Review: Tiger's Dream by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Dream by Colleen Houck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Sigh. This book felt like a well deserved ending after the other 4 books. Sure, book 4 had a pretty decent ending that seemed to wrap everything up, but for the Kishan fans out there, this book is for you. This is his story.

And there were so many mysteries that were answered in this book - for all 4 books. I'm also really glad that we saw more Kadam and what really happened for him.

Ana and Kishan are perfect for each other. It took some time - lots of time - but it was well worth it in the end. They both had their own personal demons to deal with before finally seeing what was right in front of their eyes. I may have wanted to strangle them at times, but it was needed to get the end result.

I did get a bit annoyed that the tasks were repeated again, but that is just because I finished all 4 books before this one, so they were very fresh in my mind. If I had read this after a few years from the last book, it would have been a nice refresher of what had happened.

This ending was bittersweet and happy. I'm very glad I got a chance to get this eARC and explore this world all over again. While I had my personal ups and downs with these characters, it is still a great concept and world building that Colleen Houck created. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone!

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Review: Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really, really, really wanted to give this a 5 star review. But 4 was pushing it, to be honest. This is more of a 3.5 star in my opinion. And why, you may ask, would I give it such a low rating when I've adored every other book in this series so far? Well, that would be because of Kelsey. I seriously hated the way she "played" the brothers. I put played in quotes because in her mind, she didn't play them, but she toyed with their emotions, and she NEVER ONCE told them the absolute truth about how she felt. She dragged it on over and over and over again, even though she had EVERY OPPORTUNITY to fix what she created.

It doesn't matter, though. She ended up with the guy she was meant to be with and all of the pining, the jealously, the tortured moments between the three of them meant nothing in the end. Instead of being with the person that she OBVIOUSLY was meant to be with the whole time, she didn't get that moment until the very end of the book.

So her being obtuse and ignorant and stubborn and dishonest really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Also, the situation with Lokesh. I would have thought there would have been more to the "final battle" that the last 4 books have led up to, but it was pretty bland. I wasn't impressed with it.

I am curious to see how the next book goes - especially since this book has a nice wrap up/we're finished feeling to it. And it's a super long book, so hopefully it's not more "love triangles, I'm going to torture everyone by being with the wrong guy even though EVERYONE knows how it's going to end" storyline. Because if it is, I may have to torture someone myself, because I'm kinda over this plot line.

So, even though I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to, I am glad I finally got around to reading this and I'm excited to read the final book in the series.

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Review: Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have finally caught up with my re-reads! The next book will be brand new for me. I definitely agree with my review from 8 years ago (located below), and I really have nothing new to say from it. I'm just glad I'm re-read these and now I get to binge read all of them - to the 5th one! :)


Original review on Nov. 8, 2011:
I absolutely love this series and wish I had all of them to read back to back!

This is the third book in the Tiger's series, and I've blogged about the first book, Tiger's Curse, and the second one, Tiger's Quest, a few months ago.

I love this series! And to top it off, this is the author's debut series! She's amazing and I can't wait for the next book to come out (sometime in 2012). According to Goodreads, there are now 5 books to this series, instead of 4 like I originally thought.

Okay, so if you went to look at my previous reviews, you would have saw that I was conflicted about Kelsey - during this book, I had no such feelings toward her. I actually think she was an amazing character and is starting to slowly find herself through these quests with the two princes.

I was also conflicted on which guy I would have chosen if I were Kelsey... This is still a main theme of Tiger's Voyage and Kelsey still hasn't figured out exactly what she wants - or who she wants I should say.

However, I completely understand why she can't choose that easily. Both princes are so different from one another and complete Kelsey in two different ways. I have my guess on who Kelsey would pick, but I definitely know who I would pick: Kishan. He's more quiet, reserved, and observant than Ren is, but Kelsey also likes to talk, ask questions, and read poetry, which is a que for Ren for sure.

During this book, both Ren and Kishan are traveling with Kelsey to fulfill the next mission to gain the prince's wish to be fully human. Throughout this quest, all 3 of the characters are going to meet 5 dragons, who will test each character in different ways for Kelsey and the 2 princes to find the Druga necklace.

Each dragon made each character realize something about themselves, making these tasks harder than say, killing a dragon. We also saw some of Lokeish's evil plans and how his overall goal has changed from the beginning of the first book. Instead of wanting to kill the princes, he now wants to have all of the power than anyone - and to do that, he thinks Kelsey is the key! Didn't the 3 of them already have enough problems? Now they have to worry about one more!

