Book Review: Dark Wild Night (Wild Seasons #3) by Christina Lauren

Dark Wild Night
Wild Seasons #3

By:
Christina Lauren

Published:
Sept. 15, 2015

Publisher:
Gallery Books

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Source:
Finished Copy in exchange for a honest review

GR's Summary:

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. But what didn't happen in Vegas seems to follow them everywhere. 

Lola and Oliver like to congratulate themselves on having the good sense to not consummate their drunken Las Vegas wedding. If they’d doubled-down on that mistake, their Just Friends situation might not be half as great as it is now.

... Or so goes the official line. 

In reality, Lola’s wanted Oliver since day one—and over time has only fallen harder for his sexy Aussie accent and easygoing ability to take her as she comes. More at home in her studio than in baring herself to people, Lola’s instinctive comfort around Oliver nearly seems too good to be true. So why ruin a good thing? 

 Even as geek girls fawn over him, Oliver can’t get his mind off what he didn’t do with Lola when he had the chance. He knows what he wants with her now ... and it’s far outside the friend zone. When Lola’s graphic novel starts getting national acclaim—and is then fast-tracked for a major motion picture—Oliver steps up to be there for her whenever she needs him. After all, she’s not the kind of girl who likes all that attention, but maybe she’s the kind who’ll eventually like him. 

Sometimes seeing what’s right in front of us takes a great leap of faith. And sometimes a dark wild night in Vegas isn’t just the end of a day, but the beginning of a bright new life...

Wild Seasons Series:
My Review of Sweet Filthy Boy Here
My Review of Dirty Rowdy Thing Here

*Add this Series to Goodreads Here

My Thoughts:

Team Christina Lauren always brings the heat!  The Wild Seasons Series is full of fun, wonderful friendships, and sinfully sexy romance!  We first met Mia, Harlow, Lola, Ansel, Finn, and Oliver, when these six hit it off in Las Vegas and had one crazy adventure.  We got Mia and Ansel's story in Sweet Filthy Boy and Finn and Harlow's story in Dirty Rowdy Thing.  Both of these stories were outstanding and I have been waiting on the edge of my seat for Lola and Oliver's story.

Out of their close-knit clique of friends, Lola and Oliver are the only ones that didn't make a go of a romantic relationship.  Lola fantasizes about Oliver and has very strong feelings for him, but is sure that he doesn't feel the same way about her.  However, Oliver has been madly in love with Lola since he got to know her, and learned what an amazing woman she is.  These two spend every spare moment together, look to one another for advice, share their successes and stresses, and have a unique and beautiful connection.  However, Oliver is scared to risk their friendship, and possibly lose Lola if a romance were to fail between them.

As Lola's comic book, Razor Fish, gets contracted to be made in to a movie, and she is working hard on a deadline for it's sequel; Lola is overwhelmed.  Oliver centers her like nothing else, and he is able calm her and support her, because he knows her better than anyone else does.  

Pretty soon things between Lola and Oliver become  intense.  They begin flirting with each other more, fantasizing, and contemplating moving from friendship to a relationship.  Lola is ecstatic and yet equally terrified when she discovers that Oliver is in love with her.  She has emotional baggage from when her mother abandoned her as a child, and always self-sabatoges her relationships.  

Oliver knows that Lola is scared and he is willing to be patient, and take the relationship at her pace.  However, when the only thing that Lola can focus on is Oliver, her work starts to suffer.  She feels that they need a break from each other, so that she can focus on her career.  Will Lola sacrifice the man she loves for her career and self- sabotage another relationship?

I loved reading Oliver and Lola's story.  Team Christina Lauren really took the time to develop "Loliver's" friendship, and the payoff was superb.  I connected to these two character's and the way that they were so in sync with one another.  They understood one another so well, and complimented each other beautifully.  Oliver is my favorite Aussie book boyfriend!  He is attentive, kind, devoted, patient, loyal, and has a very naughty undercover side to him that I enjoyed discovering.  Team Christina Lauren created the perfect man when they created Oliver.  I was jealous of fictional Lola!  Oliver had all kinds of skills!!!  

