NEW ADULT MONDAYS: The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret #1)

The New Adult genre - their bad boys and big problems and epic loves make them engrossing tales that are so easy to lose yourself in. What's not to love about that? And, now, thanks to the cool chicks at Bewitched Bookworms, we can show these books the love they deserve in a weekly feature - New Adult Mondays.

The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret #1), by Jessica Sorensen
Published March 26, 2013
Publisher: Forever Romance/Grand Central Publishing
Format: paperback, obtained at BEA
Genre:  new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) A rule-breaker with a fiery attitude, Ella always wore her heart on her sleeve. Then she left everything behind to go to college, where she transformed into someone who follows the rules, keeps everything together, and hides all her problems. Now it's summer break and she has nowhere else to go but home. But once there, Ella fears that everything she's worked so hard to bury might resurface-especially with Micha living right next door.

Smart, sexy, and confident, Micha can get under Ella's skin like no one else. He knows everything about her, including her darkest secrets. If he tries to tempt the old Ella to return, he will be impossible to resist. But what Ella doesn't realize is that when she left, she took a piece of Micha's heart with her. Now he's determined to win back the girl he lost, no matter what it takes.

Jessica Sorensen's ability to bring on the mega-feels continues in The Secret of Ella and Micha. Ella, in a desperate attempt to break out of the mold she felt she was in, decides to essentially slip out in the middle of the night to go to college several states away. Not only did she leave her small town and her drunk father behind, but she also left Micha behind - the one person on the earth who loves her unconditionally. Now, Ella is back for summer break and has to answer to her actions.

Although this story is supposed to be Ella's, for me, it was really Micha's story that's being told here. Micha is the heart and soul of this book. It's his devotion to Ella and his desire to help her and make her life better that led to the truly inspiring and incredible moments. It was Micha that dragged me - sometimes kicking and screaming - through the book.

Ella was one of the most infuriating female characters I have read about. In her infinite wisdom, she decides that it was a good idea to take off and not tell anyone where she was going. No one knew whether she was even alive or dead for quite awhile. I get that she's had a tough go of it. Her mom committed suicide, and it was Ella who found her and feels responsible for it. Her dad turned to alcohol to dull the pain of losing his wife in that way. And her older brother didn't stick around to help her deal with him.

So, yeah. I understand that she had a hard life. And I understand too why she would want to get away from it, especially for such a noble cause as furthering her education. But, then there's Micha. The boy next door. Her best friend. The boy who loves her. And, whom she loves back, if she would ever be honest with herself. She left him behind, high and dry, without a single word. I don't know about you, but when your life has gone to crap in big balls of fire and there is one person who has anchored you, that is NOT a bridge you should burn. I had a really hard time wrapping my brain around why Ella would do that. Why anyone would.

And yet, Micha never gives up on her. Even after Ella comes home for the summer, pretending to be someone she's not in an attempt to shuck her small town persona, Micha sees through it and slowly coaxes her out of the shoddy facade she had built up to try and convince herself that she's not the girl everyone knows. And, what Micha teaches her throughout the course of the book is that she really IS the girl that everyone knows, and that's okay. It's okay to be from a small town and to be dealt a crap hand in life. It's what you do with it that defines you. Not how far or fast you can run away from it.

So yeah - even though The Secret of Ella and Micha was told in dual POV, for me, it was Micha who carried the story. I kept wanting to read on to find out what it was about this girl that captivated this boy so much. And I eventually did see it. The ending was great and made all the angst I felt while reading it worthwhile. The steam quotient was low, but the emotional quotient was off the charts. This is definitely a feely NA, as opposed to a sexy NA.

The Forever of Ella and Micha is on my list for this month, as is The Temptation of Lila and Ethan, which is the spin-off following Micha's and Ella's BFFs (which you are introduced to in The Secret of Ella and Micha). Here's hoping for a continued HEA for these two - you know they've both worked hard enough to earn it.

NEW ADULT MONDAYS: The Redemption of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #2)

The New Adult genre - their bad boys and big problems and epic loves make them engrossing tales that are so easy to lose yourself in. What's not to love about that? And, now, thanks to the cool chicks at Bewitched Bookworms, we can show these books the love they deserve in a weekly feature - New Adult Mondays.

The Redemption of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #2), by Jessica Sorensen
Published July 30, 2013
Publisher:  Sphere
Format: e-galley, obtained from NetGalley
Genre:  new adult contemporary romance
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) The dark secret Kayden has kept hidden for years is out. Worse, he's facing charges for battery. The only way he stands a chance against the charges is if Callie speaks up, something he'll never ask her to do.

Callie knows Kayden is going back to his dark place and desperately wants to save him. But saving him means admitting her secrets aloud. Callie and Kayden are stronger than they think, especially when they're together. Together they move forward, face their demons, and finally start to heal from their traumatic pasts.

The Redemption of Callie & Kayden was the first book I read during the NA Readathon late in July. After the crazy cliffhanger ending we all were treated to at the end of The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence #1), I was DYING to read this to see how things turned out. 

Our story opens about a week after the close of book 1. Kayden is on suicide watch, which means that Callie, Seth and Luke can't get in to see him. Kayden is wallowing in some serious guilt and shame and has decided that Callie would be better off without him in her life. Callie becomes determined to prove him wrong, even if that means telling everyone about what happened to her. 

