Cover Reveal – Bounce (Boomerang #3) by Noelle August

TITLE: Bounce
SERIES:: Boomerang #3
AUTHOR:: Noelle August
PUBLISHER: William Morrow Paperbacks
PUBLICATION DATE: August 25, 2015
PAGES: 304 pages
PRE-ORDER LINKS: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | IndieBound | Books-A-Million

DESCRIPTION

Following in the bestselling tradition of Molly McAdams and J. Lynn, this final chapter in the fun and steamy New Adult trilogy by Noelle August (authors Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger) features two aspiring musicians who must choose between their careers…and their sizzling attraction for each other.

Playing the occasional club gig just isn’t cutting it for twenty-two-year-old cellist Skyler Canby, who’s trying to support herself and her mother back home in Kentucky. Persuaded by her best friend Beth to accompany her on an audition for the first feature film launched by Blackwood Entertainment, she figures why not? Beth’s a shoe-in for the lead, but maybe Skyler’s newly dyed pink hair will help her stand out enough to score a small speaking part.

Never in her wildest dreams does Skyler imagine she’ll land the lead role or that she’ll have her shoes knocked off her feet by the kiss her audition partner, Grey Blackwood, plants on her—a kiss that feels very real and not at all “acted. ”

After throwing a party that causes thousands of dollars of damage to his older brother’s home, reckless musician Grey Blackwood gets roped into working off his debt on the set of his CEO brother’s newest project. Grey spends his days fetching coffee and doing odd jobs around the studio, but he lives for nights when he performs with his band. He knows if he can stay focused, success as a singer is just around the corner. But that’s tough with a distracting pink-haired girl occupying his every waking thought.

Skyler and Grey have every reason to resist each other. But, like a song neither of them can get out of their minds, they have no choice but to go where the music takes them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Question: What do you get when friends pen a story with heart, plenty of laughs, and toe-curling kissing scenes? Answer: Noelle August, the pseudonym for renowned editor and award-winning writer Lorin Oberweger and New York Times bestselling YA author Veronica Rossi, the masterminds behind the Boomerang series. You can visit them at NoelleAugust.com, @Noelle_August, and facebook.com/NoelleAugustBooks.

Blog Tour – Rebound (Boomerang #2) by Noelle August (& Giveaway)

TITLE: Rebound
SERIES: Boomerang #2
AUTHOR: Noelle August (AKA Veronica Rossi & Lorin Oberweger)
PUBLICATION DATE: February 10, 2015
PUBLISHER: William Morrow Paperbacks
PAGES: 288 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via Edelweiss
RATING: 4 bows
BUY LINKS: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound

DESCRIPTION

At Boomerang, one night can change everything…

Noelle August has taken the New Adult genre by storm, and readers can’t wait to see what chaos, confusion, and connections arise at the Boomerang offices next.

Adam Blackwood has it all. At twenty-three, he’s fabulously wealthy, Ryan Gosling-hot and at the top of his game in the business world. His life is perfect, until a scandal from his past resurfaces and threatens to knock the tech wunderkind down and throw his company, Boomerang, a hook-up site for millennials, into chaos.

Alison Quick, the twenty-one-year-old daughter of a business tycoon—and the very ex-girlfriend of Boomerang’s former intern, Ethan—has a problem of her own. After nearly flunking out in her senior year of college, she has one chance to redeem herself to her father by proving that she deserves a place in his corporate empire. That means spearheading her father’s plan to sink big money into Adam’s company and launch it into the stratosphere—provided Adam has no skeletons in his closet.

When the two meet, their sizzling chemistry makes it tough to keep things strictly professional. But when Alison discovers Adam’s secret, she knows she should bring it right to her father, who’ll leverage it for his own gain and use it to ruin Adam. The only problem: she’s falling for Adam—hard.

Will earning her father’s approval come at the price of losing her first real love? Or can Adam and Alison leave behind past mistakes and conquer the world—together?

EXCERPT

Ali laughs. Her gaze feels like sunshine on my back, but I don’t turn around. I pull my wetsuit up to my waist, adjusting myself so I’m comfortable. The cool Neoprene layer feels familiar and my body responds, my heart thumping hard, anticipation rushing through my veins. The prospect of the ocean always does this to me. This has nothing to do with the girl behind me.

