Review for Touch (Denazen #1) by Jus Accardo

TITLE: Touch
SERIES: Denazen #1
AUTHOR: Jus Accardo
PUBLICATION DATE: November 1, 2011
PUBLISHER: Entangled Publishing
PAGES: 284 pages
FORMAT: Book
SOURCE: Purchased
RATING: 4 bows

Adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross was minding her own business walking home one night when a mysterious stranger literally falls at her feet. This, she is certain, is a gift from whatever gods exist because it is the perfect opportunity to piss of her father. Nothing would make him angrier than to come home and find his daughter home alone with a total stranger. But the longer she spends in Kale’s presence, the more she thinks there is something off about him. She’s completely right. He is a Six, which is this novel’s way of saying he has supernatural abilities. He’s specialty? Death touch. One touch from him and anything living dies and literally dissolves into dust. Even better? He’s escaped from a secret compound that uses him and those like him to do their dirty work and her father, Marshall Cross, just happens to be the ringleader. Denazen Corporation isn’t a law firm as she has always believed. They seem to be the home office of evil incarnate and they are hellbent on getting Kale back. He’s one of a kind and they’ll be damned if they loose him. Can she keep Kale safe or will she be a casualty of his recapture?

Dez was a girl I loved almost instantly. She’s tough and cool and completely confident. YA doesn’t have may confident female characters. We get too many Bella Swan girls who are just so “ugly” but yet every attractive guy in a ten mile radius lines up to try to win her heart. I’m not the most confident person myself, but it’s great to read about someone who is. She knows exactly who she is and she refuses to compromise that person for anyone. This is me, take it or leave it kinda of attitude that instantly had me rooting for her. Her determination to irritate her father was an intriguing idea for me. Most teen girls would be a weepy mess if it was obvious that their father doesn’t really care for them. Not Dez. She takes it in stride and figures she’ll just keep him continually pissed off so he is at least aware of her presence. She’s just a bad-ass. How can you not love a girl who intentionally skateboards off a roof within the first chapter?

Then you have Kale…adorable, deadly Kale. This is a guy who has never been outside Denazen before. He’s fascinated with everything and his fascination was incredibly endearing. He doesn’t understand the outside world beyond the tiny sliver he has been granted and because of that it’s hard not to sympathize with him. Plus there is the whole my touch kills people thing. It’s not something he knows how to control. It’s simply what happens. Even if he just accidentally bumps into someone, skin to skin contact is deadly. Can you imagine having to live with that? Can you imagine having to live with the knowledge that you’ve killed people accidentally. Or worse, that you’ve done it on purpose because Denazen commanded you to? I don’t even really want to think about such a life. It’s not hard to see why Dez falls so hard for him.

Then you have jackass Alex, the other point in the late-blooming love triangle. I’m not a fan. Even if he didn’t do the bad thing he does at the end, I wouldn’t be a fan. This is a guy who had Dez’s love and he intentionally fucked it up. He cheated and he knew she’d find out and that it would break her heart. What the fuck kind of person does that? There were others ways to accomplish the goal you had in mind. And now? Dez is almost over you and you decide to pull this shit? Dude, Let. It. Go.

This is a fast paced little novel that keeps you guessing until the end. It’s exceedingly well-written and addictive. Once you get about 50 or so pages in, it’s impossible to put down. You have to know what happens next. Does Kale get captured? What is Dez’s secret? Why the hell is Dez’s dad such a jackass? DO KALE AND DEZ END UP TOGETHER?!?!? You find out all those answers and more. It gets 4 stars instead of 5 because love triangles annoy the fuck out of me. Seriously, that particular plot devise is unnecessary. It actually plays into the plot and story pretty well, but that doesn’t change the fact that I hate them. It also has a mild cliffhanger….or maybe I just think it’s mild because the next book is already out and I continue on the story as soon as my copy arrives in the mail.

The other small issue I had was that it was almost too fast paced. You don’t get a minute to catch your breath and digest what’s happening until it’s over. On the one hand, that keeps you incredibly interested, but on the other, dude, breathing is kinda important. You’re just hit with one event after the next with no space in between to really absorb how what’s just happened will affect the plot. If anything, it’s a good probably to have, but still, I almost wished it was slowed down just a twinge.

