July & August 2016 Recap

You may have noticed that the blog was a bit quiet in August, I ended up taking a completely unplanned blogging break after having a run in with some wasps. The little buggers managed to sting me on my forehead and on my arm and I ended up having a really bad reaction. I was stung on a Thursday afternoon but it took until Saturday morning for the swelling to come out and then it just kept getting worse and worse throughout the day. I ended up having to go to A&E on the Sunday morning to get it checked out because I could hardly open my eye when I woke up. You can see from the pictures how much it changed in less than 24 hours - I looked like I'd been punched in the face by a boxer LOL.

I ended up being prescribed a week's course of antibiotics, told to take enough antihistamine tablets to make me rattle when I walked and having to use ice packs to help bring the swelling down. I felt rather sorry for myself for a while there! Reading went completely out of the window (it's hard to focus when you can only see out of one eye properly!) and I didn't even bother switching my laptop for a couple of weeks. The meds left me exhausted so even after the swelling went down it took absolutely ages for me to start feeling better. I'm now even more nervous about wasps than I was before and I think this sums up the evil little bastards perfectly:

So apart from the whole wasp incident this has actually been a pretty awesome summer what with a camping trip and various friends coming to stay. It's been a very long time since I last took a blogging break (in fact, I don't think I've ever gone this long without posting regularly in the six and a half years I've been writing this blog!) so it was quite nice to just put it all to one side and forget about it. I'm actually having a bit of trouble motivating myself to get started again but I'm hoping I'll get back into the routine soon because I do miss it really :o)

Books read in previous months but reviewed in July & August:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. Allegiance of Honour - Nalini Singh (Read in April, reviewed in July)
2. The Wrath and the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh (Read in June, review coming soon)
3. Stripped Bear - Kate Baxter (Novella) (Read in June, review coming soon)
4. Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison (Read in June, review coming soon)
5. Blood Shadows - Lindsay J. Pryor (Read in June, review coming soon)
6. Hard Ever After - Laura Kaye (Novella) (Read in June, reviewed in July)
7. Glory In Death - J.D. Robb (Read in June, reviewed in July)
8. Ride Hard - Laura Kaye (Read in June, reviewed in July)
9. Seven Up - Janet Evanovich (Read in June, review coming soon)

Books read in July:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. Hard to Serve - Laura Kaye (Novella)
2. City of Shadows - Pippa DaCosta
3. Oblivion - Jennifer L. Armentrout
4. Magic Slays - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
5. Animal Querkles: A puzzling colour-by-numbers book - Thomas Pavitte (Colouring Book)
6. Hidden Blade - Pippa DaCosta
7. Lured - Rebecca Chastain (Novella)
8. Lord of Chaos - Robert Jordan
9. Taking the Bait - Audrey Noire (Novella / Serialised Novel)
10. 200 Cupcakes: Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook - Joanna Farrow (Cookbook)
11. Taking Sides - Audrey Noire (Novella / Serialised Novel)
12. Desiring Red - Kristen Miller (Novella / Serialised Novel) (Review coming soon)
13. Magic Tests - Ilona Andrews (Short Story) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
14. Magic Gifts - Ilona Andrews (Novella) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
15. Gunmetal Magic - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
16. Retribution Clause - Ilona Andrews (Novella) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
17. Magic Rises - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
18. The Emperor's Arrow - Lauren D.M. Smith (Review coming soon)
19. Immortal in Death - J.D. Robb (Review coming soon)
20. Who's Afraid - Maria Lewis (Review coming soon)
21. Monstress, Vol 1: Awakening - Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda (Graphic Novel) (Review coming soon)
22. Nevernight - Jay Kristoff (Review coming soon)
23. Magic Binds - Ilona Andrews (Review coming soon)

