Nicki ElsonRezensionen

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3627754.html

I'm always interested to read books by my twins, people who like me were born on 26 April 1967 (see also Warren Read and Trish Doller). This one is frankly not as good as the other two, but it is closer to my personal experience, being the story of a confused Catholic student's sexual experiences at university; not terribly erotic, funny in places, you can see from quite an early stage how it's going to end. Our heroine has an unusual sexual red line; she's OK with sleeping with boys under the right circumstances, but she is saving her first orgasm with a man for her marriage. Everyone is entitled to their own kinks, I suppose. There's good local colour of central Illinois (the university is referred to as Central Illinois University, but it's clearly meant to be Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, and there's a field trip to Springfield).

The story was fine but I couldn't connect with the protagonist Molly.

Molly Unplanned by Nicki Elson

Ever been confused about what direction to go? Molly trusted the wrong person with her heart and he abused it emotionally. Then she thought she could do a casual sexual thing, but she started to let her heart to open, but then her new knight cracked it wide open. But, of all things to happen after she starts to heal from everything she realizes she is pregnant from the knight! Her baby girl opens up emootions that she didn’t realize that she had! She thought they were all frozen,but her baby girl unfroze everything!
The knight stepped up to the plate ,but it was only for the baby girl. Neither one could open up their communication with each other and things didn’t get said and so in stepped up a Rook for Molly!
The knight kept being a good dad for the baby and even went on a vacation with them to make sure the baby was taken care of while Molly and the Rook could have some down time. This is where some explosive moments and devious things were pulled by the Knight but Molly was unaware because the Knight did them ever so slyly!
Molly became confused between the Knight and the Rook! You HAVE to READ the book to see how and where she makes her decision you won’t guess what happens! Confusion with communication seems to be the link In all the romance books and that’s why most of the Happily Ever Afters seem to either never find each other or they take forever to discover one another and they have so many misadventures it’s hilarious!t This book is explosive and funny and you won’t believe how it ends and I will not be giving the spoiler! The book is great and you should grab it when it’s available! I think that the author was going for self discovery and looking forward instead of dwelling on past mistakes and thinking that every person is the same. There is no black and white decisions usually in our lives,we sometimes have to be able to compromise and there are those shades of gray and I think Molly seen that people are not perfect and they all can’t measure up to her certain standards. She might have to give be some slack and also give herself a chance to heal and realize she doesn’t have to be perfect either.
I received an advanced copy from the author within libraything and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions!

I really enjoyed reading this book! I’m a sucker for realistic fiction and found all of the events and characters within this book easy to relate to and easy to connect with. This relate-ability and connection definitely comes from the fact that the characters are thoroughly developed by the end of the book. Despite being an easy read and somewhat predictable, I found that l remained interested and curious throughout. This book is perfect for readers who like an easy read, to connect with characters and love a little cheesy romance. This was the first book I’ve read by Nicki Elson, and look forward to reading more!

This is an honest and voluntary review based on a complementary copy I received of this book.

Molly Unplanned is a lighthearted romance told from Molly's perspective throughout. The story begins with Molly embarking on the next big step in her well planned out life when she is hit with an unexpected surprise which leaves her with no boyfriend, no savings and nowhere to live. She moves to a farm in Wisconsin where she meets Cal and a series of unplanned events unfold. Although Cal and Molly are the romantic leads, both have other romantic relationships after they meet and although you know there is an attraction there, they don't end up in a relationship together until the book concludes. Personally I would have preferred if they had become a couple sooner, then I could've seen their romantic relationship develop but overall, it was a pleasant, easy read.

This is an honest and voluntary review based on a complementary copy I received of this book.½

This was a good book, but the plot points were kind of expected. It was your traditional boy meets girl, girl falls in love with the boy, one of them have a secret, they break up, take a timeout, then get back together. Although, if you are like me, you won't be expecting what the secret is. With the way he handled things at the beginning, I was shocked to learn his secret. After he explains it, it makes sense and you can't help but feel sorry for the guy, or maybe that's just me. I loved this book, though. I can't wait to see what is in store for them next. I hate the way this one leaves you hanging right as they seem like they might work it out.

I just LOVE Cliff so much. Even though he wasn't the main character in When It Hooks You, he was still my favorite. Then I got to this book, When It Holds You, and was overjoyed to learn it was all about Cliff.