I enjoy stories where friendships are a significant part of the story.  Mia, Ansel, Harlow, Finn, London (Lola's room mate,) and "Not Joe" (Oliver's employee) were a blast to spend time with.  There is always laughing, joking, butting in, and adventure to be had with this whole cast of characters.  I am always sad to say "goodbye," to these characters, but then again, that's the perfect excuse to reread this series!

My Rating:

I give, Dark Wild Night, by Christina Lauren, 4 "Team Loliver," Deep Intimate Connection, Breathtaking Friendship, Unrivaled Passion Filled Stars!  I love the Wild Seasons series, and this excellent cast of characters.  I hope that London, Lola's roommate, get's her own story next.  Keep these amazing stories coming Team Christina Lauren!  This series is on my auto-buy list!!!

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About Christina Lauren: 

Yes, there are two of us! Lauren (on the left) and Christina (on the right) have been writing all kinds of stories together since 2009. Separated by the pesky state of Nevada, these co-author besties talk several times a day, agree that Ruby Pumps is the best nail polish color ever, and would, if given the choice, spend all day staring at the ocean from the San Clemente pier. 

Lauren Billings (but everyone calls her Lo) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, bestie to a shoe-stealer, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance. 

Christina Hobbs (but you’ll always hear Lo call her PQ) used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. Married to the cutest boy in school, she has a thirteen year old daughter, is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter, and also likes to steal Lo’s shoes.

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Cover & Trailer Reveal : The Road That Leads To Us by Micalea Smeltzer

Title: The Road That Leads To Us

Series: Us Series (standalone)

Author: Micalea Smeltzer

Cover Design: Regina Wamba (Mae I Design)

 Release Date: October 27, 2015

Blurb

Things are about to get rocky for Dean Wentworth and Willow Wade.

Willow Wade is used to living in the spotlight, with her father a famous drummer in the band Willow Creek—her namesake—it’s been a lot to live up to and oftentimes she doesn’t feel she’s enough. But there has always been one person she could turn to.

Dean Wentworth knows a thing or two about how crippling a name can be. His family is worth billions after all. But Dean’s always been content to do his own thing. Play his guitar. Work on cars. And geek out to his various “nerdoms”.

But when Willow turns up unexpectedly, he realizes maybe there is more in life he wants.

Her. 

One trip will change their lives forever.

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Excerpt

Those bitches were gonna die.

That was a horrible thing to say about my so-called ‘friends’—and I used the word friends loosely, because true friends wouldn’t ditch you the day of your scheduled road trip because they’d rather be sunbathing in the Hamptons.

The fucking Hamptons.

Ew.

I mean, how clichéd could you get.

This was why I hated rich people.

It also sucked that I was one of those rich people.

Well, I wasn’t, but my dad was.

So by extension so was I.

When you grew up with a rock star for a dad, cameras and eyes followed you everywhere. It was exhausting.

I couldn’t just be Willow.

I was Willow Wade.

The daughter of the famous drummer Maddox Wade.

People expected greatness from me.

I just wanted to graduate college without slitting my wrists.

Author Bio

Micalea Smeltzer is a bestselling Young and New Adult author from Winchester, Virginia. She’s always working on her next book, and when she has spare time she loves to read and spend time with her family.

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Book Review: Shattered Blue (The Light Trilogy #1) by Lauren Bird Horowitz

Shattered Blue 

(The Light Trilogy #1) 

by 

Lauren Bird Horowitz

Published September 15th 2015 

by Skyscape 

ARC for Review 

Summary
For Noa and Callum, being together is dangerous, even deadly. From the start, sixteen-year-old Noa senses that the mysterious transfer student to her Monterey boarding school is different. Callum unnerves and intrigues her, and even as she struggles through family tragedy, she’s irresistibly drawn to him. Soon they are bound by his deepest secret: Callum is Fae, banished from another world after a loss hauntingly similar to her own.

