Review: Amid Stars and Darkness

Amid Stars and Darkness by Chani Lynn Feener
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

The synopsis of this book intrigued me right away, so I was very excited to get a chance to read this book and see if it was as good as the description - which is definitely was!

Delaney is just a normal human who wants to go home and relax. Instead, her best friend Miranna wants to go to a club to see the hot alien bartender who she has been talking to. Yep, alien. Earth is now habitated by two different alien species in order to keep the peace between everyone. So Delaney is dragged out to the club with her friend, and when she is walking to her car, she gets kidnapped. But an alien she's never met. Who keeps calling her Lissa Olena, but obviously that is not Delaney. The more she keeps telling him, the more he is sure she is just lying.

Only when Delaney gets taken to their planet and has an actual conversation with her kidnapper, who is Ander Rukus, does Rukus realize that he made a mistake and kidnapped a human girl and took her to his alien planet. Oh, and the best part? Delaney now looks like Olena, who is the PRINCESS of the alien planet she is now on. And who is BETROTHED to Zane Trystan, an alien prince of another alien planet.

Life just got very complicated for Delaney, who was excited to start college...

Now Delaney has to convince Trystan that she is Olena until they can get the real Olena back home. But Trystan and Olena hate each other - they hate the binding contract they are forced into and they can't stand one another. But to keep the peace for all planets - theirs and Earth - they have to marry. Delaney can understand why Olena wants to stay away - Trystan is not nice and is very conniving.

And to make matters even more complicated, Delaney is starting to see a different perspective of Rukus, who feels extremely guilty that he kidnapped the wrong person.

Delaney can't act like Olena. Olena is very cold, very childish, very spoiled, and Delaney always sticks up for what she wants. She doesn't back down and she's very confrontational. So it's very hard for her to act like Olena. No matter how much she looks like the princess, people around her are starting to look at her weird because her mannerisms are not like Olenas.

The goal is to fool everyone until the real Olena gets brought back, but with assassination attempts happening every day, Delaney is not sure how the end result will be...

This was actually a GREAT novel! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I loved Delaney - she is a tough chick and even though she has been thrown into a terrible, terrible situation, she still takes one for the team and does what needs to be done to keep the peace.

Unlike the real Olena... She is so spoiled and such a child that she doesn't care if her actions causes a war to end all species. And the way everyone acted, expected Olena to throw a fit or start crying... yeah she is a brat who only cares about herself. So I really dislike her.

Rukus is a sexy alien, so of course I'm all about Delaney being with him. He does have weird mood swings that would confuse the hell out of me, but I think I could handle it overall :)

And then there is Trystan. At first, I was with Delaney and though he was creepy and scary and I would stay away from him at all costs. But he started to change. He started to appreciate Delaney and her "new" attitude. I think he was really starting to like her and start to like the idea of being with "Olena", so he was definitely becoming more appealing. He was flirting and making Delaney all flustered, but still scared shitless.

I dunno... I'd have to say, seeing those two together would be very interesting to see, I think. I'm not sure if I'm Team Trystan or Team Rukus, but either one would definitely be steaming off of the pages!

I am so, so, so glad that I got to read this book. I was a bit annoyed that there is a cliffhanger at the end of this novel. I thought it was a standalone, so now I realize that I have to wait FOREVER to find out what happens next! But I will wait patiently and find out what will happen next for Delaney.

I think a lot of readers will really fall in love with this book and I will definitely recommend it to other readers who love mystery, suspense, romance and science fiction!

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Review: Till Death

Till Death by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I was so, so, so excited to get this book from JLA early! I dived right in and devoured this book immediately!

This is an ADULT romantic/suspense novel by Jennifer Armentrout. Because Sasha and Cole are 29, this is not considered a New Adult genre, but just straight up adult fiction. Many readers have said NA, so I wanted to get that out of the way first.

When Sasha moves back to her hometown, she does so with a lot of wariness. When she left 10 years ago, she was running from the horrors she had just experienced when she was kidnapped by the Groom - a serial killer who was trying to find his "bride". Sasha was able to escape and the end result was that the Groom was found and killed. But the terrible things Sasha went through caused her to run away, far and for a long time.

But now she is coming back home to take care of her mother's inn that she runs. Sasha just wants to live her life how she used to before everything happened, but the very first day she was in town, someone was destroying her car, leaving dead animals for her to find, and then the worst thing happened: another girl was missing.

It seems like a copycat of the Groom is haunting her town again, and it just started happening when Sasha came back.

