ARC Review: The Rift Uprising

Title: The Rift Uprising

Author: Amy S. Foster
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Source: ARC from Harper Voyager

Synopsis:

The first book in the fast-paced action-adventure, The Rift Uprising trilogy—an enthralling mix of speculative fiction and military thriller—in which a young soldier comes to question the monsters she’s trained to fight against . . . and the monsters she fights for
Seventeen-year-old Ryn Whittaker is a Citadel: an elite, enhanced soldier specially chosen to guard a Rift, a mysterious and dangerous portal to alternate Earths scientists cannot control or close. Trained from the age of fourteen, Ryn can run faster, jump farther, and fight better than a Navy SEAL—which is good when you’re not sure if a laser-wielding Neanderthal or an axe-wielding Viking is trying to make it through the Rift and into her world.
But the teenager’s military conditioning and education have not prepared her for the boy who crosses through—a confused young man, seemingly lost and alone. Because while there’s an immediate physical attraction, it’s his intelligence and curiosity that throws Ryn off balance. The stranger asks disturbing questions about the Rift that Ryn herself has never considered—questions that lead her to wonder if everything about her life and what she’s been told these past six years has been a lie. Are the Rifts as dangerous as her leaders say? Should her people really try to close them . . . or learn how to travel through them?

My Review:

The Rift Uprising was an interesting take on genetically enhanced soldiers but with the twist of these soldiers being teenagers.

I was very intrigued by the synopsis, which is why I requested to review it. Though, the actual execution of the book was slightly boring. I couldn’t bring myself to become interested in the story line or the characters.

Ryn was your typical solider. She was the team leader of her group of four Citadel soldiers. The three other soldiers in her group were her best friends and you could see the connection between them. They were all very different, but they worked well together and I liked their dynamic.

What I didn’t like was the insta-romance of this book that didn’t make sense. As soon as Ryn meets a boy who comes through the Rift, she is instantly enamored and obsessed with him. It was very weird and slightly uncomfortable. I couldn’t wrap my head around this type of instant romance.

Sure, I read a lot of romance books where there is an instant romance between the two main couples, but I can follow along with those when the book is a romance and that is the books sole intention. But, this was instant obsession that didn’t make sense after the two-minute interaction they had.

Though, Ezra was quite an interesting character. He was a child prodigy and genius. I really liked him, but he was just as obsessed with Ryn as she was with him. But, some of the things he did just didn’t make sense.

I wish there was more explanation in this book. Most of the normalities of this world were not explained and just assumed to be known. I still have no idea how the Rift works or why it came to be. It was probably explained, but it didn’t connect in my brain and I can’t remember it.

All in all, this book could’ve been much better. I liked the idea of this book, but the execution could’ve been done better.

ARC Review: Snowbound With Mr. Wrong

Title: Snowbound with Mr. Wrong

Author: Barbara White Daille

Release Date: November 7, 2016

Source: eGalley courtesy of publisher

Synopsis: 

Worst. Day. Ever. After Lyssa Barnett’s sister tricks her into reprising her role at Snowflake Valley's annual children's party, she doesn’t think anything can be worse than squeezing into her too-small elf costume. Then tall, dark, and way too handsome Nick Tavlock shows up to play Santa…and an unexpected storm leaves them snowbound in the isolated lodge.

The last thing Nick wants is to spend a cozy Christmas Eve with a trio of kids and the woman who dumped him. But as much as Lyssa frustrates him, he can't stop thinking about her. And soon, he's fighting very un-Santa-like thoughts of kissing a certain sexy Miss Elf under the mistletoe. As Nick starts to fall for Lyssa all over again, he knows it will take nothing short of a miracle to have Lyssa in his arms on Christmas Day.

My Review: 

Snowbound with Mr. Wrong was the perfect Christmas read for the beginning of November to put me in the holiday spirit! This book was extremely cute and entertaining! Even though I believe in waiting till December to start prepping for Christmas/Chanukah, I was perfectly okay with reading this one a little early!

I love cute little romances, especially ones that are under two hundred pages. I think they are the perfect way to escape for a little while and immerse yourself in someone else’s life.

While I enjoyed the overall story and idea of the book, I found it a little lacking at times. The whole premise was that this couple, Lyssa and Nick, are snowed into this cabin in the woods. They are exes and of course they have their problems, but instead of talking them through, they just acted childish.

