Review: All Wrapped Up for the Holidays - Anthology

Six standalone holiday short stories!

The Merry Mistake by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

Note to self: Ask Santa for glasses this year. When I accidentally mistook a gorgeous man resting outside my building for a homeless person in need of lunch, we got into it. I’d only been trying to do a good deed around the holidays, but he called me righteous. I called him something far worse. If only I didn’t have to see him again. But fate had other plans.

Finding Perfect by Colleen Hoover

A short story that brings back several of Colleen’s most beloved characters. Told from the point of view of Daniel from Finding Cinderella, readers will finally get the story they’ve been begging for more of. For the best reading experience, make sure you’ve read all three books that come together to make up this heartwarming and fun holiday short story; Finding Cinderella, Hopeless and All Your Perfects.

A Rock Chick Christmas by Kristen Ashley

What's Christmas with the Starks like? Get a peek into the Rock Chick world and how Luke copes with Ava going Christmas gaga and just what he will, and won't, do for his girls during the holidays.

Just Say When by Jill Shalvis

When the one you want …

Is the one you can’t seem to have…

Can love conquer all?

The Pact by Elle Kennedy

Thanks to my hectic schedule as a pro hockey player, my girl and I are spending more time apart than together. Luckily, I have a solution—a romantic New Year’s Eve getaway in the mountains, just me and Grace and plenty of sexytimes. Except this blizzard has other ideas...

The Package by K. Bromberg

Christmas week can’t get any worse for Jules Jilliland. Dumped by her boyfriend, rear-ended on the freeway, and fired from her job, she finds herself stuck in an elevator with a handsome stranger. When their packages are accidentally swapped, will it end up being a misfortunate accident that suddenly brightens her holidays?

For more information about any of these authors you can visit their websites by clicking the links below:
Vi Keeland
Penelope Ward
Colleen Hoover
Kristen Ashley
Jill Shalvis
Elle Kennedy
K Bromberg

Review:
All Wrapped up for the Holidays is a collection of six short stories offered for free to fans of the authors involved. You can download your copy via BookFunnel here for a limited time.

The Merry Mistake by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

I've heard great things about both Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward but this is the first time I've read one of their books. I'm not sure if The Merry Mistake is linked to any of their other books but it worked perfectly as a stand alone. It's a really cute romance between Piper and Mason, two characters who meet when Piper mistakes Mason for a homeless man and buys him lunch. He is rather insulted by her assumption and calls her a self-righteous do-gooder so they don't get off to the best of starts! However fate has a way of throwing them back together and they find they have a lot more in common than they could have imagined.

I really enjoyed this one, it was the right amount of sweet without being over the top, there was a good amount of humour and both characters were extremely easy to like. I definitely plan to check out more books from both of these authors in the future.

Finding Perfect by Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover recommends reading this story after her books Finding Cinderella and All Your Perfects so, since I've not read either of those books yet I skipped this one. I will come back and update this review at a later date when I get around to reading it though.

A Rock Chick Christmas by Kristen Ashley

This story is about characters from Kristen Ashley's Rock Chick series. I did try to read it but there were so many different names dropped in the first few pages that I was totally confused. I'm sure this is brilliant for fans of the series who get to catch up with familiar characters but it didn't really work as an introduction to the world so I didn't even finish reading it. Again I'll come back to it at a later date if I ever read the Rock Chick books.

Just Say When by Jill Shalvis

Heartbreaker Bay Series:
Sweet Little Lies
The Trouble with Mistletoe
One Snowy Night (Novella)
Accidentally on Purpose
Chasing Christmas Eve
Holiday Wishes (Novella)
About That Kiss
Hot Winter Nights
Just Say When (Short Story included in the All Wrapped Up for the Holidays anthology)
Playing for Keeps
Wrapped Up in You
Twist of Fate (Novella)

Just Say When is part of Jill Shalvis' Heartbreaker Bay series so I'm sure anyone who has read this series will already be familiar with the characters involved but I'm happy to say it's still a really enjoyable read even if you're new to the series.

