Reads Over Needs - A Book Review Blog

Review - The King - J.R. Ward

2014-04-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Title: The King
Author: J.R. Ward
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Release Date: April 1st, 2014
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #12
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis via Goodreads

Long live the King…

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle--with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything--and everyone--at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response--or the distance it creates between them.

The question is, will true love win out... or tortured legacy take over?

My rating:

So this was me when The King finally came out:

Guys. This was intense. I cried four times. Four. I almost never cry while reading anything, but for some reason the feels were just exploding out of me.

Hey, J.R.?

Jeez. Okay. Time to get my shit together and write something resembling a review. *clears throat*

Beth & Wrath
Aka Queen B and ~~Khal Drogo~~ (Ah, come on. Don't tell me when you picture Wrath you don't imagine him looking a little like Jason Momoa). Anyway, honestly, I'd forgotten how much I loved these two. I'm glad I'd just done a re-read of the entire series because there were a few references to Dark Lover that would've baffled the hell out of me. Case in point, a lovely conversation between Beth and Tohr.

[Beth] "'Do you still root for the monster?'

There was a pause. And then the Brother laughed in his trademark baritone. 'Are you telling me there's another Godzilla marathon on?'"

Beth and Wrath go through some serious issues throughout the entire book. At first, most of it just felt like arguing and I was starting to get tired every time I saw a shift to one of their POV's because I didn't want another argument or lengthy reflection on how the current argument was ruining their relationship. But then the love and general concern and all around stress of their situation kept shining through their rants, and it was all good. J.R. did an excellent job titling this book. Each problem Beth & Wrath had, each decision they made influenced the throne somehow and it was interesting to how they'd work through the problems. Which, of course they did. They were the reason for my continuous flow of tears, mostly towards the end when it got really sappy. (But in a good way.)

Assail/Sola

Like, you don't even understand. They are the main reason I was anticipating this book. I FELL FOR THEM SO HARD in Lover At Last. Each time either one of their POVs showed up, I did a little happy dance even though they were in the shittiest circumstances. If you read LAL, you know Sola's been kidnapped. Assail turns into a raging psychopath (which, you know, is just a euphemism for badass bonded male) to get her back. Is it bad that I enjoyed all the murder he executed on Sola's behalf? Yes? Well WHO GIVES A FUCK. They were awesome. All of their moments post-kidnapping were so heartbreaking and intense. Assail was gentle and kind to both Sola and her grandmother (who was HILARIOUS, btw). Watching the way he loved her with this quiet, brooding intensity made me swoon many, many times. Observe:

"Through the windows of the kitchen, he saw her [Sola] standing by the table, rifling through a suitcase as if searching for something she was leaving behind.

Out here, my love, he thought. What you have lost is out here.

And then her grandmother made an appearance with the cousins, and it was clear that the female did not approve of the leaving.

Just one more thing to adore about her."

I wanted them to stay together and live out their HEA, but sadly that just wasn't the case. I won't say more, but DAMN. Oh, and P.S. when is J.R. going to give them more air time? They deserve it!

Trez/iAm/Selena
Trez gets a lot of air time in this one. iAm gets just about as much, too, I guess. In LAL I was really curious to see where Trez and Selena's relationship would go, but by the time I was well into The King...meh. I stopped caring at some point, and found myself wanting to skip ahead to the parts about Assail/Sola and Beth/Wrath. There wasn't anything wrong with Trez's POV or storyline, though, I just tired of it fast. Like, I get it. He sleeps with everyone, he's wanted back in the Territory to be a sex slave, etc etc. Each time his POV arrived, that's all he went on about. It got too monotonous and I got bored. Even his thing with Selena was shadowed (no pun intended) by all of his misgivings. He wasn't good enough for her, he was dirty, but he wanted her so bad. He was a walking contradiction, nearly having sex with the woman at one point and then trying to get away from her the very next.

Xcor/BoB/Layla
Another subplot that kinda faded for me. Maybe it's because none of these players have much air time, too. I don't quite know what to say about any of them. Xcor was...different. Not as hard, not as badass. Like a washed out version of himself, and not in a tortured hero kind of way. More like a "who the hell are you and what have you done with Xcor" kind of way. Layla definitely didn't have enough air time to make an impact, either. I mean, she made some big decisions regarding Xcor that are definitely going to be game changers, but I couldn't bring myself to care. And the decision that Xcor made towards the end (not gonna spoil it, but damn) just made me lose all respect for him as an antagonist (or at least an anti-hero).

The Brothers/Lassiter/John Matthew
In my opinion, the Brothers needed to be in the spotlight a bit more. They were just...there. A few would pipe in with a burst of individuality with a witty quip, but most of the time the Brotherhood functioned as a group. i.e. "The Brotherhood did this.." Or at least that's what it felt like. Lassiter, being the fabulous angel he is, commanded that spotlight a few times. His scenes were hilarious. John Matthew was pretty involved throughout the whole thing, especially in Beth's POV and more than a few times in Wrath's.

I know it sounds like I'm kind of going in on the subplots, so a couple people are wondering why I gave it 5 stars. Mostly for the effortless and engaging writing style that J.R. has. Even if I didn't care about Trez or Layla or Xcor, I still read it and loved it because there was no way I was missing out on anything J.R. wrote. Plus, the feels. The feels definitely make the 5 star rating, on both Beth/Wrath's end as well as Assail/Sola's end. The angst, the crying, the anger, the romance, the sappiness, the humor, even the arguing. All of that and just the fact that I enjoyed this book immensely. Couldn't put it down actually, and the thing's long as hell.

Now that The King's done. Who's up next? Trez? (Please, no.) Xcor? (Meh.) Assail? (HELL. FUCKING. YES!)

Hiatus - Duration Unknown

2013-12-30T11:47:00.001-08:00

Yep, you read the title right. I'm taking a hiatus. Not sure for how long, though.

Here's the reason why: right now it feels like blogging has taken the ultimate back seat. It's something I have to remind myself to do. And when I actually sit down to do it it feels slightly forced. So I want to take time away to focus on other things. School, friends, family. Finding Waldo. Stuff like that, y'know?

All quirkiness aside, this doesn't mean I won't be reading every single day. I don't think anything could stop me from doing that. But I just need a breather from the pressure and resulting guilt of abandoning my blog for weeks at a time. Hope you guys can understand.

Until next time, blogosphere!

Life of a Blogger - TV SHOWS

2013-12-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

Life of a Blogger is a super awesome new meme started up by Jessi over at Novel Heartbeat. This week's topic is: TV Shows.

I don't watch TV as much as I used to. Which kinda sucks 'cause I feel like they keep getting better. Back in the day, I had an entire list of shows I watched and could rattle off but now I either 1) Don't have time for TV or 2) Forget that the show exists, miss several episodes, and never catch up. It's a sad endless cycle, really. As of right now, these are the shows I'm trying to consecutively watch:

The Vampire Diaries (CW) - Ever since I read the books, I've yet to miss an episode. Okay. That's a lie. I'm totally slacking right now, and I still have to watch the past 2 (?) episodes. BUT that might be because this season kinda blows so far.

Awkward (MTV) - I'm a comedy addict. I need to laugh and this is by far the most hilarious show on TV right now. I thought it was totally stupid before I actually got into it, but I'm SO GLAD I did. It has such weird, yet relatable humor.

Nikita (CW) - ...I feel like the last person in the universe who still watches this. It's probably THE MOST UNDERRATED TV show out there. I know there's only like 6 episodes left until it's done forever, but I can't NOT watch it. So much action and guns and romance and complexity AHHH!

Witches of East End (Lifetime) - Seriously, everytime I sit down to watch this show I wonder why. The graphics suck. The acting is...meh and so is the plot. I think I still watch it for the love triangle and the deliciousness that is Killian. Call me shallow, but DAYUM that man is all kinds of attractive.

Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime) - Back when I thought I wanted to be a lawyer (I think I still do?) this show was like my Holy Grail. It's funny, has a slightly fantasy-esque romance that's so sweet, and has the sassiest, most sophisticated protagonist I've seen in a while. I've NEVER BEEN BORED with this show and I always hate it when I miss an episode. It's on hiatus right now, though, but I won't be missing it when it comes back on.

True Blood (HBO) - Vampires. I know. But it's just so good! I'm still kinda pissed with how the last season ended. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it yet, but GAHH! This show can be so gruesome and then so raunchy, but I keep watching it. Anywho, Eric Northman. YES. Did that make sense? No? K.

The Legend of Korra (Nickelodeon) - As an addict of Avatar: The Last Airbender, OF COURSE I'd watch this too. I mean, it's not as good, but I like it. The only thing is I have to watch nearly all of the episodes On Demand 'cause it comes on on Friday at around 6 or 7-ish? (correct me if I'm wrong lol) and I'm usually either eating, sleeping, or relishing my freedom from the monotonous prison that is high school.

Devious Maids (Lifetime) - I was iffy about this show at first. I'm not a big fan of whodunit plotlines. But now it has me hooked. Each maid's story is so complex and I find myself rooting for them and getting scared because I didn't know what would happen next. My favorite characters have to be Valentina and Remy. I loved their sorta-forbidden romance.

Then there's the shows that I don't currently watch, but turn to whenever they come on:

Big Bang Theory - Quirky geniuses & Sheldon Cooper. 'Nuff said.
The Voice - Singers who can actually sing. 'Nuff said.
Law & Order: SVU - SO DRAMATIC AND MOVING! *clears throat* ...'Nuff said.
Modern Family - Entertaining and strangely addictive. 'Nuff said.
One Tree Hill - Grew up with this show! 'Nuff said.
Pretty Little Liars - Intense and mysterious. Plus, I want their closets. 'Nuff said.
Family Feud - I seriously wanna go on this show someday!! 'Nuff said.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - Um. Will Smith. 'Nuff said.

And just for the hell of it, there's the shows I used to watch when I was younger & sometimes turn to whenever they happen to show up because I still enjoy them (and I'm a giant kid) :

Charmed - Badass witches.
Zoey 101- This show was the reason I wanted to go to boarding school in Malibu. Alas, that never happened and I never got over it. Le sigh...
Drake and Josh - Friggin' legendary show, and the definition of my childhood!
Danny Phantom - I had the hugest crush on Danny Phantom. Don't judge me! Oh, and the theme song was cool and fun to sing.
Avatar: The Last Airbender - If I could be a water-bender, I would. No question.

There's probably about a million more shows that I'm missing, but these were the ones that came to mind. So whadya think? We share any in common? Or do you just want to commend my taste in TV? Or do you want to recommend any shows? Or do you want me to stop asking questions that start with "or"? Okay. I'm done. :P

Review - Shadows - By: Paula Weston

2013-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Title: Shadows
Author: Paula Weston
Publisher: Tundra Books
Release Date: September 10th, 2013
Series: The Rephaim #1
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis via Goodreads

Love. Nightmares. Angels. War. A fast-paced, compelling debut novel from a fresh new voice in YA.

It’s been almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant.

It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams, he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense.

Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth – and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly – who can she trust?

My rating:

This book was surprisingly good! From the synopsis, I thought it'd be fairly cliche. You know, girl is in car accident. Car accident kills family member/friend. And then she spends her every waking moment moaning and groaning about the unfairness of it all and pushing everyone away. AND SUDDENLY...a boy--who is unbelievably attractive, of course--swoops into her life and fixes everything and they live happily ever after.

Go on, tell me that that's not how nearly EVERY story goes these days.

Fortunately, this was not that story. I was impressed with how it quickly picked up from it's slow start and completely engaged me. It's one of those books that you never want to put down, and for all the right reasons. Badass characters. An intriguing mystery. Intricate, masterful worldbuilding. Smexual tension galore! (Yes, I meant smexual). And a hero to swoon over.

Gaby's one of the most amusing, engaging and interesting heroines I've read in a while. She actually had a brain, guys! Halle-freaking-lujah. She perfectly balanced her grief with her sense of self, even though she didn't fully understand who she was. And Rafa. Gorgeous, hilarious Rafa. He exceeded all of my expectations. Usually, I have to brace myself when it comes to the males in this particular YA genre. Brace myself for the inevitable douchebags that try to come off as redeemable in the end but sort of just make me want to facepalm. I didn't really have that issue with Rafa. He was a smartass, but not a dick. Badass, but not unbearably arrogant.

Really, this book seemed to be set up for hundreds of cliches, but it avoided them all and turned out fabulous. Easily a 5-star-er.

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

Waiting on Wednesday #8

2013-11-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

MY PICK FOR THIS WEEK:

Title: Bitter Sweet Love
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: December 1st, 2013
Series: The Dark Elements #0.5

Synopsis via Goodreads

Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining balance between good and evil. He was her everything...right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.

And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again...

WHY I'M WAITING:

I know, I know. You're probably thinking Damn Taylor, another JLA book? (Oh, and if you weren't thinking that, well, take a seat, stay a while, and browse my past WOWs 'cause I think like three of 'em are JLA books.)

Anyway, it's not my fault! She just...Keeps. On. Writing. I have a conspiracy theory about that, you know. It may or may not involve cyborgs. (Did I spell that right lol?)

Back to the book. I'm waiting on Bitter Sweet Love by the lovely Jennifer L. Armentrout. Guess what? It's YA. Totally wasn't expecting that. The cover's kinda...*shivers* HAWT.

Life of a Blogger : Favorite Bands

2013-11-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

Life of a Blogger is a super awesome new meme started up by Jessi over at Novel Heartbeat. When I came across her post about starting the meme, I thought it was an amazing idea. I thought it'd be a great way to share a bit more about myself outside of the bookish memes I usually do as well as a way to get insight into my fellow book blogger's lives. Plus, I kinda like talking about myself. ;) Even better, the first post is : Favorite Bands! There was no way I was gonna pass up an opportunity to talk about music. It's my life. Aside from books. And food. And coffee. So without further ado...

1) Sleeping With Sirens

Favorite Song:

Satellites

Favorite Album:

With Ears to See, and Eyes to Hear

"I fell in love from the moment we kissed. Since then we've been history."

2) Florence + The Machine

Favorite Song:

Girl With One Eye

Favorite Album:

Ceremonials

"Regrets collect like old friends. Here to relive your darkest moments."

3) The Civil Wars

Favorite Song:

Poison & Wine

Favorite Album:

Barton Hollow

"Your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine. You think your dreams are the same as mine."

4) Demi Lovato

Favorite Song:

Warrior

Favorite Album:

Demi

"Your love lifts me out of time. And you know my heart by heart."

5) Paramore

Favorite Song:

Let the Flames Begin

Favorite Album:

Brand New Eyes

"And when I get there, it won’t be far enough. I’m a renegade. It’s in my blood."

6) Jessie J

Favorite Song:

Mamma Knows Best

Favorite Album:

Who You Are

"Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing. It's okay not to be okay. Sometime's it's hard to follow your heart. Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising."

7) Kate Voegele

Favorite Song:

Angel

Favorite Album:

A Fine Mess

"Oh and just when I believe you've changed for good. Well you go and prove me wrong just like I knew you would."

So...if you hadn't noticed by now: I have a thing for strong, unique vocalists with huge ranges and emotions that pour into their music. I like to feel when I hear music. Each of the Favorite Songs made me pause once (likely midsentence since I talk so much) and go: Who the HELL is that and where can I find more of their music?!

