Check back on Thursday for my blog tour stop reviewing BE WITH ME!
For now, catch up on previous companion titles WAIT FOR YOU and TRUST IN ME!
I've previously reviewed Armentrout's The Covenant series books HALF-BLOOD, PURE, DEITY, ELIXIR and APOLLYON.
I've also reviewed her stand-alone novels CURSED and FRIGID and done a guest post with both Armentrout and cover designer Kate Kaynak on the Covenant series design, as well a post with Armentrout on Halloween Memories! I've also audio-recorded and shared Armentrout's recent audio from the SENTINEL Tour Launch Party!
For now, catch up on previous companion titles WAIT FOR YOU and TRUST IN ME!
I've previously reviewed Armentrout's The Covenant series books HALF-BLOOD, PURE, DEITY, ELIXIR and APOLLYON.
I've also reviewed her stand-alone novels CURSED and FRIGID and done a guest post with both Armentrout and cover designer Kate Kaynak on the Covenant series design, as well a post with Armentrout on Halloween Memories! I've also audio-recorded and shared Armentrout's recent audio from the SENTINEL Tour Launch Party!
(I never reviewed them last year when I SHOULD have, so now I don't remember enough to write a full-length review. Sorry about that!)
WAIT FOR YOU and TRUST IN ME are both New Adult titles and may not be appropriate for younger blog followers!
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout writing as J. Lynn
Release Date: Feb. 26, 2013
Publisher: Jennifer L. Armentrout (was self-published, now published via HarperCollins/William Morrow)
Received: I think I first received it for review? I know I purchased it on my nook...
SUMMARY:
Some things are worth waiting for…
Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.
Some things are worth experiencing…
Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.
Some things should never be kept quiet…
But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?
And some things are worth fighting for…
Last year, I stated that I preferred WAIT FOR YOU to FRIGID. I still believe this to be true. I also know that other people preferred FRIGID to WAIT FOR YOU. Opinion is relative. This is mine. ^_^ I think part of the issue stems from the fact that some people have read many New Adult novels and find the topic to be cliche. I don't read a lot in this genre, so it's still fresh to me. What I liked the most about WAIT FOR YOU was that it has the same fragile nature as PUSHING THE LIMITS by Katie McGarry, a book I really loved last year. When I read contemporary novels, I like them to be books about issues, books that aren't so straight-forward and fluffy. Like PUSHING THE LIMITS, WAIT FOR YOU features two characters who have all sorts of problems, but only begin funtioning and healing once they enter one another's lives. I like that.
At times, Avery could be dislikable and frustrating, but that's due to her circumstance and the way she distrusts everything in life, even Cam. The book from Cam's POV is titled TRUST IN ME for a reason! She grows so much as a character, though, and Cam is a really great guy. I was really excited when it was announced we'd see things from Cam's POV, because we'd get to see his side to the story...but more on that title below!
I don't read a lot of contemporary, especially romance-tilted ones, but I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Armentrout and glad I gave this a chance. She's great at fleshing out characters and getting readers to care about them! Even secondary characters such as Cam's roommate Ollie and even his pet turtle Raphael!
COVER FLASH:
It's a standard romance cover, so it wouldn't jump out at me off the shelf. I do, however, like the pop of bright red screaming, "Look at me!" in all the right spots. I also like the way "FOR YOU" curls atop "WAIT." I like the angle of it!
TITLE: TRUST IN ME
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout writing as J. Lynn
Release Date: Oct. 22, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins/William Morrow Impulse
Received: Purchased (Might have also received for review?)
SUMMARY:
Cameron Hamilton is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women. But when Avery Morgansten comes crashing into his life – literally – he finally meets the one person who can resist his soulful baby blues. But Cam’s not ready to give up. He can’t get the feisty and intriguing girl out of his head.
Avery has secrets, secrets that keep her from admitting the feelings Cam knows she has for him. Will persistence (and some delicious homemade cookies) help him break down her barriers and gain her trust? Or will he be shut out of Avery's life, losing his first real shot at the kind of love that lasts forever?
Have you ever read a book and wished you could know the other person's POV? I have, too. The last time I really, really wanted to get inside the other character's head was Étienne St. Clair in ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins. I was really excited to be able to do this with TRUST IN ME. It's not at all the same thing as a novel where the POV switches from one character to the other and back again. Sometimes, that really annoys me, especially when it's in the same voice. Armentrout manages to create a distinct voice for Cam. The only thing I didn't love was the way he kept mentally calling her "Shortcake" because she reminded him of Strawberry Shortcake, but he didn't say it out loud. Yet it was how he always referred to her!! I feel like most people wouldn't keep a pet name like that internal, but use it or lose it.
Reading TRUST IN ME made me want to go back and re-read WAIT FOR YOU. I actually did go back and find certain scenes to see how they played out on both sides. Someday when I have the time, I still want to go back and do this. While parts would be redundant, others would be fresh and new, because some scenes are glossed over in one book but expanded in the other. Plus, the emotions. No one is ever on exactly the same page as anyone else. You may think something similar, but it's different, too. There were scenes with Cam that I just wanted to fall into again and again which simply didn't exist from Avery's POV in WAIT FOR YOU!
Reading TRUST IN ME made me love Cam even more...and I didn't think that was possible! Definitely a novel worth your money!
COVER FLASH:
Again, it's a standard romance cover, so it wouldn't jump out at me off the
shelf. I really like the coloring, though; it's quite beautiful! I also like the way HarperCollins has branded the series by boxing the titles in. I also like that the color is uniform in highlightling everything that matters!
I absolutely love reading contemporary books about issues. They're actually my favorite type and genre to read! I absolutely loved reading Wait for You, and part of the reason why was because of the issues it was focused on and how the characters handled and reacted to them.
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