Book Review
Book Title: Fearless (Pretty Smart Girls #2)
Book Author: Shae Ross

Introduction: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.

Review:

Quick Summary: Devin Dalton (aka Devi) and Ben Winslow have crazy chemistry - but after a summer of "no's" coming form Devi, Ben and Devi finally get together. But of course, this isn't going to be a smooth ride, they are in for a fight with some drama in "dealing with their past" department.

Thoughts: This book is centered around post-college "new adults". They are dealing with trying to finds jobs, figuring out what they are doing in life, and the obvious post-college hurdles that grads have to come by. There is lots of romance, and some sexy scenes, and lots of drama.

I wasn't totally impressed with this book. It is definitely a great spin on a romance novel, but I saw all of the major plot points coming. All of the drama was very stereotypical of any soap opera / romance novel. But, that being said, this book was written with the college/post grad aged readers in mind. It was beautifully written and I did enjoy reading it - I just hoped that there would have been some spin that didn't leave me feeling cheated when I guessed the ending.

The opening line of this novel definitely gets five stars - it got me hooked instantly, and I had to finish the book. I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting since I loved these characters. They were so well developed over time, with little bits of information slowly being revealed about them, and they were overall likable. I understood and felt for them when something bad happened. I embraced these characters and their story!

This book is in dual POV which helps give you insight into both Devi and Ben's point of view. I really enjoyed that I could see through both of their eyes and read their thoughts. They had different reasons to their behaviours even though they were very similar characters. They are loud, outspoken and they both are determined to get what they want.

There is also a sub-plot in this book which (without spoiling) is very cute and heartwarming (with a pinch of heartbreaking at the same time. It works perfectly with this compelling story and gives the reader a break from the sexy romance and heated drama.

I did not read the first book (but I would like to!) and I understood it perfectly. So anyone who is worried, you'll understand the story just fine!

I really enjoyed this book, but overall it just didn't hit the bell. It's definitely a four out of five story - juts not a five out of five.

I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who loves the YA romance scene and wants a little bit more romance/sex, fans of adult romance but want a little bit more plot, and essentially anyone who loves a good soap opera.

Four out of five stars. ( )

Book Review
Book Title: Fearless (Pretty Smart Girls #2)
Book Author: Shae Ross

Introduction: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.

Review:

Quick Summary: Devin Dalton (aka Devi) and Ben Winslow have crazy chemistry - but after a summer of "no's" coming form Devi, Ben and Devi finally get together. But of course, this isn't going to be a smooth ride, they are in for a fight with some drama in "dealing with their past" department.

Thoughts: This book is centered around post-college "new adults". They are dealing with trying to finds jobs, figuring out what they are doing in life, and the obvious post-college hurdles that grads have to come by. There is lots of romance, and some sexy scenes, and lots of drama.

I wasn't totally impressed with this book. It is definitely a great spin on a romance novel, but I saw all of the major plot points coming. All of the drama was very stereotypical of any soap opera / romance novel. But, that being said, this book was written with the college/post grad aged readers in mind. It was beautifully written and I did enjoy reading it - I just hoped that there would have been some spin that didn't leave me feeling cheated when I guessed the ending.

The opening line of this novel definitely gets five stars - it got me hooked instantly, and I had to finish the book. I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting since I loved these characters. They were so well developed over time, with little bits of information slowly being revealed about them, and they were overall likable. I understood and felt for them when something bad happened. I embraced these characters and their story!

This book is in dual POV which helps give you insight into both Devi and Ben's point of view. I really enjoyed that I could see through both of their eyes and read their thoughts. They had different reasons to their behaviours even though they were very similar characters. They are loud, outspoken and they both are determined to get what they want.

There is also a sub-plot in this book which (without spoiling) is very cute and heartwarming (with a pinch of heartbreaking at the same time. It works perfectly with this compelling story and gives the reader a break from the sexy romance and heated drama.

I did not read the first book (but I would like to!) and I understood it perfectly. So anyone who is worried, you'll understand the story just fine!

I really enjoyed this book, but overall it just didn't hit the bell. It's definitely a four out of five story - juts not a five out of five.

I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who loves the YA romance scene and wants a little bit more romance/sex, fans of adult romance but want a little bit more plot, and essentially anyone who loves a good soap opera.

Four out of five stars. ( )

FEARLESS BY SHAE ROSS  
READ AND REVIEW
 
FEARLESS BY SHAE ROSS
 
Release Date:  August 17, 2015
 
SYNOPSIS
 
Every fighter has a weakness...Devi Dalton won't let anyone hold her back. With the help of her friends, she's taken control of her future and traded her messed-up family life for a new job in Manhattan. Her only obstacle? Ben Winslow, the sexy friend she's desperately trying to resist. If she's going to succeed, she can't afford to be distracted, no matter how hot the chemistry burns between them. Cage fighter Ben spent six months trying to convince Devi to take a chance on a relationship. Now that they've reunited in New York, he's not letting her push him away again. They're more than friends-always have been-and he'll do whatever it takes to prove it to her. First, he has a few demons of his own to slay...one of which could ruin his chances with her for forever. But every fighter has a weakness. Ben's is Devi. And this time, she'll need more than just her favorite "Fearless Red" lipstick to protect her heart if she lets him in...
 
