"Stripped" by H. M. Ward Review

Blurb:

By New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journalbestselling New Adult author H.M. Ward.

The V Card. Virgin. Most of us want to punch that sucker ASAP, and hide the fact until then, but not Cassie Hale. Three years ago she frickin' covered hers in glitter and laminated the thing, proudly telling me that she's waiting for the perfect guy. 

So when I see her half naked, tangled together, rolling around on the floor with another stripper, I'm kind of shocked. Okay, that's an understatement. I'm enthralled. I have to know what cracked her picture perfect world and landed her here, and I hope it's something horrible-an event that broke her the way she broke me. Because, that's who Cassie Hale is--the woman who stole my heart and crushed it in her hand.

My Thoughts:

Ohhh.. how I love the Ferro brothers!! This is Jonathan's story. We met him briefly in the "Damaged" Series.

Jonathan, is a notorious player. Once again, banished from his family for a while, he is sent to live with his Uncle in a teeny town where no one will find him, until his latest screw up blows over. But when his friend tries to set him up with her cousin, Cassie, his entire world is about to get thrown.. along with maybe a little bit of his ginourmous ego.

"She's lucky to have me. I'm a Ferro. No one tells me no anyway, not for anything. I expect to get there and have this chick falling all over me."

Little did he realize, she's a virgin, who wants nothing to do with him, or any guy like him for that matter. She is holding out for her perfect man, and plans on saving her virginity until her wedding night. Of course Jonathan thinks this is insane. Either way, she wants absolutely nothing to do with Jonathan from the second he opens his mouth.

" 'That's why you called me down here? To hang out with the virgin?' He looks horrified.

I hate him. It's hate at first sight. I sneer at him. 'I have a name, you know.' "

Jonathan, in his typical player way, followers her in her attempt to escape him, trying to push her buttons, and convince her to give it a shot with him. The more she says no, the more he wants it. Soon they fall into more of a playful banter, and he realizes that maybe he actually wants her. Jonathan quickly inserts himself into Cassie's summer life, and they fall into an easy friendship.

"Jonathan seems to enjoy my company just as much as I'm enjoying his. Although there's this easy way about him, I know theres a wall between us. Secrets, failures, and insecurities erected it, and it towers over us."

They are both hiding something, and as secrets come out, Jonathan ends up believing Cassie betrayed his trust, and their friendship quickly ends. It is not until three years later, Jonathan runs into little virginal Cassie again. While hiring strippers for his brothers bachelor party, he unknowingly hired Cassie.

"Then, I hear it - that voice. It floats through the air like a familiar old song. Oh God, someone shoot me. I can't do this."

So here they are, after years apart, about to finally face everything that ended their one amazing summer together.. 

I absolutely loved Damaged, where we first meet Jonathan, so I was thrilled with the fact that he was getting his own book. It completely lived up to everything I hoped it would be. I knew there had to be a different side of Jonathan that we weren't seeing. We were left wanting so much more of his story, and we got it. He and Cassie, being polar opposites, manage to form this amazing bond over the course of a summer, that some people don't form in a lifetime. I was screaming in my head "NO!! Something's not right!! Tell me that didn't actually happen!!", when their relationship fell out. There are quite a few things in this book that I didn't see coming, and that's just another reason why I like H. M. Ward's writing so much.

Stripped doesn't end at a cliffhanger, per say, but it is definitely unfinished. Stripped 2, is anticipated to be out sometime in early 2014. I will post more as I know. I already can't wait to see how everything else unfolds!!

Favorite Quote:

"The man standing before me is a carcass of what he was, an illusion covered in pretty smiles and smooth words. Even though we haven't know each other that long, I see through him."

Buy Links:

Amazon

Nook

Damaged 2 by H. M. Ward Review

From GoodReads:

"The steamy conclusion to the New York Times bestselling and #1 Amazon bestseller New Adult novel DAMAGED by H.M. Ward.

Home isn't supposed to be dangerous, but for Sidney it is. Returning home means that she has to face her past. It's not just the man who hurt Sidney that makes it horrible, but the family that didn't believe her. They were dead to her, but now that her mom is really dying things seem different. It's a chance to set things right.

What Sidney doesn't realize is that she's dragging Peter into a collision course with his past. Peter must deal with the demons haunting him if he wants to move forward with Sidney. He's willing to give up everything for her, even wade deeper into his past life to help her move forward. But, Peter isn't sure if he can get over what happened to him in New York."

My Thoughts:

Damaged 2 picks up exactly where Damaged left off. Sidney has decided that its time to go home and face her demons, along with see her dying mother one last time. Peter has said he will go with her, but not before revealing a life altering secret about himself. A secret that completely sends Sidney for a loop.

"If you think I've misled you on everything and that I've been lying to you since the beginning, then walk through that door and don't come back."