I also felt like I was missing some vital information. There seemed to be a back story with other characters that was not explained to me and this is the first book in the series. It could be a spin off, but I’m not completely sure.

Though those were some things that irked me, I still found the story enjoyable. I was able to zip through it in about 2 hours during a class break. The romance was also very well done. There are some books that are steamy scene after steamy scene with no real plot, but this was not one of those books. The romance was a focal point, but it wasn’t the only thing going on.

All in all, the story was well-written and very cute. If you are looking for a book to curl up next to a fire, then this is the perfect story for you! 

ARC Review: Fate of Flames

Title: Fate of Flames

Author: Sarah Raughley

Published: November 22, 2016

Version: eGalley from NetGalley

Synopsis: 

Four girls with the power to control the elements and save the world from a terrible evil must come together in the first epic novel in a brand-new series.
When Phantoms—massive beasts made from nightmares and darkness—suddenly appeared and began terrorizing the world, four girls, the Effigies, each gained a unique power to control one of the classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Since then, four girls across the world have continually fought against the Phantoms, fulfilling their cosmic duty. And when one Effigy dies, another girl gains her power as a replacement.
But now, with technologies in place to protect the world’s major cities from Phantom attacks, the Effigies have stopped defending humanity and, instead, have become international celebrities, with their heroic feats ranked, televised, and talked about in online fandoms.
Until the day that New York City’s protection against the Phantoms fails, a man seems to be able to control them by sheer force of will, and Maia, a high school student, unexpectedly becomes the Fire Effigy.
Now Maia has been thrown into battle with three girls who want nothing to do with one another. But with the first human villain that the girls have ever faced, and an army of Phantoms preparing for attack, there isn’t much time for the Effigies to learn how to work together.
Can the girls take control of their destinies before the world is destroyed forever?

My review:

I was so excited for this book. The description sounded amazing and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and that excitement lasted for about the first 50 pages of the book.

After those first 50 pages, I started to get bored with the story. It seemed to be drawn out and I just wasn’t enjoying it. I tried so hard to enjoy it, but finishing it was a chore for me. I did finish it, but I just wasn’t satisfied. I am not sure what it was that made it seem so hard to finish, but the story just didn’t appeal.

I believe one of the things stopping me from fully enjoying it was the story line. The characters kept jumping from location to location and it was too much. It was hard for me to remember where they were in each scene and the descriptions just weren’t there.

The writing was sub-par, which I touched a bit above with the descriptions. The writing seemed rushed and it was hard to picture the details in my head. That’s not saying that the entire book was bad and the details were lacking, because it wasn’t. I just had a hard time picturing the story at certain moments, while others were so descriptive and I could picture them perfectly. There were definitely times that I was loving the story and the descriptions, but the parts that were just eh for me out-weighed the good.

Maia was an eh character. She was thrust into the world of Effigies and I wanted her to just have a freaking back-bone. She wasn’t completely meek and quiet, but her thoughts made her seem like she had so much more back-bone then she did. I wasn’t expecting her to become an instant hero, I just wanted her to have some freaking personality. Her character seemed very bland and basic, besides being a superhuman. That was a little different about her.

Overall, this was just an eh book. I have no better way to describe it. It was hard for me to stay interested in and I just wasn’t connecting with the story and the characters. 

ARC Review: Hard Compromise

Title: Hard Compromise

Author: Samanthe Beck

Release Date: November 21, 2016

Source: eGalley from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley

Synopsis: 

Laurie Peterson assumes her impulsive one-night stand with sinfully sexy Sheriff Ethan Booker is the biggest surprise of the year…until her bakery burns down while she’s basking in the afterglow. It looks like her dreams are up in smoke, but then Ethan proposes a deal too tempting to resist.

Ethan has no intention of settling for a one-night stand with Laurie. Nor does he want anything to do with the women his wealthy family wants him to meet. Not when he’s waited ten years for his chance to make his move. His deal might have strings—and Laurie may not know the stakes—but nothing will stop this sexy cop from staking a real claim on her body and her heart.

My Review: 

Hard Compromise was full of steamy scenes, romance that took your breath away, and one-liners that left you laughing for a while afterwards.

I loved this book. It was a perfect short little read that I needed to get away from the all of the fantasy books I had been reading.