“Adam?”

Ali’s voice is close. Turning, I almost bump into her.

Her wetsuit is all the way on, which is good. And terrible.

“What’s up?” I ask.

She smells like suntan oil and peaches. This close, I see that her cheeks are turning slightly pink from the sun. With her hair pulled back, no makeup, and the wetsuit covering her completely, she looks better than she has all week at the office. Better than she did in the Catwoman costume. There’s something powerful about her now. The way her slender legs are planted firmly on the swaying boat, like she’s not trying at all. She’s at home on the water. This from an admitted equestrian. I can only imagine what she’s like with her horses.

“Sorry, but . . .” She smiles and points at her back. “My zipper’s jammed.” She turns around and pulls her ponytail up. “Can you help me out?”

“Sure. You want this on, right? Just want to be sure.”

I can’t see her face, but I know she’s smiling. “Yes. On please.”

I allow myself a moment to enjoy the way she looks right in front of me. Then I take the zipper leash, letting my knuckles drift over her back, just above the knot of her bikini.

If I weren’t completely focused on her, I’d have missed the way she curls slightly toward me.

Focus, Blackwood. Zip the wetsuit up.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Question: What do you get when friends pen a story with heart, plenty of laughs, and toe-curling kissing scenes? Answer: Noelle August, the pseudonym for renowned editor and award-winning writer Lorin Oberweger and New York Times bestselling YA author Veronica Rossi, the masterminds behind the Boomerang series. You can visit them at NoelleAugust.com, @Noelle_August,
and facebook.com/NoelleAugustBooks.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MY REVIEW

Adam Blackwood has everything he could have dreamed of and more. He has looks, money, and a very successful business. Now, he needs capital to start up a new production company and that means convincing a rich and powerful man to had over the money. At task that should be simple. But it’s anything but when he sends his daughter, Alison, to do his dirty work. The more time he spends with her, the more he wants to open up about his past, but he doesn’t quiet trust her and he knows that a relationship with her will ruin his chances at an investment from her father. As for Alison, she’s just trying to make up for past mistakes and prove her worth to her father. She has one task to accomplish, get close to Adam and find out what he’s hiding. But the more time she spends with him, the more she doesn’t want to find the dirt for her father. She’s oh so very curious about Adam’s past, but she doesn’t want to hand it for her father on a platter. Can their romance overcome their issues or is their relationship doomed to fail?

I loved (LOVED) Boomerang, so I was hell bent on getting my hands on this book. I honestly didn’t care which characters this story followed, as long as I got more of that Noelle August magic. And I can’t say that I was disappointed!

Adam is the same character I remember from Boomerang, but obviously we get more depth from him here. He has that whole tortured past thing going on. He’s not interesting in relationships, just causal hookups, and he is always upfront with that information. The love of his life died and he sees no point in trying again for anything more than physical needs. That was an interesting view point. It’s one I’m seeing a lot of lately, but I still find it a bit fascinating. Anyway, the thing I liked best about Adam was his dedication to his company and his employees. It’s not just about building it up to be better so he can make more money, it’s also about these people who depend on him for their livelihood. He works hard to make sure things go right and he built Boomerang from nothing. This company is his baby and he will do whatever necessary to protect it. He’s unwanted attraction to Alison and the desire for more than just a hookup was hilarious to watch. He fights it, but we all know he’ll give in. This is, after all, a romance novel.

Alison was a character you weren’t meant to love instantly. She’s Ethan’s ex, you know, the one that cheated on him and broke his heart? I immediately didn’t like her. It doesn’t matter that Ethan has found someone much better for him in Mia, there were better ways to handle a breakup, if that is what she wanted, than the method she used. I am not a fan of cheaters. I don’t buy that bullshit line about not being able to help yourself. Maybe I’ve just never been swept away by passion, but I don’t find that to be an excuse. You an adult and you are in control of your actions. You know what the consequences for something like that will be. Beyond that, Alison does grow on you somewhat. She is in a bad situation, with a bully for a father and a pushover for a mother. She wants a better life for herself, but due to her father’s wealth, she’s used to a certain way of living and knows that a life away from her family wouldn’t afford her those luxuries. She’s not being snobby about it, but she doesn’t have the first clue on how to support herself and make a life of her own. When she meets Adam and starts to realize that maybe she’d like to find out, that’s when I started liking her. The moment when she starts thinking for herself and not just following Daddy’s orders.

