Lovin' los libros: Karli Perrin

Welcome to my stop on the April Fools blog tour by Karli Perrin!

April Fools (April #2)
by: Karli Perrin

Publication Date: Dec. 12, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 151 pages
Order Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Love. Hate. Fear. Fate.
All four letter words.
All consuming.
Naked to the eye, they have the power to control the heart and destroy the soul.
April Adams is about to experience them like never before.
When everything in April's life goes up in smoke, she is faced with some life changing decisions.
Join April as she continues her journey of love and loss.

My Review:

I was so excited when Karli asked me to be a part of the April Fools blog tour! I hadn't yet read April Showers, so I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to read both of them! As you saw from my review yesterday (here), I really enjoyed the first book in the April series. However, I LOVED its sequel!

I didn't have the same issues I felt before where I felt the book was mainly driven by April's indecision to choose between Isaac and Lukas. After all- April has made her choice. I am glad she stood by her choice and that Perrin didn't create a bunch of drama over her questioning whether or not it was the right one. Instead, Perrin has created new obstacles for April to overcome- the ones most couples face at the start of a new relationship. In this book we see April struggling with her new relationship, as external factors really plant the seeds of doubt in her mind. She trusts her new boyfriend, but he is hiding things from her and that really upsets her.

However, April and her man definitely have some steamy chemistry and we really see Perrin take it to the next level in this book! Whew! I loved it!

What did I love most about April Fools? The addition of April's brother Brody and more interactions with her friend Lucy from the first book. Sighhhhhh! Brody is a fun-loving, outgoing guy, but he is definitely a womanizer. However, I loved his charm and his protective nature of his younger sister. We learn a bit more about April and Brody's mom and their family situation too in this book, which I liked. Lucy is such a good, sweet friend to April and I really loved her. Watching her interact with Brody is hilarious because she is definitely the relationship kind of girl and he's not. However, I suspected a thing between these two coming and I felt their storyline was not quite resolved. *cough we need a spin-off cough*

I also liked that Perrin resolved the cliffhanger ending from the first book right away. Cliffhangers are torture as it is, but waiting for a lengthy resolution KILLS me!

Overall, this was a sweet, sexy, steamy read about two people learning to trust in one another and not let outside forces ruin something so good.

About Karli Perrin:

Karli Perrin is a 25 year old English Language & Linguistics graduate from Manchester, England. She has always been a big lover of books and is the author of the 'April' series.
She is a big believer of fate and is a sucker for a happy ending. She honestly believes that there is a reason why you are reading this right now (apart from the fact that you are awesome!)

Her ultimate goal in life is to live in a house made entirely out of books with her best friend, who also happens to be her fiancé.

...Hogwarts is plan B.

Blog Facebook Twitter Goodreads

Check out book one in the April series!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords

April Showers (April #1)
by: Karli Perrin

Publication Date: June 14, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: Purchased
Page Count: 271 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

What happens when your head and your heart pull you in completely opposite directions?

April Adams is about to find out the hard way.

When April enrolls at Manchester University, it feels like a whole new life. New city, new house, new friends...new crush.

Isaac Sharpe is the hottest guy on campus - with an even hotter reputation. After a chance meeting, April quickly finds herself wrapped up in all that he is. But what if all that he is isn't what it seems?

Caught up in a battle between what she wants and what she thinks she needs, April meets Lukas Roberts. Lukas is the security blanket that she craves so desperately and she finds solace in their friendship. But what happens when she finds more than she bargained for?

April has always been a big believer of fate, but will she learn that she's in control of her own destiny before it's too late?

Join April as she embarks on a life changing journey of love and loss, which will have you laughing and crying until the very end.

I first heard about this book from a couple of my fellow bloggers and they both really enjoyed it! Naturally, I had to jump on the train and see what it was all about! I am happy to report that I really enjoyed this one and I found it to be really cute!

I really enjoy Karli's writing style. It's quite realistic and I like that she doesn't go overboard with description. And I won't even lie- I love the Britishisms! (Is that a word? I made it up...) It's really fun for me as an American to read about knickers and jumpers. LOL. It makes me giggle and I really like that.

