I Hate You, Fuller James by Kelly Anne Blount

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 279
Stand alone
Genre: High school, Enemies-to-lovers, YA
Published: March 2, 2020
Rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis:

I hate you, Fuller James.

I hate your floppy hair and your lopsided grin and those laughing blue eyes that always seem to be laughing at me.

I hate that you’re the most popular guy in school and I’m still the girl who sneezed and spit out her retainer on someone at a middle school dance. It’s just such a cliché.

I hate that I’m being forced to tutor you in English and keep it a secret from everyone. Because otherwise it might put our basketball team’s chances at winning State in jeopardy, and even though I hate you, I love basketball.

I hate that it seems like you’re keeping a secret from me…and that the more time we spend together, the less I feel like I’m on solid ground. Because I’m starting to realize there’s so much more to you than meets the eye. Underneath it all, you’re real.

But what I hate most is that I really don’t hate you at all.

Review:

The synopsis reminds me of a lot of Kat’s poem in 10 Things I Hate About You.

No one else made my blood boil like him. When he wasn’t throwing food in the lunchroom or making out with my ex—best friend right next to my locker, he was showboating on the basketball court and bragging about his stats. Fuller had such a big head, it was a miracle he could fit through the locker room door without getting stuck.

Fuller and Wren have been at odds ever since the seventh-grade dance. Now Fuller needs a tutor and Wren just happens to be the best for the job. Too bad she had to be conned into doing it. As Wren tutors Fuller she starts seeing another side of him that he has kept hidden.

The couple was cute. I am glad that Fuller apologized to Wren for everything he had a part in with her bullying. Am I totally satisfied? No. I guess I am growing out of the jerk phase. I don’t know if I like the enemies-to-lovers trope as much as I used to. Mostly due to the fact that I see too many red flags, and I want hopeless romantics.

One Perfect Day by Jennifer Youngblood

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 106
Series: Romeo Family Romance #1
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Christmas
Published: Dec. 14, 2019
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:

Don’t miss this heartfelt and charming Christmas novella that is the first book in the Romeo Family Romance Series.

Aspiring photographer Piper Kell has zero time for love. She’s determined to become a success by working long hours and putting up with the unreasonable demands of her diva boss.

When a spontaneous meeting with knock-your-socks-off handsome and charismatic Noah Romeo morphs into the perfect day, Piper soon realizes that her career is not enough. She wants more …

Review:

Piper works at an art gallery in hope of getting a reception one day. When she goes to lunch one day she gets pelted by a snowball. She then meets Noah who she helps in the snowball fight against his nephew. From there Piper takes the rest of the day off to spend it with Noah and his nephew. She meets his sister and his niece, and slowly she falls in love with Noah.

This was cute in a way. I wasn’t completely sold by the romance. But it was a quick read that got me out of my funk.

Her Bodyguard Swap by Laura Ann

My edition: Kindle Owned
Pages: 194
Series: Lockwood Industries #1
Genre: Romance
Published: Jan. 2, 2020
Rating: DNF

Synopsis:

She’s falling for her bodyguard…
now if she just knew who he was!

In a show of love and solidarity, Ridge Lockwood retired from the military when one of his identical triplet brothers was rescued from an enemy prison. Now, they’ve opened Lockwood Industries, a private security firm where they can use their skills to protect those who need it. When a musician he’s been crushing on walks through their doors needing help with a fan who’s going too far, he’s all to willing to step in and play protector, except he doesn’t get assigned the case.

Everly Madison is content with her life, recording videos from the comfort of her own home and posting them online to a large group of adoring fans. But when one of her followers starts making threatening comments, her idyllic life is turned upside down. Her brother recruits the help of some former military buddies and soon Everly has a bodyguard dogging her every step. Too bad it’s not the one who made her stomach flutter when they first met.

Desperate to meet the woman he’s been watching for so long, Ridge makes a deal with his brother to swap places so he can get to know the beautiful guitar player. Their time together is everything he wished it would be… until Ridge realizes she’s falling for the wrong brother! Worried about ruining their business’ reputation and with the stalker closing in, Ridge has to make some hard decisions that just might cost him the woman he’s been waiting for.

Review:

I can’t do it. It’s another “it’s not me, it’s you” kind of thing. I am not a fan of the writing. I for one don’t like the hero’s name. I grew up knowing why too much about the military and how they talk and so it’s just hard for me to read books like this. To be honest I have no idea why this was on my TBR. Maybe because it was free.

