixes everything and they live happily ever after.

Go on, tell me that that's not how nearly EVERY story goes these days.

Fortunately, this was not that story. I was impressed with how it quickly picked up from it's slow start and completely engaged me. It's one of those books that you never want to put down, and for all the right reasons. Badass characters. An intriguing mystery. Intricate, masterful worldbuilding. Smexual tension galore! (Yes, I meant smexual). And a hero to swoon over.

Gaby's one of the most amusing, engaging and interesting heroines I've read in a while. She actually had a brain, guys! Halle-freaking-lujah. She perfectly balanced her grief with her sense of self, even though she didn't fully understand who she was. And Rafa. Gorgeous, hilarious Rafa. He exceeded all of my expectations. Usually, I have to brace myself when it comes to the males in this particular YA genre. Brace myself for the inevitable douchebags that try to come off as redeemable in the end but sort of just make me want to facepalm. I didn't really have that issue with Rafa. He was a smartass, but not a dick. Badass, but not unbearably arrogant.

Really, this book seemed to be set up for hundreds of cliches, but it avoided them all and turned out fabulous. Easily a 5-star-er.

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

Waiting on Wednesday #8

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

MY PICK FOR THIS WEEK:

Title: Bitter Sweet Love
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: December 1st, 2013
Series: The Dark Elements #0.5

Synopsis via Goodreads

Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining balance between good and evil. He was her everything...right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.

And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again...

WHY I'M WAITING: 

I know, I know. You're probably thinking Damn Taylor, another JLA book? (Oh, and if you weren't thinking that, well, take a seat, stay a while, and browse my past WOWs 'cause I think like three of 'em are JLA books.)

Anyway, it's not my fault! She just...Keeps. On. Writing. I have a conspiracy theory about that, you know. It may or may not involve cyborgs. (Did I spell that right lol?)

Back to the book. I'm waiting on Bitter Sweet Love by the lovely Jennifer L. Armentrout. Guess what? It's YA. Totally wasn't expecting that. The cover's kinda...*shivers* HAWT.

Life of a Blogger : Favorite Bands

Life of a Blogger is a super awesome new meme started up by Jessi over at Novel Heartbeat. When I came across her post about starting the meme, I thought it was an amazing idea. I thought it'd be a great way to share a bit more about myself outside of the bookish memes I usually do as well as a way to get insight into my fellow book blogger's lives. Plus, I kinda like talking about myself. ;) Even better, the first post is : Favorite Bands! There was no way I was gonna pass up an opportunity to talk about music. It's my life. Aside from books. And food. And coffee. So without further ado...

1) Sleeping With Sirens

Favorite Song:

 

    Satellites

 

Favorite Album:

 

    With Ears to See, and Eyes to Hear 

"I fell in love from the moment we kissed. Since then we've been history." 

2) Florence + The Machine

Favorite Song:

 

    Girl With One Eye

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Ceremonials

"Regrets collect like old friends. Here to relive your darkest moments."

3) The Civil Wars

Favorite Song:

 

    Poison & Wine

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Barton Hollow

"Your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine. You think your dreams are the same as mine."

4) Demi Lovato

Favorite Song:

 

    Warrior

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Demi

"Your love lifts me out of time. And you know my heart by heart."

5) Paramore

Favorite Song:

 

    Let the Flames Begin

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Brand New Eyes

"And when I get there, it won’t be far enough. I’m a renegade. It’s in my blood."

6) Jessie J

Favorite Song:

 

    Mamma Knows Best

 

Favorite Album:

 

    Who You Are

"Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing. It's okay not to be okay. Sometime's it's hard to follow your heart. Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising."

7) Kate Voegele

Favorite Song:

 

    Angel

 

Favorite Album:

 

    A Fine Mess

"Oh and just when I believe you've changed for good. Well you go and prove me wrong just like I knew you would."

So...if you hadn't noticed by now: I have a thing for strong, unique vocalists with huge ranges and emotions that pour into their music. I like to feel when I hear music. Each of the Favorite Songs made me pause once (likely midsentence since I talk so much) and go: Who the HELL is that and where can I find more of their music?!