My feelings were all over the place with The Redemption. There were things I liked. Things I LOVED. Things I didn't like at all. Yeah, I know - slightly schizophrenic. Maybe the best thing to do is to break it down like that. First the things I liked.

I liked seeing Callie put on her big girl panties for once. She seemed so fragile and delicate in the first book. And Kayden was her strength. It's as if Kayden's and her roles switched in book 2. Kayden, all of a sudden, is the very broken one, so Callie makes a conscious decision to be the better half and put her own issues aside to help him work on hers. I like my female characters strong, and finally Callie gave me a very good reason to like her. 

I also liked when Callie and Kayden finally got real and came clean, both with each other and also with others. It was satisfying and SO long overdue. 

I LOVED seeing more of Seth and Luke. I know the next book in the series is about Luke, so I see the necessity there. The set-up is good. Both these guys are so compelling and interesting. I really loved seeing more about their lives and their pasts. I hope Seth continues to show up in Luke's book. They seem to have become good friends in The Redemption. 

I LOVED Callie and Kayden's HEA. I'm not really giving away any spoilers here - you HAD to know that they would have a HEA. With that kind of tragedy in their lives, a HEA is the only kind of ending that will do. It was good. 

However, one of the biggest things that bothered me about The Redemption was the lack of resolution with ALL the bad guys. Not a single one of them got what they deserved. To make matters worse, it's not just that they get away with all their awful crimes. They all just disappeared. As the reader, that was such a huge WTF moment for me. The bad guys need their comeuppance. It's just not fulfilling or satisfying otherwise. There was absolutely no resolution of those particular story lines, and that sucks. 

Given Callie's and Kayden's pasts and issues, I just have to say, my GOODNESS was The Redemption depressing. Not in a cry-my-eyes-out way, but more in a I-want-to-sit-in-a-corner-and-rock kind of way. If sad is what you want, I'm not sure this is the book for you. If overall depressing is your poison, move The Redemption up on your TBR list. Because you'll love this one.

NEW ADULT MONDAYS: The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden (Coincidence #1)

You all have heard me singing the praises of the New Adult genre for a few months now. And I'm not the only one. I've been seeing NA books reviewed all over the blogosphere. Their bad boys and big problems and epic loves make them engrossing tales that are so easy to lose yourself in. What's not to love about that? And, now, thanks to the cool chicks at Bewitched Bookworms, we can show these books the love they deserve in a bi-weekly feature - New Adult Mondays.

The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden (Coincidence #1), by Jessica Sorensen
Published December 13, 2012
Publisher:  Sphere
Format:  e-book - own
Genre:  New Adult Contemporary

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) There are those who don’t get luck handed to them on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don’t get saved.

Luck was not on Callie’s side the day of her twelfth birthday when everything was stolen from her. After it’s all over, she locks up her feelings and vows never to tell anyone what happened. Six years later her painful past consumes her life and most days it’s a struggle just to breathe.

For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence was the only way to survive life. As long as he did what he was told, everything was okay. One night, after making a terrible mistake, it seems like his life might be over. Luck was on his side, though, when Callie coincidentally is in the right place at the right time and saves him.

Now he can’t stop thinking about the girl he saw at school, but never really knew. When he ends up at the same college as Callie, he does everything he can to try to get to know her. But Callie is reserved and closed off. The more he tries to be part of her life, the more he realizes Callie might need to be saved.

 I love reading book reviews. I mean, obviously, right? They help me select books that I might want to read, and sometimes they help me avoid books that I think I may not like. I read reviews before reading nearly every book. For some reason I didn't for The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden. So, I was totally unprepared for the last page. 

The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden was so good. Callie was equal parts pitiful and heroic. It was fun trying to figure out which version of her was going to come out in the situations she was put in. Callie had such an awful thing happen to her. Something like that, and then the six years after would destroy anyone. Yet, she keeps jumping in to save Kayden. Why does she do that? How does she find the strength? It's intriguing and made this book very, very hard to put down. 

What are the chances that two people with such broken pasts would find each other? It's the whole question risen in the title - is it coincidence? Is it fate? Makes you wonder, really.

Kayden, too is both amazing and sad. The way he protects Callie and tries so hard to help her come out of her shell is inspiring. And takes him to the top of the Best Book Boyfriends list. He meets all the necessary criteria - hot, flawed, supportive, great kisser. The "flawed" part, Kayden has in spades. His home life is beyond dysfunctional. He deals with it as poorly as Callie deals with her stuff. And, yet, when they are together, they find peace. It's the stuff a really great romantic story is made of. 

But, something else that a really great romantic story is made of is a great ending to the story. And, this is the only place that The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden is found lacking. Believe me - I have no problem with cliffhangers. They make stories so exciting sometimes. But, even books with great cliffhangers have a good ending. This book had no ending. It was a cliffhanger with literally no ending. I clicked the advance button on my Kindle and saw the acknowledgments, I was kind of shocked. I thought I had a defective file. But, when I finally went on Goodreads to check out the rest of the reviews, I saw that I did, in fact, have the full version. 

If it hadn't been for that, this would've been near a 5-star book. And, worse yet, no one seems to know when the next book in the series is coming out. I definitely recommend this book. But, I  think it would be best to wait until all three in the series are out so you can read them all in a row. It will cause far less mental anguish that way.