The Making of Us- Erin Lawless

The Blurb
HarperImpulse are delighted to introduce brilliant debut author Erin Lawless… perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Katy Regan and David Nicholls!

A free teaser of Erin Lawless’s fabulous debut The Best Thing I Never Had, complete with extra scenes and character biographies.

The Review

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Erin Lawless.  I absolutely raved about The Best Thing I Never Had back in 2013 and this summer's wonderful Somewhere Only We Know was better still.  I'd somehow missed that there was this freebie teaser for Erin's debut title, so I was delighted when I stumbled across it on Amazon.  More stories from one of my favourite authors!

The Making of Us is a collection of short snapshot moments using characters from The Best Thing I Never Had.   I love the banter between the students in the stories and particularly enjoyed the story of a forfeit following a lost bet!  There's also character profiles which reveal additional information about the friendship group.

If you've not read anything by Erin Lawless, this is a great way to get acquainted with her humorous, easy style and if you read and enjoyed her debut you'll enjoy the opportunity to know a bit more about her characters. 

It made me long for more!

The Making of Us is free and available to download from Amazon.  Published by Harper Impulse.

I read this as part of #HIReadathon 2015.  To get involved, follow the hashtag.

Erotic Autumn part 2

So, I'm here again with a further instalment of Autumn sauce!  Today I'm reviewing the final book in Pippa Croft's Oxford Blue trilogy (you can find reviews of the first two books by scrolling down the page here ) and the first book in Sylvia Day's successful Crossfire series.  Gorgeous male leads and sexy scenes aplenty...

Third Time Lucky- Pippa Croft

 

 

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have followed the Oxford Blue series from the very beginning, but of course there is one problem with being the first on the scene when it comes to trilogies/serials...the waiting!  I felt like I was waiting forever to get a copy of Third Time Lucky! But I can say it was well worth the wait.

Alexander and Lauren are a great fictional couple.  A far cry from perfect, especially when they keep secrets from each other, but they have a spark.  Although the Oxford Blue series is erotic and as such there are lots of sex scenes, their relationship is built on more than that.  Lauren is the feisty American full of spirit and confidence and Alexander is the aristocratic Brit, sometimes moody and bullish but strong and determined. 

Book 2 ended with a real cliffhanger (I don't want to give too much away here!) and now Lauren and Alexander face new challenges.  I loved how the impact of this gave Lauren more power- it was sexy and exciting and proved that Alexander needed her just as much as she needed him, in every sense.

There were also some highly entertaining scenes involving scheming bitch-face Valentina getting her comeuppance (finally!  Honestly one of my least favourite fictional characters-which proves she is well crafted) and the world's slimiest professor getting, shall we say, a cold shower of sorts.  I do love it when the baddies get their just desserts.

I wasn't particularly keen on the ending, that was the one part which didn't quite ring true for me, but appreciate that if this was to be the final instalment there needed to be a level of 'closure'.  However, I want more!  Please Pippa?! 

And I am desperate for someone to come along and make a TV series of this.  It would go down a storm on E4.  Beautiful Oxford, country retreats, a man in uniform, the American girl, the glamorous Italian cowbag and of course oodles of racy scenes...it has it all. 

If you are a fan of the New Adult genre and you haven't yet read the Oxford Blue series, you really must.  You'll be left clamouring for more.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.  All three books in Pippa Croft's Oxford Blue series are out now.

Bared to You- Sylvia Day

 

Yes, I'm probably the very last person in the world to read Bared to You. I'd heard so much about Sylvia Day and the Crossfire series, but one thing put me off.  'It's just like Fifty Shades...'

I'm not snooty about reading erotica/smut/whatever you want to call books with some explicit sex scenes AT ALL, but I do value a well-told story with strong characters and good structure.  That was what Fifty Shades lacked for me, and was why I didn't finish it.  But Bared to You was so much better!

Part of that was that Gideon Cross, the wealthy, stylish businessman male lead.  I developed a bit of a book crush, I'll admit it.  He was powerful and strong and deliciously handsome.  He did have signs of the one thing that really bugs me about men in erotic fiction though- hints at a troubled past.  Why does this seem to be such a common denominator in these books?  Most men I know are really into sex, and that isn't because of a troubled past, or an abusive relationship or anything else, it's because THEY LIKE SEX.

I also really liked Eva.  She'd been figuratively suffocated by an overprotective mother and so of course, she's ready to go off the rails a bit when she escapes to the decadence of New York.  And when she meets the undeniably attractive Gideon Cross, there are naturally going to be fireworks. 

I personally thought it was a very well written book- the characters grew as the story built, the plot was decent and the sex scenes were among the best I've come across in erotic fiction.  It is decadent, engaging and whipped me right into their world.  I'm not generally one of these women who lust over businessmen.  I love a man in a suit as much as the next girl, but I'm not that turned on by power.  But honestly, that guy... with his money and success, I could be drawn in, turning into a helpless little kitten like Eva, unable to resist him.

I've not yet read the rest of the series, but I definitely will be. 

Sylvia Day, I am at your mercy.  Or at least, that of Gideon Cross.

Bared To You is out now, as are books 2 and 3.  Book 4 in the Crossfire series, Captivated by You is out on November 18th.

After- Anna Todd BLOG TOUR

 

 

 

ORGASMIC AUTUMN IS HERE!!!  YIPPEEEEE!

 

This is a weird one for me to be writing about as it feels very close to home!  I'm friends with a lot of the other bloggers on the UK tour for After, but I don't think they were familiar with it until The Hot Bed, Simon and Schuster's raunchy side, started promoting it.  Whereas I knew all about After. 

 

If you've read my blog before, you'll have seen me talking of my love for One Direction-maybe even the 'celebrity crush' promo video for a book earlier in the year, where I'm holding a picture of Louis and the drool is almost visible.  That's the small scale side of the obsession.  Here comes the full on confession.  I saw them four times this summer-twice as VIP (absolutely amazing.  Niall did the Better than Words thrust practically IN MY FACE).  I went to support Louis and Niall in their charity games.  I've been tweeted by Anne, Ruth and Dan, and DMed by Keith.  Liam's car nearly ran me and my friend Svenja over at 1am on his way back from a late night trip to KFC to beat the munchies.  And I actually met Dan and nearly died with excitement (I'm a huge Dangirl Fangirl. Gotta love someone who strums that well.  Ahem).  

 

Basically, I'm just sharing a few credentials here so people who find my blog via Anna know I'm not a carrot ;) 

 



Any excuse to relive the 'meeting Dan' moment, even though my hair did look exceptionally shit that day

And if none of that made any sense to you, you're obviously one of the bookish visitors not a Directioner...

 

If you know me then you'll know I unashamedly read/write/champion fanfiction.  And One Direction fanfiction is my area of expertise.  I've read it all-the good, the bad, the ugly, the downright weird.

 

Anna Todd is the most well known writer of fanfic in our fandom.  She has an absolute 'Anna Army' clamouring for updates and there are people who've had 'Hessa' tattoos, make endless manips and are probably as obsessed with 'After Harry' (who has been renamed as Hardin for the print version) as they are with Harry himself.  And because Anna is so bloody lovely, answering hundreds of fans tweets daily, running an online reading group and aiming to meet as many fans as she can in person, it has grown, and grown, and grown.  It's like an After snowball running away down a hill, building up speed and bundling up new readers with each update.

 

I'll be honest.  I resisted After for a long time, partly because of the hype.  And also, I seriously struggle with any serialised fiction because I am the most impatient human on the entire planet, and waiting for updates on fanfics I read nigh on kills me.  It was only when I started interacting with Anna on twitter that I finally started reading it, but when that happened I was hooked.

 

This is quite a rambly opening for a blog post, I admit.  But I couldn't launch straight into a review without a bit of background, because it is the background which has brought us to this point-where After is on the verge of release to an unsuspecting public.  Fans will be slightly reluctant to share, because Hessa is part of our fandom and we are a very tight, loyal bunch (best fans in the world, eh Nialler?).  Yet in saying that, I think everyone that's enjoyed After on Wattpad will be thrilled for Anna and the success she is having. 

 

She's one of us, afterall. 

