Book Review: Finding Home by Lauren Baker and Bonnie Dee

Book Stats:
Finding Home by Lauren Baker and Bonnie Dee
Source: Purchased
Format: Kindle, 300 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: 01/06/2006
Reading Level: Adult/ Mature YA (17+)
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Drama, Sociology

Goodreads Summary: Her family, her friends and her conscience all say it's wrong to fall for the hustler she rescued from the streets. How come it feels so right? When Megan first meets Mouth, a homeless teenage hustler, on the streets of L.A., he's the perfect subject for the street life expose she hopes will help her break into journalism. She doesn't expect to be drawn into his life and become his friend-or to take him in after he's been beaten and robbed by thugs. As they learn to live together, a powerful attraction flourishes between Megan and the young man. Although he's street smart, tough and mature, he's also a youth in transition. When they finally give in to the sexual heat between them, Megan fears she's taking advantage of her position as his mentor. Their relationship challenges every aspect of her life. Megan must make difficult choices between the conflicting demands of her friends and family, her career and love. Warning: Explicit sex, reference to underage sex, graphic language, violence.

Please leave your morals out the door and keep an open mind when reading this book because it's a pretty dark book. It covers prostitution, homelessness, abuse, drugs.. but immediately after finishing the initial chapters, I was completely hooked.

Megan, a 23 year old aspiring writer, was working on her debut article that covers the life of kids in the boulevard who sells their bodies for money. Really wanting to prove she had talent to her boss other than proofreading, she pursued getting interviews from the kids themselves and that's where she met the 17 year old hustler, Sean aka. Mouth.

As Megan spends more time with the kids and at the boulevard, she finds herself attracted at the young man and they started a civilized friendship. After not seeing him for a few days, she finds him beat up. Concerned for his safety, Megan took Sean to her home where he stayed for a while as he tried getting a job and completing his GED. As the days go by, the sexual tension between them sizzles and the two finds themselves in a situation that has written doomed from the start.

Whoa, what a ride. Realistic.. heartbreaking and beautiful. The story was written in 3rd person but the thoughts are mostly from Megan. Being attracted to Sean and all, it was pretty weird hearing about her non-stop sexual desires. I like that she wasn't an insecure heroine or a fucked up one, she was... pretty normal but I did questioned her initial intentions with Sean because the girl was pretty damn horny for him. I didn't think this was supposed to be erotica but there was a lot of descriptive sex! She appeared selfish at times but I believe her heart was really in the right place.

"I'm a fucking whore," he continued. 

"The people I meet either want to fuck me or fuck me over. End of fucking story."

Oh Sean... you broke my heart. I just wished I could have heard his own thoughts in the story because even though he was there, it didn't really feel like it. The romance plot, his business and his past.. he would have been a more interesting and heartbreaking voice to listen to. I just can't help but feel bad for him especially when he meets Megan's family and friends.

I'd say age is nothing but a number, but i'd be a hypocrite because I know I would have felt better if I knew he was 18 instead. He went through so much and knows so much, it's easy to forget he's only 17. The age thing was almost overkill since the prostitution part was already a potent subject but oh well, it did add more drama.

This book just had everything that can tear your heart to pieces but the last few chapters definitely made it worth the heartbreak. I want more though, Ms. Baker and Ms. Dee should really write a companion novel or a sequel! Maybe Sean's POV or with the other street kids because their stories we're pretty sad too.

★★★★

Connect with the author:

Lauren Baker: Goodreads

Bonnie Dee: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Purchase/ add to shelf:

Add to shelf: Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Review: Young Love Murder by April Brookshire

Book Stats: 
Young Love Murder by April Brookshire
(Book #1 of Young Assassins) 
Source: Purchased
Format: Kindle
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 8/24/2011
Reading Level: Mature YA (17+)
Genre: Suspense, Contemporary, Romance 

Goodreads Summary: First love’s a killer, but so is seventeen-year-old Annabelle Blanc. The teenager was raised to be an assassin and taught to never fall in love. She lives for the job until she meets Gabriel Sanchez, the son of her latest target. Wealthy, spoiled and self-indulgent, Gabriel Sanchez is a teenage playboy. Setting his sights on the beautiful Annabelle, he's drawn to the mysterious new girl who's playing hard to get.Gabriel also finds himself drawn into a world of deception, violence and murder. Off-centered for the first time in her life, Annabelle struggles to fight her doomed attraction for the handsome Gabriel. In this gritty, mature YA novel, you'll follow Annabelle and Gabriel in an intense, funny, angry, crazy, rocky and passionate romance. As two worlds collide and they're repeatedly thrown together and pulled apart by fate, will Annabelle and Gabriel overcome betrayals, revenge and heartbreak to find a lasting love?

