Review: The Sound by Sarah Alderson

Title: The Sound
Author: Sarah Alderson
Publication:  May 13th 2014 by Simon Pulse
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 3 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

When aspiring music journalist Ren Kingston takes a job nannying for a wealthy family on the exclusive island of Nantucket, playground for Boston's elite, she's hoping for a low-key summer reading books and blogging about bands. Boys are firmly off the agenda.

What she doesn't count on is falling in with a bunch of party-loving private school kids who are hiding some dark secrets, falling (possibly) in love with the local bad boy, and falling out with a dangerous serial killer...

The gripping new stand-alone novel from the author of Hunting Lila.

Ren Kingston, an almost-18-year-old aspiring music journalist, takes a summer job nannying for a wealthy family on Nantucket Island. Ren is from Bromley, a South London suburb, and life with the Tripp family couldn’t be any more different than she’s used to. The Tripps may have hired a nanny, but they still plan to send baby Braiden to daycare and 4-year-old Brodie to camp, so Ren’s nanny services are only really needed in the mornings and evenings. The rest of her time, including most weekends, is free. This is great news to Ren, who is looking forward to a quiet, mellow summer as she recovers from a heartbreak. 

However, Ren soon finds herself swept up with a group of young and rich private school kids, attending parties and cozying up to handsome and preppy Jeremy Thorne. Despite her plans to swear off boys for the summer, Ren spends a lot of time with Jeremy and also starts getting to know the local “bad boy”, Jesse Miller, at the same time. Jeremy and his friends don’t like Jesse and warn Ren to stay away from him. It turns out that Jesse has spent time in juvie in the past due to beating up one of Jeremy’s good friends. But Ren has a strange feeling that there’s more to Jesse’s story than everyone lets on, and she’s not really sure who on the island she can truly trust. When young, foreign nannies start being attacked and left for dead on the beach, Ren’s hopes for a peaceful summer are ruined. Will she survive the summer, or will the Nantucket Nanny serial killer strike again? 

The Sound was a fast-paced read that I flew through in just one day. The first few pages hooked me with a suspenseful prologue in which Ren was trying to escape a dangerous man (a glimpse of what was to come!). Then it flashed back to the present day, and I was immediately intrigued by the vivid setting and the interesting cast of characters. 

I had a pretty good idea who the serial killer would turn out to be, so the big reveal wasn’t much of a surprise to me in the end. And actually, the serial killer plot didn’t seem to get as much attention as the romantic/love triangle plot over the course of the book, so the whole story felt a little off balance to me. But ultimately, The Sound was an entertaining read that I would recommend to fans of contemporary YA thrillers.

Review: Mercy

Title: Mercy 
Author:  Pam Dingée
Publication: Sept 24, 2013 by Amazon
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 3 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Eden has had a tough year and is trying to bounce back from the tragedy of her father passing recently, and she’s also hoping to learn to love and trust again all while going through a sticky divorce with the Dick.

Dom is Eden’s BFF’s brother, he’s also a bit of a player and a sexy distraction for Eden. He wants to earn Eden's trust, but she's been burned before and is skeptical. Can Dom help by being a good friend to Eden and steer her in the right direction?

Eden is 22 years old and has recently lost her father. She’s also going through a messy divorce with Richard, aka Dick. They’ve been married for 3 years, but Eden recently discovered Dick was being unfaithful. For the past month, Eden has been staying in her best friend Aly’s guest house as she saves money to get back on her feet. Eden and Aly work side-by-side at the same beauty salon, and they’ve been close ever since they met while earning their cosmetology degrees at the Las Vegas School of Beauty. Aly’s husband, Sloane, and her older brother, Dominic, work with Dick at Vegas Builds.

Eden can’t help but be attracted to Dom even though she is pretty sure he’s a big player. Soon she finds out that Dom’s feelings for her run much deeper than friendship, but Eden’s not sure if she’s quite ready to cross that friendship line into something more. She’s still nursing a broken heart and doesn’t want to get hurt again.

I’ve always enjoyed reading stories about people who were friends first before they fell in love. And Dom was definitely a swoonworthy love interest -- he was hardworking, loyal, protective, funny, cheesy at times...and of course, hot!