Houck leaves us suspended with a cliffhanger at the end of this book (doesn't she always?!) and I'm unsure when the next book, called Tiger's Destiny, will come out. I'll be anxiously waiting for it, though, because I want to know what happens on the final quest to humanize the princes and the choices Kelsey will make between Ren and Kishan!

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Review: Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just re-read this book and I agree with my original review located below from 2011. Even though I read the prequel and I have mixed feelings about the brothers, I'm still conflicted on which guy would be the right one for Kelsey.

I loved the quest and all of the different missions that Kelsey and Kishan has to go through. I forgot how detail and information packed these books are, but I am enjoying refreshing my memory.

Original Review from July 24, 2011:
Eek! Loved it!

The second book in Colleen Houck's series was amazing! Kelsey is yet again going off to get another item to save Ren and Kishan from their curse of being a tiger, but this time she's going with Kishan because Ren was stolen by Lokesh. Lokesh is the evil king from 350 years ago that put the curse on Kishan, and now he wants Kelsey because of the amulet and the power that she is receiving from the Indian Goddess.

From my review of Tiger's Curse, you could tell that I was team Ren. I didn't know any better though. Houck has put me in a situation: now that I know how Kishan is and his personality a little bit better, I'm at a loss. Both boys are amazingly handsome, determined, and put Kelsey before anything in their lives.

Also, I have to say that this series gets better and better. At first I was irritated with Kelsey's character, thinking she thought too much and over analyzed everything before she took one step. She has developed into a stronger character and I felt that she has grown more. I can't wait for the next book to come out and see what happens in November 2011 (I'm not going into too much detail because I'll certainly give spoilers from the 1st and 2nd book)

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Review: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't believe that I read this book for the first time 9 YEARS AGO!!! And I've been thinking about it ever since, which means it was a great book :)

And the re-read I just did, did not disappoint. It was still as good as I remember, though I read Tiger's Promise novella first, and now my thoughts about the brothers from their past actions have changed my mind on which brother I like the most!

Below is my original review that I wrote after I read it for the first time, and everything I said then it still true today, so I'm not going to re-review it. So glad I decided to read this series again, and be able to finally finish it now that the 5th book is out!

Original Review in March, 2010:
**I won this book through a free giveaway on Goodreads.**

From the advance copy I received, I didn't think that I would like it. How wrong was I!!! This is a "retelling" of Beauty and the Beast but with a twist: the beast is an Indian prince, 350 years old, who was turned into a beautiful white and black striped tiger with amazing blue eyes, and the Beauty thinks that she is no beauty but just a normal, American 18 year old.

Peak your interest yet?

Kelsey started to work at a circus near her hometown in Oregon, just for a summer job so she can save some money before she goes to a local community college. She didn't include a beautiful tiger that she was always drawn to as part of the circus routine. Whenever Kelsey had any free time (she was staying on the circus grounds for 2 weeks while she worked there) she would always go near the tiger's cage and read from her books, sketch, or just talk to the tiger in a normal discussion.

Kelsey felt sorry for the tiger one day and wished that he was free to roam the wild, like most tigers do. When she said that, it freed Ren, the tiger, somewhat from his curse. He's been forced to be a tiger for 300 years but when Kelsey said that she wanted him to be free, he was able to turn into a man again for 24 minutes every day.

After that, Kelsey went to India to try and help Ren out of the curse he's been forced to live with for so many years and she is also struggling to keep her feelings a secret: she's starting to like Ren as more than a friend. Kelsey definitely wasn't expecting to find magic and mystery during the summer of her 18th birthday, and neither was she expecting to fall in love.

I liked this book. It definitely caught me by surprise - I really didn't think I was going to be too interested in the story and now I just went and bought the second book Tiger's Quest today so I wouldn't have to wait too long to continue Kelsey and Ren's story.

The one thing that annoyed me to no end was Kelsey's reaction to falling for Ren. She lost her parents when she was 15, so she's built a wall around her heart and is unsure if she should let Ren in. But it's sooo obvious that Ren has fallen head over heels in love with her! He's amazingly attractive, royal, and sensitive - she's missing out! If she doesn't want him, I'll certain trade her places :-)

I'm excited to read the next story, even though I'll have to wait for the next 2 books in the series to come out to find out if Kelsey can break the curse that Ren and his brother were trapped in all those years ago.

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Review: Tiger's Promise by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Promise by Colleen Houck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was really nice to get the back story on what happened between the brothers and how their fate got sealed before we met them in the first book.

I felt for Yesubai and how she grew up. That is no way for a child to live in her own home. And now I can understand her decision about the brothers too.

