Title: As Long As You Love Me
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: 2B Trilogy #2
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Release Date: September 30th 201
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Source: eARC received from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
Amazon | Indigo | TBD | Goodreads







Most people dream about getting out of Sharon, Nebraska, but after three years away, Lauren Barrett is coming home. There are the justifications she gives to everyone else—missing her family, losing her college scholarship. And then there’s the reason Lauren can’t admit to anyone: Rob Conrad, her best friend’s older brother.

Football prowess and jaw-dropping good looks made Rob a star in high school. Out in the real world, his job and his relationships are going nowhere. He can’t pinpoint exactly what’s missing until Lauren comes back to town, bringing old feelings and new dreams with her. But he’s the guy that women love and leave—not the one who makes them think of forever.

Though she’s terrified of opening up, Lauren’s ready to take that chance. Because the only thing more important than figuring out where you truly belong is finding the person you were meant to be with.


I knew I had to read this book considering it was the second book in the New Adult series by Ann Aguirre. I loved the first book, and once I realized that this book had characters that we met previously, I knew I wanted to read it right away!

This book was different than many other new adult books that I have and one of the biggest was the fact that instead of the female character having doubts about herself and her worth, it was the guy. This was refreshing for me to read in the beginning because it gave the story more depth and I honestly just liked that for once the female character was strong and sure of herself. But I will admit that after a while the fact that the guy couldn't see his worth, even after she kept telling him he was everything she wanted, got a bit old. I kept getting very frustrated that he just couldn't get his shit together and man up, you know? It was great for a while but in the end I was just frustrated by his lack of self confidence. And as I write I am aware that there is a huge double standard about this but when I think about it, I would get annoyed at a girl who always complained about herself and her self-worth.

What I did really like was Lauren herself. She was a great narrator and I loved her characters. She was sure footed and self confident even when she wasn't supposed to be. She was sarcasm and outspoken which are great qualities for girls in novels. I also really liked her relationship with Rob, although he made me angry sometimes, I really liked how she dealt with Rob's insecurities and made him into someone who was worthy of his own self love. It was great to read. I really wish we could have seen more of Lauren's budding friendships. We get a glimpse of them near the end of the book but I would have liked for her to have more of that experience throughout the book.

There was one or two plot issues that I had, and if you read any further there may be a spoiler, so beware. When Rob gets offered the TV show in Toronto I found it very hard to believe that he would just be able to move there without any kind of permit of visa, and there was no mention of this by the author. It just seemed unauthentic to make it seem to easy. Also, at the end when Lauren decides to move there with him there was no issue, and that was VERY hard for me to believe, especially when she is not going there to work. She would have to go through a lot of government things in order to get into the country like that and I just wish the author would have made that part more authentic to readers.The other issue I had was when Lauren faked a miscarriage. I found this was very poor taste, especially since there was really no backlash for her and no emotional connection from Lauren herself. It was like she had no idea how serious it was. I just felt like it was brushed off like it was nothing when in reality, when something like that happens to a woman it is quite a bit more emotional and means a hell of a lot more to them then just a story to get out of something. I just found it was quite rude and a bit insensitive.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and the story itself. The characters were great and I loved their growth throughout the story, but ultimately there were some plot issues that made it hard for me to love it as much as I wanted to.

Title: I Want It That Way
Author: Ann Aquirre
Series: 2B Trilogy #1
Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Release Date: August 26th 2014
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Source: eARC received from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
Amazon | Indigo | TBD | Goodreads








Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she's determined to make them come true—for her parents' sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B….

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can't risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia's and Ty's paths cross, and soon they can't stay away from each other.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can't know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.


I love New Adult, but if I am honest I have to say that it can get a bit tired after a while, and i think its because the stories are always the same, with some kind of secret that no one knows and a past that is so horrible that once someone finds out everything changes. So I always go into this genre with interesting expectations, but when I finished this book I knew I had read something incredibly special, and something unlike any NA book I have read in a long time.

Nadia, our main character was quickly a favorite of mine because she was written for us to relate to her on every level. Her struggle at school to keep her scholarship, she struggled to keep her job at the local daycare center, her struggle to keep her friendships afloat admits some crazy drama. All of these things made her a character we, as readers, could relate to, and I loved that.Nadia was a strong fierce character who any girls should aspire to be. Ty, Nadia's love interest was just as amazing. He was sweet, caring and hot. But the fact that he was a single dad just made everything him about him heightened. The way her acted towards his son was probably my favorite part of the book. Without telling us anything we saw who Ty was and what kind of guy he was.

The romance between Nadia and Ty was amazing. I loved every aspect of it because Ann Aguirre has a way with sexual tension and man was it amazing to read. I loved that. And because this was New Adult there has to be a conflict that tears the couple apart and what I think made this book so amazing for me was how real the conflict was. It had nothing to do with someone past, or someone doing something wrong. It was just life getting in the way and the characters not being ready for what their relationship would mean in the end.

Overall this book was amazing. I loved every aspects of this story, from the characters to the conflict, to the secondary characters that definitely made this book that much better. If you are look for a fresh new voice in the New Adult genre, the this book is the book for you. A must read for sure!

Title: My Favorite Mistake
Author: Chelsea Cameron
Genre: New Adult
Format: Paperback, 400 pages
Release Date: August 27, 2013

Publisher: Harlequin (HQN)
Source: Got from Work

Purchase
Amazon | Chapters | TBD | Goodreads





Two secrets. One bet. Who will break first?

Taylor Caldwell can't decide if she wants to kiss her new college roommate or punch him.

On the one hand, Hunter Zaccadelli is a handsome blue-eyed bundle of charm. On the other, he's a tattooed, guitar-playing bad boy. Maybe that's why Taylor's afraid of falling in love with him, or anyone else. She doesn't want to get burned, so she needs him gone before it's too late.

Hunter himself has been burned before, but Taylor's sexy laugh and refusal to let him get away with anything make her irresistible. Determined not to be kicked out of her life without a fight, Hunter proposes a bet: if she can convince him she either truly loves or hates him, he'll leave the apartment;and leave her alone.

But when the man behind Taylor's fear of giving up her heart resurfaces, she has to decide: trust Hunter with her greatest secret, or do everything in her power to win that bet and drive him away forever.


Since I started working at Harlequin, I knew I would have to start reading some of their books. So when I saw that we were publishing a New Adult contemporary novel I was excited to try it out. As you may have noticed I have been on a binge of NA lately and I can't seem to stop, so when I got this book on my desk one morning, I knew I had to read it right away. And I am so glad I did.

Chelsea Cameron is a great writer for many reasons. Her characters are real and relatble and her ability to write dialogue is amazing. I will tell you right now that at many points in this novel I laughed out loud at some of the lines that came out of her characters mouth. They were amazing.

New Adult is a genre that rose fast and might die just as fast. But what I have noticed that each character in NA fiction is damaged in some way. Although it makes for better plot sometimes, I am finding it to be going a little too far. What I loved about my Favorite Mistake was that it dealt with those issues without making it the center of attention. We meet both main characters Taylor and Hunter and we all know that each have issues but their banter back and forth was the center of attention. And I loved that.

The only complaint I have for this book is the packaging. It is extremely sexy and I love the cover, but it in no way represents the content. Although there is some amazing sexual tension, and some sex scenes, they are very tame. So when you look at the cover, don't be fooled. This book is on the lower sexuality side of NA and honestly I thought that was refreshing to read. I loved reading an actual story and not a plot line driving towards 100 pages of sex scenes. This book was a breath of fresh air in a genre that might be dying down.