But in Noa’s world, Callum needs a special human energy, Light, to survive; his body steals it through touch—or a kiss. And Callum’s not the only Fae on the hunt. When Callum is taken, Noa must decide: Will she sacrifice everything to save him? Even if it means learning their love may not be what she thought?

Something Bigger Remains Hidden

This was an okay read for me nothing that I regret reading but also not something that I had a good connection with either. I’m coming off of a five star hangover so hopefully that doesn’t have anything to do with my opinion. I will say there were portions that had poetry and this was by far my favorite aspect of this read. Shattered Blue was interesting enough that I wanted to keep reading but I did not lose any sleep. There is somewhat of a love triangle but its really different than anything I’ve ever read. This book is broken down into three parts. Our lead girl and the two major love interests unfortunately I felt as though the flow was a bit choppy almost pieced together? Does that even make sense? There is buckets and buckets of potential so I’m going to keep an eye out on the next installment and hopefully the flow improves and the characters show major development.

The Story, so its about banished Fae and a girl. Noa is your above average with grades average and slightly below average with everything else in an elite school. Noa finds Callum and there is a strong pull between these two. Callum goes as far as making a very important personal sacrifice for her. Though the beginning was a bit slow I enjoyed these two falling in love. Once the story starts to pick up it gets much more twisted and complicated. I’m jumping back with the whole it felt kind of choppy. One minute there was a raging fire and the next it would be time to tuck Noa’s kid sister to bed. Suddenly Judah shows up and he and Noa get thrown together. Ahem what about Callum? A lot of things happen pretty quickly after that but like I said it wasn’t smooth. One sec the characters are screaming whilst madness ensues and the next they are riding a cab to sneak back home. There is something incredibly devastating taking place through the other side of the portal and all the Fae are preparing for the worst.

The Characters, I really enjoyed Noa and Callum falling in love I thought it was very sweet. Unfortunately their romance is short lived and rather than trusting Noa Callum goes behind her back to protect her however what he really does is set off a chain of events that will forever change everyone. Introducing Judah was tricky because Callum really felt like the one, however by the end the reader learns there is WAY MORE to this story than what meets the eye. This is why I’m pretty curious about what comes next. Noa’s sister who passed away was present throughout the entire book but she isn’t explained. I imagine we will find out more soon enough.

The End, talk about secrets…wow get ready for a pretty awesome twist that once revealed makes everything just click into place. There is a pretty serious cliffhanger at the end. I’m not sure if the author is going to pursue the same angle of writing or not I just hope the flow is smoother. As I mentioned before this was an okay read for me. I’m not here to pick apart all the nuances but hopefully by the next it will be different.

My Rating

2.5 School, Funeral, Club, BFF, Boyfriend, Float, Fire, Wipe, Brother, Hunter, Ring, Portal, Tether, Light, Soul, Cab Rides Galore, Its way to hard to pick a side…especially the liar liar pants on fire side.

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About the Author

Lauren – or ‘Bird’ as she is often known – is a screenwriter and novelist lucky enough to call both Los Angeles and Kauai home. Bird also counts herself lucky that writing exists as a profession—how else could she share the crazy, fantastic worlds in her head? Bird studied writing at Harvard University with novelist Jamaica Kincaid, where she won several prizes including the Edward Eager Memorial Prize for fiction. She’s a proud member of the Writers Guild of America.

Excerpt Reveal : Sins of Sevin by Penelope Ward

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new forbidden STANDALONE romance releasing September 21st! 

Blurb 

What happens when the one you want is the only one you can't have? 

My name is Sevin. 

Homeschooled and sheltered by my ultra-religious family, I was always taught that lust was a sin. 

Elle was the girl who'd been carefully chosen for me. 

After a long-distance courtship, I'd be moving into her family's guesthouse so that we could get to know each other in the months before the wedding. 

Boundaries were set: no inappropriate touching, no kissing, no sex before marriage.  

I'd accepted those rules and my fate. 

Until I met the one I wanted to sin with. 

That was when restraint became a problem...especially since THE ONE wasn't Elle. 

