Hourglass by Myra McEntire (Review)

Genre: Paranormal Romance 

Number of Pages: 387

For ages 13+

"One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?" -Goodreads

You are probably all wondering, Is it Sunday? Did one week really go by so fast? Kay, so I'm sure you're not thinking this, BUT it is indeed Tuesday-very early in the morning, Tuesday, but still Tuesday none the less-and I am indeed writing a review two days after I wrote a scheduled review. But hopefully no one's complaining that I'm writing more than one review this week. And if someone is, I'm sorry!

I seriously NEEDED to write a review about this book. Stat. And it seems to me that all of my good reviews come either when I'm sick or late at night. I really don't know why, but it happens. So here's a  late night review for all of you. I will be posting this in the morning, though! Hopefully it lives up to all of its glory! I've got my headphones in listening to my Ingrid Michaelson Pandora station and not paying attention to any of the outside world. ...I mean business.

Going on... This book was super fantabulous and made me cry, scream, (yes I actually did scream out loud.. I regret nothing.) and laugh. And I can't stop thinking about it or the characters.

Emerson had an amazing personality. I loved that she wasn't some girl who when all of this crappy stuff came into her life she ran away from it. She dealt with it. Luckily, she had gorgeous Michael to stand behind her, but still! Everyone needs someone to back them up. Even though the person backing her up just so happened to be a gorgeous guy who was beyond swoon worthy, but who's really thinking about that? I held a lot of sympathy for her just because she had been through so much. I mean, I would think that I had gone crazy if I could see people from the past. But maybe that's just me? ;) She was beyond hilarious and pretty much had a snarky response to anything. She definitely stood out from other normal YA characters, AND may I just say, she could flip a guy over her shoulder. Are you all impressed yet? If you aren't, then WHY THE HECK NOT?!  There weren't many times when I wanted to scream, "YOU'RE SO STUPID! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!" But when there were those times I usually, deep down inside, was agreeing with her reasons for these decisions. There was also many-a-times when I wanted to go, "You go girl!" And then fist pump into the air. But, alas, I refrained.

And now we're onto Michael. Amazing, beyond swoon worthy, Michael. There was so much anticipation for him and Emerson to just stinkin' get together already. He was one of those guys that you wish you had in real life. And yes, he's goin' on the list! If anyone who doesn't know what the list is, go check it out in my tabs up there! If you're lookin' for books with swoon worthy boys in them check that list out. I assure you there's a book in that list that you will love. Michael never ever stopped to think about himself. He always tried to do the right thing. Which sometimes was super hard to do and sometimes made me want to pull my hair out, but it was still endearing. Once the romance did kick in between Emerson and Michael, it was magical. And I know that sounds totally cheesy but it's the truth. I adored every second of them together.

Now, there were some times when I couldn't help falling for Michael's best friend, Kaleb. Because he was also amazingly sweet and caring toward Emerson and I couldn't help having a tiny part of me rooting for him and Emerson to be together. I said a TINY part.

I was worried that the time travel aspect of this book would just lose me entirely. Because, let's face it, science is not my strongest subject. Far from it, actually. Fortunately, I followed along quite well. There was a very limited amount of information that I didn't fully understand. So, if I can understand this stuff, I'm sure pretty much anyone else can. And I actually found it *gasp* interesting!

The ending was amazing. It left you wanting to read the next book, but it didn't leave you with one of those darn cliff hangers. I love cliff hangers, don't get me wrong. But, it's refreshing to be able to read a book where it ends with something satisfying yet leaves you wanting more. By the time I finished I was wishing there was more to read. 387 pages weren't enough. Nuh uh. Luckily, I have Timepiece sitting on my bedside table ready to read! I'm hoping I will love it just as much even though it isn't in the point of view of Emerson but of Kaleb. We shall see!

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns. But you probably knew that would be my rating by now. ;) I love this book and I can't stop thinking about it! I can't believe it took me so long to read it! Sheesh!

Thanks for reading! Have a fantabulous day!

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (Review)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Number of Pages: 260

For ages 12+

"'I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.'

 Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own." -Goodreads

So this is my last book that I  read in my full on contemporary romance spree! I decided you guys probably want to read reviews on things other than contemporary romance. ;) Of course, I'm not completely stopping contemporary romance, that would never happen. Ever. But, I'm gonna read different genres again! ;)

Once again, Allie recommended this book to me and I actually started reading it at my own birthday party. ;)  I'm pretty much a library so my friends like to look through my book shelf and pick out books. So we had an hour long reading party. Yay for sharing the book love!

This book had the two different points of view. Dash and Lily's! They seriously have some of the most awesome personalities. Sarcastic and intelligent. My favorite! Lily is kind of the nerdy quirky girl who takes the safe road and Dash is a guy who needs and adventure. I really loved this story because the two characters barely even meet in person. It's mostly through a red notebook and clues. It's like a big huge scavenger hunt. It was a romance without the two people meeting each other! Cool, right?? It wasn't super huge on the romance. Bigger on the aspect of two people becoming close through a notebook than a romance, but there was a romance aspect to it. 

Now, Dash wasn't a whole lot of swoon. He was no Etienne St. Clair or Cricket Bell or Jax Stone, but he was still one of those super hilarious sarcastic guys who has pretty much anything to back up his statements.  People kept describing him as "snarly" so I had to look up what "snarly" meant. If I looked up the correct word then apparently he is "easily irritated." Which I guess, is a good way to describe him.Also, he's super deep! There is this super cool thing on my Kindle that shows you popular quotes from the book that a whole bunch of people have highlighted. Almost half of the quotes were his. 

Here's a really good one:
"I was attempting to write the story of my life. It wasn't so much about plot. It was much more about character." 

Seriously? Awesome. And I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud. This really is a laugh out loud book. Some of the things Lily and Dash would make the other do we're outrageous but absolutely hilarious. I am not even close to being as brave as those two were. You also get to to travel around New York in this book. That's something I love about books, you get to travel around places maybe you've never been to. You get to explore the less popular places.  

Once Lily and Dash finally meet they get themselves in quite the predicaments which shows you Lily and Dash together equals craziness, but they are super sweet together. I wish we could have read more about what they're like together, but you know how it goes, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit." At least I hear it all the time with my siblings. It's my little sister's new favorite phrase. 

This was an awesome quick light romance read! If you're looking for a super funny book with some quirky characters, this is the book for you! I give it 5 out of 5 diva crowns!

Thanks for reading! :)

Chasing McCree by J.C. Isabella (Review)

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Once again.) ;)

Number of Pages: Unknown (ebook)

For ages 12+

"Briar Thompson had it all. The right clothes, the right friends, the right car. Being popular was all that mattered. Her parents were rich and treated like royalty throughout the community. She thought her senior year of high school was going perfectly, until the night her drink was spiked at a party by one of her so called friends. 

That was the night she met Chase McCree. 

Chase wanted to go back to Montana. To the ranch and the wild, wide blue sky that went on forever. He wanted nothing to do with flashy cars or spoiled rich kids. But he found himself head over boots for the quirky cheerleader who turned her back on her social status. She befriended him when no one else would. 

Shunned and hurt by the people who were once her friends, Briar flees with Chase to his family ranch in Montana. There she discovers another world, and apart of herself she never knew. 

The cowboy wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met. The cheerleader wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met. Apart their lives didn’t seem to make sense, but together, they were chasing forever" -Goodreads 

I bought almost 4 books to take with me onto my trip with Allie! Yes, all were contemporary romance, go figure. ;) And this happens to be one of those books! 

Something that's really great about this book is that there are two points of view in this book. One is in the guy, Chase's view, and the other is in the girl, Briar's, point of view. You get to be inside the head of both of the character's. Which means no confusion on who's feeling what! 