There isn’t much I can say about this book. I really enjoyed it and it was a perfect little escape from the world. It took my just under three hours to read and I enjoyed every second of those three hours I was reading. I even ignored my homework just so I could read more!

Samanthe Beck did an amazing job writing this book and I am so happy I got the chance to read and review this book.

The one thing I want y’all to notice if you guys will catch is the joke of Ethan Booker’s last name. I want to know if y’all catch it! It took me until the very last page of the book and once I got it, I started laughing hysterically. 

ARC Review: The Cruelty

Title: The Cruelty
Author: Scott Berstrom
Publish Date: February 7, 2016
Source: ARC from Feiwel & Friends

Synopsis:

When her diplomat father is kidnapped and the U.S. Government is unable to help, 17 year-old Gwendolyn Bloom sets off across the sordid underbelly of Europe to rescue him. Following the only lead she has—the name of a Palestinian informer living in France—she plunges into a brutal world of arms smuggling and human trafficking. As she journeys from the slums of Paris, to the nightclubs of Berlin, to the heart of the most feared crime family in Prague, Gwendolyn discovers that to survive in this new world she must become every bit as cruel as the men she’s hunting.

My Review:

This book was so unexpectedly good!

Let me clarify what I mean by that. I didn’t know what to expect. All I was given was a short summary and I was intrigued by it, but the book is actually so much better than the summary makes it out to be.

The writing was phenomenal. I could picture every scene in my head since the writing was so descriptive and vivid. What I didn’t like was that the story seemed to lag in some parts. There was a lot of action over the course of the book, but the parts that weren’t action packed seemed to lag and go on forever.

Gwen was so awesome. Most people would just sit around and wallow when they figured out that their dad was taken. But not Gwen. She takes action to go and find him since she feels like she is the only one who can.

I loved her character. She is the type that when she falls, she gets right back up and is usually swinging when she does. She was one tough bad ass chick who needs not to be messed with.

The one thing about Gwen’s character that I didn’t like was her weird connection with Terrance back home. It just didn’t seem like a real connection. Oh, she suddenly meets this boy who she has been going to school with for a while and makes an instant connection with him and tells him all her secrets about this crazy plan she has to find her dad? It just doesn’t seem plausible. But then again, it could be and I have just never had a relationship like that.

The Cruelty is an action-packed story about a girl going against all odds to find her father. Scott Bergstrom does a fantastic job setting the scene and brining Gwen to life. It is a phenomenal read. 

ARC Review: Spindle

Title: Spindle Author: Shonna Slayton

Published: October 4, 2016

Source: Netgalley 

Synopsis:

Set during the Industrial Revolution, Sleeping Beauty's happily ever after isn't the end of the story...
In a world where fairies lurk and curses linger, love can bleed like the prick of a finger.
Briar Rose knows her life will never be a fairy tale. She’s raising her siblings on her own, her wages at the spinning mill have been cut, and the boy she thought she had a future with has eyes for someone else. Most days it feels like her best friend, Henry Prince, is the only one in her corner…though with his endless flirty jokes, how can she ever take him seriously?
When a mysterious peddler offers her a “magic” spindle that could make her more money, sneaking it into the mill seems worth the risk. But then one by one, her fellow spinner girls come down with the mysterious sleeping sickness—and Briar’s not immune.
If Briar wants to save the girls—and herself—she’ll have to start believing in fairy tales…and in the power of a prince’s kiss.

My Review: 

Spindle is a retelling of the classic Sleeping beauty but with a twist, Aurora was real and it is now years later and set during the Industrial Revolution.

This book was interesting. The writing was good and the story was told well, it was just very hard to get into. I found myself losing focus and interest throughout the book because nothing was happening. It was not filled with action and adventure like I would’ve hoped.

Instead, it was filled with the same cycle of working at the mill, being with her roommates and then going home to take care of her siblings on the weekend.

There were a few times that broke the monotony of the story, but it was mostly the same throughout.

Briar annoyed me. She was either pining away for Wheeler, the one who got away, or stressing over the mill and her family. I get that she is 17 years old with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, but make a damn decision on what you want to do instead of just thinking about it over and over again. I cannot stand when people don’t make a decision and just wallow instead.

Other than her wallowing, Briar was a really strong character. She took on responsibility for three young children when her parents passed away and has been doing everything to keep them safe since then. That takes a lot and I wish that was more of her character instead of a wishy washy teenager.

