(ARC) Book Review (453): Shadow Scale (Seraphina #2) - Rachel Hartman

Shadow Scale (Seraphina #2)

by Rachel Hartman 

Publication: 10th March 2015

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Pages: 608

Genre: Fantasy

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon * Barnes and Noble 

Seraphina took the literary world by storm with 8 starred reviews and numerous “Best of” lists. At last, her eagerly awaited sequel has arrived—and with it comes an epic battle between humans and dragons.

The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways. 

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

My Thoughts.

Shadow Scale is the last book in the Seraphina duology, a monster of a book at six hundred pages, it's here in the length of the book that I had problems, for the amount of pages that there is there was not a whole lot of story and not a lot happened until towards the end, I struggled getting through this book, normally I can finish a book this size in about two days, but Shadow Scale took me over a week, I just wasn't in a rush to pick it up once I'd put it down.

The other problem I had was with the way the book and the series ended, the whole romance situation that was hinted and teased about was a major disappointment, I was invested in the relationship between Seraphina and Kiggs and I don't understand why the author decided to do what she did, the absence of Orma throughout most of the book was greatly missed, I liked the idea of this series but sadly it didn't blow my mind, I wonder if maybe my expectations were perhaps a bit too high.

I really wanted to love this series more than I actually did, I do recommend this series to all fans of the fantasy genre.

I give this 3/5 stars.

About the Author:
As a child, RACHEL HARTMAN played cello, lip-synched Mozart operas with her sisters, and fostered the deep love of music that inspired much of her award-winning debut novel, SERAPHINA. Born in Kentucky, Rachel has lived in Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, England, and Japan. She now lives with her family in Vancouver, Canada. A New York Times bestseller, Seraphina won the William C. Morris Award, received eight starred reviews, and was named to multiple “best of” lists. To learn more, please visit SeraphinaBooks.com or RachelHartmanBooks.com.

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(ARC) Book Review (452): The Start Of Me And You - Emery Lord

The Start of Me and You

by Emery Lord 

Publication: 31st March 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 384

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon • The Book Depository • Barnes & Noble

Following her pitch-perfect debut Open Road Summer, Emery Lord pens another gorgeous story of best friends, new love, & second chances.

Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamicsThe Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

My Thoughts.

The Start Of Me And You was one of my most anticipated books of 2015, the synopsis sounded right up my alley, something that I would love, and I'm happy to say that this book lived up to my expectations.

Paige is known as the girl who's boyfriend died, it's been a year or so since Aaron died and Paige is still dealing with her grief, but she has a plan, five things she wants to accomplish, to help her move on, one thing being to date her suddenly single long-time crush Ryan, when she makes the acquaintance of nerdy Max, Ryan's cousin, it will take a while for Paige to realise that what she thinks she wants and what she actually wants are two entirely different things, and that Max may just be the one she wants after all.

I have to say how much I loved Max's character, I really enjoy it when we have a geeky, nerdy guy as the male lead, which we don't get enough of in YA contemporaries in my opinion.

The fact that there was no insta-love made this so pleasurable to read, with some great supporting characters that only add to the awesomeness.

This was my first book of Emery's and it sure won't be the last.

Very enjoyable, a quick read that was hard to put down.

I give this 4/5 stars.

About the author:

Emery Lord is a 20-something Midwestern girl who writes stories about high school and best friends and weird families and the crushes that make you feel combustibly alive and also more awkward than you thought was possible. If you're not sure how to pronounce Emery, try slurring the name "Emily," and that will get you really close.

She lives in Cincinnati in a 100 year-old pink row house with her BFF/husband, a closet full of dresses, and lots of books. If karaoke-ing in grocery store aisles or guzzling coffee while impulse shopping were illegal, Emery would be writing her overemotional YA books from jail. Also, she makes up words sometimes. Like combustibly.

OPEN ROAD SUMMER, her first YA novel, is out now with Bloomsbury. Her second, The Start of Me & You, will be released March 31, 2015.

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(ARC) Book Review (451): Kiss Me Hello (Sweetest Kisses #3) - Grace Burrowes

Kiss Me Hello (Sweetest Kisses #3)

by Grace Burrowes

Publication: 3rd March 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 384

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It:  Amazon ♦ AllRomance♦ Barnes&Noble♦ iTunes♦ Kobo

Sidonie Lindstrom's hands and heart are full—she's been uprooted from the urban life she loves, she's grieving for her brother while raising her foster son Luis, and she's trying to find a job with meaning. But her burdens feel lighter when she meets rural lawyer Mackenzie Knightley. Their attraction is powerful and unexpected. Life is perfect… until Sid learns that Mack hasn't been completely honest about his job. 