You would think since Briar is one of those girls that has it all, she would be a total snob. Luckily, she's quite the opposite. You get to see her progress into someone who really doesn't care what other people think about her. I loved her personality and I loved her will power. I loved, apparently. ;) 

Oh my gravy. Chase McCree. That boy is definitely made of swoon. I don't usually go for the country boys who would choose riding a horse instead of driving a car, but Chase changed my mind. He's sweet, and caring, and oh, just read the book to find out how fantabulous the boy is. Also, he is quite the charmer. He stole my heart when he "rescued" Briar when he found her drunk in the park. He's also one of those boys who has good values and knows how to treat a lady. ;) Always a plus in my book. He and Briar are far from the image of a "perfect" couple. Considering one is a popular cheerleader who is quite wealthy and the other is a country boy who doesn't quite fit in and which later we find out he is quite wealthy himself. But to the reader (or just me) they were perfect for each other in their own quirky ways.

The ending was absolutely, positively, adorable. You can't help but smile once you turn that last page. Though, I wish we could have had a little more added to the ending just because I didn't want it to end. But, all good stories must come to an end, unfortunately.

This book is another one of those sweet reads that sweeps you off your feet. The romance is cute, and not too heavy, the characters are a breath of fresh air, and the ending had me sighing in content. 5 out of 5 diva crowns for this lovely summer read!

Have a fantabulous week! 

Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton (Review)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Number of Pages: 228

For ages 13+

"One day while watching the Interstate exit for her dad’s long awaited return, Libby’s life is rocked when Peter Jamieson steps off his tour bus and into her life. After a couple chance meetings with Peter, Libby breaks away from her rule abiding behavior and her life changes course.

Peter longs for normalcy away from the screaming fans who know nothing about the real him. He is amazed to discover Libby has never heard of him or his band. Soon their friendship turns to love. While Peter battles his family's growing interference so he can spend time with Libby, she struggles with her eccentric aunt who turns more bizarre each day.

Their lives are torn apart when Peter's family intrudes and Libby disappears. Peter’s desperate search for her comes up empty. Can they find their way back to each other while the world plots against them?" -Goodreads 

I've been reading like crazy, and I've been reading about a book a day. As you can tell, I've been on a huge contemporary romance roll. Allie and I have been flyin' through 'em. Allie also recommended this one to me! (go figure!) When I read the description I immediately thought of Breathe, thinking that this would be exactly like it. Fortunately, they weren't COMPLETELY alike, but it was still super good!

Libby is yet another one of those unfortunate main characters who just has a sucky life. Her mother and sister are dead and her father is in such a state of depression that he dumps Libby off at her aunt's house who, may I just say, is absolutely horrendous. I'm sure anyone else who has read this book agrees with me on that one. I really wish she didn't have to deal with all of that, but without all of that terrible stuff there would be no story. *sigh* Look at me, talking about a person in a book like their real. Oh wells, that's how I see them! Anyways, Libby's life suddenly changes when a tour bus rolls up to the nearby nature preserve Libby hangs out at, and low and behold, a super adorable guy named Peter appears, who just so happens to be in an extremely popular band with his two brothers.

Peter is adorable, sweet, caring, and a whole bunch more. All of the characteristics that make up a swoon worthy boy! I loved the fact that he was a super famous rock star, but wasn't cocky about it. I love the relationship Libby and him had together. And I loved that Libby finally had someone she could talk to and be herself. You saw her transform from this shy girl who had no friends, to a determined girl who stood up for herself. Peter helped her do that. Don't you just love when a character can bring out the best in another character? I sure do!

Unfortunately you know that amazing relationships that start early in the books don't always stay amazing. Thanks to Peter's stupid brother there were many complications. This is where I started to get frustrated. I wasn't frustrated with the author, more frustrated with the characters. A series of events unfolded after Peter's idiotic brother put a twist into Libby and Peter's relationship, and boy, were they drastic.I wish I could tell you guys because there is SO MUCH I would like to say about those, but I want you to read it yourself!  Because it's really good! They were those moments where Character A went to this place, and Character B couldn't find them and then Character B did find out where Character A was but Character A had left to go somewhere else trying to find Character B. Sounds confusing ,I know. ;)

The ending is adorable and made my heart melt and makes all of the heart wrenching experiences totally worth it. I do love me some happy endings. I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns! It was super good and a really quick read. I read it in less than a day. I recommend this to all Romance lovers who love a quick sweet read. You won't be disappointed!

Allie and I will be going out of town this week, so hopefully we'll have some good books to come back with and review!

Hope your day is filled with *SPARKLES!*