Review: Unchained

Unchained by J. Lynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have FINALLY read this book! This is JLA's second book she ever wrote, and it is basically the last book I haven't read from her yet - craziness. But, I have fixed this problem and have now read the novel and I LOVED IT!!! Not that I'm surprised because there isn't a JLA novel out there that I haven't absolutely loved yet.

Lily is a badass. I love that the first scene we saw of her was kicking some minion and deadhead butts, then the sexy swoony scene with Julian. That was probably the best intro to a book I've ever come across. Lily is a rare person because being a female Nephilim is very rare. I think in the novel there was talk or actually sightings of 4 female Nephilim? So this novel was very heavy on the male side.

Michael was a unique character that I wasn't quite sure where he fit in at. Now that I've read the novel, I definitely know where he fits now, but it was some getting used to when the viewpoints of the characters changed from one chapter to another.

The smexy scenes were fantastic. I wanted to be in Lily's place for sure and was definitely jealous of a fictional character.

The reveal of the traitor was a little anticlimactic because I had already figured out who it was beforehand. It was still an amazing reveal and all of the events that happened in that scene, so it was worth the suspense and mystery behind it.

As always, I would love to read more novels in a series from JLA, but I'm pretty sure she stated that this book is a standalone and no more novels will be following it, even though Goodreads has #1 behind the title. I'm content with the way this novel has ended, but I would be ecstatic if she wrote more. Either way, I'm a happy bee and am very glad that I finally got around to reading it! I definitely recommend this to all of my friends to read :)

View all my reviews

Review: After the Game

After the Game by Abbi Glines
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

I was a bit leery going into this book of the series after finding out who the characters were. Mainly about Brady because I really didn't like him in the second novel. He was so naive and whinny and annoying. It was all about him and no one else's problems seemed to matter to him. And the way he used and strung Ivy around because it was convienant and he didn't want to hurt her feelings was a pile of crap and I just wanted to bash his head in.

Suffice to say, I really didn't like Brady after "Under the Lights".

But I did like Riley. When she picked up Willa and took her home with no questions, no pressure, no nothing except to make sure she got home safe, I admired her for that. She seemed like a no nonsense type of girl and I respect that a lot - especially for a teenage girl.

So I was absolutely excited to read it because of Riley, and I do have to say that the book was actually really decent by the time it finished. Riley was still a bad ass as she was for those brief pages, but now I know how much of an amazing mother she is to her sweet little girl Bryony. I admire Riley so much because what she went through was a nightmare come to life. But for her to not only live past that pain and torture and be able to look at her daughter with only love and not hatred for what she represented? That is the strongest person I know - fictional or otherwise.

And Brady actually redeemed himself a lot in this novel. He stepped up and realized a lot of his mistakes that he made when he made rash decisions about Riley. And he finally had a glitch in his perfect life to make him understand what his close friends had gone through in the past months. Not that I'm saying everyone needs to have a bad event happen, but Brady wasn't able to fully understand and help his friends because he had never experienced anything like what they were going through. Being able to go through a bad time and come out of it with optimism and still find the rainbow in the sky is something that everyone should go through - otherwise they take a lot of things for granted.

Bryony was the best part of this novel and I loved her so much. Grandmamma was, on the one hand, pretty hysterical with her funny statements, but it is so sad seeing a loved one with Alzheimer's and forgetting everything about their life.

Abbi Glines was able to talk about a lot of tough subjects in this novel with grace and complete understand of what each character would go through as if the event was really happening. Rape is a subject that I do not read about - ever - period. It's the one subject I don't touch on, but I thought I would give this novel a try. I'm so glad I did because Abbi was able to talk about it in a way that didn't make me fear going outside and living my life. She actually inspires people to keep living after a brutal event like that and how to go about doing it, just by writing a story where Riley kept going. In my book, that is the best writing someone could ever do.

I'm so glad that I received a copy of this and I will definitely be remembering it for years to come. Can't wait to see with other masterpiece she comes up with next!

View all my reviews

Review: Under the Lights

Under the Lights by Abbi Glines
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the first book in this series so I was very excited to get my hands on the second and third book in the series!

This book was very different than the first novel. The biggest thing different was that the reader was able to get three different perspectives: Willa, Gunner and Brady. Instead of just the two that would end up together, Glines provided the thoughts of all of the impacted characters of this story. On the one hand I liked it, but it did little to help the immaturity be bearable.

Willa and Gunner have had a crappy life - and they are only 17. I felt for both of them because they have both been in a "family" that hates and resents their living in their house and being born really. It messes with someone's mind when they know that everyone who they live with, everyone that they call family, can't stand the sight of them.

Brady has a loving family with a loving home to go to after school and have a warm meal made with love from his family. He was the odd one out, but thought that he knew everything about his best friends when he was growing up. Sad to say that he was left out a lot in the secrets shared because he couldn't relate to Willa and Gunner and they didn't want to make him feel awkward or obligated to comfort either one of them without knowing what to say.

I loved how Willa was trying so hard for her Nonna. Nonna is the only one who loved her and treated her like she was welcome to stay in her home. Willa was going to do anything to make her Nonna proud, but the boys were hard pressed to win Willa to their side and be the one that she picked out of the two, even though they had all been best friends 6 years ago.

Overall, I liked this novel. There were some rough patches, but with a case of a love triangle there was bound to be in the end. I figured out who Willa would end up with pretty early on and felt bad for the other boy. I also feel embarrassed for him because he kept trying so hard to no avail.

I'm interested in the next novel because the pairing of the two characters seems very odd to me. It should be interesting to see how it all goes together!

View all my reviews

Review: By Your Side

By Your Side by Kasie West
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC copy in exchange from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Kasie West's novels and "By Your Side" was definitely not a disappointment!! I love it so much. Granted, it could be because the main character, Autumn, gets locked inside a library for a whole weekend and I work in a library. Though I really don't envy her, because I wouldn't want to be locked inside a library for 3 days. I get cold at work during the day; I can only imagine how cold it would be for the whole weekend without being able to control the temperture.

But it's not only the library aspect that made me love this novel. I loved Dex. He is so down to earth and real. He reminds readers that not all of the characters are these perfect people that give us how that we can find a man just like him. No, Dex has a crappy life and he is just waiting for the day that he can be in control of his life to really make a difference.

And he gives Autumn another perspective of life and how she doesn't have to give in to peer pressure and do things that her friends want to do, but not necessarily what she wants to do. Autumn wants to impress and make her friends happy, but it is affect her health condition at the same time. Dex gives her the atmosphere of non-pressure and he is concerned about her health, making Autumn realize that she doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to do.

All of the other characters, especially Jeff and Dallin, are great friends to Autumn, but she is keeping a big secret from them that will come to bite her in the butt later on.

This is such a great book that all book loves will love (cause of the library aspect) but also good for dealing with peer pressure, making decisions about what one really wants in their life, and finding a way to come to terms with a health condition that needs to be acknowledged rather than hidden and ignored. There are so many great lessons in this book that I think a wide variety of readers will love it!

I'm so glad that I was able to get an eARC copy of this novel and it will definitely be a book that I will re-read again and may even have to buy a print copy when it's released in January! I will definitely be recommending this to other readers!

