Monday 31 March 2014

Review: Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate #1) by Chelsea Fine

BEST KIND OF BROKEN - CoverBest Kind of Broken – Chelsea Fine

Author: Chelsea Fine
Series: Finding Fate
Pages: 336
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Release date: 4th March 2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

New Adult Romance

Pixie and Levi haven't spoken in nearly a year when they find themselves working―and living―at the same inn in the middle of nowhere. Once upon a time, they were childhood friends. But that was before everything went to hell. And now things are... awkward.

All they want to do is avoid each other, and their past, for as long as possible. But now that they're forced to share a bathroom, and therefore a shower, keeping their distance from one another becomes less difficult than keeping their hands off each other. Welcome to the hallway of awkward tension and sexual frustration, folks. Get comfy. It’s going to be a long summer.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

Best Kind of Broken is the first book in the Finding Fate series by Chelsea fine and was kindly provided to me by Forever via Netgalley.

Sarah ‘Pixie’ and Levi are childhood friends who haven’t spoken in a year due to a tragedy they both blame themselves for. Now forced to face each other daily since they live and work at the same inn they have perfected the art of avoidance but their personal pain is something they haven’t been able to avoid.

I really liked the MC’s but their immature and stubborn behaviour grated on my nerves so many times, being together opened old wounds but they refused to communicate civilly; they both remain miserable and lonely without each other and continued daily with the pranks and insults. Despite their attitudes I did enjoy the overall story-line and the friends to lovers trope is one of my all-time favourites so I was anxious to see how it would all unravel and whether they would eventually get their HEA; there was so much avoidance, guilt and misunderstandings but despite this, their chemistry and the attraction was off the charts.

Despite the drama there was a really sweet friendship, this book was about overcoming personal tragedy to find trust and love again, it was a very slow, angst filled journey to get there but it was enjoyable to see the characters work it all out and to overcome the unrealistic expectations they had placed on themselves.

The secondary characters bought a bit of fun and humour to the story; they were all portrayed in a way that was believable except of course for Pixie’s mother who was a real piece of work!

I have read a few books by Chelsea Fine and always find myself immersed in her story-telling and well-developed yet broken characters. We are taken on an emotional roller-coaster in this book, I was frantically flipping the pages wanting to know what had happened between the characters to cause them such pain, and it was heart-wrenching once we got there but for some reason it was still missing that unique, wow factor for me.

Overall, Best Kind of Broken is an emotionally charged, heartfelt friends to lovers romance that had me glued to the edge of my seat but in the end it needed a bit more wow and less drama. 

  

Chelsea FineAbout the author: 

Chelsea lives in Phoenix, Arizona where she spends most of her time writing stories, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs. She’s ridiculously bad at doing dishes and claims to be allergic to laundry. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of skill in the kitchen.

Friday 28 March 2014

Audiobook Review: Erased (Altered #2) by Jennifer Rush

Erased (Altered, #2)Audiobook Review: Erased (Altered #2)

Author: Jennifer Rush
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Genre: Young adult
Narrator: Casey Holloway

Synopsis (Goodreads)

They thought they had escaped. They were wrong.

After fleeing the Branch with Sam, Cas, and Nick, Anna is learning how to survive in hiding, following Sam's rules: Don't draw attention to yourself. Always carry a weapon. Know your surroundings. Watch your back.

When memories from Anna's old life begin to resurface--and a figure from her childhood reappears--Anna's loyalties are tested. Is it a Branch set-up, or could it be the reunion Anna has hoped for? Ultimately, the answers hinge on one question: What was the real reason her memories were erased in the first place?

Jennifer Rush delivers a thrilling sequel to Altered in a novel packed with mysteries, lies, and surprises that are sure to keep the readers guessing until the last page is turned.  

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

** Contains possibly spoilers from the first book **

I loved the first book, Altered so I was excited to read the sequel which really amped things up and left me on the edge of my seat anticipating more! I really like the overall concept of this series and the thrilling world the author has created has left me anxious to read the next book, Reborn.

Anna has fled the Branch and is now on the run with Sam, Cas and Nick; not trusting anyone and constantly on the move it was a fast-paced thrill-ride as the group try to piece together their past, connections and avoid the bad guys who seem to be constantly on their heels.