Mercy was a quick and easy read, but the conversational writing style took a little getting used to. It was very informal, almost like sitting down to have coffee or a cocktail with a friend and discussing the ups and downs of her love life. There were a few flashbacks which provided a peek into how Dom and Eden’s friendship and attraction grew over the years, and I wish there were more of these. A couple of times the point of view abruptly switched to Dom’s, and that was a bit jarring. Maybe if there had been more chapters included from his point of view it would have been a smoother transition for the reader. At times I felt annoyed with Eden’s immaturity, but then again, 22 is still pretty young and the characters’ actions seemed realistic for someone that age.

Despite these small issues, I found Mercy to be an entertaining read and would recommend it to fans of new adult romance.

 

Review: One Rogue Too Many

Title: One Rogue Too Many
Author: Samantha Grace
Publication:   Jan 7, 2014 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 3 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

When two of the ton's most eligible bachelors fall for the same young woman, only one will win her heart...

Anthony Keaton, Earl of Ellis, and Baron Sebastian Thorne have been competing since childhood. Now, they both have their eyes set on Lady Gabrielle.

Gabby feels like a fool for trusting in Anthony—but she doesn't know the whole truth. Determined to guard her heart this time around, she's looking for a man who is steadfast and eloquent.

Sebastian knows this is his one chance to steal her heart. He has everything she's looking for. But when Anthony finally reveals his true feelings, how will she choose between the two?

 

Lady Gabrielle Forest is secretly betrothed to Anthony Keaton, Earl of Ellis. They grew up together, and he is her brother Drew’s best friend. Gabby has always had feelings for him. Lately, Anthony has been in Wales, but Gabby does not know the true reason for his absence and isn’t quite sure if she can trust him. Anthony isn’t yet ready to reveal all of the secrets of his past, including his first wife’s betrayal and the true father of their child, Annabelle, who is now being raised by an aunt. To make matters worse, Gabby is given false information about Anthony, which makes her question his integrity and trustworthiness.

Baron Sebastian Thorne has been competing with Anthony since childhood. He has set his sights on Gabby and decided that he will win her heart. Lords Corby and Ledbery bet on how long it will take Thorne to woo Gabby and steal her away from Anthony. When Anthony discovers that Gabby has been seen on a carriage ride and dancing with Thorne, he doesn’t believe it. Deep down, Gabby knows her heart belongs to Anthony, but she also feels inexplicably drawn to Thorne, who is keeping secrets of his own. Both men must prove their love to her and try to win her hand in marriage.

One Rogue Too Many was an entertaining read, but I thought the competition to woo Gabby started off a bit silly (for example, the men were both challenged to write her a sonnet). And some of the events (I won’t spoil them!) seemed kind of far-fetched, and I found it hard to believe that the conflicts that arose would be resolved so easily and without scandal. At times I was frustrated with all of the main characters because their lack of communication led to misunderstandings and incorrect assumptions. Being open and honest would have save them all a lot of heartache and trouble!

I really like when romances develop between people who were friends first, so that was a fun aspect of this book. There was a flashback at the beginning to when Gabby and Anthony were younger. I wish there had been a few more of those included to get a glimpse into their past and why Gabby fell in love with Anthony in the first place! Despite the complaints, I did enjoy reading this fast-paced story, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a light, fun read with not one, but two handsome love interests competing to win the heroine’s heart.

Review: Big Sky Secrets

Title: Big Sky Secrets
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Publication:  Dec 31, 2013 by HQN
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 3 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Self-made tycoon Landry Sutton heads to Hangman Bend's Ranch to sell his land to his brother Zane. Though he's got cowboy in his blood, Landry plans to return to city life before the dust even settles on his boots. Of course, he didn't count on falling for Big Sky Country…or Ria Manning.

Ria's starting to settle into country life herself…until she has a close encounter of the terrifying kind with a buffalo. Turns out the peeping monster belongs to the cowboy next door—and he has her running even more scared than his bison. She wants a home where the buffalo don't roam, and the men don't either. Could Landry's homecoming be her heart's undoing?

 

 Landry Sutton and his older brother Zane each own half of Hangman’s Bend, a ranch outside Three Trees, Montana which they bought sight unseen a few years ago. Previously, Landry had been living in Chicago and working his way up the ranks of Ingersoll Investments. After his failed marriage to the boss’s daughter, Susan, he moved out to Montana.

