Review: This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter

THIS HEART OF MINE

Author: C.C. Hunter

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Genre: YA

Pages: 384

Release date: 27^th February 2018

Goodreads

Synopsis: A new heart saved her life—but will it help her find out what really happened to its donor?

Seventeen-year-old Leah MacKenzie is heartless. An artificial heart in a backpack is keeping her alive. However, this route only offers her a few years. And with her rare blood type, a transplant isn’t likely. Living like you are dying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But when a heart becomes available, she’s given a second chance at life. Except Leah discovers who the donor was — a boy from her school — and they’re saying he killed himself. Plagued with dreams since the transplant, she realizes she may hold the clues to what really happened.

Matt refuses to believe his twin killed himself. When Leah seeks him out, he learns they are both having similar dreams and he’s certain it means something. While unraveling the secrets of his brother’s final moments, Leah and Matt find each other, and a love they are terrified to lose. But life and even new hearts don’t come with guarantees. Who knew living, took more courage than dying?

This Heart of Mine is a haunting, poignant tale about living and dying, surviving grief, guilt, and heartache, while discovering love and hope in the midst of sadness.

Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I had just finished the Mortician’s Daughter by C.C. Hunter when I saw This Heart of Mine pop up on Netgalley and despite initially not thinking that I would enjoy it as much as I have her Shadow Falls series and also the new One Foot in the Grave series, I found this heart-warming story truly wonderful.

Our main character is Seventeen-year-old Leah MacKenzie who is being kept alive by an artificial heart after contracting a virus; she is confined to her home until a donor heart is received. Matt is in need of extra credits at school so he agrees to tutor Leah, their connection is instant but she is a little clueless about who he is as he is an identical twin to Eric.

When tragedy strikes, Leah receives the long awaited call to receive a new heart but guilt hits as she knows someone died for her to live and that person is Matt’s brother Eric. Eric was an organ donor so his brave decision provided her with life.

Eric apparently commit suicide, something Matt vehemently denies; after the transplant both he and Leah are again bought together through visions / dreams they both have of what could have possibly happened so begin to investigate Eric’s relationships and the events which led up to his death.

Leah was such a wonderful character, warm, caring and strong but she had a fear of things going wrong and never looked too far into the future; her relationship with her parents is wonderful despite her mother’s overbearing behaviour but you could see the love that they had for each other. Matt was strong and determined; he had lost so much with the recent passing of both his father and his brother so I could never quite grasp his behaviour and whether he was living in the belief that his twin wouldn’t kill himself or if he was suffering from post-traumatic grief; it was hard to tell and I was eager to find out what had happened. All of the characters were written very well, I especially loved Leah’s heart doctor.

I really enjoyed the romance aspect; I did have my doubts initially, wondering if Matt was drawn to Leah because Eric was their connection through the donor heart but they truly complimented each other well; there were a few tough moments; especially for Leah but they both stood by one another; I just wish she could have been more forthcoming about what she had to endure daily.

C.C. Hunter’s writing is gripping and had me hooked right from the start; I can’t fault the characters or the wonderfully heart-warming and also mysterious storyline; I enjoyed it all. If you haven’t picked up a book by this fabulous author, you are truly missing out!

Thank you kindly to St Martin’s Press via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter.

About the author: C.C. Hunter grew up in Alabama, where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and regularly rescued potential princes, in the form of Alabama bullfrogs, from her brothers. Today, she's still fascinated with lightning bugs, mostly wears shoes, but has turned her focus to rescuing mammals. She now lives in Texas with her four rescued cats, one dog, and a prince of a husband, who for the record, is so not a frog. When she's not writing, she's reading, spending time with her family, or is shooting things-with a camera, not a gun.

C.C. Hunter is a pseudonym. Her real name is Christie Craig and she also writes humorous romantic suspense romance novels for Grand Central. www.christie-craig.com

C.C. would love to hear from you. Because of deadlines, it may take her a day or so to get back with you, but she will reply. cc@cchunterbooks.com

Review: Remember Yesterday (Forget Tomorrow #2) by Pintip Dunn

REMEMBER YESTERDAY

Pintip Dunn

Series: Forget Tomorrow #2

Pages: 400

Published: Entangled Teen

Release date: 4^th October 2016

Synopsis: Don't miss the exciting sequel to the New York Times bestselling book Forget Tomorrow!

