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 Review: The Game You Play - L. A. Cotton

Title: The Game You Play
Author: L. A. Cotton
Genre: NA Sports Romance
Series: Rixon Raiders, Book 2
Release Date: September 17, 2019


𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁.

Lose her virginity.

Meet her knight-in-shining-armor and fall in love.

Have the best senior year a girl can have.

The only problem? Her knight isn’t a saint, he’s a villain, and she’s pretty sure he’ll destroy her before ever handing over a piece of his heart.

𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻.

Win State and go down as one of the most successful Quarterbacks in Rixon Raider history.

Head off to college and pursue his dream of being drafted to the NFL.

Avoid the girl under his skin. Felicity Giles, his stepsister’s best friend and perpetual pain in his ass.



She’s annoying as hell.

Quirky.

She’s a game to him, nothing more.



Until his arch rival comes after him and the few people he cares about ... and Felicity gets caught in the crossfire.



𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲.



𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘹𝘰𝘯 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴!




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🎧Audio: Coming Soon!!!

𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀


I’m really bad at organizing. I tried multiple times to remember what I signed up for, but I still get surprised by emails I wasn’t expecting. This introduced me to a new author LA Cotton.

Apparently, I signed up for a second book in the series. Although this is a standalone, I still think it is best to read this in order they are released to get more feels on the plot. It also has a little bit of spoiler from the first book. Being me, I really don’t mind since it didn’t really tell me exactly how it happened, just what happened. I’m being torn between liking and hating the story. It’s kind of the typical Enemies to Lovers story but not really. I find the story a little too fast-paced. But I would say that it still has the overall “feels” to it. There were still moments that I felt it – the passion and the angst. It was just that there were some points that I felt for it to be a little lacking with the connection of the two characters. I also like that not everything was just laid out. The mystery on some of the things that happens actually does explain how and why everything played out the way it did.

I didn’t like Felicity very much. Although he’s not really a push over, I can’t really feel the “sass” Jason is referring to from her. She’s one of those heroines whose logic flew out the window the moment he saw Jason. I mean, come on! Make him grovel! I felt like she just keeps on accepting him with open arms even if her mind tells her no. But I do like what she was able to do with her life and the way that she has transformed. Jason, on the other hand, is something else. I wouldn’t go as far as add him on my BBF, but he kinda proved himself in few occasion. I like how he handled things and made sacrifices that he needs to do.

It would be a little shocking that I would still be giving this a 4 star, despite the above review. But I was able to feel some of the heartbreaking scenes and connect with them a little. It was worthy to be read till the end and that’s good enough for me.

Book Review: Forever and Never - Ella Fields

Title: Forever and Never

Author: Ella Fields 

Genre: NA Romance

Series: Magnolia Cove, Book 2

Release Date: June 26, 2019

Lars Bradby was supposed to be my forever.

That was before we found out he would become a father at the tender age of eighteen.

For years, he’d watched me.

For months, he’d wanted me.

For weeks, he’d chased me.

Relentless and infuriating, he turned my stubborn heart into something pliable and weak. 

Sly and honest, he worked his way into my life as though he’d always planned to be the focal point of it.

In love and naive, even when our future seemed bleak, I believed in us. 

Heartbroken and desperate, I tore my bleeding heart from my chest, wanting only the best for him.

In doing so, our forever wasn’t just interrupted. It was chased away with one irreversible decision after another. 

And now, we could no longer see it beneath the heaping piles of debris we’d left in our wake.

💔💔💔

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Ella Fields just did it again. Just when I thought I would get through without having to cry or break my heart, I was yet faced by another disappointment.

I've been seeing posts of how they were ruined by Forever and Never so I had to brace myself before diving in. I was starting to think that they either have been exaggerating or this book isn't really for me. But I was wrong. Why I thought my heart wouldn't break or that those tears wouldn't fall as I wade through Ella Fields's words is beyond me. Slowly, a hand was crushing into my heart, squeezing it oh so gently until it couldn't beat anymore, crushing it until it's dust. I liked that none of it was easy. Because it keeps you on the edge. Not knowing what'll happen next and if you're getting the ending that you badly need. It wasn't predictable. It wasn't smooth sailing. It was all the rough roads and the storms combined. If they got through it or not, you'd have to stick around to find out. Unlike other stories where you'd know what the ending would be and just a matter or how.