My only problem with this was what happens after they get together. I can’t say exactly, but let’s just say things don’t go perfect right off the bat and I didn’t like the way either character handled that. Both jumped to conclusions and ran off, leading to irreversible consequences. I don’t know if that is a problem for me writing-wise because the author(s) led the characters that way, or if it’s a problem with the characters because that is what they would have done anyway, but regardless, it still bothered me. Beyond that, the writing and plot were almost as good as the first one.

I don’t believe this is quite the same level of awesome Boomerang was, but it’s a close second. I think I connected to the characters a bit more in Boomerang, but that is something I cannot control or predict. Either way, it’s the perfect follow up novel, giving us everything we’d expect in a sequel. You get decent characters, amusing antics, just the right amount of smut, and that happily ever after that we all crave. What more can you ask for?

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

Review for Boomerang (Boomerang #1) by Noelle August

TITLE: Boomerang
SERIES: Boomerang #1
AUTHOR: Noelle August (AKA Veronica Rossi & Lorin Oberweger)
PUBLICATION DATE: July 8, 2014
PUBLISHER: William Morrow Paperbacks
PAGES: 325 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC / ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via Edelweiss / Freebie shelf at Malaprops
RATING: 5 bows

Mia Galliano dreams of being a filmmaker. She is determined to make it to the top on her own, without flashing her mom’s name around to be successful. Ethan Vance had officially finished his college soccer career and really has no idea what he wants to do. He needs a paying job, though, stat because rent and food isn’t free. They wake up in bed after an apparent one night stand, both late for work. They share a cab only to discover that they both have an internship at the same office, competing for the single job that will be offered at the end. Both deciding that buckling down and winning the job is what they need, but their mutual attraction keeps getting in the way and things get pretty complicated, pretty quickly. Who will win the Boomerang job? You’ll just have to read to find out!

Mia was a pretty interesting character from the start. Atsy and cool and completely comfortable in her own skin. She is obviously a hard worker and has this fascinating balance of confidence and insecurity. She loves her family to bits, especially her grandmother and would do anything for them. She should have irritated me from the moment I learned she comes from a wealthy family. Those snobby kinds of characters always get on my nerves. It’s most likely because I’m jealous of their ability to get whatever they want by just asking daddy pretty please, but their whole demeanor usually annoys me. I read The Moment We Began by Sarra Cannon a little while back and her heroine drove me nuts. I’m was a child of working class parents and am now working class myself and there has been no point in my life where I haven’t thought about the necessity of money to get by. So snobby rich ladies who put no thought into how the world really works and swears money can’t solve all problems just irritate the fuck out of me. If you really think money can’t solve problems give your fortune to a starving family or people without health insurance who need major medical surgery. I’m sure you’re money would solve their problems….okay, I went off on a bit of a tangent there, huh? The point of that rant is that in most cases, a girl in Mia’s situation would irritate me. Mia doesn’t though. Despite the luxurious upbringing, Mia is very down to Earth and lovable. I found nothing about her irritating, which is really an accomplishment seeing as how I’m predisposed to hate her.

Ethan is just a big sweetheart. He’s original dream was to play soccer, but sports injuries took that away from him. He doesn’t let that phase him, instead working towards finding a new dream. He coaches a kids soccer team in his spare time and it’s clear those kids light up his world. He doesn’t have parents to fall back on because he knows his folks struggle to get by and don’t need his debt adding to that. He knows a job is what he needs to survive and he wants the opportunity Boomerang can provide him, but the deeper in he gets, the more he wonders if he can take this opportunity from Mia, who wants it for the chance to work on her craft where he just wants it for rake in some money and make ends meet. He’s that big softie, that boy next door sweet guy, but with a muscular body due to his hours on the soccer field. I loved that we get a reason he’s so ripped. I’ve read one too many novels lately where the lead guy is drop dead gorgeous with lickable abs and defined arms and muscles for days, but no real justification for it. Newsflash? Those don’t appear out of nowhere. You don’t just wake up one morning and look down and see awesome abs (in our dreams, right?). Soccer is an acceptable reason.