James and Julia have been dating for several months but he's becoming increasingly frustrated by the way she always sneaks out of his bed in the middle of the night. He wants more from their relationship but he's scared to push her as he knows she's been hurt before and it's made her gun-shy. I won't say any more than that but I thought these two made an adorable couple and I really enjoyed seeing them figure out what they both want from the future. I hope we get to discover what happens next for them in the main series and this story has definitely given me a kick to get reading the rest of the Heartbreaker books.

The Pact by Elle Kennedy

Off-Campus Series:
The Deal
The Mistake
The Pact (Short Story included in the All Wrapped Up for the Holidays anthology)
The Score
The Goal

The Pact is part of Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus series and is all about characters Logan and Gracie who feature in the second book of the series, The Mistake. I've not actually read any of the books in that series so I was a bit worried I wouldn't enjoy this story but I couldn't have been more wrong. I loved both of these characters and reading this has DEFINITELY made me want to read the other Off-Campus books.

Logan and Grace are already a couple here but they're finding it increasingly difficult to spend time together as she's busy with her studies and he's travelling the country as a professional hockey player. This story is about putting in the effort to keep a relationship alive, it's about making time for each other even when you're exhausted and basically it's just about remembering what's important. I'm sure if you'e already read The Mistake you'll love the chance to catch up with these two but even if you're new to the characters it's still a really sweet and pretty hot read.

The Package by K. Bromberg

K. Bromberg is another new to me author that I've heard good things about but never got around to reading. I'm not sure if The Package is linked to any of her other books or series but I was able to enjoy it as a stand alone so it wasn't an issue.

This was the very definition of a meet cute as characters Julia and Archer bump into each other when they get trapped in a broken down elevator. Julia is having the worst day ever and ends up ranting about the company and her job to Archer completely unaware of the fact that he owns the company. I found both of these characters likeable and I was left feeling that they could become a great couple in the future. I did find a couple of things completely unbelievable (like her job offer and bonus cheque) but overall this was a cute and funny read.

Source: Downloaded for free via BookFunnel here

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Ten Most Anticipated Contemporary Romances for the Second Half of 2016

The Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge is hosted by Gone with the Words and Love at First Page. As part of the challenge they are setting a different topic every month that participants can choose to join in with which I think is a brilliant idea so you can expect a post like this to appear at random most months throughout the year.

The July Prompt is:

Ten Most Anticipated Contemporary Romances for the Second Half of 2016

(Links below will take you to the book's Goodreads Page)

1. Bound to Submit - Laura Kaye
2. Rock Wedding - Nalini Singh
3. Sweet Little Lies - Jill Shalvis
4. It Ends With Us - Colleen Hoover
5. The One Real Thing - Samantha Young
6. Don't Tempt Me - Lori Foster
7. The Sapphire Affair - Lauren Blakely
8. Hard Rules - Lisa Renee Jones
9. The Protector - Jodi Ellen Malpas
10. Bedmates - Nichole Chase

Are any of these books on your list? Which other contemporary romances should I be adding to my wish lists?

Favourite Romance Beach Reads

The Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge is hosted by Gone with the Words and Love at First Page. As part of the challenge they are setting a different topic every month that participants can choose to join in with which I think is a brilliant idea so you can expect a post like this to appear at random most months throughout the year.

The June Prompt is:

Favourite Romance Beach Reads

(Links below will take you to my reviews)

I tried to pick books that have a summery feel to them so most of them have a beach or holiday setting but there are a couple that are just really fun and lighthearted so make the perfect poolside read when you're on holiday!

Young Adult:

1. Pushing the Limits - Katie McGarry
2. Better than Perfect - Simone Elkeles
3. The Square Root of Summer - Harriet Reuter Hapgood
4. Forever - Judy Blume
5. Saint Anything - Sarah Dessen

New Adult:

1. Inseverable - Cecy Robson
2. Come Back to Me - Mila Gray
3. Slammed - Colleen Hoover
4. The Secret of Ella and Micha - Jessica Sorensen
5. While it Lasts - Abbi Glines

Adult:

1. Simply Irresistible - Jill Shalvis
2. Roman Holiday - Ruthie Knox
3. Hollywood Dirt - Alessandra Torre
4. Sun Kissed - Amanda Abbott
5. The Pact - Karina Halle

My Top Ten Contemporary Romances Of All Time

The Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge is hosted by Gone with the Words and Love at First Page. As part of the challenge they are setting a different topic every month that participants can choose to join in with which I think is a brilliant idea so you can expect a post like this to appear at random most months throughout the year.