View all my reviews

Review: Fire in You

Fire in You by J. Lynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is such a bittersweet book because it means the end to the Wait for You series. And I've loved these books and characters since we met Avery and Cam. And honestly I thought those two would be my favorite couple of the bunch, but I think that Jillian and Brock have made it to my top couple of this series from JLA.

Jillian is me - she is seriously just like me with her personality and her love for books and her attitude toward life - both before when she was shy and later when she started getting fire inside of her and dishing the attitude back. The whole time I was reading about Jillian I was picturing myself instead because I've gone through what Jillian has - not relationship/love wise but just life wise. So being able to relate to her in such a deep way really made me love how much Jillian overcame throughout this novel and throughout her life.

And Brock is a big teddy bear. Well...not really, but he is when it comes to Jillian. He was a stupid boy when they met and he didn't really grow up until it was too late. When he realized what he missed out on and what he wished he should have done differently, he did what all the boys in this series do and went after what he wanted with a vengeance and left no survivors. He was on a mission and nothing was stopping him. And I love that about him. He is loyal to no end and always takes care of the ones he loves the most.

This was a spectacular ending to this series. I love seeing Katie happy with someone that she has been with for 8 years and I'm happy for her. She is the most entertaining part of the entire series so for her to be happy is amazing!

I'm so thankful that JLA loves her readers and keeps gifting us with these amazing stories that I get lost in immediately. As always, I'll be anxiously waiting for her next release!

View all my reviews

Review: The Lovely Reckless

The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

I have been wanting to read this book for forever and was so happy that I not only got an eARC but also a print ARC from Baker and Taylor!

And I was very happy with this book. I loved Frankie - after everything she went through with Noah dying and her not remembering, she was lost. But she had been living a life that she didn't like, always having to pretend in front of others. When she was transferred to Monroe school, though, she started to do things that she actually liked and stopped pretending to people's faces. She became more real and started to live her life the way she wanted it instead of how her parents wanted her life to be controlled and lived out.

The reaction between Marco and Frankie seeing each other and having that connection was a bit much for the very first time seeing each other and not even talking to each other. Believe me, I know it happens but it was just a lot to believe the way Garcia wrote it.

I didn't really care for the whole defiance that Frankie was doing against both of her parents. Rather, I liked that she was doing stuff for herself and that she was figuring out what she was going to do with her life.

The racing was okay. I've read better Young Adult books about racing cars than this one and this was just mediocre. In fact, there wasn't too many scenes where it involved racing. But it was okay. I will just recommend that if anyone is thinking this is all about racing: it's not. Don't read it if that's the main part you are wanting to read about.

Overall, I really enjoyed it! There was mystery, murder, suspense, insta-love, friendships, and life - so it's a book that a wide variety of readers will like! Definitely glad I got my hands on this and look forward to more by this author!

View all my reviews

Review: A Beautiful Funeral

A Beautiful Funeral by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh. My. Gawd.

This was an amazing, tearjerker, joyful book. I'm so glad that I finally got around to reading this. It took me awhile because I didn't want to finish the series. I didn't want to find out who the funeral was for, because I didn't want one single person in this series to die.

But I finally got around to reading it, and it was, in one word, "beautiful". It was insane and chaotic because, let's face it, it's about all of the Maddox's and they are a riled up bunch. But it was amazing to see all of the brothers back home with their dad and their families and Shepley's family all together again.

I was devastated by the end of this book. I was literally bawling my eyes out and I couldn't stop crying from the last 30 pages. It seriously ripped my heart to feel the devastation that this family was going through but being able to see the person's memories and having that person watch the family grieve was heart breaking.

I loved that we FINALLY got to read the guy's point of views for a few of the chapters. Besides Travis, we haven't been able to get inside of the brother's heads so it was amazing to get their perspectives on their family and jobs and life and everything.

Jamie McGuire created a great short novel to end this series. There is of course more to each character that can go on and on, but at some point she has to stop. This was a perfect ending to an amazing series and I know once I recover from this novel I will be re-reading it over and over again :)

View all my reviews

Review: Endlessly Beautiful

Endlessly Beautiful by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't seem to find this on Wattpad anymore, so I assume Jamie has taken it down for one reason or another. Either way, I read this when she was uploading it weekly/monthly, whenever she did and absolutely loved it! I've never kept it a secret that I love Travis the most, and being able to read more about their relationship always makes me happy! :)

I dearly hope this will be a paper copy soon to be added to my collection on my shelf, because I love looking at all of my pretties!

View all my reviews

Review: Beautiful Burn

Beautiful Burn by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have had this book for forever and have finally gotten around to read it. Like the majority of the Maddox Brother's novels, I definitely enjoyed it, but it is not my all time favorite. I was spoiled by Travis and apparently no other brother can defeat him in the series that McGuire writes. But that's okay, I love me some Travis and I certainly enjoyed all of the other novels. I own them!

Tyler's story was pretty good. We had seen him and Ellie throughout the other novels in the series, but seeing the story through Ellie's eyes was good to understand their personal demons. Even though we didn't get to read any of it through Tyler's perspective, I definitely loved the way he pursued Ellie and wasn't giving up - no matter what. He knew what he wanted and he was going after it - just like any other Maddox brother. I loved how he was there for Ellie and I especially adored his family with the fire crew!

The issues that I'm always having with the Maddox Brothers series is the female character. Ellie was especially one that I did not care for from beginning to end. She was a spoiled rich kid living a life where she could make any mistake that she wanted knowing there would be no consequences and that her parents would just pay someone to fix it. I hate people like that. Ellie said that it was her parents fault for letting her get away with it, but that's only part of it. She decided to make those decisions and as an adult or even a teenager, the decision is all theirs and they know what will happen. I was actually very disgusted with Ellie at the beginning of this book. And she did get better as a person and a character in the novel. But the damage was done at the beginning with her outlook of life and her attitude that I never really liked her during any of the novel.

Overall, this was a good book. I know Jamie has mentioned it before on how she writes the characters through the eyes of the female characters, but I think I would have given every book a 5 star rating had they all been through the brother's point of view. The readers are dedicated to this series because of the brothers because that is who the story is really about: the Maddox family. So going into all 4 brothers stories, only to have to read about the girl we don't know and finding out their story instead of Thomas, Trent, Taylor and Tyler's thoughts was a bit disappointing and let us down. Maybe one day Jamie will come back to this series and write the novels through the guys point of view like she did for "Walking Disaster" which would be amazing!

I think a dedicated fan of "Beautiful Disaster" will enjoy this novel and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it!

View all my reviews

Review: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 1: Squirrel Power

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ahh!!! A Comic Book about SQUIRRELS!!! I love squirrels. So much. So this comic book is amazing for me. I loved seeing all of Squirrel Girl's little squirrels and how awesome Doreen Green can kick some butt. She is very confident and always optimistic, which is amazing. No matter how down a situation can get, Squirrel Girl finds the 1 way to brighten it up and save the day.

I love how she talks to the enemies and has a conversation with them. As if talking to them will fix their mission to destroy human life! But if that doesn't work, she will do the necessary dirty work to save her planet!