I loved this novel. I loved it a lot. I devoured it pretty quickly. I needed to know more and to see what happened next. This is New Adult done right. We get the appropriate level of smut without veering off into erotica territory and we get a story about two people finding love despite the odds within the appropriate age range. We get beautiful writing that feels very real life, along with a plot that has the perfect balance of predictable and unexpected. A perfect point is that this should feel a bit like instalove because these two meet and are drawn to each other immediately and things progress from there, but it doesn’t. These two have lust at first sight and then spend their weekdays at a shared desk learning more and more about each other. Their attraction grows and builds, never feeling forced or fake.

I loved every small piece of this novel. I feel like it’s one I’ll go back and read again and again because it’s absolutely perfect. If the second one is half as good as this, I’ll adore it too. I knew when I heard that Veronica Rossi helped write this, it would be amazing, but I wasn’t expecting this level of awesome. If you like new adult, this is for you. If you want to try new adult but are scared of the oversexualized novels, this is for you. If you love contemporary romances, this is for you. It’s amazing and I just want more!

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

Review for Into The Still Blue (Under The Never Sky #3) by Veronica Rossi

TITLE: Into The Still Blue
SERIES: Under The Never Sky #3
AUTHOR: Veronica Rossi
PUBLICATION DATE: January 28, 2014
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
PAGES: 400 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Edelweiss
RATING: 4 bows

Perry and Aria have moved not only the Tides, Perry’s tribe, but also all the Dweller’s they rescued from the pod, into the caves down by the beach. The aether storms are getting worse and it’s predicted that within a month, they will no longer to be able to set foot outside the cave without death or serious injury from it. The Still Blue must be found because the cave’s supplies are dwindling. Aria & Perry set off to rescue Cinder from Sable & Hess. They believe he is the key to entering this safe space of land, though nothing is certain. On this journey, they find out more than they ever wanted to know, that Cinder really is the key to the Still Blue, but can he survive the crossing? And can Perry live with himself if he doesn’t?

We get one final glimpse at this whole gang and I’m left wanting so much more. Perry & Aria grow closer and stronger, nothing major changes with them here. Roar slowly climbs out of his grief over Liv, though I don’t see how he can manage it. Brooke is less bitch-y and nicer to everyone, even helping the dwellers some. Soren becomes a bigger player, helping the gang get to Sable & Hess’s camp and hacking in. And Cinder, poor Cinder, is strong and brave.

Overall, I believe I enjoyed this, but I didn’t love it and I definitely feel a bit unsatisfied. The story was great and interesting, bringing the characters back to life in this installment, but I hated the way the ending play out and the deaths. I’m pretty vocal on my hatred of character deaths, especially ones that I feel were avoidable. That’s one of the many reasons I will never read the Divergent trilogy because I know that’ll just piss me off to no end. The second half felt overly predictable.****SPOILER****Of course Soren and Brooke are going to develop a thing for each other. Of course Sable is going to betray everyone who dares to partner with him. And of fucking course Cinder has to die. That make me so angry. You just killed a goddamn kid. A KID! Who did nothing wrong. I get the whole sacrifice for the greater good, but just fucking don’t. There had to be another way.****END SPOILER****

Aria finally gets to learn about her father here and that was an interesting twist. I think it was the only one I didn’t see coming immediately. I wanted to hate him, and though he made it easy in the beginning, neither I nor Aria could really hate him. You also get to see even more of “good” Soren, which made me endlessly happy. I loved the turn of events, getting to see hims how the good side and have a legitimate reason for going psycho. I really would like to see more of his side of the story, how things worked inside the pod through the events of Through The Ever Night.

