Review: Trusting You and Other Lies by Nicole Williams

Trusting You and Other Lies

Author: Nicole Wililams

Series: -

Release date: 20^th June 2017

Publisher / Source: Random House Children’s - Netgalley

Pages: 293

Young Adult Fiction

Synopsis (Goodreads) USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Nicole Williams delivers a seductive summer romance worth swooning over. Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Stephanie Perkins.

Phoenix can't imagine anything worse than being shipped off to family summer camp. Her parents have been fighting for the past two years--do they seriously think being crammed in a cabin with Phoenix and her little brother, Harry, will make things better? 
On top of that, Phoenix is stuck training with Callum--the head counselor who is seriously cute but a complete know-it-all. His hot-cold attitude means he's impossible to figure out--and even harder to rely on. But despite her better judgment, Phoenix is attracted to Callum. And he's promising Phoenix a summer she'll never forget. Can she trust him? Or is this just another lie?

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

Trusting You and Other Lies was a quick, easy and light-hearted read and was kindly provided to me by Random House Children’s via Netgalley.

Our main character Phoenix isn’t overly thrilled to be spending her summer as a camp counsellor at Camp Kismet, not an ideal situation because of the current strain within her family but she sees it as an opportunity to work through a few problems and spend some time with her younger brother Harry.

Phoenix wasn’t an instantly likeable character, she complained, she whined and she could be dramatic but there was growth throughout the book and I came to like her as a character.

Helping to train Phoenix is head counsellor Callum, he is a little rough around the edges and often ran hot and cold so it did talk a while for me to warm up to him but once I did I worked out where he was coming from and why he was the way he was. Phoenix and Callum complimented each other well.

Trusting You and Other Lies didn’t come without drama and a bit of angst but it wasn’t over the top or frustrating. I found the pacing to be slow in parts so I was skimming on the odd occasion. I loved Phoenix’s relationship with her brother Harry, they shared a sweet bond.

I didn’t completely love Trusting You and Other Lies as I have Nicole William's other books but it was an easy, entertaining read with some great life lessons in it.  

Thank you to Random House Children’s via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

About the author: 

I'm a wife, a mom, a writer. I started writing because I loved it and I'm still writing because I love it. I write romance because I still believe in true love, kindred spirits, and happy endings. 

Nicole loves hearing from her readers. You can connect with her on:

Facebook: Author Nicole Williams
Instagram: author_nicole_williams
Twitter: nwilliamsbooks

Review: Lost & Found by Nicole Williams

Lost and Found

Author: Nicole Williams

Series: Lost & Found

Pages: 358

Publisher: Self

Genre: New Adult

Amazon 

Synopsis (Goodreads)

There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling.

After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing.

Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded.

Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right-now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls.

When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself.

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

I haven’t had a lot of luck with the New Adult genre lately, the storylines have all been repetitive and there has been nothing fresh or unique and despite Lost & Found having some of the same qualities as others in the genre, I found myself really enjoying this book and the wonderful characters Nicole Williams has created, the overall feel was a breath of fresh air.

Our main character, Rowen Sterling has been sent to Willow Spring Ranch to work to prove herself worthy of payment at Art School, an ultimatum given by her mother; having spent the past five years of her life on a downward spiral it was a chance for her to start afresh.

Rowen has never had the kind of relationship with her mother that was needed, she was treated more as an obligation rather than a daughter so when she is picked up from the bus station by a smexy cowboy with a permanent happy face, she knows she is in for trouble! Especially when she meets his amazing family who share their positive affirmations constantly it proved she could be a better person and edge away from her self-destructive behaviour.

Quote: “You think you deserve this. You think you deserve to be alone and suffer. You’ve convinced yourself you’re so worthless that you’ve gone to the extreme to punish yourself. You think you deserve a life of misery.”

Jesse {sigh} Walker! Oh. My. Gosh!! I don’t think I have swooned, sighed or gushed over such a character in a long while; what a sweetheart. We don’t have a bad boy here at all, he is pure perfection; thoughtful and caring and such a gentleman who treated Rowen with the kindness and support she needed in order to respect herself. The banter between them was wonderful as was the chemistry.