The April Prompt is:

My Top Ten Contemporary Romances Of All Time

(Links below will take you to my reviews)

I've kind of cheated a little because it was impossible to narrow it down to just 10 books! So I've picked my Top books for three different categories, Young Adult, New Adult and Adult. I read a lot less contemporary YA so I've only chosen 5 of those but I've picked my top 10 NA and Adult books.

Young Adult:

1. Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles
2. If I Stay - Gayle Forman
3. Pushing the Limits - Katie McGarry
4. Saint Anything - Sarah Dessen
5. The Square Root of Summer - Harriet Reuter Hapgood (review coming soon)

New Adult:

1. Rock Hard - Nalini Singh
2. Come Back To Me - Mila Gray
3. Once Pure - Cecy Robson
4. Losing It - Cora Carmack
5. Before I Fall - Jessica Scott
6. Deeper - Robin York
7. Ugly Love - Colleen Hoover
8. Sins & Needles - Karina Halle
9. Easy - Tammara Webber
10. Anything but Broken - Joelle Knox

Adult:

1. Forever and a Day - Jill Shalvis
2. Ride With Me - Ruthie Knox
3. Hearts in Darkness - Laura Kaye
4. Wrecked - Shiloh Walker
5. The Siren - Tiffany Reisz
6. Bared to You - Sylvia Day
7. A Wild Ride - Vivian Arend
8. On Dublin Street - Samantha Young
9. 30 Days - Christine d'Abo
10. Hollywood Dirt - Alessandra Torre (review coming soon)

So what do you think of my choices? Would you pick any of the same books as me? Have I missed off any of your favourites?

Contemporary Romance Recommendations for Newbies

The Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge is hosted by Gone with the Words and Love at First Page. As part of the challenge they are setting a different topic every month that participants can choose to join in with which I think is a brilliant idea so you can expect a post like this to appear at random most months throughout the year.

I know I'm a bit late posting this but it's a great topic so I still wanted to take part! Hopefully I'll get the March topic up in the correct month LOL.

The February Prompt is:

Contemporary Romance Recommendations for Newbies

(Links below will take you to my reviews)

I decided to spilt my recommendations into 3 categories, YA, NA and Adult so that hopefully there is something here for everyone. I've chosen 5 of my favourite authors for each category, more often than not I'm recommending a whole series so there are a lot more than 15 books for you to choose from!

My Young Adult Contemporary Romance Recommendations:

1. Simone Elkeles - Perfect Chemistry Trilogy
2. Cat Clark - A Kiss in the Dark
3. Katie McGarry - Pushing the Limits series
4. Morgan Matson - Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
5. Sarah Dessen - Saint Anything

My New Adult Contemporary Romance Recommendations:

1. Nalini Singh - Rock Kiss series
2. Cecy Robson - Shattered Past & O'Brien Family series
3. Mila Grey - Come Back to Me series
4. Colleen Hoover - ANYTHING she writes!
5. Cora Carmack - Losing It

My Adult Contemporary Romance Recommendations: 

1. Jill Shalvis - Animal Magnetism & Lucky Harbor series
2. Laura Kaye - Hearts in Darkness
3. Samantha Young - On Dublin Street series
4. Ruthie Knox - Ride With Me (or basically any of her contemporary romances!)
5. Katee Robert - Come Undone & Out of Uniform series

So what do you think of my choices? Do any of these make your list? Are there any books I've not mentioned that you think are must reads?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn't

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

Today's topic is Top Ten 2015 Releases I meant to get to but didn't. There were actually a lot of 2015 books that I was really excited about but never got around to reading but here are the ones I REALLY want to try and get to soon!