I like how Ella keeps her heroines level-headed. Yes, they make stupid decisions. But good looks and sex appeal doesn't really get them. Of course they can be attracted, but not the type of girl that forgets all rational thought just because they smell the hero. I also loved how they are equal in a sense. Not all damsel in distress where the guy have to do all the grovelling. They meet halfway. They compromise. The girl knows when she messed up and she knows when to suck it up or do something about it. The heroes are also something to learn from. No matter how obsessed and in love they may be, they show how human they are and that they hurt. They just don't forgive them at the first sight of tears.

This would be a 4.5 stars for me. Almost perfect. Had the heartbreak been at the first 50% of the book, I would've given this a 5. But I would definitely recommend this book. Worth losing a few hours of sleep.

Book Review: Suddenly Forbidden - Ella Fields

Title: Suddenly Forbidden
Author: Ella Fields
Series Gray Springs University, Book 1
Genre: NA Romance
Release Date: January 24, 2018

 I thought he'd always be mine,

even when I was forced to say goodbye.



We were never meant to let go,

but it happened anyway.

Too bad I didn’t know someone was waiting to take my place, or I would've held on a lot tighter.



Two years later, we were exactly where we'd always planned to be.

I'd kept my promise.

He'd forgotten all about his.

Not only had he moved on, but the person he'd moved on with was my best friend, leaving me to begin college with a broken heart.



I guess this is the part where I’m supposed to tell you some other guy stepped in, repaired my shattered pieces, and made me smile again.



This isn't that kind of story.



My heart might have been broken,

but it refused to fall out of love.



WARNING: this book contains cheating.

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Ella Fields is a fairly new author to me. In fact, this is just the second book I've read from her. But with the way things are going, I wouldn't even be surprised when she joins the list of my favorite authors.

Suddenly Forbidden had me bawling my eyes out at just 30% in. Me being a cry baby doesn't really take that much to make me cry. But this one is different. The pain I was feeling was bone deep. Like I was feeling every bit of the pain the characters are going thru. The betrayal, the longing, the regrets. It was coming in full force, my heart doesn't even know how to acknowledge everything. It was even a bad decision (okay, no not really) to read the book before bedtime that I end up getting almost no sleep. But, let's be honest who doesn't want a bool that'll keep you up all night, right? The plot was definitely a nice road to take in. It was bumpy and painful. And although the last few chapters and the way things ended was a little too fast and too easy for me, the angst, heartbreak and tears for the better part of the book definitely made up for it.

The characters were very much relateable and easy to feel. It was as though they were real people with real emotions. It wasn't a struggle to be in their shoes. I liked how Daisy was both loving and fierce, forgiving and a fighter. Quinn on the other hand, may not be on top of mind book boyfriend and doesn't really make good decisions, but is definitely still someone to swoon over. He just knows the right things to say.

All in all, I would say that this is 4 stars for me. Definitely worth reading and recommending.

Book Review: Kiss and Break Up - Ella Fields

Title: Kiss and Break Up
Author: Ella Fields
Genre: NA Romance
Series: Magnolia Cove, Book 1
Release Date: January 28, 2019

You’re not supposed to kiss your best friend.


Kiss and Break Up, an all-new angst-filled, friends to lovers New Adult romance from Ella Fields, is available now!



Dashiell Thane wasn’t a nice guy.

He was an abrasive, demanding, conniving, intolerable brat.

Yet somehow, we’d been best friends our whole lives.

Until our senior year when I finally decided to dip my toes into the dating pool.


All it took was one kiss for jealousy, lies, and betrayal to sweep in and propel us heart first into dizzying, hostile depths.


You’re not supposed to kiss your best friend.

You’re definitely not supposed to kiss your best friend while you’re dating someone else.