**Note: The quotes beneath the info are just a few favorite quotes from different songs, not exactly the songs I listed as my favorites.

Teaser Tuesdays #4

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along with Teaser Tuesdays, you just need to: 

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• Be careful not to include spoilers! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. 

This week's teaser comes from Abbi Gline's The Vincent Boys. The last time I've seen anything by Ms. Glines was when I was putting the last book in her Existence trilogy down. And honestly, I never really actively planned on reading something by her again.

When my Adult reading tastes shifted more to New Adult rather than Paranormal Romance, The Vincent Boys was one of the first books to pop up on my radar. It had high ratings all around, and there was nothing demanding on my TBR list at the time. So I picked it up, and whadya know...it's the shit! I don't know if I'm going to be doing a full review of it yet, so just in case I don't, I highly recommend it!

Teaser :

"The moment she stepped into the clearing holding Sawyer's hand my heart sped up. Just seeing her made me a little crazy."

 Synopsis via Goodreads

Ashton is getting tired of being good, of impressing her parents and playing ideal girlfriend to Sawyer Vincent. Sawyer is perfect, a regular Prince Charming, but when he leaves town for the summer, it’s his cousin Beau who catches Ashton’s eye. Beau is the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, and even though he’s dangerous, Ashton is drawn to him.

Beau loves his cousin like a brother, so the last thing he wants to do is make a move on Sawyer’s girl. Ashton is off-limits, absolutely. That’s why he does his best to keep his distance, even though he’s been in love with her forever. When Ashton wants to rekindle their childhood friendship in Sawyer’s absence, Beau knows he should say no.

Ashton and Beau don’t want to hurt Sawyer. But the more they try to stay away from each other, the more intense their urges become. It’s getting way too hard to resist....

 

Waiting on Wednesday #7

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

MY PICK FOR THIS WEEK:

Title: Sentinel
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: November 2nd, 2013
Series: Covenant #5

Synopsis via Goodreads

It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.

WHY I'M WAITING: 

I feel like I should re-dedicate my blog to pimping out JLA's books. Really. I swear she's a lean-mean-writing-machine. She writes more books in a year than I could even think up a concept for one. The best part? THEY'RE ALL AWESOME BOOKS. I'm certain she has magical powers. There's just no other option.

Anywho, back on topic. I'm waiting on Sentinel.

Okay, not really. I'm more sobbing myself to sleep every night & trying to fill the void with other books. There's not much actual waiting involved. (I'm melodramatic. Sue me.)

Stacking the Shelves #6

Stacking the Shelves is a  weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we share books we're adding to our shelves, be they physical or e-copies.

BOUGHT/BORROWED

All of You - Christina Lee

Inbetween - Tara A. Fuller

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

Unchained - J. Lynn

Grave Mercy - Robin LaFevers

My Favorite Mistake - Chelsea M. Cameron

Sweet Evil - Wendy Higgins

Of Beast and Beauty - Stacey Jay

One Tiny Lie - K.A. Tucker

Shattered Promises - Jessica Sorensen

VIA NETGALLEY

Endless - Amanda Gray

Broken Beauty - Chloe Adams

Okay. It's official. I have no self-control. I actually should be doing my homework right this second, because I hate putting it off until Sunday--BAHAHAHA! Ah, okay, I tried! The beauty of the internet is that if you knew me in real life you'd realize: That's a total lie. I procrastinate like nobody's business. I NEVER do my homework on Saturdays. That's my bookish time. Somehow I still manage to get shit done. Not sure how, but that's how it usually goes. (Don't be like me!)

Back to bizniz: there's twelve books this week. Count 'em, TWELVE. Not the one or two I thought I'd end up buying or dragging my lazy ass to the library for. Where'd my self-control go, then? Welp, that's an easy question!

Probably the same place my hopes and dreams went. LOL. No. I kid, I kid.

The real answer is that I'm not entirely sure. All I know is, I was checking goodreads, realized a bunch of stuff I'd been waiting months for was coming out, and suddenly I was purchasing it all. I have a problem, guys. Seriously. No credit or debit card is safe with me. The only good thing to come out of this situation is the fact that I'll be comforted by my lack of money with new awesome books.

