REVIEW: Recovery (Mending Hearts #1.5)

I have the perfect life. 

I’ve finally found my happy ending. 

I fought through the loss of one husband, lucky enough to be given a second chance at a lifetime of happiness. Settling into our new lives, however, may not be as easy as it seems.

What really happens after the fairytale ending? What happens after the prince rescues the princess? After he sweeps her off her feet and carries her off into the sunset? Do they truly live happily ever after?

Well…
This is our story.

Published: June 13th 2013
Source: Goodreads

Thoughts:
I didn't think I would write a review about Recovery because it's just a continuation of Running on Empty and not very long. However, I couldn't help myself. When I encountered a book that makes me
upset I have to write about it. I can't just shrug it off.

This book has made me so upset! I don't even know where to start, especially without spoiling it for everyone but hopefully if you're reading this you'll take my advice and not read this book.

Alex is frustrating and immature and a pain in the ass to read about. I literally want to make myself into a character and smack her upside the head. How do you marry someone and tell them you love them all while ignoring their attempts to make a life with you? Blake has no say in how the girls are raised (note my concern for her parenting skills in my previous review here). She cleans up after them, they have no responsibility and she insists on doing everything herself while pregnant! And I don't mean a month or two pregnant, I mean 6-8 months along, she's crazy!

It takes her marriage almost falling a part in the symbolic form of a shattering lamp and brush with death where she gets a much needed kick in the ass pep talk by her dead ex-husband meaning that she is in some form of purgatory. Even as I'm reading this (her almost dying and all) I can't seem to find any sympathy for her whatsoever.
(this shouldn't be a spoiler since you must have already read the first book) 
Its been three years since her husband died before Blake came into her life, since her last child was three and is now five, she's been with him for two years now. That's a total of five years without her dead husband! Why then is she still using his death as an excuse to be a stupid control freak?! Yes I understand that death of a love one is traumatic but HE GAVE YOU HIS BLESSING! So why then is she holding onto stupid guilt and stuff and endangering her life and the life of her unborn child, not to mention the fear she's putting Harlow, Blake and her children through. It's all unnecessary events that could have been avoided if she wasn't so stupid or at the very least, events that would leave me sympathizing with her if it was written better, though I doubt that would help.

Sorry about that, rant over. I feel much better now!

1 STAR

REVIEW: Running on Empty (Mending Hearts #1)

I had the perfect life. 

Beautiful and loving husband.Three gorgeous little girls. 
Successful career. 

The only thing missing was the white picket fence. I really wanted that fence. 

Three years ago, I lost that life. I lost my husband. And I lost myself. But, eventually, I found my way through the darkness. I’ve made peace with my new life. I have my girls, and that’s all that matters. They are my world. I have no illusions of ever falling in love again or getting whisked away on a white horse. 

But then he came back into my life. On a freakin’ motorcycle.

There’s no way I’ll let him turn my life completely upside down.Absolutely no way. 

The question is…

How long can I keep pretending that I’m happy with my life being right-side up?

Published: January 4th by L.B. Simmons
Source: Goodreads

Thoughts: Usually when reading you pick sides. You're either rooting for the protagonist or the lover: wishing the protagonist would get her sh*t straightened out be with him already. Not this book. I found myself rooting for neither. Her for being thoughtless and him for being a spineless wimp, putting his life on hold for "the one that got away" *cue eye roll*

To be honest the reason I chose to read this book was because there was a sequel and I can never seem to find sequels with this kind of story line. 

Lately I've been drawn to romantic single mom stories, and for some reason they're really hard to come by, at least the well-written ones. 

Running on Empty was a prime candidate for what I was looking for. Single mom with three daughters, husbands unexpected demise. It had all the makings of what I was looking for, except when I started reading I just didn't like it. It wasn't really the story was the problem but how it was written: I felt as if I was reading a book and I did not like that. Most (avid) readers know that when a book is truly good/great you don't feel like you're reading it but experiencing it. It's like watching a movie through words. Which I believe is why we have such high hopes for castings when our favorite book turns into a movie; but I digress. 

I'm all for fun family life, but for a thirty-something mother of three to come off as a tad immature and with the fact that I kept questioning her parenting skills, I found that couldn't get behind the main character or the story.
It was too one-dimensional. Everything was focused on the main character, I felt as if there was a lot of talk about her children and what's best for them but we didn't get any insight into their feelings. I mean what kid likes a guy their mom is seeing after day one? These children were obsessed with Blake. It just didn't seem real. 
Alex's best friend Harlow seemed like a really interesting character. I wanted to know more about her, all we got were a few rampant thoughts about her from Alex that didn't seem like they should be in the book in the first place but I guess was the authors way of gearing us up for a Harlow book in the "Mending Hearts" series...book 2. 

P.S. 
Words like "evidently" and "giggle" should no longer be in this authors dictionary of words to use for the next book or two in this series. 

2.5 STARS

REVIEW: Trophy Husband

Sometimes you can't help falling in love, even when you try to do the opposite...

Successful fashion blogger McKenna Bell has spent far too long protecting herself after the way her ex-fiancé left her at the altar for a college chick he met the night of his bachelor party. Loving again, trusting again, well, that's just not in the cards. Especially now that her ex is back in town with his new woman, demanding custody of McKenna's favorite creature in the whole world--her dog.

No effing way. McKenna's had enough of him, and she decides to even the score by finding her own hot young thing -- a Trophy Husband. Sure, she's only twenty-seven, but doesn't that make it even more fun -- and infuriating to her ex -- to pursue a younger man?

When she declares her intentions on her daily blog, her quest quickly skyrockets in popularity, and that's when Chris enters the picture, and he’s got all the assets. He's handsome, successful, and turns her inside out with a kiss to end all kisses, the kind that makes you feel like a shooting star.

But loving again could mean losing again, and it's so much easier to focus on getting even, isn't it? Unless, you just can't help falling in love. Which means McKenna will have to come face to face with what she really wants in life -- protecting her heart from hurt, or letting go of her fears of a new beginning.

Published: May 21st 2013  by Lauren Blakely Books
Source: Goodreads

Thoughts:                                                 

This book made me laugh out loud and gave me the warm fuzzies. It was not at all what I expected; which was absymal writing and a so-so story line.  If you just got jilted at the alter and looking for revenge ideas look no further. It was quirky and fun following McKenna in her search for a trophy husband, you have to admit the idea is pretty ingenious; especially since we women are always saying that we can do whatever men can do but better. 

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed reading Trophy Husband  and found myself at times unable to put it down in favor of sleep, there were a few things that just did not sit well with me:

SPOILER! 

• McKenna's ex-fiance jilted her at his bacholer party in Vegas no less for a gymnast -- ok predictable
• He doesn't care -- also predictable. Except there are two kinds of callousness. 1) jilt and just don't care, no more contact. 2) jilt and preceed to make ex-fiancee's life a living hell, coming off as a cold-hearted SOB. He was the latter. 

 I wonder if I'd still be saying things like babe and hot chick when I'm 27, even though I don't say them now.
Minus those two points it was a typical chick lit, filled with the requisite bffs that will stand by you and cheer you on for even the dumbest of ideas; the nerdy but hot looking man, the big showy signs of affection and lovey-dovey song playlist; and I must say pretty decent sex scenes. 

Curl up with your golden retriever and a steamy mug of hot chocolate and enjoy uber retro McKenna on her quest for the perfect Trophy Husband

4 STARS