Sixteen-year-old Jessa Stone is the most valuable citizen in Eden City. Her psychic abilities could lead to significant scientific discoveries—if only she'd let TechRA study her. But after they kidnapped and experimented on her as a child, cooperating with the scientists is the last thing Jessa would do.

But when she discovers the past isn't what she assumed, Jessa must join forces with budding scientist Tanner Callahan to rectify a fatal mistake made ten years ago. She'll do anything to change the past and save her sister—even if it means aligning with the enemy she swore to defeat.

Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Remember Yesterday is the second instalment in author Pintip Dunn's Forget Tomorrow series and I was a little iffy about reading it as it is told from Sixteen-year-old Jessa Stone’s character rather than her twin sister, Callie Stone’s POV and ten years in the future; I don’t tend to enjoy series with character changes but thank goodness this worked out well.

It is hard to review this without giving spoilers for the first book so my apologies for some evasiveness. The first book ending was a huge shock and set the scene; Remember Yesterday follows through with some interesting revelations which are a game changer for TechRa and the citizens of Eden City, we receive answers to questions from the first book and we learn more about Jessa and her interesting ability.

Jessa was TechRa’s study subject when she was just a small child so she holds a huge grudge against them but when a vision shows a glimpse of the future and a rebellion against future memories and a possible genocide she aligns herself with the enemy hurting those closest to her.

Jessa was a strong, noble character and despite not always agreeing with her choices I could understand why. Working with her enemy, scientist Tanner Callahan she’ll do anything in her power to change the past and save Callie.

I thoroughly enjoyed the enemies to more romance between Jessa and Tanner who was the creator of Future memories, they had more in common than they originally thought and ended up working really well as a team. Tanner was a wonderfully fleshed out character and my heart hurt for what he had endured.

Pintip Dunn’s world-building is phenomenal, the plot flowed at a fast pace and the characters are well-developed and likeable except of course for Chairwoman Dresden who was pure evil! There were twists and turns aplenty and many heart tugging moments, I am not usually a fan of time travel but it worked well in this book.

Pintip Dunn’s writing cannot be faulted, I enjoyed every engrossing moment and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Seize Today which is Olivia Dresden and Jessa’s best friend Ryder Russell’s book.

                                                                                              

Thanks to Entangled Teen via Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. 

Pintip’s novel, FORGET TOMORROW, won the RWA RITA® for Best First Book. It is also a finalist for the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, the Japanese Sakura Medal, the MASL Truman Award, and the Tome Society IT list. In addition, THE DARKEST LIE was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. 

Her other books include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, SEIZE TODAY, and GIRL ON THE VERGE.

She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. 

Review: Coming up for Air by Miranda Kenneally (Hundred Oaks)

Coming up for Air

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Series: Hundred Oaks

Publisher / Souce: Sourcefire Books

Release date: 1^st July 2017

Pages: 320

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.

All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic try out, so she feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to lose to win? 

Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I am such a huge fan of Miranda Kenneally, her books are full of fun, depth, amazingly fabulous characters and storylines that I truly connect with; I was hooked on this book from the very first page and devoured it in one sitting.

Coming Up for Air has one of my all-time favourite tropes, best friends to more and I adored how this played out despite the sometimes awkward, cringe worthy and also upsetting moments.

Our MC is Maggie who has been training to qualify for the Olympics for as long as she can remember, her best friend is Levi who has already earned his tryout. When Maggie propositions Levi to help her gain experience before heading off to college he hesitantly agrees and this is where things become complicated.

Maggie was a fabulous character, passionate and dedicated; she has a select few friends and has devoted her life to swimming but in the process has forgotten to experience fun, daily life because of her strict schedule; Levi was a great friend and support to Maggie and didn’t handle the change in their friendship as much as Maggie did, he was more conflicted but I loved how it all played out.

