Review: Sweet Ruin by Nazarea Andrews

Sweet Ruin (University of Branton #3) by Nazarea Andrews

Release Date: March 13, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: A&A Literary
Pages: 252
Format: eBook
Source: Review Copy from Author
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It’s good to be on top… 

Asher Knox has it all. Girls, wealth, a career most would kill for. He’s just landed the biggest job of his career. And he’s miserable.

She’s fighting her way from the bottom… 

Megan Beauchamp has no illusions about why she was chosen to be Asher’s PA. She’s pretty, and down to earth, and everything the Hollywood star always falls for. Too bad Megan is just paying her dues and has no interest in anything but advancing at her PR firm.

He’ll throw it all away…

Luca James knows what he wants. And he’s waited a long time for the window to open—when it does, he’ll walk away from the career he’s built for a chance at something real.

When Megan’s boss threatens to fire her, Luca and Asher convince her to leave town with them. Between bad hotels and pit stop confessionals, the three are drawn closer together. And the lines blur even more in Branton, where Megan is forced to look at everything she left behind. But when the boys want more, Megan will be forced to choose between the men she loves and the life she thought she wanted. And in a town like Branton, the secrets she keeps won’t be hidden for long.


Sweet Ruin opens with a promising—albeit common—premise. Asher Knox is beautiful, famous, supposed party boy, with a hidden propensity for brooding. Enter his sweet but fierce, small town assistant Megan. You think you see where the story is going. And you're not wrong. There's obvious chemistry between the two of them. But then there's the final player: Megan's friend, Luca James. Thus, a very special kind of romance begins.

The relationship dynamic between Asher, Luca, and Megan is...complicated. I've often read books to which I can't directly relate—that in itself is usually a large part of reading. In the case of Sweet Ruin, however, it was a difficult element to overcome. In my mind, the nature of this relationship felt unrealistic and was incredibly difficult to become invested in. Rather, it felt like a gimmick designed to draw readers with nothing more than "shock and awe" and sex appeal.

Is this necessarily a bad thing? Definitely not. There are many series built on this premise that are excellent and/or wildly successful. But, like I said, this wasn't the kind of story line to do it for me.

Overall, Sweet Ruin was enjoyable but just fell flat. For those who eat up the not-so-vanilla romance, this might be a better fit. They tend to be hit or miss for me. I'd be much more likely to recommend This Love or Beautiful Broken, the other books in Andrews' University of Branton series.

About the Author

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

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Blog Tour + Review + Giveaway: Girl Lost by Nazarea Andrews

Girl Lost (Neverland Lost #1) by Nazarea Andrews

Release Date: May 1, 2014
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: A&A Literary
Format: eARC
Source: ARC for Tour
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Northern was supposed to be a fresh start—a place where people didn’t know who I was or how I had spent years in and out of mental institutes. People didn't know about my parents death or the island no one heard of. But when Peter sits next to me in lit class, I can’t stop the memories, and I don’t want to. He looks too much like the boy from the island, and despite my best intentions, coaxes my secrets from me.

He’s gorgeous, irresistible, a little mad, and completely lost—we are a pair of broken cogs in a world neither of us truly fits into. He is somehow gentle and fierce, heartbreaking in his devotion and savage in his defense.

When Belle, his best friend, shows up, pale and lovely and sick, Peter pulls away from me, a startling withdrawal. It’s a relationship that scares and confuses me. She is at times warm and friendly, and other times is violent and unpredictable.

Peter says that he wants me, but refuses to let himself get close. And there are secrets, surrounding both of us, that border on nightmares. As the memories close in, as Belle gets sicker and more violent, I’m torn between what is true and what I believe, and what this magical boy knows about my mysterious past.


Gwen Barrie is trying to escape her past. At 12 years old, what was supposed to be a simple vacation with her parents ended with them dead and Gwen alone on their boat, drifting at sea for 3 weeks. When she was found, she was full of stories of an island that didn't seem to exist, where she claim to have spent months with a wild boy and his companions.

A boy she continues to see when no one else can.

Time in a mental institution and lots of therapy later, Gwen has accepted that the Boy and his island were nothing but a figment of her own delusions. She's taking control of her life: going away to college, trying to get out from under the thumb of her family and doctors.

Then she meets Peter, who just so happens to look like her boy all-grown-up. Even though she knows that, for her own fragile sanity, it would be best to stay away, Gwen can't help but to be drawn to him.

And suddenly the line between what she knows is and isn't real is getting less clear...

The Peter Pan story line in Girl Lost is immediately apparent. With that said, trying to figure out just how the old story meshes with this new take was a lot of fun. Gwen certainly poses an interesting question about just what happens when you leave Neverland—her struggle with what she sees as her own insanity makes her narrative all the more complex. Navigating through life with the near-suffocation of her well-meaning family coupled with her own self doubt makes it easy to feel as Gwen does—overwhelmed and more than a little lost.

Cue Peter, who serves to only throw her further off. He's certainly not the typical book boy character—Gwen hold's no illusions about his stability and sanity, but she can't help but feel connected to him. As a result, they're more than a little codependent (understatement). And it just makes you want to figure out Peter's origins all the more.

Overall, the story a good flow and kept me interested up until the (abrupt) end. With how sudden the ending is, I feel like there has to be another book after, but I haven't seen anything either way. Regardless, if you're a fun of classic fairy tale re-vamps (especially with a more adult twist), Girl Lost is just what you're looking for!

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About the Author

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Nazarea Andrews is agented, and all inquiries about rights should be directed to Michelle Johsnon of Inklings Literary.

