Short & Sweet (12)

Mini-reviews of New Adult and Romance novels that I enjoyed

As you've already noticed, I've added mini-reviews to the blog and since then, I've started to look at this feature differently. I realized I wanted them to be truly short and sweet. So I've come with up a new format! I'm breaking down each book by specific categories and keeping it down to a couple sentences max per section. Hope you like the update!

The Shadows (Black Dagger Brotherhood #13) by J.R. Ward

pub 3/31/15 by Signet
Adult - Urban Fantasy

1 Line Summary: Trez and iAm both want to escape the past but when they both find love, how much are they willing to sacrifice for the women they've each fallen for and for each other?
The Couples: I expected to see the continuation of Trez and Serena's story which I genuinely did enjoy. But I liked the romance between iAm and (well, I can't tell you) even more.
The Plot: Learning the Shadows' full back story was interesting but what gave me all the feels were certain scenes with the Brotherhood and their shellans. Just seeing everyone together and seeing how they had accepted Trez and iAm into the fold. J.R. Ward does such a great job of describing their dynamic.
Reservations: The usual, which for me includes anything to do with the Lessers and the Band of Bastards.
Do I recommend?: Yes! I enjoyed this more than I expected to and I hope the author never stops writing this series.

I Wish You Were Mine (Oxford #2) by Lauren Layne

pub 2/2/16 by Loveswept
Romance - Contemporary

1 Line Summary: Famous football star Jackson Burke thought he had it all with his career and the supposed love of his life but now he's retired because of an accident, a divorcee, trying to start a new career and falling of his ex-sister-in-law.
The Couple: I adored Jackson and Mollie (the ex-SIL) together. I wasn't sure if it would work for me because ending up with your sister's ex-husband sounds really strange but their chemistry made it believable.
The Plot: I mean it's a love triangle between a guy and two sisters so you can only imagine what this entails. There's drama, miscommunication and sexy times but it didn't feel over the top to me.
Reservations: This is the second book in a series of companion novels so I can't help but compare it to its predecessor. I liked this but I liked the first book more.
Do I recommend?: I do! Lauren Layne's writing is fun and engaging so I personally know I'll continue to check out her books.

Smut by Karina Halle

pub 5/16/16 by Metal Blonde Books
New Adult - Romance

1 Line Summary: Both Blake Crawford and Amanda Newland want to make names for themselves so when they get paired up for a creative writing assignment, sparks fly on the page and in real life.
The Couple: I really, really liked Blake and Amanda together. There was banter, chemistry, fun times and romance between them the entire course of the book. Even with a little bit of drama, I was very into their story.
The Plot: It was so tongue-in-cheek! Basically these two decide to make money fast by writing erotic fiction and selling it on Amazon for a $1.99 (I totally buy romances and NAs for this price all the time!). I got a laugh out of listening to them dissect cheesy titles, common romantic tropes and just talking about writing period.
Reservations: It's definitely lighter than what I'm used to from Karina Halle so I completely different expectations going in. I ended up enjoying it obviously but beware, this is not her typical stuff!
Do I recommend?: Yes, read Karina Halle books my friends!