**Note: The quotes beneath the info are just a few favorite quotes from different songs, not exactly the songs I listed as my favorites.

Teaser Tuesdays #4

2013-10-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along with Teaser Tuesdays, you just need to:

Grab your current read.
Open to a random page.
Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
Be careful not to include spoilers! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

This week's teaser comes from Abbi Gline's The Vincent Boys. The last time I've seen anything by Ms. Glines was when I was putting the last book in her Existence trilogy down. And honestly, I never really actively planned on reading something by her again.

When my Adult reading tastes shifted more to New Adult rather than Paranormal Romance, The Vincent Boys was one of the first books to pop up on my radar. It had high ratings all around, and there was nothing demanding on my TBR list at the time. So I picked it up, and whadya know...it's the shit! I don't know if I'm going to be doing a full review of it yet, so just in case I don't, I highly recommend it!

Teaser :

"The moment she stepped into the clearing holding Sawyer's hand my heart sped up. Just seeing her made me a little crazy."

Synopsis via Goodreads

Ashton is getting tired of being good, of impressing her parents and playing ideal girlfriend to Sawyer Vincent. Sawyer is perfect, a regular Prince Charming, but when he leaves town for the summer, it’s his cousin Beau who catches Ashton’s eye. Beau is the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, and even though he’s dangerous, Ashton is drawn to him.

Beau loves his cousin like a brother, so the last thing he wants to do is make a move on Sawyer’s girl. Ashton is off-limits, absolutely. That’s why he does his best to keep his distance, even though he’s been in love with her forever. When Ashton wants to rekindle their childhood friendship in Sawyer’s absence, Beau knows he should say no.

Ashton and Beau don’t want to hurt Sawyer. But the more they try to stay away from each other, the more intense their urges become. It’s getting way too hard to resist....

Waiting on Wednesday #7

2013-10-02T16:17:00.002-07:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

MY PICK FOR THIS WEEK:

Title: Sentinel
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: November 2nd, 2013
Series: Covenant #5

Synopsis via Goodreads

It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.

In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.

WHY I'M WAITING:

I feel like I should re-dedicate my blog to pimping out JLA's books. Really. I swear she's a lean-mean-writing-machine. She writes more books in a year than I could even think up a concept for one. The best part? THEY'RE ALL AWESOME BOOKS. I'm certain she has magical powers. There's just no other option.

Anywho, back on topic. I'm waiting on Sentinel.

Okay, not really. I'm more sobbing myself to sleep every night & trying to fill the void with other books. There's not much actual waiting involved. (I'm melodramatic. Sue me.)

Stacking the Shelves #6

2013-09-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we share books we're adding to our shelves, be they physical or e-copies.

BOUGHT/BORROWED

All of You - Christina Lee

Inbetween - Tara A. Fuller

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

Unchained - J. Lynn

Grave Mercy - Robin LaFevers

My Favorite Mistake - Chelsea M. Cameron

Sweet Evil - Wendy Higgins

Of Beast and Beauty - Stacey Jay

One Tiny Lie - K.A. Tucker

Shattered Promises - Jessica Sorensen

VIA NETGALLEY

Endless - Amanda Gray

Broken Beauty - Chloe Adams

Okay. It's official. I have no self-control. I actually should be doing my homework right this second, because I hate putting it off until Sunday--BAHAHAHA! Ah, okay, I tried! The beauty of the internet is that if you knew me in real life you'd realize: That's a total lie. I procrastinate like nobody's business. I NEVER do my homework on Saturdays. That's my bookish time. Somehow I still manage to get shit done. Not sure how, but that's how it usually goes. (Don't be like me!)

Back to bizniz: there's twelve books this week. Count 'em, TWELVE. Not the one or two I thought I'd end up buying or dragging my lazy ass to the library for. Where'd my self-control go, then? Welp, that's an easy question!

Probably the same place my hopes and dreams went. LOL. No. I kid, I kid.

The real answer is that I'm not entirely sure. All I know is, I was checking goodreads, realized a bunch of stuff I'd been waiting months for was coming out, and suddenly I was purchasing it all. I have a problem, guys. Seriously. No credit or debit card is safe with me. The only good thing to come out of this situation is the fact that I'll be comforted by my lack of money with new awesome books.

Totally worth it.

Anywho, enough about me. Did you do a Stacking the Shelves post? Leave me a link in the comments, and I'll stop on by!

Review - Ten Tiny Breaths - K.A. Tucker

2013-09-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

Title: Ten Tiny Breaths
Author: K.A. Tucker
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: December 9th, 2012
Series: Ten Tiny Breaths #1
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis via Goodreads

Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

My rating:

4.5 Stars

Someone please slap me silly for putting this book on the backburner for so long. For real. How did I manage to skip over this book in favor of all the lesser ones that made me want to cry murderous tears? (You ever get that feeling? Where you hate a character so much—who isn’t the villain—that you wish you could just strangle them?)

Ten Tiny Breaths gives the phrase “beautifully broken” a whole new meaning for me. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a good tortured heroine book in a long time. But that’s exactly what this was, and it was all so perfectly executed. Not once did I wish for the protagonist, Kacey, to get hit by a car and have the story *cough*mercifully*cough* end. And man am I making myself sound like a crazy for willing sudden death upon fictional characters, but it’s been a bad week in terms of finding half-decent books for me, all right?

I think it’s been a year since I’ve found a character that I love this much. Kacey Cleary is one sarcastic, hilarious, all around badass chick. The catch, then? She's got some issues. Some emotionally repressive issiues. When she was 16, she was involved in a car accident. An accident that killed her parents, her best friend, and her boyfriend. Not to mention two of the three drunken guys that caused the accident. Her sister, Livie, is all that she has left. And that accident caused more devastation than anyone thought. It left her numb.

Broke and in a new city, Kacey and Livie find a home in this dingy apartment complex and simply try to survive. There they meet their neighbors. A single mom and her daughter. And a super hot guy who goes by the name of Trent.

Trent and Kacey’s attraction happens fast. Like, really fast. By their second time meeting, before I even really get a sense of who Trent was beyond the fact that he was sexy, had dimples, and blue eyes, he was already up close and personal with Kacey. Despite that, though, it was easy to like him. He played the savior role flawlessly, even though Kacey didn’t really need it. Have I mentioned that she's badass?

One of the best parts about Kacey was how she carried herself. Confident, even though a lot of it was bravado. On the inside, she’d be anxious, and you’d never know it by the strange and amusing things that came out of her mouth. You could tell that she had issues, but the way she dealt with them was all apart of her charm. (Not that I’m saying it was particularly healthy.) She effortlessly pulled off the snarky, tough-chick vibe without being annoying at all.

I came to love the rest of the side characters as much as I did the main ones. There’s little more than half a dozen. Livie. Storm. Mia. Dan. Ben. Tanner. Cain. Nate. If you haven’t read the book, then they’re just names. But if you have, then you know that each character has their own voice and serve as more than plot devices. And damn if I didn’t enjoy the fact that none of them seemed to embrace the stereotypes surrounding them. Storm was smarter and more talented than anyone gave her credit for. Cain wasn’t as sleazy as I—and Kacey—thought he’d be with the type of business he was in. Each of them was unique and interesting, and they all became vital parts of Kacey’s life as she learned to heal from her past.

Another vital part of Kacey’s healing process was her actual romantic relationship with Trent. Or, well, it was more like the catalyst. She fought tooth and nail to not fall for him. Which, I guess, it was pretty hard to do since that man made it his life’s mission to make her happy. To make her laugh and smile. Sounds pretty sappy, but when you learn the real reason behind why…wow. I literally put my Nook down and said into the empty air: “I cannot believe this shit!” Shout out to K.A. Tucker for delivering the best spinning-kick-plot-twist I’ve read in a while.

