Tina Ferraro

While I like a light fluffy read, there was just something about the almost too high school setting in this that turned me off within the first few chapters. I liked that Nic had to deal with stuff that most teenagers don't; asking her dad to help her save her house. But the whole prom dress thing was a little too much for me. I wouldn't have kept the dress like Nic did, especially after the way Rascal dumped her as his prom date.
The almost childlike tension between Nic and her best friend Alison's brother Jared, was boring and so predictable. Of course she only saw him as an older brother, but you just knew that he felt different and that eventually she would see that. And then you insert Rascal ( the original dumper in the story), of course he has a thing for Nic too, now that is stuck up girlfriend is back and he thinks that Nic may be an easy conquest.
And as predicted Alison, has an issue with her best friend dating her brother, but it is quickly resolved; almost within the same chapter ( not very likely in the real world). Though the book leaves alot to be desire for me, I am sure that others will enjoy the light way that Ferraro writes and the way that Nic deals with the high school drama. This wouldn't be a book that I would hand to a young teen as it does involve sexual tension, but it also deals with a few things that may make sense to an older teen in today's world.… (mais)

So, I have been really digging anthologies lately! I love getting short stories I can dive into and finish in one sitting and I love getting a peek into authors I might not have heard of or read before. In this case, those authors I have never read before were ALL of them except Liliana Hart and Tara Wyatt. Yep, I have never read J. Kenner or Christina Lauren. So, here is a perfect way for me to get a taste of LOTS of great new-to-me romance authors! Yay!

All the stories have 1 thing in common: second chances! So, if this trope is your JAM you will love this. There are historical stories, teenage drama stories, romantic suspense stories, PNR, and contemporary stories so whatever genre you prefer, you can find a second chance story that works for you!

Obviously, I am not going to give you my thoughts on all the stories, because no one has that kind of time. So, here are my top picks with a nugget of why I enjoyed them:

• Fortune's Treasure by Liliana Hart: Bad break up and history!!


• One Hot Mess by Tina Ferraro: high school love and hijinks!


• Scandalous by Cassandra Dean: ruined reputations and a rogue who is sorry!

And I was thrilled to get a glimpse into the worlds of Christina Lauren and J. Kenner! Having never read them before, I enjoyed getting a peek at their style and characters!

Second Chances has literally something for everyone and its short stories are perfect for quick reads while you wait at the doctors office (I read one while waiting for my ENT), on the subway, at your kids games, etc!



Any of these authors, or other second chance stories like Wrecked by Cynthia Eden, Its Me Again, Baby by Katie Reus ...then you will probably like Second Chances!

 


Second Chances


 

See full review on The Book Disciple… (mais)

As an adult, I have to admit I do enjoy reading young adult literature yet, with this book the 108 pages I endured was more than enough. I loath writing reviews on books that I am not fond of but as a reviewer, I have to be honest regarding how I feel concerning the book and how it is written.
The blurb of the book gave the idea there was going to be a creepiness factor, for instance, a teenage girl seeing her dead twin sister in the mirror reads an eerie book ahead. The sad fact of the matter is the book contained nothing frightening not even a hang nail. None the less the mother in the book did make my skin crawl since her character is overwritten in the despair department. The prose was light focusing primarily on teenage drama. However, the author did add to the plot a positive point to the story which helped this read a great deal. Even though this book was not my cup of tea I am sure there are pre-teens that will enjoy this book.

This book is under the genre young adult which in literature is traditionally written for ages ranging 16 to 25. I think this book falls more under teen fiction, which is written for ages 10 to 15.

This review opportunity was through Xpresso Book Tours.… (mais)

Trisha and her friends have a Halloween tradition wherein, at the strike of midnight, they hold compact mirrors up to the flame of a candle in the hopes of seeing the faces of their future husbands. Year after year, the only face staring back at them is their own. This year something incredulous happens; the face Trisha sees in the mirror is identical to her own, but it does not belong to herself. She sees Chessie, her twin sister who passed away when the girls were just 5 years old. In nightly meetings that only she can see and hear, Chessie claims to be back on a mission that involves Trisha. Trisha is pretty sure she’s gone crazy, but chooses to follow the instructions her sister has outlined for her in the hopes that it will help Chessie finally move on and gain the peace she deserves.

The official synopsis for this book is very misleading and alludes to a much more sinister plot (especially in the last paragraph) than is actually present. I thought this was going to be a lot spookier and more supernatural, but all that really happens between Trisha and her long-deceased sister is that they get together and talk about Chessie’s plan every other night or so. (Unfortunately, she isn’t even a cool ghost with powers because she can’t manipulate anyone or anything) Chessie supposedly has a way to get Trisha and her ex-best friend to patch things up, but in order for this to happen, Trisha apparently needs to start dating a classmate of her choice. The whole plan was really random and didn’t make much sense--it didn’t add up with the ending in my opinion. I just felt that the whole central plot was off and lacked believability.

There was not much of a romance aspect either; Trisha lacked chemistry with both of her romantic interests which was disappointing. She has a huge crush on a fellow student, Kirk Maxwell, but the boy she chooses to help her fulfill Chessie’s task is someone completely different and someone she hardly even knows. As expected their relationship went nowhere. Kirk kind of just shows up at random times and “saves” her from situations. He seemed to be into her, but they don’t ever really share any special moments.

My favorite aspects of this were the overall message of friendship, honesty, and the familial bond and the fact that it is barely over 100 pages long. Other than that, I feel like this was a cool concept, but was just trying too hard to be something it unfortunately wasn’t.… (mais)