If you are just looking for a novel that wraps up the story and gives you more of Aria & Perry, than this is exactly what you are looking for. The story ties up relatively well, giving the majority of the characters the happily ever after they were seeking. It is a bit too predictable and has a few too many character deaths for me to truly love it, so I’m just a tad disappointed. If character deaths isn’t an issue, than you’ll adore this as much as it’s predecessors, otherwise, have a few tissues at the ready!

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

Review for Brooke (Under The Never Sky #2.5) by Veronica Rossi

TITLE: Brooke
SERIES: Under The Never Sky #2.5
AUTHOR: Veronica Rossi
PUBLICATION DATE: November 26, 2013
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
PAGES: 82 pages
FORMAT: Ebook
SOURCE: Purchased
RATING: 4 bows

All Brooke has ever wanted was for Perry to love her the way she loves him and for the people of the Tides to be safe, but neither seems possible. Though Perry was hers for a short while, he is now head over heels for Aria, a useless Dweller. The Aether storms are getting progressively worse and things aren’t looking good for the Tides, but she is determined to keep her spirits up for Clara, the sister who she has finally got back. She is also determined to let Perry go because it’s apparent to anyone with eyes that he is never coming back to her.

Like everyone else, I think, I was a bit disappointed when I learned the new novella from Veronica Rossi would be about Brooke. Really? I don’t care for Brooke at all. Why couldn’t you write it about Cinder? Or maybe from Talon’s perspective? No? Damn. Unlike most people, however, this doesn’t make me fall in love with Brooke’s character. I can tolerate her a tad more now, but I still don’t like her. She annoyed me more in this. I can sympathize with her situation, being in love with someone who she can never have and I completely understand her desire to move on, but I was not a fan of how she handled it.****SPOILER****Within the pages of this minuscule novella, she makes out with two different guys and then kisses a third, and she’s sure she doesn’t want to be with any of them, but she doesn’t make that clear to either guy. I get wanting to distract yourself from the pain of losing Liv and the angst of a Perry-lite lifestyle, but if you are just looking to fool around with no strings attached, at least have the decency to be upfront about it.****END SPOILER****

I was also a bit annoyed by her overconfidence. On one hand, YA needs many more female leads who know they are attractive and project that confidence so more young girls can accept that and try to be that way, but Brooke came off almost cocky and it annoyed the fuck out of me. Every male in the compound looks at you with lust-filled eyes? Awesome, your sexy and you know it. You are the best Seer in the group, as well as a highly talented archer? Even better, keeps you in shape. While I admire her for knowing her assets and being proud of them, I didn’t need to hear about it constantly. Yes, we know you think your awesome, but get on with it already!

While I do want to see Brooke get a happy ending for all the shit she has dealt with, I don’t particularly want to read anymore from her perspective. You can tell by the end that she’ll grow to be more tolerant of Dwellers, and people in general, but she is never going to be a character that I root for. Hopefully you’ll like her more than I did!

Review for Roar And Liv (Under The Never Sky #0.5) by Veronica Rossi

TITLE: Roar And Liv
SERIES: Under The Never Sky #0.5
AUTHOR: Veronica Rossi
PUBLICATION DATE: October 30, 2012
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
PAGES: 68 pages
FORMAT: Ebook
SOURCE: Borrowed
RATING: 4 bows

Roar and Liv have always been an item, so deeply in love that no one can see them ever parting ways. No one that is, except for Liz older brother Vale. When the Tides start going hungry more often than not, Vale makes a decision that will change everyone’s life forever.

I should have read this before I read Through The Ever Night. Had I read it first, it might have gotten 5 stars, maybe. But, perspective is everything and knowing what I know makes it impossible for me to love this. Poor Roar and Liv are star-crossed lovers and it isn’t going to end well. I cannot get over how badly it’s going to end. Why, Veronica, did you write this novella just to torture me? Knowing what will happen in TTEN****SPOILER****That Liv is going to fucking die and this pair will never get their happily ever after****END SPOILER*** I just can’t…you…WHY?!?!? Why would you want me to fall more in love with their story only to end it that way?

