Monday 28 September 2015

Book Review (497): Sustained (The Legal Briefs #2) - Emma Chase


Sustained (The Legal Briefs #2)

by 
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series Overruled, so I had pretty high expectations for Sustained, and those expectations were blown out of the water I loved this book so much more than the first one and that was all because of the lead character Jake, I adored his romance with Chelsea and his interactions with the kids, need I mention anything more than the One Direction concert which I found extremely funny, in fact any scene where Jake was out of his comfort zone was highly enjoyable to me.

For someone known to never show any kind of emotion, and who was described as cold Jake was surprisingly delightful to have as the only point of view in Sustained, the change in his attitude and character throughout had me falling in love with him, the story drew me in from the first page and I couldn't get enough, I wish that the book was longer than it was, I didn't want to say goodbye to Jake, Chelsea or the six kids, I was just so absorbed, intrigued and utterly fascinated with all the goings-on.

Also enjoyable was the frequent appearances of Stanton, Sofia and Brent, I love the scenes with the four of them all together, I'm extremely anxious to read Brent's book, I think it will be very entertaining, although it will have to be pretty spectacular to overtake Sustained as my favorite book of The Legal Briefs series.

I seriously need to pick up Emma's other series, I really enjoy her writing and I want to fall in love with a whole new set of her characters, I highly recommend this series, especially this book.

I give this 5/5 stars.

ABOUT EMMA CHASE

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother of two who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she is a keyboard crusader, toiling away the hours to bring her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.
Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

Sunday 6 September 2015

Book Review (496): Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1) - Abbi Glines


Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1)






I have been a huge Abbi Glines fan for quite a while now, I know that when I pick up one of her books whether it be YA or New Adult I will find myself immersed and enraptured in whatever world of hers I'm reading at the time, her ability to transition between the two different age brackets is flawless never have I read a bad book by her, I love them all, and Until Friday Night is no different.

I knew just from reading the synopsis that I was going to enjoy this book, Abbi can write tragedy extremely well, with her writing you can find yourself overcome with emotion, which I did more than a few times throughout this story, but I find that's the way to tell if someone is a great writer, if I find myself crying while reading a book and it wasn't just the once then that's the making of a true author, to have you caring enough about a character(s) that you feel their every pain as if it were your own, and that's what I'm guaranteed to get with every book of Abbi's that I pick up, she is one of the best author's around, and I can't get enough of her books.

I'm glad that this is going to be a series and not just a standalone, there are quite a few characters that deserve their own books, Brady in particular who's book I'm hoping will be released next, and also glad that while the series is based around American football it's not heavy with information about the game, there is mention of a couple of things but for those of us not into sport it's a welcome relief that the story isn't saturated with all that is football.

I can certainly see myself re-reading Until Friday Night at some point, it was thoroughly enjoyable, with just the right amount of drama and romance that will keep you glued to the pages, another winner from Abbi, I suggest that everyone should pick this up.

I give this 5/5 stars.


When Abbi isn’t locked away in her office typing away she is hauling her kids to and from their many social activities. You could say her second job is the Glines Kids persoSince publishing her first novel Breathe in May of 2011, Abbi has also released The New York Times bestselling Seabreeze Series which includes Breathe, Because of Low, While It Lasts, Just For Now and Sometimes It Last, The Existence Trilogy that includes the USA Today Bestseller Ceaseless. New York Times and USA TODAY bestsellers The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers. Last but not least her most popular series to date, Rosemary Beach which includes The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers Fallen Too Far, Never Too Far, Forever Too Far, Twisted Perfection and Simple Perfection. Her newest book scheduled to be released on December 17th, 2013 is Misbehaving (Seabreeze).nal chauffeur. It’s a rather illustrious job.
 She maintains a Twitter addiction at @AbbiGlines and can also be found at facebook.com/AbbiGlinesAuthor and AbbiGlines.com.

