NEW RELEASE REVIEW: Coming Down by Carrie Elks

Coming Down by Carrie Elks

Genre: Romantic Fiction

Purchase: Amazon UK / Amazon US / B&N

Synopsis:

Twenty-eight-year-old Beth Lawrence finally has her life back on track. A job she loves, a wealthy husband and a beautiful home are a far cry from the tragedy that struck when she was nineteen. But now that her past seems firmly behind her, an old flame walks back into her life. Bringing back painful memories of a time she's worked hard to forget, reviving a passion she tried to bury years before.

Niall Joseph is an up-and-coming artist, recently returned from success in America. Volunteering to teach in an inner-city drug clinic, the last person he expects to see is the girl who broke his heart nine years earlier. Working closely together allows their old wounds to heal, forging a deeper connection between them. One that slowly starts to burn.

As she becomes tangled up with a neglected child and her drug-addict mother, Beth finds herself drawn to Niall. But neither of them can anticipate how hard it is to tread the thin line between friendship and desire.

My Beth and Niall: 

My * 5 STARS * Review:

"I lost everything that summer. Including myself."

Beth was lost and broken. Until she met Simon. Older kind man who became her husband and helped her to get her life in order. Her life may lack a passion now, but it's better than chaos, right? But than Beth's former love interest comes back, bringing up painful memories and chaos back to her life... 

If you are fed up with contemporary novels which deal with over-the-top drama and would rather read intense and realistic story focusing on everyday's human's troubles, Coming Down is right for you. In this novel you will find everything. There is romance, steam and emotions. But most importantly, Coming Down is a touching journey of 28-years old woman who is trying to find her true self and meaning of her life.

"How terrible to not know where you belong."

Coming Down is not the cheeriest story. But with topics of drugs and addiction, it is to be expected. Author never simplified harsh difficult reality. She laid it all out there and I loved it. I slowly, but strongly, fell in love with this beautifully bittersweet story and complex characters of Beth and Niall!

And a question time at the end. What makes a really great book stand out among other good books? In my opinion, it is all about small details and in depth depicted characters. Coming Down has it all. If my above words haven't persuaded you to pick this book up, I hope following reasons would.

➤ I loved that story wasn't too angsty. Yes, it was sad and bittersweet but Beth wasn't overly broken or damaged. It was all real. Nothing over the top like so many characters in books these days.

➤ I loved flashbacks to the past which gradually revealed what had happened all those years ago when Beth's life changed in a radical way. They had poetic quality into them and I found them utterly fascinating.

➤ Intimacy has a real meaning in this novel. In the world of quick pleasures and books full of doms, stories by Carrie Elks are lovely refreshing change. Plus this author can write anticipation like none other!

GUEST REVIEW: Jesus Freaks: Sins of the Father

Hi everyone! Please welcome my friend Marta, whose reviews I adore. She graciously agreed to share some of her thoughts and help me with providing reviews of the latest releases for you. Her first guest review is on very intriguing novel by Andrea Randall. 

Happy Reading :)

Jesus Freaks: Sins of the Father

Written by: Andrea Randall

Genre: New Adult Fiction

Purchase: Amazon / Kobo

Synopsis:

Kennedy Sawyer is the valedictorian of her upper middle class, liberal high school.

Roland Abbot is the charismatic, attractive televangelist from New Life Church with a dark past and an illegitimate child.

Ignoring the cautions of her mother and the confusion of her Ivy League-bound friends, Kennedy enrolls at the conservative Christian Carter University where her sights are set on Roland Abbot—her birth father.

Kennedy’s intentions are to learn more about her father than the Bible. However, roommates who are quick to evangelize to strangers, an RA who seems to be hiding something, and friends in the most unlikely places challenge everything she’s ever held as true in the raging battle of us vs. them.

 Marta's * 4 STARS * Review:

I know this book seems like one you don’t think you want to read. I, for one, absolutely love Andrea’s writing, but had doubts about reading her new book. The topic of religion just generally makes people uncomfortable. It does me. I’m not a believer. I try understanding and accepting people that do believe, but I personally just can’t. And it makes me uncomfortable when people talk religion to me (read: preach to me) or blatantly push their beliefs on me. I like Christians just fine and I am perfectly capable of being good friends with them, as long as we steer clear of the religion topic. So yes, you could say I was hesitant to start this book. And the reason why I ended up writing this review is because I don’t want you to be. Trust me on this, guys. This book is not what you think. Whether you’re Christian, agnostic, Muslim, Jewish or atheist, you can get something out of this story. Yes, religion is a huge aspect, Evangelical Christians in particular play a big role, but it’s not that kind of story.

