Review: Fool Me Twice by Mandy Hubbard

Fool Me Twice

Author: Mandy Hubbard

Series: If Only #1

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Australia

Pages: 272

Amazon

Release Date: 1st May 2014

Synopsis:

Mackenzie and Landon were the perfect couple . . . until he dumped her and broke her heart. Fast-forward a year and they're back where they first met—Serenity Ranch and Spa, where they are once again working together for the summer. Talk about awkward.

Then, Landon takes a nasty fall and gets amnesia. Suddenly, he’s stuck in the past—literally. His most recent memory is of last summer, when he and Mack were still together, so now he’s calling her pet names and hanging all over her. It's the perfect chance for revenge. The plan is simple: keep Landon at arm’s length, manipulate him so he’s the one falling love, and then BAM, dump him. There’s just one problem: Mack can’t fall for Landon all over again.

The If Only romance line is all about wanting what you can't have, and Mandy Hubbard's hilarious break-up/love story is sure to captivate anyone who has ever wished for a second shot at love.

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

Fool Me Twice is the first book in the If Only series, each book written by a different author and featuring different characters.

I really like the premise for Fool Me Twice and I was in the mood for a bit of a break-up revenge sort of light-hearted book and this one was fun, nothing deep but quite cute and entertaining if not over the top with the cheesy, fluffy moments.

Fool Me Twice follows Mackenzie and Landon’s story, Landon broke up with Mackenzie in a terrible way but since hitting his head and ending up with amnesia he has no memory of them ever breaking up which is perfect for Mackenzie so she can play along, exact her revenge and break his heart as he did to her.

Both of the MC’s were ok characters but their actions didn’t really endear me to them, they were childish and definitely not true to themselves – Landon’s behaviour definitely grated on my nerves as did Mackenzie’s willingness to please. The side characters were great, I liked Bailey and Adam.

The do-over plot was simplistic and the ranch setting wonderful, I really enjoy second chance romances and despite their first relationship (if that’s what you’d call it) not being long term and based more or less on untruths it was nice seeing them start afresh but in saying that there were a lot of cringe worthy moments that didn’t feel realistic at all.

Mandy Hubbard’s writing is witty and fun but the dialogue and the characters juvenile behaviour let it down overall. If you are after something quick and light-hearted, Fool Me Twice would be perfect.

Thank you kindly to Bloomsbury Publishing Australia for the opportunity to read and review Fool Me Twice.

About the author: 

Mandy Hubbard is the author of PRADA & PREJUDICE and YOU WISH, both novels for teens now in stores. 

In 2011, her releases include BUT I LOVE HIM (written as Amanda Grace) and RIPPLE. She is also a literary agent for D4EO Literary Agency. For more information, visit her website.

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Review + G!veaway: Hidden (Avena #1) by Marianne Curley

Author: Marianne Curley

Series: Avena

Pages: 325

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Australia

Amazon: Hidden

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

For as long as Ebony can remember, she’s been sheltered. Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It’s as if she’s being hidden.

But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can’t be concealed. She’s growing more beautiful by the day, she’s freakishly strong, and then there’s the fact that she’s glowing.

On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she’s intensely drawn to him. It’s as if something explodes inside of her—something that can be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn’t know that she’s a stolen angel, but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

Hidden by Marianne Curley was kindly provided to me by the publisher, Bloomsbury Australia in exchange for my honest review.

Angel books tend to be hit or miss for me and I must admit Hidden started off really slowly and wasn’t holding my attention; but as it progressed so too did my interest and I found myself enjoying Ms. Curley’s writing style and storytelling.

Our main protagonist is sixteen year-old Ebony who has been hidden away by her parents from the outside world, she feels she is different with her unusual violet eyes enhanced abilities and in the way her body is changing but getting answers from her parents has been like pulling teeth, they remain vague and don’t seem to know a lot about the contract they signed with a mysterious man who left her on their doorstep as a baby. But answers soon come when she meets Jordan, a fellow classmate with a painful life story.

After a near fatal incident at an underage nightclub, Jordan is saved by an Angel named Thane and has been tasked with convincing Ebony of the threats surrounding her, with the story being told from both Ebony and Jordan’s POV’s we get a clear look into their thoughts and their actions; seeing them interact and learn more about the angels and the dangers I found to be quite interesting.

The pacing I found to be choppy and the plot was unfortunately predictable but in saying this, I did enjoy seeing the details of the stolen angel and the disappearance of Ebony’s parents being unraveled; the history and the angel background information we were given I found to be written well and the angel realm of Avena which I am looking forward to learning more about was fascinating.

I liked some characters more than others, Ebony at times I found to be lackluster and frustrating whereas Jordan and his past and his purpose I was more curious about; I hope in future installments we are given more detail about the Guardian and Angel relationship, at this stage I am still a little confused. Each of the angels was written well, I especially liked Thane and I’m eager to know of his destiny.

Overall, despite a few elements not meshing well with me Hidden was an intriguing start to this series and the cover is absolutely stunning! I am curious to read the sequel to learn more about the world and the characters Ms. Curley has created.

Thank-you to Bloomsbury Publishing Australia for the opportunity to read and review Hidden.

Giveaway:

If you are a resident of Australia/NZ, please complete the below rafflecopter form for your chance to win a copy of Hidden.

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Review: Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

Author: Yelena Black

Series: Dance of Shadows

Pages: 447

Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal

Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia

Amazon: Danceof Shadows

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . . 

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . 

Review: 2 out of 5 stars

Thank-you to Bloomsbury Publishing Australia for sending me an advance review copy of Dance of Shadows.

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black is hard for me to rate because there are some elements that I enjoyed, such as the dance aspect but others that had me cringing and left me quite frustrated.

Fifteen year-old Vanessa Adler is a freshman at the elite NY Ballet Academy where her sister Margaret also attended but she is there for a different purpose, her goal is to not only dance but to find out what happened to Margaret three years prior when she mysteriously disappeared.

When Vanessa is chosen to dance the lead in The Firebird, the role her sister was also meant to dance she has no idea of the danger she is in. I was intrigued by the paranormal mystery surrounding the dance and the sinister and ominous presence which played a part, I was quite surprised by the revelation and what was actually happening with the disappearing dancers and the deals they were making with demons, it was an interesting and promising premise but unfortunately the execution fell flat.

I wasn’t Vanessa’s biggest fan, she did a number of things I found to be immature and rash but it could also come down to her age or the fact it was written in third person and I couldn't really relate to her; she seemed blasé to what she was told and just came across as weak and naïve. The secondary characters I found to be under-developed and lacking in personality, we also have two love interests, Zeppelin and Justin but I didn’t find either appealing or believable, it just didn’t come together for me and I wasn’t caught up in the romance.

The cover of this book is stunning but unfortunately the story didn’t quite match its beauty and I was left feeling really underwhelmed. Dance played a huge part so fans of ballet may enjoy this aspect, the mystery was written ok but I wasn't surprised by the 'twist' and all of the characters were lacklustre and I didn’t connect with them at all; I also needed more imagery and sensory detail but it wasn’t there.

Ms Black’s writing was simplistic, the pacing I found to be slow and incosistent, at times I admit to skimming; there was a lot of promise with Dance of Shadows but its delivery just didn’t work out for me.

Overall, despite this book being beautifully presented it failed to draw me in and keep me wanting more, the premise was intriguing but the overall delivery I thought could have been refined.