Their HEA happened so close to the end, I never thought it’d happen. But when it did, there were tears in my eyes. And I learned a very, very valuable lesson: For the love of chocolate sauce and steaming hot coffee, the next time I put a book this good off for more than a week, someone reach through their computer screen and give me a good shaking!

Or just send me an email recommending it. That works, too. ;)

**ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Review - No One's Angel - By: Kelly Walker

2013-09-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Title: No One's Angel
Author: Kelly Walker
Publisher: All Night Reads
Release Date: September 6th, 2013
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis via Goodreads

Tess used to spend more hours than she’d care to admit playing her favorite computer game, using the nickname Angel. She could pretend her life was different, and she could pretend Arion was just a friend. But a girl needs more to keep her warm at night than pixels and she traded her virtual heaven for a real life hell. Now she’s on the run from a past she won’t talk about, and the only place she has to go is the doorstep of the friend she’s never actually met.

When Angel disappeared from their nightly games, it nearly destroyed Arion. He threw himself into work and women, but he can’t help knowing the one night stands will never compare to the angel who haunts his dreams. At first, when she shows up soaking wet and scared-shitless on his doorstep, he thinks his prayers have been answered.

But the more Arion tries to keep Angel close, the more her fear drives her away. If they are ever going to have a chance for a future, they’ll first have to deal with the past that hasn’t forgotten her any more than she’s forgotten it, and Arion will have to learn how to let her go.

My rating:

Damn. Fooled by the synopsis again. Be careful, guys. It sounds way better than it actually is. When I requested it, I thought I’d be getting an exciting, original story with complex characters and a heart-swelling romance.

Exciting, it ain’t. Original? Not quite.

Wanna know what sucks the most? I thought it was going to be a 5 star-er. It started off so strong. Kelly Walker pulled me into the story from page one with her fluid, angsty pace. The first chapter opens with Angel (Tess) in the rain, broke and shivering, and looking for a specific place. When she gets there, we learn it was not the place exactly that she was searching for, but a guy named Arion. A guy she’d never met, but had forged an online connection with in a game.

So, yeah, it seemed like it’d be all kinds of unique. Except it fell flat. Really, really flat. The uniqueness wore off in about four chapters when all Angel and Arion did was lay around his home and sleep and have a bunch of meaningless conversation. I kept waiting for something to happen, something to spice up the monotony.

I waited a long time.

I think there was supposed to be a plot, but I didn’t find one. Seriously. This book flipflopped between Arion and Angel doing absolutely nothing with their lives, him trying to get her to open up about why she sought him out in the first damn place, and Angel trying to figure that out for herself.

Angel had been in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Nick. When she decided she’d had enough, she ran to Arion. (It’s not a spoiler; you figure it out pretty quickly.) From Arion’s preconceptions of her, she was supposed to be this feisty, sarcastic, smart girl. I didn’t see that at all. I mean, I get it. She was vulnerable and trying to put herself together after being in such an abusive environment, so I didn’t expect for her to be those things for a while. The thing was…they never showed up. And all the while Arion was thinking ‘Gosh, she’s so strong and beautiful and stunning and awesome and spunky and blah blah blah.’ I got HOW they fell in love. I just couldn’t understand WHY. Maybe I just didn’t see it, but the only character traits I got from her were annoying, indecisive, and unnecessarily stubborn the few times that she stood up for herself.

As for Arion…he was mediocre. That’s all that comes to mind when I think of him. He had a bit more substance than Angel, but not much. The occasional funny line thrown here and there. A few times, he showed traits of being this sexy, charming guy. But the way his internal monologues went on and on and on about how Angel had wrecked him on the inside made him seem less like a tortured hero and more like a desperate, weak man with controlling impulses. For example, when he destroyed his house in a tantrum because he thought (with no proof) that Angel had left after the first night of him ever seeing her in real life. He could’ve handled that so much better. By, say, actually searching for her instead of being immature. Seriously, she ended up being in the next room. You can’t justify that.

Their romance was dead to me. It lacked everything. Trust. Steam. Emotion. Angel was much too concerned with getting away from Arion and then wanting to jump his bones and then running scared again for me to even consider it love. And Arion was too hung up on his mommy issues to ever let Angel be independent like she needed to be in the aftermath of her abusive relationship.

The side characters were actually, surprisingly, well done. There was Chelsea, Arion’s step-sister and Lexi, a girl who worked with his family that stood out the most. Their portrayals actually did ambitious, intelligent women justice. Chelsea came off as this stupid blond bimbo initially, but then we realize that that’s not entirely true. And Lexi was this bright, horse-loving girl with a dream to study Equine Science. They were both equally supportive of each other and Angel. There was none of that petty drama and slut-bashing that you see so prominently nowadays.

The end was unbelievably predictable and awfully anticlimactic, much like the entire book. The bad guy went down, and Arion and Angel lived happily ever after. Congrats to them, but I just could not muster a single crap to give at their HEA.

Why did I give it two stars instead of one, then? Simple. It made me cry.

Angel’s recounts of Nick’s abuse brought tears to my eyes like nothing else. Each snippet was heartbreaking:

“Nick took my innocence, and my hopes for the future, and my chance at college and everything I’d wanted for myself the first time he held me down and told me I could either agree to let him fuck me, or he’d dope me with ecstasy until I did.”

__________________***___________________

“My fingers absentmindedly trace the scar behind my elbow, one of the few outward ones I have. Most of the time, Nick was careful not to leave visible evidence; he liked to believe people were fooled into thinking he was a good, upstanding guy and a bruised-up girlfriend might complicate that. Maybe they were fooled. I sure was. I don’t remember what I said that made him send me crashing through the glass coffee table, but I’ll never forget the bite of glass as it seared my flesh.”

__________________***___________________

“Last night, I dreamed Nick killed my mom. I found her lying on the cold tile floor of her kitchen, the words ‘come back’ pained into the pool of her blood beside her.”

The bottom line is, while I didn’t like the characters or the plot, the meaning stuck with me. It touched upon some very serious topics, and didn’t make light of them by overshadowing/ignoring the issues with the romance. I can respect that.

“I know I’m no one’s angel, because if I had wings I’d fly away, and I wouldn’t stop until I eventually soared above the pain.”

**ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Stacking the Shelves #5

2013-09-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we share books we're adding to our shelves, be they physical or e-copies.

BOUGHT/BORROWED

The Sound - Sarah Alderson

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - April Genevieve Tucholke

Smash Into You - Shelly Crane

Ruin - Rachel van Dyken

Mangled Hearts - Felicia Tatum

Secret for a Song - S.K. Falls

VIA NETGALLEY

Redemption - C.J. Barry

I thought it'd be a while before I did another Stacking the Shelves post. Two weeks in, I'd still been adjusting to school. Blogging had been put on the backburner. But I just couldn't resist. These lovelies were calling to me.

I'd like to think I was super duper selective this week. At least, that's what I told myself I'd try to be. I thought I'd stick to only getting the books on my most-anticipated shelf. Things I'd waited months for and would die to read. Alas, that was not the case. While I was more selective than usual, all those pretty covers still managed to reel me in.

Anywho, enough about me. Did you do a Stacking the Shelves post? Leave me a link in the comments, and I'll stop on by!

Review - Origin - Jennifer L. Armentrout

2013-09-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Title: Origin
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date:August 27th, 2013
Series: Lux #4
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis via Goodreads

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

My rating:

WARNING: Possible spoilers ahead, depending on what you count as spoilers. Also contains multiple, annoying uses of the word “badass” and “badassery”, a bunch of ~~unnecessary~~ totally necessary exclamations, and some angsty gifs.