My top ten releases I meant to get to in 2015 but didn't:

1. Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner - I absolutely loved the first two books in this trilogy so this book was at the top of my Christmas wish list. Thankfully Santa (in the form of my Dad!) left this wrapped up under the tree for me so I really need to get to it soon.
2. The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May - It has been a long 2 year wait for this book to be published so I'm really excited about this one, I did manage to reread The Falconer in December so I'm ready to dive into The Vanishing Throne.
3. Mind Games by Jana Oliver - I'm a huge fan of Jana Oliver and her Demon Trappers series is one of my favourites so I ordered a copy of Mind Games the minute I found out about it and I have absolutely no excuse for why I STILL haven't read it!
4. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger - I finally managed to finish Gail's Parasol Protectorate series last year but I have this one last book in the Finishing School series.
5. A Whole New World by Liz Braswell - I was intrigued by the idea of this book from the moment I first heard about it, it's a retelling of Aladdin with one major difference. What would have happened if Jafar was the first one to find the lamp? Doesn't that sound brilliant? Yup, no excuses for why I've not read it yet!
6. Ink & Bone by Rachel Caine - I love Rachel Caine so this is another preorder that I've failed to get around to reading.
7. November 9 by Colleen Hoover - Colleen is another autobuy author for me, her stories never seem to go in the direction you expect them to but I always fall in love with her characters.
8. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski - After loving The Winner's Curse this was high on my wish list for 2015 but now I've left it so long I think I'm going to wait for the release of The Winner's Kiss and read the whole trilogy in one go.
9. Soundless by Richelle Mead - I saw some amazing reviews of Soundless which made me really want to read it but since then I've seen some not so great reactions that have made me nervous. I will be brave and to try it soon though!
10. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - I'm not sure why but the hype for this book pretty much passed by me unnoticed but I was recently sent a copy of Glass Sword for review and the blurb sounds great so I ordered a copy of Red Queen to read first.

So what books are on your list? Have you read any of the ones on mine? Which ones do you think I should read first?

Review: Ugly Love - Colleen Hoover

UK Cover

An unforgettable love story that breaks all the rules.

When Tate Collins finds airline pilot Miles Archer passed out in front of her apartment door, it is definitely not love at first sight. In fact, they wouldn't even consider themselves friends. But what they do have is an undeniable mutual attraction.

He doesn't want love and she doesn't have time for a relationship, but their chemistry cannot be ignored. Once their desires are out in the open, they realise they have the perfect set-up, as long as Tate can stick to two rules - never ask about the past and don't expect a future.

Tate convinces herslelf she's ok with it, but soon realises that it's harder than she thought. Will she be able to say no to her sexy pilot when he lives just next door?

This new romance from Colleen Hoover will have you laughing and crying in equal measure - definitely her best book yet!

Visit Colleen Hoover's website for more information

Review:
I don't know how she does it but every single time I pick up one of Colleen Hoover's books she manages to hook me in from the very first page, she then takes me on a roller coaster of incredible highs followed by heartbreaking lows and once she has me so twisted up that I don't think I'll ever smile again she manages to capture a perfect moment of happiness that leaves me in tears of joy. I don't know how she does it but she does it Every. Single. Time I pick up one of her books and I love her for it! So, obviously I had high expectations for Ugly Love and I wasn't disappointed, in fact I think I now have a new favourite Colleen Hoover book.

I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to start Ugly Love just before I went to bed but my copy had arrived that afternoon and it was the first opportunity I had to pick it up so I convinced myself that I would just read one chapter to get a taster before I went to sleep. I should have known better, in fact I do know better, but I lied to myself so I could justify diving into the story. What I should have remembered is that it is nearly impossible to put down one of this author's books once you start them and I ended up staying up nearly all night reading. I would have finished this book in one sitting if I'd just been able to keep my eyes open for an extra hour but as it was I fell asleep with the book in my hand. The characters were the first thing I thought of when I woke up and I refused to do anything else (even get out of bed!) until I'd finished reading the story.

Ugly Love is told from the dual perspectives of both Tate and Miles, Tate's POV is set in the present and shows us how she meets Miles and starts to fall in love with him, while Miles' POV takes us back six years into the past and shows his first relationship - one that obviously broke his heart and turned him away from the idea of love forever. This is a story that is about second chances and finding your way through heartbreak so you can learn to live again. It's about finding the courage to love even knowing the amount of pain it could potentially cause you, it's about being brave enough to realise that no matter how much it might hurt in the future the happiness and joy you can have now is worth taking that risk for.