Quote: “…when I looked into those eyes of his that saw everything, those eyes that saw me, I knew the fight would be worth it. The struggle to let him in when I wanted to barricade the windows and lower the gates would be a battle I’d never regret fighting.” - Rowen

I loved seeing the layers of Rowen slowly revealed and to watch her accept herself for who she was instead of hiding behind what she obviously wasn’t. Her outward appearances pushed people away – her purpose, but when she was shown how worthy she was she became a much better person and it was the Walker’s and their kindness who taught her that. I really enjoyed that in this book we get a bad girl and good guy; and it was done extremely well with a wonderfully detailed underlying message.

Each of the secondary characters were beautifully developed, Jesse’s parents, his mother Rose especially and sisters were amazing; their kindness and compassion left me with a permanent happy face, Josie was a sweetheart but boy did I cringe with Garth, this guy gave me the eeks and Rowen’s mother left me gaping, it was such a sad situation.

Quote: “Every morning we get a chance to be different. A chance to change. A chance to be better. Your past is your past. Leave it there. Get on with the future part, honey.” – Rose Walker

Nicole Williams writing was crisp, witty and entertaining and I adored the overall message of the story. I was mesmerised from the very first page and didn’t want Jesse and Rowen’s story to end so I am pleased to see there will be a sequel, Near & Far to be released on the 30th July.

Overall, a wonderful, touching and true to life story with amazing characters who are entertaining and believable.

About the author (from Goodreads): I'm a wife, a mom, a writer. I started writing because I loved it and I'm still writing because I love it. I write young adult because I still believe in true love, kindred spirits, and happy endings. Here's to staying young at heart *raises champagne glass* . . . care to join me?

Nicole loves hearing from her readers. You can contact her at nwilliamsbooks@gmail.com.

Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads - Amazon - Website

Review: Crash (Crash #1) by Nicole Williams

 

Series: Crash

Pages: 215

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Self

Amazon: Crash

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Southpointe High is the last place Lucy wanted to wind up her senior year of school. Right up until she stumbles into Jude Ryder, a guy whose name has become its own verb, and synonymous with trouble. He's got a rap sheet that runs longer than a senior thesis, has had his name sighed, shouted, and cursed by more women than Lucy dares to ask, and lives at the local boys home where disturbed seems to be the status quo for the residents. Lucy had a stable at best, quirky at worst, upbringing. She lives for wearing the satin down on her ballet shoes, has her sights set on Juilliard, and has been careful to keep trouble out of her life. Up until now.

Jude's everything she needs to stay away from if she wants to separate her past from her future. Staying away, she's about to find out, is the only thing she's incapable of.

For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love's about to become the thing that tears them apart.

Review: 2 ½ out of 5 stars

I have been quite eager to read Crash by Nicole Williams and although it was a book which kept me turning the pages, there were unfortunately too many elements which didn’t mesh well with me.  

When Lucy Larson first glimpsed Jude Ryder on the beach she was immediately attracted to him but things quickly change when Jude opens his mouth and his arrogance shows; Lucy knows all too well he is someone she should steer clear of but for some reason she is drawn to him.

“The name’s Jude Ryder, since I know you’re all but salivating like a rabid dog to know, and I don’t do girlfriends, relationships, flowers or regular phone calls. If that works for you, I think we could work out something special.”  Jude

Jude is smexy, cocky and has a rap sheet pages long; living in a boys home he has no-one to rely on but himself, with his mother abandoning him and his father serving time for murder in prison, he is a hardened, tortured character but quite intrigued by Lucy.

My feelings towards both characters fluctuated over the course of the book, one minute all was rosy and I was really hoping things would work out for them, their chemistry was wonderful and they seemed to mesh well but in the next one or the other would do something completely idiotic – more so Jude with his volatile temperament and anger issues but Lucy and her attitude didn’t serve her too well on occasion as well and I’d be left shaking my head or wanting to smack them upside theirs!

A few plot points were far fetched and things came too easily, I need my books to hold a decent amount of believability for me to fully appreciate it; unfortunately there was a lot happening which didn’t hold true – like Jude and his football achievement as well as the whole Sawyer storyline; there was also something quite serious which took place at the beginning of the book which I felt lacked emotion despite what took place, I would have needed months of counseling! This event seemed to be downplayed.

