Review: My Skylar, by Penelope Ward

My Skylar by Penelope Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once I finished ‘Jake Undone’, I had to start ‘My Skylar’ to get Skylar’s story. This book can be read as a standalone, but reading ‘Jake Undone’ will provide a brief introduction to Skylar and a little insight into her background. Similarly, you’ll have the backstory for Jake and Nina, Skylar’s super-supportive friends, if you’ve read that book first. However, it is not necessary to read ‘Jake Undone’ first to understand and/or enjoy ‘My Skylar’.

Skylar and Mitch meet when they are young children. Mitch’s grandmother lives across the street from Skylar’s family. He comes to stay with his grandmother one summer while his parents split up.

The two find that they have a lot in common, despite their separate upbringings. In no time at all, they become best friends. They spend every waking moment with each other, until Mitch has to return to his home.

When Mitch’s father shows up unexpectedly early to pick him up, he is surprised. He is only more surprised by the news that his parents are getting divorced. As a young boy, the demise of his parent’s marriage has shook his belief in the foundation of marriage. He even questions the permanence of “love”.

Skylar does not hear from Mitch for years. As a teenager, she hears his name at a party and immediately the memories come back. She has never forgotten the boy that walked into her life all those years ago, even if he seemed to have forgotten her.

When Mitch returns as a teenager to live with his mother in his grandmother’s home, Skylar and him pick up their friendship where they left off. It is almost like he never left. Only, now there is a definite sexual attraction brewing between the two.

This was a story that delivered a ton of angst and teenage melodrama. There were several times that I found myself wanting to shake Mitch and Skylar. So much heartache could’ve been avoided if they had only been open and honest with each other. It was incredibly frustrating at times, as they danced around each other ignoring the elephant in the room.

Along the way, the story takes a few unbelievable twists. I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy the story, but I did think that some of the twists were over-the-top. Skylar and Mitch were dramatic enough without having some of the extra twists in my opinion. I kept thinking “What else?”. It was like the universe was working to keep these two apart.

This story follows Mitch and Skylar’s relationship from childhood into adulthood and there are plenty of angst-filled moments along the way. They are together, then they aren’t. They’re inseparable, then they’re estranged. It was enough to give me whiplash at times.

Despite all of the back and forth, I found myself glued to my headphones while I listened to their story. It was angsty and over-the-top, but I loved it. My heart broke at times, but it worked out perfectly in the end. I recommend this story for anyone that loves a HEA, but isn’t afraid to work for it or cry a few tears along the way.

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Review: Jake Undone (Jake, #1), by Penelope Ward

Jake Undone by Penelope Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

‘Jake Undone’ is one of those books that I’ve had sitting on my Audible shelf for quite some time, but never got around to listening to. After finishing a couple of great dark books, I was looking for something a little “lighter”. While this book ended up having some pretty emotional twists, it certainly was uplifting enough to balance out some of my recent dark, gory reads.

Admittedly, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like it since my tastes have changed a bit. Lately, I’m finding that many of the college-aged, YA-type books just aren’t doing it for me. I was worried that this book would be one of those irritatingly immature romances that have started to lose their appeal for me. Luckily, ‘Jake Undone’ ended up being just right.

Nina Kennedy meets Jake Green when she moves into the apartment that he shares with a childhood friend of hers. Only, when Nina shows up she gets more than she bargained for. What better way to meet your new roommate for the first time than to eavesdrop on his steamy one night stand, right? Talk about awkward.

As Nina struggles to adjust to life in a new city, Jake becomes her primary source of support and comfort. The two become fast friends and the sexual tension is thick between the two. Jake becomes her math tutor and a life coach of sorts, helping Nina conquer the irrational fears that plague her daily life.

Little by little, Nina comes out of her shell. Jake helps her to face her fears and she is able to make it through her days without suffering from crippling anxiety. The two are practically inseparable, with the exception of the weekends when Jake has to return back to his hometown of Boston.

Jake is standoffish at times and avoids taking his relationship with Nina to the next level. They want each other, but his repeated brush-offs leave Nina feeling unwanted. That couldn’t be farther from the truth where Jake is concerned.

There is a huge part of Jake’s life that he hasn’t been upfront with Nina about. He doesn’t know how to tell her everything. The longer he waits, the more he fears losing her and the harder it gets to explain why he hasn’t already told her everything. Eventually, it all comes crashing down.

