Review: Right Kind of Wrong

Right Kind of Wrong
Author: Chelsea Fine
Published: March 3rd, 2015
Paperback, 320 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Jenna Lacombe needs complete control, whether it's in the streets... or between the sheets. So when she sets out on a solo road trip to visit her family in New Orleans, she's beyond annoyed that the infuriatingly sexy Jack Oliver wants to hitch a ride with her. Ever since they shared a wild night together last year, he's been trying to strip away her defenses one by one. He claims he's just coming to keep her safe - but what's not safe gor her is prolonged exposure to the tattooed hottie.

Jack can't get Jenna out from under his skin. She makes him feel alive again after his old life nearly destroyed him - and losing her is not an option. Now Jack's troubles are catching up with him, and he's forced to return to his hometown in Louisiana. But when his secrets put them both in harm's way, Jenna will have to figure out how far she's willing to let love in... and how much she already has.

Two characters who pretend to not have feelings for each other even after they've had one night of wild sex together makes for such good drama. Jenna needs to be in control of her life. She's independent, hard core, smart, sexy and witty and without control she can't survive. Enter Jack Oliver, her good friend who she lost control with one drunk night. He's in love with her and continuously tries to show her this, but Jenna doesn't have time for a relationship. She wants to graduate college, open up an art gallery and buy herself a house. Jack isn't part of her plan. When her grandma calls her saying she's sick, Jenna has no choice but to road trip home to New Orleans, a road trip she plans to do solo. But when Jack finds out he also needs to be home in Louisiana, he tags along for the ride, much to Jenna's dismay. Jack thinks this will be the perfect opportunity to tell Jenna how he feels about her, but Jenna will have none of it, hiding her feelings and pushing him away. But how long can she lie to herself, especially when they are sharing hotel rooms along the way.

Oh my god, you guys, this book was fantastic. Jenna is so stand offish and bitchy, and Jack is the sweet guy trying to break away her armour. It's such a great change from the characters you normally see in New Adult books where the guy is the bad boy and the girl just swoons for him. These two have so much history and been friends for a long time. Jenna doesn't want to ruin that and all Jack wants to do is ruin it. She's stubborn and though it takes Jack a long time to get to her, it's worth the wait. I loved his point of view, the way he thinks of her is so sweet and I wanted her to realize he was the right guy for her every page. Jenna's control issues remind me a bit too much of my own and how long it took for me to open my heart to the one I love after so much pain. Their chemistry was fantastic. They bickers, fought and joked around all at once and they were so comfortable with each other until they started getting too close. The nights they slept apart broke my heart and each night I wanted Jenna to just crawl into bed with him.

The families in this played an important part. We find out a lot of Jack's past from his family and it's great how Jenna excepts it and stays to help with the issues they are dealing with. Jenna's family is much more laid back, her grandma is hilarious and even though the parts with them were short, they were full of heart. I'm so happy when I see families in NA books as I know for me, my family is still such a big part of my life even though I'm in my 20s. Parents don't just disappear and we still go to them for advice, so I love it when an author includes that into the plot, even if the characters have to road trip to see them.

One of my favourite things about New Adult series is that each book focuses on different characters that have previously shown up in the other books. This was the perfect ending to a great series about six characters who already know how they really feel and the chance encounters that help them realize it. Just like Pixie and Levi and Kayla and Daren, Jenna and Jack have finally admitted to each thoer that they have feelings for the other and only because Jack forced his way into her road trip. These plot devices were great for this series and I loved reading about characters making fate work for them.

"Love is the absence of control and the presence of faith. And you won't truly be happy until you surrender to it."

Review: Perfect Kind of Trouble

Perfect Kind of Trouble
Author: Chelsea Fine
Published: June 17th, 2014
Paperback, 336 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Twenty-one-year-old Kayla Turner has lost everything. after spending most of her life taking care of her ailing mother, she just wants to spot a glimmer of light at the end of tunnel. So when her late father - a man she barely knoew - leaves her an inheritance, she finally breathes a sigh of relief... until she learns the inheritance comes with strings. Strings in the form of handsome playboy Daren Ackwood, her father's protege. To see any of her inheritance, she's forced to team up with him. From his expensive car to those sexy dimples, Kayla's seen his type before. But Daren isn't wo he seems to be...

Struggling to make amends for his family's mistakes, Daren has a life more like Oliver Twist than Richie Rich these days. He's beyond grateful that James Turner included him in his will, but working with Turner's princess of a daughter to fulfill his cryptic last wish is making Daren wonder if being broke is really so bad. Still, she's just as beautiful as she is stubborn, and the more time he spends with Kayla, the less it feels right being without her. Soon Daren and Kayla being to wonder if maybe the best gift Kayla's dad could have let them... was each other.