Ria Manning, a widow, bought a flower farm and moved to Montana around the same time as Landry. She has disliked him from the start, thinking him arrogant and a little too full of himself. Yet she can’t deny her strong physical attraction to him any time he comes around. She just has to be careful not to let anyone get too close to her. In addition to dealing with the loss of her husband, she’s struggling with the fact that he betrayed her trust by cheating on her. She isn’t sure she’ll ever love again.

One day Landry’s buffalo herd tramples Ria’s flowers, and when he comes over to assess the damage, he kisses her out of the blue. He convinces her to go out with him, despite her hesitations. There actually wasn’t much else going on plot-wise between Landry and Ria. They went on one date and Ria got drunk, which caused a bit of a scandal and gossip, but that was all cleared up quickly. Most of the plot seemed to revolve around issues with each of their families. Ria’s 16-year-old niece, Quinn, shows up unexpectedly and stays for the summer due to problems at home with her mom. Landry’s father shows up asking for money after getting into trouble while gambling. So when Landry and Ria are suddenly declaring their love for one another, I wasn’t sure what had happened to make them fall in love. It was clear that they were magnetically attracted to one another, and I loved their playful banter, but I just didn’t believe that they were in love so quickly.

I’ll admit that I have not read the previous books in the Parable, Montana series, but I think this one, the series finale, actually stands alone pretty well for new readers. I wasn’t confused at all while reading, and while characters from previous books made cameos, this book was focused on Landry and Ria plus their families. The secondary characters were interesting, and I may go back and read some of the earlier books in the Parable, Montana series to get their stories.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the lush descriptions of the landscape. Right away, I was swept up in the descriptions of the beautiful Montana setting, and I could picture it very well despite never having traveled there myself.

Review: Timeless

Title: Timeless
Author: Jan Scarbrough
Publication: 2013
Reviewed by: Stephanie
Rating: 3 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review

When Beth Abbott receives a surprise inheritance from her birth mother, she travels to the family’s nineteenth century mansion in Old Louisville, now a bed and breakfast. There she meets the resident ghost, a little girl whose crying scares, but intrigues guests. Beth sets out to discover the identity of the ghost and why she appears happy to Beth, not sad.

Jeff Halstead, a man with several secrets, runs the bed and breakfast. But he’s more than that to Beth, and she feels their connection immediately. A psychic medium who doubts his skills, Jeff slowly uncovers the truth of their past lives. Will he be in time to reveal the identity of Beth’s enemy? Will the love they shared in the past follow them into the future?

This Contemporary Gothic Romance novel has a lot of themes going on for such a short read. I felt that I was being pulled in many different directions with the past stories and the present, then we have ghosts and reincarnation, and then rape. *sigh* So much was put into this story that it really felt a bit overwhelming. I would have liked to see more focus on the present characters’ story development. Jeff and Beth had such a connection, but it didn’t seem like I knew enough about them. I also wanted more ghost elements within this story because those parts really had my attention. I can see what the author was trying to go for by having long lost souls reunite with each other, which I thought was sweet and enjoyed that part of the story.

Jeff and Beth definitely have this chemistry that made the pages hot and steamy. Jeff was this dark haired, blue eyed, mysterious, sexy, older man and Beth was this pretty, blond haired, young, shy woman. *Bow chicka wow wow* Wow, what a tease dance of sexual tension between these two. Obviously I was rooting for a hook up with every turn of the page. *wink*


I did like the ghost element of the story where little Grace haunts the Chadwick Bed and Breakfast. I tried to not read those parts when I was alone at night. I swear I thought I heard a child giggling which made that part even spookier for me.*Eeepp* I also would have liked to have known more about Beth’s birth mother, Melissa, but not much was said about her. Honestly, I believe if the story was longer and the characters and story were a bit more developed, then I would have enjoyed this book so much more. If you enjoy short reads with elements of the paranormal, reincarnation, and long lost love, then pick up a copy of Timeless.

Review: The Christmas Town

Title: The Christmas Town
Author: Elyse Douglas
Publication: 2013
Reviewed by: Stephanie
Rating: 3 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review

The Christmas Town, by Elyse Douglas, is a new time travel, mystery, romance novel that was released on October 11, 2013.