Even though I guessed the twist before it was revealed, it didn’t make it any less emotional or upsetting. I felt Nina’s pain. All the while, I felt Jake’s also. It was so easy to understand and to relate to each of their viewpoints. I was angry. I was heartbroken. Yet, I also felt compassion for Jake while admiring his loyalty and strength.

This was not a couple that came across their HEA easily. They had to fight for it, but eventually persevered. Although this story was heartbreaking at times, it was beautiful and worth the pain. I am glad that I finally made it a point to listen to this one. Overall, it was a great choice.

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Review: Smoldering, by Tiffany Aleman

Smoldering by Tiffany Aleman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had this audiobook sitting on my Audible shelf for a long time. Finally, I decided to give it a shot as a way to recuperate from the book hangover I was suffering from after finishing K. A. Linde’s ‘Avoiding’ series. ‘Smoldering’ ended up being a good choice for that purpose.

The heroine, Kelsey, is a young lady from a very wealthy family. The daughter of a prominent politician, she is little more than a prop for her parents’ social image. Always yearning to please them, she has allowed herself to be controlled by her parents.

On the day of her wedding, she finally has a long overdue epiphany. She’s standing at the altar, in the midst of marrying a man that she hates, when she realizes that her parents will never truly love her. Trying to please them or make them proud is a pointless endeavor.

For once, she decides to make a decision based upon her happiness. Knowing the fallout will be tremendous, she musters up the courage to take a stand. She leaves her groom standing at the altar and doesn’t look back.

Despite being disowned by her parents, she knows that she has done the right thing. Cut off completely, she moves with her best friend and makes ends meet by working as a waitress. Her life is a far cry from the opulence of her past, but she is happy for the first time in her life.

When she meets Riley Jackson, a local military man, things are finally going right for her. The two have a whirlwind romance and fall in love quickly. Theirs was definitely a case of insta-love.

Just as their relationship begins to get more serious, Kelsey’s past and present collide. What ensues is a clusterf*ck of epic proportions. Betrayal. Hurt. More betrayal. It gets really ugly, really quick.

While I love angst and usually live for the emotional pain a great story can evoke, this story left me feeling a little irritated. With the way Riley was so quick to dismiss Kelsey, and the way he acted almost immediately afterwards, I just couldn’t believe that he really cared all that much for her in the first place. I just didn’t buy it.

Then, after all of Riley’s insensitive actions, he barely even mutters an apology before Kelsey takes him back. Seriously? To make matters worse, she actually assumes a large part of the blame because she had never told him about her ex…even though she didn’t lie and it never really came up.

I absolutely hate it when the heroine turns into some sort of weak, pushover that takes on the blame for the hero’s bad behavior. Ugh! Kelsey needed to grow a damn spine and send Riley packing for good. He didn’t even grovel. Nope. I was not happy at all.

Overall, it ended up being just an “okay” book for me. It started out strong, but then everything hit the fan and there was no coming back for me. Once everything was kind of “resolved” and the characters got their HEA, it seemed to drag on and on also. Maybe I was just irritated because their HEA was not a HEA for me…but the last 45 minutes of this audiobook seemed unnecessary to me.

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Review: Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding, #3), by K. A. Linde

Avoiding Temptation by K.A. Linde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The final book in the ‘Avoiding’ series, ‘Avoiding Temptation’ provides the answers to all of the questions that I had. At last, I can put my frustrations to rest. Finally, I know how things work out for Lexi.

I don’t want to spoil this series for anyone, so I won’t say exactly who Lexi ends up with…or if she ends up with anyone at all. However, I will say that if you’re a fan of angst that this is one of the most angst-filled series that I’ve ever encountered. I could not believe the massive amounts of drama that played out over the course of this series.

This book certainly lived up to the reputation of earlier books in the series in that regard. There was never a dull moment. I couldn’t get enough of this salacious soap opera. This series is such a guilty pleasure. I know I should be appalled by the characters’ actions…but I just can’t stop reading!

As glad as I was to finally know how things worked out for Lexi and her string of male admirers, I was sad to see this series come to a close. I loved every minute of this series. It is probably one that I will re-read in the future, because I just can’t get enough of these characters.

I don’t want to ruin it for anyone, so I’ll just say that this is one series that you want to read. If you like forbidden love stories with a TON of angst, look no further. This is the series you’ve been looking for!

