Review: The Butterfly Project by Emma Scott

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“Lessening the misery of the past will lead to a brighter future.”

This book surprised me. I was not expecting it to be very emotional. There were times when I ugly sobbed because the book hit me so hard in the feels. I really enjoyed it, and I could see myself rereading it just to experience it again.

I was completely overwhelmed with how kind the characters were. Kindness and forgiveness are two major themes in this book. And if I’m being honest, two of the biggest contributors of my tears. There were so many gestures of kindness that warmed my heart.

It is a powerful book that tells a really great story. In essence, it’s about two broken souls who find themselves together, and as the story progresses they influence each other in a positive way making an everlasting mark on each other. But it is also so much more than that. The supporting characters were just as important as the main characters.

Like mentioned earlier, kindness and forgiveness are heavily explored in this book. And both of those shown through the main characters but also the supporting characters. Some other important aspects of this book include: family, friendship, love, and grieve. I really feel that the author did everything well.

A random tidbit that I also enjoyed is that in the novel we see artwork from Zelda’s graphic novel. That was interesting, and it made the story that she was trying to tell more real. I got to see it, instead of just picturing what it was supposed to be like.

I also thought that the story of the graphic novel was just as interesting as the main book story. I would read that graphic novel. It is an emotional and raw graphic novel, and as readers we get to see Zelda’s pain transformed into her art.

Characters

Usually, in some books you have those few bad characters that spread hatred for no reason. However, in this book, all the characters were great and kind. And you can’t help but love them all. It is also is important to note that they all are flawed and some made a few mistakes. They have a tragic past, and they’re trying to better themselves.

I truly loved all the characters. And they all touched my heart. The supporting characters were more than background characters. They each contributed to the story and were such a huge part of Zelda and Beckett’s lives and development. For example, Roy Goodwin is Beckett’s parole officer and is so helpful to Beckett. He offers to help Beckett pay rent, and invites him over for Christmas dinner with him and his wife.

I really loved that Zelda was an artist who had dreams of creating a graphic novel. I won’t spoil her reasoning and passion for doing so, but I will say that it will make you cry. Her past is tragic and throughout the story we see her try to cope with it. I thought that she was a strong main character. And her determination was inspiring. Instead of going back to Vegas, she stayed in New York and worked harder.

I loved Beckett just as much as I loved Zelda. He was so kind. Beckett is a convicted felon; and we see him cope with the guilt of what happened. It was great to see him become a better person and learn from his mistakes.

The romance was slow burn, and I thought that fit well. It was great to see them develop a friendship before they entered a romantic relationship. Zelda and Beckett had great chemistry. I especially enjoyed that Beckett helped Zelda with her graphic novel. The bonding time was nice.

And it was great to see them help one another in their own special way.

Final Analysis

The Butterfly Project is a touching story about forgiveness, kindness, and lost. The characters are extraordinary and will bring so much joy to your heart. This book will leave you in tears. It is extremely touching.

Review: The Roommate by Kendall Ryan

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There are not many New Adults books were the male romantic lead is younger than the female romantic lead. Also, New Adult books where the female romantic lead is friends with his sister and feels that forming a romantic or sexual relationship with the brother is a big No-No. So this was a new dynamic. Obviously, the stories are still similar regardless of gender. But it was worth noting, that this book sort of switches the roles.

It was a decent read. I finished faster than I had thought I would, and overall, the story was not too bad. There are tiny sprinkles of angst, but it isn’t too overwhelming. The characters are likable. And the story is finished with a neatly tied bow.  

However, it did feel a little rushed, especially the romance aspect of it. Cannon is pursuing a dream of being a doctor, so it can be assumed that his schedule is busy. Which it was at certain points in the book. But because of the busy schedule, moments of him and Paige were few. If they did have a moment, nothing incredibly special stood out. There are not any defining moments that jump out and scream “these two belong together.” This could be contributed to the book being fast paced. I personally believe they needed a little more time together before they reach that point at which they were at the end of the book.

And speaking of the end of the book, although it was a happy ending, it wasn’t very satisfying. I was not as understanding of character motives as I wish I was.