He is just the perfect character. He is humorous, sexy, he draws sympathy, and he is just so loveable! This was definitely my favorite book of the series (I suggest reading all three though).

I received this series for free and I am choosing to leave a review for each book.

The first book in the series fell a little flat for me, but When It Hooks you definitely showed much improvement.

Let me start with saying, I am just in love with Cliff. He is beyond adorable and hilarious! Unfortunately, this is not his love story, but if you loved him as much as I did I highly suggest reading When It Holds You!

Now on to the main characters. I like Trish a lot, and to me her character was relatable in the way that we all sets rules for ourselves, and we all break them eventually. She has a strict 3 date rule, because apparently things get serious by the 4th date. She is a woman who doesn't really know what she wants in love and life or how to get it. Then she meets Adam. He is mysterious, wealthy, handsome, has awesome taste in clothing, and is bound to make her break her own rules. She is so desperate for the perfect man that she overlooks one little thing until it blows up in her face, Adam has a secret and boy was it a good one.

I would definitely recommend this series. Not only are the main characters appealing, but the secondary characters in each book are equally loveable!

I received this book for free and I am leaving a review by choice.

I received three books in this series by Nicki Elson. When It Hits You didn't quite hit it out of the park for me. The writing seemed a little rushed and too much time was spent on explaining the business they were in. I would have preferred a bit more dialogue between the characters.

I wouldn't say the characters are relatable, but they each have their own appeal. Hayden is, of course, very dreamy and adorable. The secondary characters were intriguing and I hoped the next two books would be about them (and they were).

Overall, for the first book in the series, it wasn't bad, but I felt myself wanting more from it. However that didn't stop me from reading the next two books and I will say they definitely got better!

Lyssa's wild fantasies and Hayden's persistence makes for an enjoyable read.

The has a good love story but to much time spent on self happiness.

This was a fun read with a different type of story-line. Cliff is an attorney who is also a gaming enthusiast. After some recent emotional fall out with his best friend, Trish, he decides to limit his relationships to the gaming world. As he develops one particular gaming relationship, what could happen when they decide to a live “anonymous” hook-up? Awkward, in a word. Then Cliff rethinks their relationship and now the question is, do these gamers have a future?
I was provided a copy of this book for my honest review.

A sweet, Steamy tale of love between two former frenemies. I enjoyed it alot.

I received a free copy in exchange for a honest review.

This is the third installment of the It Series. I have not read the first and second books. I usually read the previous books in a series so I would at least know what to expect. For this one, I skipped it because I have overdone myself and had received a lot of free books that I need to review. Good thing this is a stand alone. I will probably just go back to those two books when I have the time.

When It Hooks You is the story of Ciff Walsh. He is a lawyer by profession and an avid online gamer by night. He is in love with his best friend Trish but she's in love with someone else. So, Cliff decided, maybe it's high time for him to let go and move on which is easier said than done. On the virtual world, Cliff met a fellow online gamer named PlanetClaire and developed a friendship with her. Then, PlanetClaire had a very unusual proposition which was very tempting. Cliff's curiosity got the better of him. He agreed. And the rest will definitely shock you, just like Cliff and Claire.

I felt sorry for Cliff. He was too caught up in his wish for the girl to finally fall in love with him that he somehow forgotten that there are other fishes in the pond. Good thing he realized it before he eventually made a grand fool of himself. I like that he finally acknowledged the signs and honestly came out with his feelings to his best friend. I think that was a very bold move and I commend him, even if he got his heart broken but at least the torture has ended. I would way, Cliff is the epitome of nice guys finish last.

I think I hate Trish. I am sure, anyone with half a brain would notice what she was doing to Cliff. Not that she's dumb but her actions were totally not the best. I totally understand why Cliff would misinterpret them.

I think the story started slow. Pretty much just Cliff moaning about his unrequited love for his best friend. Though, this is sort of a breath of fresh air since I have not read a lot of books with guys so hung up on someone, except on mystery and crime books where the guy kills the girl. Don't worry, this is not an if-I-can't-have-her-no-one-else-can story. But I was not so into it and I just wanted to just breeze through so I can reach the end. I think the story could be summed up in two parts. First, Cliff is in love with Claire. Then, Cliff realizes Claire will never be his, so he has to move on. And move on he did. But this is not to say that the story is not worth reading at all. You will be shocked. Just like I was which totally blindsided me. I did not see it coming. I truly welcomed the surprise. If not for this, I would have thought this would have been a downer. I definitely appreciate the punch that the author kept until the right moment. Very nicely done.

