Review for Of Monsters & Madness by Jessica Verday

TITLE: Of Monsters & Madness
AUTHOR: Jessica Verday
PUBLICATION DATE: September 9, 2014
PUBLISHER: Egmont USA
PAGES: 288 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC / ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via Edelweiss / Freebie shelf at Malaprops
RATING: 3 bows

Annabel Lee has just been summoned to Philadelphia by her father. Her mother sadly perished before they could make the trip and now Annabel feels all alone. She hopes that she’ll make a connection with her father but he turns out to be cold and almost cruel. Then she meets Allan, her father’s assistant, and he is so very sweet she can’t help but like him. But it’s clear that something strange is going on in her father’s lab. She is desperate to find out the secret but also scared of her father’s reaction to her snooping. And there is Edgar to consider, always lurking about. Can she uncover the secret and stay out of trouble or is she doomed to be caught and punished?

Annabel was a character I sympathized with, but also found a little annoying. Her fascination with medicine was great because that’s not something we see a bunch in YA. It makes sense, seeing as her mother was a doctor’s assistant and she assisted her mother. What wasn’t so great is how she lets her father bully her around. He looks down upon her interest in medicine as a bad thing even though he is the crazy scientist. That makes sense because this is a written in Poe’s lifetime and woman didn’t get involved in medicine then. What bothered me was how she lets it make her feel. I get that, in the beginning, all she wants is to please her father and that means giving up things that make him angry. By the middle, however, she should realize that he’s crazy and mean and his opinion shouldn’t matter.

Allan and Edgar, well I’m not entirely sure of either of them. Edgar is obviously a creeper….

and I just hated him. I think you are supposed to. He seems to be the main bad guy, but I was never entirely sure. It almost felt like things would flip and you’d suddenly see Edgar in a new light as the good guy. That never happens, so I don’t know how to feel about him. Allan was sweet and cute, but I wasn’t ever really sure. He keeps writing poetry, which was expected because he is modeled as Edgar Allan Poe, but it always gave off a stalkerish vibe. His whole relationship with Annabel felt a little insta-lovey. He saves her from drowning, so that’s a connection, but the whole thing just felt off.

I’ve avoided this review for a while. It’s a hard one for me to write because I have genuinely loved all the other stuff I’ve read by Jessica Verday. The Hollow trilogy is amazing and that short story she wrote for the Entrhalled anthology was one of the funniest things I’ve ever read. I was overjoyed when I was approved for this eARC. I get to read Verday’s newest novel?

It’s about Edgar Allen Poe and Annabel Lee?

Happiness is an understatement. But I didn’t love it. It’s not horrible, but it’s not up that Verday awesomeness level that I’m used to. The plot is a slow, the mystery is predictable, and the romance was just mehish. It felt like it was missing something. Add to that the fact that it ends in a cliffhanger fashion, but there is no announcement of any type of sequel and you can see why I’m making a frownie face. That’s how this story ends? You gave me absolutely no closure! What was the thought process for ending it there? Mmmm….I’ve built everything up to the boiling point, what should I do next? Ooooo…I know! Stop right here and make them wonder for all eternity what happens next!

I think I might have enjoyed this a little more if I hadn’t had such high expectations for it. I was expecting awesome and I got mediocre and that was such a letdown. Jessica, if you ever read this, I’m sorry. I wanted to love it, I really did, but I don’t. For everyone out there interested in this, just beware that the ending doesn’t resolve much. I don’t know about you, but that really bugs me. It’s probably my love for Jessica that keeps me from rage rating it a 1 star because I’ve given one star rating for much less. It’s an interesting story, but it’s slow and it doesn’t give you that happily ever after I’m always searching for.

****Thank you to Egmont USA for providing me with an eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review****

Release Day Launch – As Long As You Love Me (2B Trilogy #2) by Ann Aguirre

 

We are absolutely ecstatic to bring you the Release Day Launch for Ann Aguirre’s AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME! AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME is the second novel in Ann’s New Adult Contemporary Romance 2B Trilogy Series, published by Harlequin HQN! If you haven’t already read I WANT IT THAT WAY buy it NOW. We can’t wait for you all to read it so you can dish with us about it!

