ARC REVIEW: Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #1
Author: Susan Ee
Publisher: Skyscape
Published: August 28th 2012
Format: eARC | Pages: 288
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

Susan Ee | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain. 

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. 

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back...

I received a copy of this book, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway either my review or my rating!

Brilliant. Gripping. Intense. Dark, Amazing. Heart pounding. Twisted. Heartbreaking. You want words to describe how I feel about this book? I have them all right here, tons of them. Now, stringing those words and phrases together to form coherent sentences to describe all the feelings inside me right now...that's the real problem. You guys I have read some truly awesome books this year so far. But none of them have come quite close to what I just went through with Angelfall over the last 12 hours. Consider me fully and and deeply enchanted with this story.

I made the rookiest of mistakes when I picked this book up and started reading it. I decided it would be a great idea to start it when I really should have been in bed at 11pm. Even under normal circumstances, if I just plain like a book, I have difficulty putting it down and going to sleep if I'm really into it. The thing about Angelfall is that it's not just your normal circumstances type of book. There is no slow world/character building and introduction. None of the slow and burning build of intensity that suddenly bursts out with an explosion of adrenaline and chaos. No. With Angelfall you start smack dab in the middle of intensity. You're immediately sucked into something so intense and dark and it was absolutely brilliant. Once that intensity grabs hold of you though there is no way it will let you go. So, sleep be damned, I could not put it down. No regrets.

I love, love, love angel books/series. But...I am extremely picky and particular about the ones I will even attempt to read. Angelfall is not your normal paranormal angel book. The angels aren't fluffy or cuddly. They aren't here on some vital mission for the greater good of mankind. They aren't fallen celestial beings to be romanticized or swooned over (well not all of them at least.) They are darkness, destruction and devastation. This is truly a dark and twisted book and I think that's what really drew me to it. I love a book that will make me sit here as I read it and think to myself, "What in the actual eff?..." This one did that plenty and surprised me in good, frightening and heartbreaking ways.

Penryn is seriously my hero. That girl is a freaking rock star. Even when on the inside she was truly scared to death that girl had enough backbone and determination for ten men twice her size. Even when she was scared she was amazingly strong and tough. I have no trouble saying that Penryn has got to be one of my favorite heroines of all time.

I don't even know what else to say except how much I loved it. I mean, if you like angel paranormals and you also like the darker more twisted side of things I highly, highly recommend starting this series. Seriously, like I said I started reading it at 11pm and I quite literally did not sleep until I was done. Yes, you heard that right! Did. Not. Sleep. I made an attempt around 3am and put the book down for about 30min but the story just kept tumbling around inside my brain and wouldn't allow me to sleep, plus it zapped all the sleep right out of me. Next thing I knew it was just turning to 11am and I was done sitting here wondering how on earth that happened. I am hooked. Thankfully I had the foresight to request World After as well because just sitting here attempting to write this review is complete torture. I must go now. I need to find out what happens next!! Go get this book! Now!! 

ARC REVIEW: Say My Name (Stark International Trilogy #1) by J. Kenner

Title: Say My Name
Series: Stark International Trilogy #1
Author: J. Kenner
Publisher: Bantam
Published: April 7th 2015
Format: eARC | Pages: 368
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Erotica
Source: NetGalley/Publisher
★★★★★ (5/5) Stars!!!

J. Kenner | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner kicks off a smoking hot, emotionally compelling new erotic trilogy that returns to the world of her beloved Stark novels: Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me. Say My Name features Jackson Steele, a strong-willed man who goes after what he wants, and Sylvia Brooks, a disciplined woman who’s hard to get—and exactly who Jackson needs.

I never let anyone get too close—but he’s the only man who’s ever made me feel alive. 

Meeting Jackson Steele was a shock to my senses. Confident and commanding, he could take charge of any room . . . or any woman. And Jackson wanted me. The mere sight of him took my breath away, and his touch made me break all my rules.   

Our bond was immediate, our passion untamed. I wanted to surrender completely to his kiss, but I couldn't risk his knowing the truth about my past. Yet Jackson carried secrets too, and in our desire we found our escape, pushing our boundaries as far as they could go. 

Learning to trust is never easy. In my mind, I knew I should run. But in my heart, I never felt a fire this strong—and it could either save me or scorch me forever.