Another thing that happened when Sasha returned was her feelings for her ex-boyfriend Cole Landers - who she was dating during the time she was kidnapped. Ten years later showed Sasha she still has a strong connection with him, and now that he is a FBI agent, he is determined to protect her better than he did 10 years ago.

As more and more women keep disappearing, Sasha is taken back to her past more and more, and she starts to questions things that may put her in harms way...

This was a FANTASTIC novel! Of course, I would love it because JLA wrote it and she is a GOD when it comes to writing anything, but this had a lot of suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next.

I do have to admit, I figured out who the Groom copycat was before it was revealed. I think it was probably around 50-60% of the way through the book. There was one instance, the way it was worded, that I instantly went, "I know who it is! And I know why they are doing it!". So when the big reveal came, I wasn't surprised by the person, but I was surprised about how they were acting, so it was still an amazing reveal. I'm not sure if it is obvious to every reader, but I think most will be surprised in the end? I can't ever tell how someone else will react, but I can assume it will be a good reaction!

The intensity between Cole and Sasha was on FIRE! I know my cheeks were flushed whenever those two were around one another.

Overall, this was a great novel that I think all readers of any genre will enjoy immensely! There is a bit of everything in this book that will appeal to a variety of readers, and hopefully newcomers will start with this book, realize that JLA is a Godsend author, and discover her other amazing novels in the world already :)

I'm so glad that I got to read this early, and I can't wait for it to be published in print so I can add it to my ever growing JLA collection! I'm very excited to read more by her, as always :)

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Review: Extraordinary October

Extraordinary October by Diana Wagman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

The cover and the synopsis of this book was very intriguing for me, so I was really excited that I got to read this!

And overall, the novel was pretty good. October kept insisting that she was an ordinary, plain girl, but from the moment this novel started, anyone could see that she was far from ordinary. So when she kept insisting over and over that she was plain, I got a bit annoyed with her. Stop saying what you aren't and just do what needs to be done already!

I also got frustrated because she went from being a nobody to everyone is now paying attention to me! So many new boys that want her to fall in love with them, friends who she finds out has a secret identity and a reason they are friends with her before they even know her, and a whole new universe where she just all of a sudden accepts the new information about her life. I mean, if someone told me that I was not only a different species than human, but that I was a UNIQUE half-breed, I wouldn't just accept it and continue on with my life.

I would most definitely go to my parents and ask them for all of the details. Who cares if a weird hypnotist was in the house - I'd kick her out and demand answers instead of listening to a stranger who just appeared in my life for the first time 2 days ago.

So I had a bit of an issue with the way the information was presented to October, and the way she would just accept everything and someone magically know how to fix everything. I mean, she didn't know anything about her "real" life and now she knows how to fix everything?!? It's just not realistic for me and that's why I had a lot of trouble with this book.

This was a fast read and I was able to fly through it, but by the end of the book I was more like "meh" than anything. It was an okay book and the storyline was good. It just could have had a better lead up to the big moments in the novel.

I'm glad I got this free eARC and that I got to read this novel. I think many readers will enjoy this paranormal, fantasy novel!

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Review: Havoc

Havoc by Jamie Shaw
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I was so excited to get an Advance Reader copy of this book 2 months before it was released! I fell in love with this series from the moment I picked up Mayhem, and it just kept getting better and better!

This novel was no exception! I have been waiting for Mike's story because out of all of the rock stars, he is the one who has been looking for his soul mate, while the others have stumbled upon their loves without even wanting to find them. But Mike was patient and was happy for Shawn, Joel and Adam, which makes Mike the best friend on the planet. He wasn't mad or angry that they found the love of their life, but celebrated with them.

When Hailey met Mike, it was definitely not under the best circumstances. Danica, Hailey's cousin, was Mike's first love, and now Danica wants him back as her boyfriend, even though she dumped him very harshly so many years ago. So while Mike went to talk to Danica after a show, Hailey hung out with the rest of the band in their bus and played video games with them.

Hailey was stuck with her evil, mean cousin because Danica's dad was paying for Hailey's tuition, and virtually everything Hailey needed paid (rent, car, groceries, everything) to be roommates with Danica and try to encourage her to do well in college. So Hailey tried to be nice to Danica so she can get an education and make a living being a veterinarian to help her little brother go through college in 6 years. Her parents didn't have a lot of money, and Hailey doesn't want to live like that when she gets out on her own.

Hailey is a badass to me. She takes Danica's shit and does everything she needs to, knowing that Danica is just a little spoiled rich princess that has her dad in her back pocket. Danica doesn't care about school, but rather just getting back with Mike now that he is rich and popular and famous. But Hailey is going to bid her time to get her Bachelor's degree and make something of her life she so won't need anyone else to take care of her.

