Review: Boundless, by Cynthia Hand

Boundless

Cynthia Hand

Copyright 2013, Harper Teen

Freaking. Genious.

Cynthia Hand went from being an author I hadn't heard of and maybe kind of wanted to try and read to OMG CYNTHIA HAS ANOTHER BOOK OUT AND I MUST HAVE IT. All in the course of one little book you may have heard of, Unearthly.

The angel thing has kind of reached vampire status. It's been there. It's been the rage, it's had its moment and now I look at them like, Meh. If I get to it. Unless its freaking Cynthia Hand. (Or Richelle Meade, kudos on the *Squee* moment for us VA fans also!)  I want to take a quick trip into her brain and just poke around. How does she do it to us?! She's amazing.

Clara has a LOT on her plate. Keeping track of baby bro, thinking non stop about *swoon* Tucker and trying to figure out her feelings with Christian - OH and then there's Angela and we all know she's aaaaaalll over the place.

But she's doing great, she's making friends and going to school and deciding what could be next in her life. And then Angela's vision. And her own. And why is there fire? And why does Christian seem so shaken?

I'm not sure how exactly Cynthia finds a way to give us enough hints that our curiosity is constantly peaked throughout the books, but never actually gives anything away. But she does. Between the visions and the significance behind every last word, you won't pick this novel up and even think about skimming a chapter or a paragraph - you will want to soak in every last detail.

Especially where Tucker's involved. Sorry guys, I know there are a lot of you that were hoping he was gone for good, but while I had sat on the fence a good portion of the time in this series...there's just something about Tucker. I loves him.

I can also promise that for every moment you swoon or think of one of the boys, you will also find yourself on the verge of tears if not actually crying. From super playful moments to the darkest and most filled with despair, you will experience all of it. Scenes that she has rethought and written and given to her readers will stay with you long after you close the cover for the last time.

She's worked too hard for me to give anything away. Just know that you will laugh, cry, swoon and mark out for how epic these characters are. We've all been blessed to know them on this journey! It's been quite a ride and I for one, am glad I decided to jump on.

Review: The Downfall of a Good Girl, Kimberly Lang

The Downfall of a Good Girl

Kimberly Lang

Copyright 2013, Harlequin Kiss

I love Harlequin. Every single division. Teen, Category, Blaze, whatever - so here I am looking at this thin paperback with an adorable cover - for super cheap try $2.59 in print - and it says Harlequin Kiss. And I think, Why not?

SO FREAKING ADORABLE.

Kimberly Lang has written a ton of novels and from what I hear, all of them are great. This was my first voyage into her voice and I love - I love - I loved it. (Yes, I went all Mr. Darcy on you. It was called for, I promise.)

Vivi is this absolutely perfect woman. She doesn't cuss or smoke or stay out late or gossip or - well, she keeps her nose to the grindstone. She's let people get under her skin and almost ruin her before, so it's never going to happen again.

She's being honored by being named the Saint of her town for this gigantic charity in which all of the "good" townsfolks will team up with her against whomever they name the Sinner and all of his followers. She's pretty popular and has it in the bag -

Until they announce her competition.

Connor isn't just a bad boy that broke her heart back in high school - he's a pianist, lady's man, lyrical genious, swoon worthy God of sorts. And he has a loooooot of followers to help him knock her out of the competition.

What comes next is a wonderful combination of lustful glances, flying insults, bad memories and wonderful wonderful moments of close encounters, too brief touches and finally the steamy hook up we were all waiting for.

While I read and write some open door sex scenes, it's not always what I'm looking for in a novel. Sure, sometimes its STEAMY and you want it, but sometimes you want the sweeter side of things too, right? Lang captures both. Even when the door closes, you feel the heat coming from the other side.

If you're new to romance or just wanting to try it out, I highly recommend Lang's work with the Kiss series. It's a quick read full of love, growth and sexy times!

Review: Rise by Andrea Cremer

Rise

Andrea Cremer

Copyright 2013, Broken Foot Productions - Philomel Boooks, a division of Penguin Young Readers

At the end of most series, I find myself excited to see how the author is going to tie up an entire series (or two), but am so saddened that the ride will in fact be over that it takes me forever to actually read the book. RISE was not one of those books. I became so addicted to Barrow and Ember that regardless of the end being nigh, I needed it. Instead, this time, it just took forever for me to actually post on it.

It's no secret that the NIGHTSHADE series has been one of my favorite series since I first got my hands on its title book. Calla won my heart with her bravery and fierce protection of her pack. What was best for those close to her and to her was always the route she took and I respected that.

In these thrilling prequels we get to see the Seeker side of things more or less. We're taken all the way back to the beginning when we get our very first glimpse of Bosque Marr. But you've already read all of those right, and now we're at the end - again - and I'm still sighing and wanting to relive it all.

Conatus is all but destroyed, our small band of rebels are on the outskirts looking for ways to survive and gain strength from others who will hopefully help fight to take Conatus back. Until Ember gets shocking news and has no choice but to return to Tearmunn Keep - and into Alistair's arms. This is where Ember is a million times stronger than me. I make no promise that I wouldn't have gotten there, sliced him to pieces in the night and stole away with everything important to me. Granted, I probably would have been killed in the process, but Alistair went from lovable sidekick to creeptastic pile of dog doodoo in like - a paragraph. Last book. So when Ember has to come back, my stomach is SICK. She has BARROW, why can't they just run off into the sunset and make adorable warrior babies?! I know, I know, the world is at risk, their friends are being killed, I get it. But BARROW.

Anywho, so Ember is back in hell and it's creepier than ever and the whole time I'm thinking "escape, escape" right? What does she do instead? Oh. She's gets engaged. Are you kidding me?! Mind you, none of my "are you kidding me?! what the heck?!" statements say anything against the writing - Cremer is, has been and I predict always will be, one of the greatest voice's in YA. I'd especially love if she continued this particular series in an adult romance type of genre. Please? God. Could you imagine? Barrow. Romance. *Swoon*

Without ruining much, we all know Barrow is in no way going to let his woman go but he also knows she can hold her own. In a way that only Cremer can do, you find yourself flipping pages long into the night begging for a happy ending and completely enthralled with the strength of the characters.

Like with every other Cremer novel, don't wait on them. Go out, buy the whole run, call off work or school or life duties for a week and read them all. It'll be worth it.

Make Me Safe

Amazon and BN!

When Quinn fell for bad boy Shane Serapinaite she thought the most of her problems were getting her detective dad to allow it.

Several years later the honey moon is over and between Shane's lack of household support and the past he's always hidden, Quinn is starting to worry that the magic is gone for good.

And then she gets the call from Shane, completely broken with news that they've been robbed. Touched, ruined, destroyed or gone; their world has been torn apart. As Quinn struggles between wanting redemption and desperately needing to move on from the incident, Shane is awakening to the many ways he hasn't been there for his wife.

She needs his vigilance now more than ever. Her plead to make her feel safe can only be fulfilled by getting rid of the problem. And the only way he can do that is to stalk to streets he used to run and take down the people responsible. Suddenly his hidden past is a direct connection to his present.

Shane will have to call in old favors and let himself be the person he thought he'd left behind when he married Quinn - risking his life and marriage to protect everything else he won't see taken from him.



I may be a bit partial, but I think the cover is GORGE and I like the book :) If you like contemporary romance and a dash of tension I think you'd really like it! No pro wrestlers in this one, but the door is open to make it a series with Chelsea and Terry both getting their own books!  We shall see! Add it to your goodreads list or pick up a copy now! For $2.99 how can you go wrong??

Beautiful Chaos

 

Beautiful Chaos

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Copyright 2011, Little, Brown

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What — or who — will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself — forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Secret Time. I didn't read this book until just recently even though I've owned it since it came out. Why, you ask, since I love the series so very deeply that I even made a shirt celebrating Chaos' release? Because then it would be over. And they said "this time there won't be a happy ending." But I LIKE HAPPY ENDINGS, DANG IT.

So I didn't read it. I kept it on my shelf right next to its siblings and would look at it longingly from time to time. And life went on. I fell away from blogging a bit, didn't have as much time to read, kind of went into a life slump where I had to work on other stuff - you know how it goes. So I'm walking through a Meijer's one day and BAM Beautiful Redemption. What the WHAT?! I thought someone was playing a trick on me, I thought there were only three books in the series! What happened?! So I went home and grabbed that sucker off the shelf. And I devoured it.

Ethan and Lena don't skip a beat. Link is still the most amazing first string secondary character ever and you will jump into this plot like it was one of Amma's pies laid out in front of you. Don't worry about there not being a happy ending, just be happy that we get to read it!

And then do yourself a favor and get Beautiful Redemption, too, because yeah...you'll want it immediately.

There is nothing better than settling in with a book and knowing it's voice. Feeling it's characters. Needing it more than food or sleep. Very few books feel like home to me in the way that the Beautiful Creatures series does. To a point that as I see all the prep for the BC movie coming out, I almost feel a sense of pride, as if it were mine or I had a hand in it. Because I loved it first. I loved it and treasured it and raved about it before posters were made and trailers were edited together to entice movie goers.

When authors can create something so personal, but so widely recognized and respected that it becomes a highly anticipated movie, it involves a talent and a passion that most people - I'd imagine -will never know. Thank you, Kami and Margaret for giving us this world and these characters and thank you for being the kind and wonderful souls we all know you are! You guys deserve every ounce of success that you've worked for and, if I may speak for us all, your readers are extremely proud of you!

Hidden by Sophie Jordan

 

Hidden

Sophie Jordan

Copyright 2012, Harper

Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning....

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy.

 

Oh, how I love this series. Each book is more and more intense, each new journey something you didn't see coming and to top it off? Written by a woman with MAD SKILLS. Seriously. Sophie Jordan is not just an amazing young adult author but also a romance writer.

 

Every single action is well thought out, each interaction has a purpose and I really think sometimes the purpose is to make you gasp or to break your heart a little bit. I'm definitely ok with both.

 

When Jacinda found herself locked up, wondering how anyone could endure it, wondering how she would endure it, it was physically hard to breathe. Everything is so real, the danger seems so close, on the up side - the passion is also so so close!

 

I absolutely hated to see this series end, but if all good things most come to an end, Sophie definitely didn't disappoint in wrapping this one up!

Unravel Me

 

UNRAVEL ME

Tahereh Mafi

Copyright 2013

Won from Goodreads! Thank you Goodreads and Harper Teen!

tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Tahereh Mafi is undoubtedly the most talented writer of our generation. There is not a single thing I can think of that meets Shatter Me or Unravel Me with the same intensity. Her heroes and villains are the basest of everything we are and are afraid to be. The world around them is so real, so vivid you could forget that we aren't opening our doors to it. You find yourself waiting for it, watching for it, examining it.

Many people break stories down into "Teams" in this case, Team Adam vs Team Warner. We've all heard the rumors, that you will fall in love with Warner Unravel Me contains a lot of Warner, but let me tell you - as fun, as maddening, as the boys are.

This is not
their
story.

After reading Shatter Me, I had boldly claimed that never had I ever read anything so brilliantly written. Admittedly, I was a little afraid for Unravel Me. After all, who could keep the pace that Shatter Me set? Impossible. Impossible is nothing. Tahereh's use of language doesn't allow you to simply read, it steals your breath and changes the beat beat beat of your heart. This is an amazing book. This is a journey you will never forget.