Say My Name is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

I received a copy of this book, from the publisher and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway either my review or my rating!

It always baffles me when I read a book and I absolutely love it and yet when it comes time to write a review I'm at a loss for words. It's been two days since I finished Say My Name and I'm still having difficulty getting my thoughts down. I was hooked from page one. It was sort of emotionally beautiful and wasn't what I was expecting in a heart wrenching and yet wonderful at the same time kind of way.

First and foremost this book has a deeply intense storyline. Everyone has secrets, hell everyone has lots of secrets. Some were easy to figure out and a lot of them haven't even been revealed yet. I love how much this book twisted and turned and kept me guessing and yet even though I'm down one book I know that it's not even close to being done messing with my heart. With just this one book this series has done a proper job of keeping my heart and my gut all twisted up.

The storyline though would have been nothing special if not for the complex and highly intriguing characters. Sylvia is who we really get to know in this book. Sylvia is pretty messed up. When I say messed up I mean that I don't even think broken would begin to describe her. Her secrets and her past, as they were slowly revealed, had me on the brink of being physically ill. It was tragic and my heart hurt for her so much. The more that comes out about her the easier it is to understand her actions and reactions to certain situations or her fears. She's kept so much locked inside of her for, like, ten years, not even her best friend knows the whole story. And the way she deals with all of the demons inside her isn't exactly healthy.

Which is where Jackson comes in. We've just barely scratched the surface when it comes to him and he's still a huge mystery for the most part. He's got lots of secrets of his own, only one of which has been revealed so far. I really like this guy so far, even though he has the very real possibility of breaking Sylvia's heart, and even mine for that matter, with the things that he's still keeping from her. The thing is Jackson does this amazing job of not letting Sylvia run and hide from what's going on in her head. He won't let her draw into herself. He pulls her out and gets her to open up. He's very dominant and alpha and yet with Sylvia he's so sweet and tender and loving. I'm actually pretty worried of what his secrets will do to all my feels!

One thing this book is not lacking in at all is the hot and steamy! It is erotica and so there was a lot of sex. A lot. And you know how sometimes that's all these kinds of books are? Just two people constantly falling into bed and lacking any real substance? Definitely not the case here. It had such a good and heartfelt storyline to it that the sex never once overpowered or overshadowed it. I loved the chemistry between these two characters and nearly every single time Jackson and Sylvia are together their heat and intensity was positively scorching. I will say though that the one thing that bothered me, and it's so ridiculous of me when you think about it, was the fact that Sylvia always, constantly referred to her lady parts as her sex. Which I mean is okay but the moment she said it out loud to Jackson when he was having her be vocal about what she wanted...it just felt awkward to me. I could never picture myself or anyone for that matter actually saying the words my sex out loud and having it be sexy. I don't know though. That's just me.

So this was my first book by J. Kenner and I feel like I started off on the right track. Since I have a bit of a wait until book two comes out this summer I plan on buying and devouring the Stark Trilogy that this spun-off of. Since Damien Stark is Sylvia's boss we get to see quite a bit of him in Say My Name and I have to admit...what I've seen so far I think I like. I want to get to know both him and Nikki a whole lot better. I'm loving the intensity and the mystery of this series so far. Lots of emotions and depth. It was a perfect start to the Stark International Trilogy and I can't wait for more!

Thank you Bantam for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

ARC REVIEW: What Happens Between Friends (In Shady Grove #2) by Beth Andrews

Title/Series: What Happens Between Friends | In Shady Grove #2
Author: Beth Andrews
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: August 1st 2013
Format: eBook | Pages: 304
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: ARC provided by NetGalley & Harlequin

★★★ (3/5) Stars!

Beth Andrews | Facebook | Goodreads

Friends...with benefits?

For Sadie Nixon, life is one big adventure with something new around the corner. And anytime she needs a break, she can always rely on James Montesano--the best guy she knows. This time when she arrives in Shady Grove, however, something is different. There's a little extra between her and James that has them crossing the line of friendship into one steamy, no-holds-barred night.