 

The Blurb

 

Anna Todd's After fan fiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet's most talked-about book, now newly revised and expanded, for yourself! There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there's everything AFTER...Life will never be the same. #Hessa

 

Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She's got direction, ambition, and a mother who's intent on keeping her that way. But she's barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is undeniably hot! But he's also rude - to the point of cruelty, even.

 

For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does - until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she's never known before. He'll call her beautiful, then insist he isn't the one for her and disappear again and again.

 

Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper.

 

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin's prejudice about nice girls like her? Unless...could this be love?

 

The Review 

 

Here goes nothing... This is literally one of the most scary reviews I have ever had to write!

 

But before I start, I need to get the negative out of the way- I really don't like the name change to Hardin.  I understand why it had to be altered, but Hardin just sounds so unBritish. I did kind of get used to it after a while, and for anyone coming to After for the first time it wouldn't be an issue at all.  I guess he'll just always be Harry to me *shrugs*  The other major name changes are Liam/Landon, Louis/Logan, Niall/Nate, Zayn/Zed- I actually really like the last one, but the others not so much.  They're only names though, and I can get over that.

 

For those who don't know, the story itself is in classic New Adult frenemies territory- preppy girl (Tessa) goes off to college leaving her reliable-yet-unexciting boyfriend (Noah) back in her hometown.  Finding herself thrown into a group of alternative types with tattoos and piercings, Tessa wonders where she fits in.  It's her roommate Steph who really opens Tessa's eyes to how appearances can be deceptive, and I love her.  She's a strong female with a real sense of her own identity and is a good friend to Tessa-she's got that rebellious streak but a good heart.  I'd love a friend like her.

 

Hardin is a bit more complex.  He's troubled, and broody and at times downright rude.  But he's also sexy as hell and has a reputation for being pretty darn amazing in bed. Oh, and he likes reading the classics.  Which all in all makes for a lethal and undeniably attractive character.  In real life I look for devotion and honesty, but in fiction I like my men with a bit of attitude and Hardin has that in bundles. 

 

Hardin was physically based on this beautiful man. What's not to love?

 

Of course, I'm not giving anything away if I let slip Tessa and Hardin become 'involved'.  It's messy and toxic with some steamy sex thrown in for good measure, but mostly their story is of fraught arguments and a power struggle. 

 

This is where some people find After hard. 

 

Both Tessa and Hardin can be selfish, both Tessa and Hardin are stubborn.  There is a lot of game playing between them where they seemingly testing each other. Tessa does this through meddling in Hardin's fractured family life, whereas Hardin closes off, uses sex to control Tessa and for large parts of the book is pretty awful.  There are people who have said After glamorises abusive relationships and that it shouldn't be released, especially when teen girls are reading it.  Two points on this from me.  Firstly, I don't think it does.  Tessa goes into the relationship with her eyes wide open and builds enough confidence to leave if she so wished.  And After has always been more about infatuation than straightforward love.  Secondly, those who say 'teens shouldn't read after because it gives an unhealthy view of relationships'- would you let teens read Jane Eyre?  Because having a wife locked in an attic isn't really healthy either, but I don't think Bronte was advocating it just because she used it as a plot device...

 

The editing has definitely improved the quality of the writing.  Wattpad is a fabulous place to get down ideas but Anna and her editors have really added to the style and substance of the book.  It is really, really readable- one of those books where you settle down to read a few pages and BAM- half your day is gone because you have been suckered in.  Put simply, if you're a fan of new adult fiction, then you have got to read After. 

 

Overall, I am really, really proud to 'know' Anna.  She built up from writing updates on her phone to a publishing deal and the After series is going to be a huge global phenomenon, even moreso than it already is.  I'm glad to have found Hardin and Tessa before the explosion which is coming.  And although it makes me a bit sad to say it, it's time for the fandom to share Hessa *sob*

 

*******

 



And I am EXCEPTIONALLY fortunate to have a little video snippet of the gorgeous Anna that she made exclusively for Books with Bunny (see, told you she was lovely) thanking everyone for their support.  Mwah. xxx

 

 1D fanfic lovers, you can find me on Wattpad here .

 

AND IF YOU WANT TO PREORDER AFTER....