I should have known that from reading the synopsis, that this was far from a fluffy read. It took me into a really frustrating yet thrilling roller coaster ride of emotions. I probably haven't been this frustrated but  so dead-set rooting for a couple since reading Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens. So, we have Annabelle Blanc. If you got an inner bad girl, then all should go along well with you. But if you're questioning her motives like me, you might not get the full experience of her being an "assassin". I mean, I like that she's a bad-ass but I don't necessarily get the "I'm not a murderer" thing of the story. She does admit she's the necessary evil though. I jus't don't see it as any different as being a killer but hey, I don't know the meaning of the vague word, "justice" either so what the hell?

On the other hand, I adored Gabriel. He's just like a kid after a toy but when he actually gets the toy, he treats her just like treasure instead. He is precious, cocky, annoying but overall, I cannot not swoon over a playboy turned lovesick puppy. Now, these two have great moments together, although most of them turn into psychotic circumstances. I didn't really feel the budding romance at first. As I said, if you think about morals and motives, then you probably won't feel it too. Because their relationship was built on a lie and it developed within a lie. But I can't lie, the sexual tension? It's so there.

But as the story progresses, they also grow up to settle their differences in a manner only THEY understand and they love each other along the way. They are such a volatile couple. It's like they're made for each other but they only destroy each other more and more. This was an angsty type of love. Very much comaparable to relationships like Travis & Abby (Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire) or Kellan & Kiera (Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens). Despite all of the moments I wanted to pull my hair out and smack some sense into both of them. There were a lot of funny and witty banter going on, It makes you forget the "dark" part of the story.

I was thankful for that. It balanced it out. I really laughed out loud at some! I loved Anna's brother, Jackson. The boy was a natural born "brother" who annoys the hell out of his sister but I love how he's protective of her. I can't wait to read his story on the second book. This is the type of romance where the characters go through an emotional adventure, to be lost and to be found. It's a story of revenge and redemption. It's beautiful, if you think beyond the bad. Although I didn't necessarily love this one, I was hooked on to it. I recommend it to anyone who's looking to spice up their YA/Romance/Contemporary shelf!

★★★★

Want to read the book? Purchase it here on Amazon:

Recommendations: Dark and captivating books

I've recently read these books as of late:

Sempre by J.M. Darhower

Captive In The Dark by CJ Roberts

Slave by Sherri Hayes

Now, I have read pretty disturbing and depressing books before but the titles above have taken it to another level. They have different stories on their own but they all touch on a similar subject involving the taboo being of "slaves". The stories in the book are just so captivating that it's hard to stop even though you're starting to have goosebumps.

Out of all the three, I read Sempre first.

 [Here is my full review in Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/350118980]

I love this book. It tells such a beautiful story about love, sacrifice and of course, freedom. It will make you laugh, it will definitely make your heart hurt and it will give you hope.

I was so in love with Sempre that I started looking for a second book similar to the theme of Sempre. It wasn't too long that I stumbled upon Captive In The Dark.

[Here is my full review in Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/352488958]

Despite reading an already shocking book before this, this book has managed to shock me out of all sorts and I was thoroughly speechless for a few seconds after finishing then millions of thoughts came into my head after! It was.... mind-blowing. It is very... very disturbing. It touches on scenes of rape, violence, murder and other stuff you wouldn't normally think about. So I will give you fair warning that this book won't really give you a happily ever after.

It is a very gutsy subject to be written about but the author has done it beautifully that you won't want to stop reading and.... Ms. CJ Roberts, will DEFINITELY lure you into reading the next book.

Lastly, still not over my Dark-books-cravings, I starting reading Slave.

[Here is my full review in Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/353119354]

 

This book was not AS visually disturbing as Captive In The Dark but the thought was still there. It's a story of redemption rather than an adrenaline induced story like Sempre and Captive In The Dark. It was a "fluffy" read comparing to those two but it is still good so I'm considering of reading the sequel in the Finding Anna series.

Actually, I'm considering to read ALL of the books' sequels and I can hardly wait to get my hands on them. Especially for Sempre and Captive In The Dark!

Buy these amazing books from Amazon!