Books read in August:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne (Review coming soon)
2. Angel Dares - Joss Stirling (Review coming soon)
3. A Crown of Swords - Robert Jordan (Review coming soon)
4. Haunted by the King of Death - Felicity Heaton (Review coming soon)
5. False Hearts - Laura Lam (Review coming soon)
6. Rock Wedding - Nalini Singh (Review coming soon)
7. Magic Steals - Ilona Andrews (Novella) (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
8. Magic Breaks - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
9. Archangel's Heart - Nalini Singh (Review coming soon)
10. The Sight - Chloe Neill (Review coming soon)
11. Magic Shifts - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
12. Magic Stars - Ilona Andrews (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
13. Front Lines - Michael Grant (Review coming soon)
14. Day Zero - Kresley Cole (Review coming soon)
15. Witches' Bane - Pippa DaCosta (Review coming soon)
16. Angels' Blood - Nalini Singh (I re-read this book but the link takes you to my original review)
17. Barbarian Alien - Ruby Dixon (Review coming soon)

Other July & August Posts:

1. Spotlight: Hard to Serve - Laura Kaye (Excerpt, Trailer & Giveaway)
2. Crafting Corner: Book Folding Art inspired by Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy
3. Cover Reveal: Haunted by the King of Death - Felicity Heaton
4. Cover Reveal: Bound to Submit - Laura Kaye
5. Movie Trailer: A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness
6. Blog Tour: Rock Wedding - Nalini Singh (Excerpt & Giveaway)
7. Guest Review: The Teleportation Accident - Ned Beauman
8. Ten Most Anticipated Contemporary Romances for the Second Half of 2016
9. Blog Barrage: Haunted by the King of Death - Felicity Heaton
10. Cover Reveal: Every Little Thing - Samantha Young
11. Join the #HashtagReads brand new newsletter for the chance to win your height in books!

July & August Books of the Month:

(Choices are made from books reviewed this month and the links will take you to my reviews)

My top YA reads in July & August:

Oblivion by Jennifer L Armentrout (read my review here)
Animal Querkles by Thomas Pavitte (read my review here) (Yes I do know that this is an adult colouring book but I love it so it totally counts LOL).

My top NA read in July & August:

City of Shadows by Pippa DaCosta (read my review here)

My top adult reads in July & August:

Allegiance of Honour by Nalini Singh (read my review here)
Hidden Blade by Pippa DaCosta (read my review here)

July & August Events:

I've been pretty hopeless at writing up events recently so I've decided to start mentioning them in my monthly wrap up posts so they at least get a little attention!

6th July - Chapter 5 Proof Party

It seems like a long time ago now but back in July I was incredibly excited to be invited to the Chapter 5 Proof Party, especially when I found out that Jennifer L. Armentrout would be there as the special guest! I've been a fan of Jennifer's writing for years now so I was incredibly excited to meet her. She was absolutely lovely and signed a HUGE stack of books for me (a couple that may be being used for giveaways on this blog over the next few months so make sure you keep an eye out!).

Meeting Jennifer L Armentrout & getting 

my huge stack of books signed!

Chapter 5 also treated us to some super exciting proofs for some of the novels they'll be releasing in the second half of 2016 (and even a couple from 2017!). I picked up copies of Frostblood by Elly Blake, Replica by Lauren Oliver (which both sound fantastic) along a book I'm INCREDIBLY excited about, Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Caraval was described as perfect for fans of The Night Circus and Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series so that has definitely caught my attention.

Books, glorious books and delicious

cupcakes inspired by Jennifer's books

Thanks Chapter 5 for a brilliant evening and for the awesome books, I can't wait to read them all!

11th August - Egmont Blogger Day

In August I was invited to my first Egmont Blogger Day which was being held at Drink, Shop & Do, one of my favourite event locations in London. The Egmont team had pulled out all the stops and spoiled us with plenty of delicious nibbles and enough tea to sink a ship. Not to mention a selection of awesome authors and an amazing goodie bag!

Sarah Driver, Michael Grant, Eugene Lambert & Kevin Brooks

plus the fabulous goodie bag we came home with!

We got to meet debut author Sarah Driver whose middle grade adventure story The Huntress: Sea will be released in 2017, this sounds like such a fun read - I just wish we didn't have to wait so long to get our hands on it. Then we listened to Michael Grant talking about his alternate history WWII novel Front Lines where he reimagines the war with one major difference - young girls were allowed to fight alongside the boys in the American army! I've actually already finished this book (I'll get my review posted ASAP) and it's brilliant so definitely one to grab if you enjoy historical fiction. Eugene Lambert was talking about his science fiction novel The Sign of One and he gave the aspiring writers in the room some interesting tips on how to write their own sci-fi story. Last but not least we heard from Kevin Brooks about his upcoming novel Born Scared which is about a young boy who is terrified of pretty much everything but who has to find a way to put his fears to one side when he's forced to leave his home in an emergency. This sounds like a story I'm going to find it very easy to relate to and it seems like Kevin has drawn on his own experiences to help him write it so I'm expecting it to feel very true to life.

