About a month ago, we were able to interview author Ashley Breanne and feature her on our sister site, Hearthandhomebuddies.com. In our chats, one of the things she mentioned was that she wrote this story called The Rebound, a YA/Teen story and that it was on Goodnovel.
According to Ashley, The Rebound: The Wrong Cinderella’s Story was the first book she published on Goodnovel. This got me curious. The first book of hers that I read was The Alpha’s Girl and I liked that a lot! So, I checked it out on Goodnovel and discovered it is only 66 chapters. I can do that. I can spare the coin for that.
From page one I was transfixed. What a fun story! It is one of those that I wish was made into a movie. It is definitely going to be a teen flick and, yes, it is most definitely a Cinderella story with a twist.
But what I liked most about this story are two things. First, Caleb may be the golden boy of the school since he is the quarterback, but he isn’t a manwhore. As a matter of fact, Violet is only the second woman he has even been intimate or in a relationship with. Awwwwww!
Second, Violet is not a damsel in distress, nor is she popular. She also isn’t bullied or bookish, etc. If she were to fall under any stereotype it would probably be a loner with only one friend. But then again, she didn’t have any problem making friends with Caleb or his best friend so it is obvious that she isn’t a social recluse.
The banter … the banter is what got me. “Listening” to them was just precious! The teenage girl inside me was giggling a lot at their interactions.
I give this book all digits up, not just my thumbs. It is an easy read and very light-hearted. I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as I have. 🙂
When I started to read My Dreams, His Reality by Shanika Rana after my sister started talking to me about it. It’s a young adult/teen romance, and, from the way my sister was talking about it, it seemed like a fairly innocent high school romance between the most popular guy in school who has possibly slept with every other female in school, and the quiet, reserved girl who hates him for being a man-whore.
While chatting, I picked up my phone, looked it up on Goodnovel, and added it to my library to check it out myself.
I can tell you this much right now, while it needs some editing, it is well-written enough that I can be forgiving. I confess that a big pull for me is the fact that Zara, the female lead, is snarky and independent. On the other hand, Harper is highly sexed and is dealt a mighty blow on his 18th birthday.
There is more than meets the eye with My Dreams, His Reality by Shanika Rana, and so far, I am enjoying the process. This is supposed to be a trilogy and is 254 chapters. I am on chapter 44 and still having fun reading as of this posting. This book has become part of my Goodnovel reading cycle.
I can only hope the good narrative is sustained until the end. Also, author, not too long, please.
Important update:
One of my readers gave me some good news that I just have to share with all of you. My Dreams, His Reality by Shanika Rana is on Amazon! And the best news yet … IT IS ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!
Talk about bang for your buck!
The three books in the trilogy are:
My Dreams, His Reality
Dreams Fade Away
Reality Sets In
If you have a Kindle Unlimited account, reading these books is free! If you choose to buy the books, they cost $4, $5, and $6 respectively.
I have such mixed feelings about It All Started with a Dare by Seunpeace. For starters, let me say right now that I really want to like it. It is a young adult/teen romance, which usually means that it is fairly innocent. So far, the sexual undertones are very low, phew!
As I am reading this I can’t help but think about popular teen movies that may have served as inspiration for this story. Top of mind was 10 Things I Hate About You, a retelling of William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew which starred Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. There are more, I am sure, but that was the first to get stuck in my head. 🙂
Jade transferred to this school just to finish high school. She is described as nerdy, boyish, and quiet. From day 1 she gets harassed by this cheerleader, Athena. To be honest I can’t remember how it started but for most of the book, it is to warn her off Kayden, Athena’s boyfriend … which was weird since she didn’t even know who he was.
Kayden is the hot, popular boy and Athena’s boyfriend. Early in the book he starts to show interest in Jade and seeks out ways to be close to her. This annoyed me because he didn’t even have the delicadeza to break things off with Athena first, but whatever. My question is … what’s the catch?
So much teen drama, it’s cliche, but I did derive some enjoyment from reading it (the story is still ongoing), and while my tolerance for bad grammar and spelling is better now I must admit that it still makes me flinch … especially when it hits me in the face at just about every page. sigh
I think it is safe to assume that English is not the author’s first language but that excuse can only go so far because there are apps and websites that can already help with that.
To date, there are 66 chapters to It All Started with a Dare by Seunpeace on Goodnovel and I’m only on chapter 34 and the status is still “ongoing”. I’m trying to stay optimistic as I read this as it isn’t all that bad (if you can get past the grammar issues). If you are in the mood for some teen drama, check it out on Goodnovel.
I am trying really hard to appreciate Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother by Joy Apens. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I hate bullies and bullying in any form but I gave this story a shot because I was curious to see how the author would develop the romance between the lead characters.
