Bad Idea by Nicole French 5* Book Review

Bad Idea Ebook Cover

From the second she saw him, Layla Barros knew Nico Soltero was all wrong. Wrong age. Wrong education. Wrong job. Wrong everything. She had a hard enough time convincing her parents that New York really is the right place for their nineteen-year-old daughter without telling them she’s got a thing for the FedEx guy at her new part-time job. Too bad the second she saw him, Layla Barros no longer cared about right and wrong. 

You know that feeling that you get when your heart breaks?

Your chest gets tight and there’s a lump in your throat that feels like your heart has just made its way from your ribcage to your oesophagus?

How? How does Nicole French make me experience every single visceral reaction right along with Layla and Nico? I feel shattered, torn and also in love with Nico…

I write this review from tear-stained eyes, completely and utterly wrung out from the emotional journey of this novel and YET! I’m going to read it again and count down every day until the sequel comes out.

I may be a masochist, but French writes so beautifully. Nico and Layla’s story is the first love, the one that got away, the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks and the show-stopping true love of meeting ‘the one’ all wrapped up in one novel that has left me in itty bitty pieces.

French tackles social/political/cultural and woman’s issues in a way that leaves no stone unturned. Coupled with her Spitfire series, no trope is typical. No story goes the way that you expect it to go. There are no clichés, and French WILL rip out your heart.

I loved Layla, with her immaturity and already hardened shell but I fell in LOVE with Nico. The man who treasures her, calls her Sweetie and only wants the best for her (but can still f**k like an animal. Damn.) I’ve gone mad and I’ll never look at a FEDex man the same way again.

French has done it again.

5*

M x

 

 

 

 

Fair Game by Monica Murphy (Rules – Book 1) 4/5

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“It’s bad enough Jade Frost’s boyfriend dragged her to a boring poker game. It’s even worse that he actually threw her into the betting pot during an intense round — and lost. Talk about the perfect excuse for Jade to make him her ex-boyfriend. Now she supposedly belongs to the ultra rich, extremely gorgeous Shep Prescott. He could have anything he wants yet he seems to be in hot pursuit of her. No matter how rude, how snarky, how impossible she acts, it doesn’t stop him. Her horrible behaviour seems to make him want her more. When she finds herself starting to fall for him, Jade’s confused. There’s more to Shep than the carefree rich charmer he portrays. No way could he want a serious relationship with her — or could he?”

Fair Game is a brilliant romantic comedy, pitting self-proclaimed ‘Bitch Face’ Jade against Rich boy Shep. I am glad that it is a series because the chemistry between the two main characters is palpable, although I felt like it needed a little bit more drama (hence why only four stars) I am excited for the rest of this series. Unique, quirky and thought provoking about some of the hardships of wealth; I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

 

M x

Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige 4/5

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“Sure, I’ve read the books. I’ve seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can’t be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There’s still a road of yellow brick—but even that’s crumbling.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’d heard the hype. This book had flooded my amazon recommends, so I thought I would give it a go.

Honestly? It was a good book. The story was consistent, and the main character had depth.

Unfortunately, I could only give it four stars for various reasons. Namely the unexplored characters of Dorothy and Glinda the good witch. I know there are prequels, but I wanted more insight into why they were the way they were. It wasn’t until the last ten pages that that was even explored, and even then, it wasn’t in-depth as there wasn’t enough fore-shadowing to make it seem real. It was left field and seemed like a way to sow the seeds for a sequel. (Sorry, my opinion!) Like, “boom! By the way guys…”

The descriptions and the vivid imagery of this book made it, and honestly, I have bought the rest of the series and intend to read it all in one go now!

M x

Review: White Hart by Sarah Dalton 4/5

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“In a land where magic has withered for centuries, Mae Waylander is the last magic wielder in Aegunlund. She is the craft-born. But Mae has kept her true identity hidden from the world, and she’s not about to reveal her secret. Not when the King is searching for the craft-born to marry his heir, Prince Casimir.”

A young girl hiding from her destiny, and a brilliant white stag called Anta. What isn’t there to love. An epic fantasy world with well thought out mythology, a spoiled prince and enchanted woods, something about Sarah Dalton’s first novel in the White Hart series, is seriously addictive.

If you liked Frostblood by Elly Blake and the Muirwood Series, you’ll love this!

4/5

M x

Review: Godhunter by Amy Sumida *New Fav* 5/5

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“My life has never been normal.
I was born a witch. I know about the power of Nature and how to harness it. I know about a lot of supernatural things, but I never believed in god… not any of them. Until the day one tried to kill me.
That was when I became the Godhunter, though I didn’t know it at the time.”

Every so often, you get a fantasy novel that is heads and shoulders above the others.

