Review: All Over You by Beverley Kendall

All Over You by Beverley Kendall
Series: Unforgettable You, #1.5
Source: Bought
Publisher: Season Publishing LLC
Publication Date: May 6, 2013

An ex is an ex for a reason.

To Rebecca Winters, it’s not just a saying or the title to a catchy tune, it’s a rule she staunchly lives by. Especially since the break up with her ex. What’s the point in trying to fix the “unfixable”? Besides, only a girl hell-bent on more heartbreak would go back to the guy who bailed on her when she needed him most. But saying no to Scott is becoming more difficult than surviving the breakup itself. And unfortunately for her, the kind of pressure he's exerting is making her rule all too easy to break.

Scott Carver has given up trying to get over his ex. He’s still in love with her and their year apart has done nothing to change that. Yeah, he knows he screwed up. Just how royally, he wasn't aware of until now. So when Becca agrees to give him a second chance, he grabs on to it with both hands. But it’s clear the only way things will ever truly be right between them is if he comes clean…about everything. He can only pray the truth doesn't send her running—for good this time.

An ex is an ex not by chance but for a reason.

This is a much longer novella than I expected, but I enjoyed reading about Rebecca and Scott. I liked the dual point of view, so you could hear what each of them were feeling. They're both oh-so-stubborn, so unwilling to do what they both obviously want. Becca took a while to like; she's always sending mixed signals and is a bit childish at times. I like that Scott has a mysterious past that you don't find out about until the end, but I didn't like what the past actually was. It's a bit weird to me, because I don't see how it really fits.

I really liked the theme of second chances. And I'm not just talking about a second chance at Becca and Scott's relationship, but also about a second chance with family. Becca's father left before she was even born, and Becca wants nothing to do with him. She's dislikes him even more after he contacts her for the first time in sixteen years. Now, three years later, Becca's unwilling to talk or meet with him. I love that their relationship improves by the end of the novella. Although she doesn't actually meet him yet, it's implied that they will. And she likes his new family so it's a good start. (:

The writing was okay, but I what I couldn't stand were the typos. And the lack of commas! In some sentences, the missing comma didn't change the meaning of it, but in others, you really really need that comma. And sometimes the author forgets to put the comma before the final quotation mark. It's not a big deal, and I'm pretty sure most people aren't going to notice, but it's really annoying when I read and I find them.

Overall, this is a short and enjoyable read. I liked that this can be read without reading the first book (which is exactly what I did). I look forward to reading about the other characters in this series. (:

.5

The Flirting Games by Stella Wilkinson

The Flirting Games by Stella Wilkinson
Series: Flirting, #1
Source: Free on Amazon
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: March 23, 2013

Eleanor Parkhurst is determined to get in the way of Nathaniel Naverly seducing her sweet cousin Rose. Nate has a history of treating girls badly and Ellie suspects his intentions are far from honorable. Getting Nate to switch his attention to her seemed like a good plan, but Ellie didn’t foresee that she might have to protect her own heart from his schemes as well. The game is proving a challenge. Midnight meetings, fighting or kissing, it’s all part of the fun of flirting. Set in an English boarding school, Ellie and her American new best friend, Flora, discover that boys are more complicated than classes, and you have to play the game well or you might just get played!

.5

At nearly fifteen, you didn't let boys see you going about looking like a scarecrow.

Flirting Games was just your average YA contemporary, but shrunk down to novella size. I found myself wishing that it had been longer, because I was really enjoying the sweet/not-sweet love that was forming between Nate and Ellie. My only problem with this book was that it was just a tad too short-- that, and there were some random grammar mistakes. But I'm not very worried about them, because seriously, grammar isn't one of my strong points. ;)

Nathaniel was a jerk at first, and I didn't like the way that he played with girl's emotions, but as the story went on I began to appreciate the complete 180 that he was doing over Ellie. I love it when guys like that fall in love-- it's always ridiculously intense! Their love came a little too fast, but I'm willing to overlook that because of the novella status of THE FLIRTING GAMES.