Amazon | B&N | BAM | IndieBound | Vroman’s | Book Depository | Powell’s| iTunes

 

AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME Synopsis:

Most people dream about getting out of Sharon, Nebraska, but after three years away, Lauren Barrett is coming home. There are the justifications she gives to everyone else—missing her family, losing her college scholarship. And then there’s the reason Lauren can’t admit to anyone: Rob Conrad, her best friend’s older brother.

Football prowess and jaw-dropping good looks made Rob a star in high school. Out in the real world, his job and his relationships are going nowhere. He can’t pinpoint exactly what’s missing until Lauren comes back to town, bringing old feelings and new dreams with her. But he’s the guy that women love and leave—not the one who makes them think of forever.

Though she’s terrified of opening up, Lauren’s ready to take that chance. Because the only thing more important than figuring out where you truly belong is finding the person you were meant to be with.

AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME on Goodreads

 

EXCERPT:

Mom was asleep, so I checked my email. I had the usual spam, plus notes from all my former roomies, which made me happy. I missed all of them, even Max, though things were unspeakably awkward between us at the end. I opened Nadia’s first:

LB! You know I miss you like crazy, right? Courtney’s in your bed right now, and she has completely alphabetized my books. I’m pretty sure there will be a lending library program implemented the next time I get home from work. So how’s Nebraska? Did you find a job yet? Have you started applying to any schools? I have like ten more questions but you’ll get grumpy if I dump them on you all at once. Hug and kiss my family for me, okay? Write back soon or I’m sending my brother to track you down.

She didn’t mention the hot single dad she’d broken up with right before I left. Mr. Hot Ginger had dumped Nadia for her own good, which would drive her quietly crazy. I’d felt horrible about the timing, but there was little I could do about it. I hadn’t gotten to know him well before I left, but Ty seemed like a good guy. He was only a few years older than us, but already had a four-year-old. That was the crux of the conflict.

Writing back, I didn’t quite nail the tone, talking about Rob too much and inventing interesting anecdotes because there was so little going on. I could’ve mentioned Krista, but Nadia had never been as close to her, and there was some tension by the time she moved. Mostly I didn’t want Nadia to worry; things would be fine once I got a job and had less time to fret about whether I’d made the right decision.

I opened Angus’s email next:

Hey, you. Got your check. It appears not to be rubber, but I said you didn’t have to pay me back. I hate you for leaving. Come back right now. I’ll wait. This is me, waiting. It’s been at least five minutes. You’re shattering my faith in humanity, Lauren. Take responsibility for it! Not sure what you’ve heard from Nadia, but she’s such a hot mess. I can’t believe you abandoned us. All the light has left my life. All of it! Okay, enough drama. I’m working on getting over Josh. Classes suck but I will survive. (You’re singing it now, aren’t you?)

“Damn you, Angus Starr. You know me too well.” I got up on my bed with a hairbrush and sang two verses before reading on.

In all seriousness, there is a Lauren-sized hole in my life. Please don’t lose touch. Write soon. Love and hugs, Angus.

It was simpler writing back to Angus; our friendship was sweet and uncomplicated. Briefly I considered deleting Max’s email without opening it, but that seemed like an asshole move. In the end, I read it, two lines only:

I’m sorry about everything. Take care of yourself.

 

Grab the whole series today!

I WANT IT THAT WAY

AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME

THE SHAPE OF MY HEART

 

 

About Ann Aguirre:

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.

 

 

 

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MY REVIEW

Lauren tried hard to fit in with everyone else’s idea of a perfect life after high school. College far from home is #1 on everyone’s list. Except she learns pretty quickly that it’s not what she wants. Now, she has flunked out of college and is back home to get back to her roots. She is starting over, doing it her way this time. Her way, includes a normal job and taking college classes online, where she can do her work in peace and never has to show up for class. Her way also includes getting many a glimpse at her high school crush, Rob. Several years older and her best friend’s older brother, Rob should be completely off limits, but she can’t fight the attraction that grows stronger every day. Rob is that guy who does great in high school, hot football star, but who seems to fade away after graduation. Lauren sees so much more in him and it’s time she make him see it too. Can she finally make all her high school dreams come true or do some wishes have an expiration date?