While this book isn't needed to understand the main story, it's it very helpful to understand the brothers and it gives a deeper explanation on the origin of the story. So glad I got a chance to read it!

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Review: Kingdom: Untold by Karo Skibinska

Kingdom: Untold by Karo Skibinska
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from BookSirens and the author. This is my honest review.

I got hooked from the synopsis and was really excited about this book, but was disappointed when I wasn't able to connect with the story or characters. I felt like the story jerked around and didn't have enough detailed information to keep me fully emerged and engaged in this world. The characters conversations were stilted and awkward too. I really wanted to like it but it just wasn't meant to be for me. I'm sure other readers will be able to comment better than I did though.

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Review: At Any Turn by Brenna Aubrey

At Any Turn by Brenna Aubrey
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

As I've read for many reviews on this page, I adored the novella/prequel and the 1st book in the series. It was just a fun read that was quirky and light and romantic and nerdy all mixed into one book.

This book? I have never been more pissed off at a character as I am right now toward Mia. Seriously, that girl is so dumb that I cannot think of any other (nice) words to describe her. If I met her in real life, I think I would punch her in the face and shove her into a locked closet until she got her head on straight. She made me SO MAD and she's MADE UP!!! And no, you are not supposed to hate it with a fiery passion (ohh, my words are coming to me now!!). Actually, you are supposed to send kind thoughts to her, except, OH YEAH SHE DIDN'T TRUST ANYONE TO TELL HER SECRET AND MADE EVERYONE SUFFER FOR NO REASON AT ALL!!!!

Okay, I'll try to simmer it down now. This book is told through Adam's viewpoint, whereas the first book was from Mia. I think the author should really consider redoing this book and adding Mia's viewpoint to it, because maybe I wouldn't be so mad as I am right now. If I could have understood what Mia was trying to prove, maybe it would make sense. But honestly, what she did was just a horrible, terrible thing to put her friends and family through and she was a terrible person for not thinking about their feelings either. Oh, sure, she said she was thinking about them, but she is just not a good person in this book (of course, this is my opinion).

Adam did everything in his power to do the right thing, but Mia was so secretive about it that he was never set up to win - only lose. And Heath? Don't get me started on that MF because he is just as bad as Mia.

If someone in my life were to do to me what Mia did to the people that she "loved" I would cut that person out of my life indefinitely. If I couldn't avoid them, I would honestly move away. That's how much I hate what Mia did. And she's so hypocritical too!! For what she went through in book 0 and 1, to how she acted in book 2?

I have never hated a character in the books I've read, but I seriously HATE Mia right now. So much so, that I'm not going to finish this series, and I'm not going to finish Mia and Adam's story, even though everything "should" be resolved in book 3. I don't think I could stand to hear Mia's viewpoint after this. Maybe during it, but not now.

And I think that Adam should dump her ass and move away. Forget about her. I know he won't, but I actually wish that would happen, because he deserves so much more from a woman he loves and who "loves" him back. This is not a healthy relationship, and it was so toxic with what she did to him.

Okay, I think I've ranted enough (because this was definitely a rant. Sorry!). I'm glad I got a chance to enjoy a great beginning to a series, but I'm sorry to say that this book was definitely not for me. I'm sure it gets better, so if this didn't piss you off as much as it did for me, I am happy to report that the series is now finish, so binge read away!

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Review: At Any Price by Brenna Aubrey

At Any Price by Brenna Aubrey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mia's story continues in this full length novel where she finds herself making a lot of unpredictable decisions in her life. She knew things were going to be a bit odd considering she was auctioning off her virginity. But when she realizes that the winner is the first person who she's been attracted to in 6+ years? That throws a wrench in her plans.

Adam challenges Mia and seems to extend their time together. At first Mia accepted it because she liked being around him, but after awhile she becomes suspicious of his actions.

Both characters are hiding secrets and a past they want to forget, but in order to have a future they are going to have to learn to trust. But time and patience is running out and their chance for happiness will soon expire.

I really enjoyed this novel! Mia is a great character. Sure she had some flaws, but that makes her human. I definitely get her reservations with some things that Adam was doing, but for the most part I was just jealous of her getting all of Adam's attention.

I'm very excited to set what is next for these two characters!

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Review: Girl Geek by Brenna Aubrey

Girl Geek by Brenna Aubrey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mia is a struggling college student, trying to get into Med School, loves playing video games, somewhat makes a paycheck from blogging about her video games, and works at a hospital to gain experience before going to Med School...hopefully. She's a pretty busy girl, but when she finds out her mom is sick and is struggling to make ends meet at home, Mia does everything in her power to help her. Even if it means auctioning off her virginity to get the most money that she can. But Mia is her own person, and she can decide what she wants to do. She's an adult. And as many times as her friends try to convince her otherwise, she will make her decision on how she wants it to happen.

I really admire Mia. She's in an industry (video gaming) where females are looked down on and she's advocating for equal rights. She's smart, and I think she should skip the Med School idea and go into video gaming herself. She has a lot of great ideas and can really make a change for the good when it comes to video games.

I'm very intrigued to read the rest of her story, and will now be diving into the next book in the series!

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Review: Overdrive by Dawn Ius

Overdrive by Dawn Ius
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review.

This is definitely the teen version of "Gone in 60 Seconds" and "The Fast and the Furious" movies. I loved it so much! It was very fast paced, very adventurous, and even had romance, friendships, and learning to trust again. Jules is a very guarded person, and she's very protective of her younger sister, Emma, so when they finally get a break in the foster system, she's trying to figure out what the catch is.

And there is a catch - one that she didn't see coming. With the help of the other 3 foster teens that Roger has, they have to go on a few more adventures before life can finally be normal for all of them.

I'm kicking myself that I didn't read this when I actually got the eARC, but I am glad that I found it on my kindle and finally read it. I really enjoyed the narration and the characters and the overall message that was given during this book. I may have to look into more books by this author!

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Review: Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard

Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review.

I made it to 60% of this book before having to give up on it. I just couldn't handle a lot of aspects and found myself skimming the novel too much for me to really appreciate the storyline. Sera finds out about this major secret about herself, and after 10 minutes of freaking out, she has accepted and knows everything about this new world. There seems to be no transition period where she is learning about this change in her life, and she just reads a few articles from the internet and she knows everything.

Then when it comes to the two guys in her life, she's making out with them and trying to figure out which one she loves the most. When Dev drops ANOTHER big secret on her, she at first doesn't remember, and then BAM she remembers again.

This was just very hard to follow. The storyline needed more information to building the new world that Amalie Howard was creating, and I was just along trying to figure out how everything was working. After realizing that I was a bit lost by 60%, I decided I didn't want to be lost anymore and gave up. I do have the second book as an eARC, but I don't think I'll be able to read it if I didn't finish the first novel. Maybe one day I'll try to read it again, but right now just isn't the right time for me to figure out what went wrong.

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Review: One Summer Weekend by Shannon Stacey

One Summer Weekend by Shannon Stacey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This was a short, cute novel that was a very fast read. I liked seeing these two characters realize that they are more than just best friends, even though they were fighting their feelings hard core. The writing to me seemed a bit stilted in places, and instead of FEELING the characters, it was more like a narration of what they were doing. But overall, I did enjoy this book, and I've enjoyed Shannon Stacey in the past, so I'm excited to see whats in store for her next!

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Review: Announcing Trouble by Amy Fellner Dominy

Announcing Trouble by Amy Fellner Dominy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Josie and Garrett are two great characters. I love the banner and interaction between the both of them and how they slowly started to trust one another. Or really Josie trusting Garrett because of her crappy past.

I also really enjoyed this unique book about sport recording and announcements. So many books are out there about the actually sport and playing the game, but to be able to see the "behind the scenes" job of announcing the support to other viewers not at the game was refreshing for me. This might give a younger reading audience another profession to look into when they decide on their future career.

The hurdles that the two main characters had to jump over in this book were deep stuff. But they were both so mature and mostly level headed about it. And they were pretty selfless as well.

I really enjoyed this book and I can see a lot of readers liking it as well! I'm very glad I got an eARC!

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Review: The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from the author. This is my honest review.

Brighton...I seriously love this girl and what she endured during this novella just breaks my heart. No one should go through that, and to see her struggle and suffer was just terrible. It did show that she is one tough chick who never gives up, and she is a fighter every second.

JLA did an amazing job detailing how an event like this can royally mess you up. Poor Brighton was so terrified and it was ingrained in her to fear certain things. I can't imagine going through something like this and the process for life to become normal is just unfathomable.

One thing that I would LOVE to see is Caden's point of view. I feel like I NEED to read about his reaction and thoughts and feelings and life will not be whole for me until I get this, because I can certainly imagine it, but I'm sure it was 100 times worse for him.

Also, the ending of the book? Definitely called it. And I even guessed the name of the next one before I read it! Yes, this is a cliffhanger ending. Yes, you are going to be dying for more. Yes, you are going to have to wait. But yes, you are going to love Every. Single. Word. of this book and be left wanting more. I'm actually tempted to re-read it just because I flew through it so quickly!