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Review: Avoiding Decisions (Avoiding, #1.5), by K. A. Linde

Avoiding Decisions by K.A. Linde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading ‘Avoiding Responsibility’, I simultaneously read ‘Avoiding Decisions’ while listening to ‘Avoiding Intimacy’. Of all the books in the series, ‘Avoiding Decisions’ was the only one that was not available in Audible format. I like to start and finish a series in the same format, so that kind of bugged me…but not nearly enough to keep me away. This series is my latest addiction!

Unlike the other books in the series, ‘Avoiding Decisions’ wasn’t really a full-length book. It is a compilation of two “novellas” really. While I enjoyed every minute of it, it read like an “extra” or “bonus material” vs. an actual book.

The first part of ‘Avoiding Decisions’ describes Jack and Lexi’s first encounters from Jack’s POV. Reading this helped me to understand some of his actions, even if I disagreed with his choices. I needed reassurance that Jack’s feelings for Lexi were sincere after everything he’d put her through. This book gave me that.

Likewise, the second part of ‘Avoiding Decisions’ provides Ramsey’s account of his first encounters with Lexi. In much the same way as Jack’s story convinced me that he had real feelings for Lexi, Ramsey’s story did not. If anything, his story confirmed my suspicions that Lexi was a fill-in for Parker and that he was never really in love with Lexi.

That being said, this book only covered a very brief period of time from the POVs of either Jack or Ramsey. It is quite possible that Ramsey later came to love Lexi very much, as he professed. It is also possible that Jack later fell out of love with Lexi, as this book only provided a brief glimpse into the beginnings of these relationships and did not follow them for the entire course of their relationships.

My only gripe is that I still feel like Lexi was never enough. Jack supposedly loved her, but still didn’t care enough to make her a priority. Why were her feelings always less important than everyone else’s? It drove me nuts!

This was a very quick read and well worth it if you’re a fan of the series. Like the other books in this series, I ate this one up. I cannot get enough of this sordid, angsty, drama-fest! I just love it!

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Review: Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding, #2), by K. A. Linde

Avoiding Responsibility by K.A. Linde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once I finished reading ‘Avoiding Commitment’, I immediately downloaded ‘Avoiding Responsibility’. I was completely sucked in by this story and I couldn’t wait to find out where Lexi’s life was going to take her after the upset at the end of the first book. Even though Lexi epitomizes poor choices and a lack of self-respect, I cannot get enough of her story. I’m a masochist like that!

If you haven’t read ‘Avoiding Commitment’, know that this review may contain some spoilers for that book. ‘Avoiding Responsibility’ is the second book in the ‘Avoiding’ series and the books should be read in order to maximize enjoyment and understanding of this story.

Back in New York City, Lexi is left to lick her wounds. Meanwhile, the planning for Jack and Bekah’s wedding is underway. Talk about a nightmare! I spent a fair amount of time moping around, grieving and alternately raging, with Lexi for most of this book. It was just so unfair!

While Jack is relegated to a background role in this second book, Ramsey becomes a primary focus. Where Jack has left Lexi broken, Ramsey sweeps in to pick up the pieces. As much as I liked Ramsey – and I really did like him – I had “friend-zoned” him long ago. So, when Lexi begins to see him as more than a friend, I never really got on board with that.

It’s a hang-up of mine. I always want the heroine to end up with the “first” guy that I experienced her falling in love with. (If that makes any sense.) Even though Jack was a complete and total douche, I was still doodling “Lexi + Jack forever” in my mind.

Since this book centers on Lexi and Jack moving on with their lives without each other, I was left with a hole in my chest. No matter how destructive, it was hard to let go of the idea of their love. It pained me.

While Jack and Lexi’s relationship may have changed drastically, Lexi’s tendency to make very poor decisions did not. Poor Lexi always settles for second-best. It was sad, really. My heart broke for her as she again picked a guy that would never place her first. Ramsey may have even grown to love her on some level, but it was clear that he was still hung up on his ex-girlfriend, Parker. I just kept thinking, “Man, Lexi really knows how to pick them!”

Of course, this book had several twists and surprises along the way. Jack may have been less of a central focus this time around, but he’s still lurking in the background. No matter what they say, Lexi and Jack have not gotten past whatever it was they had together. Sparks fly and feelings get hurt. If you think you’ve seen the end of the drama surrounding these two, you’d be sadly mistaken. It isn’t over, baby!

Overall, I am still loving this series. I am a sucker for an angsty, forbidden romance that rips your heart out. This story definitely delivers on that account. I plan to listen to the next book immediately. I am very thankful that I didn’t read these books immediately upon their release. The wait for the release of the next books would have killed me!