 

 

Ebook links:
Kindle: amzn.to/1D9Yj6w
Google Play: bit.ly/1pgjfOW
Kobo: bit.ly/1uzvUDc
iTunes: bit.ly/X5Dd87

Paperback links: Amazon: amzn.to/1Da0OWI
Waterstones: bit.ly/1oOrMt3
WHSmith: bit.ly/ZmpHPt
Foyles: bit.ly/1qYb27M

The First Time We Met- Pippa Croft

 

The Blurb
The First Time We Met is the first novel in the sizzling new Oxford Blue romance series from Pippa Croft.

Senator's daughter Lauren Cusack is leaving Washington behind for the dreaming spires of Oxford University - and she's ready for a challenge. Now a fully-fledged Master's student, Lauren is determined to make the most of every single minute.

But then she meets Alexander Hunt, and everything changes.

A devastatingly handsome English aristocrat, Alexander is as brooding and enigmatic as they come. Lauren tries to resist his advances, but he has his sights clearly set on the young American, and what Alexander wants, he gets.

Caution soon gives way to mind-blowing passion and Lauren is drawn into Alexander's privileged world of glamour and status. But all that glitters is not gold - for Alexander is a man with a dark past, and desire may not be enough to conquer all else ...

The Review
I'd heard so many fantastic things about this book that I couldn't put off reading it any longer.  And once I started it I was engrossed.  Totally and utterly engrossed.  Here's what I loved about this book.

This is an unapologetic sizzling romance full of lust and desire.  I love a good steamy passion-fest and this was perfect.  Lauren Cusack is the stereotypical well-to-do American abroad, studying for a Masters in art at Wyndham College, Oxford.  However, studying isn't all she is doing in Oxford- Lauren is charmed by Alexander Hunt, the future Marquess of Falconbury, and he proves to be a major distraction...  To be honest, I can't blame her for falling for his charms.  He's all enigma and testosterone, completely masculine.  Yum.  There is so much sexual tension in this book.  Pippa Croft captures the overwhelming physical attraction between Lauren and Alexander and my kindle was steaming up when the inevitable finally happened.  It was hot.  REALLY hot.

However, The First Time We Met is not just out and out smut (not that there is anything wrong with that, I just like a bit of story with my sex scenes).  The rest of the Oxford set, Lauren's best friend Immy, arrogant posh toffs Rupert, Gideon and Piers, bitchy Valentina and a pervy professor are interesting characters who add depth to the story.  I also loved the university setting with the famous dreaming spires and Lauren's charming attic bedroom.  When we are later thrown into life at Falconbury, old money and prestige reign.  It is a competitive world, full of male bravado and opinionated women waiting to made snide remarks.  If you can imagine Made in Chelsea in a novel, you won't be far off The First Time We Met.  Sex, drama, elitism, but above all else, completely addictive.  I loved it and moved straight onto the second book in the series, something I rarely do! 

It's fair to say Lauren and Alexander had me begging for more...

The First Time We Met is out now, published by Penguin.

With thanks to Penguin for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Roomies- Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando

 

Roomies is a YA book exploring the transitional period between leaving school and going to University.  Elizabeth and Lauren are two very different people who are allocated a room share.  They wonder if they will get on at all, but over a summer of emails they begin to open up, talking about their hopes and fears.  I loved how the power of the internet and the opportunities it offers for developing friendships before meeting in person is explored in this book.

Roomies captures the teen angst perfectly, the self doubt, the worries about relationships, the uniqueness of this time where you are no longer a child but not quite an adult.  Roomies tugged on my heart strings and took me back to that time in my own life.  It would be a great read for anyone who is preparing to go to University this Autumn. 

The strength for me lies in the depth of Lauren and Elizabeth's personalities.  They are very much temperamental teens-not always the most likeable, yet always relatable.  Because Roomies is written partly in emails and partly in insightful prose, the reader really gets to know the girls, and as they the book progresses I felt more and more empathy towards each of the girls and their insecurities.

I really enjoyed Roomies, a modern take on the classic coming of age genre.  It has a large dose of friendship, a smattering of relationships, a sprinkling of sex and a whole load of family drama.  Overall, a touching and tender read.

Roomies is out now, published by Hodder and Stoughton.

8.5/10

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.