When problems arise with Luis' foster care situation, she must decide: can she trust Mack again, when she has so much more to lose?

My Thoughts.

Sometimes there will come along a series that you absolutely fall in love with, eventually that series that you adore is going to come to an end, unfortunately Kiss Me Hello is the last book in this trilogy and I am devastated, from the very first book I've been enraptured by the three Knightley brothers and their pursuit of a happily ever after.

There is only one complaint I have about this series, and that is a lack of an epilogue, I want to know what's happening two-three years later, pregnancies, marriages, adoptions and the law firm, I just feel like a lot of people who have read these books would want to know, not just me, but that's a tiny detail that I can overlook as much as it kills me because these books are awesome!

Throughout the first two books the eldest Knightley brother Mackenzie 'Mac' has been an enigma, you don't really find out that much about his character at all, that's why I was so excited to read this book and finally discover who this man is and why he's been celibate for the last ten years, never showing any interest in women in that whole time, that is until he meets Sidonie 'Sid' and her foster son Luis who recently moved into his childhood home, through the appearance of two work horses Daisy and Buttercup that used to belong to the Knightley family, he gets to know Sid and Luis, and helps her fight to keep Luis with the threat of him being moved elsewhere after DSS fails to do their job properly.

With both Mac and Sid having secrets that have affected both their lives up to now, can they both accept each other's problems and live happily ever after, because you just don't know when a miracle can happen, and make everyone's dreams come true.

I cannot praise this series enough or Grace's fantastic writing which have made these books as great as they are, I just really, really, really don't want this series to be over, I've enjoyed each and every word, sentence, paragraph, page and chapter in my journey through the Knightley brothers stories, I wish it would have never ended.

An astounding series filled with amazing characters that Grace has crafted to perfection.

I give this 5/5 stars.

***About Grace Burrowes***

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Grace Burrowes’ bestsellers include The Heir, The Soldier, Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal, Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish, and Lady Eve’s Indiscretion. The Heirwas a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010, The Soldierwas a PW Best Spring Romance of 2011, Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish won Best Historical Romance of the Year in 2011 from RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards, Lady Louisa’s Christmas Knight was a Library Journal Best Book of 2012, and The Bridegroom Wore Plaid was aPW Best Book of 2012. Her Regency romances have received extensive praise, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Grace is branching out into short stories and Scotland-set Victorian romance with Sourcebooks. She is a practicing family law attorney and lives in rural Maryland.

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(ARC) Book Review (450): And I Love Her (Green Mountain #4) - Marie Force

And I Love Her (Green Mountain #4)

by Marie Force

Publication: 3rd March 2015

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 336

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It:  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound.

As the oldest of the ten Abbott siblings, Hunter prides himself on his ability to solve other people’s problems, but now he has a problem of his own—how to convince the woman of his dreams that his love is for keeps.

As the chief financial officer, Hunter Abbott manages the family’s various business interests while “fixing” things for the people he loves. But the one thing he can’t fix is his undeniable attraction to Megan Kane. Instead, Hunter is prepared to do whatever it takes to show Megan that he’s the man for her.

Megan’s sister rocks her with the news that she and her husband are moving overseas, leaving Megan truly alone. With her sister—and her job at the diner—going away, Megan finds herself leaning on the sexy, button-down accountant who isn’t afraid to lay it all on the line for her. But Megan has watched too many people she loves leave her. Can she risk her heart on Hunter?

My Thoughts.

The Green Mountain series is fast becoming one of my all time favorites, thanks to the great writing, humor and loveable characters that make up the Abbott family, there's so much to love with each and every book released in the series.

The camaraderie between the ten siblings are one of the things I enjoy most, that and the sweet, charming and cute romances which are the feature of every book, with some steamy and sizzling love scenes to boot there's something here for everyone, you'll find nothing to fault in Marie's writing.

Hunter is the eldest Abbott sibling, everything in his life is structured, planned and ordered, never deviating from his routine, he has also has had a crush for the longest time on his local diner's waitress Megan who has had a crush for quite a while until recently on Hunter's brother Will, when Megan's sister who owns the diner announces that she and her husband Brett are selling the diner and moving to France, Megan is understandably upset having been raised by her sister after their parents died when she was in high school, with her only family moving to another country and no job she is distraught, and that's how Hunter finds her, and it's here where their relationship begins.

