Dirty (Dive Bar #1) by Kylie Scott

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The last thing Vaughan Hewson expects to find when he returns to his childhood home is a broken hearted bride in his shower, let alone the drama and chaos that comes with her.

Lydia Green doesn't know whether to burn down the church or sit and cry in a corner. Discovering the love of your life is having an affair on your wedding day is bad enough. Finding out it's with his best man is another thing all together. She narrowly escapes tying the knot and meets Vaughan only hours later.

Vaughan is the exact opposite of the picture perfect, respected businessman she thought she'd marry. This former musician-turned-bartender is rough around the edges and unsettled. But she already tried Mr. Right and discovered he's all wrong-maybe it's time to give Mr. Right Now a chance.

After all, what's wrong with getting dirty?

Let me count the ways Dirty is magnificient:

1.   It’s a spin-off of the riotously funny and seductive Stage Dive series featuring a   cast of new and recurring characters.

2.   It features another formidable heroine.

3.   It has another hot and sexy guy.

4.   It’s witty and hilarious.

5.   It’s about family.

Lydia, a runaway bride, finds herself hiding out in a bathtub in a stranger’s house reassessing where her life’s at and how it got to be that way. In walks the stranger and can we say awkward?  Vaughan is the hot guitarist in a band that is on the verge of breaking up. He, too, has some mulling over to do about his future. Now for any of us, finding a complete mess of a stranger in our bathtub would warrant a quick phone call to the police in addition to a near-heart attack. Not in this world. And thank goodness for that! Lydia and Vaughan strike up a bizarre alliance that’s comforting and at the same time blurs the line of friendship and lust. It’s a strange time for both of them and it’s rather nice to have a new person far removed from their own world to lean on. The only catch is to not get attached because neither knows where they’re headed.

Scott once again delivers witty banter and hysterical moments. Lydia is quite self-aware and Vaughan exudes sex appeal. The chemistry between these two is something else! I do feel that Dirty has a different tone. Set in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, this is far away from the distraction of touring and fame which makes it an interesting change of pace from the other series. Family ties play a big part in this story particularly with Vaughan, and Lydia is lucky enough to witness their strong bonds. I love how she is accepted into the fold at a time in her life when so much is uncertain, and she has to set new plans to replace the previous ones that fell apart. Lydia isn’t the only one dealing with issues though. Vaughan is reluctant to address the things that are weighing on him. And even though they barely know each other, Lydia’s straight-forwardness is exactly what he needs even if he may not like it. 

If I haven’t mentioned it before, Kylie Scott is a goddess. I don’t know where she comes up with this stuff. Really. I suspect she has a treasure chest of biting comments, one-line zingers and endless funny anecdotes at her disposal because she keeps coming up with brilliant stuff. After reading Dirty I know that I will love this series just as much as I do her Stage Dive series. So yes, you should get dirty, too! 

~ Bel

The Latecomers Fan Club by Diane Vanaskie Mulligan

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A New Acclaimed Work of Contemporary Women's Fiction from the author of Watch Me Disappear

What is it about guys with guitars in their hands that makes them so irresistible, even when they are obviously self-centered jerks? If Abby and Maggie could answer that question, maybe they could finally get over Nathaniel.

Abby was first sucked in by Nathaniel's rock 'n roll swagger four years ago when a drunken fling turned into a series of drunken hook-ups that became something like a relationship. Now, as New Year's Eve promises a fresh start, she wants to believe he's finally going to grow up and take their relationship seriously.

What does Nathaniel hope the New Year will bring? An escape from the disappointing realities of his life. He's thirty-four years old and he's barely making ends meet as an adjunct philosophy professor, which was always only a backup plan anyway. Nathaniel's real goal was always to make his living as a musician, but his band, The Latecomers, broke up a couple of years ago, and he hasn't picked up his guitar in months. When he decides to spend the holiday with some high school friends instead of hanging out at the bar where Abby works, he gets the happy surprise of reuniting with his long-lost friend Maggie. Newly divorced, Maggie has just moved back to her mother's house to regroup.