Afterward, no matter how hard she tries, Sadie can't erase the memories of James that way. He's so hot, so tempting.... But his life is here and hers isn't. She needs his friendship, but she doesn't do commitment. So where does that leave them? Suddenly what happens between friends is more complicated than ever!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

I actually got this one off NetGalley last year sometime, but life happened and the review never got written. So I figured I'd quickly skim through the book for a bit of a refresher, I seemed to find myself actually rereading it for the most part anyway because it started sucking me back in. You're probably thinking, "Brilliant! Another good one!" And while in a lot of ways it is good, I'm also starting to remember just how much this book pisses...me...off...

People didn't get mad at her. They didn't dislike her. She was Sadie Nixon, for God's sake. A ray of freaking sunshine.

This book is told from 3 different POVs, and out of those 3, only 1 of them was likable. Sadie and her sister Charlotte are 2 out of the 3 and they were both such complete nut jobs it was hard to decide who was worse. First there's Sadie. She's selfish, judgmental and she has this air of arrogance about her that was so annoying. She treated everyone in her life, friends and family alike, like complete crap. And she was usually completely oblivious and shocked when people finally stopped allowing her to mooch and walk all over them and told her enough is enough. She's so used to people doing everything for her and getting things her way that she comes to expect it and almost feels entitled. Needless to say, I did not like her much.

So she'd stretched the truth a bit. All was fair in love and war.

Now, as much as I didn't like Sadie, I think I disliked Charlotte just a wee bit more. If you want lessons on how to be a fake person read this book and study Charlotte and basically do everything she does. She, quite literally, has her entire future planned out. Down to the man she's going to marry (but he doesn't know it yet..), the ring he'll use to propose, how long the engagement will last, how many kids they will have, etc. All she needs for her plans to happen is for James to go ahead and realize she's not just a kid anymore and fall in love with her. She goes about trying to change his mind about her in a very manipulative way, in my opinion. Like, if she didn't like something she would pretend to like it in front of him hoping he'll be like 'wow we have so much in common!' Or she'd get him talking about his work, he's a carpenter, and once she'd get him going about a project he was working on, she'd zone him out because she could care less. I can't stand fake people, therefore my feelings about her never wavered. She's a whack-a-doodle.

"I've been in love with you for most of my life, and it's not going away. It may never go away, but that doesn't mean I have to torture myself by being your friend. It's not enough for me. Not any more. And it's not fair of you to ask me to pretend it is."

I seriously love James and most of the Montesano family. They were all so funny. Like laugh out loud funny. I think that's the biggest reason that I disliked the Nixon sisters so much. James was this genuinely super sweet guy and he didn't deserve any of the head games from those 2. I think James and his family, especially his brother Leo, are really what saved me from giving up on this book completely. They actually made the whole thing worth reading.

It's funny because by the time I get to the end I nearly forget all that frustration. I actually did the first read through. Before I started skimming through I'd been thinking that I remembered being happy with the end. This time around though I remembered to take better notes and such. I didn't hate it. I just feel like things would have been a whole lot easier if half of the characters central to the storyline weren't so freaking horrible. To want to see a happy ending with the people involved you have to like them even if it's just a couple of redeeming qualities you see here and there. I think if Leo gets his own book, I just might give this author another chance to win me over. If not, well I think I'll stick with just this one and call it a day.

I really fought myself with how I wanted to rate this, but I felt like all the good parts outweighed the bad and there were plenty of them. So giving it less than a 3 just didn't make sense to me.

ARC REVIEW: Twisted (Torn #2) by K.A. Robinson

Title/Series: Twisted | Torn #2
Author: K.A. Robinson
Publisher: Atria Publishing
Published: May 7th 2013
Format: eBook | Pages: 320
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
★★★★✩ (4.5/5) Stars!

K.A. Robinson | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

***New York Times Best Seller***

Chloe and Drake have found their happily ever after... Almost.

When Chloe's mother comes back into her life with a bang, it sets off a chain of events no one could have ever expected.

Everyone has their demons, and Chloe and Drake's hit them with a vengence.

Sex, drugs, money, a crazy ex, and Rock n Roll.... Can they survive it all?

Things are beginning to feel a bit... Twisted.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Twisted wound up being even harder for me to read than Torn was. Yet out of the two it was by far the best in my opinion. It's subject matter was a bit heavier with the drug situation and it became pretty heartbreaking at times. Twisted picks up immediately where Torn left off. With Chloe's mom showing up on her doorstep and Chloe and Drake's peaceful, happy lives become much like the glass that slips through her fingers the moment she sees her mother in the doorway...shattered.

