Silas races against time as more truths unravel, while others twist tighter together. “Where are you, Charlie?” Never Never: Part Two is the continuation of the Never Never series.

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.
Complete strangers since this morning.
He’ll do anything to remember. She’ll do anything to forget.

Are you ready for the next part of Silas and Charlie’s story???  I know I am!

Release Date:   May 17, 2015

Genre:   Contemporary Romance, Mystery/Suspense, YA

Silas races against time as more truths unravel, while others twist tighter together. “Where are you, Charlie?” Never Never: Part Two is the continuation of the Never Never series.

 

Did you see Silas’s Love Note from Valentine’s Day?

Keep reading to see the full Love Note!

My name is Silas Nash, and this Valentine goes out to the girl I’m trying to find. According to the information I found in her wallet, her name is Charlize. However, the notes I found in my car show that I sometimes refer to her as Charlie. Also–according to my notes–I’m madly in love with her. So Charlie, if you get this message, I miss you. I think. I love you. I think. And WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?

Confess by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

4.5 “OMG” “Even when I shouldn’t.” “fate” Kisses

Well…surprise surprise – Colleen Hoover did it again. Confess just devoured my heart…brain…soul…all of it was just sucked up into 320 pages of unputdownable bliss and I was simply helpless to the awesomeness. I’m not joking…I Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. I finished it in less than a day…I was captivated and entranced…possibly even hypnotized – I mean, we are talking about Colleen Hoover, the woman is a genius with words. I really don’t know what to do right now. I’m beside myself because I seriously am not ready to let go of these characters. Welcome to Book Hangover…party of me.

Auburn Mason Reed…well, this chick held my heart in the palm of her hand from basically the second paragraph and she never let go of it for one second. There is something about Auburn that pulls inexplicably at every single one of my heart strings. I want to comfort her…hug her…protect her…because she’s never had that. Life hasn’t been fair or kind to Auburn…and surprisingly you would think that would result in a negative attitude or a huge chip on her shoulder…but she takes everything in stride. She does what she needs to do and she makes the best of it…ignores the pain and the emptiness and just remains resolute on moving forward. That takes an enormous amount of self will and determination cause I’ll be honest, if I’d been through half of what she had…I can’t say I would have made it. I ached for Auburn to have some kind of peace…happiness…something just for herself because good Lord did she deserve it…and lucky for me she got all of that and more in the form of a gorgeous boy with beautiful green eyes.

‘“I’ve been wanting to do this since the moment I laid eyes on you,” he whispers. His mouth connects with mine, and at first his kiss is like the one I gave him in the tent. Soft, sweet, and innocent. But then the innocence is stripped away the second he runs one of his hands through the back of my hair and slides his tongue against my lips.
I don’t know how I can feel so light and so heavy all at once, but his kiss makes me feel weighted to a cloud. I slide my hands up his neck and do my best to kiss him the way he’s kissing me, but I’m afraid my mouth doesn’t even compare to his. There’s no way I could make him feel like he’s making me feel right now.’

Owen Mason Gentry…my sexy artist with a ginormous heart. Owen is…a lot of things…so many amazing things…where do I even begin. Well…he’s kind and generous…incredibly thoughtful…sweet and sincere…funny…charming…oh who am I kidding, he’s completely swoon-tastic. He has a cat – which in my book makes him awesome…plus he named it Owen…and it’s a she, really? I can’t even with how amazing he is. I already said he was an artist…but he’s also incredibly talented, which makes him 10 million times sexier, but what led him to painting and what he paints takes everything about his art to a whole new level. The confessions and what he does with them is…like giving a visual representation to a secret…a fear…an emotion…a dream. I mean…it’s truly a mind-blowing concept and something you just want to dive into headfirst and never re-surface. When I say Owen has a ginormous heart it might be the understatement of the year. I’ve never met someone more self-sacrificing…more giving…he never thinks of himself first and while he may not have a lot of people in his life, he would do anything for those he loves. And…lastly…the most amazing thing about Owen is that his initials are OMG. 🙂

‘His mouth meets mine again, and he lands a kiss as soft as velvet against my lips. He slowly moves his head until his mouth is directly over my ear. “Is this it? Is this how it ends?”
I nod, even thought it’s the last thing I want to do. But this is the end. Even if he were to change his life completely, his past choices still affect my own life.
“Sometimes we don’t get second chances, Owen. Sometimes things just end.”
He winces. “We didn’t even get a first chance.”’