I loved how Megan was able to take Hunter away from his rigid schedule and responsibilities to have fun and enjoy himself without worrying about anything 24/7, also the appearances of all of the other Abbott's always puts a smile on my face, especially the twins Lucas and Landon who's books I can't wait for.

Guaranteed to have you laughing and just generally having a good time while making your way through this series, I highly recommend that anyone who loves small town contemporary romances pick these books up.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Meet the Author:

Marie Force is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of more than thirty contemporary romances, including the Green Mountain series, the McCarthys of Gansett Island series, the Fatal series, the Treading Water series and numerous stand-alone books.

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Book Review (449): Last Breath (Hitman #2) - Jessica Clare & Jen Frederick

Last Breath (Hitman #2)

by Jessica Clare, Jen Frederick 

Publication: 3rd March 2015
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 368
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult
Buy It: Amazon I Barnes & Noble 

From the bestselling authors of Last Hit comes the next in the steamy series that explores the exquisite power of our darkest passions . . .

Regan : I never really knew what misery was until the day I was kidnapped and sold for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Two months later, I’m at a brothel in Rio when I meet Daniel Hays. He says he’s here to save me, but can I trust him? All I know of him are his sarcastic retorts and his tendency to solve every dispute with his gun. He’s also the only safe thing in my world, and I know it’s wrong to fall in love with him, but I can’t seem to help myself. He says he’ll protect me until his last breath, but I don’t know if I should believe him or even if I can.

Daniel: For the last eighteen months, one goal has dictated every action I’ve taken. I’ve left the Army, turned paid hit man, and befriended criminals all across the globe to find my kidnapped sister. In every brothel I raid and every human trafficking truck I stop, I hope the next face I find is my sister’s. In a hidden brothel in Rio, I find Regan Porter, bruised but not broken, and still sane despite her weeks in captivity. I should leave her behind or send her home, because the last thing either of us needs right now is to get involved. But with every passing minute, I find I’m less able to let her go.

My Thoughts.

I've been anxiously awaiting this book ever since I finished reading the first book Last Hit and fell in love with the story and the world it was set in, with the fate of Regan in question in the previous book I was desperate to get my hands on a copy of Last Breath and it definitely lived up to my expectations.

Regan has been sold to a brothel after being in the wrong place at the wrong time, after two months she's given up hope of ever being rescued, Daniel is hunting for his sister Naomi who went missing while on holidays and who was rumoured to have suffered the same fate as Regan, on his hunt he rescues Regan from the hellhole she's in, as they try to find their way out of Rio whilst searching for Naomi she will have to trust Daniel enough to keep her safe and maybe find a way to overcome the horrific abuse she has suffered and move on with her life possibly with Daniel.

I'm really enjoying this series, the books get better with each new release and I can't get enough!

Steamy, hot and sizzling, action packed with a storyline sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

A fantastic story.

I give this 5/5 stars.

About The Authors:

Jessica Clare has been an incurable romantic since childhood. She reads all the 'naughty parts' of books first, looks for a dirty joke in just about everything, and thinks to this day that the Little House on the Prairie books should have been steamier.

After devouring hundreds of paperback romances, mythology books, and archaeological tomes, she decided to write a few books of her own - stories with a wild adventure, sharp banter, and lots of super-sexy situations. She prefers her heroes alpha and half-dressed, her heroines witty, and she loves nothing more than watching them overcome adversity to fall into bed together.

---

Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog. She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jensfrederick@gmail.com.

Jen is currently working on a contemporary romance duology to be published in summer 2014 with the next Hitman book in the fall and the fourth Woodlands novel in late fall.

(ARC) Book Review (448): Fall Out Girl - L. Duarte

Fall Out Girl

by L. Duarte

Publication: 21st March 2015
Publisher: Self Publication
Pages: 214
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: New Adult
Buy It: Amazon 

Imagine a social outcast: Me. (Luna)
Imagine a popular boy: Him. (Caleb)
Sound like the characters of a cliché story, right? Here, hold my hand. Come away with me. I’ll tell you my story, and you’ll decide. 
But I have a warning: Proceed at your own risk. Since it’s a snippet of my life, I’m one of the main characters. And to put it lightly, I’m not the most likable person in the world, cue the earned label. Also, unlike fairy tales, my story is real with a dash of sorrow and loss. 
How do I start? Once upon a time…? Shoot me now, please. 
The beginning? No, too boring.
Well, let’s start with the catalytic moment that set in motion a chain of events that changed my life, yet again.
As for a happily ever after? Sorry, no spoilers here. You’re going to have to figure that one out on your own. After you read my tale, it becomes yours, and as such, you’re entitled to your interpretation.
So, off we go! 
Fasten your seat belts. This ride may get bumpy.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Due to strong language and graphic sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

My Thoughts.