This was such an amazing novella and I'm so glad I got a chance to read an eARC of it!

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Review: Fearless King by Maya Hughes

Fearless King by Maya Hughes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ford and Liv's story seems like it was building in each Kings novel until this final story. They have been dancing around each other fite forever and finally have combusted with each other.

This book was frustrating and satisfying all at once. The excuses on why they couldn't be together; the occurrences that kept happening when they did want to be with each other; and the family members that made them feel guilty for wanting one another. If it wasn't one thing it was another and they just kept piling on.

Though I do have to say that Colm is a bit of a jerk. I get he's going through some things bit the way he treated Liv? That's just not right.

I'm so glad I discovered this series and I'm excited to read the last one when it comes out!

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Review: Summer Heat by Rachel Van Dyken

Summer Heat by Rachel Van Dyken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Rachel Van Dyken is always an author that I enjoy, and that was the case for this novel. The reader could tell that Ray and Marlo were feeling tension with one another. They said it was anger, but what's the saying? 'There's a fine line between hate and love?'

I feel for both characters for different reasons. Marlo because of his high school days of getting bullied and seeing the one person he loves treat him like shit. Ray because all she wanted was love and acceptance growing up and the only person who gave that to her is the person she failed the most.

The majority of this book is both characters reminiscing about their feelings toward the other one, and then that ending?! I instantly went to Amazon to find the next book but stuck out, so now I'm left wanting more because that was a total cliffhanger!

I very much enjoyed this book and will be on the look out for the other two novels!

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Review: The QB Bad Boy and Me by Tay Marley

The QB Bad Boy and Me by Tay Marley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review.

This was a cute book! I loved the two main characters and even though they both denied their feelings and made the book a little longer than it needed to be, I was still rooting for them! Drayton is the boy that all of the girls wish they had in their lives, so for Dallas to catch his attention was a big deal for him. But he was too stubborn to actually tell Dallas his feelings, and was broody, mean, and surly for the beginning part of the book.

Dallas is a no-nonsense gal who is very independent and determined to get what she wants. A serious relationship was not anything on her to-do for the near future, and she was very adamant with Drayton. But she was also getting feelings toward him that confused not only her, but also Drayton.

The side characters were amazing, and the family members of these two were great. I loved how both of them had to jump over their own hurdles before they could finally understand what was right in front of them.

I'm so glad I got a chance to read this eARC and I can see a lot of readers really falling in love with everything this book has to offer!

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Review: In Plain Sight by Amy Sparling

In Plain Sight by Amy Sparling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book. I really felt for Maddie and her family in the beginning and I was very happy when things turned around for them. I don't blame her for letting this new lifestyle take over at first, but I am glad she didn't lose her true identity.

Colby is also a down to earth guy. He seems a bit more nervous to dive into something new, but he's growing more into his own identity.

Overall this was a short fun novel!

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Review: The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski

The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

While this isn't an advanced book anymore, I'm still glad I got a chance to read it. Emma and Eli have such a great friendship - something many people don't get to experience. There were some parts that got to be a bit much and repetitive, but overall this was a good book. A very quick read and a happily ever after.

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Review: The Perfect First by Maya Hughes

The Perfect First by Maya Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Seph's experience in college hasn't been ideal for her yet. She's following her father's guidance and living by his rules, but the more she's at Fulton University, the more she wants to live. So she decides to put an ad online for someone to have sex with. She wants to lose her virginity, so why not get all of the information from a contender beforehand, right?

When Reece stumbles into an unknown interview with a girl who wants to have sex, he was definitely not ready for that. Reece is focused on getting into the pros for football, so when Seph's very personal questions are directed at him, he finds that his attention was completely focused on her.

Reece is not the guy for Seph, but he does want to help her check off some other firsts. The more their friendship grows, though, the more they both get confused on where the lines start and end with each other. Soon, emotions are taking over, but reality is going to crash down soon, and they are going to have to figure out what they really want in life.

This was a great book! The attraction between these two is intense and they are both so opposite of each other. I love how Seph kept surprising Reece over and over again. She does not act how she looks, which proves the theory that things aren't always what they appear to be.

The home situation with Seph? Yeah, that's heavy. I'm happy about the ending, but I could never imagining having to live through that. And I so love Reece's family! They are a hoot and a half!

I'm so glad I got a chance to read this and I'm exciting that it is part of a series. I can't wait to see which character is next to fall in love, and the adventures they are going to take!

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