I loved everything about these two. From the moment they locked eyes I had a smile on my face and even through every angsty second I could not help but fall more in love with every little nuisance that was revealed. From the same middle names…to all the different ways they connected…they just got each other and I felt every second of their connection. I reveled in it…and considering the way Auburn and Owen’s relationship develops, that speaks volumes. I’ve always said that if I can feel the emotions from the characters…nothing else matters…so when it was actually brought up how many days they had spent together, I kinda had to do a double take because it felt like so much longer. They had this brilliant chemistry…it was effortless, the way everything was blended together just aligned perfectly and I really fell hard for these two, my heart simply overflows with love and adoration for Auburn and Owen.

‘“You’re being unfair.”
“No, I’m being selfish,” he says.
“It’s the same thing.”
He takes a step toward me. “No, Auburn, it isn’t. Unfair would be giving you an ultimatum. Being selfish is doing something like this.” His lips connect with mine with strength and purpose. His hands slide into my hair and wrap around the back of my head. He kisses me like he’s giving me every kiss he wishes he could have given me in the past, and every kiss he’ll wish he could give me in the future.
All of them, all at once.
His hands drop to my back and he pulls me against him. I’m not sure where my hands are at this point. I think I’m holding on to him for dear life, but every part of me other than my mouth has just gone completely numb. The only thing I’m fully aware of is his mouth on mine. His kiss is all I know in this moment.
All I want to think about.’

This plot…gah…it’s not called Confess for nothing…so many secrets…so many little details…so many things that could be spoiled…hence the reason why I’m not really talking about it. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out what the secrets were that they were keeping…but it really didn’t matter – that didn’t make me want to hear it directly from the characters any less. And trust me knowing the secrets beforehand did not change the emotional impact it had on me when the truth finally came out. There’s a million different ways to write a heart wrenching scene…but I promise you, Colleen has a direct line to whatever controls my tears…because she nails it every time. I mean I knew when I was crying two pages in on the prologue this book was going to be a doozy, but I was blown away. It was everything I needed…the entire emotional rollercoaster set to level 10 – and maybe it was because I was so connected and invested in these characters but I felt everything so deeply and I couldn’t stop loving it. I guess that my only complaint would be the ending, it felt a little…abrupt. I have come to expect a full story…a complete experience…and not that I didn’t love the insight that we get after the final chapter (I truly loved it)…I guess I was expecting an epilogue or maybe a little bit more closure. After I sat back and thought about it…I was fine with the ending…I don’t have to have everything spelled out for me, but I guess I was just a little surprised.

‘“I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me. Because I know that if you walk out that door, then ten years from now…twenty years from now…we’ll wish we had listened to our hearts when we think back on tonight.”
“That’s what scares me,” I tell him. “I’m afraid if I listen to my heart once, I’ll never figure out how to ignore it again.”
Owen lowers his mouth to mine, and in a whisper he says, “If only I could be so lucky.” His mouth connects with mine again, and this time I’m very aware of every part of me. I’m pulling him to me with as much desperation as he’s pulling at me. His mouth is everywhere as he kisses me with relief, knowing this kiss is me agreeing to whatever he’s asking of me. It’s my way of telling him he can have tonight.’

Confess is a classic example of why Colleen Hoover is an absolute must read for me…her books demand to be read because they’re just excellence personified. She has this unique capability to create characters that steal my heart…compel every emotion out of the spectrum…concocts unique and original plots…and then packages it all up nicely with writing that blows my mind. I don’t even know how to explain it and do it any sort of justice. Her dialogue is some of the best that I’ve ever read…she is able to infuse the deepest emotions into the most simple of things – in fact everything she writes feels like it just bleeds emotion, and that might be why her books are like crack to me. She can have me dying laughing and bawling crying, sometimes all in the same chapter…heck it could be in the same paragraph…and while her books are no where near erotic, she’s still able to make things sexy and give you those feelings without taking it to that level. Plus anyone that can work the line ‘Texas is turning me into a whore.’ into a book…is seriously a genius.

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 Visit Atria’s Tumblr page from 3/9 – 3/22 to enter to win and a grand prize of a signed framed print of one of the images in the book plus a signed copy of CONFESS or one of the runner up prizes of one of four signed copies of CONFESS.