I’ll admit that one of the reasons I wanted to read this was because it’s the novel that Katy gushed about in Obsidian. At least, I’m pretty sure it is. Either way, that perked my interest and the description did the rest. This novel has lovable characters, an intense plot, and sizzling romance. What more could you want?

Review for Eyes Ever To The Sky (The Sky Trilogy #1) by Katie French

TITLE: Eyes Ever To The Sky
SERIES: The Sky Trilogy #1
AUTHOR: Katie French
PUBLICATION DATE: April 9, 2013
PUBLISHER: Katie French Books
PAGES: 198 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via NetGalley
RATING: 2 bows

Hugh wakes up in the middle of a crater in a park completely naked. He has no memory. The only thing he knows for certain is that he’s name is Hugh. The longer he wanders around, the more he realizes that there is something off about him. He is stronger than he should be and heals incredibly fast. He crosses paths with 15 year old Cece and things really get interesting. He’s instincts tell him to trust no one, but she’s so kind and caring that he wants to let her help him. Cece has enough on her plate without an amnesiac homeless teenage boy following her around, but she can’t help the desire to aide him. How can you not want to help a boy who is literally sleeping in a dumpster and scavenging for food? Add to these twos needs, there is also a murderer on the loose, ripping peoples throats out. Can they help each other and find the killer? Or will Cece be the next victim?

That was kinda a crappy description, huh? I’m sorry about that, I just couldn’t find a good way to tie it altogether that doesn’t give everything away. This was another one of those novels that I requested right when I started reviewing books because it had an interesting cover and it sounded interesting enough. Now my screening process is much stricter. I read the entire description several times, I check Goodreads to see if anyone I follow has read/rated/reviewed it so I have something to go off. I really think and consider what I’m downloaded. In the beginning, though, that is never the case. I think every reviewer can tell you that in the beginning they downloaded nearly anything they could. You, person I don’t know, are going to give me access to a book free of charge? All I have to do is leave a review?

As long as it sounded mildly good and was in a category I read (ie YA or NA or historical romance), I was all for it. I’m paying for that now because I’m making a point to read through all of them, in that better late than never spirit and get reviews up for them. What sucks is having to write negative reviews. I realize that negative ones help just as much as positive ones, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel bad about shooting down some indie authors baby. Speaking of….

Cece was a character that was fine, if somewhat annoying. I feel like her story was so cliched. Teen girl with only one parent with is so affected by a mental illness that she can’t bring herself to provide so said teen girl must support them. I think that is part of what irritates me. I don’t understand anyone who has a mental illness that doesn’t want help. My husband actually is bi-polar, like Cece’s mom, and there wasn’t a day when he wasn’t on medication that he didn’t want help. That whole “the side effects aren’t worth it” argument just angers me more. There are hundreds of different pills! There are many different choices and options and tons of generic versions for each of them! I know the first set you try isn’t going to be a magic set. But you keep fucking trying. Period. I don’t understand or sympathize with anyone with a different view than that. Especially someone with a child! LADY! Get off your ass and take care of your kid! Go to a free clinic and get yourself an appointment and work something out. Make it happen! So…maybe it wasn’t Cece who irritated me. But she kinda did too because she was so trusting of Hugh. I mean, the audience knows he didn’t kill those people, but she has no real proof of that besides the fact that he seems kind. You do realize that sociopaths are usually very charming, right?

Hugh wasn’t really any better. I actually am trying to think about how to describe him and I can’t. He’s a non-person. He is personality-less. He is scared because he doesn’t know who he is or where he’s from or anything and then he becomes fiercely protective of Cece (oh yes, the dreaded insta-love).

As far as writing, it was written well, but it was a little boring. It was slow and all over the place. I felt like it almost had too much going on. The crazy mom, the forcing Cece into work, the Hugh-alien thing, the conflict with the aliens….just too much for this bitty 200 page novel. And then, the ending just felt forced. Cece’s family thing working out the way it did had me screaming “THAT’S NOT HOW REAL LIFE WORKS!”

In a nutshell, this novel was disappointing. The premise was intriguing, but it had no follow through. It felt very unfinished. It also is supposed to be the first book in a trilogy, but there is no word on releasing the next books. That really sucks for anyone out there who genuinely liked the novel because it ends on a cliffhanger.

