Book Review: Waking Up In Vegas - Natasha Preston

Title: Waking Up In Vegas
Author: Natasha Preston
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: The One, Book 1
Release Date: December 6, 2019

There are bad hangovers, then there’s waking up married to your brother’s idiot friend.

On the trip of a lifetime, a drunken Wren and intoxicated Brody stumble upon a wedding ceremony and decide to tag along for the ride. But being spectators isn’t quite wild enough when you’ve got tequila in your toes, and before either of them can stop what they’re about to do, “We now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Once sober and home, the incompatible newlyweds try everything within their power to end their pantomime marriage. Unfortunately for them, the promise and vows they made to spend their life together now aren’t as easy to break as they’d once hoped.

Especially not when Brody starts to have a change of heart.

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Come and join Natasha Preston and Author Elena Matthews on December 6th for a joint release party!

Party hosted in The Indie Girls Reader Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/IndieGirlsRomanceReaders/

UK native Natasha Preston grew up in small villages and towns. She discovered her love of writing when she stumbled across an amateur writing site and uploaded her first story and hasn’t looked back since.

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Natasha did it again. One thing I love about Natasha’s writing is her unpredictability. You will never know if you’re getting a happily ever after or not until you flip thru the last page. Waking Up in Vegas is no different.

I like how she narrated the whole plot and how the scenes were built and constructed. It was a little cliché and unusual at the same time. I love how everything progressed and how the characters are portrayed. And even though you would kind of expect what will happen next, it still gives you that element of surprise that will have you on the edge of your seat holding on for dear life. There are times when I feel that a story is lacking if they didn’t get me to tear up just a bit, but with Natasha’s writing, all the suspense and uncertainty of the plot makes up for the more emotional part. Wren and Brody’s story may not be a conventional one, but it is definitely worth every page turned.

I like that Wren isn’t like most women that has logic flying out their windows at the sight o f the person she is attracted to. I admire her level headedness that at least, she gets to restrain herself, at least for a bit. She’s logical and owns up to her mistakes. She thinks about the welfare of people, even if she has a weird way of getting it into plans. And Brody is jus so swoony. I like that he’s honest and straightforward. He may be confusing at times but only because he’s confused as well. But at least he voices out how he feels, at least what he understands of it.

This definitely deserves a 5 stars. Certainly, one of the best reads for 2019.

Book Review: What Do You See - K Dosal McLendon

Title: What Do You See
Author: K Dosal McLendon
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance
Release Date: July 28, 2019

Claire
I believed I had my future all planned out.
College, track, friends, I mean, why wouldn't I? I was a nineteen-year-old girl in college with a dream of being an Olympian that wasn't too far within reach as a college top track star.
A jeep I could roll the windows down while the radio blasted as I sang off-key.28
My own dorm that gifted me privacy from my two triplet brothers.
I had it all.
But just like many, I took it all for granted. That's until my life turned upside down, and everything changed. I nearly became one more lost soul. Without the love of my family, friends, and a very charming soccer player, I would've truly lost myself in the process.
This is my story and how I began to see beyond what's right in front of me.
Funny, all I had to do was open my eyes.
The only problem is time.
​
Jake
I lived a life never truly paying attention to the world around me. I had my dad, my grams, and my soccer ball. I was perfectly fine with the way I lived life.
Why grow attached to things that can walk away?
That's until I saw her.
The girl I never thought I would find--the one who made me see in a different perspective.
​Oh, and how beautiful it is.

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I have recently shied away from authors that I don't really know or haven't read unless they were someone recommended to me by a friend or someone I trust with the taste of books. So I was a little hesitant when K Dosal McLendon contacted me to try her new book. Something in the blurb made me decide to give it a go even if I'm not sure I'll like it. My decision was proven correct when I was bawling my eyes out throughout the story.

The story tackles a lot of emotional and mental turmoil. Maybe it was my current emotional state but for some reason I was able to feel all the pain that the character was feeling. The emotions were so raw and powerful that I had to stop more times than I can remember just to let it all sink in. Absorb all the emotions and let it pass. It was even a bad idea to read at a public place. I kinda look a little pathetic with all the crying. But I just can't not read what happens next. Its insta-love is still a little baffling to me as it most often than a hit and miss for me. But the romance was built around so much feelings that I had to overlook that little flaw. Throughout the story, I was battling if I wanted her to surpass that trial triumphantly or have to go thru the pain and learn to live with it. Bottom line, I couldn't be much happier on how she decided to end things. My heart was properly shattered and the bits and pieces still hurts as I wade thru the plot line. It was so emotional that I can't stop bawling my eyes out.

The characters are very easy to connect to. You could really feel their pain, anguish and emotional turmoil. I loved how she have her brothers to take care of her. I've always loved a good sibling book. I like how they (the hero and heroine) bring out the best in each other and make them see beyond what was in front of them. I love how the characters (all of them) are created. They speak to you as though you are one of them. You can just feel them to your bones.