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday, and Finding Cinderella. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Please visit ColleenHoover.com.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

5 “liquid” “my new favorite words” “We’ve got this.” Kisses

Holy bananas Colleen Hoover just demolished me. Completely and 100% blew me away…not that I’m surprised or anything because she never ceases to amaze me but…OMG! Let the book hangover commence because this one is going to be a doozy to recover from. I was pulled in from the beginning and giving the angsty ride of my life…and I loved every second of it!

Elizabeth Tate Collins…where do I begin with Tate. I freakin adored her…I couldn’t help myself. I can’t even tell you the exact moment when it happened or what pushed me over the edge…she took me by storm. Tate really is a force to be reckoned with. She’s so freaking smart…already a nurse at the age of 23 and pursuing her master’s degree in nursing…she’s driven, focused and determined…genuine, kind and caring…but she’s not a pushover. I loved her sense of humor…she’s sweet, funny and sassy. She’s got her own little quirks but I just found them more adorable. I liked her attitude and I think, as usual, the key for me was that I was totally emotional connected to her. Everything she felt…I felt. I related to her in some ways, but that wasn’t even the half of what drew me to her. Tate is a very compelling heroine…she’s just one of these extremely relatable girls that is easy to fall in love with…and it’s easy to see why Miles did as well..

‘Something strange is going on in my chest. A flutter, flutter kind of thing. I hate it, because I know what it means. It means my body is really starting to like Miles.
I just hope my brain never catches up.’

Miles Mikel Archer…oh Jesus Lord in heaven this boy, where do I even begin. He stole my heart…held my heart…he crushed my heart…and then he healed my heart. As closed off and emotionally detached as Miles was, I was still incredibly drawn to him…and that’s saying something considering I am an emotional reader. I think it’s because the glimpses of emotion that we get in the beginning from him are like moments of gold…I clung to those because they were just…so amazing! Knowing how much those affected me…how could I not want more?!? I swear…the moment he stroked Tate’s foot and cracked a smile I was DONE FOR people. Just done. I know…I sound crazy, but that boy melted my heart and he continued to do so for the remaining 80% of the book. Oh Miles…Miles Miles Miles…every time I thought I had no more feels left to give…he painfully extracted them from my body…every time I thought he cannot be more perfect (yes…even with his walls!)…he proved me wrong with his words and actions. Miles is very understated…he’s sexy but it’s not shoved in your face and he doesn’t act like a conceited ass hat. He’s successful but he doesn’t brag about it or let it go to his head. He’s sweet, kind and thoughtful…but its like he doesn’t want anyone to know. But Tate knows…

‘I’ve always been a sucker for the quiet types of guys. Primarily because most guys talk too much, and it’s painful having to suffer through every single thought that goes through their heads. Miles makes me wish he were the opposite of the quiet type, though. I want to know all the thoughts that pass through his head. Especially the one thought that’s in there right now, hiding behind that unwavering, stoic expression.’

Hmm…how do I describe Miles and Tate…hot…sensual…electric…passionate…just YES! How can it not be? Their relationship is based of one thing…sex. Now…before we get crazy, it’s not erotica, it’s tasteful but it’s still sexy as hell. Heck…everything about Miles and Tate was sexy and addictive…I truly could not get enough of them. I thrived off of Miles and Tate together…they are just that amazing. You could see even in the littlest things how happy and complete he made her and as much as he tried to fight it, I could tell she was chipping away at that hardened shell. It was hard though…seeing the impact of his decisions and what that did to Tate…it hurt my heart, but…I never once questioned her decisions. I was waiting for that point when I would get frustrated or angry with what Tate was doing…it didn’t come. I got it…because I understood her feelings for him…I would have done the same thing! Truly, the thought of her walking away from him killed me more than the angst they were experiencing.

‘He brings his hands up and slides them through my hair, brushing his thumbs across my cheeks. He inhales a shaky breath while looking down at my mouth. “You make it so hard to breathe.”
He punctuates his sentence with his kiss, bringing his lips over mine. Every remaining part of me that had yet to melt in his presence is now liquefied like the rest of me. I try to recall a time when a man’s mouth felt this good against mine. His tongue slides across my lips, then dips inside, tasting me, filling me, claiming me.
Oh….my.
I.
Love.
His.
Mouth.’