Jennifer L. Armentrout has reached a whole new level of awesome epicness. I’m 100% sure epicness isn’t even a word, but that’s the only thing that describes this fast-paced, swoony, hilarious, action-freaking-packed installment of the Lux series. She’s outdone herself. No book in the series has ever compared. Origin was good. Foam at the mouth good. Fangirl like there's no tomorrow good.

Everything about it was badass. Katy was badass. In the previous book, Opal, it ended abruptly with her being captured by Daedalus. And I was all “Oh noooooooooo!” But then Origin came out and we see that Katy handled things like a pro. And by “like a pro” I mean, after the initial suckiness of her situation wore off, she was all enraged and determined and righteous. She endured ass-kickings and threats and faced the possibility that she’d never be free of Daedalus’s evil little clutches.

“The words that came out of my mouth were my own. I felt them. I believed them.
‘I’m going to kill you one day,’ I promised.”

See? Badassery!

Daemon was, like always, rocking his own kind of constant badassery. Like anyone could guess, he goes after Katy. He turns himself in to Daedalus (Not exactly a spoiler. If you hadn’t inferred what he’d do from the beginning, it lets on pretty quickly.) Mother of alpha males, Daemon’s unrelenting resolve to get Katy back was out of this world! (Hehe, it’s funny ‘cause he’s an alien!) He didn’t care who he had to mow down or steal from or lie to in order to get to her. And he did it all with his usual sarcastic, cocky flair that I just love so much! (Shout out to JLA for doing dual perspectives!)

“Going down on one knee, they leveled a dozen or so semiautomatic rifles on me. Stopping so many bullets would prove tricky.
People were going to die.
That sucked, but it wouldn’t stop me.”

***

“’I’ve been waiting a long time to run tests on someone like you,’ he said to Daemon, voice high-pitched.
Daemon arched a brow. ‘Another fanboy. I have them everywhere.’”

Swoony batches of badassery!

Also, the romance! Despite Kat & Daemon’s circumstances, their romance was the fiercest it’s ever been! Gah, their love jumped off the page and squeezed my heart to pieces! Plus something very, very big with their relationship happens towards the later half that you would not believe! So if you haven’t read this book yet, do it!

“I caught the tear with a kiss. ‘And I’m not going to let you do this by yourself. You’re my—you’re my everything, Kat.’ At the sound of her soft inhale, I smiled again. ‘Come on, Kitten, did you really expect anything less from me? I love you.”

And Kat was all like:

Oh, yeah, and there’s a bunch of sexytimes, too!

“Daemon squared his shoulders and cracked the door open. I couldn’t see anything beyond his bare back, which, if I had to be stuck staring at something, at least it was that.”

Like I’ve been coming to expect from any JLA book nowadays, the ending was…was…badass! OMG was it all kinds of badass! There was a huuuuuuuuge awesome, catastrophic, unbelievable, devastating battle of epic proportions that fully displayed the amounts of badassery that Luxen can bring to the table! And not only was it was filled with the Luxen but also the hybrids and some other types of things that I can’t really give away, but the title “Origin” had something to do with it! There’s a ton of new players entering the game now! There are also a few plot twists at the end, some I did see coming and some I didn’t. And holy freaking cow, the one at the end with the conversation between Dawson and Daemon about Beth!! And also the betrayal by someone important!!!! (For once, it isn’t Blake, but there’s a reason for that.)

I can’t! I just can’t anymore! I’m about to explode with the feels that this book has brought. Plus, I feel like if I use the word badass one more time, I’ll have irritated the hell out of everyone, including myself. So just suffice it to say that this book was a big game-changer. The best book in the series yet. And it didn’t end with a gigantic cliffhanger, so I’m good with that.

Anywho, let’s end things with a quote from the book that actually had me laughing out loud at the imagery:

“Man, it was so quiet you could hear a grasshopper karate chop a fly.”

Read this book! The karate-chopping grasshopper demands it!

I'm Back In School...Yay?

2013-08-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

So little ol' lucky me started school again on August 26th. And just like I thought, it's a lot to take in. My senior year. The brink of freedom. I've only been back for a week, but I can tell it's going to be ~~crappy~~ ~~crazy~~ ~~otherbadwordsthatstartwitha'c'~~ tough. Anyway, I planned for this post to be a short apology for my abrupt hiatus from this blog as I adjusted to going back. And I didn't want to complain at all. But now I just want to type everything I'm feeling right now, everything that's going on in my head.

To start, I want to say that the first day of school was a wake up call of the ice-water-to-the-face, slap-my-cheek-and-call-me-a-pancake variety. And I found myself wishing I'd made some different decisions last school year.

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, so I'll try to back-track. Last year, I met with my counselor and we picked my senior year classes together. I was confident I'd be able to handle three AP (advanced placement, if anyone needs a reminder) courses. AP Psychology. AP Human Geography. AP English Literature & Composition. (I've always been an English junkee.) I knew my work was cut out for me, since I'd had a bit of trouble just juggling my one AP English Language & Composition course during my junior year. But I'd heard great things about Psych and Human Geo, so I thought I'd be fine. Well, mostly fine.

And then the first day comes, and right around the time where this is happening...

...I remember something very important.

Well, I remember something other than:

Not only had I signed on for three AP courses, I'd also agreed to two IB (International Baccalaureate, which is similar to AP in that it's pretty intense) courses. So, my schedule consists of 5 out of 7 classes that will be extremely challenging. The thing is, it's senior year. As much as I'm all for learning at a higher level, I don't foresee much sleep in my future. But I do foresee a lot of stress.

That's where the problem lies. I love sleep and I hate stress. So what's a book-loving, music-addicted, not-so-social-but-not-a-hermit seventeen-year-old to do? Why, blog about it, of course!

If you're wondering why I even bothered to mention the difficulties of my classes this year here's why: I won't have too much time for blogging. Or reading. Everything will be slowed down, but not stopped altogether. The 'Waiting on Wednesdays' and 'Teaser Tuesdays' will still be around, but only sparingly. My 'Stacking the Shelves' posts will also be less frequent. At this point, the only things I can see myself doing consistently are reading the most-anticipated books on my TBR list and reviewing those.

This isn't set in stone, of course. Don't expect to not hear from me for a month with no notice or something. Maybe I'll have free time and blog for a week straight, everyday. I don't know. Anything can happen at this point. Just stick with me, guys.

Stacking the Shelves #4

2013-08-24T12:43:00.002-07:00

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we share books we're adding to our shelves, be they physical or e-copies.

BOUGHT/BORROWED

Lash - L.G. Castillo

The Truth About You & Me - Amanda Grace

The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey

Obsession - Jennifer L. Armentrout

VIA RAZORBILL (Thank you!)

Earthbound - Aprilynne Pike

Right now, I'm a strange mix of happy and sad because I know that with school starting in two days for me (on a Monday, no less), I'm not going to have as much time as I want to read these pretties. My three AP classes this year (that my over-achieving self thought would be SUCH a great idea to choose) just won't allow for it. So thumbs down to the guy who decided to make school start at least two weeks earlier than usual!

Mini-rant aside, I'm SOOOOOOO excited! I've been trying to get a copy of Obsession for WEEKS now, and I finally have it!!! Let the Jennifer L. Armentrout fest begin! If you've been following me for a while, you'd already know that I LOVE me some JLA. And then there was Earthbound, which came in the mail in at the most perfect time ever! Another thanks to Razorbill for that!

The 5th Wave has been getting some fantastic reviews from some people whose opinions I trust, so I can't wait to start in on that one. Lash and The Truth About You & Me have some pretty frickin' swoony covers, which is like eyecandy (or crack) to a romance addict like me! Plus, it's been a while since I've read an angel story, so I'm super eager to dive into Lash as well.

Anywho, enough about me. Did you do a Stacking the Shelves post? Leave me a link in the comments, and I'll stop on by!