****Thank you to Katie French Books for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Love And Other Theories by Alexis Bass

TITLE: Love & Other Theories
AUTHOR: Alexis Bass
PUBLICATION DATE: December 31, 2014
PUBLISHER: Harper Teen
PAGES: 384 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via Edelweiss
RATING: 2 bows

Aubrey Housing and her friends live by a simple code: If you want more, you give less. Don’t be clingy, don’t be needy, and whatever you do, don’t let your heart into the game (GOTCHA). So when Nathan Diggs, the new guy, catches Aubrey’s attention, she knows just how to win him over. There’s only one problem: she thinks her heart is becoming involved whether her head wants it to or not. As she steals more and more time with Nathan, she begins to wonder about the dating rules and if they really are what’s best. Can she find a way to accept this new thing with Nathan or will she let the rules ruin it?

At first, I was in love with this novel. I loved the progressive feel, the I am woman, hear me roar thing it had. These girls are smart and confident and completely right in a lot of ways. Acting clingy in high school irritates a lot of guys and the best thing to do is avoid that. The problem starts to develop, though, when you aren’t allowed to move past the “player” phase. Feelings are a real thing and they cannot always be controlled. Falling in love in high school isn’t exactly the best idea. We all know the statistics of how well that will end (or the statistics you can overcome, as I married my high school sweetheart and don’t regret decision I made that lead to that), but that doesn’t mean you can wish it away if it happens. My opinion of Aubrey fell a little every time she refused to admit what this was, every time she refused to confront her friends about the bullshit, and every time she acted like it didn’t bother her to see Nathan flirting with someone else. I’m sorry lady, but no one has “evolved” past jealousy at seeing your not-boyfriend making out with your supposed best friend. That’s not how real life works, no matter how much you wish it was.

The same can be said of almost all the characters in this novel. Her besties, Nathan, anyone else they associated with. They way they made fun of the girls who actually desired a normal relationship instead of endless hookups pissed me off a lot. They basically did the opposite of slut-shaming. Relationship-shaming. If it’s perfectly fine for a girl to sleep with whoever she pleases (and it is!) and not become attached, then it’s perfectly logical to assume that a girl may sleep with someone she is attached to and that’s fine as well. And Nathan started off better than all their bullshit, genuinely wanting a relationship with Aubrey. He is sweety and a little dorky and I wanted to love him. That love, however, went kaput the minute he started hanging out with Aubrey’s bestie, the minute he start sleeping with Aubrey’s bestie. Dude, that’s wrong. Period. I know we watch TV shows where the same six people date and split and re-couple constantly, but that’s TV LAND. That’s not real life and that shit hurts. Period.

For me, this started out as a new and different contemporary YA, showing girls can be powerful and confident and that’s all well and good, but then it digressed into a hot mess of love triangles and confusing hookups. It gets 2 stars instead of 1 solely because it was extremely readable. For the first 75% of the book, I couldn’t put it down. I had to keep reading to find out what shenanigans the girls and boys got into next. For the last quarter, all that intrigue disappeared and the ending was completely disappointing. I feel like things were resolved, but not in a manner I could really get behind. So, if you are looking for a happy ending, look elsewhere. You will not find it here.

****Thank you to Harper Teen for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2) by Aimee Carter

TITLE: Captive
SERIES: The Blackcoat Rebellion #2
AUTHOR: Aimee Carter
PUBLICATION DATE: November 25, 2014
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Teen
PAGES: 304 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via NetGalley
RATING: 4 bows

Kitty Doe has agreed to help the rebellion. She trusts Knox enough to let him lead her through what needs to be done for the rebellion to succeed. Above everything else, she knows that the government needs to change. But the longer she pretends to be Lila Hart, the Prime Minister’s niece, the more she wonders what side Knox is playing for. Then everything shifts and suddenly she is in Elsewhere, the land where criminals are sent after they are caught, a horrible place to be. From there, revelations occur and things with the rebellion escalate pretty quickly. The question is, how much is Kitty willing to sacrifice to make sure they succeed?

Kitty is the same character I enjoyed in Pawn. I like the element that she isn’t the special little snowflake who must step forward. She has that Katniss attitude of “I really don’t want to fucking do this, but you’re not giving me a choice.” She steps up a bit more here because she actually agreed to stay and help, despite the fact that Knox keeps refusing to tell her what’s going on. It’s funny because he expects her to act like an adult while treating her like a child. He recruited her to help, but he doesn’t really want her help. He just wants a figurehead, a pretty face people will follow. Which shows he doesn’t know her well at all because she’s all in now and will do whatever she can to make this thing succeed, even if her ideas are stupid and childish.