All in all, this book was good. The writing was interesting even though the spin of the story didn’t appeal to me. I wish Briar was a little stronger than she was, but hey, she was a 17 year old during the Industrial Revolution, there wasn’t much she could do. 

ARC Review: Glitter

Title: Glitter
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Version: Netgalley ePub
Published: October 25, 2016

Synopsis:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life.

Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.
When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.
Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.
But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.

My Review:

DNF: 35%

I was very intrigued by the new world that Glitter presented, that was until I actually started reading it.

I loved Aprilynne Pike’s writing and have read all of her previous books, but I just couldn’t get into this book.

The more I read, the less interested I became. The writing was excellent and so was the plot and world building, but I just couldn’t get into the story. I wish I could, because the concept was so interesting and I would’ve loved to see how the story progressed. I just couldn’t.

This might be a book I pick up at a different point in my life when I have more time to sit down and read, but as of right now, it is going in the DNF pile.

ARC Review: Nashville by Heart

Title: Nashville by Heart:

Author: Tina Ann Forkner

Released: July 5, 2016 

Version: eGalley from NetGalley

Synopsis:

Small town girl Gillian Heart moved to Nashville to get a record deal—not end up on some playboy’s arm. That’s why she tells herself she can’t get too personal with sexy music agent, Will Adams. Will makes her heart flutter, but he’s also broken plenty of hearts in this city.

Will thinks Gillian has what it takes to make it in Nashville, but he can’t help being wildly attracted to her in a way that has little to do with music. She inspires him to change his ways, but he’s still wary about mixing business with pleasure. He did that once before and got burned.

But neither Will nor Gillian can deny the spark between them. As things heat up, Gillian dares to imagine a life with Will—even though she knows he’s not a forever kind of guy. And then Will makes a move—bringing back memories of the father who abandoned her—that makes her question him and her whole life in Nashville.Can Gillian get over the disappointments of the past and find her place in Nashville, and with Will?

My Review: 

This was such a cute book. If that is what you need in your life at this moment, then this book is perfect. If you want something a bit more in-depth than that, you won’t find it in Nashville by Heart. Nashville by Heart is all about a 25 year old girl named Gillian trying to make it big in Nashville. But of course, she finds love but might have to give it up if she wants to have a real shot at making it big. 

The plot was exceptionally fast paced. The story just seemed to zoom by and it never stopped. One second she was happy in Nashville, the next she was crying to her momma in her hometown. I might have a slight case of whiplash as a result of her decisions. Gillian is trying to make it big on her own. 

She wants nothing to do with her rock star father who abandoned her and instead wants to use her skill to make it big. I commend her for that, I really do. But she was so naïve and stubborn that I wanted to smack her. Getting your foot in the door with your father’s name can only help you, not hurt. I wish that she didn’t act so much like a child. I would’ve enjoyed the book more if she grew up a little. Honestly, I really did enjoy the book. It just isn’t a book that you can look to hard at to expect it to teach you a life lesson. This books purpose is to make the reader happy by giving them a good love story, and it successfully did that. This book is perfect for a quick read out on the beach or sitting by the pool!

Excerpt + Giveaway + Review: Fool For You

Title: A Fool For You
Author: Katee RobertSeries: Foolproof Love #3Genre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: October 3, 2016Publisher: Entangled Brazen

Synopsis:

It’s been thirteen years since Hope Moore left Devil’s Falls, land of sexy cowboys and bad memories. Back for the weekend, she has no intention of seeing the man she never got over…or the two of them getting down and dirty. It’s just a belated goodbye, right? No harm, no foul.

Until six weeks later, when her pregnancy test comes back positive…

Daniel Rodriguez hasn’t forgiven himself for how things went down with Hope all those years ago. He knows she’s better off without him, but when she shows up on his doorstep, panicking because she’s pregnant with his baby, he can’t help seeing it as a chance to make up for the past.

Too bad Hope has no intention of going along with his plans.

Get More information at 

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Giveaway

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New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. She found romance novels at age twelve and it changed her life. When not writing sexy contemporary and speculative fiction romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her wee ones, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.  Connect with Katee at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Instagram | Tumblr | Youtube

Excerpt:

Hope shook her head. “You’re as much an idiot now as you were then.”

And then she kissed him.