This short novella, told via Roar’s perspective, tells us about the short journey he makes to deliver Liv to her newly betrothed husband. After Vale makes the decision to trade Liv for food for the Tides, everything is thrown in an uproar for our beloved leading guy and he doesn’t know how to fix it. If they run away, he and Liv will never see their family again and the Tides will surely suffer consequences for not delivering Liv, but if she marries Sable, they can never be together again. How can he live with her? He doesn’t know how because she is so much a part of him.

If you are looking for something to pull on your heartstrings and make you curse fate, this is definite what you need. It’ll make you love Roar even more, if that is possible.

Review for Through The Ever Night (Under The Never Sky #2) by Veronica Rossi

TITLE: Through The Ever Night
SERIES: Under The Never Sky #2
AUTHOR: Veronica Rossi
PUBLICATION DATE: January 8, 2013
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
PAGES: 341 pages
FORMAT: Hardback
SOURCE: Purchased
RATING: 4 bows

Perry & Aria want nothing more than to be together after the months of separation, but it’s just not in the cards. Aria is being blackmailed into finding the Still Blue, that mythical land free of Aether storms and Perry, as much as he wants to, can’t leave his tribe to go with her. His position as Blood Lord is too new and the people will rebel if he leaves. Aria leaves with Roar, heading to the Rim to find Liv and gain information from Sable about the Still Blue’s location. Meanwhile, Perry stays with the Tides to try and hold things together and keep them safe from Aether storms until something else can be arranged. He’s not handling the role of Blood Lord as well as he had hoped and he misses Aria more than he’d care to admit.

In the first book, we watcher Aria grow as she learned the truth about her parents and tried to survive outside the wall. The scared girl who needed protecting is long gone and, in her place, stands a woman who is more than capable of taking care of herself. She’s now a heroine I hope many young girls read about and aspire to be. Having Prince Charming save you is awesome, but being able to save yourself? That’s even better. She’s still more than a little off balance about her heritage and how she fits into the world, since she obviously don’t belong in the pod and Perry’s tribe hates her because she’s half “mole.” She’s become closer to Roar and you’d think this would turn into a love triangle, but, at least from this aspect, that never happens. It’s clear that Roar and Aria are just (close) friends, even though others imply more.

I was once again on the fence about Perry. In the same amount of time he and Aria are together in the beginning (and then at the end), I was head over heels with his swoon-worthiness. It’s like his swoon-worthy gene is only activated around her. For the vast part of the middle, I admired his dedication to his tribe and his refusal to leave even a single member behind, but I wasn’t in love with him. He’s doubts about Aria ****SPOILER****and how she left without telling him, which was for his own fucking good. Seriously dude, she knew the Tides were giving you shit because of her staying in your house and she knew that if you left with her, they’d revolt but that you wouldn’t allow her to leave without you anyway. She knew you’d make the wrong decision by coming with her and she knew that she couldn’t stay, not only because your tribe would keep trying to kill her, but also because she has to find the Still Blue in order to save Talon.****END SPOILER**** but get the hell over it. It’s clear that she did it for you and you fucking know it so stop whining and man up! The fact that he allows other people to place doubts in his mind pissed me off beyond logical reasoning.

Then there is Roar, my dear sweet Roar. He’s the real swoon-worthy guy of this trilogy. He’s hot and sweet and charming and completely in love with Liv, despite their issues. Speaking of Liv****SPOILER****WHY WAS IT NECESSARY TO KILL HER?!?!? You could injury her without mortally fucking wounding her? There had to be a better way out of that than torturing my precious Roar by murdering his soul mate. Now I won’t be able to fully enjoy reading their novella because I know their story is doomed…and not in a good way. Please don’t’ use this as an opportunity to open that Perry-Aria-Roar love triangle.****END SPOILER**** One thing I, surprisingly, enjoyed was Soren’s return. I won’t say much for fear of spoilers, but his personality has improved since his crazed moments at the beginning of Under The Ever Sky. I’m more excited than I care to admit to see more of him (and his interactions with the rest of the gang) in the final installment of this series.

Rossi manages to steer clear of most YA stereotypes in this installment. Though the love triangle idea is skirted several times, with not only Brooke secretly vying for Perry’s attention, but a second female “maybe” character, no true triangle is formed. I hope it stays that way in book *hint hint hint*. There wasn’t a massive cliffhanger either, just the basic, things are still unresolved theme. Most of the main storyline is tied up, with just the Still Blue being the only real mystery left. The prose are just as beautiful and witty as before, managing to give all the important characters that perfect balance of strength, courage, and uncertainty to keep you guessing at exactly how they’ll tackle the challenges they face. It was a thrilling ride that was over too soon and I can’t wait to start the next one.

Review for Under The Never Sky (Under The Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi

TITLE: Under The Never Sky
SERIES: Under The Never Sky #1
AUTHOR: Veronica Rossi
PUBLICATION DATE: January 3, 2012
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
PAGES: 376 pages
FORMAT: Hardback
SOURCE: Purchased
RATING: 4 bows

Aria’s changed forever that night in Ag6. Her closest friend died and now she finds she’s been exiled from her home because she knows too much. With little hope of surviving, Aria decides to just pick a direction and walk. She’ll either be electrocuted by an Aether storm or eaten by cannibals or simply starve to death, but that’s no reason to just lie down and just wait for it. Along her walk, she meets Perry. He’s the outsider she glimpsed that night in Ag6, but closer up she can see how savage he really is. He is her only hope of survival. Perry has fought his entire life. He’s the brother of Tides’ Blood Lord and he desperately wants the title for his own. He’d never challenge his brother because of the damage that would do to his relationship with his beloved nephew, Talon. Then Talon is stolen from him and he needs Aria to help get him back. Something unexpected sparks between them that will change all their lives forever.

Aria was initially annoying. She was doing things she knew she shouldn’t and her friend gets killed because of her actions. Her actions once outside the pod greatly improved my opinion of her. She doesn’t whine and refuses to give up, especially when Perry expects her to. She shows just the right level of anxiety and fear, but still manages to push through and keep up with Perry’s antics. By the end, I genuinely liked her and that’s not something I can say often for female YA characters. Usually they start off bad and just get worse. By the end, I’m usually not-so-secretly wishing cruel deaths upon her because I think the story’s hero deserves someone better. Aria beats the odds though.

Then we have Peregrine. I felt sympathy for him almost immediately, with his desperate need to help Talon in anyway possible. That need motivates him to do things he’d never consider otherwise. Watching how protective he gets over Aria makes me see that swoon-worthy side that I kept hearing about on the blog-o-sphere. That’s when the magic really happens, watching both him and Aria overcome their prejudice about the other. Watching them both realize that the stereotypes in their head don’t really match up with the reality in front of them. Perry isn’t as savage as Aria first assumes and Aria is much more intelligent than Perry initially gives her credit for.

Then, there is the side character that sort of stole the show: Roar. He’s Perry’s best friend and he’s so funny and charming that you can’t help but love him instantly. He’s that character that always has a snarky comeback, but will walk through hell for his best friends. The fact that he is completely in love with Liv, Perry’s sister, even though he knows their romance is doomed to fail just makes me love him more. These two better get a happy ending. You hear me Perry? Make sure you find a way for them, consequences be damned.

……what else to say? I’m awfully glad that I didn’t start reading this until I after I was approved for the E-ARC of book 3! It’s not that it ends with a major cliffhanger, just a much more minor one with the main story wrapping up, but leaving the future open. It’s more that I want more and I desperately want to see the reunion between Perry & Aria. It’s funny, because I rushed through this so I could start Crash Into You by Katie McGarry because I just got approved for it and I am DYING to read Isaiah’s story, but, now that I’m finished, I’m torn on which to read next: Crash Into You or Through The Ever Night.

But Rossi manages to leave out the insta-love and love triangles, so I’m full of praise for this. Except that I’m pretty sure we’ll see a triangle develop in the next book, I’m going to pretend I don’t feel that coming.

This is a brilliantly written dysopian. It’s filled with perfectly flawed characters and a truly interesting story. It is just a little predictable, but somehow that doesn’t make me love it less. It’s a little slow to start, but completely worth the effort.