Traveling home for Christmas, two young women in their 20s are forced to drive together during a snowstorm, and they get lost. They cross a covered bridge and, suddenly, they enter the past, finding themselves in a small picturesque Vermont town in 1943. They meet two handsome soldiers, who are about to be sent off to war, and they fall in love with them, while also struggling to find a way to return home to their own time.

With the soldiers’ help, on Christmas Eve, the two women finally have one chance to return to their own time, but they are caught between their love for the soldiers, and their desire to return to the present. At the last moment, they must make the difficult decision and, because it is Christmas, a miracle happens.

 

This was such a cute holiday time travel romance. Although it was somewhat predictable, I did however enjoy the glimpse into an American’s life in 1943. The attention to detail from the clothes, to the shops, and even the way these characters thought and spoke really transported me into this time period. I kept thinking how the heck would I have dealt with rations and the love of my life going off to war? Such a tough thing to go through, but at the same time an important milestone for women because with the boys away they were able to step up to the late and do the men’s work. I liked that the author emphasized how important woman were at this time and how the world seemed to have changed because of it. This seemed like the perfect time for two strong willed working women from 2013 to travel back to 1943. Perfect or disastrous, lol.

These two strangers, Jackie and Megan, find themselves needing each other the most when they take a wrong turn into the past. Just imagine you are driving in the rental car with this woman you hardly know and find out you are stuck in the year 1943!! Eeep! I would pinch myself hard and really hope I was dreaming. Seriously, what the heck would you do? I suppose one could try to fit in as much as possible because it’s not like someone would really believe you. What a pickle that would be.

Jackie is a headstrong, sexy, logical woman who is focused on getting the job done. Being this way, she needed to tone it down for this new world she was in since most women didn’t act this way around these parts. Megan is a bubbly actress who loves the challenge of telling a good lie. Together these women are the Yin to the other’s Yang which helps them get out of a few difficult situations. Nothing brings a friendship together than going back in time to a small town where everyone thinks they are strange or mysterious. *wink*

Since this is a Contemporary Romance novel, it must have smoking hot men in it, right? The author gave us two handsome, strong soldiers. Jeff Grant is a black haired blue eyed hunk with a smile that will make you melt. *swoon* Danny Crawford, or Danny Boy, is a redhead, green eyed, broad shouldered stud with a shy side to him. *double swoon* These good ol’ boys were perfect gentlemen, going off to serve their country in a few days, and wanted to spend their limited time with Jackie and Megan. You can imagine how difficult this all can get when the ladies are desperate to find a way back to their own time and how falling in love might change things completely. Yet another pickle they have managed to get themselves in.

This was a fun read with a lot of great imagery about what the 1940’s would have been like and I enjoyed traveling alongside Jackie and Megan. I did find that, at parts, the story felt a bit dull with hardly any romance scenes. I found it a little disappointing being in the Contemporary Romance genre. Jackie and Megan were not my favorite characters, but I did enjoy the supporting characters a bit more like: Jeff, Danny Boy, and Aunt Betty. Perhaps it’s their small town charm that I found heartfelt and most interesting. This was my first time travel read so I’m not sure if this is indeed the genre for me. If you like to read Contemporary Holiday Time Travel books with less romance, but still a cute story with great imagery, then why don’t you give this book a try.

Review: For Real

Title:  For Real
Author: Chelsea Cameron
Publication:  November 14, 2013
Reviewed by:  Isalys
Rating:  3 Stars
Reason for Reviewing:  E-book provided in exchange for an honest review.

Two people. One fake relationship. What could go wrong?

When virgin Shannon Travers gets fed up with her friends demanding that she find a boyfriend, she enlists the help of tattooed, mohawk-rocking graphic design student Jett. He’s more than happy to play along with their Fake Relationship, including the Ten Rules of Fake Dating that control-freak Shannon comes up with. Even if he likes to violate them. Repeatedly.

But what happens when Fake Dating starts to feel… not fake anymore? Will Shannon be willing to let go and embrace the first thing in her life that’s ever felt REAL?