I'm giving this a perfect 5 stars. It may just have been my emotional and mental state at the time i'm reading it, but it did make me feel raw, unadultered emotions at the time and that's all that matters to me.

Book Review: Serenading Heartbreak - Ella Fields

Title: Serenading Heartbreak
Author: Ella Fields
Genre: NA Romance
Release Date: September 25, 2019

My first love was my brother’s best friend.

A lead singer in their band.
A picture of rugged perfection.
And a drunk soul mate who couldn’t commit.

My second love was an arrogant baseball player.

A player in every sense of the word.
A smooth-talking, reliable best friend.
And a chance at something beautiful and true.

The problem with having a first and second love?
That would be loving them at the same time.

My story isn’t some sexy triangle.
It’s exquisite agony.

Fate gave me two men to love,
but none of us knew which one I could keep.

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Ella Fields never seizes to amaze me with her words. After all the angst in her novels, I literally had to find a LOL book. My heart couldn’t just take more from her. Now she releases another book to tear me apart. Who am I if not a sucker for punishment? Serenading Heartbreak is only the fourth book I read from Ella Fields but I can’t find the right words to describe how she’s slowly creeping up my authors list.

Serenading Heartbreak is different from other books that I’ve read. I’ve been racking my brains but came out emptyhanded when I tried recalling if I have ever read a story as raw as this. We’ve read a lot of love triangles but this is more than words can actually explain. This is the first book, I think, that I have been so indecisive on who I was rooting for. First person POV with only the girl’s side of the story doesn’t even help in trying to figure out what comes next. The twist comes at just the right time that will have you gasping for air just to absorb what just happened. My mind was on a whirlwind having to figure out what I wanted. I wanted to stop but yet I keep on flipping the page hungry for more knives to stab my already bleeding heart. It was just beautifully written and perfectly ended. You may think you’ve got it figured out, but the changes in events will have you second guessing your thoughts until you reach the end of the line.

I’ve been so invested in all the characters because they speak to me, to the readers. I loved Stevie. Then there she goes doing something I didn’t exactly agree on and I wanted to shake some sense to her. I may not have agreed on most of her decisions, but she was beautifully written in a way that she’s hard to hate. Then there Everett –our troubled, bad rocker. Who doesn’t love them? Despite and because of their flaws, we love them. But don’t we also love some sweet, charismatic playboy athlete who’s been her friend and confidante where she can just be herself? Yes, that’s Aiden right there. So tell me? how are we going to choose between them? It was painful and confusing, it made my head hurt. Which is exactly the reason why I loved them so much. They made me feel so alive. So connected to the story.

Overall, I’d give this 4.5 stars out of 5. It’s almost there. I just wished I shed more tears. More being the keyword

Book Blitz: After the End - Natasha Preston

Title: AFTER THE END
Author: Natasha Preston
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 25, 2018



One fatal mistake changes Tilly and Linc’s lives forever.

After the tragedy, Linc and his family fled a town they were no longer welcome in.

Still grieving the death of her brother, Tilly’s world is rocked again when, three years later, Lincoln Reid has to come home.

Linc tries to stay away from Tilly, but once he sees her fighting feelings for him, he can’t stay in the shadows.

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About the Author

UK native Natasha Preston grew up in small villages and towns. She discovered her love of writing when she stumbled across an amateur writing site and uploaded her first story and hasn’t looked back since.

She enjoys writing contemporary romance, gritty Young Adult thrillers and, of course, the occasional serial killer.

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This isn’t my first Natasha Preston book and I like most, if not all, of her writings.

This book has so much potential on it, breaking and ripping my heart out at just 15% in of the book. I was very much interested and can’t wait to see how the story unfolds and what the twists and turn will be. And knowing Natasha’s writing, I hoped that she would be able to maintain the height of my anticipation. Unfortunately, though, the story is as good as it gets. I don’t know if it was just me but the story seemed to be lacking depth. I was hoping for more twist and conflict. Maybe I was never in that kind of position, or maybe I haven’t really connected with the characters as it is, so I wasn’t able to actually feel or understand what really happened there.

The characters are okay. I suppose that's how someone would react or behave given the situation they are in. But in general, I liked that they somehow give a little consideration about family values and not just disregarding them altogether which seems to be where other Natasha book inclines. Linc was a typical book boyfriend. I couldn't say he made it on my list, but he's sweet and adorable enough to still be labeled as book boyfriend, just not mine. Tilly, on the other hand, have a a very loyal love for her brother and family and I really admired her for that. I think I would have done the same thing she did given the circumstances she was in.

Overall, I'd still give this a passing 3 out of 5 stars. I think this is the lowest I've rated Natasha. The story itself didn't really level my expectations, but it is good enough to finish.