Review - Real - Katy Evans

2013-08-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

Title: Real
Author: Katy Evans
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: May 28th, 2013
Series: Real, Raw & Ripped #1
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis

Remington Tate has a bad-boy rep in and out of the ring, a granite-hard body, and a raw, animal power that sends his female fans into a frenzy. But from the moment their eyes lock, the only woman he wants is Brooke Dumas. His desire is pure, all-consuming, and REAL.

Hired to keep his perfect body working like a machine, Brooke finally has the lucrative sports therapy job she’s been dreaming of. But as she tours the dangerous underground fighting circuit with Remy and his team, Brooke’s own body becomes alive with the most primal of hungers. If what happens between Brooke and Remy is ever as light as a flirtation, it quickly becomes an erotic obsession for them both, and promises so much more.

But their white-hot lust has a dark side—and when Remy’s deepest secret comes to light and Brooke’s familial duties demand action, will the pair be able to hang on, or will everything that once seemed so real suddenly fade away like an illusion?

My rating:

This book was a train wreck. One giant, full-blown, explosive catastrophe filled with twisted piles of sexual tension, fragments of intense lust, and the shattered remains of angsty, heated arguments. A train wreck, indeed. So now, if you’re wondering why I gave it four stars it’s because…I enjoyed the vast majority of it.

Not once was I ever bored with this book. Its fast pace and the electric way Katy Evans wrote it kept me with my Nook practically glued to my fingers. I stayed up the entire night reading it, the glow maybe hurting my eyes a little, but I’d be lying if I said I wished I could have those hours back. And, yeah, electric is probably a weird word to describe K.E.’s writing, but it’s the only thing that fits. I could try to explain it, but I feel like direct quotes would be the only thing to do it any significant amount of justice:

“He looks into my face again, his eyes seething with desire. I think I just nodded in agreement, but I’m too shaky to know for sure. A sweltering fever runs unleashed through me. My legs won’t stop trembling as every one of my cells screams in lust because I want him now. I want him now.”

And then there’s…

“Holding me protectively in his strong arms, he brushes my hair back as his lips buzz along the bare curve between my neck and collar, his fingers sliding up my neck as he once again, like a chant, nuzzles my ear and tells me, ‘Mine. Tonight.’”

So, yeah, sexual tension galore. I’d say about 95% of the entire book was sexual tension. And that’s great if you’re into that sort of thing, but at times it read like pure smut. I’m no prude, and I’m not going to lie and say I’ve never read an erotica book before, but at times I found myself cringing at some of the word choice.

“Even though he’s wearing sweatpants and an easy T-shirt, there’s no way you can miss the clench of the muscles of his upper body through the damp cotton fabric, and the way his sweatpants hang low on his narrow hips make my breasts feel so heavy and painful I swear to god I can’t imagine how it will feel when I’m lactating one day.”

Now, outside of the context of the novel, nothing's wrong with lactating boobs. It's natural. But in direct contrast with Remy's hotness, it's just so out of place.

Those quotes are just few of many of the lusty thoughts our narrator, Brooke Dumas, has for Remington “Remy” Tate, the hero. There’s about a billon more where they came from, too. While I did like the intensity, I wished it had been toned down a bit to allow more room for the romance. Halfway through the book, I was already aware of how much Brooke and Remy wanted to bang. I got it. Cool. But where was the swoony romance? The meaningful conversation, expressed outside of song lyrics? (Though I will admit that the lyric communication was my favorite part.) A connection that didn’t involve sex, for once? The love between them, I feel, wasn’t as clear as it could’ve been. (Until the end, at least.) I didn’t experience them falling in love like I would’ve wanted to. Mostly, I just felt Brooke’s sex muscles clenching every time she even thought of Remy.

Another thing that kind of got squashed in Brooke’s sex-starved narrative was the characterization. I got no sense of character until I was almost done with the book. Remy was supposed to be this super hot, cocky, amazing, powerful, troubled guy. And I wanted to see those things more than I wanted to hear about how much Brooke wanted to jump his bones. The same with Brooke. I actually liked her, once I got past her smutty inner thoughts. She was cool and sensible. It wasn’t until the issue with her sister that I began to see some depth.

Despite the things I said above, I fell for Brooke and Remy’s relationship. It may have taken some time, but it got there, so I’m glad I read until the end. I really liked that things weren’t so happy-happy-joy-joy between them all the time. The way that they Remy fought to keep Brooke at a distance first, and then fought to keep her close. The way that Brooke’s emotions teetered a few times because of how much she wanted him.

“He must have wanted a different reaction to his gesture. He must have wanted me to be all gushy and tell him, ‘Oh my stars, you’re so amazing!’ But I won’t. Because I hate what he does to me. I hate that I want him like this, hate that I feel so volatile I want to tear his eyes out and then go cry about it.”

I’m such a sucker for angsty love affairs, I couldn’t help but give this surprisingly thrilling train wreck of a romance four stars.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Waiting on Wednesday #6

2013-08-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

MY PICK FOR THIS WEEK:

Title: Breaking Nova
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: September 3rd, 2013
Series: Nova #1

Synopsis via Goodreads

Nova Reed used to have dreams-of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next . . . until she meets Quinton Carter. His intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in, and he looks just about as broken as she feels inside.

Quinton once got a second chance at life-but he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life . . . but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

WHY I'M WAITING:

I just started The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden yesterday, which is also by Jessica Sorensen. Her style is so...captivating. And any author whose writing can keep me interested despite a mediocre plotline (not that I'm saying The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden has a mediocre plotline) usually stays on my to-read list. Plus, like I've said a million times before, I'm a sucker for swoony romance, and this book seems like it'll have loads of it.

(P.S. Forbidden romances are my not-so-guilty pleasure.)

Review - The Darkest Craving - By: Gena Showalter

2013-08-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

Title: The Darkest Craving
Author: Gena Showalter
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Release Date:July 30th, 2013
Series: Lords of the Underworld #10
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis via Goodreads

Having endured weeks of torture in the bowels of hell, Kane wants nothing to do with his beautiful rescuer, Josephina Aisling. The half-Fae female threatens to awaken the demon of Disaster inside him—a beast he’s determined to kill, no matter the price.

Josephina is hunted by a brutal enemy—her royal family—and Kane is her only source of protection. He’s also the only male to ever set her aflame, and even he succumbs to the heat. But as they navigate the treacherous world of the Fae, they are forced to make a choice: live apart…or die together.

My rating:

I never thought I’d see the day where I rated any Lords of the Underworld book less than five stars. Gena Showalter’s consistency up until The Darkest Craving has been nothing less than admirable. I kept expecting for one warrior’s story to slip up, or for her style to change so much that I couldn’t tolerate it anymore.

Unfortunately, that day has come. Let's have a moment of tear-stained silence for Kane's ~~mediocre~~ ~~unfufilling~~ ~~ohnowhathashappened~~ story, please.

You guys should’ve seen me on the release day. I let everybody know: the next LOTU book is out ohmyGAWD I have to have it NOWWWWWW. I’d been pimping those books out to anyone who would listen, whether they enjoyed paranormal romance or not.

So color me surprised when—and I really, really hate to say it—I was halfway through the book, and I realized…something was off. It was like watered down LOTU. Not as much action. Not as much passion between Kane or Josephina (aka Tink). Not as much humor. Not as much effortless style Showalter usually displayed that kept me coming back installment after installment.

In comparison to the other books, this was probably the most disappointing. And damn if I don’t feel like a traitor for just thinking that, let alone telling the world. But if I’m honest with myself, I have to admit: I just wasn’t feeling this one.

I’m not quite sure what it was. Or where, exactly, I begun to realize something was different. The beginning was nice. I liked Josephina immediately. She was a little quirky, but I enjoyed her interactions with Kane and Strider and Sabin. I thought she’d be a perfect match for a fresh-out-of-literal-hell Kane.