Everything in Erased was kicked up a notch, it’s highly addicting with the surprising and sometimes debilitating flashbacks, kick-butt action sequences and a surprise reappearance of a relative that I feel kept the pacing fast and the intrigue entertaining, I could never tell who could be trusted or not and in the end I was right! The bad guys were a huge shock and the back-story even more of a surprise; Jennifer Rush gave us twists and turns aplenty which was balanced out nicely with sweet friendships between the group and a nice romance.

As we learnt in the first book, the group has been genetically modified to be super humans and are more or less assassins, now on the run they begin to truly question their capabilities and not knowing if more modifications were made during their recent visit to the Branch caused much confusion; a new character also played a huge part in this book, I won’t reveal who to avoid spoilers but they made a lot of shock revelations. There was a lot of death and bloodshed  which was to be expected and I honestly feel the series could have ended here as I think there was enough closure and the ending although abrupt was satisfying so I’m keen to see where Jennifer will take the next book.

Jennifer Rush has developed each of the characters beautifully and with their own distinct personality; Sam still comes across as a broody thinker but I adore his protective side when it comes to the group and especially Anna, Cas wasn’t as present much to my dismay but I did enjoy the humour he bought to the story and arrogant Nick with his constant growly demeanor really surprised me, I loved learning more about him and Anna has turned into a badass! She is constantly worrying about the boys, more so than herself which I really admired although there was a point towards the end where I felt all the training she had received had gone out the door, she reacted before she thought about the consequences. Trev is still a bit of a mystery, I want to know what he is up to and why he keeps helping Anna – I think he has more of a purpose.

Audiobooks tend to be hit or miss for me, I have had more misses than hits unfortunately but I really enjoy Casey Holloway’s narration and her ability to transition between each of the characters flawlessly, each had a unique voice that she did well.

Overall, Erased is a thrilling sequel that left me on the edge of my seat eager to know what would happen next, there was never a dull moment. The characters are beautifully crafted and Jennifer Rush’s story-telling is entertaining. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next instalment.

  

Jennifer RushAbout the author: Jennifer Rush lives in a little town on the shoreline of Lake Michigan with her husband and two children. She grew up wanting to be an Egyptologist, but realized she hated the desert and declared herself a writer instead. She won her first writing award in the fourth grade (a Mickey Mouse pencil was the prize) and has been crafting stories ever since. In her free time, she likes to read, Photoshop, and consume large amounts of caffeine.

Her debut YA, ALTERED, released January 2013 from Little, Brown. The sequel to Altered, ERASED, releases January 7, 2014.

Her debut middle-grade, BOT WARS, released March 2013 from Dial Books for Young Readers. Its sequel, THE META-RISE, releases July 10, 2014. The Bot Wars series is written under the pen name J. V. Kade and can be foundHERE

ARC Review: The Taking (The Taking #1) by Kimberly Derting

The Taking (The Taking, #1)The Taking

Author: Kimberly Derting
Series: The Taking
Pages: 368
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release date: 29th April 2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing. 

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. 

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I have been so excited about The Taking ever since I first glimpsed the amazing cover, plus I am a huge fan of everything Kimberly Derting has written to date so I read this the moment I downloaded it.

Our main heroine is sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew who after an argument with her father wakes up behind a dumpster five years into the future; her family and friends are shocked by her return and questioning her whereabouts for the past number of years as well as the fact she hasn’t aged a day since and has re-appeared wearing what she vanished in. There have been accusations and questions about her disappearance but the truth was interesting.

Things have certainly changed, her family has moved on as has her boyfriend Austin Wahl but she finds friendship in her boyfriend’s little brother, Tyler who supports her and helps her to retrace her steps and work out what had happened to her, I really liked their interactions and the sweet little gestures, I found myself really enjoying the romance despite thinking it did happen a little too fast but it was sweet none the less. Tyler was a great guy and really supportive of Kyra who was going through many changes so I’m keen to see how it progresses in future installments, especially after the ending we were left with.

What had happened to Kyra was one big mystery and one I was eager to unravel and despite my curiosity it did take quite some time to get answers. There was action, conspiracies and surprise twists that I didn’t see coming, I would have liked more background information about the National Security Agency, the missing years and about those who have previously returned but I’m sure anything which has been left open will be tied up in the sequel.

