From the shelf: Second Chance Boyfriend

Title: Second Chance Boyfriend

Author: Monica Murphy

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Date read: April 24-25, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Lost. That one single word best describes my life at this very moment. I lost the last games of the season and both my team and my coach blame me. I lost the last two months because I drowned in my own despair like a complete loser. And I lost the only girl who ever mattered because I was afraid being with me would destroy her.

But now I realize how truly lost I am without her. She has become my story…and even though she acts like she’s moved on, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. She’s beautiful, sweet—and so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is help her. Be there for her.

Love her…

If only I could convince Fable to give me a second chance. Then I wouldn’t feel so lost anymore, and neither would she. We could be found together.

Forever.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

After reading One Week Girlfriend, I immediately wanted to know what happened when Drew abandoned Fable for her sake to clean up the mess in his life. Seriously, that was the noble thing to do but there was a part in the book where I wanted to smack him for doing it. I also wanted Colin to be the third guy in the relationship but it doesn't work that way. But I forgave him because of the fact that Drew Callahan is the sweetest guy ever and Fable is lucky to have him. Adele is the craziest bitch ever and I appreciate the fact that Drew's father sided with him rather with his wife. Things I wanted before it ended: Colin and Jen's relationship (another book perhaps?), and I wanted to see Owen's own story, I think he is Drew in the making ^^

"Loving someone is taking a constant risk with your emotions. When you find the right person, the one you know you want to be with, that person becomes worth the risk"

- Dr. Harris

Most of the time I'm thinking of you

All of the time I love you

Remembering the good times and the bad

So much has

Happened and

Maybe I'm moving too fast

All I know is I...

Love you. And want to

Live with you

Only you

Will you be my wife?

Till the next read...

From the shelf: One Week Girlfriend

Title: One Week Girlfriend

Author: Monica Murphy

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Date read: April 21-23, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆ (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Temporary. That one single word best describes my life these last few years. I’m working at a temporary job until I can finally break free. I’m my little brother’s temporary mother since our mom doesn’t give a crap about either of us. And I’m that temporary girl all the guys want to get with because I give it up so easily. According to the rumors, at least.

But now I’m the temporary girlfriend of Drew Callahan, college football legend and all around golden guy. He’s beautiful, sweet—and he’s hiding way more secrets than I am. He’s brought me into this fake life where everyone seems to hate me. And everyone seems to want something from him. The only thing he seems to want though is…

Me.

I don’t know what to believe anymore. All I know is, I think Drew needs me. And I want to be there for him.

Forever.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Looking beyond the cover of the novel, which is obviously because this is classified as a more mature one (duh), though their story has all the elements of the cliche; wherein Drew Callahan the male protagonist has all the hidden dark and disturbing secrets and that he could be rescued by Fable who has her secrets of her own, this novel still surprised me. He wanted to escape the dark past and the clutches of his b*chy stepmother. Though, I already had an idea about that dark secret, I still had my 'I knew it' moment when Vanessa's supposed identity was finally out in the open. Too bad Drew and Fable had to separate in the end *spoiler alert*. I hoped that they would finally find their happiness but of course I have to read the sequel to find out ^^

Code word: M-A-R-S-H-M-A-L-L-O-W

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Ditched: A Love Story

Title: Ditched: A Love Story

Author: Robin Mellom

Genre: Chick-Lit, YA

Date read: April 10-11, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

There's a girl.
Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. That said, she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.

And there's a boy.
Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat, handle first.
Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice.
Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom.

Then there's a ditch.
But when Justina is ditched, figuratively and literally, she must piece together--stain-by-stain on her thrift store dress--exactly how she ended up dateless...with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven.

To get the whole store, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. Can losing out at her prom ultimately lead to finding true love?