We've heard so many stories all through Torn about how horrible of a person her mother is but never really got to experience that. Until now. The stories Chloe tells don't do her justice at all. She was so much worse than I could have ever imagined. The news she brings starts a sequence of events that put Chloe and Drake's relationship to the test, yet again, in so many different ways. Some new and some familiar....but with different players.I never thought I'd see a day where Logan wasn't my least favorite person in the lives of Chloe and Drake. But the people that I met in this book had me actually missing him.

This one is told in the dual POVs of Chloe and Drake and there is so much going on. Drugs, jealousy, loss, betrayal, abuse, attempted murder, crazy stalkers, suicide. I mean it was insane and once again, so frustrating and really did a number on my heart.

We get to meet Chloe's cousin Danny in this book who I adored. His story and situation really tugs on the heart strings. And then there's his best friend Jordan, who coincidentally, is also Chloe's "first". So you can imagine the fire that stirred into the plot. In some ways it was almost like dealing with Logan all over again which was frustrating. Throw in a crazy stalker ex-one-night-stand of Drake's and this book was a recipe for relationship disaster. Once again I honestly felt like there was no hope for these two. I almost wanted to climb inside the book give them both a hug and say "you gave it your best but this just isn't working".

But even with everything I went through with both of the books in this series all the heart break and anger and frustration, they've become one of my favorites and I have honestly loved every painful minute I spent reading them. It's always books like these that, I can't say it enough, inspire so much passion from the reader that will stick with me for a long time. I love Chloe and Drake's love story. It's not an easy path but nothing in life is easy is it?

ARC REVIEW: Torn (Torn #1) by K.A. Robinson

Title/Series: Torn | Torn #1
Author: K.A. Robinson
Publisher: Atria Publishing
Published: May 7th 2013
Format: eBook | Pages: 268
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
★★★★✩ (4.5/5) Stars!

K.A. Robinson | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Chloe hasn't had the best life. With a mother who is gone more often than not, she has had to raise herself. After graduating high school, she leaves to start a new life away at West Virginia University with her best friends Amber and Logan, determined to leave her demons in the past. 

On her first day, she meets a stranger who takes her breath away at first sight. Until she met Drake, no one had ever sparked her interest. Now this tattooed and pierced bad boy is all she can think about, no matter how hard she fights it.

Falling for Drake was never part of her plans, but when it happens, things seem to do anything but fall into place.

Dealing with a tragic past, Drake has never cared about anyone else but himself and his band. But when Chloe takes the empty seat next to him in class, things start to change. Instantly drawn to her, he begins to wonder if one girl can take a cold hearted womanizer and change every part of him?

Long hidden feelings are revealed and friendships tested to the brink.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. There is nothing I love more, than a book that inspires intense emotions from me. Whether it be happiness, sadness and yes, even total and absolute frustration. I got so emotionally attached to these characters that when they were completely screwing things up I, in my head obviously, threw my Kindle across the room many, many times. If you were witness to my countless Goodreads status updates then I'm sure you already guessed as much.

I was hooked instantly. Chloe was a bit different from the average female MC. She was a bit more...alternative, for lack of a better word, in her style. She claimed Independence and "I can take care of myself" but the reality of it was she was very dependent on her two best friends Amber and Logan. Logan in particular.

On her first day of college she settles in to her first class of the day that she shares with Logan and when she notices the guy next to her, Drake, she's instantly attracted. What's not to like? Shaggy haired, pierced and tattoos. He screams bad boy. This is also where we first begin to realize that this "best friend" relationship with Logan may be just a bit more complicated than we originally thought. Because Logan notices Drake...noticing Chloe. This was all at about 3% into the book and I could already tell what was going to come of the situation and just knew it wasn't going to be good. Little did I know just how explosive and infuriating it was going to get!

Logan very quickly escalated to stab worthy to me. He was very jealous and possessive and his outbursts really made me nervous at times. It had me so angry because the jerk had 4 years that he's been best friends with her. FOUR YEARS in which he could have said "Hey girl. You. Me. Bed. Wanna?" But no he just allows himself to be secured in the friend zone and then when some other guy comes along and starts sniffing around he completely snaps. He's a complete tool. He only did ONE decent thing in this entire book in my opinion and that was in the last 10%. Still hasn't turned my opinion around on him. But it's a start.