The side characters were all great, the swimming information was engaging and detailed without being too much, I enjoyed the routine and competing parts most; there were also many sweet and funny moments; it all flowed well and came together nicely.

One thing that did baffle me a little was the rivalry between Maggie and Roxy; nothing really came of this situation when it was highly focussed on throughout the book, I would have liked a little more closure on this.

Coming up for Air is beautifully written and is a wonderful addition to the Hundred Oaks series, I am excited for the next book! The epilogue at the end was also truly special.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy; it is greatly appreciated.

About the author: 

Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.

Review & 6 Things you didn't know about The Diabolic universe by SJ Kincaid

The Diabolic by S.J Kincaid

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release date: 1st November 2016

Pages: 416

Simon & Schuster Children's

ISBN 9781471148392 | 

November 2016

List Price

AU$ 19.99

NZ$ 22.99

QBD – Abbeys – Boomerang Books – Dymocks - Booktopia

Synopsis: A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for. 

Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.

When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children. It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything.

As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire.

Check out!

Diabolic trailer 

The Diabolic book info page 

The Read Me Love Me Share Me Facebook page

Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Diabolic by SJ Kincaid has the most uniquely wonderful premise which I was intrigued about instantly. I am pleased to be a part of the Simon and Schuster blog tour for this amazing title.

Diabolics are not human, they are creatures designed to be utterly ruthless and dedicated to only one individual, they are to serve as lifelong bodyguards, usually for the imperial families – they can’t feel empathy or kindness. Nemesis has been engineered to be strong, cold-blooded and deadly and to protect Sidonia Impyrean, the Senator von Impyrean’s daughter, Nemesis is to give her life for her should the need arise.

When the Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in an uprising, he summons her to the Chrysanthemum. The only way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia is to masquerade as her in a place filled with bloodthirsty and corrupt politicians, it was a true test of her deadly nature.

Nemesis was an interesting character, I didn’t know what to make of her initially but she really surprised me with her strength of character and the feelings that she showed. I came to really like her character growth, she wasn’t without flaws but because of her genetic makeup her behavior was expected.

We have a small amount of romance and I was pleased that it wasn’t at the forefront of the story. Tyrus Domitrian is a supposed madman of the ruling family, he is the nephew of the Emperor and will one day inherit the throne. But he has many secrets, I won’t go into too much detail to avoid spoilers but his character surprised me.

The fast paced plot is filled with friendships, politics and how Nemesis fits into the diabolic world, she shows feelings that she isn’t meant to have. We see a lot of personal growth as the story progresses and I can’t help but wish that this was a series, I love the sci-fi world that Kincaid has created, it’s unique and very creative.

The world we come to know is captivating but also very brutal, Nemesis was kick butt but there were many scenes that were quite gory, there were quite a few deaths and admittedly some weren’t necessary.

Overall, The Diabolic is well-written, entertaining and engaging; I am definitely eager to read more books by SJ Kincaid. 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia for the opportunity to be a part of The Diabolic blog tour.

About the author: About the author: 

S.J. Kincaid was born in Alabama, grew up in California, and attended high school in New Hampshire, but it was while living beside a haunted graveyard in Scotland that she realized that she wanted to be a writer. Her debut, Insignia, came out in July of 2012. The second book in the series, Vortex was released in July of 2013. The final book in the trilogy, Catalyst, came out October 28, 2014. Her standalone novel The Diabolic will be released in fall 2016.

6 Things You Didn’t Know About The Diabolic Universe

1)        I tried writing the universe of THE DIABOLIC from Tyrus's point of view first. I couldn't do it. I needed a break from writing from the viewpoint of boys after my INSIGNIA trilogy.

2)        Next, I took the basic idea of an I, CLAUDIUS YA and tried writing a humorous, reverse-THE SELECTION of sorts, where a mad Emperor is selecting his bride from among a number of girls and they are all desperate not to wed him. There was humor to be milked from the girls engaging in increasingly ludicrous ploys to seem more unattractive than each other, but I tired of it quickly and stopped writing it.