Thanks to Egmont and all of the authors for a brilliant day, I'm really excited about all of the books mentioned so I'll try and get them read and reviewed ASAP!

House of Minalima

After the event Kirsty and I decided to visit the House of Minalima's Harry Potter exhibition on our way home. Minalima are the design team behind a lot of the props for the Harry Potter movies (all the posters, the Hogwarts letters, Hogwarts school books, the Marauders Map, packaging for the sweets (like the Chocolate Frogs and Every Flavour Beans) and so much more. It's completely free to get in and you can see some of the real movie props on display and take photos until your hearts content so it's well worth a visit if you're in London. They have some of the posters and other items on sale in their shop too but I'll warn you now it's on the expensive side.

House of Minalima & bumping into Laura Kaye

The funniest thing was bumping into one of my favourite authors the lovely Laura Kaye while we were there! I was lucky enough to meet her a couple of years ago when she did a signing in London but this time she was just visiting with her family for a holiday so it was a complete coincidence that we happened to be at Minalima at the same time. I didn't want to keep her for long but we did manage to get a quick selfie before we both got back to our sightseeing & it was a lovely way to round off the afternoon.

My Challenge Updates:

These are the challenges I've signed up for in 2016:

2016 Read 100 Books in a Year Challenge - Read 133/200
2016 British Books Challenge - Read 20/50
2016 New Author Challenge - Read 25/50
2016 Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Challenge - 65/100
2016 Contemporary Romance Challenge - 15/20
2016 Romantic Suspense Challenge - 11/20

Review: Tempting the Best Man - Jennifer L. Armetrout

She'll make him lose control . . .

Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother's best friend since they were kids. Everyone things she and Chase gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic: One, Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and two, after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can't stop bickering.

Forced together for her brother's wedding getaway, Madison and Chase decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they have to shack up in a tacky 70's honeymoon suite and survive the family's attempts to prove their spark can be used for more than fighting. That is if they don't strangle each other first . . .

Gamble Brothers Series:
Tempting the Best Man
Tempting the Player
Tempting the Bodyguard

Visit Jennifer L. Armentrout's website for more information

Review:
Madison has been in love with her older brother's best friend for as long as she can remember but apart from one drunken night Chase has never shown any interest in her as anything more than friends. Their easy friendship was destroyed the night they made out and then Chase walked away without a backward glance and now, on the rare occasions when Madison isn't able to avoid him, they find themselves constantly bickering. Chase always cherished his friendship with Madison but after watching his father's constant cheating destroy his mother he's determined to avoid relationships himself. When a family wedding forces the two of them into close proximity it's very hard to resist the heat that builds between them but Chase hasn't changed his mind about relationships and Madison is determined not to get her heart broken all over again.

I tend to have high expectations to Jennifer L. Armentrout / J. Lynn's contemporary romances and I love the older brother's best friend trope so I was looking forward to reading Tempting the Best Man and I hate to admit it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped it would be. It's not a bad read by any means but it's definitely not one of her best. The story is quite predictable, that isn't something that bothers me on it's own - after all most contemporary romance is predictable to a certain extent - but coupled with the completely forced and unnecessary drama towards the end it just irritated the heck out of me.

For the most part I liked both Madison and Chase, they have great chemistry and I enjoyed the heat between them. I loved the interactions with Madison's family and Chase's brothers, that family dynamic always adds a little extra to the story and it was amusing watching them meddle in the budding relationship. Everyone else could see how Madison and Chase felt about each other and they were determined to push the two of them together. There was a lot of humour in the story and it was a great light hearted read but I could have done without the contrived drama towards the end of the story. It definitely lost a star for the last few chapters, especially since there was a huge amount of drama and stress and then it was all resolved within a couple of pages. I liked Chase's brothers enough to want to read their stories though and I'm definitely hoping that the series will only get better from here.