Then we have Drake. Lead singer of a band, total bad boy. Womanizer, pierced, tattooed. Yeah I think I love him. What on earth is wrong with me?! Sigh. Honestly though, he's didn't escape my wrath at all. He has his fair share of moments where I wanted to crawl inside the book and punch him in the junk.

I nodded as tears welled up in my eyes again. "What if I don't want him. What if I want you?"

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "You can't have me, not like that anyway."

This book tore my heart to shreds. It was one of the few times that I honestly did not think a happily ever after would be at all possible. Every time there would be some incredible high and I'd think "if only things could stay just like this" within moments it would all come crashing down and my heart would break just a little bit more.

I smiled as I wrapped my arms around him. "I'd like that. I'm just afraid we'll hurt each other again."

"We will, I have no doubt. We'll fight and slam doors and then we'll make up. Every couple in the world does it, Chloe. I'm willing to take all that hurt to be with you if you are too."  

"I am," I whispered as he pulled me close and kissed me gently.

Though as absolutely frustrating as this book and it's characters were, I fell in love with it completely and it's taking every ounce of self control I have to sit here and attempt to write this review instead of just diving straight into book two which is now waiting for me. What can I say it's become a favorite I must enjoy torture! I did take half a star away due to the number of times I had to restrain myself from tossing my Kindle. You now how it is.

"I love you, Chloe, so much it hurts"

Now if you'll excuse me. Drake, Twisted and I have a very important date. *Crosses self* Can I admit I'm a bit scared? Well played K.A. Robinson. Well played.

EXCERPT, GIVEAWAY and REVIEW:: Runes (Runes #1) by Ednah Walters

I am extremely excited to be part of the Runes blog tour. If you want to see what you've missed up tho this point check out the blog of one of our hosts Forbidden Passions Reviews! I really enjoyed this book and you can find my review here and then there's a nice little excerpt from Torin's POV!! Yes I know right?! Love this so much! If you haven't met Torin yet, you're missing out! And at the end there's an awesome giveaway so let's get started shall we?

Title/Series: Runes | Runes #1

Author: Ednah Walters

Publisher: Firetrail Publishing

Published: May 20th 2013

Format: eBook | Pages: 245

Genre: YA/NA, Paranormal, Romance, Mythology

Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

★★★★ (4/5) Stars! 

Ednah Walters | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

My Review:

I read this a few months back before it was released and at the time I had been browsing through NetGalley, and in the back of my mind I really wanted to find a good Paranormal. It's always been my favorite genre and I had been stuck in a rut of Contemporaries. Which was fine...but I needed to mix it up a little bit. The cover of Runes caught my eye first. I thought it was beautiful and with a name like Runes I was hopeful that I may have found what I was looking for. So I clicked over and read the blurb and I was hooked. I had to click request. And it didn't disappoint.

Once I had my hands on it, I found it hard to put it down. Most of the characters were great. Raine is in a lot of ways like how I am now. Bookworm? Check! Quirky? Check! Babbles when nervous? Double check! Watches The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural? Uhh hello! You had me at Supernatural! Anyway she's fun and I really like her. Torin is just delicious. I dunno what it is with Harley riding dangerous boys that give cutesy nicknames (Freckles...What? I thought it was cute!) lately, all I know is my list of book crushes is getting beyond huge.

Eirik, the boyfriend from the summary, is good and sweet and reliable and the boy you've known your whole life and grew up with him and crushed on him. So yeah he's great and all, but typical me. I want the bad boy! Then we have Cora. Now in the very first couple paragraphs I liked her! I really did. But then she said one thing in a "baby talk" kind of way and that's such a HUGE pet peeve of mine that I wound up having it out for her most of the book (But really when it comes down to it she was pretty fun too I just like to hold a grudge lol).

I have a love for all things mythological so that just made this book double enjoyable for me. I wanted more of it because to be perfectly honest I've never really looked into Norse Mythology. My interest on the subject has been mostly centered around Greek Mythology. So it's pretty interesting to dig in and learn more, I Googled stuff on Odin mostly, while I was reading this. Just to try and get just a bit of an idea of what that dude was all about. I was also fascinated with the whole concept of the runes. I'm hoping for more of all of this in Immortals (Runes #2) coming out in August. I can't wait!! 

