Top Ten Books Set At the Beach

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books Set At the Beach.

I haven't gotten to visit the beach in the last two years so this is wishful thinking on my part. But I'll have to admit, this was challenging. Either I haven't read many books set at the beach or the beach was just a small part of the setting that I couldn't remember enough to be sure to list the book. But I did finally come up with ten. Here they are.

1. That One Summer (Summer, # 3) by CJ Duggan
2. The Lies About Truth by Courtney C Stevens
3. Breathe (Sea Breeze, # 1) by Abbi Glines
4. Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby
5. Out of Breath (Breathing, # 3) by Rebecca Donovan
6. We Were Liars by E Lockhart
7. Breakable (Contours of the Heart, # 2) by Tammara Webber
8. Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky, # 2) by Veronica Rossi
9. The Dead-Tossed Waves (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, # 2) by Carrie Ryan
10. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

So obviously I need some good beach setting recommendations guys! Hit me! What are you favorite books set at the beach? Let me know!

Misbehaving - Review

Misbehaving (Sea Breeze, # 6)

By: Abbi Glines

Published: December 17th 2013 by Simon Pulse

352 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from Holly

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Goodreads description--An unexpected affair leads to mind-blowing harmony in this Sea Breeze novel from New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines.

Jason is sick of living in his rock star brother’s shadow. So when he ships off to Sea Breeze, Alabama, he’s looking for a much deserved escape and a chance to blow off some envious steam. Falling for the local bad girl was definitely not the plan. But as the new duo enjoys some naughty fun in the Alabama sun, Jason learns that even though Jax is the musician in the family, he’s not the only brother who can rock someone’s world.

We’ve met both Jess and Jason in previous Sea Breeze books. Jess wasn’t a character I was excited to read about because of how she’s treated some of the other female leads in the past. However, I find that even if there’s a character I absolutely hate, once I read from their perspective I find myself understanding their thought processes and why they behave the way that they do. It’s an interesting philosophical concept. In contrast with not being excited to read about Jess, I was excited to read about Jason. I’ve been waiting for him to get his own book since Breathe and Just For Now.

I liked seeing how Jess’s insecurities have influenced her life, her view of men, and her expectations for how she deserves to be treated. I don’t always enjoy reading from a character that has a low self-esteem. And truthfully, I’m not sure I can say that Jess does have a low self-esteem, but she definitely has insecurities. We all do. She just wants to be loved, and above everything else, I connected with her desire for someone out there to simply put her—her feelings, her needs, her desires—first.

Jason was a bit more difficult for me to connect with in this book than in other books. I find that leading new adult male characters are all so very similar. Even when they appear to be completely different in previous books, when we get inside their heads they turn out just the same as every other new adult male. I enjoyed that Jason made an effort to show Jess how she should be treated and how she deserves to be treated by not acting on his desires immediately. But I found myself annoyed at how much he fought their relationship.

Without going into much detail so I can try to avoid spoilers, I really appreciated the part about 50% through where Jason and Jess weren’t together but Jess decided that she wasn’t going to sit around and wait for Jason. Despite being extremely hurt by him, she makes an effort to move forward. And I loved the exposure this gave us to a certain other Sea Breeze character that will remain nameless, but that I can’t wait to read more about. I’m thankful this happened because I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this character, but I’m already invested and I want this happy ending probably more than any of the other characters in this series so far.

Although I appreciated the part I just mentioned above, Misbehaving fell into that category of books where at the 70% mark (roughly) our characters make stupid decisions simply for the sake of conflict needed to move the story forward. This particular conflict was so similar to Sometimes It Lasts that I wasn’t as sympathetic as I would have been otherwise—not that I would have been sympathetic to dumb decisions anyway.

In the end, Misbehaving was both better than I expected and a disappointment. Aspects I really enjoyed, and others I really disliked. All of that keeps me around the 3.5 Star mark. I read Misbehaving in about a day which shows that I was hooked, so there’s that. Have you read Misbehaving? What did you think? Let me know!