BUY LINKS
 
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Entangled-Embrace-Pretty-Smart-ebook/dp/B011I2MMZY/
 
Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fearless-shae-ross/1122291954?ean=9781633753211
 
Google Play Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Shae_Ross
_Fearless_Entangled_Embrace?id=MzsoCgAAQBAJ
 
Ibooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/fearless-entangled-embrace/id1018780199?mt=11
 
Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/fearless-entangled-embrace
 
 
REVIEW:  FEARLESS BY SHAE ROSS
 
Fearless by Shae RossMy rating: 3 of 5 starsNew adult is a different genre for me. I have not read many books in that area. Shae Ross is a new author to me as well. Not really any difference between this and the romance novels that I am used to. With Fearless, Shae Ross has created two characters that have layers of emotional baggage to work through. Devi is determined to succeed and prove she can take her of herself. Ben is equally focused on proving that he can be the hero Devi needs in her life. Fueled with heartbreak and obstacles to face failure is not an option. I received an ARC copy of Fearless in exchange for an honest review. Despite a slow start I found this story to be a well-crafted story.View all my reviews ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A fun new adult romance that I enjoyed, but didn’t love!

Opening Sentence: I’m standing on stage watching her strut in front of me with a beauty queen swagger.

The Review:

Devi Dalton is going to start a new life away from her dysfunctional family. She is moving to New York to live with one of her amazing friends and she is lucky enough to land a job that she absolutely loves! The only thing Devi isn’t looking for is to start a relationship with Ben Winslow, the hot guy she has been resisting for months. When they met months ago they had an instant connection, but they come from such different backgrounds that a relationship would never last. Instead of ultimately ending up broken hearted Devi decides to just ignore the attraction and just stay in the friend zone. But how long will Devi be able to deny the desire she feels for Ben?

Ben has wanted Devi from the first moment he meet her and he has spent the last six months trying to convince her that they would be amazing together. Now that they are both in New York and live in the same apartment building she can’t avoid him as easily. As soon as it looks like Ben might finally get what he wants, some things from his past threaten the future he has been fighting so hard for.

There were things I loved about Devi and there were things about her that grated on my nerves. Let’s start with the good stuff. She is very independent and I really respect that she has made something of herself when she comes from such a poor upraising. I loved that she makes her own dreams come true because she isn’t willing to give up easily. She also has a fun, witty personality that made her very likeable. Now for the stuff that bugged me. I hated how hot and cold she was with Ben. Technically, she doesn’t lead him on because she is pretty honest about how she feels, but her actions seem to say different things than her words, which I didn’t love. It made her come across as flimsy, which I felt wasn’t consistent with her character because in everything other aspect of her life she wasn’t that way. There were also a few times where she would make really stupid decisions and I wasn’t a fan of that. Overall, I did like her character, but I felt like I was let down because she had potential to be a character I loved.

Ben is a really sweet guy that knows how to have a good time. He is smart, very good looking, and he knows how to be extremely charming. He comes from a wealthy family, but his childhood was no fairytale. His father left when he was a young boy and ever since he has had to be the man of the house for his mother and 3 younger sisters. His family has relied on him heavily for most of his life and it has been hard for him. I thought his relationship with his family was really adorable and the way he treated his sisters made me totally love him. I also have protective older brothers so his brotherly love just melted my heart. But there were a few things about Ben that I didn’t like as much. Some of the poor choices he makes in the story bothered me and ultimately they ended up making me like the overall story less.

For the most part, I really enjoyed the relationship between Ben and Devi. For majority of the book things between them were very hot and cold, which created great tension, but it also got a little annoying after a while. They have hot chemistry and I felt like they were highly compatible even though they come from drastically different upbringings. Their romance was pretty steamy and overall I enjoyed reading their story.

Fearless is a fun story with great humor, sexy romance, and fun characters. I really enjoyed the first book in the series and was really looking forward to this one. I thought that the romance was developed great, the pacing was perfect and I did like this book, but unfortunately I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to. There were a couple things that bothered me but ultimately the most disappointing thing for me was how it ended. It’s not that it was a bad ending, it was more just not my type of story. But with that being said, I still thought it was an entertaining book and to be honest the stuff that bugged me probably won’t bother most people, so if you are a new adult contemporary romance fan you should definitely give it a try.

Notable Scene:

Ryan starts the count down. “Five. Four. Three. Two.”

“What’s going on?” Jett asks.

“One!” Ryan screams. We turn, $ip our guns to our shoulders and unload the Super Soakers. Two solid streams of icy water shoot through the air and pelt their chests. Ryan moves her stream up to Jett’s face, and I move mine down to Ben’s crotch. They stumble back a pace, hiss out a series of curses, and start to scramble toward us. Jett slides on the wet $oor, and Ben knocks into his back. We dive into our apartment and slam the door. My !ngers fumble to $ip the dead bolt as Ryan slides down the door laughing hysterically.

“Oh, my God, I totally got Jett right in the face!” she gasps.

I drop to my knees and join her trying to draw a breath between wails of laughter.

“I got Ben in the crotch. It looked like he peed his pants.” Fits of laughter wash over us as we compare notes on the expressions on their faces. I retrieve a roll of paper towels, and we wind them onto our hands and crawl around to mop up the residue, still laughing. “These are awesome!” I say. “This was all we really needed. Why did we buy all that other stuff?” “

All that other stuff’s for defense, when they start to retaliate,” she says.

“Let the games begin,” I say, and we laugh.

FTC Advisory: Entangled provided me with a copy of Fearless. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )