Review: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Synopsis:
Lani and Erin are bonded for life. One thing that connects them is their fascination of fate. Lani wonders how much of our lives has already been decided and how much we can actually influence. Since the Unknown can unexpectedly change our lives forever, how much can we really control?

From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can't deny the intense connection they share. It feels like she's known him forever. She's not sure if he feels it, too. But it doesn't matter. Because Jason is Erin's boyfriend. Lani is determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than risk hurting her best friend.

How long can Lani keep running from the boy who might be her destiny?

Review:
Lani and Erin are best friends, but they are completely different. Lani is an introvert and Erin is an extrovert. Erin starts dating Jason, and when Lani meets him, she instantly feels a connection. Of course because she is a good friend, she does not act on her feelings. But how can she run from fate?

I had a few problems with this book. One was that Lani seemed to be a bit hypocritical to me when she talked about how much she wanted to save the environment. She complained that Erin's car only got 24 miles a gallon, but she has no problem riding in Jason's Jeep. I did not like how cruel Erin became towards the end of the novel. It was sad to see her stoop so low to ruin her best friend's school life. 

Overall, this book was a quick read. It had some aspects of it that I did not like, but I am still glad I read it.

Rating: 3/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: The Boys Next Door & Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

Synopsis:

Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.

Lori can't wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends-including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she's turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that's not going to happen-not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it. 

Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori's romantic summer melt into one hot mess?

Review:

This book contained both The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols. The book follows Lori as she tries to get Sean's attention. Lori and her brother grew up next door to the Vader brothers (Sean, Cameron, and Adam), so Lori is a bit of a tomboy from being around all those boys. This summer, she decides she wants to be viewed as a girl and not just one of the guys. She creates an elaborate plan that involves dressing girlier and wearing a bikini to grab the attention of the middle Vader brother, Sean, whom she has had a crush on for years. Part of her plan is to make Sean jealous by pretending to date Adam (the youngest Vader). By doing this, she ignores her growing attraction to Adam even though Adam is obviously in love with her and cares about her. It was frustrating to see Lori ignore the jealousy she felt when she saw Adam with another girl, and the tingling feelings she felt when she was around him, BUT she still brushed those off as if they were nothing.

The second book starts off right where the first book ends. Lori and Adam are finally dating, but one mess up gets them both banned from each other. I hated to see them apart! How can they be grounded from each other right after they get together?! That was frustrating to read, but I could not put it down. Adam is much more irritable in this book. We get both Lori and Adam's point of view. Adam gets jealous very easily, lies to Lori, makes plans behind her back. For a good part of the book, I was mad at Adam. He was not as likable as in the first book because he was so frustrated with all the trouble he caused himself. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it.

I really loved these books! This is the first book I read by Jennifer Echols, and she is skilled at humor. I laughed so much during this book. Lori and the characters were so witty and entertaining. I could not put this books down! I read all 587 pages in one sitting, and I was sad to see it end. I loved the romantic comedy aspects of this book. Definitely the perfect summer read.

Rating: 5/5

Swords are for fighting,

Review: Steamed by Katie MacAlister

Synopsis:

When one of Jack Fletcher's nanoelectromechanical system experiments is jostled in his lab, the resulting explosion sends him into the world of his favorite novel-a seemingly Victorian-era world of steampower, aether guns, corsets, and goggles. A world where the lovely and intrepid Octavia Pye captains her airship straight into his heart...

Review:
As much as I love Katie MacAlister, Steamed started off really slow for me. I could not get into the book. I even put it down for a few months before picking it up again to finish it. Nevertheless, once I got into this story, it was wonderful. 

The main character, Jack, ends up in steampunk world with his sister after one of his experiments goes awry. There, he meets Captain Octavia Pye and ends up falling in love with her. Along the way, his sister gets kidnapped. MacAlister has a way of making such a dire situation such as kidnapping funny, quirky and entertaining along the way.

If you like steampunk romance or pirate stories, you will love this book. It is full of action, adventure, romance, and some sexy scenes. The characters are witty and hilarious. I would recommend this book for ages over 16 because of the sex scenes. If you like that sort of thing, you love those scenes because they are HOT!

Rating: 3/5

Swords are for fighting!