Then we have Benjy, Kitty’s boyfriend. This guy wins my heart over and over. He’s smart and sweet and incredibly loyal. He’s dedication to Kitty is commendable. His willingness to standby her even as she pretends to be Knox’s fiance in public just made me love him more. He’s the best friend that almost never actually wins the girl in the end. No, the girls always go for the cocky bad-ass (AKA Knox). Even though I’m usually all for the cocky bad-ass (Hello Daemon Black!), but I love it when the sweet guy wins because in real life, that’s who I prefer. In real life, the cocky bad-ass is usually an asshole without a hidden gooey center who never changes to anything beyond a grade A douchebag.

Speaking of douchebags, there is still Knox. I don’t understand the people out there who ship Kitty and Knox. The guy is a borderline jackass who constantly refuses to really trust Kitty or allow her any decision making. He’s constantly bosses her around and forbidding her to do things, which is the wrong approach with Kitty. The minute you tell her explicitly not to do something is the minute she seriously considers doing it. In the end, I think he’s a decent enough guy who truly just wants to do what’s right by the people, but he could go about it a different way.

The beginning of this novel is a bit slow and hard to get into. You are thrown back into Kitty’s world with little to no background. I read the first one last year before it was released, so it’s been a good year since I’ve been in her head and a little catch-up would have been appreciated. The slow start (and the cliffhanger) are the reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5. Once you get to Elsewhere, things pickup quickly. You learn so many new and interesting things. You learn about Kitty’s family, which shouldn’t come as a complete shock. I knew pretty early on who one of her parents was. I love the new relationships that develop. I will also say that there is a moment when I almost rage-quit this book. Those of you who know my big pet peeves (::cough cough:: character death ::cough::) will know this scene as soon as you arrive at it. For those who worry like me, have no fear, it isn’t what it seems! That’s all I can say without spoilers on that subject.

I find myself a little tired of dystopians lately. They are being mass-produced and not all of them are tolerable. Plus, they all have that special-little-snowflake thing going on and I’m bloody tired of that as well. But I really enjoyed Pawn last year and I couldn’t resist trying to get this when I saw it on NetGalley. Even though I’m stuck in contemporary mood, I knew this would be well worth the effort and I wasn’t wrong. Carter manages to deliver an original feeling dystopian in a time when they are as common as Divergent fangirls. Carter gives us a compelling story with fascinating characters and a plot that has the right balance of surprise and predictability. If you like dystopians even a little, this is the series for you! Make sure to read the first one though, otherwise this won’t make much sense!

****Thank you to Harlequin Teen for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

TITLE: Suspicion
AUTHOR: Alexandra Monir
PUBLICATION DATE: December 9, 2014
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press & Random House Children’s
PAGES: 368 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via NetGalley
RATING: 5 bows

Imogen Rockford’s teenage life is very different than her childhood one was. After her parent’s death, she was ushered away to live with her new guardians and live a typical New York life. She was haunted by her parents death, but she has done her best to move and has managed to build herself a normal life. Then she learns that the rest of her family has died (which consisted of a Grandfather and a cousin) and she now much become the Duchess and take control of the family estate in England. As soon as Imogen makes it home to Rockford Manor, she realizes that something is quite off and until she figures out what is behind it all, she is in very real danger. Can she be figure out the mystery or will she fall prey to the bad guy(s)?

Imogen was a character I liked immediately. She’s made the best of a bad situation and she’s worked hard to leave the past in the past. Now, she’s stepping up to save her family home and she is swamped with guilt for not keeping up with her relatives. Lucia’s life could have turned out vastly different if Imogen had just keep in contact. But ignoring her family was the best way to avoid thinking about her parents deaths, something that was incredibly difficult to overcome. Everything in Rockford Manor is so different and so incredibly the same. It’s a lot to take in and then we add Sebastian in the mix and things get even worse. Sebastian was her childhood crush. Sebastian is also Lucia’s grieving boyfriend. Right before her parents death, Lucia’s announcement that she planned to pursue Sebastian caused a small rift. Sebastian was Imogen’s special someone and how could Lucia not see that? Apparently Sebastian didn’t see it either, though, because he was clearly in love with Lucia by all accounts. That makes things even more difficult because from the moment she sees him, she knows she never got over that crush. She knows that said crush may have morphed into more after years of pining. Said crush may be the reason that she never had a boyfriend in New York or really seemed to have to urge to find one.