Nathaniel and Maggie were supposed to be the ones who left Worcester forever to conquer the world. He was going to be a rock star. She was going to take the world of art by storm. He's never gotten farther than Boston, and her best efforts only left her broke and heartbroken. As they ring in the New Year together, Nathaniel decides it's time to take control of his life and to start making his dreams come true. He thinks the first step will be easy. All he needs to do is break up with Abby and finally admit his feelings for Maggie. But the New Year has more surprises in store, and nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

I like storylines with old friends meeting up. I’m particularly interested in how their old lives hold up when they intersect with their new lives. What are they thinking? Are they happy and living up to their dreams or are they disappointed with how things turned out? This is why I was drawn to The Latecomers Fan Club.

The story centers around three characters, Abby, Nathaniel and Maggie. Abby and Nathaniel are currently an item; Nathaniel and Maggie were best friends in high school. Abby laments the state of her relationship with Nathaniel. He doesn’t behave as the ideal boyfriend – not that she has some sort of checklist going – but she does recognize that their relationship is lacking something. Abby is all in but Nathaniel, not so much. She’s holding out hope that he’ll shake off whatever it is that’s keeping him from fully committing to her.

Nathaniel is discontent with his life. He had such high hopes of escaping town and becoming something special but his reality is far off course. His band, The Latecomers is also a source of disappointment. He’s disinterested in his relationship and completely dishonest with Abby. The only thing lifting his spirits is Maggie’s reappearance into his life.

Maggie has returned to town after the collapse of her marriage. She’s embarrassed and stressed about living with her parents again. Running into Nathaniel is a highlight but is he what she needs right now as she straightens up her head?

I know I’m being hard on the characters when I say that all of them are sad. I did develop an attachment to Abby while Nathaniel is the least likable of the group. There are just so many lies and distorted views that grated on me. The tough part is that what they’re all going through is real and it’s hard for them to snap out of their pity party. At least Abby managed to get some life in her by the end (thanks to her best friend). Truth is for all of their imperfections, I did care about what they were going through. And while I may not agree with some of their decisions, they seem to be headed in the right direction towards the end. 

The Latecomers Fan Club is about adults who don’t realize their dreams and struggle to accept that in order to adapt. Growing up can suck sometimes, especially when you’ve lost your drive. Moving on requires courage and perhaps a special person to help you see things differently. And if second chances at happiness come along, snap them up quick!

~ Bel

Maybe Someday (Maybe #1) by Colleen Hoover

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At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her—and she’s forced to decide what her next move should be.

Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.

A passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance, Maybe Someday will immerse readers in Sydney’s tumultuous world from the very first page.

I’ve decided what it is I like about Colleen Hoover that has me devouring her books – she’s unafraid to explore very uncomfortable situations. Maybe Someday is a very good case of “right place, wrong time” when Sydney and Ridge crash into each other’s orbit. There’s an undeniable attraction but the problem is that she just broke up with her lying, cheating boyfriend (who happened to be hooking up with her best friend and roommate) and Ridge is madly in love with his girlfriend, Maggie. So now the trick is how they have to get along as roommates and songwriting partners.

What I loved: The fact that both Sydney and Ridge acknowledge what is occurring between them. They actually communicate! Whether it’s through conversation or through their songwriting, they’re honest about their feelings and the predicament that puts them in.  Sydney is keenly aware that to pursue anything with Ridge would cast Maggie in the role of the betrayed girlfriend, just as she was. Having had her heart broken recently, there's no way she's doing that to someone else. And Ridge, oh this guy is loyal to a fault. He sees the hurt and confusion he’s causing her because he feels it, too. At least these two have their conscience keeping them in check.

What I struggled with: That extremely fine line between physical and emotional cheating. While they try desperately to avoid anything physical between them, they get more emotionally invested in each other. Therein lies the dilemma: is emotional intimacy just as destructive as any physical intimacy between them? I couldn't root for anyone when it meant that someone else would get hurt. 

So with these two things working against each other, I could have given up. But I didn't. I just had to know where Hoover was taking this story and how Sydney and Ridge would work things out. There’s so much intensity and passion within these pages, especially when writing songs together is such an intimate thing between them. That’s when the barriers come down and what feelings that can’t be said aloud are conveyed through music. 