I liked Ellie. She cares for her friends, and I enjoyed the ridiculous lengths that she was willing to go through to stop Nathaniel from playing her friend Rose. I loved that she was willing to stand up for herself when she needed to, and that she wasn't so easily impressed by Nate. I liked their banter, especially the P&P references!

I also liked the interconnected love stories that hint at the next books-- they were sweet. My only problem with that is that I wanted to just focus on the main couple.

All in all, THE FLIRTING GAMES was a very sweet, cute read. I really enjoyed it. (:

Thank You, Mrs. M by Kate Rothwell

Thank You, Mrs. M by Kate Rothwell
Series: N/A
Source: Free on Amazon
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: September 9, 2009

"I wasn’t the only one telling a story. My anonymous Mrs. Moneybags tried to hide from me. Too bad I’m smart, Mrs. M, and I got you figured. But know what? I can keep your secrets. You and me—we made it work."

Benjamin Evans takes charge of younger siblings, but still finds some time for college--especially after he receives an offer of a full scholarship. The deal is he must share details about school and some private facts about his life. As he talks into the recorder over the months, Ben's curiosity about his sponsor increases.

.5

The sleek silver oval lay in the palm of Ben's hand.

Thank You, Mrs. M was one of those books that I really wasn't sure about-- to the point of being unsure as I clicked "Buy with one click". But for some reason, it was the first book I picked to read when I got my Kindle. I was hooked from the very first page.

I loved the mystery of Mrs. Moneybags; I spent most of the book guessing about who she could be. But once I figured it out (and only because I was told) I was absolutely shocked! It ends up being a person that I never thought she could be. I didn't see it coming at all.

You know what else I didn't see coming? My kindle magically deleting all my notes. Now I'm left with only my brain for company, and that's really not good for reviews.

I found Ben to be a very good narrator. He was honest, and I liked how true to life he was. He didn't feel flat like most characters with problems do, just like I never found myself annoyed with his decisions or thought processes. I liked reading from his point of view.

Of course, that brings up another thing-- I loved the unique way that Thank You, Mrs. M was written. It was very interesting to only get the story from Ben talking to tapes that he sends to Mrs. Moneybags. It could be called unreliable, but I thought it was neat!

I also enjoyed the slight romance-- Ben just had a way of saying things that made me downright swoon, seriously. I didn't expect this to have romance, and while it wasn't the kind I'm used to, I enjoyed it.

All in all, Thank You, Mrs. M was a unique read.

Review: Alice in Zombieland

Title: Alice in Zombieland
Author: Gena Showalter
Series: White Rabbit Chronicles, #1
Source: Purchased
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: September 25, 2012

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever. 

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

I absolutely love Alice in Wonderland retellings. I'm also becoming a huge fan of zombie books and by combining those two things you'd think I would be absolutely in love right? Well only kind of. I did love the second half of the book, I just found the beginning pretty boring.

There is only so much you can take when the main character doesn't really do anything. Yes, I know, her family just died, but still the book could have had a lot of the moping, doing nothing part cut out. Once she starts school it gets a little better and then when she finally joins up with Cole's group things get interesting.

The idea of teenagers going out and hunting zombies is pretty cool. The thing that really makes this story is what the zombies actually are. They aren't your typical zombies that go around eating human flesh, they're more of a spirit form. I really have never seen zombies done in this way and that really makes this book stand out.

I really wasn't a huge fan of Alice in the beginning. I got pretty bored while she moped and did nothing. As the story went on however, she turned out to be a pretty tough character who knew how to kick zombie butt. Then there's Cole, the love interest. He's tall, dark and brooding. Oh and he's major trouble. What isn't to love? He's actually pretty sweet and kind once you break through that bad boy shell of his too. One of my favorite character's was Kat. She was funny and outgoing. Spunky and outspoken. She was just an all around enjoyable character, I found myself looking forward to the parts where she made an appearance.

This is definitely a unique twist on the zombie story which I really liked. I am definitely going to be picking up the sequel when it comes out and I can't wait until the next trip into Zombieland.

Final Rating:

.5