There were a few explanations that felt weak. For example, the reason why Cannon can’t be in a relationship. The reason was not really constructed well and was there just to be there. Another thing that didn’t really work, was the idea that every woman who sleeps with Cannon ends up being crazy.  It just contributed to the pile of unnecessary drama and miscommunication.

Characters

Like mentioned earlier, the characters were likable. As a whole, I didn’t really have a problem with Paige or Cannon. Paige’s backstory was bit of a mystery, and I would have liked to see more of it explored. Cannon was a decent guy. My heart did swoon when he cooked dinner for Paige. That was cute.

The character development is what I had a problem with. It was nonexistence. Both of them had a tendency to act childish, and it was a little off putting.

Final Analysis

The Roommate is a quick, decent read with likeable characters. It does get a little predictable and pacing is extremely off, which causes the romance to lack real development.

Review: Crown of Lies by Pepper Winters

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I was hesitant to read this book. Although the summary sounded interesting, I was very afraid that I would be disappointed afterwards. After reading, I would not necessarily say I’m disappointed just a little conflicted with my feelings. This book had some things that were definitely not for me. However, the mystery of who the hooded man was highly alluring. Honestly, Elle and the mystery are what kept me reading. I do wish that everything would had been revealed in this book, because I’m not sure if I want to continue in this world.

There are few aspects that I have concrete feelings about. One of those things happened in the last stretch of the book. The “big reveal” made me very upset. It felt insulting to Elle’s character. And I hope that there is more to that aspect of the story because Elle does not deserve that. It is a messy plot point, and hopefully in the second book it will be fixed.

Characters

This book was heavily dominated by males and that was a little off putting. The lack of female characters was very apparent.

I did think Elle was a good main character. It was a little frustrating that her opinion meant nothing to the men in the book. There were several times when Elle would tell a guy (the hooded guy & Penn) to leave and instead of listening they would dismiss her command. It left me with a bad taste.

Another thing that bothered me with Elle is that her feelings were confusing. I was not sure how she felt about Penn. Did she really like him or was she scared of him?

Penn was unlikeable. He was highly controlling, rude, and highly secretive. It was so frustrating when he refused to give Elle straight answers.  

I did not sense the chemistry between him and Elle. The romance lacked development and was confusing. I was not sure if I was supposed to support it or be against it. A part of me felt like it was a little abusive. If I do continue, I hope that Elle does not end up with Penn.

Final Analysis

Crown of Lies was not my cup of tie. However, many enjoyed it. So it might just be me. The mystery was alluring, but is overshadowed by a main character who is not allowed to express her feelings, an over dominating romantic lead, and a random ending.

Review: Anything You Can Do by R.S. Grey

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I think this might be my all-time favorite R.S. Grey book. Her books usually range from “okay” to “decent” for me, but this one was fantastic. And I hope that I will enjoy her future books this much too.

Anything You Can Do was surprisingly really funny, and I found myself not wanting to put it down. I was immediately sucked in, and felt a huge book hangover once I finished.

It was a very captivating story with top-notch banter and amazing characters. The characters start off as enemies but as the story progresses we see them start to realize that maybe they could be more than enemies. Maybe they could be lovers?

The story and the romance was nicely paced and progressed well. It was not instalove, and it felt very real. The characters had a lot of chemistry and also history. Their past history brought another dynamic to the story. Daisy and Lucas did not start hating each other in their adult life. They had years of “hatred” before they both took the job at the family medical practice. They’ve been hating each other since they were babies, and all their life they have been competing against each other.

So it was interesting to see how and why that “hatred” started and if they actually hated each other. Also, because of their past history it made the story feel a little less random. If these two characters had met later in life, I do not think that readers would have got to experience that amazing rich history and chemistry between the two. Another thing that I appreciated about the story, was that Daisy and Lucas were interesting as enemies and also as lovers. The chemistry and banter did not die down once they did get together.

It very much feels like a romantic comedy. It has the right amount of cheese factor and drama to make it interesting without being overwhelming. I would love to see this play out a big screen because it was a refreshing and fun story to read with the perfect mix between humor, steaminess, and sweetness.

Review: The Prince & The Player by Tia Louise

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I enjoyed the premise of this. I do wish that it was executed better. It was definitely a very unbelievable and predictable tale, and it left me with unanswered questions. I noticed that there was a second book; however, most of my questions come from the lack of backstory. It is worth mentioning that the cliffhanger does make you want to read the second book.