Sometimes It Lasts - Review

Sometimes It Lasts (Sea Breeze, # 5)

By: Abbi Glines

Published: August 27th 2013 by Simon Pulse

288 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from Holly

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Goodreads description--Cage York has to choose between a love of the game and a love of the girl in this sultry Sea Breeze novel from New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines.

After waiting for his big break, bad boy Cage York is finally called up to prove his worth in the college baseball arena. But when Cage’s girlfriend, Eva, mourns the sudden loss of her father, it’s not Cage’s comforting arms she runs to, but those of her former fiancé’s twin brother, Jeremy.

Torn between his baseball dream and the girl of his dreams, Cage must prove he’s worthy of Eva’s love, or risk losing her to Jeremy forever.

I think anyone who reads my book reviews knows that I struggle with books that give my characters (yes they are mine) a happy ending and then later stirs the pot of their happily ever after by throwing in a big curve ball that just doesn’t belong (mixing my analogies here…not a good sign for this review). And so yeah, when I first saw that Sometimes It Lasts was going to be another book about Cage and Eva, I can’t say that I was excited. I knew the happily ever after they found in While It Lasts would get disturbed. Yet at the same time, we know that life doesn’t end for these characters at the happily ever after. Real life has highs and lows. Periods of calm and happiness, and periods of conflict and depression. So I’m torn. I really just wanted to read about another Sea Breeze character so we could have ANOTHER character’s happily ever after.

On top of that after reading the description for Sometimes It Lasts, I went into “I can predict the future” mode. I was so sure that I would be able to predict exactly what was going to happen in Sometimes It Lasts. Cage and Eva are faced with time apart because Cage has always dreamed of this baseball scholarship thing. Being able to play ball for a living and move forward in his life from where he started has always been his focus. Eva threatens that. He doesn’t want to leave her behind, but she can’t follow him now. So they’re forced into time apart. Here’s where I made my assumptions. I assumed that Cage would end up drunk one night and would slip in his faithfulness to Eva. While that is somewhat close to what actually happens, I enjoyed that Abbi Glines wrote this conflict in a way that wasn’t completely predictable for me.

That being said, Cage and Eva both make some pretty stupid decisions throughout this book. I was following them up until that point. It’s true that had Eva not released Cage to follow his dream that he would have probably ended up resenting her for that later. But that was about as far as I could follow them. They both let their insecurities and hurts from the past prevent them from fighting for each other and trusting each other.

Ultimately I was fine with the ending. I’m thankful that even though a large portion of this book was predictable, every detail wasn’t as I expected. These books suck me in every time. I find myself getting so annoyed and frustrated while reading them but yet giddy when they find their happy endings. Maybe that’s why I like these books so much. They swing so far in each direction. Are these books literary works of art? No I probably wouldn’t classify them as that. But once I get past my frustrations with circumstance, predictability, and dumb character decisions, I love that these characters always find their way back to each other and to their happy endings.

All in all, Sometimes It Lasts gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read Sometimes It Lasts? What did you think? Let me know!

Just for Now - Review

Just For Now (Sea Breeze, # 4)

By: Abbi Glines

Published: October 30th 2012 by Simon & Schuster

304 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from my SNL, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love

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Goodreads description--The day Preston Drake figured out that wealthy women paid well for a set of tight abs and a pretty face his life turned around.

The run down rat-infested trailer he had shared with his alcoholic mother and three younger siblings was now only a place he visited to pay the bills and stock the pantry with food.

He no longer worried about his family starving or living without electricity. The money he made entertaining rich older women more than covered his family’s needs and his own. He had it all figured out. Except…

There was this girl.

She was as innocent as he was tainted.

Amanda Hardy wished her knees didn’t get weak when Preston walked into a room. She hated the fact her heart raced when he flashed his smile in her direction. He had a different girl in his bed every night. He was the kind of boy a smart girl ran from. So, why was she coming up with ways to get close to him? Even when it was obvious he wanted to keep her at a distance.

Maybe her heart knew something the world didn’t. Maybe Preston Drake was more than just a pretty face.