There are a lot of things I can say about religion, and all of them have been said and thought before. This story has proved to be very thought-provoking, which is part of why I gave it 5 stars, but I won’t waste my time on the religion talk. We all have our opinions, beliefs and faith. Life is not about making sure everyone shares the same opinion, belief and faith. Nope. It’s about respecting people, even though they’re different. It’s about respecting their differences and withholding judgment.

Now we are all quick to judge. I won’t believe you if you tell me you never judge. We are quick to call people “weird”, even I am. There were some kids in my neighborhood that didn’t have TV at home for religious reasons. I judged, because, how weird. My Christian friend exclusively listened to Christian music and I judged, because, how weird and why would you. My classmate all of a sudden decided to cover her hair for religious reasons and I judged, because, why would you and what’s the point?

Now back to the story. Evangelical Christians are pretty devote. If you didn’t know that, now you know. They’re devote and there’s a big group that’s also very conservative. Now imagine you’re a regular girl who was raised Christian, but in a very liberal way. Your mom is an activist for women’s rights, your church has a gay bishop and you have a lip piercing. But you’re a Christian, because despite all of that, you do believe in God and go to church weekly. You have a stepdad and you see your biological dad once in a long while because he’s been mainly absent in your life. Your birth father is a celebrity among Evangelists. He is a televangelist and a famous and well-loved preacher.

You’re basically the daughter of the King of Modern Evangelical Christianity. 

Imagine you’re 18, just graduated high school and you got admitted to Yale. Do you go to Yale? Nope. Why? Because you’re kind of lost. You don’t know what to do, what you want, who you are. You want to get to know your biological father better (you’ve been stalking him from afar online) and you want to get to know yourself, but that’s secondary right now. The only way to get close to your father is to join Carter University (aka CU), the strict Evangelical university with God-fearing and Jesus-loving kids. Your father preaches at the New Life Church which is connected to the CU. So you do. You join CU, despite your mother’s protests and jokes about weird Jesus lovers. Imagine suddenly being surrounded by everything you ever judged as weird. They are weird. You are normal. But now you are being judged for your lack of Bible knowledge, for not being baptized as an adult, for cursing, for having a lip piercing (good thing they don’t know that part yet) and for so many things that to you are normal things, but to them is weird. And for the first time in your life, you are the minority. This is what happens to Kennedy as she tries to find herself and her father in an environment that’s so different from her own. She becomes fast friends with a few people, including her roommates, but the internal judging is still there. Both parties, in some sense, think they’re better than the other.

I’ve been walking around thinking that the people around me think they’re better than me in a spiritual sense, and I’ve been doing the same thing back at them. 

The power of this story that Andrea crafted is that it doesn’t preach, it doesn’t try to convince, it just tells and shows that there is no such thing as weird. That it is all a matter of perspective and that they have as much reason to judge us as we do them. Even better; there is no them and us. There doesn’t have to be a distinction. We are all humans and we are all different in our own ways, but there should never be a battle that requires a distinction between them and us.

I know that CU isn’t necessarily what’s “normal” when placed in the scope of the entire United States, but – as Roland so helpfully pointed out – it’s normal for here. 

So if you are afraid of starting this book, because you think you will be spoon-fed Jesus, fear not. That is not what will happen. In fact, the main character is probably much like you and is equally skeptical of the Jesus Freaks as you are. She internally makes jokes about them that will crack you up. I didn’t expect to, but I laughed a lot while reading this. Seriously, it was hilarious. And the main character is just so easy to relate to. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. If it weren’t for work, I would’ve finished this story in one day.

QUICK REVIEW: Lead Me Not by A. Meredith Walters

Lead Me Not (Twisted Love #1)

Written by: A. Meredith Walters

Genre: New Adult Romance

Purchase: Amazon / B&N

Synopsis:

In this dangerously sexy novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Find You in the Dark, a straight-laced college student meets a handsome but enigmatic stranger who lures her into an underground club scene, where she finds it difficult to resist temptation

Aubrey Duncan understands loss. She knows what rock bottom looks like, and she is determined to crawl back up to the top after the sudden death of her younger sister. She blames herself for her part in the tragedy, convinced that she could have done something, anything, to help her.

In her effort to gain redemption, Aubrey starts fresh at Longwood University and facilitates an addiction support group, hoping she can support someone else in the way she failed her sister. But what she doesn’t count on is an all-consuming fascination with group member Maxx Demelo, a gorgeous, blond, blue-eyed enigma who hides dark secrets behind a carefully constructed mask. He only reveals what he wants others to see. But Aubrey glimpses another Maxx hidden below the surface—a Maxx who is drowning in his own personal hell.