(GASP! HEART SHATTER.. NOOOO)

She walks out, decides to go along back home without him. But we all know that Peter could not let that happen... and soon enough, Peter and Sidney are on a long distance road trip, with stops at Peter's past, Sidney's demons, and their own future. Technically they are "broken up" for the trip, but how long can that really last?

"But Peter's in the same room with you.

But Peter's touched you.

But Peter...

It's always but Peter."

With bumps along the road, literally and figuratively, the road trip that they take is a life changing journey for both of them.

They also acquire new friend along the way.

"I have a turkey doing boudoir poses in my back seat."

Thats not a joke. Seriously, the turkey, oh my god the turkey. I could not handle it, I was laughing for half the book. Remember the squirrel from Damaged? The turkey, is a million times better than that. H. M. Ward gives us such an amazing amount of humor for such a deeply emotional book. I absolutely adore it. 

I enjoyed this side of Peter, a LOT. In Damaged, he seemed almost too good to be true. Damaged 2 gives us his story, and shows us his past, and why he is just as jaded as Sidney.

"We're so messed up, Peter, and it's not fair. But life's not fair, is it? There are no do-overs no matter how much you wish for them."

4 huge stars for this one! A definite read for anyone looking for a giggle and a love story!

Side note:

Did you know that Damaged and Damaged 2 are intertwined with two other series by H.M. Ward?

..because I had NO idea..

(am I way behind the times on this? because seriously.. I need to read these books)

The Arrangement (volumes 1-7) are about Peter's older brother, Sean.

Stripped (not released, but available for pre-order) is about Peter's younger brother, Jonathan.

You can bet I'll be reading these ASAP!

Damaged by H. M. Ward Review

From GoodReads:

"Life sucks. And, as soon as Sidney picks up the pieces something always knocks her back onto her butt. It's never pretty, but this time is different. This time pretty isn't even the right word.

Peter is the personification of perfection. It's like he fell off his angel perch in purgatory, because let's face it--any guy that hot has got to be naughty. He was probably sent here to ruin her life.

Peter is beyond beautiful with his sexy blue eyes, dark hair, and toned body. Add in his charming wit and Peter is everything Sidney ever wanted in a man, but when things get hot and heavy Peter shows her the door. Sidney takes the walk of shame and leaves. It's the end of the worst blind date ever. Her life couldn't possibly reach higher levels of suckage, but it does.

The next morning everything comes crashing down. The insanely hot guy from last night, the one that saw her half naked, is teaching at the front of the class room."

My Thoughts:

I know what you're all thinking.. "another girl and her teacher book".. but NO, stop that thought right now. This is an awesome girl and her teacher book. It's a college setting, and the girl happens to end up being his particular teachers TA. 

Sidney's best friend Millie has set her up on a blind date, yet again, so immediately Sidney is expecting the worst. When she gets to the restaurant she does not see Millie yet, but does see a man sitting by himself, who she assumes is her blind date, so she goes and takes a seat. They get to talking, and she is actually having a great time with this beautiful man, when she realizes that Millie is at another table, and that this man she has been sitting with, is NOT her blind date. 

"You're not my date, are you?" He shakes his head, still smiling at me.

This book immediately had me laughing. It starts off with the perfect amount of awkward moments and it works, oh it works. So when her ACTUAL blind date it a dud, she ends up leaving, and running into her "not blind date", in the parking lot. It takes off from there, and they eventually end up heading back to his place. It starts getting hot between the two of them, and then he abruptly stops it. She leaves feeling horrible.. and consumed by wondering what happened. 

Breathing hard, he says, "I'm sorry, Sidney, I but I can't do this". Something inside me shatters when he says it. 

The following morning when she shows up at the college for her TA position, she is floored that the teacher she will be working with just happens to be the not-her-actual-date man from the night before, Peter Granz.

"Don't make me climb across this desk and slap you, because I will. Don't talk to me like I'm a child and tell me shit I already know. I asked a question. What are you going to do?"

The two of them vow to not let what happened have an effect on their jobs, pretend it didn't happen, and not let it get awkward. Over time warm back up to each other, and form a close close friendship. They are both battling their own inner demons, and eventually they need to face what has happened in their pasts, what has happened between them, and where it is really going..

"I'll do anything for you, be anything you need. I just don't want to let you go."

At the time that I read this book, I was on my third teacher/student uh-oh book, and I was really starting to assume they were all going to be the same (aside from Slammed, because Slammed is in a category of its own <3<3). This one takes it to another level, and I was pleasantly surprised at the turns and drama that this one had. It was awesome! The end is not a cliff-hanger per say, more of a "omg I NEED to see what happens next!" It is left off at a point where a book 2 is needed, but not what I would call a cliff-hanger.

I did read this book previous to starting this blog, and decided to write this review because Damaged 2 is right around the corner. I highly suggest reading this series! I can NOT wait for Damaged 2! It will be released June 24.

You can pre-order Damaged 2 now!

Damaged for Kindle

Damaged 2 for Kindle - Preorder