Nicole Williams has created an angst and drama filled story, her writing is engaging (I love her Eden trilogy) and despite not completely connecting with everything being told, it was a page turner none the less.

I have a copy of book 2, Crush so I will be continuing on with this series in the hopes Jude does find some hope and redemption.

Crash has received a lot of praise from others, so please stop by Goodreads for other reviews.

REVIEW Eternal Eden - Nicole Williams

 

Author: Nicole Williams

Pages: Kindle Edition

Genre: YA - Paranormal Romance

From the Blurb.

College sophomore Bryn Dawson is a self-proclaimed poster child for normal. However, the day William Hayward enters her life, normalcy is the last thing Bryn will be able to count on if she wants to be with him. Too mysterious and appealing to be good for a girl, Bryn feels drawn to him in a way that seems out of her control—as if fate is orchestrating it.

Despite every red flag and warning siren going off in her head telling her not to, Bryn falls hard for William, knowing he’s categorically different from anyone she’s ever met. She never imagined how right she was. When William takes her deeper into the rabbit hole of his world, Bryn must decide just how much she is willing to sacrifice to be with him, knowing no matter what, fate always finds a way to have the last laugh.

Spinning a new twist on star-crossed lovers, Eternal Eden will put Bryn through a gauntlet of turmoil, challenging her to find the power within herself to become the heroine in her own story.

** CONTAINS SPOILERS** 

REVIEW: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

I was up until all hours reading Eternal Eden, it was one of those books that held my interest from the first to the very last page.

Bryn Dawson has moved from California to Oregon to start a new life for herself having lived through a number of tragedies.

After meeting new student, William Winters her life is sent spiraling out of control from a strange connection she feels towards him. William is good-looking, oozes confidence, is wealthy and shows immediate interest in Bryn much to her surprise; he has females flocking at his feet so she doesn’t understand what he could possibly feel for her.

Mystery was created from the onset of the novel; I had no idea whatsoever what William was and there is a lot he is hiding from Bryn and a reason he is so different; he is a Powerful Immortal and has spent 200+ years in search of Bryn, it was an obsession for him knowing she was his one true love, his soul mate & not ever knowing if she was a mortal from his past, present or future.

He never got a chance to explain anything to Bryn as he had broken an immortal code in contacting her therefore had to leave (although was never far away) and only leaving her with a note saying he won’t be returning (which he never actually wrote). A distraught Bryn, escapes to the beach where she spent time with William in order to feel a connection to him; it was here her life is forever changed when she drowns, is saved by William to then wakes a week later to find out she too is now immortal.

She accepts William and the immortality all too easily having fallen deeply in love (and lust) with him, it was nice seeing their romance grow and the intensity of their feelings toward one another.

It is a new world Nicole Williams has created with so much depth and mystery, the rules and regulations controlling the immortals is strict and defined with no room for leeway without suitable punishment. There was a lot of detail to take in but nothing that was too confusing, there were a number of different affiliations within the immortal world, of course the good but also the bad, a few of their codes were a tad old fashioned but it was something they all seemed to adhere to. The supernatural element of the book never overtook the actual love story.

As Bryn begins to explore the emotions that William evokes in her, I was always thinking his secrets would threaten to separate them just when they had found each other but it was actually quite the opposite that occurred, their shared trust and love bought them closer even with certain people threatening to tear them apart.

I absolutely loved William’s family and look forward to learning more about them in the next installment; Nathaniel and Abigail were mysterious, Cora & Joseph wonderful and Patrick hilarious! I like knowing an author has put a lot of thought into her characters and come up with some surprising and delightful detail that makes the whole reading experience enjoyable.

I really wanted closure and a HEA (Happily Ever After) for Bryn and William and I am truly hoping they are able to find this in Fallen Eden. I too hope there is a story & HEA out there for William’s brother Patrick; he was witty, sarcastic and adorable.

A beautifully written love story, there were a few misused words and incorrect spelling at times but nothing too distracting.

4.5/5