Speaking of Sebastian…

If you ever become and actual person and not just an imaginary character in an amazing novel, give me a call….wait, I don’t think my husband would approve of that. NEVERMIND! Sebastian was a difficult character to get a handle on because at first he seems to like her and then once she becomes the Duchess he’s so standoffish that I want to punch him. And then he’s not. And then he’s helpful. And then he’s doing things I can’t mention because of the spoilers. Let’s just say the more you see of him, the more swoon-worthy he comes, k?

When I read the synopsis of this, I knew instantly that I wanted to read it, that I needed to read it. Contemporary Downton Abbey with a supernatural twist and an epic romance?

Not many novels live up to the tag lines they get, but this one does. This was far better than I expected. Even with the annoying love triangle aspect, I was still enthralled. Okay, I’ll admit I was a bit enthralled by the love triangle, because, you know, Sebastian is going to end up with Imogen, right? He loves her, right?

This thing has enough mystery and suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The whole dynamic between Imogen and the manor and the servants and Sebastian is fulled with just the right amount of tension. I especially love the relationship between Imogen and Lucia (prior to her death, naturally). You don’t get to see much of it, but it’s obvious they were close and Imogen blames herself for so much even though it is obvious none of it is her fault.

GRRRHHH…This review is so hard to write when I’m giving away spoilers. I’m trying to avoid spoilers because it makes posting the review elsewhere difficult, but this is so intricate that minor comments I make could be constituted as spoilers. The mystery here is so good and you don’t really see it come (or at least I didn’t) and the magic is so underplayed instead of making it the center of the novel like I expected it. I loved that. The magic is there, but it’s not the main thing and it’s not at the heart of the problem.

What should you take from this slightly convoluted review? This novel is awesome. It somehow manages to give you contemporary with a historical feel and the perfect mystery to keep you ignoring life for just one more chapter. It’s that amazing, need to read quality that we all look for in a novel. What more could you want? This has hot British boys, mystery, romance, and magic! And it’s a stand-alone, so it’s blessedly cliffhanger free. Seriously, it’s perfect, so go grab a copy!

****Thank you to Delacorte Press and Random House Children’s for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Distance Desires (Part I) by Cambria Hebert

TITLE: Distant Desires – Part I
AUTHOR: Cambria Hebert
PUBLICATION DATE: June 12, 2014
PUBLISHER: Cambria Hebert Books LLC
PAGES: 61 pages
FORMAT: ebook
SOURCE: Purchased
RATING: 4 bows

Sophie Perez is just a normal woman, living a normal life, working a normal job. On the way home from work one night, her car breaks down, which is nothing otherworldly….until the flashing lights appear. She doesn’t believe in aliens, but it’s difficult to deny when she is taken aboard a space ship. It is unclear exactly what they want, but it is clear that she has no say in the matter. The only question is whether she’ll make it back to Earth or if she’ll stay their captive!

This is an odd little story. I knew it would be when I started it. Cambria made it abundantly clear this would be unlike anything else and she certainly delivered on that end. It’s an erotica novella about aliens and the dirty things they could do, if they put their minds to it. I’m still not entirely sure how to review erotic in general, much less something like this. It was enjoyable. It was a quick little read that left you reeling and begging for the next chapter.

The love triangle aspect irked me. You’ve got alien boy on one end (and we aren’t really sure if he’s actually interested in Sophie or if it’s just research stuff) and then the human friend. I’m always rooting for the friend option these days even though they never ever choose the friend. “There’s no spark” and all that jazz. It obviously irks me. ANYWAY. As I said, I’m not really sure what else to say. I don’t really wanna give a detailed account of the erotic bits and my feelings on those ‘cuz that’d just be awkward.

Basically, if you like erotic novels and you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary, this is for you. Though, be prepared, cuz dangerous cliffhangers await in your future!

Review for Dissonance (Dissonance #1) by Erica O’Rourke

TITLE: Dissonance
SERIES: Dissonance #1
AUTHOR: Erica O’Rourke
PUBLICATION DATE: July 22, 2014
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
PAGES: 496 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via Edelweiss
RATING: 4 bows

Delancey Sullivan sees the world a little differently than the rest of us. She’s a Walker. She can Walk to parallel worlds. You see, every decision you make creates an alternate world. And then every decision in that world creates new worlds and so on and so forth. Basically, it’s infinite possibilities. Del comes from a family of people who can Walk between said worlds. Part of the Walking gig is trying to keep harmony between the worlds. But Del has started to notice things are a bit off in the other worlds and Simon, her crush, seems to be connected somehow. The more she learns, the more she knows that the Council Of Walkers is hiding something big. Can she figure it out and save the known world?