Totally worth it.

Anywho, enough about me. Did you do a Stacking the Shelves post? Leave me a link in the comments, and I'll stop on by!

Review - Ten Tiny Breaths - K.A. Tucker

Title: Ten Tiny Breaths
Author: K.A. Tucker
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: December 9th, 2012
Series: Ten Tiny Breaths #1
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis via Goodreads

Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

My rating:

4.5 Stars

Someone please slap me silly for putting this book on the backburner for so long. For real. How did I manage to skip over this book in favor of all the lesser ones that made me want to cry murderous tears? (You ever get that feeling? Where you hate a character so much—who isn’t the villain—that you wish you could just strangle them?)

Ten Tiny Breaths gives the phrase “beautifully broken” a whole new meaning for me. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a good tortured heroine book in a long time. But that’s exactly what this was, and it was all so perfectly executed. Not once did I wish for the protagonist, Kacey, to get hit by a car and have the story *cough*mercifully*cough* end. And man am I making myself sound like a crazy for willing sudden death upon fictional characters, but it’s been a bad week in terms of finding half-decent books for me, all right?

I think it’s been a year since I’ve found a character that I love this much. Kacey Cleary is one sarcastic, hilarious, all around badass chick. The catch, then? She's got some issues. Some emotionally repressive issiues. When she was 16, she was involved in a car accident. An accident that killed her parents, her best friend, and her boyfriend. Not to mention two of the three drunken guys that caused the accident. Her sister, Livie, is all that she has left. And that accident caused more devastation than anyone thought. It left her numb.

Broke and in a new city, Kacey and Livie find a home in this dingy apartment complex and simply try to survive. There they meet their neighbors. A single mom and her daughter. And a super hot guy who goes by the name of Trent.

Trent and Kacey’s attraction happens fast. Like, really fast. By their second time meeting, before I even really get a sense of who Trent was beyond the fact that he was sexy, had dimples, and blue eyes, he was already up close and personal with Kacey. Despite that, though, it was easy to like him. He played the savior role flawlessly, even though Kacey didn’t really need it. Have I mentioned that she's badass?

One of the best parts about Kacey was how she carried herself. Confident, even though a lot of it was bravado. On the inside, she’d be anxious, and you’d never know it by the strange and amusing things that came out of her mouth. You could tell that she had issues, but the way she dealt with them was all apart of her charm. (Not that I’m saying it was particularly healthy.) She effortlessly pulled off the snarky, tough-chick vibe without being annoying at all.

I came to love the rest of the side characters as much as I did the main ones. There’s little more than half a dozen. Livie. Storm. Mia. Dan. Ben. Tanner. Cain. Nate. If you haven’t read the book, then they’re just names. But if you have, then you know that each character has their own voice and serve as more than plot devices. And damn if I didn’t enjoy the fact that none of them seemed to embrace the stereotypes surrounding them. Storm was smarter and more talented than anyone gave her credit for. Cain wasn’t as sleazy as I—and Kacey—thought he’d be with the type of business he was in. Each of them was unique and interesting, and they all became vital parts of Kacey’s life as she learned to heal from her past.

Another vital part of Kacey’s healing process was her actual romantic relationship with Trent. Or, well, it was more like the catalyst. She fought tooth and nail to not fall for him. Which, I guess, it was pretty hard to do since that man made it his life’s mission to make her happy. To make her laugh and smile. Sounds pretty sappy, but when you learn the real reason behind why…wow. I literally put my Nook down and said into the empty air: “I cannot believe this shit!” Shout out to K.A. Tucker for delivering the best spinning-kick-plot-twist I’ve read in a while.

Their HEA happened so close to the end, I never thought it’d happen. But when it did, there were tears in my eyes. And I learned a very, very valuable lesson: For the love of chocolate sauce and steaming hot coffee, the next time I put a book this good off for more than a week, someone reach through their computer screen and give me a good shaking!

Or just send me an email recommending it. That works, too. ;)

**ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**