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Review: Beautiful Broken by Nazarea Andrews

Beautiful Broken (University of Branton #2) by Nazarea Andrews

Release Date: September 24, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: A&A Literary
Pages: 273
Format: eBook
Source: Review Copy from Author
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She's been broken by her past. He's been breaking for as long as he can remember. Together, they can make each other whole—or destroy each other.

When his best friend asks for something, Dane rarely says no. But babysitting a newly sober Scout Grimes for three weeks isn't exactly a normal request. And with their history, it's a recipe for disaster. Not to mention, she's drop dead gorgeous and he can't touch her.

There are few people Scout trusts as much as Dane Guillot. He's always been her safe place, where nothing can hurt her. He's also been the only man she's never let herself want—screwing up their friendship isn't worth one amazing night together.

They have too much history, and too much personal baggage to ever work. But if they are willing to take a chance on love—it might be worth the risk.


While I enjoyed This Love (the first book in the series) for what it was—a sweet, fun, and simple romance—Beautiful Broken is a completely different kind of book. For one, there's a lot more heaviness to it. While Avery and Atticus from the first book had their struggles, Scout and Dane are truly troubled with quite a few skeletons lurking in their respective closets.This also isn't anywhere in the realm of a new romance, instead falling in the friends-to-romance/former pseudo-sibling realm (which I am, really and truly, a sucker for). From the get-go, this premise was already totally in my wheelhouse, even more so than This Love. Add to that more developed characters and back story (in large part, I believe, as a result of the longevity of Scout and Dane's romantic tension), and I enjoyed it from start to finish.

Our leading lady, Scout Grimes—Atticus' little sister, who made a brief appearance in This Love as she headed off to rehab—has just been released from treatment for what is presented as a long-running struggle with substance abuse. But it's seeing her outside of her big brother's view and finding out the root of her problems that makes her a compelling character. While it certainly doesn't justify her mistakes, you can't help but feel for her. And even like her. She's spunky and loyal and, thankfully, determined to change.

Which brings us to Dane, who is just as determined to help her. Previously, all we knew about Dane was that he was a successful lawyer and notorious playboy, while remaining fiercely loyal to those he cares about—Scout included. In this book we get to learn where some of that comes from—the good and the bad. And while I really shouldn't, I can't help but swoon over "prowly" Dale...

The progression of their relationship, though, is what I really loved about the book. They have so much history and so many reasons to stay apart because of it, but they just can't manage it. Under the same roof, the tension is only that much higher until they're forced to deal what exactly it means for everyone involved. The build-up between them is delicious—a perfect mixture of sexy, comforting, supportive, and sweet. I became very invested in the two of them together and was engrossed in the story from start to finish.

Beautiful Broken is a great choice for those who love stories about wounded characters overcoming their pasts. It's a sexy, fulfilling read for any new adult romance fan!

About the Author

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

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Review: This Love by Nazarea Andrews

This Love (University of Branton #1) by Nazarea Andrews

Release Date: June 25, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: A&A Literary
Pages: 346
Format: eBook
Source: Review Copy from Author
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She wants a summer job and a ride to a wedding.

He wants an assistant and a distraction from the mess his life had become.

They didn't know they needed each other.

Avery Emili needs two grand. Two grand and a plane ticket—her sister is counting on her to get to Jamaica for her wedding. But the semester is over, and tutoring college freshman and high school students has dried up until the fall.

Atticus Grimes needs help—the messy split with his wife left the twenty-eight year old professor scrambling to keep things together as the semester winds down. Now he's got a research grant he has to actually do research for and all he wants to do is drown himself in a tall bottle of bourbon.

When Avery sees his ad for an assistant, all she's thinking is a summer job. But as they spend time together, in the office and out, both of them begin to realize something is there. Something that can't happen—he's a professor and she's a student. And both of them have histories, pasts that won’t let go. Can two broken people pulled apart by expectations find a way to be whole?


This wasn't really the best time for this book. What I mean is, This Love is a perfect summer/beach read, and winter in Massachusetts wasn't really fitting the bill. It's a forbidden love scenario between a student and professor, full of sexy chemistry and a surprising amount of emotion.

The one aspect of the story that took some getting used to was the pacing. Told in alternating POVs, the narrative is fast-paced, spanning weeks in just the first quarter of the book alone. While certain parts are more drawn out to capture the development of Atticus and Avery's relationship. But the initial progression of meeting, flirting, becoming friends, and heading towards being together feels rushed as a result. It's not insta-love within the timeline of the book, but it happens very early on page-wise. It's enough to make the initial build-up feel like a blur.

With that said, the parts that were more thoroughly explored packed a bigger punch than you might think. It's the kind of book that you don't expect to be heavy on character development and true emotion behind the romance. On the contrary, I found myself invested in the characters and the ups and downs of their relationship. I wanted to see them succeed, even though it was rather doomed. Atticus and Avery were both relateable and likable, both because of and despite their problems and insecurities. Which is good, because none of the other characters get a full development, leaving these two to run the show.

Focusing on Atticus in particular—he is a great love interest. He's genuine and open with his feelings, despite all of the stickiness surrounding his failed marriage. He's not overly sure of himself and feels real, rough edges and all. He cares deeply for his family, best friend, and Avery. He actually communicates with Avery (how novel!). And Avery had a lot of the same attributes in the best way. It makes it that much easier to become invested in and enjoy their relationship!

This Love is a great choice for forbidden romance fans; a fun, sexy summer read with just the right amount of heart.

About the Author

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

Website   •   Blog   •   Twitter   •   Facebook