Delancey is that heroine that should really annoy me, but she doesn’t. She’s cocky and a little lot bitchy and has that special little snowflake thing going on, just a little. She is clearly cut out to be the best of the Walkers, if she can stop being such a smart-ass and do well on the school-work end. Did I forget to mention that? There is Walker schooling to learn all the intricacies of this shit. Oh, yeah, maybe that’s why I like her so much. I’m a sucker for a good smart-ass. It’s hard not to empathize with these kids who have to deal with normal school and then learn more on top of that. Her special little snowflake syndrome is because she has been Walking since before they claim she should have been able to do so. She’s a natural. That, however, is overshadowed by her overachieving big sister. I’ll get to Addie in a moment, but, seriously, I’m not a fan. Back to Del. She’s smart, but she hides it underneath all the snark and the issues with authority and their bullshit rules. Oh yeah, we can see why I love this girl, right?

Then we have Simon and Elliot. They are the start of the small problem I have. Just by mentioning them together, you must know what’s coming. Simon is the crush, as I said, and Elliot is the bestie that’s hopelessly in love with Del (which everyone sees but her, naturally).

It’s hard for me to really talk about either because I really liked both of them. Simon was a lot of fun and Del likes him so much…but Elliot is so sweet and I’m a sucker for that best friend turns into more scenario. I felt so bad for Elliot. I want it to work between then. This tension caused me a great deal of angst. I really took the love triangle ride with Del each step of the way, except worse because she never really likes Elliot like that. She feels bad, but never truly considers that option whereas I was ready to jump ship. Cute interlude with Simon.

I like Simon. Simon’s cute. She should be with Simon! But then cute interlude with Elliot.

AAAWWWWWW! Elliot! I love Elliot. He’s been there for her and he’s so sweet and cute and DAMN. I can’t pick. I’m not going to be completely happy either way ‘cuz I love both of them.

Then there is Addie, the evil sister. I don’t have anything against overachievers, in fact, I think I was one in high school, but this bitch has serious problems. The way she treats Del is batshit crazy. You are sisters! You are supposed to have her back and support her and yet you seem to betray her at every turn.

I’ve been avoiding this review for the exact opposite reason I avoided the Of Monsters And Madness review. This novel is fabulous. It is addictive and creative and really knows how to build the world and suck you in. All you can think about is Del and her crazy world and how the hell she is going to get out of this mess. Hint? It won’t be easy and it won’t all wrap up by the end of the novel. I feel like I don’t have the words to do it justice. I was astounded by it. I wasn’t expecting it to be this good. I wasn’t expecting magnificent. I’ve been notoriously stuck in a contemporary phase of late, so the fact that this sci-fi feeling novel has captivated me so completely speaks volumes.

It’s downgraded to 4 stars because if the love triangle because I’m so sick of those. It’s also because of the horrendous cliffhanger. Oh man, the cliffhanger.

It’s bad. It’s really bad. It’s how the fuck could you do this too me bad. Here, this should help:

Well, it certainly helped me. Damn, that smile. ANYWAY, Just remember, bad cliffhanger ahead. I’m surprisingly of the opinion that this novel is worth the trouble of that cliffhanger, which is a damn miracle.

So, what should you take away from this? This novel is good enough to leave me astounded. This novel is good enough to have me singing it’s praises even though it contains several elements I hate. This novel is almost perfect. Read it. You won’t regret it.

****Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers for providing me with an eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Suddenly You (The Jane Austen Academy Series #4) by Cecilia Gray

TITLE: Suddenly You
SERIES: The Jane Austen Academy Series #4
AUTHOR: Cecilia Gray
PUBLICATION DATE: May 7, 2013
PUBLISHER: Gray Life LLC
PAGES: 202 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via NetGalley
RATING: 4 bows

Fanny is an athlete. She’s a runner and an academic and the school’s new play should be the last thing she is involved in. But she is determined to help the other girls save the school and the only viable plan involves her joining league with Josh Wickham, the lead actor in the play. Can she get Josh to agree to help or will she be too distracted by Tran to concentrate on Josh?