I love a good story about two people who can't stand each other being thrust into a situation where they need to work together and get over their hang ups in order to accomplish their task. Daren and Kayla certainly proved that sexual tension is a real thing and being hand cuffed to someone is just as alluring as it sounds. Kayla and Daren have both lost everything and Kayla's late father is giving them a chance to get it back. He's left them an inheritance but in order for them to receive it, they must be hand cuffed together and follow a string of clues around town to find it. Kayla knows her father liked playing games, but she's not in the mood to go on a wild goose chase attached to Daren. But she'll do anything to get the money, having run away from the problems her late mother left her. Daren needs the money too. Everyone thinks he's still a rich brat, but he's been picking up his father's mess for a long time and James Turner was more of a dad to him than anyone else. Together they track down the clues, seethe at each other, and realize that they are attracted to each other along the way.

New Adult always has such deep characters. They always have something in their past that makes them stronger and needing to overcome something. Daren and Kayla are no exception. Each of them is fighting their past and struggling to move on with their lives. James has somehow found a way to bring them together in the most uncanny way and it works  out, with a few huddles along the way. The plot of this one was so much fun. I loved the mini adventures the two of them went on, along with the quiet moments they spent together where they allowed themselves to feel the way they were really feeling. I'm so glad we got to see Pixie and Levi and my other favorite characters from Best Kind of Broken, another thing I love about New Adult series. Everyone gets their own story but we still get to sneak peeks at our other favorite characters as they live out their happily ever afters.

This was a really fun book with some steamy scenes, some adventure, and a whole lot of fighting. If you're looking for two characters who at first don't seem like they have anything in common and seem to hate each others guts and realize that they kind of actually do like each other and have more in common than they think, this is the book for you. This series has quickly become a favorite of mine and I can't wait to read more from Chelsea.

"Real love isn't something you plan or earn, it's something that just hits you - like a bolt of lightning - and changes you forever."

Review: Best Kind of Broken

Best Kind of Broken
Author: Chelsea Fine
Published: March 4th, 2014
Paperback, 272 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Pixie and Levi haven't spoken in nearly a year when they find themselves working - and living - at the same inn in the middle of nowhere. Once upon a time, they were childhood friends. But that was before everything went to hell. And now things are... awkward.

All they want to do is avoid each other, and their past, for as long as possible. But not that they're forced to share a bathroom, and therefore shower, keeping their distance from one another becomes less difficult than keeping their hands off each other. Welcome to the hallway of awkward tension and sexual frustration, folks. Get comfy, it's going to be a long summer.

I love finding new New Adult series that I love. It's tough sometimes, not knowing if you'll like the book or find it too cheesy. but I'm glad this one was great and will be added to my favourites collection. Chelsea has taken what I love to see in New Adult: comedy, sexual tension, sad back stories and lots of good times, and has given me new characters to fall in love with and root for. Right off the bath you know Pixie and Levi have history but something clearly went wrong because now they avoid each other like the plague. But suddenly living together for the summer in Pixie's aunt's inn, they have no choice but to see each other every day, mostly near the bathroom. Can they get past what happened and remember how they felt each other?

The sexual tension was palpable and holy cow was it good! From the first page, I knew I just wanted them to make out and the story leading up to that moment was great and it was well worth the wait. The kissing scenes were hot (understatement) but I loved the story that unfolded around these two even more. They have both been through so much and the deeper we delved into their view points, the more we found out how they got to where they are. It was heartbreaking and I could understand why it would be hard for them to get past it and focus on the future. Every time they mentioned it or remembered it, I teared up a bit. The contrast between the loss and the love was so well written that I just had to keep reading. This was a story about forgiveness, moving on, and figuring out what's really important in life.

The secondary characters were fantastic. Pixie's aunt was like a mother to her and the moments they had together were great and made me think of my own mom. Darren was a great addition, having him in there to set us up for the next book in the series which focuses on him and a girl we briefly meet in this one. I find that the parents are never around in New Adult and the characters rely on their friends a lot, which is so true in real life. Jenna was a great friend to Pixie and I can't wait to read her book as well.

This was the perfect book to read if you're looking for something fast, fun with a bit of emotional trauma. Perfect for fans of Cora Carmack and Ann Aguire!

"And I'm yours. Even when you don't want me, I'm still yours."