I took my time with this and it actually lasted 3 or so days, even though it's a comic and only 130 pages! I can't wait for the other volumes to come out and one day I will own this series to add to my squirrel statue collection :)

View all my reviews

Review: Carnival of Souls

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Here is my original review from Sept 22, 2012: http://jeracalea.blogspot.com/2012/09...

I re-read this again for my YA book club, and loved it just as much as I did 4 years ago. I dunno, the world that Melissa Marr created was fantastic. It had a hint of The Hunger Games but it was more mystical and magical than Suzanne Collin's world, making it it's own story. I loved how there were multiple viewpoints and the reader could gather more information because of that, even though we may still be a little lost overall about the story and where it will end up.

I can't believe that it's been 4 years and there is still no sequel... I want to find out what happens with everyone! Especially Mallory and Kaleb - when Mallory finds out what Kaleb did to ensure she was safe. Because Mallory is pretty strong willed and I doubt she will appreciate Kaleb's efforts to help her.

And I think Belias and Aya's story would get pretty heated as well. It's obvious they like each other, so Aya might have gone through the whole ordeal for no reason!

Evelyn and Adam's story would be very interesting to get more information on as they are very powerful characters and obviously have an important role to play out in the next novel. Oh, and another note, I want to know what happened to Mallory's mom.

Ahh!!!! So many questions, not enough answers! Hopefully sometime Melissa Marr will write the next novel and answer all of the unsolved answers!

View all my reviews

Review: A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book because I want to watch the movie, but wanted to experience the book first. I'm so mad that it took me to them making a movie before I finally read this book, because it was so wonderful. So real. So heartbreaking and raw and amazing!

Connor knows that his mother is very sick. He can't do anything about it and it's making him feel vulnerable and useless. He knows things are really bad when both his grandmother and his father come to see his mom and Connor. But his mom is going to get better and everything will go back to normal after that. Connor just knows it.

Every night, at 12:07am, Connor has a visit from a Monster. This Monster wants to tell him 3 stories, if Connor will then tell him his 1 nightmare. At first he was resistant, because, really, what would he want to know about those 3 stories. But the Monster is persistent and they go through with their deal. But the deeper Connor gets involved with this Monster, the more he regrets it.

And not only is Connor dealing with his sick mother, annoying grandmother and father, and the pushy Monster, he is also being alienated at school. Everyone is either ignoring him and pretending he is invisible because they know about his mom and they feel sorry for him, or he is being bullied by 3 guys at school who won't leave him alone.

Everything comes crashing together at once and it is too much for Connor. He breaks. But hopefully he can get himself back together again before it's too late.

This is such an amazing novel. I loved how there were graphics involved in the story. It wasn't needed to imagine what was happening, but it gave off such a dark and gloomy feel that you need to have in order to really get the meaning and story behind this novel.

I'm so glad that I read this book and I will definitely be recommending it to other readers and possibly my book club when the movie is released and it's not so popular.

View all my reviews

Review: Untamed

Untamed by A.G. Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ah, this was such an amazing addition to the series! Especially the last story, where it showed the reader what happened when Jeb died and Alyssa's human family and then we got to see her with Morpheus and when they had their baby. I mean, this story alone was enough for fans of both Teams to fall in love all over again. It was the best way to end the series and to know that everything turned out the way it was supposed to. Seriously, I would have been happy to just read and re-read "Six Impossible Things" just to see the amazing ending to the story.

Alison and Thomas's story was good. It was nice to see how her parents felt after everything was done and over and they were finally together at last. And reading about Morpheus sneaking into Jeb's lost memories was a good insight not just of Jeb's thoughts, but also about Morpheus too.

But the winner of these three stories, to me, is "Six Impossible Things" through and through. I'm so glad A.G. Howard wrote it and I really, really loved this series as a whole. I'm so glad that out of all of the teen book club books they've read, this one is the one I decided to read with them so far! Will definitely be recommending this to other friends and readers I meet!

View all my reviews

Review: The Moth in the Mirror

The Moth in the Mirror by A.G. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a great addition to the series! I'm Team Morpheus through and through, so it was tenderhearted to see him finding a way through Alyssa's life, even if it meant having to dig into his arch nemesis's head to find out why she is so enamored by Jeb.

And it was great to see what inner struggles Jeb went through to make the huge decision he made at the end of the first novel. I love getting to read the perspective of another character after reading the main novel, because the reader gets a better sense of why they did what they did. Makes me appreciate them a bit more than I might have beforehand.

I didn't necessarily like Morpheus's reaction at the end of this novella, but it was understandable why he went into that direction. But still, very much enjoyed this novel and can't wait to read the last novella that was created in this series!

View all my reviews

Review: American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was the teen book chosen for our Big Read for my library, so my bookclub read it for that month. I will say, I was a bit leery going into it because I'm not a fan of graphic novels. But this book read very fast, even if it was a bit confusing about the story lines.

This book is about three characters:

The Monkey King
Jin (Chinese-American) and his friend at school Wei-Chen (Taiwanese)
Danny (American) and his cousin Chin-Kee (Chinese)

And these three characters all intertwined by the end of the novel. In a very weird, unique way. The novel bounced from character to character, not really having a theme or reason for the random stories, but somehow keeping my attention gathered to find out how this will all come together.

I do have to admit that I really didn't like Jin. He was rude to his friend and he was always calling him an F.O.B. (Fresh off the Boat from Taiwan), which I thought that was harsh. Instead of judging Wei-Chen for being different since he was from another country, I thought that Jin might be nice and help Wei-Chen learn the different culture. Instead, he did so many terrible things to him that I think Wei-Chen would have been better off without Jin as a friend.

I can understand Danny's frustration with Chin-Kee, even though he didn't act like a nice person either to his cousin. I think if Danny would just take the time and effort to include Chin-Kee in his life for that one week of the year that he would have had a better relationship with his cousin and he would have had to leave his other schools.

The Monkey King story started off weird, but the moral of the story was well told by the end. The way that the three stories intertwined with each other was just plain odd and I did not see it coming at all. But it will make for an interesting book discussion talk for my book club, so that's a plus I suppose!

Even after reading this, if I didn't have to read it for our promotion of the Big Read, I never would have touched this book. It was alright, but it won't be anything that I will be re-visiting anytime in the future.

View all my reviews

Review: Ensnared

Ensnared by A.G. Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such an amazing ending to a fantastic series! I really didn't think, going in, that I would love this series as much as I did, but I was blown away by Howard's world that she created for readers everywhere. And I'm not even the biggest fan of Alice in Wonderland, but after reading this series, I now want to smother myself in all things Alice!

Alyssa-as-a-crazy person was fantastic. I think Alyssa is much better about being a being from Wonderland than she is as a human. She is so strategic and conniving and it's absolutely amazing what she is capable of doing as the Red Queen. And her determination to get back to her friends and family was what spurred her to become crazy and mad. I seriously admire all of the choices that Alyssa made throughout the whole series.

The thing with Morpheus and Jeb... I can deal with it. It was a satisfactory ending for the love interest of Alyssa. I would have liked it a different way, but I'm just a lowly reader so I'll have to be happy with what I got!

I really think that a wide variety of readers would enjoy this story immensely. There are so many different factors in this story that would capture a wide audience and I'm so glad that I finally sat down and read them. I may even have to buy my own set one day!

View all my reviews

Review: Unhinged

Unhinged by A.G. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was so great to dive back into the rabbit hole and get lost in this amazing world that A.G. Howard created with Alyssa and Co.

I loved that this book was mainly set in Alyssa's home instead of Wonderland. It gives a different view of Alyssa's life and how she loves her home so much. We also get to see her tap into her Wonderland magic while she's in the real world, which is a great mash-up of her two different worlds colliding with each other.

During the first book, I was teetering on which guy I wanted Alyssa to end up with. Both had their good and bad factors and honestly I just loved the Wonderland that Howard created that I wasn't too worried about Alyssa's love life. But this book, I actually picked a team: Team Morpheus. Don't get me wrong, Jeb is alright, but Alyssa just clicks with Morpheus better. There is a better chemical reaction between her and Morpheus instead of Jeb. She might think she loves Jeb, but she does things with Morpheus that she would never do if she had true love for Jeb. So I'm really hoping that she will understand that she loves Morpheus more than Jeb and end up with him, because deep down she is his soul mate and they belong together.

I love the storyline that involves Alyssa's mom and dad. It was such a twist and the great thing about this series versus the original Alice in Wonderland book is that Howard has extended the story to more than just Alice - she is giving all of the characters so much more to their life and the reader is able to ride along through the experience.

I'm so excited and nervous to read the third and final book next. The way it ended in this novel is so up in the air and I can't wait to see how the characters come to their happy endings.

Definitely am loving this series and can't wait to find out the ending! Will definitely be recommending this to other readers at my library!

View all my reviews

Review: Splintered

Splintered by A.G. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alyssa's family has always been a bit strange. All of the females in her family have gone insane. Alyssa thinks it's the family curse of being related to Alice from Alice in Wonderland. In fact, Alyssa is going through the same insanity steps as her mother, who is now at the asylum. Everything changes, though, when Alyssa starts to believe that maybe her mother is telling the truth - no matter how far fetched it sounds. Things get really crazy when Alyssa is actually sent through a portal to get to Wonderland. Now, Alyssa isn't worried about people thinking she is crazy - because now she is more worried about trying to get home without being killed in Wonderland from the exotic, dangerous creatures she encounters.

Thankfully, Alyssa isn't alone. Her long time crush, next door neighbor, best friend Jeb stumbled along with Alyssa during the travel to Wonderland. With the knowledge of the creatures in Wonderland, Alyssa and Jeb are trying to find the best way to leave and go back home to normal. But the more Alyssa is in Wonderland, the more she realizes that she belongs there with these unique creatures. And with Morpheus, the "Caterpillar" of Alice in Wonderland's story, who she grew up with as a child and remembers so many different adventures she had with him. Alyssa is torn between two worlds, and she needs to figure out which one she belongs in before Wonderland makes that decision for her.

The teen book club at my library is reading this, so I thought that was a great excuse to make myself finally sit down and read it. I'm so glad I did, too! This was a fascinating world that A.G. Howard created through the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland story. I especially loved the creepy factor she put in it with Alyssa capturing and killing the bugs to not only use them for her paintings, but also to shut them up when they start talking to her.

I enjoyed this so much, that I decided to get the rest of the series and hope to binge read it all the way through! I think both fans of the supernatural-weird stories and fans of the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will enjoy this unique take on the original story!

View all my reviews

Review: We Were Liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow... This book... I'm literally stunned right now.

Half way through this book, no even 3/4 of the way through this book I was at a blah moment with this novel. Seriously, I thought, this is, at best, 2 stars.

But then the moment where the secret is revealed, the lie has been uncovered, this book became an amazing novel. It all clicked into place and now I'm debating whether it should be more than 4 stars.

I was not interested in this book because I couldn't find any specific information about it. The synopsis is so bland and I really wanted to know what I was reading about before reading. And I really had to stick through it, but I'm so glad I made it to the end. I was seriously stunned when the truth came out. I even got goosebumps!

E. Lockhart did a FANTASTIC job with this - she definitely deserved the award she received. I will now try not to judge a book by it's synopsis and always give a novel it's fair share of time to wow me.

Because this novel was in the high factor of wow-ness. So glad I was forced to read this by my co-worker! I will definitely remember this stunning novel from a talented author!

View all my reviews

Review: The Crown

The Crown by Kiera Cass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book... this book was kind of a let down. I mean, just kind of. Not exactly, but it didn't go the way I thought it would and while I'm sad about that, I didn't hate it.

So, if we revisit my thoughts on Eadlyn's first novel, I was Team Kile. I'm not going to give away who she ends up with, but this whole novel sort of took a turn for the "what the hell just happened" in all aspects.

Eadlyn is a great Queen and I think she will do great things for Illea. But I felt like either Kiera Cass needed to shove a lot of things in this novel or she was just done with this world, because events happened that were out of nowhere and there was really no build up to it. So to say I was disappointed with this novel is an understatement. I like Eadlyn's choice and I think she will be happy in the end, but the novel could have portrayed it better.

Yes, this is a criptic review that will leave you wondering "what the hell is she talking about" but I'm not giving anything away. If you want to know, you'll need to get the book and read it for yourself. Maybe you will like it more than I did and get the fuzzy feelings that I got when I finished America's story, so I'm not going to ruin it for anyone.

I'm glad I got this book and I'm glad I finished the series. It was a great world Cass created and I know I will definitely revisit America's story time and time again :)

View all my reviews

Review: Stargirl

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To be honest, I never heard of this novel. One of my coworkers recommended it to me, saying that they were going to make a movie from this book, and once she realized I hadn't read it, told me I needed to.

Overall I did enjoy and like this novel. It is a super fast read and doesn't take any time to fly through it.

There is such a great message in this novel: be yourself, no matter what.

Stargirl is honestly a person I wouldn't mind becoming. I think the problem she had was she became a decent, amazing person in high school, which is not the time to be different from your peers. Especially if you are a new student. High school is brutal if no one agrees with you, and when Stargirl got shunned for being different, it was pretty hardcore actions against her.

In the end, Stargirl left her mark, and she didn't do it for the attention. She did it because that was who she was and she wanted to be kind to complete strangers, sing songs everyday, dance in the rain. She knew what she wanted and she went after it, without a care in the world of what others thought of her. That is something special and remarkable.

Leo was a typical high school guy - wanting to be in the "it-crowd" and be popular. I think he could have had an amazing time with Stargirl if he wasn't so obsessed about what other people were thinking. But that's the problem with high school - you get into this mantra that if it wasn't right with "society" then you had to change to the right way. Thankfully my high school was not like that and I acted like myself, but I've heard stories of other schools...it doesn't sound pretty.

While I thought Stargirl was a bit extreme sometimes, I admire her and am really glad I got introduced to this novel. Now I'm ready to see if they can make the movie as great as the book, because it will be hard to find an actress to portray Stargirl and her amazingness :)

View all my reviews

Review: The Problem with Forever

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jennifer Armentrout always writes amazing novels and "The Problem with Forever" did not disappoint. Mallory and Rider are two broken characters who are just trying to survive the life they've been given - a pretty crappy life for the first few years.