Lauren that socially awkward girl who gets the makeover and suddenly becomes popular. The thing is, though, she never really stopped being the socially awkward girl. She has severe anxiety that she hides pretty well with the party-girl persona. Underneath she’s constantly freaking out and would much rather be at home with her computer playing video games or coding something. She is still a nerd and a dork and she’s growing prouder of that fact every day. I liked having a leading lady that was socially awkward because that’s something I can relate to.

Rob, however, is the best character here. He is completely confident about his looks but nothing else. He’s parents have always focused on Nadia’s brains, making him feel wholly inadequate. He isn’t on his sisters genius level and everyone makes comments that it’s a good thing he’s so handsome because there isn’t much else too him. Instead of sulk about this revelation, he accepts it and moves on. He’s the brawn, not the brains, and his life will follow that path. Working in construction, where he can use his hands and learn a simple trade is exactly what he needs. He has dreams of starting his own furniture making company, but doesn’t believe he has the competence to achieve it on his own. His lack of confidence in himself was also something I could relate to. I’m never confident of my ability to do anything (beyond read, read, and oh yeah! read!), so it was nice to see the male version of that for once. NA is filled with overly cocky guys who believe they can do anything. That make me relate to him and the fact that he is a total sweetheart made me swoon. He’s that sweet boy next door who will do anything he can to help you. I love him. He’s definitely in my top ten list of swoon-worthy males.

I loved that this skillfully avoids the cheating thing. It would have been so easy to allow Rob and Lauren to fool around before Rob and his girlfriend break up, justifying it because they are meant to be. Aguirre skillfully avoids that issue because neither character is the cheating kind and I’m eternally grateful for that. I hate the justified cheating angle and I’ve avoided more than one New Adult novel that gets rave reviews because of it.

There were only a few things I wasn’t crazy about. The first one is the light we put Nadia in. I adored Nadia in the first book and though I realize everyone is flawed, I don’t like how she was portrayed here. Lauren is a little irritated with her because she doesn’t put up a fuss when she goes from an introvert to an extrovert, luck it’s Nadia’s fault for not realizing Lauren is burying herself in this new persona. Everyone changes to some extent in high school and it’s not Nadia’s fault that Lauren didn’t share the extent of her anxiety problems. She’s not a damn mind-reader! I also never got the confrontation scene I was expecting between Lauren and Rob’s parents. I know Lauren loves them, but she was also highly irritated at the way they treated Rob. He’s smart and sweet and their lack of faith in him really set his self-esteem rolling downhill. I was expecting at least a polite chat over that, if not a full out smackdown and I never did get it.

Beyond those issues, this was an amazing novel. It isn’t quite as good as I Want It That Way, but it’s pretty close. Lauren’s tale is the complete opposite of Nadia’s and it was thrilling to get a completely new perspective. Rob is the stuff that our fantasies are made of hot and buff but still sweet and kind. I think if you enjoyed the first book or just want a great New Adult novel, then you’ll love this!

****Thank you to Harlequin HQN, Ann Aguirre, and Inkslinger PR for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Frayed (Connections #4) by Kim Karr

TITLE: Frayed
SERIES: Connections #4
AUTHOR: Kim Karr
PUBLICATION DATE: September 2, 2014
PUBLISHER: NAL Paperbacks
PAGES: 304 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via Edelweiss
RATING: 2 bows

****THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS****

Ben Covington is sure he’ll never love again. Circumstances beyond his control took him away from her and by the time he returned, she’d moved on. He’s just living to work until Bell Wilde floats back into his life. He’s attraction to her reignites instantly. He never forgot their college fling and now he is determined to get another shot with her. Bell is determined to never give him that shot. Their history is more complicated than he knows and she can’t bear to share it with him. But the attraction is undeniable and soon she is giving in and hoping for the best. Can these two work things out? Or are they as doomed to fail as Bell believes?

