GIVEAWAY and review of After Math by Denise Grover Swank

Giveaway at bottom of post!!

My Rating: Kiss Me Now (3.5 stars)

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.90

Genre: New Adult Romance

Steam Level: warm

The title and cover of After Math had me immediately intrigued. It starts off really strong and I couldn’t put it down. I kept reading and reading and waiting for something to happen or for a big reveal to come, but nothing BIG really happened. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed it and a lot of secrets are revealed throughout the story about both Tucker and Scarlett, but maybe it was the title that had me thinking there would be something a little more…shocking?? It was still a captivating read that I enjoyed, especially the last third or so.

There are parts that are a little slow, but the author did a good job of giving the whole story an eerily sad feeling and I mean that in a good way. The story is told in first person through Scarlett who is one of the unhappiest characters I have ever read about. She is depressing, obsessively shy, and cries at the drop of a hat. Granted she has had an extremely tough run in life and has anxiety issues, but her constant wallowing got a little old after a while. However, as I said that depressing, hopeless feeling that Scarlett has really comes through in the story, even if you don’t end up liking her you can certainly understand why she feels the way she does.

“I shut myself off from everyone and everything to survive. I’m hidden somewhere deep inside and sometimes I wonder if I’ll stay buried forever. If I’ll ever find my way out.” ~ Scarlett

Now for Tucker. I loved Tucker, even his bi-polar personality. He is a cocky soccer star/ notorious playboy at the university they attend, but when you dig a little deeper you realize it’s all a façade. He is just as lonely and miserable as Scarlett but deals with it in a completely different way. I loved that he really took time to understand Scarlett when no one else before has. He has a long list of secrets that will slowly be revealed throughout the book. With Scarlett he feels like he is ‘safe’ and can finally be his true self with someone. They share a common bond over loneliness and together they find common ground that allows them to learn how to love unhindered and accept love in return.

“I don’t want to leave you. Once I walk out that door, the real world takes over.” ~ Tucker

Meet Tucker and Scarlett (These picture were taken from the authors page):

I was so glad there was no insta-love between these two, it was both heartwarming and heart breaking to watch the relationship between them blossom from dislike/misunderstanding to something much more. They both struggle with what a meaningful relationship will mean to them and both of them try to shield their heart from potential hurt. Neither of them has had an easy life and when they finally find something real and worth fighting for, they're both afraid it's too good too be true. 

There is a beautiful HEA complete with an epilogue, but I did feel it was just a bit rushed. After all the heartache they had gone through I could have used a little more happy!

If you’re a lover of New Adult books, I have no doubt you will enjoy this read!

Favorite Quote:

“It’s as though a veil has been thrown over my heart, and no one has ever been able to tear it down. Until this boy. This unattainable, untouchable, unreliable boy.” ~Scarlett

About the Author

Denise Grover Swank lives in Lee's Summit, Missouri. She’s a gypsy who can’t live in one place too long or stay in one genre. She writes contemporary romance, urban fantasies without vampires and werewolves, young adult science fiction, and romantic comedy mysteries set in the south. Denise has six children, three dogs, and an overactive imagination. She can be found dancing in her kitchen with her children, reading, or writing her next book. You will rarely find her cleaning. Author's links: FACEBOOK TWITTER WEBSITE

To purchase a copy of After Math --> CLICK HERE

Now for the giveaway! If you want to win a Kindle copy of After Math all you have to do is follow Books Vs Boys via email, FACEBOOK, or TWITTER. Comment below or email (booksvsboys@gmail.com) with how you follow and your email address (without it I will have no way to contact the winner!) I will randomly choose a winner on Wednesday, March 27th to gift a copy to. Good Luck!
A winner has been chosen! She has been emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before another one is selected. Thanks to all who entered!

~ERIN

Guest Review: A Song for Julia by Charles Sheehan-Miles

A Song for Julia  by Charles Sheehan-Miles

My Rating: Date!

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.38

Steam Level: Warm

This book will grab you attention from the first pages, opposites attract always gets me! And Crank and Julia are opposites in EVERY way (I mean look at their names); a college senior at Harvard who organizes anti-war events vs. a tattooed high school dropout in a band. But they have a common denominator that also makes them perfect for each other. Music. The first time they met ‘Call Me Maybe’ by Rae Jepsen kept playing through my head.

“I closed my eyes, swaying a little, taking in the music and letting it wash away the dark thoughts and emotions that tormented me. Music had always been my refuge, my passion.” ~Julia 

The sexual tension between the two is immediate. And that first kiss? WOW! It came out of nowhere and had my heart thumping! They called sex “making music together” and that phrase really seems to fit them, although any sexual act is really glossed over without a whole lot of detail or description.

I really liked Julia, she wasn’t someone I could easily relate to, but except for a couple instances I could understand why she made the decisions she did. She spends at least 70% of the book fighting her feelings for Crank and focusing on the reasons they are wrong for each other. Control is something that Julia HAS to have in a relationship and she felt like she couldn’t have that with Crank.

 “I’ve got a pretty hard and fast rule. I stay the hell away from guys I’m attracted to.” ~Julia 

Julia has had and awful thing happen to her and has an appalling mother, SERIOUSLY APPALLING, but I got  a little tired of her thinking about all the horrible things in her life almost every other paragraph. It got a little repetitive and pity partyish to me. BUT, Julia’s character really grows as the story progresses and she is finally able to stand up and face the issues of her past and put them behind her (as much as possible in that situation) by the end of the book. And YES, she finally gets the HEA she deserves.

Crank. I loved Crank. He’s a mix of contradictions (in a good way). He gives off the bad boy rock star persona for the most part but he is the complete opposite when he is around his little brother Sean who has Asperger’s, he can be furiously protective of him. One random thing that bothered me was that Crank used the work frickin’ all the time instead of fucking. I mean he’s a rock star with a hit song called ‘Fuck the War’…pretty sure he doesn’t filter his vocabulary. I loved that he never gave up fighting for Julia. He did whatever he thought was best for her even if it’s not what he wanted.

The book’s cover does a job of showing Julia’s personality, but I fell like the other half of the story (Crank) was missing from it. It would have been nice for the music/rock star aspect of the book to be alluded to on the cover, I probably would have picked it up sooner. 

 How I saw Julia and Crank: 

This isn’t exactly how Julia is described in the book, but after seeing the cover I couldn’t picture her any other way. I couldn’t really find my perfect Crank, just picture striking blue eyes and tattoos under those sunglasses and jacket.

Overall most of the storyline was unique and different, but a few parts follow a common trend of New Adult books lately: damaged girl meets boy with a past and they help “heal” each other. But like I said this we done in a way that hasn't been done before and it worked. The story is told in alternation 1^st person POV between Crank and Julia, which I loved! As a reader we got see both sides to the story and why each one of them reacted the way they did.

If you love the New Adult genre you will love this book! I also really enjoyed Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles which is the story of Julia’s sisters, be sure to check it out as well!

~ERIN

To purchase  A song for Julia on Amazon --> Click Here 

To purchase Just Remember to Breathe on Amazon --> Click Here

I hope you guys liked my review, I'll be guest posting for the rest of the week and hope to officially join Debbie on her blogging adventure soon. I'm looking forward to meeting more book lovers as well as sharing my finds (the good and the bad) with you guys! :)