Peace & Happiness

Monday, June 25, 2012

Legit Looks At Real Books

Good Evening Everyone,

Legit Looks At Real Books is a segment I'm devoting to reviewing books that are actually published. Books that you can obtain at your local book store of via the inter-web. These books will vary from genre and style.

At the end, I'll be rating it from 1 to 5 Channing Tatum kisses.

This post will deal with the novella Hearts In Darkness by Laura Kaye.

What Genre Is This?


This is absolutely a romance that borders erotica. For those that are a little sensitive to incredibly sexual content, this book does touch on the subject, but does a fair job at avoiding those "dirty" words.


So What's This Book About?


It's a novella, which means it's not nearly the length of a normal book; it's much shorter. This book starts off with a frustrated Makenna James having the worst of days. It's a Friday, and she's looking forward to curling up on the couch and drinking away her problems as she barely gets on an elevator, thanks to Good Samaritan, but total badass, Caden Grayson.  


The elevator stops suddenly, and the power goes out leaving these two trapped in pitched darkness. Caden suffers from claustrophobia, though he is learning to deal with his fear, and the two begin to force an awkward conversation to pass the time. As it's the weekend, neither realize when they'll get out.


They start playing the infamous game two people play when they start to develop feelings for one another: Twenty Questions. This passes the time, and starts pushing these two into physical contact situations.


Before you know it, Caden and Makenna are getting frisky in the elevator!


This book takes you through the journey of two unfortunate lucky people as they bond together over in the trapped elevator, and what happens in the evening after. 


Hmmm... Why Do I Want To Read This?


Aside from the fact that the main character, Caden, is a total hottie with tattoos and piercings, this book is a must for any romance junkie. It's quick paced, and the banter between the characters is entertaining for the reader.


The author is fantastic at describing emotions and feelings in this book. Kaye does a wonderful job at getting the reader to experience just what Makenna and Caden are experiencing at their touch. She gets you to yearn and desire after her characters in a way unique to only this novella. 


It's an event that everyone wishes would happen to them. That spur-of-the-moment romance and desire that leaves you aching between the legs. It's an incredible story that leaves you lusting after the characters.


What's The Catch?


It's a novella. Like I said before, this means it is much shorter than your average book. Novellas can be quite fast paced, which to some is a huge turn off. If you're someone who likes to fall in love with the characters at a smooth and steady pace, beware--this book is definitely forceful in getting the characters to love one another. 


Another downfall is the style of the writing; while often times it's well written, it will occasionally slip into a poor writing style. Short sentences, grammatical mistakes (which, in all actuality is the editor's fault), and various other glitches can often be a negative aspect of a book. 


But Overall...


Overall, I would give this 4 Channing Tatum kisses. It's hot; It's erotic; It's quick paced and the flirt level is UP for the characters. Aside from a few issues with the writing, this book is incredible. 


I would have never guessed it before I had read it. Great quick read for the beach or to simply lay out on the back porch for a few hours. 


Fabulous work, Miss Kaye.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Read& Reviews

Hello Curious Creatures of the Internet.

Read and Review is going to be a series where I randomly find an author on and eBook creative writing website (Booksie, Wattpad, or Quizilla) and read and review one of their novels. The finding is completely random, but the novel must meet requirements by having either 300 total reads, 100 votes/likes, 20 or comments.

At the end of the review, I'll be giving this novel a rate from 1 to 5 kisses.

Today, I'll be reviewing One Night, One Too Many, One Boy... One Mistake by Wattpad author Lauren_Elizabeth22


Length: 22 Chapters
Site: Wattpad.com
Average Chapter Length: 3 Pages
This story is ongoing




So... What's going on?


This eNovel starts off with stereotypical teenage girls drinking their asses off at a club. Having been abandoned by all three of her friends, our protagonist, Saphire, meets the interesting, klutzy, and also abandoned male counterpart, Rhys. The two hit it off and make their way back to his apartment and have drunk, sloppy sex. 


The next morning, the two lovebirds awake, and decide that Saphire must be pregnant, but that Rhys will stay in a relationship with her regardless of the fact that he doesn't know her very well. The two then enter a relationship that morning, already confessing their love for each other. 


Following a confirmation from a pro-abortion doctor on the pregnancy, Saphire returns home only to be kicked out by her pro-abortion mother. She decides to spend one night at a friend's before moving in with her new boyfriend, but during that evening, she gets a break-up text, resulting in a total 180 personality change in Rhys: he doesn't want the child anymore. 


Saphire must struggle through breaking friendships, new beginnings, and the pregnancy through-out the course of this novel. 


Why bother reading?


This story does a fantastic job at showing the pregnant teen life isn't very good. As compared to shows such as "16 and Pregnant" or "Teen Mom", this story takes on the negative look of a pregnancy at such a young age. It shows the heartache involved, and how many people are going to judge and look down upon someone so young have a baby of her own. 


It shows how easily the baby daddy will abandon the mother because she becomes an inconvenience to him and his future, and how teenage pregnancy can break up a family at such a young age. Aside from the pregnancy, it also touches on issues such as domestic violence, though not in the way you'd imagine.


Aside from those obstacles in Saphire's life, there is an evident sign of a strong friendship  between her and her friend Sara, and it provides the reader with a warm feeling toward the girls. It reminds one that s/he's never alone in any struggle, and that friends mean more than anything else.






What are the cons to this story?


The story's characters develop their relationship into love at such a quick rate, it seems legitimate. The two confess their love for each other only hours after soberly meeting one another, which happens often in a stereotypical teenage relationship, written or reality. Regardless, from a reader's point of view, it's not fun if the characters immediately fall in love.

Though, the two don't stay in love. After the break-up of Rhys and Saphire, the story starts to gear away from the main point (the pregnancy) and focuses on the development of the relationship between Saphire and Leanne and the break-up of the friendship between Saphire and Jake. The unborn child begins to lose the focus it should have on a story such as this.

There are some grammatical issues as well such as using "was" instead of "were" and some awkward phrasing.




And the final scoring is...


I would score this 3/5 Kisses.
The plot is interesting, and the characters' personalities aren't very common in stories like this, but the shortness of the chapters mixed with the lack of focus on the pregnancy do affect the overall tone of the book. 
Regardless, if you're looking for a fun read and you have a few hours, take a look at this story. Especially if you enjoy drama in a book. It was a fun, easy read, and I found the chapters flying by as I read on. It took me roughly an hour and a half to read from beginning to finish.


Well done Lauren_Elizabeth22