Across the Universe by Beth Revis

A story about love, murder, lies, secrets onboard a spaceship called Godspeed travelling to a unknown planet and future. Across the Universe by Beth Revis is defined by all the traits and more. It's a story about a group of people who plan to travel to a new world in order to build a better place; as a result, they’re frozen in time until the ship arrives there. The ship was planned to arrive in the new planet around 300 years into the future, but unexpectantly, Amy (our heroine) wakes up 50 years later trapped in a world that she doesn’t recognize and ruled by a disturbing system with an evil dictator. There, she also meets Elder (our hero) who pretty much falls from her ever since he set his eyes on Amy.

At first, I was quite wary of starting this book because in a lot of the reviews that I've read, many have said that it was 'sleep inducing.' While I do admit that the beginning started off really slow, the story soon picks up when Amy wakes up for the first time ever since she was frozen 250 years back. Amy is then thrown into a world where she doesn't really recognize as her own. Everything is so different... and we find out the reason as to who was behind it towards the end of the book. Thinking about it now still makes me shudder. How can... they stand it? It would be like living but trapped inside a cage until who knows when you'll arrive on the new planet. And as a reader, I also felt trapped like Amy and wonder like Elder because there are two point of views in this book.

All I can say is, the ending pretty much shocked me to the core. While other readers might say that this book was pretty predictable, I never really suspected that from Elder. Orion had always felt suspicious to me and it was quite obvious that Eldest was also evil as well. Overall, this was a great debut book for author Beth Revis! I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to tackle the sequel, A Million Suns soon!

Rating: ★★★★★

Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss by Maya Banks

Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss is most definitely my favorite out of the Pregnancy & Passion series thus far. Reading anything with unrequited love in it has always been one of my weaknesses. I truly sympathize with Ashley in here because while Devon went into his marriage knowing it was a business arrangement with no rules saying that he should love her, Ashley whole-heartedly loved him and wanted to marry him because he was the man that she chosed. This third installment by Maya Banks was heartbreaking and very emotional like the last two but I actually felt a connection in this one. I hated how Ash had to find out about the truth during her honeymoon, after she got married for heaven's sake! That was really cruel.

Ever since the beginning, we've known first hand that Devon married not for love. He married Ashley due to a business arrangement in order for his company to merge in with her father's. Only... the end result was definitely not what he expected. I honestly believe that Devon started to fall in love with Ashley little by little without even realizing it. When she found out that their marriage was a farce, he repeatedly told her that he never wanted to hurt her. But is lying to someone truly a way to start a relationship? No, absolutely not. When Ashley starts changing her personality to become "the perfect wife" in regards to Devon's ideal, things take a turn for the worst.

In the end, to win back a woman's love and trust, there can only be one solution: you either grovel and beg for her forgiveness, you show her you love her and that you can't live without her, OR you can do both! Which is why, Devon Carter wins the title for Best Grovelling so far... and you shall see! Overall, I definitely recommend this series for anyone who loves Maya Banks, drama, romance, and some good old fashion grovelling! Last but not least:

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for giving me permission to read this ARC!

Rating: ★★★★★

Enticed by His Forgotten Lover by Maya Banks

To be honest, I was wary of starting this series. It sounded really cheesy, Maya Bank's highlander series was a prime example of that, and I wasn't exactly fond of the pregnancy idea. I decided to try it out and ended up really like it. It was very sweet and the relationship between Rafael and Bryony was well-done. At first, it was really hard to believe that Rafe could forget everything about the woman that he supposedly love. He doesn't remember anything about their love for one another, so what does that say about a person? I had my doubts about him and Bryony. She could be lying as well. In the end, one of them was certainly lying... but as readers, we don't know who. The only thing to do was to keep on reading!

I actually thing that through all their ups and downs in the relationship, Rafe and Bryony were worthy of one another. You could tell that she honestly loved him a lot. I don't exactly think that he appreciated it, thanks to the reveal at the end of the book. Betrayal and forgiveness was probably the two big themes in the first book of the Pregnancy & Passion series. We ended up finding out that Rafe had indeed been the one lying to Bryony and claimed he loved her when he did not. Anyway, Rafe did some groveling in the end because while he didn't experience the 'passion' the first time around, he certainly did the second time! Overall, this was a good book to the start of a series. I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of Rafe's friends future happiness in the next upcoming books!

Rating: ★★★★☆

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey is a book about old heartaches, the joy of having a family who will always be one step behind you, and how true love will always find a way back to you. I absolutely enjoyed reading this book! It was just the perfect contemporary romance read that I love to find in books and I thank NetGalley and Harlequin for granting me access to review it! This book was sexy, sweet, and just fun overall! I had a blast reading some of the comments that were made between Joe, Keri, his family, and most of all... Terry! There's an inside story where Keri and Terry used to be friends but something happened to them and they ended up bitter enemies. In the end, there were plenty of laughters and tears while reading this book. It's definitely something that all fans of contemporary romance will enjoy!

The romance between Joe Kowalski and Keri Daniels was both hilarious and cute. Twenty years have passed since Keri broke his heart... but there is still the same sexual tension in the air. Joe actually has hope that while on his bribe/family trip, Keri will somehow see the light and not leave him. I wasn't exactly sure if I could forgive Keri for breaking a guy's heart as sweet as Joe. Thank god she redeemed herself! There were also two other relationships that were briefly told in this book: Mike/Lisa and Terry/Evan.

For Mike and Lisa, their issue was that Lisa believed the only reason why Mike is still with her is because she was pregnant during their courtship. As for Terry and Evan, their marriage stems from the fact that Terry is always so controlling. At times during the book, I wanted to smack her for being so stubborn! They both love each other so she should try to change her attitude. Thankfully, everything was solved in the end! I was worried that Terry and Evan's relationship might not work out because she was just so heartbroken when he left her. It's definitely hard to gain someone's trust again after that.

Anyway! If you love romances where the hero and heroine are both funny, cute, and should just get together already?! This is the book for you! There were so many laugh out loud moments-- partly due to the Kowalski kids, the banter between Terry and Keri, and of course between Joe and Keri! You won't be disappointed at all!

Rating: ★★★★★

Divergent by Veronica Roth

“I might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.”

Divergent by Veronica Roth is a captivating story about a young girl who ultimately has to decide whether she wants to stay with her family or leave them behind forever. Like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins but entirely different, out heroine Tris Prior, lives in a dystopian world where a faction's society and value determines who you are. Tris ends up leaving her faction of Abengation and enters the world of the Dauntless; where danger, violence, betrayal, and even an unexpected love awaits her.

I absolutely love this book. It took me two days to finish it and I still want to read it again! Although I do admit that the world building was quite confusing at first and might need a bit of more info... for an author's first debut trilogy, this is a great example of what a Dystopian YA novel should be. There was plently of action and if you're a fan of The Hunger Games, you should check this little gem out! One of the things that I loved most about this book was the sweet and fragile romance between Four and Tris. They are perfect for one another in every way because despite what others may think, I believe that Four loves Tris for who she is-- nevermind the fact how swhe downgrades the way she looks and whatnot. Call me a romantic, but that's what I am.

Overall, I'm glad that Veronica Roth did not leave her readers and overbearing cliffhanger. I wouldn't be able to stand that, but still... she did leave us wanting more. And that's why Insurgent shall bring it all back with a bang! Seriously, this was a great book. I don't even know why it took me so long to even read it... but hey. I did in the end and that's all that matter!

Rating: ★★★★★