So many factors come together in this series debut to make for a brilliantly paced, hilariously likeable heroine whose inner thoughts and her filter-less words make for coffee being snorted onto my desk.

I bestow unto this novel: favourite status.

5/5

M x

Review: Catching Carly by Emma Hart 4/5

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“My name is Carly Porter… And I’m really good at bad decisions.

How do I know this, exactly? Well, not including the time I accidentally bleached my eyebrows or sprained my ankle changing a lightbulb…
I had sex with my best friend’s brother.
Zeke Elliott has been a thorn in my side for eleven years. A very sexy, very tempting, very freaking annoying one. With big…hands.
And now my clitoris has a crush on the guy.
Seriously. I can’t look at him without my vagina performing accidental kegels. Which would be fine, but he’s Cain’s brother. I hate him. He’s off limits, right?
Right.”

Being Brooke was an eye opening and mental experience. I feel guilty that I couldn’t give this book the five out of five that Emma Hart’s insightful, awkward, and hilarious inner monologues deserve. The relationship between the main couple were brilliant but a bit stilted, there wasn’t much tension apart from the hovering spectre of the ex ‘Becky’, but she didn’t actually appear once.

Despite the lack of tension and … dare I say, plot, the characters of Carly and Brooke make up for any of that and meant that I left the final page of this book happy with the outcome.

I thoroughly enjoy Emma Hart’s Barley Cross characters, and cannot wait to see where this goes next.

4/5

M x

Review: The Opposite of You – Rachel Higginson (Kindle Unlimited)

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“I’m stubborn. And headstrong. And I’ve just survived the worst three years of my life. After escaping an abusive boyfriend to live in hostels and cheap hotels while I worked my way across Europe, I’ve come to two conclusions.

The first? Now that I’m back home, I’m going to squander my expensive culinary degree on a food truck that caters to the late night drunk crowd.”

If you love hipster, food truck culture you will love this novel. On the flip side, if you love a bit of steamy and high pressure kitchen relationships this is also the book for you.

It is two sides of the coin of the restaurant industry and the relationship dynamic between both of the main character makes for a witty and brilliant, romance with depth.

The back and forth between the two main characters was hilarious.

One word: Salt

If you liked the film ‘Chef’, I would recommend this book.

5/5

M x

Review: Stepbrother Inked by Violet Blaze 5/5

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Florian Harper Riley has my heart and he doesn’t even know it. I used to think that was okay, that I’d get over him, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t purge his sharp green gaze from my thoughts.
He’s a tattoo artist, the love of my life, the man of my dreams.
But he’s also my stepbrother.

Sometimes you have to admit that you just love a tattooed bad boy and a forbidden romance. I have a soft spot for stepbrother romances especially when the lead male, aka Florian, is a cocky but loveable inked up bad boy.

This book is a good light read with a HEA, I would recommend for anyone that loves this genre of story!

M x

Review: A Girl Called Dust by V.B Marlowe (Kindle Unlimited)

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Arden Moss is used to being invisible. The kids at her high school call her Dust—something that no one pays attention to, that doesn’t matter. Then one impossible moment changes her life. When a boy named Fletcher gets hit by a speeding bus, she runs to help him, only to discover that he’s unscathed. He tells her it’s because he’s not entirely human…just like her. 

This book encapsulates what it means to be an awkward teenager. To not fit in with your family. To lose your best friends to the beast of popularity.

Unfortunately for the main character, Arden, she is also a monster. Part-Banshee and Part-Wendigo!

This book, and the books that come after it are brilliant. I must say that my favourite character is a tie between Fletcher and Arden.

Fletcher is unapologetically brilliant and hilarious. Witty and oblivious.

This book isn’t what you would expect at all. Marlowe throws enough curve balls that you don’t expect the book to end the way it does.

5/5

M x

Review: Trial by Moon by Lizzy Ford (Trial Series) 5/5

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trial-Moon-Book-1-ebook/dp/B017FCM1QG

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This book is seriously a dripfeed of a minefield of a thickly woven intriguing plot. (Gosh! So many words)

The main character is a flawed but real woman who has been raised to alone due to her duty as a Kingmaker. A family that choses the next Supernatural Community leader. Leslie must go through trials with three prospective men. One she must mate, one she must choose to lead the community, and one she must choose to exile.

This book is intense. Brilliant. With such heightened emotion and the relationships between the characters are complex and well developed. The way the Lizzy Ford writes a plot is seamless. Like the main character, we learn what is happening as we go. Nothing is predictable.

The first book in the series is free, but I had to purchase the rest. Trial by moon is such an amazing, straight out of the box introduction to this series.

5/5

M x