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Book Review (495): Tracker's End (Wind Dragons MC #3) - Chantal Fernando


Tracker's End (Wind Dragons MC #3)

by 




Age Appropriate: Adult
Buy It: The Book Depository
The third in a sexy romance series from the bestselling author of Saxonand Toxic Girl about the bad boys of the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club and the women who fall in love with them.

Tracker is everything I’ve ever wanted.

I see him. I’ve watched time change him.

I’ve been patient, but he still hasn’t noticed me. Not the way I want him to. The more time I spend with the MC, the more I understand.

When you want something, you have to take it. You have to fight for it.

And Tracker is more than worth fighting for…
 
My Thoughts.
I have been anxiously awaiting Tracker's story ever since I read the first book in the Wind Dragons MC series, his was a character that had me intrigued from the get go and I was eager for his book to be released, and I'm so happy to say that I wasn't disappointed.

Chantal knows how to write hot, steamy and sexy alpha males, the kind that will leave you weak in the knees and hot under the collar, and this series is full of them.

The intrigue of life and day to day living in a motorcycle club certainly makes for an interesting storyline, whilst living my life that way wouldn't be my cup of tea it's definitely exciting and interesting to read about.

With feisty, intelligent and strong kick ass heroines to boot, we are given such well rounded and developed characters that make this series an addictive one sitting read.

I can't wait to find out who's book will be next although I'm hoping it will be Rake, I think his story will be just as good as Tracker's would.

Another great installment of a series that I recommend everybody who loves this genre should pick up.

I give this 5/5 stars.



chantal fernandoNew York Times, Amazon & USA Today Bestselling Author Chantal Fernando is twenty seven years old and lives in Western Australia.
Lover of all things romance, Chantal is the author of the best selling books Dragon’s Lair, Maybe This Time and many more.
When not reading, writing or daydreaming she can be found enjoying life with her three sons and family.
Chantal loves to hear from readers and can be found here:

Sunday 30 August 2015

Book Review (494); Safe At Last (Slow Burn #3) - Maya Banks


Safe at Last (Slow Burn #3)

by 
Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | BAM
My Thoughts.
The Slow Burn series is incredibly hard to put down once you've picked one of the books up, filled with suspense, pulse pounding action, romance and of course terrific story-telling, they are very addictive and you'll find time passing by very quickly so absorbed you'll find yourself in each and every one of the books.

Safe At Last deals with a very sensitive matter, one that can at times be hard to read about but Maya has done a very good job of tackling the subject sensitively and with the compassion and delicateness that this story needed, there is a lot of violence towards women in this book but it's dealt with in a way that hopefully shouldn't offend or upset anyone in any way, and that is because of the strength and professionalism of Maya's incredible writing.

While these books are primarily contemporary romantic suspense in nature, I also enjoy the heroines in each and every book having a psychic gift in some sense, adding a bit extra to the storyline and setting this series aside from it's counterparts.

I look forward to the next installment, Wade and Eliza are a couple that I can't wait to read about, a highly recommended series that I can't get enough of.

I give this 5/5 stars.



Maya Banks is a multiple #1 USA Today and New York Times bestselling author whose chart toppers have included erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, Scottish historical romances. She is the author of the Breathless Trilogy, the Surrender Trilogy, the KGI novels, the Sweet series, and the Colters Legacy novels.

She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.





(ARC) Book Review (493): The Dead Girls Of Hysteria Hall - Katie Alender


The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall


Publication: 25th August 2015
Publisher: Point
Pages: 336
Genre: Horror
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
In this asylum, your mind plays tricks on you all the time…

Delia’s new house isn’t just a house. Long ago, it was the Piven Institute for the Care and Correction of Troubled Females—an insane asylum nicknamed “Hysteria Hall.” However, many of the inmates were not insane, just defiant and strong willed. Kind of like Delia herself.

But the house still wants to keep “troubled” girls locked away. So, in the most horrifying way, Delia gets trapped.

And that’s when she learns that the house is also haunted.

Ghost girls wander the halls in their old-fashioned nightgowns. A handsome ghost boy named Theo roams the grounds. Delia finds that all the spirits are unsettled and full of dark secrets. The house, as well, harbors shocking truths within its walls—truths that only Delia can uncover, and that may set her free.