I love the struggles Armentrout describes for Mallory, because it is so true to explain how people feel in social situations, whether they have deep issues or just a small fear. It was amazing watching Mallory work her way past her fears and see her stand up for what she believes in.

And the same with Rider - to be able to see that he does have issues and realizes he needs to get them worked through is a strong ability to have.

I think dedicated, long life fans of Armentrout will devour this book and I think people who've never heard of JLA but think this book sounds good will realize what they've been missing out on. So glad I finally finished this book and can't wait for more by JLA!!

View all my reviews

Review: The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second time I've read this book (the last time was in 2011) and I liked it just as much as the first time. This is a very hard book to get into at first, but I promise you that the ending is well worth the wait and anguish to get through the 550 pages.

The most interesting part of this book is that it is told through Death's perspective. It makes for a very different narration and gives a lot more to the story than if it was just through Liesel's viewpoint.

I love that Liesel loved books. That she loved words. And that she found a way to learn how to read. Reading a valuable thing in Liesel's life and with everything going on, that is a very rare thing to keep what you love to close your heart and not let it get affected by the things happening in the world.

I also enjoy that this is a novel about the war. You probably think that is morbid, but I don't read YA books about war. This books gives me a story that I was able to read and understand a piece of history. I have a hard time reading historical events, but this was a way that I could read it and enjoy it at the same time.

I loved the ending of this book. It is so worth the wait to get to the end and found out what happens to everyone. Most of it was sad, but it was also uplifting as well. I sound so contradicting, but once you read it, you will understand what I mean.

I'm so glad I got a chance to read this a second time because of book club. This is definitely a book that sticks with you for a long time!

View all my reviews

Review: The Winner's Curse

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I've had this book since the ARC's were sent out, but when I found out it was a trilogy I wanted to wait until all three books were released. Now that the 3rd one was published, I started this one.

And honestly? Not that impressed with it... I'm one of the few that feel that way, but I really didn't get into the novel as much as I wanted to. Granted, the ending has me wondering what is going to happen, so I'm probably going to cave and read the other two books, but I'm not feeling this book right now.

Kestrel is a very smart, intelligent girl who knows how to play the military game since her father is the General. But she's so scatterbrained sometimes too. And she's so indecisive. That drives me crazy - just freaking make up your mind and stick with your decision!

And Arin. He's another one that can't make up his mind and is always changing his decision about things. I know that they like each other, but they aren't showing their affection as well as they could be and they keep changing their mind about what they want to do. This is the worst thing that happens in novels and these two characters did it over and over again.

Out of the two, I liked Kestrel the most because she did have the right mantra in the end. It just took forever to get there.

So I'll have to see if I want to read the rest of the series. Right now I'm just feeling "blah" about it and could care less what happens to the characters. I'm assuming I know how the whole series ends, so that won't be a surprise.

I know I'm the odd man out with my feelings about this novel, so I encourage everyone to read it and get their own opinion! I bet you'll love it! Just wasn't the right fit for me.

View all my reviews

Review: Wonder

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was recommended by a friend to read this so I immediately got it from the library and started to read it. And wow. Words cannot describe how I feel about this book.

What August must feel to go to school. Yes, we get his viewpoint a few times in this novel, but I feel like he experienced so much more than what was written. To know how you are going to get treated and willing to go through that experience to make his parents happy? This "little dude" is now my new inspiration. If he can go through this experience, I can certainly do something in the future that I don't want to do. In fact, whatever I'm moaning and groaning about, I will remember August Pullman and realize that it isn't that terrible and get over my small problem. That is how much I admire this fifth grader.

Reading other characters viewpoints and stories not only about August but about their personal lives was a great way to write this novel. Sure, it's August's story, but it also explains why people act the way they do throughout the novel. And I think being around August has really helped everyone around him. They know what to appreciate and how wonderful August is inside as well as outside.

I'm so glad I was told to read this book. I can't believe it's taken me so long to do so, but I will NEVER forget this story. This opens everyone's eyes to different perspectives and possibilities about how our lives could have been or how we can make it better.

I will definitely be recommending this to everyone I know, no matter what their reading preference is because I think it can touch a lot of people in numerous ways.

View all my reviews

Review: The New Guy

The New Guy by Amy Spalding
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Meh. I didn't really enjoy this. Jules is awkward in the sense that she thinks she knows everything and has a perfect pristine life, but really she's just playing by the rules hoping that she will get what she wanted. Like being the editor for the paper. She was so stressed out because she thought she might not get it, but when the other student who would have been a shoe-in dropped out, instead of Jules being happy about it, she was upset. Because it wasn't a fair win... Umm, girl, just take the win and be happy about it and do the job justice, okay? Because you don't get many freebies like that so you better take it while you can. Trust me.

And Alex. Just because he used to be a pop star does not mean everyone needs to fawn over him. I mean, get over it. I understand this is high school and that these kids are always in awe over celebrities, but gah, talking about it as much as they did would have killed me if I went to their high school haha.

So this book was okay. It wasn't for me and I really didn't enjoy it too much, but it had a good storyline and I think high school students will enjoy this novel when it is released. I just couldn't handle all of the juvenile actions that were going on, sadly.

View all my reviews

Review: Silent Hearts

Silent Hearts by Melissa West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Melissa West's, and was extremely excited to be approved for this novel. I've read the previous two books in the series and really enjoyed the Hamilton brother's journeys. Nick was always the disconnected one, always apart from his other brothers and was very quiet. I never knew what he was up to. And I didn't really get too much into Nick's head now that I've read his book. He's always paranoid that things are going to go south and be devastating for him, which is the opposite of his brothers who dive head first in things. So Nick was definitely not my favorite of the Hamilton brothers.

Becca, on the other hand, is awesome. She decided that she wanted more for her life and instead of just hoping and dreaming like most do when they want more, Becca actually went out and did it. She took a class to learn how to scuba dive. She applied for schools to continue her schooling to be a nurse. She dived into a more intimate relationship with Nick, even though he's her best friend. And she is so selfless. Always helping her sister when she needs money. Ending school 10 years ago to take care of her grandmother. I seriously adore Becca and aspire to be like her someday.

I enjoyed this book. I didn't like it as much as the others in the series, but it was definitely still a great novel. I'll be interested to see if Melissa West will write about the Littleton brothers, because I think that would be a great series to read about :)

So glad I got this novel early and, as always, I will be looking out for more novels by this author! Definitely read her stuff!

View all my reviews

Review: Fly With Me

Fly With Me by Chanel Cleeton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of Chanel Cleeton so I was really excited to get this novel early! And I definitely enjoyed it. I loved the references to Top Gun even though it's a bit different than that movie, and I totes love that movie. I may even have to watch it now since I read this, haha!

Noah is awesome. He's such a manly man, but such a sweetheart and so self-conscious when it comes to his relationship with Jordan. He doesn't want to mess up and is always trying to figure out how to do the right thing.

