WHO I'M BECOMING (FireNine #4) by Shanora Williams

Synopsis:

Montana Delray is the most laid back of the popular rock band, FireNine. He’s goofy, charming, blatantly honest, talented, a massive flirt, and extremely handsome. The girls literally throw themselves at him, and he accepts it. He loves the attention. The fame. The parties. His single life. With so many women to choose from, it’s not in his nature to chase after just one, but when Lauren Harkin enters his life, that all changes.

Lauren is smart, sexy, confident, and knows exactly how to get under his skin… and although he hates to admit it, he loves it. He wants her in every way possible, but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Famous FireNine rocker, Delray isn’t the kind of guy Lauren needs to bring into her life. After having her emotions tampered with repeatedly, she refuses to give into someone who will most likely take her for granted and make things worse. But with much effort and some sexual manipulation, Montana and Lauren come to an agreement neither of them can resist.

As their fling carries on, though, everything intensifies, and once they realize it true fear sets in. Soon they come to the realization that they care for one another more than intended, and they both know caring for someone other than themselves means opening their hearts. The reality they face with each other is totally unexpected and becomes their biggest fear… and neither of them is ready for it.

Nicky's Review

3.5 Stars

Characters-  Loved Montana, but I always have. I really liked Lauren too.

Plot/Storyline- The plot was pretty good, but I felt it hard to connect with Montana's interest in Lauren in the beginning because it was just so out of left field for me, despite him having had this crush on her from a while ago. A little pre-story would have been good to give us a history to experience rather than the minimal detail hear-say we get.

Steam Factor- Well. Let me just say that Montana definitely gets a pat on the back (or smack on the arse, however you like) for pleasing his woman. That man is sexy and selfless. Could it get any hotter??

Cover- Cover is nice. Pretty general. I was at least hoping for the trademark Mohawk to play a part, but it's pretty nonetheless :)

Cliffhanger- NO cliffhanger. This is a HEA with an Epilogue. I just wish the epilogue was a little further in the future and had more life changing events occurring.

Overall- I really enjoyed this book, but I couldn't connect to the characters as well as the other FireNine books. Like, in Roy's story, we were able to see his back story and what experiences he had that brought him to his relationship with Kelsey so I felt more connected to all the characters due to the added detail and story. Or maybe my slight disconnect in the beginning was because it's freaking MONTANA'S book and I had over the top/unachievable hopes for it. And I know that Shanora felt the same pressure to please and help Montana live up to his God-like reputation, but it's hard to create what everyone is looking for, so my hat is definitely off to her for writing his story. Don't get me wrong, I really did enjoy the story as I got more into it.The story started a bit shallow, but then became deeper and more real as the story continued. Just, THANK YOU SO MUCH SHANORA for writing Montana's story. I know it was hard as hell, but you did it and your fans are so grateful for it :) xo

Favorite Quotes:

"I hadn't had enough two weeks ago. Shit, I wasn't even close to getting enough.  With her, I felt like I'd never get enough. That's how good she was- that's how good she made me fee."


"His mouth was only a breath away from mine. My heart stumbled in my chest as I waited- waited for him to make the first move. 'Kiss me,' he murmured. 'And don't give me any bullshit either. Kiss me like you mean it. Like you've missed me... 'cause I know you have.'"


"I couldn't resist Montana, and I didn't know why. There was just something about how sweet he was. There was something about how sexy and dominant he could be, yet how caring and sensitive he could be as well. He had a mix of traits that I loved and had longed to find..."


"We were crazy, but the really crazy thing was how we could be crazy together. How we could go crazy on each other. How we could do crazy things like fight and make up, and act like none of it ever happened in only a matter of seconds. This thing between us was crazy, but I loved it. I loved every fucking moment of it."


"Something happened to me a week ago. Something I thought I'd never experience a day in my life. My heart broke. It broke into tiny, fragile little pieces. For a while, I didn't know what all those love songs were about. I had no clue what the songwriters were feeling because I'd never experienced it before... but now I knew. And they weren't exaggerating about it. It cuts you deep. It brings you back and weighs you down."


"'Love, Lauren, is a risk,' she whispered. 'Love catches us completely off guard and usually it happens to come when the timing seems so wrong, but love, without a doubt, is simply amazing. It can't be denied or avoided, no matter how hard we try to block it out. It just... is. Remember that.'"

~Purchase This Book~

Who I'm Becoming (FireNine Series Book 4)

~CAST~

Breakdown (Crash Into Me #1) by Amanda Lance

Synopsis:

Charlotte Ferro is about to jump.

Yet nothing ruins a perfectly good suicide attempt worse than a handsome do-gooder. After William O’Reilly convinces her to take one last ride with him, Charlotte finds herself forgetting about her own problems and enjoying a world of which she never dreamed.

