Dead Pretty - Release and Review

Dead Pretty

by Samantha Towle

What they say: I'd once believed that nothing would equal the pain of losing my parents. 

I was wrong.

I had barely even begun to process their deaths when it started.

The love notes, flowers, gifts … all anonymously left on my porch.

Then, I opened my door to a dead bird.

At first, I thought it had died naturally.

I knew that wasn’t the case when I found my neighbor’s cat the next day.

Then, the murders started. 

The victims … women who looked eerily similar to me.

I had a stalker. A murderous one.

And I had no clue who he was. 

He never showed me his face. 

Not even when he carved his final message into me.

I survived that night. But my life was over. It had ended the moment Tobias Ripley’s infatuation with me began.

So, I changed my name and moved away.

Now, I live a life of solitude. I don’t make connections with anyone. 

Until Jack Canti walks into my life with his sharp eyes and easy smiles.

Only Jack isn’t the man he says he is. 

And when the murders start again, I’m left wondering if it’s a copycat. 

Or worse … 

What if Tobias wasn’t the real killer after all … and the murderer has been right here with me all along?

More info

I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: I'm always mindful of spoilers in my reviews but it is particularly difficult to review Dead Pretty without giving anything away so excuse my vagueness. 

In this thriller we meet Audrey. Audrey struggles with anxiety, having escaped from a horrific past with stalker Tobias. It's working as a librarian where Audrey meets handsome stranger Jack. Jack brings intrigue, romance and passion into her life and a whole load of danger and drama.

I liked Audrey although she's very different from the usual Sam Towle heroine, but different seems to be a big part of the entire book. The title sent my mind down the zombie route for a while...

The romance is hot and very naughty *blushes*. I kept changing my mind about what was going to happen and who was to blame. The story actually reminded me of an episode of one of my favourite TV shows, but I won't name it as it could give away huge spoilers. The ending, holy moly!!!

Dead Pretty is a real change in genre and style for Towle and certainly wasn't what I was expecting but I really enjoyed the change and twists galore! Oh the psychological minefield!

4 Stars in my Sky!

The Deal - Review

The Deal - Off Campus #1 by Elle Kennedy

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What they say: She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy... 

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date. 

...and it’s going to be oh so good. 

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

Amazon US * Amazon UK

What I say: I'd seen all the hype surrounding Elle Kennedy's The Deal and I have to admit that from the blurb I really didn't think it was going to be any different from the 'good girl meets bad boy' books I've read before - but thankfully I was wrong. The big difference was down to the quality of the characters and Kennedy's writing style. 

You can probably tell from the title and blurb that the plot focuses on Hannah and Garrett as they strike up a mutually beneficial deal to assist them in getting what they want. Hannah needs his help to charm a guy and Garrett needs her to tutor him to help up his grades (to stay on the ice hockey team). 

One of the things I most appreciated about The Deal was the humour, it's really funny. I loved the banter between Hannah and Garrett. What you don't get from the blurb is just how funny their story is and how damaged they both are.

A key point I appreciated was the lack of insta-love. Other than cheating, nothing annoys me more in book than insta-love! Hannah has issues with sex and relationships, I'm not going to spoil why. As much as jocks like Garrett annoy her she does find him entertaining and they form a great friendship. I've put a few of my fav quotes below, but there were so many others. Hannah's focused on dealing with her past and her singing, whilst Garrett is all about hockey. He's always honest with girls about his lack of interest in relationships and I appreciated his focus. This is where I was expecting the insta-thing to appear. But thankfully although they appreciated each others 'hotness' they became friends and are focused on other people.

I honestly couldn't tell you which one of them made me laugh more but I appreciated the funny moments and their bickering. Combined with the emotionally heightened scenes the laughter really made for a brilliantly witty NA story. The sexy moments made me smile and there were a couple of them that had me in hysterics (when you read The Deal you'll understand why).

The secondary characters were great addictions and I'm looking forward to seeing which character gets their story told next. I couldn't decide which of Garrett's friends I liked the most so I'm going to call it a tie.

4 - 4.5 Stars in my Sky!

My fav non-spoilers quotes:

• Unbelievable. Every girl at this college would cut her frickin' arm off to help me out. But this one? Runs away like I just asked her to murder a cat so we could sacrifice it.
• "So your airheads get the sex, and I'm the one who has to listen to you babble?" She shakes her head. "I feel like I'm getting the short end of that deal." I wiggle my eyebrows. "Aw, you want the sex too, Wellsy? I'm happy to give it to you."
• "God, I can't even be selfless without screwing it up." He snickers. "It's okay. At least you're hot. And don't get me started on your stripper tits."
• "Oh my God, we're arguing about the way we argue!"