Five Kisses by Rachael Anderson

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 287
Standalone
Genre: Historical, Regency, Romance
Published: Sep. 1, 2021
Rating: 3 star

Synopsis:

The first kiss crumbles her world. The second mystifies. The third unbalances. The fourth sends her reeling. And the fifth –ah, the fifth . . .

Inspired by Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, Miss Sarah Meacham has always behaved circumspectly, until an emotional outburst directed at a well-deserved gentleman earns her the nickname of Miss Shrew. As a result, she vows to never trust—or love—again. But when her father decrees that her younger sister cannot marry the man of her dreams until Sarah has secured a suitor of her own, she is faced with a dilemma: Deny her sister marital bliss or feign an interest in the next gentleman to come along, at least until their father relents.

Mr. Ian Collum is no gentleman. A tradesman and newcomer to Brighton, he has been searching high and low for the perfect house. When he at last discovers Ivy Cottage, with its magnificent views, extensive lands, and a large oak tree reminiscent of his favorite childhood escape, he will do whatever it takes to obtain it. Trouble is, the owner of the property will only sell if Ian agrees to court the beautiful and infamous Miss Shrew—a woman as intent on eluding Ian as he is on pursuing her.

Review:

This is in a way a retelling of Taming of the Shrew. My only experience with Taming of the Shrew is 10 Things I Hate About You featuring Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger.

No fury like a woman scorned.

Sarah was introduced to society and had a prospect for marriage. That is until the prospect broke her heart and she his nose. Since that fateful night, she has been nicknamed Miss Shrew. Ian wants to buy a house. The person who owns the house wants to marry Sarah’s sister, Bethia. Their father has made it a rule that Bethia can’t get married until Sarah is.

Sarah is perhaps my least favorite character. For one she stands on a Bible and then proceeds to make a joke about it. Sorry but that’s not okay with me. Then she is super stuck up and it’s not in a Katarina Stratford funny kind of way. It’s more of a…

I just wasn’t as much of a fan of this tale. I see a lot of five-stars and four-stars but for me, this one is a three-star. I was bored and I didn’t really get invested with the characters as I have in other books. I guess this just isn’t the story for me.

Where to Find It In the Bible the Ultimate A-Z Resource by Ken Anderson

My edition: Kindle Owned
Pages: 581
Standalone
Genre: Christian, Non-fiction
Published: Jan. 1, 1996
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:

Locate specific Bible references to over 3,700 contemporary subjects with this Ultimate A to Z Resource. Where to Find it in the Bible
is a unique topical concordance that helps you find biblical passages that apply to traditional and 21st-century topics.

Features:

Readily accessible

Works with many translations Easy to apply information

Review:

This is a basic concordance. Best read with a Bible. My favorite Bible to use is a ESV. I don’t have much more to say.

Dare You to Fall for the Catcher by Lacy Andersen

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 162
Series: Rock Valley High #3
Genre: High School, Baseball, YA
Published: June 2, 2020
Rating: 4 STARS

Synopsis:

A little dare never hurt anybody…

Running is my life. It’s one of the few things I’m good at and I dominate on the track. But my take-no-prisoners reputation doesn’t scare everyone. There’s still one boy who’s not afraid to get under my skin…

Jayden Paul.

Catcher of the varsity baseball team. Hottie of the year.

And the thorn in my side ever since we kissed in sixth grade (on a silly dare!).

When my track career gets sidelined by an injury and Coach forces me to help manage the baseball team, I’m determined to stay far away from the one boy who can make me lose my cool. But this catcher won’t catch a clue. He’s there at every turn – with his teasing grin and the hungry way he looks at me.

The last thing I need is to be distracted. Not with my mom’s heart condition and my little sister hanging with the wrong crowd. My family and my track scholarship are my top priorities.

But Jayden might not be the bad guy I thought he was.

And kissing my enemy might just be the one other thing I’m good at.

Review:

Mandy hurt her ankle trying to get to her sister after she did the polar plunge with the senior boys. Now she has to manage the baseball team while her ankle heals. Jayden is the catcher who always teases Mandy. Jayden and Mandy already have some history. Back in the sixth grade, they spent seven minutes in heaven together.

These two were super cute. My favorite couple of the trio. I loved the banter and the teasing. They were totally flirting with each other the whole book.