I loved Tate from the very beginning, she has just moved to San Francisco to study for her Masters degree in nursing and she's moving in with her brother, Corbin, until she gets on her feet and finds a place of her own. She meets Miles when she first arrives because he is sprawled out on the floor in front of Corbin's apartment in a drunken stupor. To say this isn't love at first sight is an understatement and they don't exactly hit it off. Tate doesn't always like Miles but she can't deny the attraction she feels towards him so when he offers her a no strings attached sex only relationship she thinks it's ideal. She's so busy with studying and working in the hospital that she doesn't really have time for a relationship anyway so why not scratch an itch with someone she has great chemistry with? Tate knows exactly what she wants out of life and she isn't under any delusions about what Miles wants from her. It doesn't take long for her to get in over her head though and she soon finds herself falling for him and wishing for the impossible. The closer the two of them seem to get the more resistant Miles becomes and the more he tries to push her away but he still won't open up about why he is so scared to fall in love again.

Miles is a really sweet guy but I have to admit I found it a bit weird reading his POV and watching him fall in love with another girl. His relationship with Rachel is very intense, like first love so often is, but readers are kept in the dark about what happened between them that has turned him so against the idea of loving anyone else. I'm not going to say too much about his back story other than to tell you it was absolutely heartbreaking so make sure you have tissues on hand. What I will say is that I loved the fact that Miles was a genuinely nice guy, he wasn't like a lot of the alpha a-holes we see in so many new adult novels and he obviously cares about Tate and doesn't want to hurt her. It is hard watching him keep pushing her away and I felt her pain because of it but he told her from the beginning that there were two rules they needed to stick to - no asking about his past and no expecting a future - and he stuck to those rules like they were his lifeline. We see little hints that Tate is getting under his skin but he keeps himself so closed off that it is very hard to know if she'll ever break through his barriers. There is such a huge difference in the Miles we see six years ago to the Miles that Tate is with today and I was desperate to find out what caused that change in him.

I really don't want to say more about what happened either in Miles' past or between him and Tate in the present because I want you to be able to enjoy the journey as much as I did. If you've read any of Colleen Hoover's other books you'll already know how capable she is of tying her reader's emotions in knots and that is no different here. One thing I will say is that I think this was probably her hottest book so far and the chemistry between Tate and Miles is off the charts SCORCHING! If you aren't already suffering from heat stroke because of this summer heatwave you soon will be once you start reading this so have your fans at the ready. Colleen Hoover has been one of my favourite authors for a long time now but even if you've never read any of her books I can't recommend this highly enough. If you want a story that is going to make you feel intense emotions, one that will rip your heart to shreds but leave you full of hope and joy at the end, then you need to pick up a copy of Ugly Love today. I'll warn you now though, clear your diary before you sit down to read it because you will not want to put it down!

Source: Received from S&S The Hot Bed in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

US Cover

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Maybe Someday - Colleen Hoover

UK Cover

Colleen Hoover draws you in to this passionate tale of music, love and betrayal . . .

Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble - she's a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from her balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life.

But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope . . .

Maybe Someday . . .

Featuring music from Griffin Peterson.

For more information check the following sites:
Colleen Hoover's website
Griffin Peterson's website
Maybe Someday website

Review:
Sydney's life falls down around her when she discovers her long term boyfriend has been cheating on her with her best friend & room mate. Suddenly she is homeless, friendless and doesn't know where to turn. Help comes from an unexpected corner when her neighbour Ridge offers her the use of his spare bedroom. Her only contact with Ridge previously had been listening to him play his guitar from across the courtyard, she loved his music so much that she'd even started writing lyrics to go along with it but they've only ever spoken by text until now. Ridge is working hard to write a new album for his band but he just can't find inspiration for the lyrics so when he saw Sydney singing along to his music he just had to know what words she had come up with. As soon as he saw her lyrics he knew how perfect they would be so while she is staying with him he asks her to help him finish the rest of the album. Working closely together on the album they find themselves getting closer and closer. It is impossible to deny the attraction between them but there is one major problem - Ridge already has a girlfriend, someone he loves and would never, ever leave.