Now addicted to the rush of fast cars and cool criminals, Charlotte finds herself leaning less towards the ledge and more toward the arms of her savior. But with reasons of his own for keeping Charlotte safe from herself, William is reluctant to involve her in his criminal undertakings. Will his career choice keep them apart? Will Charlotte’s painful past?






Nicky's Review

4 Stars

Characters- I found Lottie "Jumper" a bit immature at times, but you grow to love her. Now William. Oh William. I freaking LOVED him so hard!! He has everything. Sexy smile, sexy bed head, heart of gold, tattoos, and an adventurous side :) 
Plot/Storyline- The story was really good but I did find myself getting lost at times because we are reading from Lottie's POV and that girl gets lost in her own head and thoughts and took me with her. Sometimes I was like, "Wha? Wha? Are we still in the same scene and place? But you, again, get used to her character too and it begins to flow better :)
Steam Factor- There is a lot of sexual tension but the actual act of sex is avoided by a chapter break. You get to see them work up to it, but then... next chapter and cuddling.
Cover- I really like the cover. The girl looks older than a 20 year old (which Lottie is) but she is pretty. I actually enjoy covers that leave a bit of the characters to the imagination but it's a very nice cover.
Cliffhanger- No cliffhanger but it does seem to just end in the middle of a thought. I read the last sentence and then flipped the page to find that that was the last sentence. It wasn't horrible and it didn't ruin the story at all, it was just a bit abrupt.
Overall- I really enjoyed this story once I was into the flow of it. There is a very strong focus on suicide and even some suicidal humor, so if this is a touchy subject for you, you may want to move onto another book. But I did enjoy this book about a girl who is lost in the darkness of her past and her thoughts and just wants to escape, but then finds a spark of hope in a man who may just bring her to open her eyes up and see that life is worth living <3

We get to start this book off with Lottie heading out to fulfill her planned suicide. You know that something bad has happened to her but you don't exactly know what pushed her into the darkness so deep that she feels she has to no longer exist in order to finally be free.

She's standing on the bridge envisioning her final demise when a pain in the ass do-gooder decides to interrupt her plans. She tries to avoid the beautiful blue eyed guy's attempts to talk to her, but his persistence pays off and this is where Lottie and William's story begins.

I'm not even going to say that their relationship is perfect, because, lets be honest: Lottie has issues and that's no mystery to either Lottie or William.  We follow them through their ups and downs as their relationship moves from friendship to the grey area that Lottie is not comfortable with.

William provides Lottie with an escape from her numb existence with his lifestyle, his kind heart, and his friendship.  This story kept me invested and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next, because there are things about William that you discover that will may you question his character. Even with those flaws, I loved him.

This is not a book for those sensitive to the topic of suicide. That is the constant theme of this book, but it's a story of overcoming the depression and darkness and coming out on the other side with a new perspective on life and a HEA ending. Thank you Amanda for reaching out to me and letting me read your book. You hooked me from the beginning and kept my interest all the way to the end of this beautifully broken story. Thank you! xo ;)


Favorite Quotes:

"On the day I went to die. I didn't leave a note. Don't get me wrong. I had written plenty. One rough draft after another found itself in the garbage. However, after a while, i thought the entire ritual itself was cliche, basked in the glory of teenage angst. And being all of twenty years old now, I felt too old for the stereotypical crying during sad songs and mulling over suicide notes. Still, I had made a last ditch effort to scribble something out. It too, however, ended up in the paper shredder. This time it wasn't just because I found a grammatical error in my drafts or even a few. for that matter. Ultimately, when it came down to it, I couldn't find the right thing to say, the words to make my act sound justified without being too pathetic. I couldn't find the right excuse."

"Syrup is a staple food for all other foods, the base of the food pyramid, the founder of all other foods..."
One of his eyebrows went up. "I'm pretty sure syrup isn't technically even a food."
"That's just non-believer talk. Clearly, you have not accepted syrup into your life as your one true savior."

"Oh you know. You flash the nice car, a few choice words with the accent, and any girl who ever had a crush on a Kennedy will be all over you."
"Jumper!" He opened his mouth wide as if in shock. "If you think I'm sexy you can just come right out and say it."

"Y-you don't even know me."
"I'm trying to Jumper." William laughed. "That's kinda the point." Like every second since I had met him, William knew exactly what to say. "Besides, just because you don't know someone doesn't mean you can't care about them. In fact, just so you don't forget that somebody cares, I'll do my best to remind you." William paused as if considering something. "At least once a day until you feel better."

"You're way off, Jumper. I wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you. I wanted to grab you and kiss all the sad right out of you."

"Are you still with me, Jumper?"
"Yes," I said, snuggling closer against him. "There's nowhere else to be."
"Good," he whispered back, and though there was a hesitation in him, I wasn't sure of it until I felt his Adam's apple as he swallowed hard on top of my head. "Because I am so in love with you."

~Purchase This Book~

Breakdown (Crash into Me Book 1)

~CAST~