The biggest reason I can't wait? That evil Ednah Walters left us with a MAJOR cliffhanger. Oh my freaking immortal babies everywhere. Now I love a good cliffhanger, I know not a lot of us do but what can I say I'm crazy that way. But this book. OMG I think I yelled at my computer. Straight up told it to "Shut the *BEEP* up!!" Along with an endless stream of "No no no no no!!" Yeah it was that big of a deal lol. I bow down to the queen of the epic cliffhanger. I never saw it coming. Awesome curve ball of a twist.

I highly recommend this book to those of you into the paranormal, mythology, romantic types. Yeah I know I just said there's a major cliffhanger but trust me...it is so worth it!! This was my first book by Ednah Walters and it definitely won't be my last! I want to thank Firetrail Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book! :)

 

Runes Excerpt in Torin's POV:

 Closet Scene

I sauntered to the doorway of Raine’s class. She was ignoring me, but I was determined to win this battle of wills. Her eyes flashed when she saw me. I grinned.

She jumped up and marched to the doorway. “Follow me.”

“Finally. I thought I’d have to go to all your classes before you stopped ignoring me.”

She ignored me, marched to the left and yanked open a broom closet door. I closed the door and studied her. She looked glorious when pissed. I was tempted to pull her into my arms and kiss her senseless. Ever since we went to the waterfalls and I told her about her runes, she acted like I didn’t exist, which wouldn’t be bad if I wasn’t so aware of her every movement at home and school. She was driving me crazy.

“What are you doing?” she asked through clenched teeth.

I glanced around. “Hiding in a broom closet with you. Do people really make out in tight places like this?” I hoped so because I wanted to make out with her.

Her eyes narrowed as though she read my mind. “Why are you stalking me?”

“I don’t like to be ignored.”

She rolled her eyes. “So you humiliated my history teacher to get my attention?”

I grinned. “It worked, didn’t it? And no, I didn’t humiliate Mr. Finney. I challenged him. He’s actually a smart guy. Tomorrow he’ll be armed with facts to refute everything I said, which was all bullshit anyway. I’m looking forward to another—”

“No, you’re not coming to my classes tomorrow, Torin.”

“If you ignore me again—”

She sighed. “What do you want from me?”

“Everything.” I wanted her to be mine. Not just now. Forever. But from the flash of panic in her eyes, she wasn’t ready to hear it. I shook my head. “We need to talk. I’ll wait for you outside during lunch.”

“I can’t. I’m meeting Eirik.”

Screw Eirik. Every time I see him touch her, I wanted to rip his arm off. “Fine. Then have dinner with me.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do this, Torin. I want my old life back. It was sane, predictable, maybe a little boring—”

“A little?”

“But it was mine, and I loved it,” she finished as though I hadn’t spoken. “I don’t want to be hauled in front of the principal because I’m talking to people no one else can see. I don’t want weird writings appearing on my body whenever I’m hurt. I don’t want to travel at abnormal speed. I want a normal life with normal people.”

“But you’re…” not normal.

“I’m what?” 

She was special even though she refused accept it. The runes I’d seen on her arms weren’t like any I’d seen before.  

“You can’t even tell me what I am, let alone what you are, can you?” she asked. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’ll find out on my own.”

My chest tightened, imagining her going to Andris and Maliina for information. They were both too volatile and unpredictable. “Stay away from Andris and the girls.”

“Why? You scared they might tell me the truth? Like why I’m under the protection of Goddess Freya? Yeah, I learned that last night from Ingrid. Imagine what I’ll know by tomorrow. Stay away from me and my friends.” She reached for the doorknob and I reacted.

I pressed my hand on the door and stopped her from opening it. “I can’t. I promised to protect you, and I plan to keep my promise. Maliina is unhinged and fixated on you, and without Andris to keep an eye on her, there’s no telling how far she’ll go to hurt you. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen. I know I said things that scared you, and I’m sorry I did. You want space to deal with what you’ve learned?” She didn’t respond. “Fine. I’ll give you space. But please, don’t ask me to stay away from you or walk away. My greatest fear is Maliina will learn where you live and attack you when I’m not there.”