Again, I did not expect the big revelation. It was really surprising and I think this was the best part of the whole story. I am happy for Cliff that finally things are looking good on the love front. And smart of him to realize that he won't end up with his best friend. Someone more suited for him is there somewhere, maybe hiding in the virtual world.

I give the book three stars. I think the good parts of the story only started when Cliff developed a friendship with PlanetClaire. The rest were just the background story which I didn't really find fascinating and can be ignored. I liked that it ended well and that Trish is not anymore the center of Cliff's universe. Yeah, definitely not a fan of Trish in this story. One thing that the book is telling everyone is that not all best friends end up with each other or are meant to fall in love. Some just are meant to stay just that - best of friends. Some people are lucky enough to find love in the virtual universe. And that there might be some really nice guys hiding behind an online character or alias.

Thank you Nicki Elson and librarything.com for the ARC.

I honestly did not find this book engaging to me. But that said, I only made it through the first 20 pages. I found the writing choppy I couldn't continue. Therefore, I am not giving it a rating. Clearly it was not for me.

Reading this book was a treat. The story was completely believable and the characters well developed. Nicki did a great job describing Trish's emotions and throughout the story I could "see" her emotional growth. I highly recommend this book!

Almost any woman who has been madly in love someone, anticipating the day when her HEA is about to happen, but then getting the rug pulled from under her when the guy suddenly dumps her totally relate to what’s happening Trish Cerise. She should have accepted his marriage proposal when he had asked.

Not wanting to be hurt again you, like Trish, would set up some sort of mechanism designed to prevent history from repeating itself so tragically. In her case, she decides to limited dating any guy for more than three times, because statistically this is when relationship begin to take a nosedive, slowly at first, but then why wait for the inevitability to happen.

We both know, deep down inside, that this is merely a charade because what woman can go without getting her HEA before her biological clock stops. There’s always some guy who will cause the best laid plan to go awry. This is what happens when Adam Helms steps into her life at work. Adam is a guy who like Trish wants to keep any relationship from getting too serious. However a KISMET steps in and all of their held-fast rules get thrown out of the window because of how intense their relationship has become.

Is there a HEA for these two forlorn lovers? This is something I’m not going to say.

The story itself is well written with a good characterization of its two protagonists which made for an enjoyable reading experience for me.

One way I know has touched me is when I start hearing a song in my mind, which is what happened here. There are several songs which deal with topic of someone making someone else fall in love with them. But the song which I’m referring to goes all the way back to 1913, and has been sung by scores of singers, first of who was Al Jolson. If you read the lyrics for the song you might feel the same way I do in regards to this book’s storyline

You made me love you
I didn't want to do it, I didn't want to do it
You made me love you
And all the time you knew it
I guess you always knew it.
You made me happy sometimes, you made me glad
But there were times, Dear, you made me feel so bad

You made me sigh for, I didn't want to tell you
I didn't want to tell you
I want some love that's true, yes I do, deed I do, you know I do

Give me, give me, give me what I cry for
You know you got the brand of kisses that I'd die for
You know you made me love you.

For giving her readers a romance novel which really represents a real life scenario I’m giving Ms. Elson 5 STARS.

I had received a mobi.file copy for this book through the author’s recent giveaway on LibraryThing and the above has been my honest opinion.

**Review written for an originally posted on my blog, Book Bliss.I Received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review**

Review: 4 stars

General: I think this book did a beautiful job at depicting something in romance novels that is often missing- at least the ones I read. The actual romance. The book presented a romance, something that grew and blossomed throughout the pages. But also, something that tested faith, made readers think a little on their own and still offered up the much needed happy ending.

For me there was a little too much religion in the book for the noted genre and the reason for not a 5 star review. I think the book functioned wonderfully with the use of religion. However, when someone is picking up a paranormal romance 9 times out of 10 that context isn’t what they are searching for. There were extraordinarily beautiful moments and there were also moments that felt almost too heavy due to the religious element added in.

Characters: Maggie- I thought Maggie was a wonderful character. I am at a very different place in my life and found her journey one I could still connect with. Her struggles and weakness were very realistic for a mother dealing with loss- of love, family and even a little faith. I found it nice to read a character with an older protagonist and still feel a sense of connection.

Evan- I did and I didn’t love Evan. He was a wonderful character in her dreams. Kind, loving and supportive. But to an extent where the romance of it all almost swept away his individuality in some areas. But again, I loved the romance in the story so I suppose overall I did enjoy him just wish he had a bit more personality as I’m used to that in novels normally.

I thought this was an okay book. I did have issues with how judgmental Jen was about other people's choices. I didn't really like her as a main character. However I liked the supporting characters so that helped. It did definitely bring back memories of college.

I have been intrigued by this book since the first time I laid eyes on it! I was finally able to read it!

Overall, Three Daves is a good read. It was nothing special to me personally. It was a “read it and forget about it” book for me.

I was afraid during the first couple of chapters because reading from the Bible happened with a cute guy and we all know I ‘m not a fan of religion in my books. But after that, no more religion…I was relieved. This along with every chapter ending with a Psalm almost had me setting this down.

Trust me, this book isn’t religious. We watch the main character grow and change during her college years through her relationships with three different men named David. She makes mistakes and she learns from them. She changing her outlook regarding sex and relationships towards the better.

I almost forgot our story takes place in the 80’s! Three Daves isn’t overly 80’s just enough to reminisce. How did we live without cell phones?!

This is a book about discovering who you are. The three daves in the title are three boyfirends each representing a different type of relationship. The dave who is upwardly mobile and will be able to aford a good lifestyle in the future, The dave that is "cool" but in the end is only about himself. Then there is the dave that is actually the correct person for you.
I can see shades of my friends growing up, the way that they changed to be more the girlfriend that was wanted. But in the end they are all back to being themselves and those who were not with the right man are not with that man.
The language used is decriptive and I can see all of the places. but the story flows without any lurching. Although she does some things that I would not do I emphathised with her throught the story.
it is a little like holiday reading, just better

This was provided as a pdf and converting it to read on my Kindle resulted in odd page breaks with headers and footer seemingly randomly scattered throughout. although this didn't prevent me from reading it did cause a disjointed effect. Presumably a proper ebook would not suffer these problems.

It turns out I'm not the kind of reader the story is aimed at. I thought I would be - I'm about the same age as Jen, but British not American, and went away to University. I don't know if the differences are purely cultural: there were a lot of brand names that I didn't recognise, although I could usually tell from the context what sort of item was meant, I got the music references, I knew of the existence of the Fraternities even if I'm not sure what they are for etc but I felt like an outsider as I read - I didn't really empathaise with any of the characters and found most of them either clichéd or completely unmemorable.

And what an extraordinary attitude to sex! I've come across the idea of having sex with someone you don't really care for just to gain experience so that you're 'better' at it when you meet someone more 'serious' but the idea that oral sex 'doesn't count' or as long as you don't orgasm you can still believe you kept yourself for 'the One' is bizarre.

The biblical quotes scattered around seemed out of place and unnecessary. I looked at the Omnific page and it doesn't seem to be a specifically Christian publisher so I assume that it isn't a requirement for their books to link to the Bible in some way. It must be the author's choice.

I like to read the occasional light romance/Chick Lit but I shan't be looking for any more by this author.

I found this book difficult to get through, not because it was a difficult read, but because I was not gripped by the story or characters. It is set in the 1980s, but apart from the odd reference to the fashion and music of the time, I was not transported back to that decade. I also found the characters lacking depth and therefore difficult to empathise with. The book feels a bit 'Mills and Boon; at times, and I found the endless descriptions of what tongues were up to during kisses a little tiresome!

This book would suit someone after an untaxing holiday read, who fancies a bit of 'spice' in their books.

Having gone about 1/3 through the book, I'm finding that I really don't have very much of an inclination to finish it. If it wasn't for the review, I don't think I would have gone this far.
It's not that it's poorly written - I just find myself a bit irritated by the actions of the characters. These are just people I would not (were I in their age group) care to know. I find them to be a little too selfish and generally uncaring. I also found the descriptive sex scenes interlaced with bible verses a little, let's say.. surreal.
This is based purely on personal preference. If from the sounds of the description this is a book that interests you, take a look. The characters feel pretty efficiently fleshed out for this type of book, and the story evolves without feeling rushed. It's decent writing; it's just not up my alley.