But then when she went back to her Fae family, she changed a little. She was still quirky, but there was helplessness to her, like she’d given up fighting and was just going to accept her lot in life. Which was a pretty shitty lot. She was like a half-Fae, half-human witty Cinderella. Her evil step-mother and Irresponsible (hehe, inside joke if you’ve read it) half-sister, lustful half-brother, and shockingly abusive father all commanded her life. Her initial acceptance of it all was unacceptable to me, the reader, so she lost a few cool points, but nothing I couldn’t get over. I still liked her by the end, so everything was fine.

And then there was Kane.

I didn’t know what to do with him, really. I wanted to like him, to get to know him and empathize with him like I’d done with every other character. But for some reason, he seemed to lack substance. As a Lord of the Underworld, you’d expect him to be beyond life. Strong. Ruthless. Dominant. Sexy. And then he’d have this softness inside him for his woman. Kane did possess those things, except…like I said, it lacked substance. I wasn’t able to totally feel what I should’ve for him. All I felt was this indifference towards him. Like, if he’d died I would’ve been like “Huh, well, that’s going to be an inconvenience in the future” instead of wanting to bawl because he didn’t get his HEA. And I was so shocked with my indifference, and I thought maybe it was me. Maybe I was reading it wrong somehow. Except, now I don’t think so. Kane just left much to be desired.

The main storyline was static to me. I’m sorry, but after a while, the washed out romance between the two combined with nothing much going on became a bore. Seriously, most of the conflict wasn’t even conflict at all. Easily solved. I can’t quite say what the conflict was, but just take my word for it. There was no urgency, nothing pressing that needed to be taken care of ASAP.

The ONLY saving grace was the subplots, which kept me more interested than the main plot. There’s some trouble for Cameo and Viola, and a character from the past (HINT: It’s someone they thought was dead) as well. And then there’s some trouble for Torin. Both subplots set into motion their HEAs so I’m glad that picked up, at least.

One thing that I must say, though: William had more presence than all of the Lords combined in this one. He was like Kane’s handy dandy frickin’ sidekick. So WHY OH WHY didn’t we get any of William the Ever Randy and Gilly? At this point, they’re who I want to know the most about in the series. (Second only to Legion and Galen, who didn’t have a single scene together. In fact, Legion was only mentioned, like, once.) William and Gilly had ONE SCENE together, and in that ONE SCENE they argued for like, a minute.

What. The. Hell.

They need more air time, damn it! I NEED to see them happen. I NEED to see Willy quit being such a hobag and admit that he wants her. And only her. It not only hurts Gilly’s feelings that he sleeps around, but mine too, because I KNOW that it’s only going to make things more difficult for them in the future. And I just want their HEA to happen.

Please. That’s all I want.

Review - The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa

2013-08-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 24th, 2012
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis via Goodreads

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for again.

My rating:

If someone asked me what I thought of this book, this would probably be my reaction:

Typically, when I see a book that I might want to read, I head straight over to Goodreads. I size up the synopsis and then read a few reviews from the people with similar tastes to mine. And maybe a few who don't have the same tastes, because it's always good to get multiple perspectives.

Anyway, that's what I did with The Immortal Rules. And everyone swore up and down that it was the best dystopian/vampire novel out there. (Or maybe the only dystopian/vampire novel out there, therefore making it the best. I don't know. I've yet to come across any others.) So, I gave it a chance and went in with high expectations.

That was my first mistake.

I expected way too much. I thought it'd have all of the aspects I generally love in a book--an intricate plot, relatable characters, a healthy dose of romance. But that wasn't what this book was about. In my haste to dive into it and make it a new favorite, I compared it to my other favorites.

That was my second mistake.

I enjoyed The Immortal Rules. I didn't love it. Maybe it just wasn't for me. After all, I tend to crave more wit and romance as opposed to the adventure and coming-into-oneself stuff. Still, I liked it enough.

The main character, Allison Sekemoto, was interesting to read about. I found myself wanting to know more about her life and why she lived the way she did and where she came from. She was tough and jaded. While the jaded part did get annoying a few times, her other characteristics made up for her flaws. I liked that she was strong-minded & opinionated & had her own morals, but still possessed that rebellious-with-a-cause flair. Except, something was missing. I could never pinpoint it, but something kept me from relating to her fully. I understood her motivations, but that was about as deep as it went.

I felt the same about the secondary characters, which consisted of a small group of wanderers. Well, I don't think they counted as wanderers since they had a destination in mind. That aside, I don't know if it was the sheer size of the group (11 people, not including Allison) that kept me from caring or what, but I found myself only giving a crap about whether they reached their destination out of curiosity. Zeke, the love interest and member of the group stood out a little bit more. He was heroic and determined and loyal and handsome--but boring. The same thing that happened with Allison happened with him. Something was missing. I didn't care enough about him.

The plot itself was basic. Easy to follow & predict. It balanced between Allison surviving and wandering around, and that was it. Nothing quite new, but the writing was decent enough to keep me reading. The beginning intrigued me but it got old quickly, so I was glad when things picked up during the later half. A few times, the setting was obscure, so I couldn't grasp what the characters were doing as the story progressed, especially when they went to the city that was partly underwater.

Despite being both paranormal and dystopian, the realism was astounding. Once I overlooked the lack of incessant humor or heart-wrenching drama and recognized the story for what it was (the struggle of a new vampire's acclimation to an unfamiliar lifestyle), I realized that I liked the jadedness. I liked that people died and it sucked. I liked that Allison struggled with both being a human and then a vampire. I liked that everything wasn't easy and required sacrifices.

The Immortal Rules is a book that I'm glad I read, but it will probably be a while before I read the next one--even with that slightly cliffhanger-y ending.

Waiting on Wednesday #5

2013-08-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

MY PICK FOR THIS WEEK:

Title: Unchained
Author: J. Lynn
Publisher: Entangled : Edge
Release Date: September 17th, 2013
Series: Nephilim Rising #1

Synopsis via Goodreads

Between the pissed off creatures that want demon-hunter Lily Marks dead and the fallen angel who just...wants her, Lily is about ready to trade in forever for a comfy job in a cubicle farm.

The fact that she and Julian are civil to one another is enough to have her thrown out of the Sanctuary, but she can't shake her not-so-angelic stalker or how he brings her dangerously close to ecstasy.

Her forbidden relationship with Julian provides the perfect fuel for suspicion when a traitor is discovered to be working within the Sanctuary. Lily quickly finds herself hunted by well, everyone.

Her only hope is to discover the real traitor before she loses everything--and she'll need Julian's help. That is, if Julian is really there to help her...and not destroy her.

Yeah, being a Nephilim isn't everything it's cracked up to be.

WHY I'M WAITING:

New series by J. Lynn? SQUEEEEEEEEEE!

I solemnly swore that I'd read every single book by this woman. Okay, I actually didn't swear it, but I do right now! She's been my favorite author ever since I read her Covenant series...and then proceeded to read everything she'd ever dared to type including her books, her deleted scenes, her entire blog, etc. I'm not a stalker, I swear. *eye twitch*

Whether it's as Jennifer L. Armentrout or as J. Lynn, I'll read it. I'll devour it. And I'll love it. Plus, this book just sounds really cool. So there.

Stacking the Shelves #3

2013-08-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we share books we're adding to our shelves, be they physical or e-copies.

BOUGHT/BORROWED

Ashes on the Waves - Mary Lindsey

The Beautiful and the Cursed - Page Morgan

Masque of the Red Death - Bethany Griffin

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden - Jessica Sorensen

VIA NETGALLEY

The Dream Thieves - Maggie Stiefvater

Ten Tiny Breaths - K.A. Tucker

Oh, the pretties! You know, I told myself I was going to stay away from New Adult for a while and focus more on YA, but I just couldn't resist Ten Tiny Breaths or The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden. Especially with the latter, as I've heard people madly raving about it.