I have been avoiding this review, like the plague. I have nothing positive to say and I hate that. I was over the moon when I was approved for this. Kim’s Connections series has been on my TBR shelf for a long time and I have heard great things about it. The description of this makes it clear that it is a spin-off series, leading me to believe that reading the other novels first was not a requirement. I honestly don’t know if I’m glad I didn’t read them first or not. Had I read the books in this series first, I would have been less than excited to start this novel. What reading the others books first would have told me was that this novel is about cheaters. Ben and Bell has a one night stand in college while Ben was still with this supposed love of his life. That would have had me avoiding reading the novel itself. However, due to my lack of series knowledge, all of the characters in this were overwhelming. I had a very difficult time keeping up with who was who and who was related to whom and the various other connections between characters.

My biggest problem was that these two were selfish. If Ben had loved his fiance as much as he claimed to, then he would have never cheated. Bell would have thrown herself at him and he would have nicely rejected her and case closed and this book would never had needed to be written. But he didn’t. He slept with her. Now, many years later, when he’s love is now married to Bell’s brother, everyone has managed to get over it. The cheated fiancee is even okay with the new developing relationship between these two and I just found that unbelievable. If my husband ever cheats on me, I highly doubt that even a decade later I’d be okay with it enough to wish him well on his next relationship with the cheating skank. That may just be me because I’m not the forgive and forget type, but still.

I hated these characters. I couldn’t connect with them on any level and since my number one thing is characters, that made it very difficult for me to enjoy this from the start. Beyond the fact that their relationship started as an affair, I found that I hated Bell. The whole pregnancy thing blew me away, especially considering her “efforts” to tell Ben consisted of all of 4 missed phone calls. The man impregnated you! I’m a big believer in Dad rights and he needs a choice in all of this. I cannot imagine the devastation of knowing someone had your child and gave it up for adoption without even a phone call. I get why you did it, you would have made a terrible fucking parent, but seriously, you could have sent an email in the very least. Ben’s quickness to get over the pregnancy scandal was also unbelievable to me. I’m sorry, that’s not something you get over quickly and the fact that they are pregnant again at the end. X_X You two don’t need to procreate, seriously. We don’t need more of you in the fictional world.

I’m also incredibly sick of the “pretty people” books. I have read enough novels about how insanely gorgeous she is or how dead sexy he is to last me quite a while. I like a hot guy as much as the next girl, but how about something new? How about someone who isn’t conventionally beautiful? Or someone who’s beauty isn’t an obvious thing? How about inner beauty? It’s a shocking concept, I know, but sometimes I just want these things to be a bit more real. Perfect abs and a flat tummy are great fantasies, but it makes me feel extremely inadequate. I’m sorry, I have a job and a blog and a husband and I do not have hours to slave away at the gym to find conventional beauty and the perfect weight. Mini-tirade over.

Beyond the fact that I hated the characters and the amazing pretty people issue, I had other problems. I realize that this is a digital ARC, so it’s not perfected and there may be some changes made, but in the edition I read, the whole thing felt very choppy. The writing didn’t flow well at all. They two characters jump from topic to topic with little or no transition. And Ben makes a point to continually comment on Bell’s quirkiness. Here’s a hint: if a character is quirky, let that speak for it’s self. Telling me 25 times that Bella is an oddball when she’s acting completely normal doesn’t make her quirky. And the plot was predictable. I realize that it’s a romance novel and it’s not supposed to win an award for best twist, but all the mini-twists are obvious from the start. The initial pregnancy is pretty transparent and so it the fact that she’s pregnant by the end. Before she even realizes it, I wanted to bash her in the head with my kindle for being so dense.

I can’t express how disappointed I am by this novel. I had such high expectations and they were not held up. I still want to read the other books in this series because from the reviews and comments on this book, it’s the abnormality, not the norm, but I’m definitely not as excited as I was. This novel was shallow and predictable and just fell completely flat for me. I actually didn’t want these two to end up together because I knew they’d procreate and even in the fictional world, I didn’t want that. Maybe I missed something or maybe I’m too difficult to please, but this novel was just not for me.