Three Daves is the sweetest, tragic yet works out well, love story I have read since The Notebook. Elson has written characters that I adore and every twist, turn, change, growth, obstacle, and step they took I went right along with them. Having just finished reading, I have a sense of relief for the characters, goose bumps , and a smile on face.

The main female character, Jen, is a student at Central Illinois University. We meet her as a young sophomore as she helps her friend David through a break up. David and Jen have always gotten along and clicked as friends. They can hang out and have a good time just being themselves. The breakup was really hard on David and Jen helps him come up with a plan to get his girlfriend back. The problem is neither saw how bad the plan would backfire. David and Jen’s friendship hits rocky times, but eventually they find themselves friends again. Being so comfortable together, Jen approaches David to help her with a dilemma. True to what happens when they scheme, neither saw the lasting repercussions. So, we have met the first Dave.

During Jen’s junior year, we meet the second Dave. He is a bad boy in all manners of speaking. But, being a woman who appreciates a fine piece of eye-candy, Jen dismisses the red flags and plunges right into infatuation. Dave turns out to be a real piece of work. He also turns out to be one of those difficult life lessons all girls usually go through.

Senior year brings about the love of Jen’s life. We meet Dave number three or ‘Big D’ as he’s affectionately known. Big D is every mom’s dream of who her little girl should marry. He’s big man on campus, known as a great guy, well liked in his fraternity, and has morals that match Jen’s. Big D seems to be everything she’s been wanting and then some.

The main issue that drives this love story is Jen looking for love and saving herself for that special one. The One. As Jen realizes a lot of girls seem to not be saving themselves for marriage, the odds of her “one” being experienced by the time they meet is pretty high. Jen decides she needs to be a little more experienced herself as to not be a disappointment for her future “one”. Thus starts her dating revelations.

I want to point out that this book is not about Jen becoming a slut, or everyone is sleeping with everyone else. This book actually promotes some rather conservative views and entwines the religion of the characters into the story. The author ends each chapter with a Bible quote that fits the events of that chapter. Since she is dating Daves, they come from the book of Psalms. Real life is rarely cut and dry. Being human and a Christian, people are always questioning. The young adult years are especially inquisitive while religious beliefs and being human are always waging a war with each other. That’s NOT unique to young adults. This is an adult book, although told through the point of view of young adults from 19-22 years old. I think the topic of sex, a few scenes, and a few swear words are what keep this in the adult genre. However, I think mature young adults would enjoy this book.

The characters are well developed, all with their own issues and ways of handling them. College is a confusing time for most and Elson takes advantage of this to weave a great tale. The writing style flows with dialogue that is believable. I never once stopped myself thinking, “Who says that?”, or “What? Where did that come from?” The flow and pace of the story kept me thoroughly engrossed. I lived in this world feeling like I was right there. Elson does a beautiful job of showing the reader what they need to know and see, while somehow guiding our feelings to match the characters. When I read a book and think “seamless”, then great writing and editing has taken place.

I enjoyed this book having already gone through college and with some life experience under my belt. Some who read this may think about one scenario, “Right, that would never happen.” Let me just tell you, it has and it does. It may not be very common, but yup, it’s very plausible. The roundabout way this story winds may not happen in real life as smoothly as in this book, but all the situations have occurred and I could probably put parts of this story together from people I have known in my life. Granted, although I REALLY liked the ending, it would take a special person to see this whole story through in real life. However, the growth of the characters and how Elson doesn’t rush the story, I think Jen is just that special kind of person. When it is all said and done, do you turn your back on love and happiness for past mistakes? Or do you grab it by the horns and leave the past where it belongs? I appreciate how Elson has weaved plausible with fiction. After all, this is a work of a fiction written for our entertainment.

I strongly recommend Three Daves for contemporary romance readers and anyone interested in a good love story. My only complaint is that this story is set in the late 1980’s. I did not really enjoy picturing the acid washed clothes, hair styles, and make-up that accompanies that decade. I lived through it once (I was very young, don’t go trying to pinpoint my age), no need to relive it again. :) Although, the thought of making mixed tapes (cassette tapes) for someone and saying, “cool beans” was a cute blast from the past.