And the absolute worst thing you could do is fall for your best friend.

Unless, of course, you want to ruin everything.

Excerpt


I fell to the bed just as a thump hit the exterior of the house, and Dash launched himself through the window.

“Can you ever land gracefully?” Or you know, use the front door. For as long as we’d lived here, he’d snuck in. At first, it was due to being unsure whether my mom would still want us hanging out, but it didn’t take her long to figure out what he was doing.

She didn’t care. When I’d shaken like a mouse cornered in a kitchen, she’d smiled and told me she’d never stop us from being friends. Yet the window always remained unlocked.

Dash kicked off his boots, and they hit the aging floor with two bangs. “I’m all man, baby. Not a fucking cat.”

Hearing him say that reminded me of why he was here. I sprang to my feet, hurtling out into the hall and into the bathroom.

“What are you doing?”

Too busy gargling mouthwash, I didn’t answer and spat it into the sink as he appeared in the weathered mirror behind me.

“Seriously?” he asked. “You burp in my face after eating garlic pizza, so this is just fucking dumb.”

“You burped in my face first.” I put the cap back on the bottle, not meeting his gaze. I couldn’t. I headed back inside the safety of my room.

But I had to wonder, as I heard Dash gargling mouthwash too, if it would be considered safe again after this. Would this ruin everything by making it awkward?

“Dash,” I said, wringing my hands as I paced the floor of my room. “We probably shouldn’t be doing this. What if––”

“What if it’s awesome and you fall madly in love with me? Well, we already know I don’t do commitment.”

A tiny laugh skittered out. “No, what if it gets awkward? I don’t want anything to change.”

He took me by the shoulders in the middle of my rainbow knitted rug and leveled me with his vibrant eyes. “We’ve done some pretty awkward shit, so what’s a little mouth to mouth going to change?”

I nodded, exhaling slowly, then I frowned. “Why are you doing this? I mean, I know why I want to, but you? What do you even get out of it?”

He grinned. “You might be my best friend, but I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to stick my tongue down your throat.” He tipped a muscled shoulder. “Let’s just say you’ll be killing that curiosity.”

“You’ve always wondered?”

“I’ve got eyes, Freckles. And I don’t need my glasses to appreciate the sight of something beautiful.”

I blinked. “Wow. That was actually really swe––”

“Shut your inexperienced mouth and kiss me.”

I was still laughing when he grabbed my face, and then I squeaked as the world changed color, and his lips lowered over mine.

My heart became a trumpet, blaring in my ears at the first touch of his lips.

I pulled away, startled and still laughing. “Oh, my God.”

Dash’s hands were warm on my face. “That good? They barely even touched.”

“No,” I choked out, pushing his hands away. “It’s just … a little weird.”

“Weird?” His brows scrunched. “We’ve barely even begun.”

I blew out a shaky breath, unable to look at him as my hands flapped at my sides. I stared at his white shirt, looking at where the cotton met his tanned skin. “I don’t know, Dash.”

“Wanna try again?”

I looked at him then, at the eager glint in his blue eyes. “It’s not weird for you?”

He chewed his bottom lip which was a little fatter than the top. And it’d just been touching mine. Oh, how crazy. “Maybe a smidgen. I can just picture Margot Robbie, and I’ll be good.”

I froze. “Margot Robbie?”

He gestured to my hair. “The blonde hair helps.”

“Jesus.” I swiped my hands down my face. “This is dumb. Let’s just forget it.”

He stood there a moment, glancing around my room. “Why don’t you imagine someone? That guy from the Thor movie. You like him.”

“Chris Hemsworth?”

“Yeah. Imagine him.” Then he grinned, waggling his brows. “Pucker up, baby.”

“You didn’t just say that.” I laughed, plopping down on the edge of my bed.

“Whatever. Are we trying again or what?”

The thought of Byron and that mischievous twinkle in his green eyes, the way he’d wasted no time moving in to kiss me … yeah. I needed to do this.

“Okay.” I shook out my hands, bouncing a little on the bed. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Dash’s lips thinned. “This isn’t a cross meet. We’re only swapping germs.”