First off, let me just say that I really enjoyed Preston and Amanda’s story. From Breathe, book 1 in this series, I was hoping for a book about Preston. Separately, I was hoping for a book about Amanda too. It wasn’t until the previous book, While It Lasts, that I began to see that Preston and Amanda’s stories would be intertwined. Just For Now follows the new adult pattern, but it also had some unexpected gems that made it one of the better ones I’ve read recently.

Since we’ve been introduced to Preston before this book, I knew he was a player, and so I was prepared to be frustrated with his persona going in to Just For Now. I wasn’t really prepared for Amanda though. I understand having a crush on someone for years to the point of almost being willing to take whatever you can get from them, but she took that to a level I can’t condone. Of course, there’s not much I would actually condone when it comes to character behavior from most new adult books. However, despite Preston’s background and history with women—very similar to Cage—he was different. He actually wanted and welcomed a real relationship much more than most of the main male characters in this genre. Most run like crazy from the idea of an actual relationship until they're drowning in it. While Preston didn’t actually really seek out the relationship with Amanda (she did that), he found himself wanting it fairly early on—even if he didn’t belief he deserved it.

Typical of this genre, the couple encounters a temporary deal breaker. Personally there would be nothing temporary about this deal breaker were I Amanda, but as most of these books go, the couple spends some time apart, miserable, and both hurting, only to find their way back to each other.

I feel as if this review is coming off more negatively than I actually feel about the book itself. You see, I’ve read a lot of NA books lately so this has led to an overload of repetitiveness. I find myself getting sucked into these books because the characters have intense and passionate relationships and eventually overcome conflict (though the conflict usually comes from some stupid decisions the characters have made that could have been avoided). Abbi Glines is one of the masters at drawing me into this type of story. Repetitive as it may be, each one is slightly different in some areas. I love the addition of Preston’s family that he needs to take care of. That aspect reminded me of Noah from Pushing the Limits.

All in all Just For Now gets 4 Stars. Have you read Just for Now? What did you think? Let me know!

While it Lasts - Review

While It Lasts (Sea Breeze, # 3)

By: Abbi Glines

Published: July 31st 2012

304 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from my SNL, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love

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*Note: The above link to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Cage brings his playboy prowess to the countryside as the Sea Breeze hookups continue, from self-published phenomenon Abbi Glines.

Low broke Cage’s heart by getting with Marcus in Because of Low. Cage went into a tailspin that ended in a DUI. In order to salvage his baseball scholarship—the one thing he truly valued besides Low—Cage must take a summer job. At a farm. Away from Sea Breeze. With lots of cows, but no hot girls. Maybe that’s what Cage needs to get back on track.

But wait—there’s that hostile daughter of the farm boss. She’s pretty and occasionally sweet, and there seems to be a lot of sadness and mystery behind her anger. Cage is dying to strip her down—physically and mentally—in the back of the barn. But is he prepared for what will happen afterward?

Cage was a pretty present character in the previous book, Because of Low. He and Low grew up together in a bad neighborhood, and Low is the closest thing to family he’s ever had. He always thought he would eventually give up his wild oats and settle down with Low eventually. But “now” just isn’t the time. In the meantime, Marcus swoops in and he and Low are actually going to get married. Cage is okay with this because he can see how much Marcus cares for Low and he can see that he’s not yet ready—if he ever will be—to settle down. Yet it only takes a farm girl and a summer of working on said farm to wrangle him into shape.

Eva, as the description says, had her life planned out for her. She was going to marry her childhood sweetheart, Josh, until he died in the war. Eva has pretty much determined that she’s never going to love again, but life and love are rarely things that can be controlled. And of course bad boy Cage finds his way under her skin and into her heart. Because they’re kind of secluded when they first meet, Eva doesn’t see the persona that Cage presents to everyone else back home. She only sees the good in him. Until the persona is shoved into her face.

Eva and Cage’s story was fast and fun to read. It was a little "pretty" overall. And While It Lasts fell into the pattern of many, many other new adult novels. I find myself at a loss about what else to say about it. While I devoured it, it wasn’t overly original and it didn’t blow me away. I think this is a testament to Abbi Glines writing and her ability to hook me despite the predictability and repetitive plot points.