But when she meets Mike and finds out how good of a guy he is, Hailey is having a hard trouble not falling for him as more than a friend. Every night they would play video games with her little brother, and then they would talk on the phone when her brother Luke would go to bed. The more they talked about nothing and everything, the harder Hailey was keeping her feelings in check.

I think this might be one of my favorites in the series. Mike is such a good person and wants to do the right thing, but he knows a good thing when he sees it and can't help himself from doing the right thing. And Hailey is so good and humble. She volunteers at the shelter not because she needs to for her internship and school credits, but also because she loves the animals who are there and she wants them to get better faster, even if that means she spends 10 times more than she needs to at the shelter.

And I like Hailey because she is willing to do all of the extra work in order to get what she wants. She is determined to be a veterinarian and doesn't want anything to stand in her way.

The sparks between Hailey and Mike, when they finally admit their feelings for one another, is HOTT! I know that my cheeks were flaming red with the tension and the sexiness of the chemistry between these two, and I couldn't stop reading every minute these two spent with each other.

I also loved the ending of this novel - this series! Jamie Shaw did an amazing job with every character's story, and she did a fantastic job finishing everyone's story line by the end of this novel. Mike and Hailey's ending was beautiful and made me so happy! And while we didn't get to see the future of everyone, I know that their stories will all end amazingly great and I have no worries about any of their happy endings.

I am so, so, so glad that I got a copy of this novel early! I can't wait to read more of Shaw's novels in the future, and while I'm sad to see these characters go, I can always revisit them by re-reading their stories! Thank you Jamie Shaw for writing amazing stories! I know that fans of this series, and even new comers to the series will LOVE "Havoc"! :)

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Review: Unrivaled

Unrivaled by Alyson Noel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

I found this very hard to get into, honestly. I don't know if it is because of the Hollywood life that I've never even imagined myself in, or if the characters were just too high strung and high maintenance for me to like, but everything about this storyline was a bit too much for me, sadly.

Layla, Aster, and Tommy all had their issues and their reason for wanting to be a part of the competition for the clubs, and they all had their good points...well mainly. But I just saw a bunch of people fighting over the popular club and then not wanting to do any work that they need to do, but want their team to do it for them.

I didn't even get to the part where Madison disappears because I lost interest in this book and started reading new ones that kept my interest through the whole novel. Maybe one day I will try it again, but it won't be for awhile for me.

I am very glad I got an eARC of this novel to read, though! It just wasn't the right time for me to read it, I guess.

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Review: Wink Poppy Midnight

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

Where to start with this novel... Well I knew that the characters names were going to be weird: Wink, Midnight and Poppy. I just didn't realize that the entire book was going to be weird as well!

The snyopsis says Who's Who? A hero; a villain; a liar. So throughout the whole book, I'm trying to pair up these three characters with the three titles that is asked on the cover of the book, only to realize that there is no answer to that question and I just wasted the whole book trying to figure it out... That's a bit annoying in the end.

This was a very short book. Very easy to read through it and be done in the same day. But after you are finished with the book, you just sit there at the end and go, "What did I just read? None of it really makes sense to me... What was the point of this book as a whole?"

And many, many more questions. On the one hand, I enjoy and like the fact that I am left with questions that will never be answered because this novel got me thinking. But on the other hand, I desperately want my questions answered because I will never be able to get the answers.

I didn't really enjoy any of the main characters. Poppy was just too nasty to everyone and was just a bitch overall. I don't care that she has a "hard" life at home - that doesn't give anyone the right to be mean and cruel to the people she calls "friends" (but she definitely doesn't treat them like friends).

Midnight was too naive and too lost for my liking. He didn't want to be used by Poppy anymore, so he instantly jumps to Wink and follows her around like a little puppy infatuated by this new toy. Instead, Midnight should have forgotten girls all together and tried to see what he could do to help his family that was falling to pieces. He got around to that eventually, but he wasted a lot of time and got into a lot of trouble before coming to his senses.

And Wink. Dear God, I have no idea how to explain her. I thought I was going to like her, but she is seriously CRAZY! Out of all of the characters, she is the most bat shit crazy of them all. I thought she would be a cool chick, but I think she has some mental problems that makes me feel like I'm going a bit crazy now because I was in her head one too many times throughout this novel.