Poor virgin Shannon is being dragged by her friends on yet another misadventure to finally rid her of that pesky V-card that she's holding on to.  Finally fed up with the pressure being put on her, she meets and befriends Jett who agrees to "fake date" her so that she can get her friends off her back.  What starts off as a fake relationship soon turns into an easy friendship, an intense attraction, and very real love!

I liked Shannon but liked Jett much more.  She is ambitious, studious, and hard-working, but a push-over until she finally reaches her limit.  She was also a bit perplexing.  While she had the strength to pull herself away from the family that held her back, she hardly managed to stand up for herself to her "friends", and was completely oblivious to Jett's feelings.

Sweet, Asian Jett WINS!  He's attentive, considerate, and tattooed with just a touch of geekiness that made him especially sexy yet endearing.  Even though he wasn't the one telling the story, you know almost immediately that his feelings for Shannon were very real.  He was so genuine.

As for the secondary characters, the "friends", I had very mixed feelings.  Shannon's friends, while I don't think they meant to hurt Shannon, were [to be frank] kind of dicks to her.  They pressured her to do something that she wasn't ready for and then made HER feel guilty about it.  *swats with newspaper* Bad friends, bad! More than once, Shannon tried to validate her friendship with Hazel (her BFF) by commenting that she had been there for her before.  However, the author didn't expand on that so all you really got to see were the bad qualities.  Sadly, their friendship left a lot to be desired.  On the other hand, Jett's friendship with his roommate, Javier was a more complex.  A muscle-head with an obnoxious sense of humor, he's easy to brush off until you come to learn that Javier is a very loyal friend with a good heart who helped Jett when he had no one else to turn to.

Shannon & Jett's relationship, however fake they intended it to be, was playfully sweet and real.  It was hard to understand why they felt the need to fake it or why it took them so long to figure out how real it had become.  However, it was still gratifying when they learned their true feelings for each other.

Although the premise wasn't completely original, it was a simply sweet story and a nice way to spend an afternoon.

Review & Giveaway: Eramane

Title: Eramane (Eramane Trilogy, #1)
Author: Frankie Ash
Publication: Archway Publishing, 2013
Reviewed by: Stephanie
Rating: 3 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review

In the village of Eludwid, seventeen-year-old Eramane Fahnestock goes about her life, cheerfully disregarding a prophecy made to her parents that she would have a great gift. Not yet wed and beset with boredom, Eramane cannot shake the feeling that something exciting awaits her beyond Eludwid. But when she is invited to picnic with a handsome young suitor, Eramane has no idea that her life will soon change forever.

As Eramane prepares for her date, she is suddenly hypnotized by a strange voice that tells her he will be coming for her that night. Unsettled but determined to press forward, Eramane and her suitor, Lebis, head to the woods to enjoy their picnic. As darkness falls on the forest, however, a beast emerges, transforming their beautiful outing into a terrifying scene. Taken captive and carried away to a mountain hideaway, Eramane finds her memories are soon clouded, even as her family frantically searches for her back home.

In this gripping fantasy tale, evil is summoned to the mountaintop, forcing a young woman to discover her magical gifts and exact revenge against a beast determined to destroy everything she has ever loved.

Seventeen year old Eramane is beautiful, strong and an extremely caring soul. You would think suitors would be lined around the corner bakery in Eludwid, but her family has been very picky with who marries their beloved, Eramane. Her mother wants the man she marries to be the man she loves. On this special day, without Eramane’s consent, her parents and brother Samiah set her up with a long time crush Lebis the blacksmith. Just like parents to totally embarrass a teenager. Haha. On the “date” Lebis is handsome and such a charming gentleman to Eramane that she feels like he could be the one for her. Too bad Eramane can’t fully enjoy her date because this voice in her head keeps saying “I will come for you soon”. In what seemed like a moment, she is separated from Lebis and in front of her stands a huge horned-winged beast with glowing eyes reaching outward.

I must warn you that this story is action packed from beginning to end! I read the first few pages and was shocked by the in-your-face events that occur. I had to stop and check the page number to make sure my kindle didn’t jump to the middle of the book. I know what you are thinking though, and no, this wasn’t one of those stories that show you all their action in the beginning and the rest of the book is a yawn fest. I was at the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next throughout the whole story. Now with saying all that, I did wish I could of known a little bit more about the characters and their abilities or gifts like the story explains. I felt at some parts I needed a little more information to fully grasp what was happening. Since their are two more books in this series, I hope this is explained a bit more.