Kimberly Derting’s writing is engaging and kept me flicking through the pages, I enjoyed the overall premise of this story and the world the author created was exciting, dangerous and mysterious. I loved the character development and the sweet, budding romance – I’m eager to see how the story comes together in the next installment, things are getting interesting.

Thank-you to Harper Teen for the opportunity to read and review The Taking.

 

Kimberly DertingAbout the author (Goodreads): 

Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins),THE PLEDGE trilogy (Simon & Schuster), and THE TAKING trilogy (coming Summer 2014 from HarperTeen). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration.

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Waiting on Wednesday - Reborn (Shadow Falls : After Dark #1) by C.C Hunter

Hi everyone!! thank-you so much for stopping by today.

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My WoW for this week is Reborn by C.C Hunter, the first book in the Shadow Falls : After Dark series - I loved feisty Vampire Della in the Shadow Falls series so I'm definitely eager to start on this.

Reborn (Shadow Falls: After Dark #1)
 Author: C.C Hunter
Series: Shadow Falls : After Dark
Genre: Young adult
Amazon pre-order
Publisher: St Martins Griffin
Release date: 20th May2014


Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Return to the beloved world of Shadow Falls, a camp that teaches supernatural teens to harness their powers—and where a vampire named Della will discover who she’s meant to be.

For Della Tsang, Shadow Falls isn't just a camp: it's home. As a vampire who's never fit in with her human family, it's the one place she can truly be herself. But when a mysterious new guy arrives at camp, Della’s whole world is thrown into turmoil. Chase is a vampire with secrets, who knows more than he’s telling. But the more time she spends with him, the more she begins to trust this attractive stranger—and feel drawn to him. But romance is the last thing she wants—as she keeps telling Steve, the hunky shapeshifter who won’t stop trying to win her heart. And if Della isn't careful, he just might succeed.  When a new case puts everyone she cares about in danger, Della’s determined to do everything she can to save them . . . even if it means teaming up with Steve and Chase, who leave her more confused than ever. With their lives on the line, will Della and her friends survive—with their hearts intact?

What are most anticipating this week?

Tuesday 25 March 2014

Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway Dwellers of Darkness by Stacey Marie Brown

 
Hi everyone, welcome to my stop in the Dwellers of Darkness by Stacey Marie Brown blog tour hosted by Amanda at Good Choice reading

Dwellers of Darkness (Darkness, #3)Title: Dwellers of Darkness
Author: Stacey Marie Brown
Genre: New Adult fantasy/paranormal romance
Series: Darkness #3
Publication: February 27th, 2014 by Twisted Fairy Publishing

Some days feel like years, but in Ember Brycin’s case just the opposite is true. She had only been in the Otherworld for a day or two when she returned back to the Earth's realm. But it is three years later on Earth. Em is now 22. It would matter if she was human, but she’s not. She is a Dae, part Demon and part Fay, with a little Dark Dweller thrown in to make her even more of a freak.

Seeing Seattle rebuilt only confirms she has been gone three years. For her it was not long ago that the Seattle area was just rubble of concrete and death. All done by her hand.

One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is her undeniable connection to Eli Dragen, who is sexy, gorgeous, and even more volatile and frustrating. But her problems go way past him. The Seelie Queen of the Otherworld still holds Mark, Em’s father, and her friends, Ryan, and Josh as hostages. Em needs to rescue them without, once again, getting caught and being used as a pawn to help the Queen regain possession of Earth. At the same time Ember is in hot water with Lars, the Unseelie King, after breaking her contract with him.

As some secrets have come to light others seem to become even more enigmatic. The only truth Ember knows is,everyone is harboring secrets. As Eli’s past is revealed, Em understands more clearly why he acts the way he does and how much their lives are intertwined. But she also knows Eli is holding something back, something that could change their relationship forever.

Em herself continues to wrestle with her feelings toward Torin and her own secret she’s withholding from Kennedy. As the tension for war mounts between the Seelie and Unseelie (Light and Dark), the tension at the Dark Dweller’s compound mounts even more as they prepare to obtain the sword no matter what the price. But is Ember the answer to the location of the sword? Is she the one to fulfill the prophecy? As usual nothing is ever what it seems.


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Review: Review: 4 out of 5 stars

** Contains possible spoilers from the previous books **

Stacey Marie Brown does it again! Dwellers of Darkness is a wonderful addition to the Darkness series and begins where Fire in the Darkness left off.