So needless to say, this book was not my favorite. But I didn't hate it either. Are you confused by my review because I keep contradicting everything I'm saying one sentence after another? Because believe me, I'm just as confused and I'm dragging you down with me. This book will definitely be in my head for a very long time, so I call that a win for April Genevieve Tucholke! I'm glad I got an eARC to read!

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Review: We All Looked Up

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

This book was picked for my month's book club, and I had the eARC, so it worked in my favor since I've been wanting to read it.

Overall, this book was pretty blah to me. It took me forever to get through it and some of the characters stories I wasn't able to really connect with, so they just really annoyed me whenever I had to read their story.

Anita, Peter, Andy, and Eliza were the 4 characters we saw their lives during the 6 weeks before Asteroid Astor was coming.

Peter was the golden boy who had the popular girlfriend, but a pretty messed up life at home. He was just going through the motions that he needed to to get to college and really start his life. But when Astor was spotted, he realized that his life isn't want he wants it to be and decided to change his ways for the next 6 weeks, like everyone else in the world. He just seemed pretty biopolar throughout the novel, being nonchalant one minute and mad to the point of fighting during the next minute. It was very confusing most of the time.

Andy was my least favorite character out of them all. His lifestyle is so different from mine and I just couldn't relate to him at all. Everything he was doing seemed juvenile and ridiculous to me and it was just a complete waste in my opinion. He did become a better person at the end of the novel, but it was just a mess throughout the novel with him. Mainly because of Bobo and his crazy ways, but Andy caved into pressure way too much.

Eliza was a mystery to me. At first I really liked her because she was making a difference and recording the craziness around her to her blog with her photography. And she was taking care of her sick father. And I still liked her, but she used the label people called her a slut to actually be one. And what was everyone's fascination with her?! She wasn't that special... At least I didn't think so.

Anita was actually my favorite character out of the four that we read about. She defied against the strict rules that her parents had for her to finally live the life she really wants to rather than do exactly what they tell her to do. She wanted to sing before she died - her life long dream. So I don't blame her for leaving her parents and doing what she had to do for herself. Life really is too short to do something you don't want to in this novel.

I would have wished to know what had happened at the end - if the asteroid hit Earth or if it passed by. But I guess the author is leaving it up for the reader to decide what happens to the characters.

Honestly, I thought this book was okay, but it wasn't my favorite novel. I'm glad I got a free eARC from Edelweiss, but I definitely won't be re-reading this book in the future.

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Review: Twisted Palace

Twisted Palace by Erin Watt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a good ending to a great series. For some reason, I think that this book could have been better like the previous two, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 like the first and second one.

Now that Ella has been in the "rich" side of life for a few months, the reader can tell that she is starting to enjoy the perks of that life. I'm not saying that she is now a rich snob, but she definitely has a different viewpoint of life than she did before she came to live with the Royals.

When Steve came around (I'm not talking about him too much so as not to give anything away), I instantly had issues with him and his personality. And the way Ella was so obedient with him made me sick to my stomach. She has always been on her own, taking care of herself that I figured she would be able to stand up to him, so when she didn't I thought less of her than I think I should have.

Reed also seemed more subdued than he should have been, especially since he was being charged with murder when he was innocent of that crime. If I was in his place, I would have been doing my own investigation to figure out who the real murderer was because I would want to be known as an innocent man instead of pleading guilty to get a shorter time span in jail. Don't go down without a fight is what I would have followed.

Speaking of the murderer, I TOTALLY figured out who the real murderer was! I mean, within 20 pages after all of the big moments happened at the beginning of the book, I guessed who it would be that would have the biggest motive and the easiest access, and I was RIGHT!!

So the big reveal wasn't anything special for me, except to say, "I KNEW it! Totally called that at the beginning of the novel!" And for me, since I knew for so long, I felt like the book dragged on to get the final reveal, but that's just me.

Overall, I liked this novel. I LOVED the series, especially the first book, but this one was okay. It was wrapping a lot of things up in one novel when I think it should have been spread apart a little bit more.

I'm very glad that I was able to get this series through my library and read it! One of these days I might actually buy my own copies to have on my bookshelf.

I hope that there will be more novels in this world - especially to talk about Easton, Gideon, Sawyer and Sebastian's life because I really want to know who Easton is hung up about and how things go with all of the Royal boys because they all need their happily ever after like Reed got with Ella :)

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Review: Broken Prince

Broken Prince by Erin Watt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After the abrupt cliff hanger ending from the first novel, I dived into this book right away to find out what happens to all of the characters that I have come to love so much in such a short amount of time.

This novel not only has Ella's point of view like the first novel in the series, but it also has Reed's point of view so the reader can get both perspectives this time around.