The next three books are about the trios’ little sisters. Not sure if I am going to read those just yet. I’ll put them in debating.

Dare You to Date the Point Guard by Lacy Andersen

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 171
Series: Rock Valley High #2
Genre: High School, Basketball, Romance
Published: March 2, 2022
Rating: 3 STARS

Synopsis:

A little dare never hurt anybody…

My whole life’s been about following in my parents’ footsteps: ace school and then get into med school. And that means that my dream to become a world-famous artist isn’t part of the plan. Neither is the game of spin-the-bottle that leads me to the second most humiliating moment of my life with Mason Finnick.

The brooding, obviously heartbroken, and ridiculously talented point guard of the Rock Valley High basketball team.

And better yet – thanks to my parents and their plan, we’re stuck in the same class together.

But I’ve got one mission for the rest of senior year that will make everyone happy: ace this class and convince Mason to be the guinea pig for Project Happiness. He’ll win his ex back and I’ll get to go to art camp this summer.

Should be easy!

But Mason has a way of getting under my skin.

And the smoldering way he looks at me makes me want to ditch the plan.

If I can’t pull myself together, I might just ruin everything.

Or, I might just find that letting go can be the best part of life.

Review:

Trina loves art. Her parents want her to go to med school. When they change her class schedule she is now stuck in an independent study class with Mason. Mason is new at the school for his senior year and starting point guard on the basketball team. Mason’s cheerleading girlfriend broke up with him before winter break. Trina decides to help Mason get his girlfriend back in a project to ace a class so she can go to art camp.

I am not a big fan of the heroine. I feel like she butted into Mason’s business just so she could be his friend. And this was before Project Happiness. Another thing that bothered me about the book is the dictator parents trope. Also, the heroine kind of seemed… dense I guess could be the word.

I didn’t truly buy the parents at the end. It seems like one of the wrap everything up and make it happy. It didn’t feel real. And Mrs. Drew needs a refresher on how to talk to students.

My Heart to Touch by S.B. Alexander

My edition: Kindle Owned
Pages: 206
Series: Maxwell Family Saga #1
Genre: YA, High School, Sports romance
Published: Dec. 18, 2018
Rating: DNF @ pg 8

Synopsis:

The shy ones are diamonds in the rough.

QUINN THOMPSON

When I walk into a room, the popular kids whisper about me. I don’t own designer clothes or name-brand shoes. I don’t wear low-cut shirts or tons of makeup either. I’m as plain Jane as a girl can get. I live on a farm, where the uniform of the day is boots, jeans, and a T-shirt unless it’s winter; then I trade my T-shirts for heavy sweaters and a parka. Baggy is my style.

But I’m considered one of the nerds in school for reasons besides my wardrobe. I have my nose in books while the popular girls have their noses up jocks’ butts. I do everything I can to avoid the in crowd at Kensington High—until a new boy waltzes in. He’s tall like my brothers, handsome like Zac Efron, and disrupts my belief that boys only want one thing. My only problem is he’ll never notice me, not if my arch-nemesis has any say.

MAIKEN MAXWELL

Basketball has been my life until my dad died. I’m trying not to get depressed, but it’s hard to breathe sometimes. He’ll never cheer from the stands at any of my basketball games or shout at me to shoot that three-pointer. I promised him I would step up if anything happened to him, and now it’s time to be the man of the house.

Only I’m torn between playing for the Kensington High basketball team and finding a job—until the girl with butterscotch hair snags my attention. She’s pretty, quirky, and her presence takes my mind off my troubles. Above all else, she makes me feel things that I’ve never felt before. In my mind, girls are just a distraction. They’re nice to look at, they talk too much, and they’re extremely pushy. Yet Quinn Thompson might change my opinion that all girls are created equal.

Review:

Yikes. Yikes. And more yikes. Normally, I will try to push myself to at least 20% but with this book that was a no can do. With most potential DNFs if I push through there could be a redeeming factor. In this book, I couldn’t see that happening. Why? The writing. It was way too immature sounding. Also, I got it, the heroine is a farm girl who grew up on the farm and dresses like farm girls do. Yeah, you are constantly reminded that she is a farm girl. It got annoying.

Guys, I only made it to page 8. I could not imagine what this review would be like had I read further. Probably not very pretty. So this is a dud for me.