As Aubrey and Maxx develop an attraction too intense to ignore, he pulls her into the dark underbelly of the city club scene, where she is torn by her desire to save him and an inexplicable urge to join him in his downward spiral. Worst of all, she is beginning to love everything she should run away from—a man who threatens to ignite in her a fire that could burn her alive…

My Aubrey and Maxx:

* No Rating * Review:

I did not finish this book. Stopped at 56%, so no rating this time.

Good girl trying to deal with her loss and rebelious boy heading to destruction. Is Lead Me Not a story about girl trying to save a boy? Or a story about boy tempting girl to join the "dark side"?

Unfortunatelly, I don't have answers to these questions. I couldn't be bothered to stick around long enough to find out. Story didn't grab me, writing didn't stand out to me and I found overall reading experience quite average. I lacked the spark between main protagonists and that is always a bad sign.

Lately, it is very hard to find something unique and out of norm when it comes to oversaturated NA genre. But that is just my personal opinion. However, if you are hardcore NA fan, I suggest to check other reviews, you may end up enjoying this book. 

*Review Copy provided by publisher as an exchange for honest review*

One Favourite Moment: Ten Tiny Breaths series

The prequel novella to the Ten Tiny Breaths series from Trent’s POV, IN HER WAKE, releases September 1st. On this special occasion, I was asked to share my favourite moment from entire series. And to tell the truth, it was pretty straighforward decision on my side :)

REVIEW: SKYGODS BY SARAH LATCHAW

Skygods, sequel to my favourite contemporary romance of 2013 - Hydraulic Level Five (read my review HERE). For a chance to win set of ebooks from Hydraulic series, do not forget to enter giveaway at the bottom of this post!

Skygods (Hydraulic #2)

Written by Sarah Latchaw

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Purchase: Amazon US / Amazon UK / B&N

Synopsis:

Kaye Trilby and her ex-husband, world-famous author Samuel Cabral, vowed to fight for their rekindled love in rain or shine. They didn’t realize they’d be caught in a deluge so quickly.

A near-fatal skydiving accident shows Kaye how her reckless behavior affects the ones she loves. But while she knows Samuel is afraid to lose her again, she isn’t ready to give up the thrill of the wild backcountry.

Something darker is slipping into Samuel’s mind, though. The specters of his past are re-emerging. His polish is deteriorating, just as all of Hollywood braces for his blockbuster book-to-movie adaptation. When he appears on Kaye’s doorstep late one night in a rumpled tuxedo, erratic and agitated, it seems that romance with her ex might be her biggest leap yet. A string of failed relationships has pushed Samuel to the brink, the fall-out leaving him in a dark place—a place where Kaye is powerless to help him. She is reluctantly drawn back into Samuel’s glittering and backbiting world of celebrity, all the while clinging to the steadfast peaks of home.

Can Kaye risk her heart with Samuel a second time? Will they ever find their blue skies?

My Kaye and Samuel:

* 5 STARS * Review:

It is a huge talent when author is able to touch her readers with her words in a powerful way. And Sarah Latchaw has it. Skygods is not your ordinary contemporary romance and Kaye's & Samuel's story touched me like no other.

Skygods is utterly beautiful, captivating and realistic tale of rekindled love, tale of two people finding a way back to each other in spite of adversity. It is sad, but hopeful story which shows us the lenght person would go to, sacrificies person would make for the loved one. Moreover, Skygods is believable, never over-the-top drama-filled novel. And thanks for that. Because nothing can ruin a book as irritating, eye-rolling drama.

Book starts where Hydraulic Level Five ended - with main protagonists trying to mend their long time ago broken friendship. Once again, Sarah Latchaw provoked various emotions in me while reading her book. I adored playful side of Kaye's and Samuel's relationship. I rejoiced at every single happy moment. And my heart broke for Samuel, seeing firsthand how his dark demons were slowly destroying him. Is Kaye strong enough to deal with Samuel's secrets, eccentric behaviour and his stressful life of famous writer?

But it is not only emotions that makes this story so precious to me. It is also in depth depicted characters and admire worthy storytelling skills that will completely drag you into the story. Believe me when I say that I cannot recommend this series enough!

Hydraulic Level Five was my favourite contemporary romance novel of 2013 and I can genuinely say that this sequel secured the same position in the year 2014. I already cannot wait for more from this incredibly talented author!

 Giveaway:

Giveaway of ebook copies of both books in Hydraulic series:

- Hydraulic Level Five by Sarah Latchaw

- Skygods by Sarah Latchaw

For a chance to win, comment on this blog post. 

Do not forget to leave your email so I am able to contact the winner.

I will  pick winner on Friday, August 29th 2014. Good luck!