And Jordan is a bad ass. She is running her own company, living life the way she wants, and is always looking for a challenge. So when Noah comes into her life, she takes life by the horns and goes with it.

The reason this only got 3 stars (which means I liked it! Really!) is because of the ending. It was rushed, it was pressured, and I felt like it should have had a little bit more ...meat...to the ending. I dunno, it worked for these two characters, but I think after reading their viewpoints for the novel that they would have wanted more and for it to not be so rushed.

I was able to relate to this story a little bit with the relationship I'm currently in, so it gave me a sense of a foretelling perhaps. Not sure if I should have read it like that, but oh well, that's what happened.

I think Cleeton's fans will enjoy this refreshing novel, and I am definitely looking forward to the rest in the series!

View all my reviews

Review: Trial By Fire

Trial By Fire by Chris Cannon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

So, I adored, I LOVED the first two novels in this series. I sucked them up and finished them without taking a breathe it seemed like. But this book?? Yeah, I didn't have the same intense feelings for this novel in the series...

Bryn used to be a badass and she knew what she wanted. Now, she's a timid, rule abiding girl and I really don't care for this new personality she's got going on. And she's so ...meek... now. She's with Valmont now and she's become such a whiner almost. I dunno, for some reason, Bryn got on my nerves a lot during this novel, which is a shame because I actually admired her during the first two novels.

And while I don't need a lot of action to keep me happy in novels, I thought that there would be more in this book because of the previous two. There were a few moments, but not anything like the others. Also, the whole thing with Bryn being in the Blue clan. I know she did it because her grandparents went out of their way to help her, but I didn't think that Bryn would start to become like a Blue...cause they are the biggest snobs I've ever seen!

As much as I complained about this novel, I did enjoy it. It just wasn't up to par compared to the other novels and I was a little bit disappointed with it. I'll probably still stick with the series at least for another novel to see if it will get better, but I hope I am alone in my feelings and that other readers will think it is phenomenal. I'm glad I got a chance to read this early and will look forward to more works by Cannon!

View all my reviews

Review: The SEAL's Rebel Librarian: An Alpha Ops Novella

The SEAL's Rebel Librarian: An Alpha Ops Novella by Anne Calhoun
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a sucker when it comes to books with "Library, Librarian, Books" or anything else remotely similar to that in the title so I requested this book. And I actually enjoyed this one, because usually I find most of the novels like this annoying, fake, or just dull.

Erin wants to live again after her divorce and she's got her list all figured out. When SEAL Jack comes around, he's the perfect person to her her with them. Plus it doesn't hurt that he's hot as sin. I think it was brave of Erin to do what she wanted to do after hearing negative things for 8 years from her ex on her wants and needs. And I think helping Erin helped Jack, but also made him realize that he might want more than he thought he did.

As a librarian, I could relate to a lot of the scenes that occurred in the library atmosphere. Not so much the sexy times with Jack, but just the normal every day things. I'm not a risk taker or a dare devil, but maybe later in life I'll do what Erin did :)

I'm glad I got an eARC of this novel and I will definitely keep Erin's goals in mind if I ever need to live a little later in life!

View all my reviews

Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was chosen for my book club, so I re-read it again and still loved it. Doesn't hurt that I'm always watching the movies and getting all kinds of Harry Potter related stuff for myself!

It's been awhile since I've read it, though, cause I forgot about some things. Like at the beginning? J.K. Rowling actually starts with a narration of the Dursley's and their life before Harry arrived. Very interesting to me since we all know this is about Harry. And it also refreshed my memory of what Vernon does for a living.

I liked that we got to read about all of the Quidditch matches again, rather than just the one that is in the movie. Little things like that made me smile and realize that the book really is better than the movie!

I was debating if I was going to read the rest of the books, but I think I am. I'm craving the Harry Potter books so I might as well do it now that I've just finished the first one, right? :)

If for some strange and abnormal reason you haven't read these amazing books, you need to finally jump on the train to Hogwarts and find out why they are so great. The story is fantastic and Rowling is a phenomenal writer!

View all my reviews

Review: Dumplin'

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a great novel. Willowdean is comfortable being who she is. She's not the beauty pageant, skinny daughter that her mother wants, but Willowdean is okay with that. She doesn't take the bullying that Patrick at school tries to dish out at her, and she is always standing up for other kids who get bullied but are too afraid to fight back.

But Willowdean's thoughts about her physical appearance starts to change when a very attractive, popular guy, Bo, starts to like her. First, it was okay because they just worked together. No one saw them together or were questioning why a great, hot guy like Bo would be with an overweight girl like Willowdean. But when Bo transfers to Willowdean's school, she starts to question why he would want to be with her and how society would judge them.

Then Willowdean decides to join the beauty pageant that her mother has dedicated her life to. She wants to prove that she can do the things just like any other girl does. Physical appearances shouldn't be a factor in a beauty pageant and Willowdean wants to prove that. What she doesn't expect is other girls who get bullied about their looks join her in the pageant. Now Willowdean is the unofficial leader of their group, but Willowdean is not exactly sure what she is trying to prove anymore.

This is a great story about uncertainty. Bravery. Being normal. Standing out. Loyalty. But most of all, it's about being yourself and loving who you are inside and out without any judgement. Willowdean will inspire many readers out there, whether they are the pretty girl, the fat girl, or the shy, awkward girl. I know she inspired me to love myself as I am rather than what society deems worthy of being the "right kind of girl" and I'm so glad that Julie Murphy wrote this inspiring novel for everyone to enjoy!

View all my reviews

Review: The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been wanting to read this book for forever, but...I'm ashamed to say...I can't stand the cover and always kept telling myself that I would come back to it and read it. Well, now we picked it for book club and I got the eBook version - so I didn't have to see the cover! Brilliant!

Anyway, I also have to admit that I watched the movie before reading this novel. I almost never do that, but I wanted to watch it and there ya go. However, I am almost glad that I did watch the movie beforehand. It helped me better see what was going on in the novel. The part where they couldn't see color? I'm not sure if I would have caught on to that right away or not. But because I saw the movie, I knew that and was able to read the story with more knowledge about this world Lowry created.

The writing was superb. Lois was able to create a new world full of different rules and structure than anyone was used to. Especially back in the 90s when dystopian novels weren't too popular as they are today.

Jonas is a very bright, very understand 12 year old. And to be given The Receiver job really is a great honor in the way that the leaders of the community have given him this job since it is so important. I honestly think that burdening a 12 year old with this information is not a smart idea because not only are they naive from the way they taught their social and work life, but also because he's still a boy who wants to play ball and be annoyed by his little sister. Having the memories of the entire past being shoved on him or any other 12 year old is a bit stupid.

But Jonas was very mature for his age and was very suitable to become the next Receiver. However, Jonas was a bit too smart for this community and started to question their ways and why they do the things that they do.

I was making a list of some of the professions they have in Jonas's community...Some I can understand. Some I think are plain terrible. I mean, Birthmother? Really? No.

I am so glad that I finally got around to read this novel. I can't believe I let the cover deter me away from this great story. Although I do have to say, the movie was extremely spot on with the novel and I had no problem picturing the novel because of the movie, so that was pretty awesome.