Also, I applaud the people that did the covers for Ashes on the Waves, The Beautiful and the Cursed, and Masque of the Red Death. Seriously. Wow. That intricate typography is just majestic and so are the photos. I couldn't pull that off if I tried--and trust me, I have.

Enough about me. Did you do a Stacking the Shelves post? Leave me a link in the comments and I'll stop on by!

Waiting on Wednesday #4

2013-08-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

MY PICK FOR THIS WEEK:

Title: Deception
Author: C.J. Redwine
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: August 27th, 2013
Series: Defiance #2

Synopsis via Goodreads

Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.  

But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.

In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.

WHY I'M WAITING:

Ooh look at that foggy, mysterious background on the cover! I like how Rachel's hair stands out amongst all that darkness--kind of symbolic, no? Anyway, if this book turns out to be half as good as the previous one, I will be happy. Rachel was such a strong, defiant (if you will) character and that's usually what makes or breaks a series for me. Also, this series is great because I'm not typically one for dystopian novels, but Defiance pushed past my prejudice and forced me to love it.

Stacking the Shelves #2

2013-08-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we share books we're adding to our shelves, be they physical or e-copies.

BOUGHT/BORROWED

The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa

Unteachable - Leah Raeder

VIA NETGALLEY

Bound By Night - Larissa Ione

The Bane - Keary Taylor

Ahhh I'm so excited about this batch! I freaked out when I spotted Bound By Night on NetGalley. Like, I stood up and jumped around and squealed. It's been soooooo long since I've read her Demonica series that you'd think I'd forgotten how addictive her writing is. Nope! Nopenopenope! Plus that swoon-worthy cover. With that leather jacket and those black jeans and that V-neck and those hypnotic eyes...reminds me of that one picture of Ian Somerhalder (whom I continue to unabashedly rave over).

Check it out:

The hand. The space between shirt and jeans. The entire pose, actually. It looks like they modeled the entire thing after this picture. Can't blame 'em, though. *fans self*

Anyway, I've read mostly complimentary things about each book so if you guys don't hear from me in a while it's because I've turned my bedroom into a cave and don't plan on coming out until I've devoured each book.

Now that that's settled, feel free to tell me what's new on your shelf! Happy reading!

Review - MacRieve - By: Kresley Cole

2013-08-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Title: Macrieve
Author: Kresley Cole
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: July 2nd, 2013
Series: Immortals After Dark #13
Add to Goodreads | Purchase

Synopsis via Goodreads

In this pulse-pounding Immortals After Dark tale, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole delves into the darkest mysteries and deepest passions of Clan MacRieve. . .

A Beast In Torment

Uilleam MacRieve believed he’d laid to rest the ghosts of his boyhood. But when a brutal torture revives those ancient agonies and destroys his Lykae instinct, the proud Scot craves the oblivion of death. Until he finds her—a young human so full of spirit and courage that she pulls him back from the brink.

A Beauty In Chains

Seized for the auction block, Chloe Todd is forced to enter a terrifying new world of monsters and lore as a bound slave. When offered up to creatures of the dark, she fears she won’t last the night. Until she’s claimed by him—a tormented immortal with heartbreaking eyes, whose touch sets her blood on fire.

A Full Moon On The Rise

With enemies circling, MacRieve spirits Chloe away to the isolated Highland keep of his youth. But once he takes her to his bed, his sensual mate becomes something more than human, evoking his savage past and testing his sanity. On the cusp of the full moon, can he conquer his worst nightmare to save Chloe . . . from himself?

My rating:

After sorting through a bunch of "meh" YA and New Adult, the release of Kresley Cole's MacRieve was just the non-narcotic boost I needed. I feel like a random, crazy song & dance is in order. Or maybe just a spontaneous combustion or something.

Yes! I give it 5 freaking stars and this book earned every single one of them.

I don't even know where to begin with Will and his mate, Chloe, so let me just start off by mentioning: yes, Chloe definitely is a species that hadn't really been delved into yet, as per Kresley Cole's tweeting about the novel prior to its release. And yes, within 10 or so pages of reading I'd correctly guessed what she'd be.

And now that that's out of the way, onto the best part: Chloe's personality. Chloe was amazing! She's my favorite heroine in the series, I think. From her first appearance to her last, her character was consistent and entertaining. Initially, she was human, but when she got tossed into the Lore she took it all head-on with her stay-positive attitude. She was badass without being too flashy about it. She was tough and hilarious and NEVER backed down without all of the obnoxiousness that comes from being all of those things. From the start, she never took any of Will's shit (and there was A LOT of it), and when things got rough between them--and not in the good, naughty way--she'd fire right back at him. She had a game plan of what she was going to do even as more problems were flying at her that she never strayed from. Everything about her was real, even as the world she'd known wasn't, and I really enjoyed reading about her.

And then we have Will aka Uilleam aka Ooh-lay-umm as Nix called him. He was a mess. A big, dark mess and he knew it. I mean, it was somewhat understandable considering what happened to him in the past and then what happened during his capture & torture. He was this big, broody, broken Lykae who suddenly found his mate, and just when things were looking up...in true KC fashion, everything came crashing down in a big pile of lust, anger, bitterness, past trauma, and prejudice. The romance between him and Chloe happened so quickly (I think he fell for her in all of 24 hours, but it's okay 'cause Chloe's just that awesome) and so when it went awry, it nearly self-destructed. Will had a lot of things he needed to work on before he could be with Chloe (namely his disgust for her species) but when he finally got over it, it was glorious.

The later half or so took an interesting turn. It kind of reminded me of a fairy tale, something like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. Chloe got sick, and [*this might be a little spoilery, so keep reading at your own risk*] only Will's literal "true love" could save her. If there was no love, then she would have died. Except, this is a KC novel, so instead of true love's kiss saving her, it's true love's third time doing the horizontal tango. After that, it stopped focusing on Will & Chloe's relationship, as they got their HEA a little early.

We get a couple surprises, and if I'm not wrong, I think Munro might be next in line with his HEA looking at how badly things ended for him. Or maybe not, since he'd need a bit of time to wait and see how things go. I know I'm being vague, but I'm trying not to give any spoilers away.

As for cameos from other characters in past books, there weren't many in person. Nix, of course, was there, as was Malkom Slaine. Some were merely mentioned. Others like Regin and Mariketa were only there through overheard cell phone conversations, which was kind of a bummer and a good thing. It left room for Chloe & Will to develop their feelings for one another, but I kinda wanted to know what was going on with everyone else.

As always, KC delivers with this book. Her prose was gripping as she delved deeper with the worldbuilding and introduced new characters and new species of the Lore. It took me about two days to finish this book, since the only time I put it down was when I all but passed out from exhaustion. Chloe & Will fit so well together while still being strong individuals. And while there was more focus on building up the romance and not as much action as we'd usually see in an IAD novel, it's okay because the romance is what I'm here for anyways :)

Waiting on Wednesday #3

2013-07-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

MY PICK FOR THIS WEEK:

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: August 15th, 2013
Series: Between #1

Synopsis via Goodreads

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

WHY I'M WAITING:

I've had my eye on this book for a while now. I'm not usually into Gothic atmospheres when I read, but the synopsis intrigued me so much that I just had to add this to my to-read list. The synopsis kind of reminds me of Abbi Gline's Existence Trilogy, except maybe a little more dark.

Plus, that cover! Wow. It's usually the cover first and then the summary that hooks me in, and this book was no different. Since I've been hearing mixed reviews on this one I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, but Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea will definitely be on my radar until its release date.