As with all the novels, we get the same basic bunch. I’m thrilled to say that we finally get to see Josh step out of his designated bad guy role. I’m also thrilled to say that we get more of Tran, who I adore. He’s pretty awesome. Unfortunately this puts us in love triangle (square) territory and we all know how I feel about that. Josh likes Fanny, but Fanny wants Tran who seems to be dating Lucy. Speaking of Lucy, this poor girl just can’t catch a break. First she gets dumped right after coming to this school because her boyfriend is in love with someone else and now, the new guy she likes doesn’t like her nearly as much. I want to hug the poor girl.

I don’t really have a bunch to say about this book in particular. It’s good, though maybe not quite as good as the previous one. It felt a bit rushed, but I think they all do, so that’s nothing new or exciting. The writing and characterization and plot are great. Just enough to keep you begging for more.

Basically, if you liked the previous books, you’ll like this one. Fanny is a interesting perspective to get behind. Though I’d like to avoid the love triangle, it made for an interesting read. I’m still holding out hope that Josh and Lucy both find their happy ending before this is all over. We’ll have to keep reading to find out!

****Thank you to Gray Life LLC and Cecilia Gray for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

TITLE: Black Ice
AUTHOR: Becca Fitzpatrick
PUBLICATION DATE: October 7, 2014
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
PAGES: 392 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via Edelweiss
RATING: 4 bows

Britt has planned her spring break trip hiking the Teton Range for months. She has read survival guides, took classes, and devoured any information that will help her and her best friend Korbie successfully hike through the range. Everything is set to go when Calvin, Korbie’s brother and Britt’s ex, decides he wants to tag along. He head to the cabin early, leaving Britt and Korbie to pull up the rear. But a blizzard strikes while they are driving up and soon they are forced to abandon their car in search for shelter. When they find that shelter, everything changes. They end up stumbling upon Shaun and Mason, criminals who demand Britt get them off this mountain and out of the police’s reach or there will be deadly consequences. Mason is definitely the lesser of two evils, but he is still helping hold her captive. Can she trust him to help her escape death or will she fall prey to the evil he is hiding?

Britt was a character I didn’t particularly like. She seems shallow and so hung up over her ex that it’s not funny. The only reason she wants to hike the Tetons in the first place is because it’s Calvin’s favorite retreat. And from her memories, Calvin was as much of a dick while they were together as he is to her now. I don’t understand that. I don’t understand how girls with decent self-esteem can be with guys who are jackasses. That’s a bit hypocritical for me, because I had my jackass moment, but that was long ago and I was very young and stupid. Somehow that doesn’t make me more forgiving of Britt. Besides that, she is dependent upon her dad and brother for everything. She expects the men in her life to swoop in and save her any time she is in trouble and that is far from what happens here. She has to save herself (for the most part), as well as save Korbie. I just wanted to scream at her to grow up.

I can’t go into the details of other characters without giving away spoilers, but I will say I knew who the bad guy was pretty early on. I knew exactly how that twist would play out within the first quarter of the book, so it’s relatively easy to guess. I will also say I liked Jude’s character, once he gets his head out of his ass. I will also say that I was never a fan of Korbie. Useless and whiny and rich, this is a girl who I’d want to punch in the face if I met in real life.

So far, this isn’t sounding like a four-star review, huh? Well then, let’s get on to the things I liked. I loved how readable this novel was and the intensity. I’m not a huge fan of thriller novels because they usually have a lot of character death and we all know my feelings on that. Here, there are a few, but no one I lament being rid of. I also loved the one thing everyone else seems to dislike, the happy ending. After everything Britt goes through, I think she deserves that ride off into the sunset and I loved that everything worked out as well as can be expected instead of descending into the typical thriller ending of “hey, I survivied, so that’s the best I can hope for, right?” type ending. Those are another big reason I don’t read thrillers, I like overtly happy endings and we get that here.

I do like that Britt actually trained to hike the Tetons and did just run into hoping everything would work out. She planned and packed and purchased plenty of gear to prepare herself for this adventure. She even went so far as to build herself up to being able to carry a fully loaded pack without issue.