Ember Brycin thought she had spent a day or two in the Otherworld so when she returns to a re-built Seattle and a very hostile Eli Dragen telling her she has been missing for three years it comes as a huge surprise.

The plot was action-packed and thrilling which kept the pacing fast -The Seelie Queen Aneira of the Otherworld still wants to regain possession of Earth and holds Embers father and her friends’ hostage so Ember needs to work out a way to rescue them without getting caught. She also has a broken contract with the Unseelie King Lars that she needs to sort out and the sword of Light to locate. I enjoy the element of surprise in this series and the unexpected twists and turns has made for a captivating, addictive read,

The romance is quite intense - I love the connection between Ember and Eli but it’s not a relationship I would call sweet, its passionate and dangerous – Eli went a little more ‘dark’ if you could call it that when she disappeared, their chemistry is off the charts but so is their banter and snark. Ember’s betrothal to the ever annoying Torin is also bought to light and we also get reacquainted with a number of characters from the previous books and meet a few more who each play a crucial role in the overall story

There were many secrets revealed but there are still many questions that need answering. We learn a little more about Ember, we meet her mum Lily who I didn’t like whatsoever, Kennedy learns what she is and the Dark Dwellers are still in search of the sword so they can return to the Otherworld; the whole book was go go go! I enjoyed the non-stop thrill ride even though at times I did feel there was so much going on that things became rushed.

Stacey Marie Brown’s writing flows well and is engaging, her story-telling is enjoyable and the action, revelations and smexy romance make for a riveting read.

After the ending we are left with, I am definitely eager to read the next book in the series, Blood Beyond Darkness.

Other books in the Darkness series:

Both just 99¢


Darkness of Light (book #1)

Fire in the Darkness (book #2)

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About Stacey

Stacey Marie Brown by day is an Interior/Set Designer, by night a writer of Paranormal Fantasy, Adventure, and Literary Fiction. She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family’s farm, raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts. Even before she could write, she was creating stories and making up intricate fantasies. Writing came as easy as breathing. She later turned that passion into acting, living and traveling abroad, and designing. Though she had never stopped writing, moving back to San Francisco seemed to have brought it back to the forefront and this time it would not be ignored.
When she’s not writing she’s out hiking, spending time with friends, traveling, listening to music, or designing.


Website | Facebook Twitter | Darkness of Light on Facebook

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TOUR SCHEDULE

March 24th
Creating Serenity (http://www.creating-serenity.com/) |  Guest Post 
Imagine a World (http://www.thegoldenruleof666.blogspot.com) | Review 

March 25th
Book Briefs (http://bookbriefs.blogspot.com) | Review 
Obsession with Books (http://www.obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com) | Review 

March 26th
Addicted Readers (http://addictreaders.blogspot.com/) | Excerpt 
Shortie Says (www.shortie-says.com) | Review 

March 27th
Book Lovers Life (http://bookloverslife.blogspot.ie/) | Teaser 
Reflections of a Bibliophilic Barista (http://www.reflectionsofabibliophilicbarista.com) | Review 

March 28th
Biblio Belles (http://bibliobelles.com) | Review 
Literary Meanderings (http://www.literaryme.net/) | Top Ten 
Curse of the Bibliophile (http://curseofthebibliophile.blogspot.in/) | Review 

March 31st
The La La Land of Books (http://saaratis.wordpress.com/) | Review & Top Ten 
Shayna Varadeaux (http://www.shaynavaradeauxbooks.blogspot.com) | Review 

April 1st
Martini Times Romance (www.martinitimes.com) | Review 
Curling Up With A Good Book (http://curling-up-with-a-good-book.blogspot.com) | Excerpt 

April 2nd
Not Everyone's Mama (http://noteveryonesmama.com) | Review 
SMIBookClub (http://SMIBookClub.com) | Review 

April 3rd
Reviews By Molly (http://reviewsbymolly.com) | Teaser 
Good Choice Reading (http://goodchoicereading.com) | Review (date subject to change)

April 4th
Jessa's Epic Narrative (http://jessasadventuresinreading.wordpress.com/) | Guest Post 
Paranormal Book Club (www.paranormal-bookclub.com) | Review 
The Autumn Review (http://www.autumnreview.com) | Review 

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Giveaway

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