This is a great classic and I know tons of people have read it. If you are like me and are one of the few that haven't, you should give in and read it! It's a great story with an awesome message behind the story that will make you question life's choices.

View all my reviews

Review: Never Never: Part Three

Never Never: Part Three by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was...different than I thought it would be. It's not bad - far from it. But Colleen and Tarryn went in a direction that I wasn't expecting from the moment I started reading this book. The more I sit and ponder about the book, the more I start to like it even more.

I know a lot of people don't like the ending, the "solution", but just think - have you read a book with that ending before? After all of the mysteries, after all of the cliffhangers? Maybe I'm not well-read yet, but it is definitely a different take than what I'm used to.

And the way the authors took us to every possible reason, only to find out that it was something all together? They definitely covered all grounds as to the possible reason why they lost their memories, making the reader be jerked along every storyline, only to backtrack when we got to a dead end.

So, yes, I did really enjoy this story. I am glad that I finally know what happen and how things concluded with all of those terrible cliffhangers. I know have a sense of justice and fulfillment, even if it wasn't the 1,000 ways I thought it could end.

Loved it. Will definitely recommend it to other readers who want a good mystery novel :)

View all my reviews

Review: Never Never: Part Two

Never Never: Part Two by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Colleen and Tarryn are evil with their cliffhangers. I learned this the hard way from the first part, so I waited until all 3 parts before venturing into the story again.

I seriously love this story. Having it in 3 parts makes it even more suspenseful! Silas was the hero in this second part and was so determined to find the answers he needed. Poor Charlie was left confused and alone, but that didn't stop her from escaping the hell she was in.

Because this was such a short story, I have a short review. I don't want to give anything away because it's technically still the same story as the first. I will say that I liked how they finally included an outsider in their secret of forgetfulness and O.M.G!!! The reveal of where Charlie was? That was completely shocking for me.

So...now I've peaked your interest, right? And now you must go read the story to figure out what the hell I'm talking about, correct? Yes...my job here is done and now I NEED to read the third and final part!!!

View all my reviews

Review: Never Never

Never Never by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I re-read this in preparation for the next two parts - enjoyed it just as much as the first read!

Original review:
With the synopsis, there is not a lot to base what this book is about so I felt like I was going in somewhat blind. But it's Colleen Hoover, so of course I was going to read it.

And it was great! Confusing, a little lost since we are literally learning everything with the characters. But informative when information is revealed at the time.

"He" is named Silas.
"She" is named Charlie.
Complication history with not only them but their parents.

While everyone states they didn't like how nothing was resolved in this novel, I kinda like it. It's refreshing. Not a lot of novels are like that. And there isn't a ton of drama because, well, neither character remembers anything so they are just trying to figure things out. When drama pops up with their friends both Charlie and Silas ignore it because they have a lot bigger problems to figure out.

The only thing I'm mad about is that I don't have the next novel in hand to read and find out what happens! It was just getting good and BAM we are done with this book. Gah! May can't come soon enough!

View all my reviews

Review: All of It

All of It by Kim Holden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To start off with, I LOVED "Bright Side". I ADORED "Gus". And I ENJOYED "All of It".

I read the books out of order based on when they were published. Maybe this would have changed my rating of "All of It"? I don't know. I liked this novel, I really did. But it's not one that I will purchase for my own collection. And it probably won't be one that I re-read either. Now, Holden's other two novels? Totally bought all versions and will re-read when I can handle the mental abuse again.

Veronica. Man, she is something else. For the first 50% of this book, I flew through it and loved the story. I loved how Dimitri threw Veronica for a loop, making her stumble over her normal, everyday routine of life and got Veronica to live out of her box. But the second Veronica started doubting her life and decided that she needed to make a major change in order to keep the balance? Then I started to drag throughout the novel.

The "twist" of the novel was very obvious to me. (This is totally a spoiler to anyone who has read the series I'm about to mention...sorry about that!) Maybe because I just finished reading the Fallen series by Lauren Kate? Or maybe because it was supposed to be obvious to the reader. Either way, I almost wanted Dimitri to blurt it out and fess up way before he did, so Veronica would understand how much he really loves her, instead of letting her do her own thing for all those months.

I love Dimitri. He is so dedicated. So loyal. So mysterious, yet not. He has the patience of a saint, and with all of his knowledge, he still lives life to its potential, which I admire so much.

So overall, I enjoyed this novel. I probably should have read it before "Bright Side" to get the whole effect of the novel, but I can't change what happened so I'm enjoying this novel for what it is now. Kim Holden is one of my all-time favorite authors and I'm very excited to see what else she has in store for us next, because knowing her talent, it will be beyond believable!

View all my reviews

Review: Whisper to Me

Whisper to Me by Christina Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a good book! I didn't think I would like it as much as I did, but I really liked Kai and Rachel's characters. I can not even imagine what Rachel went through when she was thrown from the motorcycle with Miles - her ex-boyfriend. The rehab that she had to go through was so intense and long and discouraging, but Rachel dived right into the challenge to become herself again. I am so angry at Miles for the way he acted after the accident. And then to want her forgiveness again after 3 years?? No! He should be groveling at her feet, begging her to show mercy when she gives him what he deserves.

But that's just me. I'm a bit harsh and vindictive, apparently.

Kai. Sweet, sweet Kai. I dearly love him. He is so loyal to Rachel and only wants the best for her. Even if that means it's not him in the picture with Rachel. I loved how he took care of her but didn't use her or take anything too far with her. Instead, he treated Rachel with the respect she deserved. Gah, he touched my heart and I'm extremely jealous of Rachel. I loved that he was his own person and defied all odds against him to come out winning in the end.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book at the beginning. I'm so glad I finally got around to reading the eARC file I received (even though my review isn't "advanced" anymore...sorry!). Tons of readers will enjoy this story, I think, and I'll be looking out for more novels by Christina Lee!

View all my reviews

Review: He's Come Undone

He's Come Undone by Theresa Weir
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a quick read - flew through it and enjoyed Ellie and Julian's story. I really liked that the author wrote in both characters viewpoints so we were able to see what both Ellie and Julian were thinking.

I felt for Julian. He went through a terrible experience back in New Hampshire and still wasn't himself when he was "using" the girls. In most cases, I would say it's because he's a guy and doesn't think like a girl, but he really was going through a hard time and really should have been helped more. And what he went through? Gah, that must have been terrible.

Ellie's mum is a prick taking all of her money that she earned. And poor Ellie is just trying to get back to college so she can start her life with the job that she wants. I do think that getting a new hair style and clothes does not make a person more attractive. In fact, it demeans the person doing it because it's not really them - not in the way Ellie changed herself that is.

And Julian noticed the original Ellie and was intrigued by her much faster than the "new and improved" Ellie, so that's something to think about...

I enjoyed this story. I liked the running bit that Julian was determined to succeed, only because I love running. I don't like the way Julian ran his marathon because he could have died, but I could comprehend how he was feeling when he described what running was like. Glad I got an eARC, even though this review isn't "advanced" anymore... I think loads of other readers will enjoy this story!