I’ll admit that I didn’t really read deeply into the synopsis when I requested this. I saw Becca’s name and the cover and knew I’d need to read it. I really loved Hush Hush (even though I’m not as much of a fan of Crescendo or Silence and I’m terrified to read Finale) and I was interested to see what Becca did with a thriller. I think she succeeded and that this will be a raging success, as long as people realize this is completely different than Hush Hush. This is realistic thriller with dark moments and death, but with the happy ending you all secretly hope for.

****Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Where Silence Gathers (Some Quiet Place #2) by Kelsey Sutton

TITLE: Where Silence Gathers
SERIES: Some Quiet Place #2
AUTHOR: Kelsey Sutton
PUBLICATION DATE: July 8, 2014
PUBLISHER: Flux
PAGES: 360 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC / ARC / Audiobook
SOURCE: Blog tour via NetGalley / Freebie shelf at Malaprops / Gifted from Kelsey Sutton
RATING: 3 bows

Nate Foster ruined Alex’s life. He is responsible for the car crash that killed her parents and her baby brother, leaving her orphaned to live with her uncle. Alex’s life was already complicated before that. She sees emotions. Love, joy, anger, sadness, and every other feeling you can think of. Revenge has been her best friend ever since her parents were killed and now that Nate has been released from prison, her path is clear. Kill the man who killed her parents and take her revenge. And when she is just about ready to make it happen, Forgiveness shows up and completely confuses her. She cannot forgive this man, he took her family from her, but yet, she doesn’t know if she can bring herself to end his life either. Given the choice, will she stick with Revenge or cave to Forgiveness?

Alex wasn’t a character I enjoyed. Right off the bat, I wavered between finding her dull and being annoyed with her. Her life sucks, understood, but I still didn’t get her attitude. Her aunt and uncle do everything they can for her, they offer psychiatric help, and she just brushes it off. I guess I just can’t understand that near-suicidal thought process. I was diagnosed with depression in middle school, but I don’t know if that was the right diagnosis for me. I don’t understand someone who feels so hopeless. I don’t understand her down-spiraling mindset. I have never understood how suicide could ever be the answer. I get that changing things is difficult, sometimes impossible, but once you pull that trigger (or down those pills or take the hairdryer into the tub), it’s all over. Any shot you had at happiness is gone. I don’t believe in any form of life after death, so I don’t ever see how that would help. I’m not criticizing or anything, it’s just not a mindset I can understand or like to read about. Even though I have taken psychology and I know all about depression and it’s effects, I still find the characters with it highly annoying. I just want to shake them out of their trance. I know this is not an acceptable response and I know that they can’t help it, but that’s is the response it generates in me.

As for the guys, let’s just say I didn’t care for either of them. Part of what I loved about Some Quiet Place was Fear and how amazing he was. I fell in love with his character. We get small glimpses of him here, but nothing to satisfy that craving I had for him. Compared to him, both Revenge and Forgiveness fall flat. Revenge is a jackass who is only trying to get Alex to make the choice his way, prepping her for that decision. Forgiveness is better, but he just comes off as a bit….um…I don’t know? I want to say religious, but that is so far from the right word that it’s not funny. I can’t put my finger on the right word, but I just didn’t particularly like him.

That was a big problem for me, I didn’t like any of the cast…except for the scant glimpses of Fear we get. I’m very character driven. I was also a little bored by the whole story. I read the first 50 or so pages in a book and then listened to the rest on audio and there was never a moment when I felt like I had to continue listening, despite any other interruptions. I just wasn’t very enthralled by the story or where it was going. I also wasn’t crazy about the ending. I like happy endings. I like the girl getting the boy she wants (or, better yet, the one she needs) and knowing that they are going to make it work. That’s not how this ends.

Despite my issues, this gets three stars because I think my problems were just that, my problems. I have a hard time relating to a depressed character like Alex, I didn’t care for the love interests, and the plot was just mehish to me. Then again, it’s hard to care where the plot goes when I don’t care how the characters end up. The ending wasn’t what I wanted, but it does end on a happy(ish) note, with hope for the future.

Bottom line? If you are reading this looking for something similar to it’s predecessor, you won’t get it. Alex’s story and Elizabeth’s is that they can both see emotions. That’s it. Starting this, I was so excited and overjoyed because I truly loved Elizabeth’s story and I was looking for something else along those lines. This story is completely different. I won’t say it’s bad, because it’s not, I just don’t think it was the right story for me. I like that nearly perfect HEA and this isn’t that type of story.

****Thank you to Flux for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review****Also thank you to Kelsey for gifting me an audible copy****