Having read so many bully romances I was prepared for the male lead, Hardin, to be Jasmine’s bully. What I didn’t anticipate was how many times he sexually assaulted her. I’m sorry, is this supposed to be okay? We are just supposed to accept that since Hardin and Jasmine are the lead characters no matter what happens it is okay because they may end up together.
Pardon me, but there is nothing right about sexual assault, whether it is something as “minimal” as fondling or all the way to penetration. IT IS NOT OKAY.
As a story arc and trigger, I get it, especially at the beginning when they don’t know each other and Hardin is still horribly bitter. But 25 chapters in and it is still happening? And Jasmine is still not reporting it? How is this right? Like most prolific readers I immerse myself in the story and embed myself in the character. This means that I put myself in Jasmine’s persona and I am not okay with being violated repeatedly.
He called her a slut, whore, etc., took her virginity, and all she can do EVER is cry. SIGH. Victim mentality.
I know at some point in the future we will see a change of heart with Hardin and he will somehow fall for her. At some point, it will probably be revealed that they are mates. Fyi, at the part I’m at there isn’t any sign so I don’t even know if the author will allow for fated mates or if this is a human-like romance in a werewolf romance setting.
At the moment, I don’t ever want them to be together. I want Jasmine to end up with Lorenzo. In her shoes, I would never forgive someone who has done what he has been doing. It doesn’t matter if her body responds. If the girl you are with is saying NO and crying the entire time (even if she is supposedly wet) that means her mind does not agree. It is still rape.
IT IS NOT OKAY. If you are curious and want to weigh in, you can find Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother by Joy Apenson several reading apps including Goodnovel, where I found it.
I finally caught up to the latest chapter (Chapter 37 as of this update). It is her birthday and, what does Hardin do? He rapes her. SERIOUSLY?!? And this is a romance novel? Even if it categorized as a dark romance I think there has to be a cap on how much abuse a girl can take.
A couple of weeks ago I came across The Four Alpha Princes and the Omega by Raelyn Karson when I was looking for something to read in the young adult/teen category. The title seems to imply a reverse harem situation. The preview certainly seems to imply it (to this smutty brain) but I was curious how this story would spin.
The title mentions four Alpha princes … Braxton, Jace, Lex, and Sebastian. This simply means they are the sons of current Alphas. The omega is Izariah (sometimes called Iza) who is an omega. She is a werewolf but her wolf has not manifested yet.
Izariah hates bullies. Even though she is small and wolfless, she cannot help but defend victims of bullying, even if it means she gets hurt in the process. This is how she met the four princes … when Braxton was bullying a smaller guy who messed with the side mirror of his bike. When Braxton tried to make Izariah submit by using an Alpha command, he was shocked to discover that it had no effect on her. This led to his decision to make her life miserable.
37 chapters so far and at this point, Lex and Sebastian seem to be nothing more than bystanders to all the drama. Jace, on the other hand, became her self-assigned hero who rescued her from whatever misdeed Braxton (and his minions) cooked up. Things come to a head when a prank goes too far and Izariah almost dies, making Braxton realize his stupidity.
As you can tell from my narrative above, the title (so far) seems to be off and should probably be called “Braxton and Me”. To be honest, the story development is so very slow. I feel like I am getting a minute-by-minute update on their lives. Is this a tv series where we need to get inundated with all the minutiae? How long is this story going to play out?
While I think it is a good idea not to reveal too many things to the reader from the get-go, I also think that it should not take 20, 30, 40, or 50 chapters to do so. Sigh, it feels like a waste of money but I feel compelled to check every day to see if the story will move along or not. Fyi, it has … but it still moves at a turtle’s pace. At this point in the story, I would not recommend this book because of how slow it is, but it doesn’t mean it won’t redeem itself down the line. And just to be clear, I am not looking for heat, I’m just looking for a compelling/riveting story.
The Four Alpha Princes and the Omega by Raelyn Karsonis available on Goodnovel.
According to Ashley, The Rebound: The Wrong Cinderella’s Story was the first book she published on Goodnovel. This got me curious. The first book of hers that I read was The Alpha’s Girl and I liked that a lot! So, I checked it out on Goodnovel and discovered it is only 66 chapters. I can do that. I can spare the coin for that.
While chatting, I picked up my phone, 
I have such mixed feelings about It All Started with a Dare by Seunpeace. For starters, let me say right now that I really want to like it. It is a young adult/teen romance, which usually means that it is fairly innocent. So far, the sexual undertones are very low, phew!
I am trying really hard to appreciate Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother by Joy Apens. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I hate bullies and bullying in any form but I gave this story a shot because I was curious to see how the author would develop the romance between the lead characters.
A couple of weeks ago I came across The Four Alpha Princes and the Omega by Raelyn Karson when I was looking for something to read in the young adult/teen category. The title seems to imply a reverse harem situation. The preview certainly seems to imply it (to this smutty brain) but I was curious how this story would spin.
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