While It Lasts gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read it? What did you think? Let me know!

Because of Low - Review

Because of Low (Sea Breeze, # 2)

By: Abbi Glines

Published: February 7th 2012

294 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from my SNL, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love

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*Note: The above link to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In my debut novel, Breathe, Sadie may have fallen in love with the teen rock star, Jax Stone, but readers fell head over heels for Marcus Hardy. This is his story…

Marcus Hardy had hoped to enjoy a year away at college while he put the summer he’d rather forget behind him. But instead, he’s jerked right back to the coastal town of Sea Breeze, Alabama due to a family crisis. His dear ol' dad found himself a girlfriend only a few years older than Marcus. So now his sister needs help dealing with their mother who is mentally falling apart. The only bright spot to returning is the fascinating red head who sleeps over several times a week. The problem is she's sleeping in bed with his new roommate, Cage York.

Willow “Low” Foster needs a place to live. Running to Cage’s apartment every time her sister kicks her out isn’t exactly a long term solution. Juggling her courses at the local community college and a part time job doesn’t produce excess income. But Cage has a new roommate and suddenly sleeping over at her best friend’s apartment isn’t such a bad thing. Not when she gets to see those sexy green eyes of Marcus Hardy’s twinkle when he smiles at her like he wants her there.

Even though Cage seems a little territorial where Low is concerned, Marcus finds time to spend with Low without upsetting his roommate. Cage may use his small college baseball star persona to sleep with every hot female in his path but he’s still under the disillusion that when he’s through sowing his wild oats, he’s going to marry Low. Marcus intends to change that assumption for both Cage and Low. Until his carefully laid plans come crashing down with a revelation he never expected. He’ll have to choose between Low or his family. Because once the truth comes out.... there’s no other choice.

I really enjoyed Breathe, right? Well I read Because of Low in just about as much time as it took me to read Breathe, which is pretty awesome because Because of Low is about twice as long as Breathe. Abbi Glines hooked me and reeled me in with these stories. I enjoy her writing style and the dual narratives.

Because of Low had an interesting take on love triangles. Low, our main female character, grew up with Cage. Cage says that he's going to marry Low. Obviously Cage has feelings for Low, but those feelings don't stop him from pursuing encounters with many other females. It appears that Cage expects to one day settle down from his playboy ways eventually with Low. Low on the other hand knows this isn't likely. While Cage has been one of the only constants in her life, she doesn't see him being able to reign himself in in order to be with her the way she would need him to be in order to marry him. Thus enter Marcus.

Marcus, we met in Breathe as he was pining after Sadie. The Marcus from Breathe didn't quite feel like the same Marcus from Because of Low to me. However, this Marcus was just as likeable for the most part as the other. I could appreciate Marcus's "go get 'em" attitude when it came to Low. Despite Cage tell him up front that he plans on marrying Low one day, Marcus decides that isn't going to stop him from pursuing her. Kudos. And this was one of the few things I did see translate from the way Marcus behaved in Breathe to how he behaves in Because of Low. In Breathe, Marcus wasn't shy about going after Sadie, letting her know how he feels about her, despite knowing that Jax was pursuing her. And this situation was pretty much the same.

The main conflict in Because of Low was pretty obvious as time went by. It was a train wreck waiting to happen. Because of my avid reading habits, I've gotten increasingly frustrated with seeing characters walk into a particular conflict. It's not enjoyable for me to be able to predict exactly how the character is going to behave, especially when that behavior is an overreaction or not something that I would do myself. I got so frustrated with Marcus during this part of the story that I wanted to throw the book across the room. This pattern of literature makes me want to pull my hair out. I want to read about smart characters. And Marcus wasn't on the list of smart characters during the conflict and resolution of Because of Low.

While I felt the need to vent about the frustrations I had with this book, I still mostly enjoyed Because of Low very much. Abbi Glines still has a way of making me want more.

Because of Low gets 4 Stars from me despite my frustrations. Have you read Because of Low? If so, what did you think? Let me know!