“You just had to say that, didn’t you?” My pep had officially vanished.

Dash tugged me off the bed. “Close your eyes and relax.”

I tried, but I was as stiff as a board when his mouth met mine again. He tasted like spearmint and cigarettes, but his hands were gentle as one held my chin and the other glided through my hair to the back of my head. Slowly, with the soft press of his lips on mine and the gentle exploration of their shape, my limbs loosened.

“Open,” he whispered, his voice threaded, rougher.

I did, expecting the invasion of his tongue, but the velvet feel of it only traced the inner edges of my mouth.

Out of all the things I’d expected to feel when he’d suggested this crazy idea, it wasn’t relaxed, and it certainly wasn’t the buzzing sensation currently warming my insides.

“This isn’t so bad,” I said when he pulled back, my voice a low exhalation.

“Good. Now repeat the same to me.” My eyes were about to spring open, but he growled. “Keep them closed. Don’t think, just do and feel.”

Drawing in a quick breath through my nose, I found his stubble-coated cheeks with my hands and lifted myself on my toes. I tried to do the same thing he did to me, but my tongue plunged deeper, meeting the warm softness of his. I licked it, stroking cautiously until I heard him hum, the sound vibrating up his throat and causing our lips to mash together.

His hands became firmer around my head, his tongue greedier, sweeping inside my mouth before my teeth found purchase on his plump bottom lip, and pulled.

He groaned, and it had me staggering back, my heart racing and my breath an unsteady, embarrassing sound.

Dash swallowed, then cleared his throat as he shifted on his feet. His eyes met mine, and I looked away, down to where my mint green toes were curling over the abrasive fabric of my rug.

Awkward. This was so awkward, and I prayed we hadn’t just made a huge mistake.

“So that’s how it’s done.” He grabbed the TV remote and plopped onto my bed. “Got any popcorn?”

I shook my head. “Wait, that’s um, it?”

He started flicking through Netflix. “Well, yeah. Not much else to it. We can practice again before your date if you want, but I’m fucking starving, and we need to re-watch the last season of GoT before the new one is out.”

“Oh, yeah,” I said, remembering I’d promised him that weeks ago. Hungry myself, I stepped outside, then scowled at him from the doorway. “Don’t put your socks near my pillow.”

He grumbled but shifted and moved over to the other side of the bed.

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About Ella Fields

Ella Fields is a mother and wife who lives in the land Down Under. While her kids are in school, you might find her talking about her characters and books to her two cats. She’s a notorious chocolate and notebook hoarder who enjoys creating hard-won happily ever afters.



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I was supposed to read a self-help book my brother half encouraged, half mandated me. But after a week of reading just 140+ pages, I found myself hooked and drowning in my first book of Ella Fields.

I loved that it isn't really a very smooth sailing love affair that makes you think that everything will turn out okay in just the few chapters. I like the feel of pain and angst that peirce thru my heart with the heartbreak that the characters are feeling. The tension and the suspense thinking if the story would end up the way you wanted to. And just when you thought that the things are going your way, it ends up going downhill. All the different emotions I had throughout the book made me hold on to the little bit of consciousness before sleep finally takes over, which I gladly welcomed. I also like the way that people around them had a life of their own and not just revolved in everything that the main characters are doing.

The characters were built from reality with just the right amount of fiction on them. I like how real Dash could be. Not the "god-like" everyone's fantasy that most book boyfried are made of. Sure, he was as attractive and player in a normal book boyfriend fashion but he's not always that irresistable to the point of every rational thought flying out the window when he talks, comes near, touch or flirt with Peggy which normally happens with most of the heroines that i've read. Or maybe because she does have a better head on her shoulder. I like that although she has a little self doubt at times, she can hold her own and fight back when the situation calls for it. She didn't just give in at the first sight of pain Dash showed or the first sorry he uttered. I think that's a good quality other heroines can learn from her.

I'm giving this a 5 out of 5 star because of the fact that they made me stay waaaay. Past my bedtime.