My Review: (also in goodreads)

This book contains a feel-good story that was a breeze to read. A story full of fluff, humor and memories of the night before; the whole plot focused on Justina Griffith, the protagonist, reminiscing random events and the 'will they-won't they' drama with her best friend Ian Clark who invited her to prom. All in all, this was a simple read.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Second Rate Chances

Title: Second Rate Chances

Author: Holly Stephens

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick-Lit, YA

Date read: April 9, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Sam wakes up in the hospital expecting to find his girlfriend by his bedside. Instead, he finds a bleached-blond diva, claiming to be his fiancée, hovering over him. When he learns that he's just woken up from a coma and has lost the last three years of his life, any semblance of stability he thought he had falls down around him. All he wants – all he needs – is Lil.

After countless visits with her shrink and too many sleepless nights waiting for the one man she loves to walk back through the door, Lil wants nothing more than to separate herself from the life she used to have. But the moment Sam smiles at her, Lil knows it's going to take more than self-restraint to stay away.

Second-Rate Chances is about a young man fighting to regain his memory, and the one thing in his life that felt real. A modern-day Samson and Delilah, it's a look at what it means to love and be loved, and to fight though it seems hopeless.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

When I first saw the book in the list of my recommended readings I was curious, mainly because of the cover. Lil and Sam, these are the protagonists of the story...shortened versions of Delilah and Samson (sounds familiar?). The prologue was great, the story started with un-named characters starting their life together, flash forward to 3 years after and the story begins. At first, I was pitying Sam for having that accident weeks before his wedding, kind of curious who Lil is in his life, but when the pieces started to take shape..seriously, I wanted to roll and push him off a cliff for what he did....I really wanted to. But I then realized that he had lost a lot in the process: his family, his bestfriends, his happiness and most especially the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Second rate chances is a story of redemption from a past forgotten. A lot happened between the two of them and it even reached the point where faith had to intervene for them to have enough courage to straighten out what should have been. This story makes one reflect upon decisions made in life, how much courage you have to hold on, of regrets, what could have been, what might have been and the pain one has to go through to become what they are now.

My fave conversation:

"Sam you don't owe me anything. Lil on the other hand, you owe her so much more than some second rate, second chance"
Hoping Ellie could see the honesty in his eyes he said, "I'm not asking for a second chance with her Ellie, I'm asking for forever..."

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Mark of Athena

Title: The Mark of Athena
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Greek/Roman Mythology
Date read: February 11-14, 2013
Dawn Rates: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Annabeth is terrified. Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo's fantastical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.

Narrated by four different demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the Argo II, if you dare....

My Review: (also in goodreads)

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, 

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

Just when I thought the second book in the series was downright oozing with awesomeness, Rick Riordan outshone himself once again. And yes, I imagined a dramatic reunion between Annabeth and Percy. That scene definitely didn't fail me. The Lost Hero introduced us to new characters in the form of Piper and Leo plus got me curious on the mystery that is Jason. The Son of Neptune reunites us with long lost Percy and introduced us to a world beyond the Greek Camp Half-Blood, the Roman counterpart named Camp Jupiter with new found friends Frank and Hazel. Add Annabeth into the mix plus more action and adventures and you get The Mark of Athena. The prophecy of seven, the wheel of fate started to turn once everyone's paths crossed. Together...Jason and Percy, leaders and decision-makers; Annabeth, brain and strategy-maker; Leo, captain of Argo II and navigator; Hazel and Piper, defense and conscience; and naive, brave Frank plus Coach Hedge the chaperon...they face Gaea's forces and it couldn't be any better. The mix of everyone's personalities amused me to no end, the awesome adventures plus the switching of thoughts and it made reading this installment to the Heroes of Olympus worthwhile. The ending is a sure-fire cliffhanger. The 4th installment (The House of Hades) will be out on October and I'll be counting the days...I don't know how could I survive the 8 month wait.

The Mark of Athena prophecy:

"Wisdom's daughter walks alone;

The Mark of Athena burns through Rome.

Twins snuff out the angel's breath,

Who holds the key to endless death.

Giant's bane stands cold and pale,

Won through pain from a woven jail."

Till the next read...