Review: Better Than Revenge by Kasie West

Better Than Revenge by Kasie West
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, Kasie West has entrapped me with her storytelling and has wrote another great novel that I binge read. So is her books are the traditional YA romances that are clean and have such a big message to tell her readers. 

Finley and Theo's story was truly realistic for me. What Jensen did to her, taking her dream spot away when she's been working towards that for years? That was extremely hurtful and disgusting. To be dating someone for a year, hearing about their goal and dream to be one of the lead Podcaster, just to try out for fun basically with no real passion for it? He really didn't care or love Finley as a person let alone as a girlfriend who he was suppose to support.

So her decision to get revenge? Steal his kicker position in the football team since it's the first year he's able to be the main kicker? I am fully 100% in support of this plan. I actually truly love this plan. Give him a taste of his own medicine. 

And the fact she got Theo to train her? Even better. The atmosphere between these two during this novel was intense and sweet all at once. I loved their banter so much. 

But also? I absolutely adored the moments with her grandma and the side mission she created trying to help her with remembering her past. I thought that was the sweetest.

Kasie will always be a must read author for me. I inhale her books and love the characters and story each and every time. They always have a great message in the background and I always find myself smiling by the end of her books. Can't wait for the next novel! 

View all my reviews

Review: Iceberg by Jennifer A Nielsen

Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yet another book i wouldn't have picked up if it weren't for my job and this one was very emotional, having to deal with passengers on the Titanic. Hazel is a force to be reckoned with, and she's only 12 years old. The amount of amazing questions she has and the focus to click things together to come up with answers is astonishing. She never gives up her drive to find the answers. 

I'm sure everyone can relate to ignoring a childs constant line of fire with questions as I'm sure everyone in the Titanic was doing with Hazel. But if she didn't get any answers from one person, she simply moved on to the next person or read about the topic in a book. She definitely has the drive of a journalist and I hope she goes on to be a successful one. 

Charlie was one of my favorites, along with Ruth Abelman. Charlie because no matter how much he knew he was going to get into trouble, he always came back to help Hazel. 

And Ruth? That woman made me tear up more times than I thought possible. I love how sky she is. How she didn't let class stop her from doing what she wanted. How she wanted to be helpful and useful and needed in a way she knew she would never be again. Her love for Hazel was so apparent and I love knowing Hazel was watched out for by so many people aboard the Titanic.

Seeing men and crew sacrifice their lives to help women and children? The musicians playing their music until they no longer couldn't? Gave me chills because those were the ultimate heroes on that horrid day. I couldn't imagine being a passenger of any status or final result on that ship. Makes a person stop and appreciate what we have in our lives now. 

View all my reviews

Review: Firebird by Juliette Cross

Firebird by Juliette Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I have been wanting to read this book for awhile now and I am so glad Edelweiss approved my request! 

I loved Malina. She has so much confidence and spunk. She knows she capable of taking care of herself because of her gift. But she also knows what she believes in and doesn't stray them. 

Julianus is intriguing. He knows his uncle is evil and has a long winded plan to overcome his rule. He's brutal and cunning. But the moment he lays eyes on Malina, he knows everything takes a back seat to his devotion to her. 

I love that this didn't end on a completely awful ending, yet more will be coming! It's refreshing to not be in agony when ending a book for once. 

I'm so glad I got to read this and can't wait for all of my special edition copies to get delivered! 

View all my reviews

Review: Dance of Deception by Jagger Cole

Dance of Deception by Jagger Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

Carmine and Lyra's story was great! I love seeing these two opposites get more and more intertwined with each other. Lyra has had a pretty crappy childhood and she's not having a great adult life either with her awful mom and now people wanting money from her terrible father's life choices that still haunt her. 

And I love Carmine's disconnect from human nature, but his sole focus pinpointing Lyra. Seeing him act out of nature for him with his focus on Lyra should have been disturbing but I loved every minute of it. 

All the twists and turns that dealt with Lyra's father? Brilliant. I loved the suspense and mystery. And i loved the moments that showed Lyra dancing. 

This was another great novel by Jagger Cole and I can't wait for the next installment! 

View all my reviews

Review: Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver

Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fionn and Rose are so different from the previous characters in this series. Not in a bad way, but it was definitely a slower pace book and not as intense with the for. I loved Rose's mission and what she was doing, but this woman definitely does not have the strong stomach like Sloane or Lark, that's for sure. 

Fionn is almost...timid... compared to his brothers. I know he had this lifestyle in mind to control his darker urges but it was always triggered when Rose was in danger. And for him to crochet? Loved that bit. So unpredictable! 

I know a ton of readers fell in love with Barbara so I was expecting... more and was a bit let down when she wasn't in the book as much as I thought she would be. 

I loved that the brothers are so tight and that we got to see so much of that in this novel. And seeing Rose bond with Sloane and Lark was awesome. 

Do overall I'm glad I read this book and series! Definitely a different type of story that I wasnt expecting to love so much. Intrigued to see what Brynne Weaver comes up with next! 

View all my reviews

Review: Borrow My Heart by Kasie West

Borrow My Heart by Kasie West
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As always, once I decide to read a Kasie West book, I wonder why i took so long to get around to reading it because I loved it so much. 

Wren and Asher's story is very relatable and can easily be a real story in our society today. I love that shy, rule following Wren went outside her safe space to save Asher from being humiliated by his friend Dale. She didn't like to see him bullied or ghosted and wanted to help by proving Dale wrong. What she didn't expect was to actually like Asher, which then made her plan messy. 

I also love that Wren works with animals at the shelter and truly loves the animals. You can always tell who is at a shelter for the paycheck or to actually help the animals find their forever home. Her connection with Bean was so sweet and I loved that she tried over and over for him to find his new human and didn't give up hope. 

Wren's complicated situation with her mother was heartbreaking to see, but even worse was when her sister Zoey lashed out because she couldn't handle the truth about her mother's lack of love for her daughters. I think that was the truest scenario, that Zoey treating her that way hurt way worse than her mother because Wren didn't see Zoey's anger coming, but already knew her mother would disappoint before the end of their visit. 

The social media bit of this book also made it super relevant in today's society. So many people think they can just post whatever they want without permission from the people in their videos. That's so disrespectful of people privacy and lives. Wren was walking around not knowing people were talking about her and I honestly would have held my grudge and anger way longer than she did. 

I'm so glad I finally read this book and know it's one of my top favorite of Kasie West novels to date! Can't wait to dive into the next one soon! 

View all my reviews

Review: Requiem by Hannah McBride

Requiem by Hannah McBride
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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

I loved coming back into this world and getting Dimitri and Lulu's story! Lulu had been through so much emotional turmoil her whole life. Having Dimitri in it has made things bearable but also excruciatingly hard for her after what they both went through as kids.

I love how protective Dimitri is of Lulu. And how he's always there for her, even when she doesn't want him there, but still needs him. 

And Lulu's magic is getting the best of her, but I'm sure in book 2 she will be able to control it with ease because she is capable of so much.

I'm so excited this novel has been released into the world and I can't wait for the next novel to conclude their story and see how things end! 

View all my reviews