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Review: Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding, #1), by K. A. Linde

Avoiding Commitment by K.A. Linde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow! I am still trying to get my emotions – mainly anger – under control after reading this one. I have not wanted to pummel a hero like this in a long time! Ugh! I’m not sure I can articulate how furious I am with Jack, but I’m going to give it a shot.

The story begins in present-time, with Lexi receiving an unexpected phone call from an old friend, Jack. It is very apparent that Jack broke Lexi’s heart and that there are some unresolved feelings lingering. Clearly, the two had an intense history and Lexi never recovered from whatever Jack did to her.

Almost immediately, I wanted to strangle Jack. I didn’t know who this guy was exactly at this point in the story, but I couldn’t believe his audacity. With the obvious heartache that Lexi was still harboring, he calls and asks her to convince his new girlfriend that he is capable of commitment. Say what? I was like, “This guy has some damn nerve!”

Ultimately, Lexi caves. She agrees to do this “favor” for her old “friend”. I knew that it would play out that way, but I was still like “Oh, hell no!”. After all, the story had to go somewhere.

As I’m sure you can guess, Lexi and Jack together results in a flood of sexual tension and unresolved issues. It is so obvious that neither one has ever really gotten over the other one. You know that you’re in for a lot of drama and angst.

The girlfriend, not surprisingly, ends up being a royal bitch. I loathed Bekah. Honestly, if she weren’t so despicable, I might have felt bad for her. After all, she loved Jack and he was messing around with Lexi all the time. The fact that Bekah was such a horrible person really made it easy to overlook Jack and Lexi’s indiscretions…which was crucial to enjoy this story.

Like Lexi, I began to fall for Jack’s charm and it was so easy to see how she got sucked in again. However, Jack’s sketchy behavior and indecisiveness has Lexi being jerked around. As their story unfolds through repeated flashbacks, it becomes clear that this is a long-standing pattern of behavior between Jack and Lexi.

Lexi and Jack meet in college and always seem to find their way back to each other. From their first date, Lexi is hooked. She can’t get enough of him. The feeling is mutual, but there’s a problem…Jack has a girlfriend!

When the cat’s finally out of the bag, Lexi is outraged. She, rightfully, walks out on Jack and tells him exactly what a scumbag he is. Yay, Lexi! At this point, I’m totally with her. I was feeling all indignant and high on my “girl-power” mojo. (Picture me walking around my kitchen with my headphones on, drinking a glass of wine and cursing Jack while making dinner.)

Unfortunately for Lexi, that isn’t the last time she will cross paths with Jack. Through mutual friends, their lives are intertwined. Lexi eventually begins to date one of Jack’s friends, which leads to more “chance” encounters between Jack and Lexi.

This is where I started wanting to shake some sense into Lexi. You know that saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…”? Never has it been more applicable to a situation than it was to Lexi’s. No matter what this guy did, she caved and fell for his charms again and again. It was incredibly frustrating. At the same time, I couldn’t help but want Lexi and Jack to end up together. I guess I kind of fell for his charms too.

Jack is definitely a character that I loved to hate. He was irresistible, even though your brain tells you that he’s bad news. There were so many times that I wanted to scream as he repeatedly broke Lexi’s heart. At the same time, I was incredibly conflicted because she did her fair share of harm to others in her pursuit of Jack.

Part of me questioned whether or not Jack ever truly cared about Lexi at all. After all, his actions sure didn’t show it. Maybe I’ve deluded myself as much as Lexi did, but I just can’t believe that he didn’t really love Lexi.

Regardless of what my heart says, my brain says that Lexi should have some self-respect. Honestly, the things that Jack did were inexcusable. Not that he spent much time groveling, but I’m not sure that there would be enough groveling – ever – to make up for the way he treated Lexi. Lexi’s best move would be to pack up and move somewhere far, far away.

The ending of this book really threw me for a loop. I could not believe it! I wanted to throw a temper tantrum.

That being said, I could not pull myself away from this story. I immediately jumped into the next book in the series and have marathon read the entire series in a couple of days. It was like watching a bad wreck unfold in front of my eyes. I couldn’t stop watching as their sordid lives played out for me.

I don’t think I’ve read a cheating book that was this angsty and had me tied in knots like this since reading S. C. Stephen’s ‘Thoughtless’. Holy hell! It’s painful, but I’m hooked.

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