Breathe - Review

Breathe (Sea Breeze, # 1)

By: Abbi Glines

Published: May 16th 2011 by Wild Child Publishing

164 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from my SNL, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love

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Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads descriptions--Sadie White's summer job isn't going to be on the beach life-guarding or working at rental booths like most kids her age. With her single mother's increasing pregnancy and refusal to work, Sadie has to take over her mother's job as a domestic servant for one of the wealthy summer families on a nearby island.

When the family arrives at their summer getaway, Sadie is surprised to learn that the owner of the house is Jax Stone, one of the hottest teen rockers in the world. If Sadie hadn't spent her life raising her mother and taking care of the house she might have been normal enough to be excited about working for a rock star.

Even though Sadie isn't impressed by Jax's fame, he is drawn to her. Everything about Sadie fascinates Jax but he fights his attraction. Relationships never work in his world and as badly as he wants Sadie, he believes she deserves more. By the end of the summer, Jax discovers he can't breathe without Sadie.

So I ended up taking about a day to finish Breathe. I've read Abbi Glines Too Far series and I enjoyed it. But Abbi Glines pushed me graphically in that series. Breathe was more my speed. Where the Too Far series was a little unrealistic with Blaire's experience level, Breathe seemed much more legit.

Breathe doesn't have an entirely original concept. I've read a couple of books this past year with a rock star or famous character, and I've enjoyed them all. Breathe was no exception. Jax Stone comes to his summer vacation house in Alabama to get away from the public eye. Being from Alabama myself, I appreciated this particular location for Jax's summer home. And I love how Abbi Glines, since she's also from Alabama, doesn't give her characters a dialect just because they're from Alabama. Despite being a rock star, Jax is a very down to earth and humble character. I loved this about him. And of course, it was one of the things that drew Sadie in as well.

Speaking of Sadie, I liked her as far as leading characters go. She didn't seem to have too many complexes or too much baggage weighing her down. Yeah, her dad was non-existent, and her mother lacks well...motherly instinct. While Sadie mom does love Sadie, she definitely doesn't take the parent role that Sadie needs. And now that Sadie has a brother on the way, Sadie does take the parental role. She is the family provider and she becomes the caregiver as well. But she doesn't really wallow in it. I can't tell you how much I appreciated this.

Of course, most YA/NA books wouldn't be complete without a triangle. Marcus is the best friend in this triangle. He steps up, and I really respected him. Despite him having feelings for Sadie, I respect how he handled himself in this book, and I'm thankful to Abbi Glines for allowing him this character trait. And I'm looking forward to seeing if Marcus gets his happy ending in book 2, Because of Low.

My biggest frustration with Breathe was the self-sacrifices made out of guilt. Said sacrifice is never really for the betterment of the other party as the "sacrifice" imagines it to be. And everyone turns out miserable during this time of sacrifice, only for the "sacrifice" to come crawling back when the sacrifice of course doesn't have it's desired outcome. Whew! That was a mouthful. I hope you got that.

Breathe was a fun and fast read. Fans of new adult and contemporary will probably enjoy this one. As will Abbi Glines fans. However, be on the look out for some clichés and the resulting frustration. All in all, Breathe gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Breathe? What did you think? Let me know!

August New Release Giveaway Hop

The August New Release Giveaway Hop is hosted by Book Twirps and Refracted Light Reviews.

The winner will have the choice of one of the following August Releases:

Origin (Lux, # 4) - Jennifer L Armentrout

The Fall of Five (Lorien Legacies, # 4) - Pittacus Lore

Sometimes it Lasts (Seas Breeze, # 5) - Abbi Glines

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, # 2) - Sarah J Maas

The Bitter Kingdom (Fire & Thorns, # 3) - Rae Carson

Here Without You (Between the Lines, # 4) - Tammara Webber

Deception (Defiance, # 2) - CJ Redwin

Infinityglass (Hourglass, # 3) - Myra McEntire

Elegy (Watersong, # 4) - Amanda Hocking

Omens (Cainsville, # 1) - Kelley Armstrong

The Returned - Jason Mott

Consume (The Clann, # 3) - Melissa Darnell

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