It was her sister, Evangeline. 

You know what they say about best laid plans. 

My name is Sevin, and I have sinned. 

Told in alternating points of view, Sins of Sevin is a full-length standalone novel. Contains graphic sexual content and harsh language. Only appropriate for adult readers age 18+.

PRE-ORDER SINS OF SEVIN NOW! 

iBooks: http://apple.co/1gmN9nq 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Qd6oMs 

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Add to your TBR at: http://bit.ly/1MjhOjQ 

SINS OF SEVIN EXCERPT 

Copyright © 2015 by Penelope Ward 

As he gulped down the water, I watched his Adam’s apple moving up and down. I used the opportunity to glance over his sweaty body up close. The top of his underwear was sticking out of his jeans. The smell of him was intoxicating, a mix of cut wood, sweat and cologne. I thought about our talk the other night, how he’d confessed his sexual history. As much as it disturbed me, knowing he’d used that body to give a woman pleasure made me weak with desire. I could only imagine what that would feel like with him. 

Elle would find out. 

I was still looking down at his abs when he said, “Thank you.” My eyes immediately shot up to meet his incendiary stare. 

He’d caught me checking him out. 

“You’re welcome.” 

His mouth curved into a smile as he handed me back the glass. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you much this week.” 

“Yeah. I’ve been busy.” 

“I have something for you,” he blurted out in a way that indicated he was anxiously waiting to say it. 

“For me?” 

“Yeah. Wait here, okay?” 

Sevin ran over to where his truck was parked and grabbed something out of the open window. 

He returned to where I was standing and handed me a CD. 

“What is it?” 

“If you like the Smiths, you’ll like some of the songs on here. I included a few Smiths songs—the ones from your favorite album, but there’s also The Lemonheads, The Pixies…and Pulp.” 

“You made this?” 

“Yeah. I made it for myself and burned you a copy.” 

“Thanks.” 

He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Number ten is my favorite.” Then, he walked away. 

I immediately took it back to my room and dusted off my old portable CD player. Lying down on my bed with the sun streaming in, I drowned out the world and listened to every song. When it got to number ten, I paid special attention, knowing he’d specifically called that one out. 

The name of the song was Like a Friend. I later found out it was by Pulp. With each lyric, my eyes became heavier until they welled up in tears. The words described to a tee exactly how I’d been feeling about him. The singer was shouting out all his feelings about his friend, that she was everything he shouldn’t want, everything that was bad for him, but yet he couldn’t stop wanting her. He’d take what he could get even if that just meant being friends. Every single line spoke to me. It was the first time I realized that maybe I wasn’t alone in my torment. This situation—whatever was happening between us—was taking a toll on him, too.

I must have listened to the song five times before I went over to the window and looked down at him. At one point, he finally looked up and noticed me. He squinted his eyes to see me through the glare of the sun. I still had my headphones on. He knew I had heard number ten. The look on his face when our eyes locked only confirmed that number ten wasn’t just a song. It was his way of speaking to me. 

About the Author:

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 10-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island. 

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Other books by Penelope Ward:

Cocky Bastard 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FEkGjO 

B&N: 

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1F57x8r 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1KeDQhg 

Stepbrother Dearest 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mFNMeg 

B&N: http://bit.ly/1taMFjG 

iTunes: http://bit.ly/YER0mT 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1fJaaBs 

Gemini 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1vgk1SE 

B&N: http://bit.ly/1KfmLHD 

iTunes: http://apple.co/1QTaONj 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1BGJ2wu 

Jake Undone (Jake #1) 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1dJrHBC 

B&N: http://bit.ly/1obAwJ6 

iTunes: http://apple.co/1fJayQ8 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1SPKl0M 

My Skylar 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1obOG2F 

B&N: http://bit.ly/SLO1qi 

iTunes: http://bit.ly/SLNOTR 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1kNrtAB 

Jake Understood (Jake #2) 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1GFdves 

B&N: http://bit.ly/1FwJC0z 

iTunes: http://apple.co/1DQQwgC 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1LQ7Fvk

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