Kissing Ted Callahan (And Other Guys) by Amy Spalding

Ah February! The month of overly cheesy attempts at romance, where a couple's relationship can be defined by one particular day, and Cupid runs rampant, shooting his pesky bow into the unsuspecting stranger. As an avid bookster who enjoys any holiday as much as the next person (ESPECIALLY if it means having a day off work), I decided to celebrate the romance of this month by reading contemporary romance novels. Yes, this vow is strictly applicable to contemporary! There are few historical romances that I can actually read without the stereotypical Me Tarzan, You Jane rearing its ugly head, causing said novel to soar across the room in a fit of rage. If it happens to connect to an unassuming target (usually the cat), more points to me!

The first contemporary romance I read this month was Kissing Ted Callahan (And Other Guys) by 

Amy Spalding, a quirky, fast paced novel about making out, finding love, and becoming a rock star. When best friends Riley and Reid stumble across their band mates making out, a pact is formed where the two will look for love and document their experiences in a notebook. While Reid is more concerned with finding love with any girl, rock star Riley has her sights set higher. She wants none other than Ted Callahan, the perfect guy she has been crushing for as long as she can remember. As Riley continues her attempts at wooing Ted, other potential suitors come to light, causing the shared notebook's pages to be rapidly filled with kisses and concerts, first times and first loves.

Overall, I enjoyed Kissing Ted Callahan (And Other Guys) and found myself laughing and listening along to a playlist this novel crafts together. Riley's journey was easily relatable to me and the characters had me drawn into their story from the first page. 

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Positives: An easily relatable main character and a light-hearted, quick moving story.

Negatives: Nothing particularly stands out

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

As I sit here, cuddled under a warm blanket (the temperature here has plummeted AGAIN) and listening to what is undoubtedly my favorite song (Letters from the Sky by Civil Twilight, in case you were wondering), I literally find myself being forced into sitting at my computer and typing on this wonderful blog of mine. Not because I hate blogging. On the contrary. I actually love it, otherwise I would not do it.Obviously! It is difficult for me because of the content of this review. Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton. 

To be 100% honest, I came THIS close to not finishing this book. To say I was disappointed would be a gross understatement. Seeker follows the story of Quin, a young girl who is training to become a Seeker, the newest in a long line of people who have sworn to protect the world from threats. After discovering seekers are no longer the honored position they once were, Quin must decide where her loyalties lie and if she can finally become the master of her own fate and save the people she loves.

This book had such a great premise, but a little under halfway through, I realized this was all it had going for it. The multiple perspectives had me confused as well as the different times they were in. I never truly understood where the story was taking place and did not develop a connection with any of the characters, not even the main protagonist. 

I know I am being EXTREMELY generous here, but I rated Seeker a 3 out of 5 stars. Do I recommend it? Probably not. Now, on to some more anticipated reads of February!