View all my reviews

Review: Beloved Enemy: a young adult paranormal romance

Beloved Enemy: a young adult paranormal romance by Lacy Yager
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

So, just going to say this, the first line of the synopsis? "She's the unlikeliest vampire hunter ever. A scientist."? Totally misleading! Genevieve is so not a vampire hunter. She is, in fact, a scientist who is trying to find a cure to kill the inhumane vampires (also called Cats) in the world. But the hunter ya'll are thinking of? The one that can kick ass and use weapons and run fast? Yeah, that is totally not Genevieve. Which is quiet all right, but I was waiting for her to sprout some ninja moves and that never happened. I'm actually glad it didn't happen. I loved the sciencey, geeky Genevieve so much! She was brave but so so smart and was extremely into science it was adorable.

And Chad, the vampire, was trying so hard to stay away from normal, human Genevieve but seemed to always be stuck with her throughout their mission to kill the Cats. And he kept trying to ignore his feelings for Genevieve, but that didn't really work out too well for him.

I really liked this novel. I was a bit confused when I first started reading it and everything probably would have made a lot more sense if I had read the other novels in the series, but I wasn't aware that this was the 3rd novel until much later. However, I did catch on pretty quickly and fell into the story pretty well to understand what was going on.

So glad I got this eARC and am very sorry it's not so much of an "advanced" review as it should be. But I am glad that I got a chance to read this and I think a lot of readers will really enjoy it as well!

View all my reviews

Review: Her Royal Masquerade

Her Royal Masquerade by Natasha Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute novel. There was a point where I about lost it because of Mia's decision to stay with Vittorio as his mistress because I believe that everyone should have free will when it comes to their life, but Mia, while she didn't like the term "mistress" very much wanted to be with Vittorio and their time together wasn't necessarily forced.

I loved how Mia changed things around at the palace. She was disrupting every historical aspect of that place and making it 10x better for everyone who was involved in the palace. And I especially loved the story time with the kids in the kitchen - sitting on the floor in a circle. Made me smile!

Vittorio needed his butt kicked and I think Mia did a fantastic job doing that. Once he realized who Mia really was and made his blunder about keeping her in the palace, he didn't realize how drastically his life was about to change. And his reaction around Birgette? Priceless!

So, yes, I very much enjoyed this story and I think I would very much enjoy the rest of the novels in the series. I may just have to go find them and purchase them...maybe :)

View all my reviews

Review: Liam: Branded Brothers

Liam: Branded Brothers by Raen Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel, which for some reason I thought I wouldn't. Charla is an awesome character who I would love to meet in person. She is feisty and sweet and brave and loyal. I loved her with Jack. Most family members - blood-tied - wouldn't want to be with an old man with Alzheimer's, but Charla stuck with Jack for 2 years with this disease.

And I loved it when Charla tried to hard to convince herself that Liam was not the person she needed to be with, only to fall down that rabbit hole the next week. And I liked Liam too. He's pretty much everyone's fantasy in one body, making Charla's attempt not to fall for him hysterical.

This had just enough suspense and mystery in the story to keep the reader guessing, which was refreshing for a novel. I'm kicking myself because I didn't read this when it was still "advanced" part of the eARC, but I am glad that I got around to finally reading it. And I may even have to find the other novels in the series to see how the other brothers fall to the woman of their dreams :)

View all my reviews

Review: Broken by M. L. Young

Broken by M.L. Young
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The synopsis was amazing when I first got this book. It sounded very similar to "Beautiful Disaster" by Jamie McGuire, which I absolutely love, so I was very excited to read another novel like that.

This is nothing like BD... First, I really dislike the dialogue in this book. It's stilted, awkward, and sounds like they are learning English as a second language and not sure which words to use in their sentence. Second, I don't really like Bailey. I mean, she's fine I guess, but there's no personality to her. She's just there and going through the motions, but not really getting into anything. Kyle is alright, but again, no feelings when it comes to him.

It's almost like the author knows how to write when they are doing, but not what they are feeling and doesn't know how to put it down in words to make it flow better.

So, yeah, this book. I just couldn't. I really wanted to like it, but definitely didn't, sadly.

View all my reviews

Review: Only for Him

Only for Him by Cristin Harber
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a 70 page novel that goes by very quickly. But, in my opinion, it goes too quickly. Emma and Grayson have known each other since they were 6 years-old. Sadly, the reader knows them for 70 pages and for me, I felt like things were extremely rushed. It seemed like these two jumped into a relationship with the content I had reading, rather than them having years worth of memories that have finally bloomed into more than friendship. And I'm bummed that I feel that way, because I think this could have been a great story with just a little more information!

Grayson is a good guy, trying to do the right thing. His feelings for Emma are controlling his sense of duty to protect her, and he decides to cave. Emma has idolized and loved Grayson for as long as she can remember, so being able to finally be with Grayson is a dream come true.

But I just felt like things were missing between the two characters, and even though they grew up with each other, sometimes it felt like they were strangers having intimate scenes with each other. Very stilted and awkward I thought.

I almost gave this more stars, because of the ending. I almost decided I'm going to pay for the other 3 novels in the series, because of the ending. Because that was one kick ass ending. But then I had to remember how frustrated I felt throughout the first part of the novel, and how the author didn't give us a lot of content. And I had to realize that I probably wouldn't get any more information in the rest of the series, which would not only keep me feeling frustrated but also angry that I paid money for the rest of the story that would make me frustrated.

So needless to say, I'm going to end my journey with Emma and Grayson at the end of this novel even with the cliffhanger ending. I think it might be a bit better, but I just can't convince myself to spend money on this and committing myself, only to end up possibly disappointed. I'm glad I got the eARC and I can see from reviews on Goodreads that the rest of the series is very highly rated, so I'm positive other readers will enjoy this story. It's just not going to be for me.

View all my reviews

Review: This is Falling

This is Falling by Ginger Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I've been recommended this book so many times via Goodreads and it dawned on me that I got this a long time ago as an eARC...which is no longer advanced anymore...oops...

Anywho, I was really excited to read it finally, after realizing my dumb mistake, and dived right in after searching through 1400 eBooks. And I really enjoyed it! I loved the characters - Nate and Rowe are awesome and adorable and I just want to squeeze them!

Rowe is so timid and quiet and jumpy. Obviously things happened in her past that have made her this way, and when we found out what that was, my heart went out to her. She is so brave going to school thousands of miles away after her past and I'm so glad that she got paired up with Cass as her roommate. And she is slowly recovering and becoming the girl she used to be during this novel, which made me jump for joy with each hurdle she flew over!

Nate is amazing. He saw Rowe and knew that was it. She was it for him and he didn't give up his pursuit to have Rowe in the end. He also knew it was going to be a rough ride by the way she acted around him, but he was willing to wait with patience until that time came. And that is the most perfect thing about Nate: he wanted to wait. And Nate wanted to help Rowe through her issues. I absolutely love Nate and his personality. I'm so glad that Ginger Scott wrote this is dual point of view, because Nate's thoughts were fantastic to read.

I'm so glad that I finally got to read this book and I enjoyed it immensely! I think anyone who loves New Adult novels will devour this story and beg for more by the end, because they won't want to sever their connection with the characters (what I'm going through right now). So good!

View all my reviews