Despite how uneasy this was at times, I did like Maybe Someday a lot. BEWARE: This will push your "wiggy button" regarding long-term relationships and friendships that skirt the line between remaining friends and moving beyond that. And I’m not condoning cheating either. I happen to think that Hoover did a terrific job giving two people the emotional depth to tell a very difficult story. They’re good people caught in an unenviable position where they choose to put others before their own wants.

~ Bel

Wild Reckless by Ginger Scott Review Tour

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Kensington Worth had a vision for her senior year. It involved her best friends, her posh private school in downtown Chicago and time alone with her piano until her audition was perfected, a guaranteed ticket into the best music programs in the world.

Instead, a nightmare took over.

It didn’t happen all at once, but her life unraveled quickly—a tiny thread that evil somehow kept pulling until everything precious was taken from her. She was suddenly living miles away from her old life, trapped in an existence she didn’t choose—one determined to destroy her from the inside, leaving only hate and anger behind. It didn’t help that her neighbor, the one whose eyes held danger, was enjoying every second of her fall.

Owen Harper was trouble, his heart wild and his past the kind that’s spoken about in whispers. And somehow, his path was always intertwined with Kensington’s, every interaction crushing her, ruining her hope for any future better than her now. Sometimes, though, what everyone warns is trouble, is exactly what the heart needs. Owen Harper was consumed with darkness, and it held onto his soul for years. When Kensington looked at him, she saw a boy who’d gotten good at taking others down when they threatened his carefully balanced life. But the more she looked, the more she saw other things too—good things…things to admire.

Things…to love. Things that made her want to be reckless.

And those things…they were the scariest of all.

What happens when you’re uprooted from everything that's familiar to you only to have the remaining steadfast bits of your life fall apart in a matter of seconds? That’s exactly what happens to Kensington when her family of three moves from Chicago to the town of Woodstock in order for her dad to be closer to his job as a conductor and music professor in Milwaukee. Her very first encounter with the next door neighbor leaves her feeling outraged. He’s unfriendly and appears to be a complete jerk.  So naturally she encounters him at school too where surprise, surprise, he’s an A+ jerk there as well! Her new group of friends she meets in marching band share stories about this mysterious guy Owen, and how he’s a troubled kid from a messed up family. Normally that info would scare someone off but Kensi’s not intimidated by him at all.

Her new life seems to be coming along nicely aside from that one annoyance. She's making new friends and exploring new things at school like joining the marching band. While her dad would frown upon this, she’s actually enjoying herself. The piano has been her life for as long as she can remember and her dad has aspirations that she continue with her classical music training. He has no clue that Kensi would much rather play jazz but since he controls the reigns in the household, she has to keep that to herself. It’s one day during a spat with Owen outside her house when a secret comes out that's so devastating, it causes irrevocable damage to her family. Kensi is shaken to her very core and Owen is the only person she literally runs to to get away from the fallout.

Both are taken by surprise by her brash move but it’s at this point where Owen starts to become a little kinder towards her. Hurt and confused by the betrayal, Kensi begins to lash out at her family and the status quo. Owen is the only one who knows what’s going on. They form what is an awkward friendship in the beginning that traverses new ground for both of them. Owen has never let anyone get close to him. While the entire book is told from Kensi's perspective,the prologue which sets a certain tone, is from Owen's and that little bit gives you a very personal insight into his young life. Keeping that in mind, you have a good idea where he's coming from. His family is treated like the town's pariahs and Owen doesn't mind adding to the gossip. It seems he enjoys living up to everyone’s assumptions about him being trouble and a lost case. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. In becoming friends, they both learn that appearances are deceptive and that there’s always a story behind what people think they already know.

It's not a secret that I love Ginger Scott's writing and I eagerly anticipate each new book she produces. There's authenticity in her characters and their defining moments always feel so genuine. Even the supporting cast makes an impression on you just as with her other books. In Wild Reckless, these these two go through the wringer of joy, heartbreak and hope, as they find their way out from the wreckage created by the people they most trusted in order to reach for what they want. They're "finding their brave" as my kids would say. When you read Wild Reckless, you'll adore Kensi and her no bs attitude, and you'll love Owen for his vulnerable heart and generous soul. 

~ Bel

Don't forget to enter the giveaway to celebrate the release of Wild Reckless here!

Also check out the fantastic Wild Reckless Playlist here: