Vertigo - TBR Challenge

For my August TBR Challenge I had to read a story that is published on Wattpad or Fictionpress. For my challenge I ended up reading Vertigo by Carmel March. I always love it when you find a gem on these websites, that one story that reminds you why keep looking and reading all the different works that people have created. 

Vertigo is one of those gems. The story follows a team of CIA agents who are trying to prevent an arms dealer from causing some major damage. Gemma Hart is the protagonist in this story, she is a smart and talented CIA agent who is pushed to her limits and forced to rise to the challenge when she is pulled from logistics and into the field. Facing not only trouble at a national security level, but also problems with her civilian boyfriends parents...and then there is the fact that she may or may not be developing a close relationship with her CIA partner, Boone.

One of the main things that I liked about this story was that the characters were real. Sure these agents are kickbutt, but at the end of the day you don't end up saying: "if only you could do that in real life" which many of these more action based (and movies) stories tend to go towards. 

The action in this story was another thing that I really loved. The action didn't dominate the plot line, it complimented the story as it was needed. The romance was another factor that I liked in the story for the same reason. Once again it seemed to fit seamlessly into the story without taking over the plot line and throwing it out the window. Everything in this story was one wonderfully woven flow of words.

To add to this amazing story is a sequel: Ricochet. Ricochet is still in the process of being written but Carmel March gets a new chapter up each month.

To this amazing little gem I give it a solid 4.5 stars and I can't wait for the September update.

Fallen Too Far

Title: Fallen Too Far

Series: Rosemary Beach - book 1

Author: Abbi Glines

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: New Adult, Romance

Number of Pages: 300

Publication Date: 2012

Publisher: Kindle Edition

Summary: She is only nineteen. 

She is his new stepfather’s daughter. 

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother. 

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines is the first book in her Rosemary Beach series following the story of Rush and Blaire. Fallen Too Far is followed by Never Too Far and Forever Too Far. There is also a fourth book which tells the story from Rush's point of view. The rest of the books in the series follow the story of other characters from the books.

I was really surprised about how much I enjoyed this book and in turn the rest of the series. These books are an easy read and filled with just the right amount of drama. We get to watch Blaire and Rush find who they really are as individuals as well as fighting the temptation to give in to their desires. I would love to have given this series 5 stars but unfortunately I felt it lacked in a few areas.

First I hated Nan, she was just way too whiney and bitchy to love despite how crap her life had been. I wish that as the series had progressed that I could have seen her character grow and develop in some way in these first three books as her story is just as important as Blaire's and Rush's. Instead I felt that she got worse, especially in Forever Too Far.

A second thing I hated was that I felt like the third book was unnecessary, I think the story of Rush and Blaire could have come to a nice conclusion at the end of the second book but the third book was still really good and a lot of important events do happen to Rush and Blaire that effect their relationship.

For an easy read that makes you want more this is your series. The first book leaves you needing to know what happens next but by the end of the third book you are ready to say goodbye to the characters because you know that where the story ended was as good as any ending can be. I don't usually enjoy contemporary novels, but I did thoroughly enjoy the story line of Blaire and Rush. So I give it a strong 4 out of 5 star.