Tate and Miles are so…unique. I loved that we got both of their POV’s…I love the way both of their POV’s are presented…and I’m being intentionally vague on that because I don’t want to spoil things because that was part of the surprise for me. I wasn’t expecting to get both but it was honestly genius and a totally different approach. I guess…the best way for me to describe without giving too much away is that I fell in love with Miles twice…which is probably why he got to me so deeply. You get to see two very different sides to him, both of them are amazing and wonderful (hence…the falling in love) but that’s where my struggle began. Now…before I go on, we’ve established, I love Miles…I love everything I know about him and every second I learned more I fell more…I love the good, the bad and the ugly…I felt like a part of my heart broke with him…I shed tears for him…flaws and all he is still perfect in my eyes. So…here’s the problem…I was so connected with Tate and feeling her pain…so I was getting double duty pain…with her and for him…it sometimes felt like I was being ripped in two. The struggle is real…

‘A kiss is so much easier than what we’re doing. When you kiss, you can close your eyes. You can kiss away the thoughts. You can kiss away the pain, the doubt, the shame. When you close your eyes and kiss, you protect yourself from the vulnerability.
This isn’t us protecting ourselves.
This is confrontation. This is a standoff. This is eye-to-eye combat. This is a dare, from me to Miles, from Miles to me. I dare you to try to stop this, we’re both silently screaming.’

I could babble on and on all day about these two…but that’s not all there is. There are two other very important men in Tate’s life and I thoroughly enjoyed the relationships she had with them. First…her brother Corbin…he is the typical older brother, super protective, loving to a fault and no one is good enough for his little sister. I liked their closeness…at a time when Tate needed someone, he was there for her in his own way and they had a very easy relationship…except when it comes to Tate’s dating life, but I thought it was cute that he was so caring and wanted what was best for her. In all honesty…if it wasn’t for Corbin…there would be no Tate and Miles…so it’s really all his fault. Then we have Cap….his real name is Samuel but it just looks weird calling him that cause…well, he’s Cap. He’s an 80 year old man that turned into one of Tate’s closest friends and I don’t think I could have loved their relationship more if I wanted to. He was this little injection of comedic relief, his timing was perfect and there is no other word for Cap besides awesome.

‘“What do you think would make a man never want to experience love again?”
Cap doesn’t answer my question for at least five floors. I eventually look at him, and he’s looking right at me, his eyes narrowed, producing even more wrinkles between them. “I suppose if a man lived through the ugliest side of love, he might never want to experience it again.”
I contemplated his answer, but it doesn’t help much. I don’t see how love could get ugly enough for a person to just shut himself off from it completely.’

Of course the writing is absolutely flawless…it’s Colleen Hoover, there was never any doubt in my mind. I’m in awe of her. I literally don’t feel like I’m reading when I read her books…it’s an experience…I live it with the characters. I immerse myself in her stories and I think it’s genuinely impossible not to walk away from them a changed human. Every sentence blends perfectly…the flow is smooth…I’m just effortlessly pulled in. It’s torture to stop reading and you never want the journey to end. I liked that this book was a little different from some of her others…but it still had that CoHo vibe to it – her tone is still there, the characters still have that special edge that make them classically hers, but it was just a little more mature. Seriously, the one common thing with all of her books is the level of emotion that she pours into them…especially this one. Every time I think there is no way she can out do it…can make me cry again…can angst my heart out more…can create characters that I can love to bits and pieces…and yet she does. Every. Single. Time. It’s brilliant wrapped in genius dipped in amazing…shot straight through my brain and into my heart.

‘She’s absolutely beautiful. Her hope is beautiful. The smile on her face is beautiful. The tears streaming down her cheeks are beautiful.
Her
        love
                  is
                        beautiful.’

I am a self professed clinger…and I’m struggling to let go of Miles and Tate but…I can’t deny…Ugly Love is a perfect standalone. Do I think Corbin deserves a book? Your darn tootin’…that boy is a man whore and I LOVE my man whores…he is a recipe for awesome in the making when combined with Colleen’s brain…but that still doesn’t change that I couldn’t have asked for anything better than the way Miles and Tate’s story ended. It was perfection…big red bow and all. I laughed…I cried…I loved…it was beautiful and ugly and everything I wanted and I will never look at water the same way again.

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Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday, and Finding Cinderella. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Please visit ColleenHoover.com.