Source: Purchased

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.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Trust in Me - J. Lynn

From the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of WAIT FOR YOU, this is the story of Cam and Avery’s sizzling romance as you’ve never seen it before, told exclusively from Cam’s perspective…

Cameron Hamilton is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women. But when Avery Morgansten comes crashing into his life – literally – he finally meets the one person who can resist his soulful baby blues. But Cam’s not ready to give up – he can’t get this feisty and intriguing girl out of his head.

Avery has secrets, secrets that keep her from admitting the feelings Cam knows she has for him. What will it take to help him break down her barriers and gain her trust? Or will he be shut out of Avery’s life, losing his first real shot at the kind of love that lasts forever?

Wait for You Series:
Wait for You
Trust in Me
Be with Me (2013)
Stay with Me (2014)

Visit J. Lynn's website for more information

Review:
I absolutely loved Wait for You and I fell head over heels for Cam when I read that book so I was incredibly excited when I first found out we were getting to see the story from his point of view. I was looking forward to getting inside his head and seeing exactly what he thought of Avery and why he was so persistent in his pursuit of her. As anyone who is a fan of J. Lynn / Jennifer L. Armentrout would expect Trust in Me is incredibly well written, it has some very swoon worthy moments and made me fall even more in love with Cam than ever. Unfortunately it just doesn't add much to Avery and Cam's story.

I don't mind this new trend of re-telling books from a different character's point of view but it only really works for me when they have something new to tell us, something that we haven't seen before that will give us extra insight into the story that we didn't get the first time around. Actually I'm more of a fan of stories that are follow ups to the first book but from the guy's point of view, I'd rather see how the couple is getting on after the end of their previous book and I think telling part of their happy ever after from the opposite POV is a fantastic idea (I'm thinking of Losing It and the follow up Keeping Her by Cora Carmack when I say that). Unfortunately in the case of Trust in Me we get pretty much the entire story of Wait for You repeated but from Cam's POV instead of Avery's and I did find myself starting to get bored. It might have worked better for a novella but when you're talking over 200 pages it needs more than that to hold my interest.

The story does give us a bit more insight into Cam's sister Teresa and his best friend Jase which was nice since they are the main couple in the next book, Be with Me, but I wanted more. Like I already said Trust in Me was very well written and I did enjoy it but just not as much as I'd hoped to and I think perhaps if I'd left it longer after reading Wait for You I would have enjoyed it more. It was great to get inside Cam's head and I'm sure anyone who loved the first book will still find this a worthy read though. I'm still desperate to get my hands on Be with Me and J. Lynn / Jennifer L. Armentrout is still one of my favourite authors.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley 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.

Paperback / Kindle:

Trailer Reveal: Frigid - J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)

I'm a huge fan of Jennifer L Armentrout (and her pseudonym J. Lynn!) so I'm thrilled to be taking part in the official trailer reveal for her latest novel Frigid. I absolutely can't wait to read this book and the trailer has just made me even more excited!

Before we get to the trailer let me tell you a bit more about the book:

Blurb:
For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn’t anything new. They’d been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the ‘man’ in man-whore. He’s never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn’t want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she’s perfect and she’s everything. But the feelings he has for her, he’s always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they’re stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor’easter, there’s nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

To Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frigid-ebook/dp/B00CONW5I6/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1373937221&sr=8-1&keywords=frigid+j+lynn

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Frigid-ebook/dp/B00CONW5I6/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373884777&sr=1-1&keywords=Frigid

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/frigid-j-lynn/1114986686?ean=9781939392749&itm=1&usri=frigid

Author bio:
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

So I know you've all been waiting for the trailer so without further ado here it is:



What do you think? It looks fab doesn't it!! If any of you have already read Frigid I'd love to know what you thought of it! Which is your favourite Jennifer L. Armentrout / J. Lynn book?