Eramane is just a beautiful character and I most certainly got attached to her story. She also has so much mystery about her that I want to know more about. The struggles she faces are far too much for just any regular seventeen year old to handle, but she has this fierce strength about her that jumps from the pages. I really look forward to seeing how her character develops in the second and third book. Another character I enjoyed was Samiah. He is Ermane’s extremely protective older brother who would do anything for his family, Lord, and village. I loved his courage and felt his sadness when parts of the story got too intense for him. The author did a great job of mixing in different characters within the story while allowing their side to be told and balancing the whole experience as one.

This is a great YA High Fantasy read that will keep you shocked after each unfolding event within the story. Yes, you will keep trying to guess what the heck is going on, but the further you read the more information you gather and understand. I was a page turnin’ maniac while reading this book, lol. Basically, if you love a different type of YA Fantasy with some shocking situations and a lot of action, then stop reading my review and go and purchase your copy right now. On that note, thank you Frankie Ash for allowing us to accompany you on your Eramane Trilogy journey. *Cheers*

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Blog Tour: Beautifully Awake

Title: Beautifully Awake
Author: Riley Mackenzie
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 2, 2013
Hosted By: Love Between the Sheets
Reviewed by: Taryn
Reason for Reading: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Lili Porter hates the rain. Bad things happen in the rain. As a small town social worker dedicated to protecting children, she is forced to start over to escape her rural disaster. Determined to follow her father’s advice—head up and chin high—Lili finds herself in a new city, taking on a new system, this time healthcare. In doing so, she gets something she never expected, an intimate behind-the-scenes look at life in the hospital.

Lili learns that a surgeon’s hands have the power to heal more than physical wounds. And a prescription for truth can cure three years of sleep running and leave you beautifully awake.

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Lili is a social worker who left her small town to take a job as a case manager in Pediatric Surgery at Philadelphia Hospital. Due to budget issues, resources had to be reallocated and case managers started to rotate on different surgery services. At the beginning of the story, Lili had just started a new rotation in Neurosurgery. Her first encounter with the sexy, chiseled Dr. Chase Colton, Chief of Neurosurgery, left her awestruck. Their mutual attraction was instant and magnetic. She was then invited into the OR for surgeries in which the patient was woken up mid-procedure. Very quickly, Lili and Chase’s relationship moved from professional to personal as they were unable to ignore their intense connection. Over time, they had to help one another come to terms with their traumatic pasts in order to move on and find true happiness together.

When I first read Beautifully Awake’s description, I knew it would appeal to me since I’m such a big fan of medical dramas on TV. As promised, there was a glimpse into the daily workings of a hospital and its staff. We got to know Guy--the 3rd year resident with a bit of a crush on Lili, Sam--the intern, Jackson--the physician assistant, Leanne--the nurse, and Kate from the recovery room. And we also got to see what happens in the on-call room, if you know what I’m saying. ;) I’m not sure how realistic all of these medical details and scenarios were, but it was fun to read anyway.

I had mixed feelings about Chase as a love interest. He was attractive, mysterious, and an unselfish lover. He treated Lili well, wining and dining her in New York City and spoiling her with designer shopping sprees. But at the same time he was extremely possessive, which was a big turn off for me, and some of his lines were too cheesy for my taste.

Lili and Chase’s chemistry was off the charts. This story was more explicit than the romances I usually read, so be prepared for some seriously steamy scenes. But it wasn’t all lust and passion--Lili and Chase connected on a much deeper level, too. Once they finally opened up about their pasts, they helped each other start to trust again and let go of guilt.

Some of my favorite secondary characters were the best friends. Sierra, Lili’s pregnant BFF, wasn’t afraid to tell her the truth and was always there to support her and listen to her problems. Sierra also provided a lot of comic relief with her pregnancy stories. Asher was also a great friend to Chase, and toward the end of the story, Lili found herself wondering why Asher was still single. I was thinking the same thing while reading. It turns out that the next book in the series will tell Asher’s story!

I recommend Beautifully Awake to anyone looking for a sexy and entertaining read about two broken people who help one another heal their emotional wounds.

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