Raine’s chin lifted. “I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t. You’re not an Immortal. There’s just so much self-healing you can do before your body shuts down.”

Silence followed and I wondered what she was thinking. The vulnerability in her eyes bugged the Hel out of me. I wanted her throwing snarky comments, her eyes spitting fire at me. 

“Who will protect me from you, Torin?” she whispered.

Where in Hel’s Mist did that come from? Couldn’t she understand I’d do anything for her? “I’d never hurt you, Freckles. I would condemn myself to eternal servitude to Hel than harm a single strand of your hair.”

Her eyes widened and filled with tears. I wanted to take her into my arms and make her pain go away, but she lifted her chin and whispered, “I have to go.”                 

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ARC REVIEW: Double Dealing: A Loveswept Classic Romance by Linda Cajio

Title/Series: Double Dealings | A Loveswept Classic Romance
Author: Linda Cajio
Publisher: Loveswept
Expected publication: June 12th 2013 (first published November 1st 1987)
Format: eBook | Pages: 208
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
★★★★ (4/5) Stars!

Goodreads Had a hard time finding anything official on this author

Temptation, temptation, temptation . . . a million-dollar showdown over real estate turns into love at first swipe in this romance from beloved author Linda Cajio.

Even as he’s sneaking onto the Barkeley estate, Jed Waters knows better. This is no way for the vice president of Atlantic Developers to behave. He may remember the secret path through the hedge maze . . . he may be able to outrun the dogs nipping at his heels . . . but he never counted on being greeted by Rachel Barkeley herself. Once they were childhood friends. Now Rachel is the exotic stunner in a Shaker sweater—and the owner of the property that Jed’s company is so desperate to turn into condos.

Seeing Jed after all these years fills Rachel with a kind of delicious fear. The gardener’s son is all grown up, looking like he stepped out of a teenage fantasy. It’s not Rachel’s fault her eccentric uncle reneged on his deal with Jed, gifted her with the estate, and retired to a monastery in Nepal. If only Jed spent some quality time at the Barkeley house, he would fall in love with it and see Rachel’s side of the story . . . which is why she kidnaps him and stashes him in the trophy room. But her gorgeous prisoner has captured something more valuable than any mansion: Rachel’s heart.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Flirting with Disaster, Taking Shots, and Long Simmering Spring.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Loveswept in exchange for an honest review. I'm going to be totally honest in saying I wasn't expecting a lot with this book. I was looking forward to it when I first requested it. Once approved though I pulled it up on Goodreads and noticed one tiny detail that had me start to doubt. First published in 1987...Needless to say I became less enthusiastic. Still I pulled it up the other day and got started.

I struggled at first. It was hard to get into. I mean I was interested enough with Rachel and Jed and their past and now they're on opposing sides so there was fire between them in more ways than one. But still I wasn't blown away. And then...it happened. After leaving a ball Jed is admiring the Rolls that Rachel's uncle left to her and she offers to take him for a spin. Part way into the drive Rachel gets the crazy idea that, in order to get him on her side about the property dispute, she needs to kidnap him. And that's where hilarity ensues.

I think it's safe to say. and this book backs it up for me, that sometimes secondary characters can really make or break a book. In this case they made it. Don't get me wrong Jed and Rachel are great characters themselves but the characters surrounding them really helped them to shine. From Burrows her butler, who's dead pan dry humor had me excited every time he showed up on the pages. To her three nephews and believe it or not even her two dogs provided some great laughter. The way everyone in her life reacted to her kidnapping Jed, including the man himself was just priceless and eventually made it so I found it hard to put the book down. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Overall there was a rocky start, which quickly turned into a thoroughly enjoyable middle and end...well except for the last part of the Epilogue. Once a surprise visitor appeared in the Epilogue it sort of went into a "you've got to be kidding me" area. But all in all this book was so worth the read for all of the kidnapping hijinks alone.

Thank you Loveswept and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

ARC REVIEW: The Island by Jen Minkman

Title/Series: The Island
Author: Jen Minkman
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Expected publication: June 1st 2013
Format: eBook | Pages: 80
Genre: YA, Distopian, Sci-Fi
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
★★✩ (2.5/5) Stars!

