Wishlist Thursday[102]: All the Rage by Courtney Summers & Bad for Me (Rock Canyon Romance, #5) by Codi Gary

All The Rage by Courtney Summers

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Release Date: April 14, 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now — but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.　

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?

Why?:

For some reason, I have yet to read a single Courtney Summers book. I’ve almost picked up a couple of them, and I have heard so many things about them. I don’t know why I haven’t picked one up yet, but this one definitely sounds right up my alley. Books that deal with rape catch my interest very quickly, so this might just be my first of hers.

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Bad for Me (Rock Canyon Romance, #5) by Codi Gary

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Avon Impulse

Release Date: March 30/April 7/April 28 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Callie Jacobsen isn't about to open her heart to just anyone. Not so very long ago, trusting someone changed her life forever—and not in a fun way. Now she's better off focusing on her career, her friends, and her dog. So when former Marine Everett Silverton takes an interest in her, Callie's more than a little wary. No matter how charming he is, men are a bad idea. In fact, she's got the scars to prove it.

But Everett isn't convinced Callie should shut everyone out—especially not him. He may be a hero to the people of Rock Canyon, but he's got his own demons, and he bets they're not that different from Callie's. Still, he knows it's going to take more than chemistry to get her to let her guard down. Everett will do whatever it takes to show her she's safe with him. All she has to do is take a chance, take a step … and take his hand.

Why?:

Only a couple of weeks ago did Gary’s previous books catch my interest, but I read all four in this series within a matter of days. Some of them stood out more to me, but I enjoyed all of them. And I have no doubt this one will be the same. Plus, I’m really intrigued by Callie, so I look forward to finding out more about her.

What are you looking forward to?

Novel Review: Crave: The Seduction of Snow White by Cathy Yardley

Genre: Erotica/Adult Romance (with sex! sex is a main point in this book!)

Rating (Out of 5): ~2 (maybe 2.5)

Publisher: HarperCollins (Avon Red)

Spoilers?: Somewhat Minor.

Buy it here: Amazon. Book Depository. Barnes & Noble. Powells (or this one).

Goodreads Synopsis:

When a woman is ripe for the picking . . .

Beth Cordova's life is no fairy tale. Having barely escaped the evil grasp of her wicked stepmother, this "missing princess" seeks refuge in a strict commune where carnal pleasures are forbidden.

Sometimes just one bite of the apple . . .

Her world is lonely and void of intimacy, until the charming Stephen Trent arrives at the commune. Suddenly Beth yearns for a man's touch, the feel of his lips on hers . . . and Stephen is eager to show this pure-as-snow princess that she can still be the sensual woman she was once upon a time.

Is all it takes to unleash her desires...

But all is not what it seems, and the stunning beauty finds herself again in danger, her stepmother hot on her trail. The commune's founders will not tolerate the pair, yet fleeing its walls could prove fatal. Trapped in a world where passion is outlawed, can Beth live happily ever after?

Review:

I was expecting to like this book a lot more, particularly because of how much I enjoyed Enslave. And I feel like part of the reason I didn’t enjoy it is my fault.

Beth is living in a commune where men and women are separate and there can be no mingling between the two, and Stephen is a reporter coming in to see if there’s some big secret behind what they’re doing.

I’m going to cover the commune first: the commune is freakin’ crazy. For one, I just don’t like that sort of life style, how women take care of the home and men work (although, if that’s how someone wants to live, then go ahead), and particularly how they are not allowed to interact with each other at all. The women, in this instance, aren’t even allowed outside the fence, and men only when they go out to work. It’s ridiculous.

Then there’s the fact that they’re also kind of killing people. Not, like, all the time, but when someone steps out of line and is caught (which almost never happens), they get punished. And while part of it is publicly, the actual killing part is kept away from the public, so they don’t have to face it or see it happening. It’s horrible, really. The people heading the commune are mostly at fault, but the citizens of the commune just get excited about the punishing and goad them on, which isn’t really any better.

Oh, there’s also the fact that Beth is running from her wicked step-mother, seeing as how Beth is Snow White. Her step-mother, while we didn’t get to see much of her, I didn’t particularly like. And the ending for that plot worked out very nicely.

The ending in general, actually, for the romance, the commune, and the evil step-mother bit, all worked out rather well. That’s probably my favorite part. The only part I actually liked, really.

Now, the romance part: my biggest problem is how obviously lust at first sight it was. And how that lust turned, very quickly, into I-want-to-run-away-with-you-and-protect-you-Love. Part of the reason it bothered me, I think, is how I read a couple other books with a similar element really close to this one, but mostly I just don’t think I liked how it was done in this one.

There was also the fact that I didn’t particularly love Beth or Stephen, and the sex wasn’t very good. For instance, there were two instances in the book, near the end, where I thought the two should, instead of having sex, talk and comfort each other. You know, get to know each other. Instead, they had sex. One of the instances, even, they were supposed to be keeping quiet and hiding, and I just didn’t think the sex was needed then. And, really, when someone (like me) says that the sex wasn't needed or good, something is wrong here.

So, overall, I didn’t particularly like this book. The killing part of the commune was exciting, and the ending was good. That’s about it. I do still plan on reading Yardley’s other books, her Sleeping Beauty retelling in particular, and I hope that it’s better.