We are told multiple times that Ava and Zelda had a rough life growing up which led to them making questionable career choices (cons artists) in this book. But the details of that backstory is a little vague. Something terrible happened to Ava in her past, but it felt like it glanced over and causally mentioned.

One thing that I did enjoy was the bond between Ava and Zelda. This was one aspect of the book that was developed the most. Again, a little more backstory with them would have been nice, but what is given you do get a good sense of their relationship.

The thing about this book is that if you want a quick read without dissecting it, this is a good book. There is some potential there. It has some nice action, two romances for the price of one, and a good sisterly bond.

Characters

This book is told in two alternating POVs- Zelda and Rowan. Zelda’s POV was fine because she knows what exactly is going on. Rowan’s POV felt a little unnecessary and distracting because he was in the dark. I get that the author was attempting to show the buildup of Rowan and Ava’s relationship; but it would have been better in Ava’s POV.

As a whole, Zelda’s character was probably the most developed, and I believe that her POV could be contributed to that. The others felt more distant.  

The idea of two romances was amazing. The issue is that it felt very instalove and lacked real development. The idea of having a committed relationship was new to all of these characters, and when there is a serious lack of character and romantic development it does tend to fall a little flat and make you question things.

Also, another issue with the romance is that because it’s in Zelda and Rowan’s POV, we only see one side of the romances developing. Which cuts the chances to see what the other side is feeling.

Out of the two, I enjoyed Cal and Zelda’s the most. Cal was funny, and I felt a real connection growing between him and her. Hopefully, the second will spend more time developing these relationships.

Review: Playing With Trouble by Joya Ryan

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I'm always a sucker for the broken hearts finding their mend in a contemporary romance but in this one, we have some chatting to do about Laura and Jacob.

Laura Baughman decided after her divorce to regroup and head back home to Oregon. She hadn't been there since after graduation but more importantly, has been haunted and guilt stricken for not being there for her mother's death. Her mother meant everything to her which coming back home has her facing unresolved feelings and emotions. After everything that had gone wrong, the one thing that she was looking forward to was taking over her mother's flower shop but was surprised to find it no longer was business. 

Well, it had been 10 years that passed and her dad had left out a few things. Their family business that was once shared with her mother no longer existed but a new chapter started with someone who had become the son he never had, Jacob Locke.  He partnered together to start a business that brought more success than he could've ever imagined. The problem is,  Laura has come back to claim what is rightfully hers but where does that leave Jacob? Well, to solve this problem, her dad gives them both thirty days to prove who could handle it all and that person will get everything. 

Now, let's dive into Laura and Jacob. I have a few things to say about them. Now they both have issues, which always makes these types of books either great or predictable. Their backstory had me wanting so much more than what I got but it was redeemed in the end. 

Laura, is the kind of gal that makes bad choices in men, as a result each situation takes away a part of her that's make her unable to trust them. She is the type who tries to push on to make dreams and goals but comes in contact with those guys who step on it and make her feel like she isn't good enough. This becomes dangerous because she is protecting her heart and doesn't' want to get too close because she is afraid it is going to be broken. Jake, is a good guy but because he has been broken by women looking to leave for bigger and better, he has a way of sabotaging his relationships and not even know it. He just goes about it the wrong way. 

In theory, these two are perfect together but the way their relationship evolved made me a little frustrated. I wanted to see more of them breaking down their walls to get to there they did in the end. I would've hung onto every word. I would've sung it's praises more rather than accept it's predictability.  For me personally, I loved each of the characters and what they brought to the story but I wish the plot could have been developed more in terms of them coming together emotionally.  That aspect of the them I feel cheated because I felt bombarded with the steamy scenes that for me weren't necessary compared to what I got from them in terms of the type of evolving relationship that they had. They could've been greater than what they were. Now, if that was the intention of the plot to build that tension and disconnect to get to the end, than that's another story and I'll accept it.

Overall, it was a nice story that drew me in and it's always good to get those broken hearts that have a chance for fate to bring them together. I wish more could've been explored and less on some of the other stuff. All in all, a fun, light book that I think you'll enjoy.