Jen Minkman | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

‘I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.

Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers. 

If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall.

Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says.

I have never seen one.’

Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors. 

But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?

Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?

This is hard. The idea and that blurb were great. I was excited, yet a bit worried as it's only 80 pages and I was afraid it wouldn't be enough or be too rushed to get everything in. Needless to say those should have been the least of my worries. Look I'm not saying this book is terrible. Because for what it truly is, it's okay and there's a particular group of people who will probably go crazy over it. I'm just not one of them.

Let me explain. When I first started a few things clicked for me and I felt like maybe I was reading some sort of Star Wars Fan Fiction, I know that's not the right word for what this is but it was just first instinct. Let me give you an example. Our main character's name is...Leia and she has a twin brother named, yep you got it Luc (Luke). But it's not just the two of them there are quite a few other main players who had names that were just a one off from a Star Wars character. Such as Leia's best friend (J)Abba who happens to be dating (L)Ando and then there's the "Leader" of them who is Sol(o) and his brother Ben. I mean you see where I'm coming from with my suspicions right?

But not only that, Leia kept talking about the Force. Yes, The Force. And how they were supposed to be feeling it from within and so on and so forth. That pretty much clinched my conclusion. Until somewhere around 25-30% in "The Book" that's mentioned in the blurb up there, well Leia sneaks in to look at it and on the cover are their ancestors, the first people on the island...Luke Skywalker...Han Solo...Leia...*Sigh* Honestly I'm more disappointed in myself for not picking up on it now that I reread the blurb and see both Leia and the word Force jump out at me but my brain didn't connect the two until all those other names started popping up.

I am the biggest Distoypia addict. I will get books based on that fact alone. They excite me and thrill me to no end. But with this, I felt sort of cheated. If I wanted to read about Star Wars characters it would be one thing. But that's just not the sort of thing that I'm into. Love the movies, would like to keep them just as that. Movies. And like I said I promise this book isn't horrible. Take out the Star Wars references and the other stuff was really good and could have been so much better. I think really hard core Star Wars people will probably enjoy this quite a bit. Sadly it's just not something I was into.

I'd still like to thank Patchwork Press for the opportunity to read and review this book! :)

ARC REVIEW: The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Title/Series: The S-Word
Author: Chelsea Pitcher
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: May 7th 2013
Format: eBook | 304 pages
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
★ (1/5) Stars

Chelsea Pitcher | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.

But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie's looping scrawl.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

With paragraphs that were forgotten soon after reading them and awkward dialogue and phrases such as:

Plus, she's got that ass people rap about.

OR

Like you care about your blow-up doll?

The S-Word has made it's way, with lightening speed, to the top of my "Can I just get the last few hours of my life back? Please?" list. 

It's sad because for the most part the blurb sounded pretty interesting. I figured it had a bit of potential, I did have my doubts due to the whole sleeping with the best friends boyfriend and all the slut shaming that was sure to ensue but I wanted to give it a try anyway. I wish I hadn't.

There was just too many things that made me excessively roll my eyes while reading this book. The fact that the teenagers all hang out at a dirty underground sort of coffee shop that doesn't seem to care if they bring in flasks full of booze in with them. Classy! Or how Angie, whom if I'm going to be perfectly honest I had forgotten her name until it was mentioned again at about 12% in, fancies herself to be quite the detective and most of the time she acted like she was in a 1950s Film Noir piece. Her detective work just seemed too over the top. Her reactions and the reactions of those she "questioned" or were her "suspects" just became completely ridiculous. And because of the excruciating dialogue, like the examples above. It was hard to pick up and easy to put down. 

But now I want to go back to the subject that had me scratching my head once I really thought about it. Why would people even be responding to Angie when she questioned them about Lizzie and the slut shaming? She'd ask, they'd eventually spill along with some secret or something. Why? She's just a classmate. I think had not everything else bothered me I probably wouldn't of cared and may have even found it fun. But...

When I actually did pick it up I found myself skimming quite a bit and parts that I didn't skim wound up leaving me just as fast as I turned to the next page. The only thing I didn't get irritated with and made any sort of sense to me was the random and rambling diary entries of Lizzie's. I wish I had something more positive to say but for me, there just wasn't any.