I always love a really good New Adult contemporary romance, and that is what you'll get with this book Fall Out Girl, from the absolutely gorgeous cover to the amazing story inside, this book is close to perfection and a joy to read.

Luna is a drug dealer to survive this is what she has to do, after the death of her Father she is sent to live with her Aunt Lace and cousin Jake, her Aunt is a drug addict and what money she gets goes towards her addiction, so to pay for bills and food both Luna and Jake take up drug dealing selling to students at their high school.

When Luna meets Caleb it's not exactly like at first sight, on her side anyway, but Caleb is persistent and eventually convinces Luna to go out with him, with Luna the school's social outcast and Caleb who is one of the rich popular kids, their differences are vast but these two fit, and throughout their tumultuous relationship one thing that is clear is the love these two share.

With an ending that will have you reaching for the tissues there is never a dull moment.

I thoroughly enjoyed Luciana's writing, so much so that I finished this in one sitting, I was enraptured from the very first page, I will certainly be picking up her other books

One of my favorite books of the year so far I urge everybody to pick this book up!

I give this 5/5 stars.

About L. Duarte

I have found that there is only one thing better than reading, and that is writing. I am always torn between the two. I am also frequently torn between chocolate and coffee. However, I emphatically do not like the month of February, lies, and flies. For me, bravery is defined by the courage to do what we fear the most.

I live in Connecticut with my husband and two children. Drop a few lines. I would love to hear from you.

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(ARC) Book Review (447): How To Win At High School - Owen Matthews

How to Win at High School

by Owen Matthews

Publication: 3rd March 2015

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 528

Genre: Contemporary

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble

Using Scarface as his guide to life, Adam Higgs is going from zero to high school hero.

Adam Higgs is a loser, and he’s not okay with it. 

But starting as a junior in a new high school seems like exactly the right time to change things. He brainstorms with his best friend, Brian: What will it take for him to take over Nixon Collegiate? 

Adam searches for the A-listers’ weak spot and strikes gold when he gets queen bee Sara Bryant to pay him for doing her physics homework. One part nerd, two parts badass, Adam ditches his legit job and turns to full-time cheating. His clients? All the Nixon Collegiate gods and goddesses.

But soon his homework business becomes a booze business, which becomes a fake ID business. Adam’s popularity soars as he unlocks high school achievements left and right, from his first kiss to his first rebound hookup. But something else is haunting him—a dark memory from his past, driving him to keep climbing. What is it? And will he go too far?

How to Win at High School’s honest portrayal of high school hierarchy is paired with an adrenaline-charged narrative and an over-the-top story line, creating a book that will appeal to guys, girls, and reluctant readers of every stripe. Adam’s rocket ride to the top of the social order and subsequent flameout is both emotionally resonant and laugh-out-loud funny.

My Thoughts.

I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, I flew through it in one sitting, it was a quick read which I attribute to the way it was set out in the book, with some pages only having a couple of sentences at most.

High School can be a scary time for a lot of people especially for Adam Higgs, a self-confessed loser who is determined to rise high in the ranks and hang with the popular kids, ever since his older brother Sam was injured playing hockey and ended up a paraplegic he's determined to have Sam live vicariously through him and to become king of the school just like Sam should have had the chance to be, the only problem is obtaining that goal, when you're known as the pizza boy working at the local Pizza Hut you need something else to be known for, so when an opportunity opens up he takes it, and that is doing the popular kids homework for money, that soon moves onto alcohol and pills, even having to hire other people to help him with his growing business, but Adam is so focused on his goal that his girlfriend Victoria (who is blind to what he's actually doing) and Sam get set aside for his determination to rule the school.

Things end up going downhill eventually lost amidst the money, booze, sex and drugs will Adam realise all that he's lost on his way to popularity?

I found this book to be almost addictive in the sense I really didn't wan't to put it down, an interesting male lead who goes from zero to hero his upwards rise and downwards fall and all the stuff in-between, thoroughly enjoyable and a great look into high school hierachy.

I give this 4/5 stars.

Owen Matthews was raised on rap music and violent video games. He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s creative writing program and has worked on fishing boats and in casinos all over the world. Under the name Owen Laukkanen, he writes crime thrillers acclaimed by critics and bestselling authors like Lee Child, Jonathan Kellerman, and John Lescroart. A fan of fast cars and sugary breakfast cereals, Matthews lives in Vancouver, Canada.

You can visit him at www.theowenmatthews.com.

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