3)        Next, I tried writing the universe of THE DIABOLIC from Sidonia's point of view. It was in space, the tone was serious, but I couldn't get any traction. (There was no Nemesis in this version).

4)        THE DIABOLIC in its current form all sprang from one single page I don't even recall writing where Nemesis and Sidonia first meet. I kept coming back to that page, because something was there, yet I just didn't know what…

5)        Doubts plagued me the entire time I was writing THE DIABOLIC because I kept thinking my main character was too ruthless, too hard, too invulnerable for anyone to truly relate to her. This suspicion was reaffirmed when my first agent response was a rejection because Nemesis was too cold, the second a rejection because the very first chapter - and Nemesis's introduction - was too violent. Fortunately, I then connected with the best agent I could possibly hope for, and the rest was history.

6)        I finished this book, suspecting it would not sell.

            It sold in two days.

Review: Torn (A Wicked Saga #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Torn

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: A Wicked Saga

Publisher: JLA

Release date: 19^th July 2016

Pages: 299

Source: Amazon

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Torn between duty and survival, nothing can be the same. 

Everything Ivy Morgan thought she knew has been turned on its head. After being betrayed and then nearly killed by the Prince of the Fae, she’s left bruised and devastated—and with an earth-shattering secret that she must keep at all costs. And if the Order finds out her secret, they’ll kill her. 

Then there’s Ren Owens, the sexy, tattooed Elite member of the Order who has been sharing Ivy’s bed and claiming her heart. Their chemistry is smoking hot, but Ivy knows that Ren has always valued his duty to the Order above all else—he could never touch her if he knew the truth. That is, if he let her live at all. Yet how can she live with herself if she lies to him? 

But as the Fae Prince begins to close in, intent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld, Ivy is running out of options. If she doesn’t figure out who she can trust—and fast—it’s not only her heart that will be torn apart, but civilization itself.

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

Contains possible spoilers from the first book

I have been really looking forward to reading Torn despite not completely loving the first book, Wicked; it was the first book by JLA that I didn’t completely love but the sequel was all sorts of wonderful.

This book is a continuation of Wicked, so they should be read in order so that you know who is who and what is going on.

At the beginning of this book Ivy Morgan is recovering from being betrayed by her best friend and fellow order member Val and almost killed by the Prince of the Fae. After finding out what she is, she doesn’t know who she can trust but she does know that she needs to prevent the fae prince from creating an apocalypse baby with the Halfling and opening the gates to the otherworld.

Ren is Ivy’s newish boyfriend and part of the Order’s Elite, he is committed to his job and despises the fae so Ivy is petrified that he’ll want nothing to do with her once he finds out what she is. Ivy and Ren are both amazing! I loved their chemistry and their banter; you couldn’t help but hope for happiness for both of them after everything that they have been through, I felt they both grew as characters from the first book.

The Prince of Fae is the type of villain you love to hate, emotionless, powerful and cruel he is intent on opening the gate to the otherworld and will do it by any means necessary. His treatment of Ivy was harsh but she stayed strong despite what he put her through.

Many secrets were revealed which had me shocked! Everything that Ivy thought she knew about the Order and the fae has been wrong so it was great learning the truth as she did.

The biggest surprise in Torn was Tink! Oh my gosh, I adored him; he definitely brings the humor to the story and I loved his big reveal and the way he looks out for Ivy, their friendship has really grown.

JLA’s books have been more miss than hit for me lately but this was very well written and wasn’t filled with trademark snark which at time does become too much, this had the perfect blend of everything that I have always adored about her books.

My only gripe was the wait between books, I know that this is sometimes out of the authors control but I originally read Wicked in 2014 so I had forgotten a lot of what had happened, JLA did a great job of rehashing everything but it is hard to keep up with such a long break in between books.

Overall, Torn had a great blend of romance, mystery and wit; it’s a thoroughly entertaining NA Paranormal and I am excited for the next book in the series Brave which has an anticipated 2017 release date.

About the author: # 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia. 

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true. 

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen. 

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.