Love, Lucas by Chantele Sedgwick

When Oakley Nelson loses her older brother, Lucas, to cancer, she thinks she’ll never recover. Between her parents’ arguing and the battle she’s fighting with depression, she feels nothing inside but a hollow emptiness. When Mom suggests they spend a few months in California with Aunt Jo, Oakley isn’t sure a change of scenery will alter anything, but she’s willing to give it a try.

I started following Chantele’s reading blog a long time ago, it was actually one of the first ones I found and always loved her reviews. We have very similar taste in books. So, I was excited when her books started being published. I enjoyed her first series and was looking forward to this one. I’ve actually been stalking her Pinterest board for Love, Lucas for awhile now, it’s full of great pictures (in fact, the one below I found on that board) and so when I finally sat down to read this one I was really looking forward to it.

Oakley is heartbroken over the death of her older brother and best friend, Lucas. She’s having a hard time coming to terms and her mom decides a trip to visit Aunt Jo in California would be good for them. To be honest, I don’t typically read sad books, but I trusted Chantele and even though this has its sad parts, it was really well done. Oakley grows a lot as a character and learns to live after suffering a great loss. When she arrives in California, she never expects to meet cute neighbor Carson.

I liked Oakley and felt bad for all that she was going through. I loved Carson, such a sweet and caring guy. I loved them together and even though there is a lot of heavy stuff going on, their romance was sweet and a nice part of the story. Overall, it was a good read, I read it in one sitting. I wanted to know what would happen next and see Oakley heal. I enjoyed the setting and all the surfing and fun dates they went on. I thought it was well written and it’s one I’d easily recommend to my friends.

Content Romance: Squeaky clean Language: None Violence: None-mild Other: Mild talk of underage drinking (main characters done) Religious: None Source: Received review copy from author in exchange for honest review.

Not Your Average Fairy Tale by Chantele Sedgwick

Synopsis:
Ash Summerland has it all–good looks, popularity, and the best grades at The Academy of Magical Beings. Ready to complete his last assignment in order to graduate, Ash is confident he will get the apprenticeship he wants. When he opens the letter from the Council, he is shocked to discover he has been assigned to apprentice Lady Shenelle, Keeper of Happy Endings. A.K.A. the head fairy godmother. Ash is forced to grant three wishes to a troubled human girl named Kendall, and ultimately give her a "happy ever after". But Kendall turns out to be more than he bargained for. Still grieving over her father's death, Kendall doesn't want anything to do with him. And worst of all, she doesn't believe in happy endings.

Review:

I really liked this one. I was quickly pulled into the story and had a hard time setting it down. I thought it was well written with a fun plot and likable characters. Kendall was likable and easy to relate to. She had been in an accident a few months prior to the story starting, which changed her life forever. She’s still struggling with what happened and is a bit skeptical win Ash shows up claiming to be her fairy godmother. Ash was also really likable. He is frustrated to be a fairy godmother (not a very manly profession where he comes from) and just wants to get his assignment over with, that is until he actually meets Kendall. I thought Ash and Kendall were great together, they have a lot in common, but I especially liked their banter and fun way of being with each other. I thought they had good chemistry. The story moves along quickly, and I was surprised with some of the twists at the end. I thought it was a great start to a new series and I look forward to seeing what will happen with Ash and Kendall next.

Content: Clean