****Thank you to NAL Paperbacks for providing me with an eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review****

Review for The Baron Next Door (Prelude To A Kiss #1) by Erin Knightley

TITLE: The Baron Next Door
SERIES: Prelude To A Kiss #1
AUTHOR: Erin Knightley
PUBLICATION DATE: September 30, 2014
PUBLISHER: Piatkus
PAGES: 337 pages
FORMAT: Book
SOURCE: Publisher
RATING: 4 bows

Charity Effington wants nothing more than to hide in Bath and play her music for a few months. After breaking off her betrothal with a man she didn’t love, the ton hasn’t let her alone. Now that the season is over, she is hoping to avoid them all. Hugh Danby, Lord Cadgwith, is hoping some time taking the waters in at Bath will help ease his pain and rid him of his debilitating headaches. It might even work…. if that infernal woman next door would cease and desist with that racket she calls music. The two are bound to run into each other at ever corner. The only question is, can they overcome the bad start to become friends… and maybe even more?

Charity is that musically gifted girl that we all envy. She is so moved by her music that she gets lost in the sound. She composes music that is gorgeous and haunting and upbeat. Most people would kill for her abilities and she doesn’t take them for granted. Her passion is so intense that I can understand why she can concentrate on nothing else most of the time. She’s the quite type who normally has no problem accommodating other people’s wishes, but something about Hugh makes her contrary. She wants nothing more than to defy his wishes. He tells her to quiet down, she plays louder. He tells her to leave him be and she pesters him to death. It’s the best type of story, where they start out hating each other and that hate slowly turns to attraction and love.

Hugh just wants some peace and quiet. His attacks make it impossible for him to do anything except curl into a ball and hid in his room. The slightest bit of light or noise makes it exponentially worse and then his neighbor has to be a damn musical protégé. Since strangling the woman is out of the question, he demands she stop playing. But the blasted woman just plays louder and with more fervor. Does she not understand that she is torturing him? I felt so bad for him. He has so much on his plate, so many things to live up to, and he doesn’t really know what he is doing. The new title and the loss of his brother and trying to pull himself out of the dark hole he has buried himself in after the war and his injury.

This romance has all the elements for a great story. I love the hate first then love storylines because they are always filled with snicker-worthy encounters between the couple. I love the snark and the barely veiled hatred and ire. I love the whole set up. And these two were no exception, going out of there way to irritate each other and then slowly growing into fondness and love. ::sighs:: It is the first historical romance I’ve read that does not contain a sex scene. There are a few steamy kisses, but that’s as far as we see. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I definitely don’t miss the horrible euphemisms, but smut is always expected in romance. This breaks the mold. For those who avoid them specifically because of the smut, this would be a great starter novel for you because you don’t get one!

My only issue with this was the ending. Don’t get me wrong, it ends well, almost perfectly, but I just felt it was a bit rushed. I would have been much happier if it had been a handful of pages longer to give me more time to absorb the last few events. Too many important things take place in the last 50 pages to let them all really sink in and then it’s over.

In the end, this was a pretty great historical romance. You get almost everything you look for in a love story and it’s told in a manner that keeps you laughing at their antics and makes your heart ache for Hugh’s pain. Sure, the story is a bit predictable, but in romance, that never really bothers me. I’m not reading to be astounding by a twist-filled plot. I’m reading to watch two people fall in love in a believable but magical manner. On that front, this novel delivers in full. Hugh and Charity’s love is magical but realistic enough that I could believe it. It’s a great HR and I look forward to reading more of Knightley’s work in the future!

****Thank you to Piatkus for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Sacrifice (Elemental #5) by Brigid Kemmerer

TITLE: Sacrifice
SERIES: Elemental #5
AUTHOR: Brigid Kemmerer
PUBLICATION DATE: September 30, 2014
PUBLISHER: K-Teen
PAGES: 432 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via NetGalley
RATING: 4 bows

For the past five years, all Michael’s life has been is stress. It’s his mission in life to take care of his three younger brothers. After their parents died, he was all they had left and he would be damned if he’d let social services take them away and split them up. Fuck that. He works his ass off to support them and keep food on the table. But after one misstep, it looks like he’ll lose it all. He’s girlfriend, Hannah, is in a similar boat, with a 5 year old son and a job as a firefighter. When the shit really hits the fan, can they beat it together, or will this fight obliterate not only them, but both their families as well?

Character-wise, there is nothing new to say here. We get the Merrick brothers (& Hunter) in full force, fighting to stay together and stay alive. We don’t get much of the girlfriend’s here, but we do see a nice bit of Adam and a bunch more of Hannah. We get several chapters from her perspective. And the more I saw from her side, the more my opinion of her varied. It’s clear that she is good at her job and she a good mother and she puts her son first, but I kinda wanted to smack her. She got pregnant with James at 17 and her parents have stood by her, provided for her, and helped care for her son. When she works, her mom watches James if he isn’t in school. She doesn’t have to worry over who is handling her sons care or pay for daycare and she seem to disregard the fact that she is beyond lucky. Her parents could have disowned her or better yet, still supported her but not had the monetary means to support her as much as they have. Her mom could work for a living, making it necessary to find a daycare that would care for James on a Firefighter’s schedule, which I assume would be no easy feat. And if she really fucks up her life, she knows her parents are a safety net. Michael doesn’t have that luxury. When the shit hits the fan and his house nearly burns to the ground, he has no one to call and no backup. He’s home is where he runs his business from. No home = no business = no money. That’s a serious problem when you are constantly fighting DSS’s attempts to take your brothers. So, my opinion of Hannah is a bit difficult to interpret. I didn’t love her, but I didn’t hate her either.

As for the Merrick brothers, and Hunter, I still love them all just the same. It’s hard not to empathize with Michael’s plight. All that matters is keeping his brothers safe, period, and when things fall apart, he is beyond lost. I just wanted to hug the poor guy.

It’s hard to get deep into the plot here without giving away spoilers, but it’s on the same level as the rest of this series. It’s riveting in a way that you can’t let go of. Don’t start it unless you have time to sit down and finish it or you’ll be spending every spare second just getting through a few more words. It’s amazing and heart-pounding and heart-breaking and I love it.

However, it can never get more than four stars from me and it will never be my favorite of the series. There is one major reason why.****SPOILER****Hunter dies. Now, I think we all know I was not Hunter’s biggest fan until I read his book, but I didn’t want him to die. He sacrifices his life to save Michael in a heart-wrenching way. I should have seen it coming. Everybody else has someone to ride off into the sunset with and his love interest is dead, so it’s only fitting that he should die too, so they can be together in the afterlife. See this face? It’s not a happy gnome face. I didn’t want him to die. I hate that he died. I don’t think it’s fitting and I don’t like it and it makes me highly unhappy. I hate character death. I HATE IT. I don’t mean that light, dislike, I mean I abhor it. Fantasy worlds should allow everyone to live happily ever after. ::sobs:: I also hate novels that make me sad. If I wanted sad, I’d watch the news. I read fiction because I want happy. HAPPY.****END SPOILER***

The other reason is that it felt too short. It felt like there should be more. I understand that it was written in a way that ended the series, but left room for a spin-off. I get that, I do, but I wanted more. Part of this is due to the fact that this book includes copies of the three novellas in this series. Now, before I go further, I will say that my copy of this book is already pre-ordered (and has been for months) and I am thrilled to be getting physical copies of the novellas that I already own digitally….but…They take up a lot of space. When you’re kindle hits the 65% mark, Sacrifice is finished. I went in expecting 400 pages of Michael awesomeness and got less than 300, which makes me a bit sad. Besides that, I don’t like that the love triangle line was blurred. It’s not really a triangle, but it plays some moments up like it will be.

Right now, this doesn’t sound like a rave review. I need you to know that I loved this book and this series as a whole and I highly recommend it to people (except Kandice because the character death will make it impossible for you to love it), but I also had extremely high expectations for it to live up to. On most levels, it succeeds with flying colors, but there were a few letdowns, like the character death that prevent me from loving it as much as I could.

What I loved about it was the same thing I have loved about all the previous ones. The writing is amazing and the characters are so fleshed out that they feel very real, supernatural abilities and all. None of the characters are overly perfect, each having his/her own unique flaws. The plot is far from predictable because I didn’t see that coming and that have that addictive, readable quality that pushes you to just go one more chapter. Really, Kemmerer is a very talented writer and I will be reading anything else she plans to write.

All you need to know is that this book (and this series) is that is amazing and, as long as character death won’t ruin it for you, it’s highly recommendable. Even if character death bothers you, books 1 and 2 don’t have any serious character annihilation. On the other side, if you have enjoyed the previous books, this one won’t disappoint.

****Thank you to K-Teen, an imprint of Kensington Books for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review****