But she’ll need to act quickly, before the house’s power overtakes everything she loves.

From master of suspense Katie Alender comes a riveting tale of twisted memories and betrayals, and the meaning of madness.
My Thoughts.
As soon as I first saw the title and cover of The Dead Girls Of Hysteria Hall I knew this was a book that I wanted to read, the blurb only made me even more eager for it, so receiving an ARC for review had me very excited.

I don't generally read a lot of books that feature ghosts, only because I like to read before bed and reading something like this creeps me out, in the dark at night, every little sound having you second guess what is making that noise, it got to the point where it was freaking me out so much I could only read it during the day, that was how well written this story was.

The twist at the start of the book was unexpected and shocking, not what I was expecting at all and that added to the eeriness and sense of anticipation this story held, nerve-wracking and at times heart-racing there is never a dull moment.

There seems to be nothing more creepier than a supposedly abandoned asylum, as I can attest to after making my way through this book.

Those who are looking for a thrilling story that will be sure to give you a bit of a scare, definitely give The Dead Girls Of Hysteria Hall a try, you won't be disappointed.

I give this 4/5 stars.


Katie Alender author photo 300x375About the Author:

Katie Alender is the author of The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall, Famous Last Words, Marie Antoinette: Serial Killer, and the Bad Girls Don’t Die series. She is a graduate of the Florida State University Film School and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. When she’s not writing novels, she can usually be found quilting, reading, eating delicious high-calorie foods, and hanging out with her friends (on very special occasions, she manages to do all of those things at once).

Website Twitter | Facebook

Instagram | Tumblr | Wattpad

Saturday 29 August 2015

(ARC) Book Review (492): Dead Upon A Time - Elizabeth Paulson


Dead Upon a Time

Publication: 25th August 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 224
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Retellings
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 
It's a fairy-tale nightmare . . .

One girl is kept in a room where every day the only food she's given is a poisoned apple. Another is kept in a room covered in needles -- and if she pricks her finger, she'll die. Then there are the brother and sister kept in a cell that keeps getting hotter and hotter. . .

A sinister kidnapper is on the loose in Kate's world. She's not involved until one day she heads to her grandmother's house in the woods -- and finds her grandmother has also been taken. Already an outcast, Kate can't get any help from the villagers who hate her. Only Jack, another outsider, will listen to what's happened.

Then a princess is taken, and suddenly the king is paying attention -- even though the girl's stepmother would rather he didn't. It's up to Kate and Jack to track down the victims before an ever after arrives that's far from happy.
My Thoughts.
I know I've said this quite a few times throughout my time writing book reviews but I love fairytale retellings,  how the stories and characters can be changed and interpreted by different authors is what keeps me coming back to them, that and memories of reading the originals when I was younger, finding retellings that are unbelievably out of this world is always something I look forward to, unfortunately Dead Upon A Time fell a little short.

The concept of this book had me excited, fairytale characters held in prisons of their well known downfalls, Snow White and a basket of apples, with one apple being poisoned and so begins her endless task of figuring out which one not to eat, Hansel and Gretel stuck in a room where the temperature steadily increases every minute and so on, it falls to Kate of Little Red Riding Hood fame and Jack from Jack and the beanstalk to save them by the King's orders whose daughter Cinderella has also been kidnapped.

Unfortunately it didn't have the excitement that I was craving, there were a few unanswered questions such as Kate's parents and the reasons for their disappearance, I didn't think that it was explained fully, I found myself taking quite a while to finish this book and it's not very long at all, I just wasn't all that eager to want to pick it up again once I'd put it down and that was disappointing.

So while the idea of this book was intriguing, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped to, but in saying that it wasn't terrible at all, in fact quite a few people seemed to enjoy it, I just couldn't seem to connect to the story, I will still pick up anything else Elizabeth writes though, just because this wasn't one of my favorite reads ever doesn't mean I won't fall in love with her next release.

I give this 3/5 stars.


Wednesday 26 August 2015