Hearing God Every Day: Understanding the Supernatural Ways God Speaks with Us by Doug Addison

My edition: Kindle Owned
Pages: 226
Standalone
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Published: March 19, 2019
Rating: 5 STARS

Synopsis:

Hearing God is not complicated!

We often think the process of hearing God’s voice is more complex than it really is. We may be straining to hear God speak in one specific way, when in fact, He is communicating in creative and unique ways which we must learn to discern.

As you discover the different ways God speaks, you can position yourself to hear His voice with fresh, supernatural clarity!

In this revelatory new book, prophet Doug Addison teaches all believers to recognize and decipher the different languages of God.

Learn how to: Understand the supernatural languages of the Holy Spirit, including prophecy, dreams, visions, and angelic encounters. Access the benefits of hearing God’s voice. Create an “open-heaven” lifestyle where hearing from God is normal. Recognize three levels of hearing and responding to the Spirit. Understand the timing and seasons of God for what He is saying.

When we hear God’s voice and respond to what He says, we will step into new dimensions of anointing, blessing, and destiny! Features activation prayers to begin hearing and encountering God

Review:

They do not ask if I am prophetic, because Christians stopped using the prophetic gift in an encouraging and practical way to let people know what God is saying. Instead, people started using it to tell others they are wrong, expose their sin, and claim that God is not happy with them. This is not the heart of God at all, and it is not prophetic. My goodness, we have our work cut out for us to demonstrate the real heart of God to the world!

I didn’t realize how much I needed this book. I’ve had it on my kindle for a year or so and I didn’t really get to it until now. God works in mysterious ways. I have been doubting prophecy because of the world today. I just don’t know who to believe.

This book is helping me to figure that out. He gives tools on how to not only hear God but to see as well. To see God’s hand in what He does in our lives. I didn’t realize how much can block the voice of God due to Satan not wanting us to hear. I am going to do better to hear the voice of God. I am going to use the tools Doug gives in the book. But this truly was an answer to a prayer I didn’t know I had.

As I said, I didn’t realize how much I needed this book.

The Cure for Second Lead Syndrome by Amanda Abram

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: Not stated on Goodreads or Amazon
Standalone
Genre: High school, YA
Published: July 13, 2021
Rating: DNF @ 33%

Synopsis:

Second Lead Syndrome: The intense desire to see the female lead of a drama end up with the sweet, lovable second male lead instead of the boring, emotionless male lead. Symptoms may include wanting to throw objects at the TV and losing all faith in true love.

Bria Copeland is addicted to K-dramas. She loves the romance. She loves the drama. And most importantly, she loves the second leads: the secondary male characters who are secretly in love with the female leads. They’re nice. Sweet. Caring.

But they never get the girl.

It doesn’t make any sense!

So, when Bria realizes her brother’s friend, Caleb Nichols, is a real-life second lead, she just has to intervene. Caleb has been hopelessly in love with his best friend, Paige, for years now. And if he doesn’t act fast, he might lose her to the hot new surfer guy from California.

Bria knows this plot well, and she knows exactly how the story will end.

Unless she can rewrite it.

When she proposes an idea to Caleb—to transform him into a male lead—he thinks she’s crazy. Maybe she is, but Bria is sure the plan will work. All they have to do is recreate some of the most clichéd scenes from K-dramas and Paige will be falling for him in no time!

The only problem?

If she’s not careful, Bria may just end up falling for the second lead herself.

Review:

I was a bit scared to start this book. I didn’t know if the writing was going to live up to the last book I just read by her. Along with the last book, I read the synopsis and wondered why I had added this to my TBR. Especially, since the heroine likes K-dramas and I can’t get around the hype for them. Just not my thing. So why did I add this book?

Bria was forced by her mother to go to a bonfire with her twin brother and not allowed to watch K-dramas for a week. At the bonfire, she runs into Caleb who she figures out is in love with his best friend, Paige. Paige happened to be talking to the new guy in town, Tyler. Bria makes it her mission to help Caleb get the girl and no longer be in the friend zone.

Once Bria’s plan was laid out, I figured this book was going to be filled with cringy YA moments. Moments that may be hard to read. I didn’t exactly get to those moments. This is a complete 180 from the last book. I loved the couple in the last book. This couple not so much. I liked Caleb but Bria I wasn’t a big fan. She seemed like an airhead that lived in a fantasy world. It was hard to follow her. So I am pulling the plug.