NJ Penny Book Reviews

Love didn't make people feel hate.  If you follow my blogs then you know that a couple weeks ago I mad a post with reviews from books 1-4 of the Off Balance series by Lucia Franco. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of book number 5, Dismount.  This series is controversial for some. There are people that don't like the content. There are people that don't agree with the theme. These people basically verbally attack Lucia over writing from her heart. That's not right. Have you ever heard the saying "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all?" Well I used this phrase.."If you don't like what a books about, don't read it." It's really that simple. Why would you cause pain and suffering to someone brave enough to bare their heart to others through writing? Since when do we try to censor authors?  We'd have to choose between being in love and simply breathing. I knew it in my heart we would. We wouldn...

I had a feeling he'd devour me. All I had to do was give him permission.  I received a copy of Star Bright, from the author, for my honest review.   This book was amazing. I sent Staci a message telling her how amazing her writing was in this one. The way she described the details was nothing short of extraordinary. I felt like she picked me up and sit me right down into the book. I could see everything so vividly. Not only that, the characters were fresh, the storyline was original, and honestly it was something like I'd never read before.  I didn't want him to go. And I knew instantly just how dangerous that was.  The characters in this book were nothing short of amazing. I was hooked on the story line from the start, and the characters kept me interesting. I loved that it was a romance, but it also had a mystery. It made me want to keep turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next.  My heart broke for Levi and Stella, and then St...

"When someone pushes you away, you need to find the strength to hold on tighter."   I've read a lot of books. Hundreds of them, maybe even more. There have been two books that have stood out to me, two books that I still think about today, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover and Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan . After today, I'm adding a third to that list.  Have you ever read a book that just worked it's way into your soul? One that makes you feel so much it's like the author reached inside and pulled something out of you that you didn't even know was there? If you haven't, then you aren't reading the right books. What's Left of Me is a beautiful book. Kristen knocked me off my feet with this one, and I'm still reeling about the things she made me feel. Have you ever read a book and just knew that the author had put their entire heart and soul into the words? I know that's what Kristen did with this book.  I love reading about people that ...

We crossed every line that night- and I went from loving my best friend's brother in secret to wanting nothing more than to love him out loud.  Kandi Steiner is literally one of the best human beings on the planet. She writes the most amazing stories. She knows how to hook you right from the beginning, and keep you reeled in until the very end. I love the way her words make me feel . A Love Letter To Whiskey has always been, hands down, my favorite Kandi book to date. That's not to discredit her other books, because they are all amazing, but there was just something about the way that book made me feel when I finished, the way I couldn't stop thinking about it, the way I questioned my morals for wanting characters to do awful things because I felt like they should be together. This is exactly how Make Me Hate You made me feel. It's like "Oh, Kandi is back. She's back to writing these books that make you question everything you thought was right and wrong...

I'm going to start this review from the beginning. Almost a year ago, I read Balance by Lucia Franco. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I loved Lucia's writing. I loved how she could make me root for these characters that had no business being together, but it made me uncomfortable. I decided maybe I didn't need to read the rest of the series.  Time passed and Lucia started getting verbally attacked online. I read many, many comments and it made me sick. I couldn't understand how people could say such hurtful things about someone they didn't even know, just over books they had written. While all of this was going on I was writing my own book. I couldn't imagine someone attacking me after I'd spent so much time and energy pouring my heart into those words.  I went back and forth on whether I should finish the series. The horrible words people were saying didn't detour me from her, in fact it had the opposite effect, I only wanted to read more.  Then ...

I'm the one that stands to be hurt here, I know that. But I also know that you're worth it.  I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.  Revived is the fourth book in the Emerson Falls series by Harlow James, and I swear Harlow's books get better and better. I was so into this story I found myself bothering her so much on Instagram just to tell her how it was making me feel.  Let me start this by saying that Luke is my favorite. I say this in every single book, but I mean it this time. He had been through some pretty traumatic stuff, but he really stepped up. He was a fantastic father, and he worked so hard to make sure Grayson had everything he needed. He was guarded, but that was understandable given what he had been through. The guilt he had was eating him alive, and I tried to put myself in his shoes and I think I would have felt the same way he did.  "I'm the one that stands to be hurt here, I know that. But I also know that you're worth it....