For the most part I liked our protagonist April. She did drive me a little crazy with her overanalytical brain and I wanted to shake her a little bit because I knew who I wanted her to be with! April is in her first year at University and she is very driven and cares about her coursework. She literally runs into Isaac on her first day and is completely captivated by him. I admit, I'm not a fan of insta-love, but I was able to look past it because the dialogue was just that good. However, it becomes clear early on that things with Isaac are going to be complicated. That same first day April also meets Lukas, a boy in a lot of her classes. Lukas is a really sweet, good guy and I knew that we were going to have a love triangle on our hands.

I was Team Isaac all the way. I liked Lukas ALOT- he was great, but I just didn't feel that April felt that spark she did when she was with Isaac. In the beginning it seems like April is trying to convince herself to give Lukas a shot. Spending an evening with Isaac really ruined her for other guys because of how quickly they connected with one another. April spends the majority of this book torn between these two guys. Her brain is constantly at war with her heart and the poor girl couldn't decide what to do. This did end up grating on my nerves a bit. I realize April was afraid of the consequences that would come with being with Isaac, but I still wanted her to make her choice and stick to it sooner than she did. Isaac is definitely one sexy beast, and I loved that he didn't give up on April, even when she kept pushing him away.

I really liked April's best friend, Katie. Their friendship reminded me of me and my best friend- and I love how Katie would call April for every little detail. Katie is a lot more outgoing than April and I felt her personality really balanced April's more sweet, tame nature. They were just fun to read about and I loved their banter with one another.

While I enjoyed this, I did feel the plot was rather simplistic. There wasn't a whole lot of drama or angst to move the book forward. We had some surprising plot twists and one hell of a cliffhanger, but overall, I just felt it was April trying to decide between Isaac and Lukas. She has feelings for both, and she really learns that you can feel things for more than one person. However, watching her sort out her feelings for both boys is one thing I liked because it showed maturity on her part. Her best friend was a constant source of encouragement and I liked that she told April that she had to really look deep down inside herself to find out who she really wanted to be with.

Overall, I felt April Showers was a cute, entertaining read filled with fun lingo, witty banter, and two incredibly wonderful guys!

The Gift
by: Karli Perrin

Publication Date: Dec. 1, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 38 pages
Order Links: AmazonUS | AmazonUK | Smashwords
My Rating: 4/5 stars

It was the weekend before Christmas and the whole world was on countdown.
Except for me.
Last Christmas, I met a boy.
Last Christmas, we made a pact.
Christmas would never be the same.
Life would never be the same...

Please note that this is a short story, not a full length novel. It is a standalone and is intended to be a quick, fun and flirty read.

Sometimes a heartwarming story about falling in love is just what you need to fill your heart. The Gift is just the holiday shortie to do that. A love story doesn't always need to be messy, complicated, and full of angst. It can be as simple as two people meeting, flirting, and then wanting to get to know one another.

This is how this story goes with Imogen and Blake. A chance meeting at a party leads them to exchange some particularly witty banter that definitely left me with a big grin on my face. Sure, Imogen was a little intoxicated, but a little flirting never hurt nobody! Add in some sexual innuendos and Perrin had me cracking up watching these two interact.

"Are you asking me a serious question or are we still talking in code? Because I don't want to get excited over nothing."

I found this to be extremely sweet and I found myself jealous of how easily Imogen interacted with Blake. The girl has confidence and spunk and I loved that about her. Blake was also confident, but not to the point where I felt he was being a jerk.

I'm really glad Perrin didn't turn this into an insta-love short story. Instead, it's just about two people who find themselves attracted to one another and want to spend time together. Nothing more, nothing less.

"No. When I kiss you, I want your eyes open. I want to look at you and know that you're feeling what I'm feeling."

My only quirk was the twist towards the end. I personally could have done without it, because I found it to be a bit out of place in the plot. However, it did show us that Imogen certainly has guts and that she will do whatever necessary to protect Blake. That part was rather sweet and foreshadowed that these two will probably turn a flirty, sweet relationship into something more.

Overall, this was a cute, snappy read that I read as I was cuddled up in the recliner waiting on Thanksgiving dinner to be served. It definitely put a little holiday cheer in my cup!