If you don't already have a copy then you might want to check out this fabulous giveaway that Jennifer L Armentrout is hosting to celebrate the Frigid release. You can be in with a chance of winning a $100 gift card for Amazon or B&N, a signed ARC of Frigid with a selection of swag OR a snowflake necklace. Make sure you visit Jennifer's blog for your chance to win: http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/frigid-is-out-winners-contest/

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)

Review: Wait for You - J. Lynn

Some things are worth waiting for…

Travelling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn't need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for…

Wait for You Series:
Wait for You
Trust in Me
Be with Me (2013)
Stay with Me (2014)

Visit J. Lynn's website for more information

Review:
Avery deliberately chose a college far away from home, one that allowed her to get away from her family and the people she used to consider her friends before the terrible night that changed everything. All she wants is to be able to live her life without being constantly harassed, she wants to stay out of the spotlight and hopefully make a few friends. The last thing she is looking for is a boyfriend, especially not one with a reputation as a player. She meets Cam on her first day after literally running into him, he is absolutely stunning and most of the girls on campus have a crush on him which is a huge reason for Avery to stay far away from him. That isn't quite so easy when she discovers that he is also her neighbour though. Cam is drawn to Avery, there is something about her that makes him want to get to know her and it doesn't matter how many times she turns down his request to go on a date he isn't going to give up. Before she even realises what is happening Cam has started to break through Avery's defences but she is still keeping a huge secret, one that she is scared will make him walk away from her. As her past starts to catch up with her Avery has to decide if she can trust him, not just with her secrets but also with her heart.

I'm a huge fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series but I hadn't got around to trying any of her adult contemporary romances written under the name of J. Lynn yet. Even so I jumped at the chance of reviewing her first new adult romance Wait for You and I'm so glad I did because I loved it. I've been devouring contemporary romance recently and I'm loving the NA age range as well as adult stories so I had high hopes for this and thankfully I wasn't disappointed. I already knew this author had a knack for writing swoon worthy heroes but she outdid herself with Cam and I fell head over heels!

I want to start off by talking about Avery though, she was such a fantastic heroine. Someone who has been through so much and who is still struggling to put the past behind her but she is a survivor, the kind of girl who wants to turn her life around and find a way to be happy. I'm sure a lot of people in her situation would have given up but she is determined to get a fresh start. I found myself absolutely livid at her parents, her mother in particular, for the way they treated her. To think that she had gone through something so horrific and then nobody, not even the people who are supposed to support her unconditionally, believed her was awful. Considering that she has spent years with people bullying her and blaming her for something that was in no way her own fault it isn't surprising that she has trust issues. In spite of that Avery wants to find friendship again, she is a caring person and wants to have people she can share that with even if she does struggle to let people in. I felt that her reactions were incredibly realistic considering everything that had happened to her and I found it incredibly easy to relate to her.

Now I've already mentioned how swoon worthy Cam is but I don't think I have the right words to do him justice. He is a cocky bugger but I loved that arrogance and swagger he has about him. He never takes it too far though and makes no apologies for being who he is. Not only is he gorgeous with a body to die for he is also caring, protective, kind and gentle. Even when Avery hasn't opened up to him he can tell that something has happened in her past and he is incredibly patient as he sets about earning her trust. I think a lot of guys would have given up long before Cam does, especially when she constantly rejects his requests to go on a date, but he knows that she needs to get to know him before she will agree and is prepared to put the effort in. I have no idea how Avery managed to resist Cam and his witty banter for as long as she did though, I'd have been swooning all over him long before she was! Besides who can resist a guy who brings them home made treats like cookies and brownies and comes round to cook you breakfast every weekend?

One of the things I loved most about this story was the fact that Avery and Cam take time to get to know each other as friends before they jump into a relationship, there is obviously attraction between them from the very first moment but by the time they start dating they genuinely care about each other. I did get a tiny bit frustrated that it took Avery so long to open up to Cam but given her past experiences I really couldn't blame her for that. I don't want to get into the details about what happened to her, you'll have to read the book to find out, but I do think it was sensitively handled and I was pleased with the way things turned out in the end. Wait for You is a fabulous love story, one that tackles dark subjects and that will bring tears to your eyes but also one that will have you laughing out loud one moment and falling head over heels in love the next. I can't wait to carry on reading this series and I'll definitely be picking up some of J. Lynn's adult romances to tide me over while I wait for the next instalment.

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

Other Reviews:
Escape into Words
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.

Paperback / Kindle: