Review: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

Author: Morgan Matson

Series: N/A

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: May 2010

Format: ebook | 352 pages

Genre: YA | Contemporary 

Goodreads

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident.

 

 

My thoughts:

Following her father's death, Amy's family moves to Connecticut for a fresh start, but because of money troubles, Amy's mother decides she has to drive there with a friend's son, Roger. Amy's mother sets the route, books the hotels and hands over her credit card, but Amy and Roger are disappointed to see that the route set isn't one that inspires any sense of adventure…they decide to liven things up a little.

This was a great, feel good read. I really enjoyed it. I've only read a couple of books with a road trip as the main focus but it seems to be a really great way to tell a story. Especially for characters that have to get to know one another and maybe even themselves again - plenty of time to be left alone with your thoughts, close quarters with more or less a stranger and lots of things that can go wrong.

I loved how gentle the story was. Matson really took her time with the characters I think, I felt like I really got to know them. Amy was very vulnerable and the trip was her way of getting a little bit of her old self back but it took a lot of time. Nothing in this read was rushed, not one thing - not the friendships, not the romance and definitely not the closure of all the characters involved.

The characters were beyond lovely. I don't know why I'm using that word to describe them, but it seems to fit them perfectly. They gave each other so much space at first because they each had their own problems. I adored how they took their time to get to know each other, because really, doesn't it just make sense that way? Who rushes into any kind of relationship? Even of the friendly sort. 

 

I also thought it ended in such a lovely manner. It might have annoyed me if the read was any different, but I loved the fact that it was an open ending. It wasn't a bad ending in the sense that nothing was resolved - things were resolved and it ended on a good note, but it was also open to interpretation a little. I thought that for characters who had a long way to go, it would have been hypocritical in a way to end the book with full description of where the characters are going to end up and where they all stand with each other. Like Amy's mother for example, I would have liked to see how things between Amy and her changed, but I also knew that they had a hell of a lot to work out. Seeing them work it out in a couple of pages wouldn't have sit well with me I think. It was a great way to end the book.

 

Overall I loved this read and I don't have a bad thing to say about it. Not one. I'm definitely going to keep watching this author.

 

My rating: 10/10 

 

Morgan Matson:

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Review: Of Light and Darkness by Shayne Leighton

Title: Of Light and Darkness

Author: Shayne Leighton

Series: Of Light and Darkness #1

Publisher: CreateSpace

Publication date: January 11th

Format: ebook 

Genre: NA | Paranormal 

Goodreads

Raised by a Vampire in a secret society of Witches, Shifters, and Elves, Charlotte finds that she is the freak in her world of magic and wonder. When she stands before an army of impossible obstacles, the likelihood of survival in this coming-of-age modern fairy tale is slim, resulting in a war between light and darkness.

Charlotte knows no other home than the one nestled deep in the woods of Eastern Europe, where Witches draw spells of enchantment, Shifters throw tea parties, and Elves are the closest in kin.

As genocide and war threatens her life and her home, Charlotte will not allow her one true love to be destroyed. Fighting for her adopted coven of rogue monsters, she will do whatever it takes to save them...and she'll do it before the sun comes up and light takes over forever!

 

 

My thoughts:

There are hardly any reads - new or otherwise - that feature vampires that actually act like vampires. Traditionally they're set in gothic sort of settings and their stories are dark and gloomy. I feel like they've been changed so much over time that they shouldn't even be called vampires. It's the same with any paranormal creature. I love, love, love finding different books where the vampires, werewolves, witches, elves, fairies e.t.c don't just behave like humans with a little bit extra. It's rare you find something where the werewolves are actually dangerous and vampire drinking blood is a big deal. It's always romance where the love interest just happens to turn into a wolf once a month or just happens to like being nocturnal but it's whatever babe, you're still basically normal.

With that little rant over, my point is, Valek acts like a vampire. Right from the beginning there was the perfect feel of dark and creepy where a vampire works best. He misses the sun, he's dead during the day and drinking blood is not something he likes being a public show. It's not pretty sparkles but a little grim and that's the way I like it.

I liked the characters in this read. I took to Valek straight away, but Charlotte took a while. I don't do well with female characters who mostly think or focus on their love interest right from the beginning. What I mean is, before getting to know Charlotte and her personality, I was bombarded with her love interest and how amazing he is and how she longs for him. It was a little too much, especially for the beginning of a book. It changed when the plot started to get going and Charlotte soon came across as a strong-willed and smart girl. 

The plot was great. Like I said, the dark and broody type settings were a refreshing touch and the fact that all these paranormal creatures were together in one place gave me plenty to keep me interested. I will say though, I think the world this book is set in could be explained in a little more depth. I was a little overwhelmed at times and a little background information would have gone a long way.

 

All in all I liked this read. It was good to get away from the usual vampire romances and get some 'Dracula' type stuff going. This book features great writing, decent characters and plenty of action - if anything, pick it up to forget the wimpy vampires and get some super dark vampire action. 

 

My rating: 7/10

 

 

Shayne Leighton:

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Of Light and Darkness:

1. Of Light and Darkness
2. Of Blood and Magic
3. The Vampire's Hourglass

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Review: A Spy Unmasked by Tina Gabrielle

Title: A Spy Unmasked

Author: Tina Bagrielle

Publisher: Entangled: Scandalous

Publication date: November 10th 2014

Format: ebook | 285 pages

Genre: Adult | Historical Romance

Goodreads

London, 1820.

 The mission did not go quite as Robert Ware--known in society as the new Earl of Kirkland--planned. A spy in the service of His Majesty, Robert is a "guest" at a masquerade party as he retrieves vital information for a murder investigation. Until he's quite unexpectedly interrupted by an exquisite, masked woman with glittering green eyes. And a pistol she has cocked and aimed right at him... 

Lady Sophia Merrill has defiantly taken up justice's shining sword, determined to expose the brigand who murdered her eccentric but brilliant father, and stole his latest invention. Now she must masquerade as Robert's betrothed in order to infiltrate the Inventor's Society and find the killer. But the undeniable potent attraction between them not only imperils the investigation, but Sophia's reputation... and both of their lives.

My thoughts:

I've been reading a lot of books lately where the story gets split because of some event or another and I end up liking one part of the book a lot more than the other. This one was no exception. The Earl of Kirkland is a spy investigating the goings on in a secret society until Lady Sophia almost blows the whole operation. There is a point in the story where Sophia gets involved in the whole spying business a lot more than before. It's at that point where the read started to go a little off the rails in my opinion.

I liked most of the read. The espionage aspect of the story was very enjoyable. I'm not usually one for crime solving and spy novels, so to enjoy that side of it was refreshing. It gave the book the suspense and sense of adventure it needed. The spying involved was pretty simple and repetitive, but I still found myself liking it. Most of all though, I liked how the author stuck with it throughout the book. The main focus was definitely the plot and not the romance which was great.

My big problem was the ending of the book. Not so much right at the end, but several of the later chapters. Things moved way too fast. There was a really nice pace going between Sophia and Robert's relationship and then it just went full speed ahead in the worst of ways. It made sense at the start, but to have it go from 0 to 60 in just a few chapters was just terrible considering both characters refused to work together in the start. It wasn't believable in the end which was disappointing.

Overall I was pretty much on and off with this read. I liked the characters, until I didn't anymore and I liked the plot, until it became a little dry. It was okay.

My rating: 6/10

Tina Gabrielle:

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Review: Love Me to Death by Marissa Clarke

Title: Love Me to Death

Author: Marissa Clarke

Series: Underveil #1

Publisher: Entangled: Select

Publication date: October 28 2014

Format: Ebook | 359 pages

Genre: Fantasy  | Paranormal

Goodreads

Medical research scientist Elena Arcos has always lived her life under the radar, which is not easy to do when you live with the craziest woman in the world. But eccentric Aunt Uza is a picnic compared to the other people who enter her orderly life after she is shot in a convenience store robbery.

Elena finds herself rocketed from comfortable predictability to supernatural insanity courtesy of her own private angel of death who happens to have the sexiest accent on earth and a body to match. Her death angel is convinced she’s some kind of freaky half vampire thing and that her deceased dad was the real deal: a blood sucking monster. 

Yeah, right. She’ll play along, but then she doesn’t have much choice seeing how as the guy claims to be some immortal law enforcer and has taken her prisoner.

* * *

Nikolai Itzov had expected to fight the urge to torture the progeny of his father’s murderer, but he’d never anticipated battling the urge to kiss her her.

As a Slayer, an elite law enforcer descended from Azrael himself, his charge from the Underveil General is clear: Kill her or die. He has been told she is one of them--an Undead. Nothing but a parasite to be destroyed. But he has been told wrong. 

Nikolai and Elena find themselves in a life and death battle to stop a plot designed to lift the Underveil and enslave humans. 

With her analytical mind and his centuries of training and experience, they might be able to foil the plot with their lives and maybe their hearts intact. But in order to succeed, he must help her become the very thing he hates the most: an Undead.

 

 

My thoughts:

After being sent to exact revenge on a vampire he has good reason to hate, Nikolai finds more than he expected when he sees Elena for the first time - starting with the fact that she's not actually a vampire and has no idea about the Underveil. The two soon set out trying to find out why people want Elena killed and prevent the end of human freedom.

This was another read that I was pretty much split down the middle with. More literally than most though - the first half of the book was a lot different to the last half and that really threw me for a loop. The first half seemed to have more of a focus on the relationship between Nikolai and Elena where they're getting used to being together and Elena is starting to learn about all the new creatures in the Underveil. The second half, however takes a political turn and the focus is entirely on overthrowing the king and getting the rightful heir into power. There was far too much of a distinction which made it feel like two completely different books.

 

I think I enjoyed the first half of the story far more than the second. I thought that the characters were more themselves at the start and as the plot progressed they lost certain characteristics that made me like them in the first place. As soon as the plot moved into getting the throne back and saving humankind, it felt so rushed that there was no time for the characters whatsoever.

 

I liked Elena at first. I loved how clueless and naive she was about pretty much everything - it made for some funny happenings with Nikolai. Nik took me a while to get used to but he changed a little after a while and I grew to really like him, more than Elena actually. I thought he grew into a better character as the read went on - Elena's introduction into his life and finding out his uncle wasn't being totally truthful kind of shocked him into changing. He was a lot more believable than Elena even into the second half of the book where I thought Elena took a turn for the worst.

 

Overall I thought the read was okay. I really liked the first half but the rest went downhill really fast in my opinion. 

 

My rating: 5/10

 

Marissa Clarke:

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Review: Dead Over Heels by Alison Kemper

Title: Dead Over Heels

Author: Alison Kemper

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication date: September 29th 2014

Format: ebook | 269 pages

Genre: YA 

Goodreads

The end of the world just might be their perfect beginning…

Glenview, North Carolina. Also known―at least to sixteen-year-old Ava Pegg―as the Land of Incredibly Boring Vacations. What exactly were her parents thinking when they bought a summer home here? Then the cute-but-really-annoying boy next door shows up at her place in a panic…hollering something about flesh-eating zombies attacking the town.

At first, Ava’s certain that Cole spent a little too much time with his head in the moonshine barrel. But when someone―or something―rotted and terrifying emerges from behind the woodpile, Ava realizes this is no hooch hallucination. The undead are walking in Glenview, and they are hungry. Panicked, Ava and Cole flee into the national forest. No supplies, no weapons. Just two teenagers who don’t even like each other fighting for their lives. But that’s the funny thing about the Zombpocalypse. You never know when you’ll meet your undead end. Or when you’ll fall dead over heels for a boy…

 

 

My thoughts:

After a deadly rabie-like virus spreads all across the world, Ava finds herself following neighbour, Cole, into the woods to escape mindless, rotting cannibals that could once call themselves people. In order to find both Ava and Cole's parents and get to a place of safety, Ava has to place her life entirely in Cole's hands as they trek for days through the woods. Cole is the one with the survival skills, so Ava has to try her best to be a help and not a hindrance to a boy she's slowly coming to like very much.

This read, for me at least, was split pretty much right down the middle. I liked it, but there was a lot I didn't like as well. The most annoying of which was the sound the 'zombies' made. It may have been meant to be funny and cute, but I don't necessarily want funny and cute in a zombie novel. The romance would have been enough to satisfy any need for my 'awww' moments. The zombies said 'rawr'. Also, a bear played a minor part in the book and it said 'grr'. Every time I saw it, I wanted to bash my head against the wall. I'm sorry but that's just so stupid. If you want a book to have a comedic feel, then give it that element, but don't throw in death defying situations and expect me to take them seriously when a shambling zombie catches up and says 'rawr' before it eats someone's face off...

Weirdness aside, that was the only thing that had me wanting to scream. The only other point that frustrated me was how fast and furious Ava and Cole got. It's not a spoiler when I say they have feelings for each other, it's pretty obvious just reading the synopsis that it's going to happen. I didn't feel that they moved into a relationship too fast per se, considering what they went through, I just don't understand why they got to the point of furiously making out so quickly. It wasn't done right in my opinion. It just didn't seem like a priority, obviously, at the time - maybe a nice kiss but a furious make out session? It seemed a little too much.

Anyway, the rest of the read was good. It had a lot of action and suspense and I did like the characters. I loved how Cole doubted himself and how Ava really stepped up towards the end of the book. They both really came into their own by the end.

All in all it was a good read but what I didn't like about it seemed to be a the forefront of my mind constantly which ruined it a little. Sadly, I actually think my reading so much, including books featuring zombies, made me a little too critical. To each their own though. 

My rating: 6/10

Alison Kemper:

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Review: Priya in Heels by Ayesha Patel

Title: Priya in Heels

Author: Ayesha Patel

Publisher: Entangled Embrace

Publication date: September 15th 2014

Format: Ebook

Genre: Contemporary | New Adult

Goodreads

Love doesn’t conquer all…does it?

Priyanka Patel is the epitome of an obedient daughter. She’s finishing up her medical residency at one of Houston’s busiest emergency departments, and has agreed—albeit reluctantly—to marry the man her family has chosen for her. The only thing that can derail the “perfect” life laid out before her is the sexy musician down the hall who wants into her life…and into her bed.

Tyler O’Connor has been infatuated with Priya since she treated his sprained ankle in the ER, and after saving her from a brutal attack, he can't get her out of his head. When Priya puts her family's wishes before their relationship, agreeing to an arranged marriage with another man, Tyler is devastated. 

But love is fierce and unreasonable and clashes with the carefully sculpted life her parents want for her. Is going after her heart such a big deal, or will it truly unravel Priya’s world?

 

 

My thoughts:

Priya in Heels is a contemporary romance following Priyanka, an Indian doctor barely out of med school and her struggle between following her heart and sticking like glue to the cultural norms her family lives their life by. Should she accept the marriage proposal of a successful Indian man who would make her parents happy for her, or does she have a relationship with the sexy musician across the hall who would bring shame to her family - her head or her heart?

 

I want to begin this review by saying I started this book expecting a light, fluffy romance full of clichés and maybe even insta-love. I mean, it's so dominant in this genre nowadays that I might as well go into a read expecting it so I don't get so mind numbingly frustrated and start ranting about how annoying it is and whatnot - everybody's seen enough of it. It's a more than popular topic that readers and bloggers are shaking their fists at in a fit of rage. Never a good thing.

 

So Priya, in my opinion, did rush into a relationship and she did develop overwhelming feelings of love in no time at all. But it's okay, I expected it. What I didn't like was that she was such a cool character in the beginning of the novel. She was great! Priya was feisty, she was completely and utterly independent in every way, she knew where she was, what she was about, where she wanted to go in the future and she was comfortable with herself. I had just got comfy with the idea that Priya is going to carry this book on her shoulders and make me like it. She had the potential to carry the whole story. But of course, she had to go and change. As soon as the guys fully came into the picture, everything that made Priya an individual disappeared. There was no mention of her usual habits, hardly any mention of work and loads of talk about the guys and not much else. 

 

I thought Tyler was cute. He was a good character that fit well with Priya - I especially loved the whole nerdy thing they had going. Together they were great. I would have loved more of a backstory with Tyler though - not just for him to be there just to be with Priya.

 

That's another thing, if there's going to be a love triangle going on then it should be believable. I hated Manuk. I thought he was a major jerk. I also think that regardless of his character, Priya didn't give him enough of a chance in the first place before she decided anything. It was either get married to him or not but with Tyler it was be with him or not without marriage necessarily being an option. I would have liked to not know who was going to be chosen in the end.

 

I think everything I liked about this read came from the first third of the book. Like I said, I loved Priya's character, couldn't fault her. Tyler was amazingly adorable with the way he kept trying to go after her and how he dealt with rejection. I loved the supporting characters - both groups of friends (Tyler's and Priya's) made me laugh and they interacted great. Priya's family was adorable and the drama that went on within it was interesting.

 

By the way, if you're not familiar with Indian culture I think you'll find that side of the read intriguing. I have plenty of Indian friends so nothing in this book was new to me. 

 

My rating: 4/10

 

Ayesha Patel:

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Review: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Title: Second Chance Summer

Author: Morgan Matson

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: May 2012

Format: eBook | 480 pages

Genre: YA |  Contemporary 

Goodreads

Sandwiched between two exceptional siblings, Taylor Edwards never felt like she stood out—except for her history of running away when things get too complicated. Then her dad receives unexpected, terrible news, and the family makes the last-minute decision to spend the summer together in the cramped quarters at their old lake house.



Taylor hasn’t been to the summer house since she was twelve, and she definitely never planned on going back. Up at the lake she is confronted with people she thought she left behind, like her former best friend, Lucy, and Henry Crosby, her first crush, who’s all grown up…and a lot cuter. Suddenly Taylor is surrounded by memories she’d rather leave in the past—but she can’t run away this time.



As the days lying on the beach pass into nights gazing at the stars, Taylor realises she has a second chance—with friends, with family, maybe even with love. But she knows that once the summer ends, there is no way to recapture what she stands to lose. 

 

 

My thoughts:

Okay. So now that I've finally stopped bawling my eyes out maybe I can actually get a review up.

 

This is one of those reads where I feel anything I write in a review couldn't do it justice. The emotions involved in this book just blew me away and honestly, I don't think I'll be able to read for at least the rest of the day because I'll still be thinking about this book.

 

Second Chance Summer is truly a beautiful read. It has lovely descriptions of summer, a charming romance, endearing characters and a heartfelt plot that is guaranteed to make you cry at least once. It was one of those books that play on your mind well after you finish reading it and to me, that's what tells me I've just finished reading something I'll no doubt come back to. 

 

I could go on and on about how amazing the characters were and how invested I got in their lives, but I'm not going to. I want you to go and get this book as soon as you can and trust that you'll enjoy every moment of it. It was an experience to say the least. 

 

My rating: 10/10

 

Morgan Matson:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

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Review: Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Title: Darkness Becomes Her

Author: Kelly Keaton

Series: Gods & Monsters #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: February 2011

Format: eBook | 288 pages

Genre: YA | Paranormal 

Goodreads

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers a message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

My thoughts:

This was another one of those reads that I didn't find amazing, but I still enjoyed reading it. These books are always the hardest to review for me because sometimes they don't leave enough of an impression for me to think 'there's something I have to put in the review later'.

While I did like the read, the scale was too heavy on the 'bad points' side for me to want to read it again or maybe carry on in the series. I'm not sure about that yet, but it's most definitely one that isn't going to be a priority out of all the series I'm dying to get my hands on.

The very first problem I noticed myself getting frustrated by was the way some events took place. For example, in a couple of action packed moments of the book, Ari - who I realise has had combat training but no experience with supernaturals and the like -  was fighting supernatural creatures with surprising ease. Everything that happened with her was too convenient and it made the story totally unrealistic.

 

It was the exact same problem with the romance that I had trouble with. I like romance in a story as much as the next reader but it has to be believable. It wasn't at all. Sebastian came across as a completely different character in the beginning to what he turned out to be at the end of the book. He didn't start off as someone who would just jump into a romance with anyone, let alone a cursed girl with beefy assassins out to get her. And then, without warning, he changes out of the blue to a really sweet guy who wants to be with someone he met the day before. He lost the air of mystery about him and that was really disappointing because it was what made me like him in the first place.

 

Aside from all that negativity, I really liked the plot of this book. It was entertaining, full of secrets and loveable characters. Enough so that I enjoyed the book despite all my ranting.

 

I especially loved Violet. She was such an intriguing character in so many ways. She had such loyalty to her friends and left such an impression on me without saying very much at all throughout the story. Her and her scary pet. I liked how all of the characters acted as a unit - they acted as a family in order to survive but ended up caring for each other perhaps more than blood relations would.

 

Overall I found this to be a pretty average book. I enjoyed it for the most part, but while the problems I had with it were few and far between, they really irked me. 

 

My rating: 5/10

 

Kelly Keaton:

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Gods & Monsters:

1. Darkness Becomes Her
2. A Beautiful Evil
3. The Wicked Within

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Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty 

Author: Jenny Han

Series: Summer #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: December 2010

Format: eBook | 304 pages

Genre: YA | Contemporary 

Goodreads

When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favourite people are there: Susannah, her mother's best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad's brother, Jeremiah, Belly's heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? Will this be the summer that changes everything?

 

 

My thoughts:

Can someone please tell me why I've waited so long to read this book?

What I loved most about this read was not only was it all about summer, it was about how one girl changes over many summers. There were quite a few flashbacks of past summers with all of the characters living together so it made for some amazing opportunities to get to know the characters a whole lot more. You get to learn what makes them who they are and why they act the way they do in the main part of the story (the present time). The characters were amazingly well rounded and perfectly developed so I pretty much fell in love with every single one of them for different reasons.

The writing really captured the essence of summer - I could imagine all of the settings with ease and be reminded of my own summer experiences just from the tone of the book sometimes. Since it is December while I'm writing this review, this book succeeded in making me look forward to the summer if nothing else. 

 

The plot was also wonderful. It was nothing like I was expecting. I was thinking there would be a huge focus on romance for obvious reasons but there was so much more. This book was pretty heartbreaking at times and it left me in tears more than once. Since I loved the characters so much, everything that happened to them really hit home more than usual. 

 

Aside from the ending, which I hated, I thought this book was a fantastic read. I honestly can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.

 

My rating: 8/10

 

Jenny Han:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

Summer:

1. The Summer I Turned Pretty
2. It's Not Summer Without You
3. We'll Always Have Summer

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Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Title: Golden

Author: Jessi Kirby

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: May 2013

Format: eBook | 288 pages

Genre: YA | Contemporary 

Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

 

 

My thoughts:

It's books like this that encourage me to read more contemporary. I really don't pick up books like this often enough.

What made this book, in my opinion, was the plot. I was completely invested in the story involved and so I just had to find out what happened. It was pretty obvious how the book would actually end, but I was excited to read how it would happen exactly and I wasn't disappointed.

I found the characters to be extremely relatable too. Parker was the girl who seemed to be living for everyone else apart from herself. She was so focused on not disappointing her mother that she almost mistook her dreams for her own. I loved how the mystery of Julianna forced her to challenge herself in every way possible. The rest of the characters involved were just as loveable as Parker was, though in some cases, I wish I saw a lot more of them. Especially Trevor, he was an interesting character and I would have liked to have got to know him better.

Overall I really liked this read. It was endearing and pretty quick to get through. I would recommend it to fans of this genre for sure.

My rating: 7/10

Jessi Kirby:

Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Review: Dyed and Gone by Beth Yarnall

Title: Dyed and Gone

Author: Beth Yarnall

Publisher: Entangled Select

Publication date: March 25th 2014

Format: ebook | 298 pages

Genre: Mystery | Adult

Goodreads

Hairstylist Azalea March is looking forward to a wild weekend in Las Vegas with her friends. Oh, sure, they’re supposed to be there on business, attending the biggest hair show on the west coast, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a little fun. But fun quickly turns to drama. On the first morning of the show, Dhane, the biggest celeb of the hair-styling world, is found dead. As it turns out Azalea’s friend Vivian not only knew Dhane, but the tale she weaves of how they met is faker than a showgirl’s uh…assets. When Vivian confesses to the murder and is arrested, Azalea knows there’s no way she could have done it and suspects Vivian may be trying to protect someone. But who?

Azalea now has to convince Alex, the sexy detective from her past, to help her prove Vivian’s innocence and comb through clues more twisted than a spiral perm. But the truth is stranger than anything found on the Las Vegas Strip, and proving Vivian’s innocence turns out to be more difficult than transforming a brunette into a blonde.

My thoughts:

Dyed and Gone follows Azalea March as she tries her best to solve the murder of well known celebrity, Dhane - well known in the hairdressing world at least. Azalea soon finds herself turning into trouble at every corner so enlists the help of Alex, the hunky detective that she just happens to be having a little bit of a spat with. 

I have to admit straight off, I didn't like this book. It was one that I didn't connect to at all - I couldn't relate to most of the characters and the plot didn't captivate me as much as I would have liked. However, I really liked Alex, the detective, and Juan, one of Azalea's best friends. I thought Alex was a cute character that played off the 'protective guy' feel really well seeing as he's already a member of the police force. Juan just made me laugh, end of. Especially towards the end of the book - he came out with some amazing one liners that made me giggle.

I don't really have much else to say about this one. It was just one of those reads I didn't get on with. I couldn't connect to most of the characters and I lost interest really quickly. Finishing it became more of a chore than anything which is not something any reader likes to happen. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in please don't let me put you off.

My rating: 3/10

Beth Yarnall:

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Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Series: The Chemical Garden #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: March 2011

Format: eBook | 368 pages

Genre: YA | Dystopian

Goodreads

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

My thoughts:

This book had been on my wish-list since it came out now and I've only just picked it up. I remember it getting so much hype when it came out and it put me off a little because I didn't want to read it straight away and end up disappointed. I have to say though, for the amount of praise I remember it getting from reviewers, I actually don't understand why after reading it. It was an okay read, but not as fantastic as people made it out to be. To each their own I guess - it's their opinion. 

What I didn't like most about this read was that it seemed a little disjointed at quite a few moments in the plot. For a start, I would be midway through a chapter and in a new paragraph the time has progressed by a few days or even months with no warning. And even then, looking at the book as a whole, the whole idea of the virus killing off women at 20 and men at 25 didn't really make sense. I know it's made up and everything, but there has to be some elements that make it believable - it didn't sit well with me at all so it made the whole story and characters hard to relate to. 

Rhine is a pretty good character in my opinion, except for a few choices that got me a little frustrated with her. She tried to look out for everyone and I sympathised with her when unfortunate events occurred. She was determined and she had her strengths but she was also caring and it made me root for her. The problem I had with the characters was Gabriel and Linden. Gabriel made no impression on me whatsoever! I have no idea if it's because he doesn't play enough of a part or if I didn't like his personality in general but I pretty much didn't care about what happened to him. But Linden was something else. I thought he was an incredibly weak character. Both in his personality and the way he was portrayed by the author. I hated him. He had no clue about what was happening and it didn't endear me to him one bit - he just seemed like a sheep following his father around waiting to be told what to do. Plus, he was supposed to be in love with Rhine, but everything he came out with was completely unbelievable to me - he just rubbed me the wrong way in every way possible.

What I did like about this read, and it's what kept me going, was the level of suspense and intensity involved. Everything that happened led up to Rhine's escape - it led to some really exciting and tense moments where I just had to find out what happened no matter what I felt about the characters involved. I also thought it was suitably creepy at times, especially Linden's father, which gave the read a great level of urgency.

Overall this read was pretty much meh for me. The more I think about it, the more I can't believe I finished it - harsh, but true. I don't think I'll be reading on in the series but as always, this was just my opinion and a ton of people really love this series so check it out.

My rating: 4/10

Lauren DeStefano:

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The Chemical Garden:

1. Wither
2. Fever
3. Sever

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Review: Crash by Lisa McMann

Title: Crash

Author: Lisa McMann

Series: Visions #1

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication date: January 2013

Format: eBook | 256 pages

Genre: YA | Paranormal 

Goodreads

Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow.

The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.

 

 

My thoughts:

For me, this was one of those perfectly average reads where there were a lot of good moments, but also a lot of moments that frustrated me.

It wasn't that I hated the read, I enjoyed it well enough. It's just that it wasn't one that I immediately want to reread or even put it on my bookshelf to be honest. It had just enough of the good stuff for me to want to finish it. I think if it was any longer than it is, I would have given up long before the end.

 

What I really loved about this book, and it's definitely what kept me going, was the characters. Jules was hilarious. Her quirkiness led to some really funny moments and her ability to blurt out what's on her mind at the most inopportune times made me burst out laughing. I also liked Sawyer and how much the both of them together made a perfect couple to balance each other out. Sawyer had the capacity to admit to his mistakes at the end and that always makes me relate to a character, if only because it's the right thing to do.

 

The frustrating aspects of this book aren't easy for me to put into words. It was like there wasn't enough to get me completely invested in the story. Whenever there were hints at the history between the two families involved in the story, it was mentioned but never taken anywhere. I thought the same about Jules' new 'vision' capabilities - there was never any mention of when they started or how they came to be. Whether or not it's fully explained in the next books, it was too important a detail for me to wait for - I can't help but feel it would have made the story that much more believable. I suppose it all came down to the details for me. I am a fan of authors who have very descriptive writing and detailed imaginations so this read fell short in that respect.

 

The plot itself was good. This read is very to the point and the author wastes no time getting the story going. I read it entirely in one sitting in just a couple of hours so it's nice for a fun afternoon read. 

 

My rating: 6/10

 

Lisa McMann:

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Visions:

1. Crash
2. Bang
3. Gasp

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Review: Searching for Beautiful by Nyrae Dawn

Title: Searching for Beautiful

Author: Nyrae Dawn

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication date: March 4th 2014

Format: ebook | 304 pages

Genre: YA | Contemporary

Goodreads

Before, Brynn had a group of best friends, a loving boyfriend, a growing talent for pottery. She had a life. And after…she had none.

When Brynn lost the boyfriend who never loved her, the friends who feel she betrayed their trust, and the new life just beginning to grow inside her, she believes her future is as empty as her body. But then Christian, the boy next door, starts coming around. Playing his guitar and pushing her to create art once more.　She meets some new friends at the local community centre, plus even gets her dad to look her in the eye again…sort of.　

But can Brynn open up her heart to truly find her life’s own beauty, when living for the after means letting go of the before?

My thoughts:

Brynn's life takes a turn for the worst when her mother dies of an aneurysm. While Brynn thinks she's found the perfect man to help her get back on her feet, she soon realises he's not what he seems when he questions whether Brynn's baby is his and asks her to get an abortion. After growing apart from her father, best friends and abandoning her love of pottery, Brynn has the hard task of finding a way to get back on the road to recovery. 

The character that made this book for me was Christian. His romantic interests aside, I thought he made a fantastic character. He was honest from the get go and it was almost enough to push Brynn away completely. I think part of my enjoying reading about him though was that I found him to be incredibly relatable. In terms of where he fit into the story, I thought he worked really well with Brynn's character in pushing her to make the first steps to becoming more like her old self. He made up for all of Brynn's weaknesses and in turn, Brynn had no problem telling Christian where he was going wrong. They made the perfect team.

While this story was pretty predictable, I still found myself reading it in no time on account of me just wanting to know what happened to all the characters. The characters really hold a story like this together so I was happily surprised to find out that this book had a nice set of characters that I started to really root for.

However, I really didn't get on with the ending. A book like this is all about the emotions the characters are going through and the journey to their recovery so I like it when the story takes its sweet time coming to the inevitable conclusion. This ending was way too rushed for me. All of the loose ends were tied up almost in bullet points it went so quickly. There was no lead up to the ending, it was just in my face and then the book was over. 

Even though I loved the main characters, including Brynn's father, I didn't like some of the others so much. The so called best friends of Brynn that abandoned her and her ex-boyfriend Ian who was going out with Brynn before her mum died and before Jason happened. I thought they were completely unnecessary which was evident by how much they actually played a part in the story. They only really appeared in the beginning of the book and right at the end. I know it's difficult to do, but I like all of the characters that make an appearance to give something to the story. They were the kind of characters that I wouldn't care if they were in the story or not. It would have made no difference to me.

 

Overall I thought this was a good read. It frustrated me a little but it didn't make me want to give up reading it. If you're a fan of contemporary Searching for Beautiful is a really quick read that you'll get through in no time. 

 

My rating: 6/10

 

Nyrae Dawn:

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Review: Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan

Title: Maid of Secrets

Author: Jennifer McGowan

Series: Maids of Honour #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: May 2013

Format: Ebook

Genre: YA | Historical Fiction

Goodreads

If God won't save the Queen...they will.

Orphan Meg Fellowes makes her living picking pockets—until she steals from the wrong nobleman. Instead of rotting in prison like she expected, she’s whisked away to the court of Queen Elizabeth I and pressed into royal service. With a faked noble identity, Meg joins four other skilled girls in the Maids of Honor, the Queen’s secret society of protectors. 

Meg's natural abilities as a spy prove useful in this time of unrest. The Spanish Court is visiting, and with them come devious plots and hidden political motives. As threats to the kingdom begin to mount, Meg can’t deny her growing attraction to one of the dashing Spanish courtiers. But it’s hard to trust her heart in a place where royal formalities and masked balls hide the truth: not everyone is who they appear to be. Meg’s mission tests every talent she possesses, even her loyalty to her fellow Maids. With danger lurking around every corner, can she stay alive—and protect the crown?

My thoughts:

I don't read much of this genre so when I saw this read I thought it was too good an opportunity to get some historical fiction under my belt. 

I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised - I was actually really impressed with this book. I seriously couldn't put it down it was that fast paced and intense. So much happened right from the beginning and the pace didn't let up until right at the very end.

The only problem I had with this read was the way events were explained as the plot developed. It was the kind of book that waits until the very end and then just drops all of the information on you all at once. I love reading books where I can be left to connect the dots myself when little tidbits of information are left for me. In this book I was given the information but not enough to understand how it was all connected - I was just told in a big paragraph towards the end. 

Aside from that, I loved everything about this book, especially the characters. They were the kid of characters that I immediately fell in love with from the get go.  I loved Meg and her rebellious side - it led to some really tense chapters that kept me up at night to finish the book. Plus the love interest makes this book worth picking up on its own…sexy stuff right there.

Overall I loved this book and I definitely recommend it. I can't wait for the next book in the series and anything else this author comes up with!

My rating: 9/10

Jennifer McGowan:

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Review: OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu

Title: OCD Love Story

Author: Corey Ann Haydu

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: July 2013

Format: ebook

Genre: YA | Contemporary

Goodreads

In this raw and relatable romance, Bea learns that some things just can’t be controlled.When Bea meets Beck, she knows instantly that he’s her kind of crazy. Sweet, strong, kinda-messed-up Beck understands her like no one else can. He makes her feel almost normal. He makes her feel like she could fall in love again.

But despite her feelings for Beck, Bea can’t stop thinking about someone else: a guy who is gorgeous and magnetic…and has no idea Bea even exists. But Bea knows a lot about him. She spends a lot of time watching him. She has a journal full of notes. Some might even say she’s obsessed.

Bea tells herself she’s got it all under control. But this isn’t a choice, it’s a compulsion. The truth is, she’s breaking down…and she might end up breaking her own heart.

My thoughts:

Well this was different to say the least.

I actually surprised myself in how much I enjoyed this read. The first thing any reader will notice is how uncomfortable a read like this can sometimes be. Any time an author uses some sort of issue with mental health as the main focus of a book, there's always a kind of knee jerk reaction of readers to avoid them in some respect. Like the story or the characters are more than likely not going to be understood if the reader isn't going through the same thing or has experienced something similar. Of course, I'm not talking about everybody, but there is an avoidance with books like this before a lot of people want to give it a chance.

With this one, I would understand people finding it a little too much with the main characters inner thoughts being so open and exposed. Bea has a reason for every compulsion she has and she makes it known - obviously, we don't agree with the reasons, but the fact that we read about Bea's reasons mean we can see OCD from a sufferers point of view. For me, that made this read incredibly compelling and not uncomfortable at all.

I enjoyed the plot of this book. It was engaging to read of the characters journey to getting better and the strength and self-discipline it required. Unlike the usual books I read with supernatural creatures falling in love and saving lives or whatever, this book means something. It is real life. It happens, whether it be in the same way or in a different manner.

Overall I enjoyed this read. I found it different and compelling with well-rounded, real and relatable characters. I would really recommend it.

My rating: 7/10

Corey Ann Haydu:

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Review: Demonic Dora by Claire Chilton

Title: Demonic Dora

Author: Claire Chilton

Publisher: Ragz Books

Publication date: June 30th 2013

Format: ebook | Netgalley

Genre: Paranormal

Goodreads

SHE'S FINALLY MANAGED TO SUMMON HER FIRST DEMON...

Dora Carridine is trying to summon a demon, but she's not very good at Latin and nothing ever works out the way she plans.

Her life is fraught with weekly exorcisms and having to watch her father’s fire and brimstone TV show every Sunday. So, when Dora finally succeeds in summoning an incompetent demon lord, she’s absolutely delighted when all hell breaks loose.

She thought summoning a sexy demon lord would be the answer to all of her problems, but her problems are only just beginning when her zealot parents try to burn her at the stake, and Dora is left with only one option—to escape and follow her demon straight into Hell.

My thoughts:

I don't really have much to say about this one so it's probably going to end up a really short review.

I can honestly say a lot of people will hate this read. I only started reading it thinking it looked like a lot of fun and to be honest, it was.

There were no complicated plot twists, it was predictable and the writing was about average in my opinion. But it was so funny. I really loved the interaction between Dora and Kieron - sometimes it was so ridiculous I would read over a couple of pages just because it made me smile every time. 

It may not be the best read, but I honestly do recommend this one if you want a good laugh.

My rating: 6/10

Claire Chilton:

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Review: Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Title: Two-Way Street

Author: Lauren Barnholdt

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication date: June 2007

Format: ebook

Genre: YA | Contemporary | Romance

Goodreads

There are two sides to every breakup.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.

It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

My thoughts:

This is another read that I won't have much to say about since I pretty much found it average. There was a definite mix of things I liked and things I didn't like.

The characters are a great example of what I mean. I loved Jordan. I thought he was really open with his thoughts and feelings, especially when reading from his perspective. I liked how he changed when Courtney came into the picture and how he did his best with what he was given. He was a really relatable character that had both strengths and flaws. However, I had a hard time liking Courtney. Sometimes I felt like I didn't have enough time to and other times I thought she was just all over the place as a character - just when I thought I understood her personality to be a little, shall we say, quiet or a person who keeps to herself, she would do something completely the opposite and start screaming hysterically at someone for nothing especially. I just found it hard to relate to her at times.

 

The thing I really had a hard time with was the plot. The pace wasn't great. It started off really slow and started to speed up as I read on. Eventually it went too quickly for my taste, especially for this kind of book - when I finished the book I was really unhappy with the way things turned out. They didn't seem resolved at all and that really frustrated me.

 

Overall I thought it was okay. It was definitely a quick read and I don't regret picking it up but it's not one to go on my favourites list. Of course it's just my opinion so I would encourage you to give it a go if it sounds like your cup of tea. 

 

My rating: 5/10

 

Lauren Barnholdt:

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Blog Tour and Giveaway: Chameleon by Kelly Oram

Title: Chameleon

Author: Kelly Oram

Series: Supernaturals #1

Publisher: Bluefields

Publication date: June 25th 2013

Format: ebook

Genre: YA | Paranormal

Goodreads

 

For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction. 

As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help. 

Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth.

My thoughts:

I normally don't go for love triangles. They never seem to work in my favour and a lot of the story is always taken up by who the main character is going to choose as their ultimate love interest. I felt that this one was kind of obvious though so I was in safe waters. 

To get all the bad stuff out of the way I thought this read was a lot longer than it needed to be. Some of the arguments and events going on were repeated a lot, especially when it came to the love interests. It got a little repetitive and therefore, it frustrated me a little. I also didn't like Russ…at all. I thought he was great at first but he became too much after a while. 

Aside from that I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was incredibly fast paced with no dull moments. The plot took no time at all to start moving forward and kept up with the pace. I was always turning pages and struggled to put this down so a definite good sign!

Aside from Russ I loved the characters. I thought Dani was a perfect mix of vulnerable and the strong heroine we all seem to love in books. Gabriel was intriguing to say the least. He definitely played the part of the mysterious character very well. I couldn't wait to find out all I could about him and what his motives were.

Overall I liked the story and enjoyed reading this one. I would recommend it to fans of the paranormal genre if you can handle a love triangle.

My rating: 7/10

You can find out more about this blog tour here.

Kelley Oram:

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Review and giveaway: Suddenly Beautiful by Boone Brux

Title: Suddenly Beautiful

Author: Boone Brux

Publisher: Entangled

Publication date: June 2013

Format: ebook

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Amazon | Goodreads | B&N

Being the son of Aphrodite isn’t a walk in the clouds. Rebelling against his demi-god status, billionaire make-up mogul Toraos Stephanos fights to separate his personal life and the immortal world by swearing off demi-god girlfriends forever. Too bad his newest employee can’t take the hint.

Though Nikki secretly pines for her smoking hot boss, no way will she jeopardize her job and independence professing her love to a guy so clearly out of her league. Too bad that leaves her with only imagining him naked and thinking evil thoughts about the new girl.

After a single bottle of Ambrosia and one night of passion… Nikki finally thinks she has a chance with the man of her dreams. But the next morning, Tor pretends like nothing happened, leaving Nikki with an emerging drive for combat—after all, turns out she is the daughter of Ares and she’s about to make her mama proud.

All is fair in love and war… and Nikki’s not about to let anyone forget it.

My thoughts:

This is a great read for a little bit of fun. I didn't start reading with any huge expectations of complicated plots and big secrets - I wanted a cute read with a little quick romance. And that's what I got.

 

I liked that this read had a little of everything. It had enough of the Gods and Goddesses aspect to satisfy my curiosity, romance and quite a bit of humour thrown in. 

 

The characters were endearing. Nikki was sweet half the time and feisty the other half so she had a nice well rounded personality to keep me interested. Tor was just hot. I loved the fact he couldn't figure out his own feelings until he was pushed into it. It gave him a little vulnerability which made him relatable in my opinion - not just a bachelor wanting his next fling. 

 

As for the plot, like I mentioned before, it's not amazing. I think people will like this read if they want to read it for the romance which is its main focus. It's really predictable but at the same time I still enjoyed reading about what happened with the characters anyway. 

 

Just as a side note, I loved Ares, he was hilarious.

 

My rating: 6/10

 

 

As a multi-published and an award winning author, Boone's writing drips with experiences from real life.

 

Addicted to anything that might make a good story, she weaves tales that range from dark fantasy to humorous romance. Settled in the icy regions of Alaska with the love of her life and twin daughters, it's not uncommon to find her tapping away on her iPad on a windy beach or the barren tundra.

 

Be warned, anyone and everything is fodder for one of Boone's novels.

 

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Onto the giveaway! This giveaway is open to the US only and offers an Amazon gift card worth $25.

 

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