I have to admit that I was nervous about picking this book up, cheating is a major hot button for me and I would never usually knowingly pick up a book about it (in fact I usually end up DNFing books where I come across it unexpectedly!). However, I am a HUGE fan of Colleen Hoover's so I knew I had to at least try reading Maybe Someday, especially since I'd already listened to some of the songs from the story (recorded by Griffin Peterson) and had loved them enough to buy the whole album the day it was released. I'm glad I gave it a chance because this book was beautiful, it's also heartbreaking, gut wrenching and raw but that doesn't make it any less beautiful or addictive to read. I absolutely loved both Sydney and Ridge and I was desperately rooting for them to end up together but at the same time I didn't want to see Maggie (Ridge's girlfriend) hurt because she was lovely too and didn't deserve to be betrayed.

I think the reason that I was able to get on board with Sydney and Ridge's story is because they were both so determined to do the right thing by Maggie. Sydney knew what it was like to be cheated on and she didn't want to do that to another person and although Ridge had feelings for Sydney he never stopped caring about Maggie too. This definitely isn't your usual cheating story where characters go around betraying each other casually as if it isn't one of the nastiest things you can do to your partner. I can't lie and say I was completely happy about how things went down all the way through but I was glad that Sydney and Ridge didn't easily fall into bed together without a thought to who would be effected by the fallout. In fact, there is very little (apart from one kiss) in the way of physical cheating in this book which probably made it a bit easier for me to read. There is a whole lot of emotional cheating going on, which in some ways is probably worse, but I was completely invested in these characters and I was feeling their emotional connection right alongside them so I found it very hard to be too angry with them.

I don't want to say much about how things play out so you're just going to have to read the book if you want to find out more but I do want to talk a little more about how the music plays such a huge part in the story. If you've read Colleen Hoover's other books you'll know that she often includes poetry or lyrics from her favourite bands in her stories but I loved the fact that she worked together with Griffin Peterson to create the songs that Sydney and Ridge write together in Maybe Someday. Writing lyrics together is such a huge part of their relationship, it's the way they tell each other the things they're afraid to say out loud, so being able to not just read but also listen to the music added a wonderful new dimension to the story. If you go to the Maybe Someday website you can actually listen to all of the songs for free which I think is wonderful but like I already said I enjoyed the music so much that I bought the album and I'd say it's well worth it.

I just loved everything about Maybe Someday, it has everything Colleen Hoover fans have come to expect and then some - her beautiful writing, wonderful characters, lots of humour and incredible emotion plus gorgeous songs to go along with it. I'm so glad I didn't let the cheating put me off because I'd have been missing out on a wonderful read but there aren't many authors who can pull off what Colleen did and make me feel invested in this kind of story! Maybe Someday works perfectly as a stand alone story but I'm really hoping that Colleen decides to write a book about Ridge's brother Brennan - especially if it means she collaborates with Griffin Peterson again to create another album!

Source: Received from S&S The Hot Bed in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
Much Loved Books
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

US Cover

Paperback / Kindle:

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover - Adding Music to the Story

I'm a huge fan of Colleen Hoover so I was incredibly excited to be asked to take part in the UK blog tour for her new book Maybe Someday. I've already had the chance to read the book (which I loved) so I'll be posting my review later today but first I wanted to talk a little about how music plays such a huge part in the story. In fact Colleen Hoover teamed up with musician Griffin Peterson and together they created eight songs that have particular meaning to the two main characters. In the story Ridge and Sydney work together to write the lyrics to music composed by Ridge and the songs recorded by Griffin Peterson are the results of their collaboration.

Check out this video of Colleen and Griffin talking about how they worked together to create the music to go alongside the story:



I already bought the album from iTunes and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed being able to listen to the songs while I was reading the story. Ridge and Sydney find a way of communicating the things they're too shy to say out loud through the lyrics that they write and the songs are a really important part of the story because of that.

As much as I'd recommend buying the album because it really is fantastic you can also listen to the songs online for free via the Maybe Someday website.

I found a couple of videos that Griffin Peterson posted on YouTube that I thought you might enjoy. Here he is singing I'm in Trouble (which happens to be one of my favourite songs on the album):



and this one is of Griffin singing Hold on to You:



In case you haven't watched enough videos yet here is the official book trailer (the background music is the title song Maybe Someday by Griffin Peterson)



I thought it would only be fair to include the official book blurb too just in case you haven't come across it yet:

UK Cover / US Cover

Do you have a preference?

Maybe Someday Blurb:
Colleen Hoover draws you in to this passionate tale of music, love and betrayal . . .

Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble - she's a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from her balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life.

But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope . . .

Maybe Someday . . .

Featuring music from Griffin Peterson.

For more information and to listen to the soundtrack don't forget to check out the Maybe Someday website. You can also visit Colleen Hoover's website or Griffin Peterson's website.

I'd love to know what you think of the idea of creating such an interactive book with songs specifically written to go along with the story. Have you listened to any of the songs yet? If so what did you think of them? Which of the covers do you prefer?

Review: Losing Hope - Colleen Hoover

UK Cover

Dean Holder has spent the last thirteen years obsessing over the moment that changed his life forever . . . the day his best friend was taken from him.

Holder can't help blaming himself for Hope's disappearance, and looks for her in every girl he meets. Until he finds Sky, who is the spitting image of the little girl he let walk away all those years ago, only she doesn't know who he is . . .

But while Holder can't help falling for Sky, he also can't shake the responsibility he feels, and the new guilt that is thrust upon him. In order to move forward Holder must dig deep into his past, and with Sky's help, find the peace that he so desperately needs.

Hopeless Series:
Hopeless
Losing Hope

Visit Colleen Hoover's website for more information.

Review:
I loved Hopeless when I read it earlier this year, the twist completely took me by surprise and I loved seeing how things unfolded as Sky slowly uncovered the truth about her past. I did find Holder's behaviour was more than a little disturbing at the beginning of the book but after finding out what was going on I could understand his actions. When I heard that Colleen Hoover had re-written the story from his point of view I was quite excited to get inside his head and seeing exactly what he was thinking during the pivotal moments. I was also hoping we'd get a lot more insight into Holder's past and to a small extent we do but unfortunately we didn't get enough new material to completely hold my interest.

I did really enjoy learning more about his relationship with his twin sister Lesley and seeing what had driven her to take such drastic action but the majority of the scenes between Holder and Sky were the same ones that we'd already read in Hopeless. I spent a lot of time reading the exact same conversations and wondering what was the point. I think I'm starting to get a bit bored of this new trend of writing the same story again but from a different POV. It can work really well when it tells a different part of the story or adds some insight that we didn't get from the first book but when it's too similar it just feels like a waste of time reading it.

I have to say that Losing Hope is very well written and I probably loved Holder even more after seeing inside his head but I still ended up feeling a little disappointed overall, in fact I think this would have worked better as a novella so that there was less repeated material in there. Colleen Hoover is a brilliant author so I have high expectations when I pick up one of her books but this one fell a little flat for me. If you were a massive fan of Hopeless then you might still want to give this one a try but I'd say it's probably worth picking up a copy from the library or borrowing it from a friend first rather than buying it.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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US Cover

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Reads of 2013 So Far

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

This is the first time I'm taking part in the feature, it's one I've been seeing around the blogosphere for a long time now so I'm excited to finally join in! Today's topic is actually a freebie which means you can pick any theme you like. I've decided to go with my top reads of 2013 so far (this is actually a topic that everyone will be doing in a couple of weeks but I have a blog tour that day so won't be able to take part & thought I'd do it now instead). I'm finding it impossible to narrow it down to just 10 books so I decided I'd split this into 3 categories - YA, NA and adult - and I'm going to choose my favourite 5 books from each age range.

My Top 5 Young Adult reads of 2013 so far:

Infinite Sky by C.J. Flood (read my review here)

With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent (read my review here)

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (read my review here)

Boundless by Cynthia Hand (read my review here)

Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder (read my review here)

My Top 5 New Adult reads of 2013 so far:

While it Lasts by Abbi Glines (read my review here)

Losing It by Cora Carmack (read my review here)

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover (read my review here)

Wait for you by J Lynn (read my review here)

The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen (read my review here)

My Top 5 Adult reads of 2013 so far:

Down London Road by Samantha Young (read my review here)

Night Blade by J.C. Daniels (read my review here)

Beyond Control by Kit Rocha (read my review here)

Edge of Dawn by Lara Adrian (read my review here)

Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox (read my review here)

What are your favourite books of the year so far? Do you agree with any of my choices? What topic have you chosen for this weeks Top Ten Tuesday? Leave me a link in the comments & I'll come and visit your post :o)