We start off with Ella missing, having run away from the Royal's mansion after witnessing something that will forever scar her memory. Reed is frantically trying to find her, but Ella only comes home when Callum decides to blackmail her to see reason.

Ella comes back to the Royals with her guard up once again. She is only there to do what Callum sees best for her, but she doesn't want to get attached to any of the Royal boys because they will just end up breaking her heart all over again. But what Ella doesn't realize is that with her leaving, she has not only broken the trust of the ones she's grown to love, but she also broke some of their hearts by leaving them without a second look.

Reed is determined to fix his mistakes and make Ella his again, but she's not going to make it easy for him. What Reed did was unforgivable to Ella and she lets him know that at every moment. But Reed not only needs to prove to Ella that he's a changed man, but also start changing his attitude at school too.

Ella thought she had it bad when she first went to the Prep private school when she first got in to town, but after being gone for 2 weeks, the rumors have been flying and Ella is the standing victim having to bear all of the brunt.

But things are getting pretty dicey at home and hitting Ella and Reed close to the heart. Things are about to go down, but who knows who will go down with the bad news that hits the fan.

There is so much drama in this book that it reeks. I'm so glad that I never had to go through that brutalness in my life and I plan to keep it that way! But I loved reading about it and I'm so glad that both Ella and Reed have decided to man up and take responsibility where they need to take it, rather than running away from it like they were in the first novel.

Seriously, the smack down that happened between Ella and Jordan, the queen bitch at the school, was phenomenal! I was cheering her on so loudly I'm surprised my neighbors didn't come yelling at me to shut up. Ella finally had enough of her crap and showed not only Jordan, but the entire school, who was boss and it wasn't Jordan.

Reed has also decided to grow some balls and take some responsibility, but he's not used to that roll so it took him a little longer to get there. The only issue that I have with Reed is that he told Ella that he would never lie to her again or keep any secrets from her, and he DOES THAT CRAP AT THE END!! HE KEEPS THINGS FROM HER AND IT'S SO HYPOCRITICAL!!!

...obviously that bothered me, but come on! If he wants to be with Ella, he needs to start trusting her. She's a very smart girl, trust me.

Oh, and one last note? Callum is a badass and now that his head is out of his ass and he's paying attention to what his sons and Ella are doing, he's in the thick of things and is now on their side. These kids should really start trusting the adults in their life, because when Callum says something to other adults, shit gets done real quick.

This ends in not just 1 cliffhanger, but 2!! I'm so intrigued to find out what is going to happen in the 3rd and final novel, and I have it right at my fingertips so I'm about to dive in there and see what happens!

Loving this series so far and will definitely recommend it to other readers and my friends!

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Review: Paper Princess

Paper Princess by Erin Watt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I started noticing a ton of amazing reviews about this novel and figured I better join in on the raving to see if it was any good. Of course, it was and now I may just have to go buy my own copies after I finish all of the books.

I feel so much for Ella. She has been through so much in her 17 years and I can't even imagine trying to continue living after everything she has been through. Not knowing her father except his first name and having his watch would be tough, but manageable. When her mother died when she was 15 from cancer, that would have been heartbreaking for a girl who knows she doesn't have any other family to take care of her. Instead of giving up, though, she decides to take care of herself however she can, even if most of the things she's doing is illegal.

So I don't blame Ella for being hesitant when she gets told that she has a new guardian who she has never heard of or met before in her life. To top it off, he's a friend of her father, who she has no idea who that person is.

Then to top everything off, the sons of the man who is now her guardian hate her before she even walks through the door. And to have all 5 of the Royal sons hate you can make your life downright torture because they are always around, always making her life difficult, and always finding a way to get rid of Ella.

So yeah, Ella is a strong person who never gives up and I admire that about her so much. She is always fighting, always trying to make a better life for herself.

The Royal brothers are a handful, but Ella has them figured out. I love how she acts around them and I don't blame her for being attracted to Reed especially. I'm pretty sure any female within 50 miles wouldn't be able to keep their eyes off of him.

For the most part, life is starting to be kind to Ella after a few years of shit have been thrown her way. Just when she thinks she might be able to let loose and be a normal teenager, more shit comes back at her, ten fold.

I'm very excited to see what happens after that very cliff moment ending that Erin Watt left us. And I'm every so glad that I decided to wait to read this series until all three books were done and in my hand, because I am going to dive right into the next one and not have to wait months later to see what has happened to some of my favorite characters now.

Such a great book to start reading for the 1st of the year!

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