It caught him a little off guard—he hadn’t expected her to be the one to make the first move, especially after the way the scene in the bathroom had gone down—but Daniel wasted no time taking control. He kissed down her neck, sliding his hands beneath her shirt and skating them up to her body to cup her breasts. They filled his palms, familiar and yet not, all at the same time. He cursed. “Gorgeous Darling, the things you do to me.” He nipped her collarbone. “I’m going to taste you, so if you’re going to change your mind, now’s the time to do it.”

Her only response was to shove her yoga pants down to her knees.

He lifted her onto the counter and disentangled her right leg from the pants so he could spread her fully. He stroked her thighs, pausing when his fingers met the scar. It brought up so many conflicting feelings in him. It was his fault that she had the damn thing, but that didn’t mean he thought of her as less, the way she seemed to think. She was as beautiful now as she’d been at eighteen, and more confident despite her injury. Or maybe because of it. He had no idea.

All he knew was that at some point he was going to have to get up close and personal with her healed injury, and he was going to have to tread very, very carefully to avoid burning what was left of the bridge between him and Hope.

“If you apologize, I might actually kick you.”

That snapped him out of it. As much as he wanted Hope, he had an ulterior motive for pushing her now. All getting distracted by her leg was going to do was fuck up his chance of convincing her to stay, in his house and in his bed. He jerked her to the edge of the counter, spreading her thighs wider. “Don’t scream. You’ll upset Ollie.”

And then he did what he’d been fantasizing about ever since he walked out of her life. Daniel dipped his head and gave her center one long lick. She tasted better than he remembered, her body already shaking for him, so he used his thumbs to part her folds and licked her again, reacquainting himself with every inch of her.

“Oh.”

He looked up her body to find her head thrown back and her chest rising and falling with each harsh breath. “Take off your shirt.”

Hope wasted no time obeying, dragging the material over her head and tossing it away. And then there was nothing hiding her body from his gaze. He licked her again, savoring the way she shook. A tattoo curling around the bottom of her ribs caught his eye, but he was too distracted to read it. 

He was tired of teasing her. He wanted to feel her orgasm again, to know she was coming apart at the seams because of him. Daniel sucked her clit into his mouth, stroking the sensitive little nub with the flat of his tongue the way she’d always loved. Sure enough, before he had a chance to truly savor her, Hope cried out his name and shuddered, her thighs squeezing his head as she came. He gentled his touches, licks turning to kisses, turning to the slightest brushing of his lips against her. Only when she stopped shaking did he raise his head. “Stay, at least until we figure out what we’re doing.”

My Review:

Fool For You is the final book in the Foolproof Love series by Katee Robert and it did not disappoint.

I found myself flying through this book. It was such a quick, easy read that I was done with it in about three hours. Granted, two of those hours were after midnight and I needed to finish this book so I could stop thinking about it and sleep!

The book jumped right into the action. There was not much time in between the first page and the first steamy scene, which I am not complaining about at all. The only thing about the book that bothered me was that it seemed to be rushing along and developing the story. But, this also made for a quick read that I didn’t have to think much into and just zoom along in reading.

I definitely enjoyed Fool For You even though it was so short. It was the perfect end to the series and I cannot wait to see what Katee Robert has in store for us next! 

Review: Nemesis

Title: Nemesis
Author: Anna Banks
Released: October 4, 2016

Synopsis:

The princess didn't expect to fall in love--with her nemesis.
Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms. The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp. She escapes across enemy lines into the kingdom of Theoria, but her plans to hide are thwarted when she is captured and placed in the young king's servitude.
Tarik has just taken over rulership of Theoria, and must now face a new plague sweeping through his kingdom and killing his citizens. The last thing he needs is a troublesome servant vying for his attention. But mistress Sepora will not be ignored. When the two finally meet face-to-face, they form an unlikely bond that complicates life in ways neither of them could have imagined.
Sepora's gift could save Tarik's kingdom from the Quiet Plague. But should she trust her growing feelings for her nemesis, or should she hide her gifts at all costs?

My Review:

I am upset. Oh my gosh, so upset. But only because I WANT MORE. It ended so suddenly (at least to me) because I just wanted more and more of the story, but alas, I need to wait until the sequel comes out, which will be a while because this book is not out for a few months.

 Nemesis took me less than four hours to read because I was so into it. I really enjoyed the story, I have been wanting a good royalty story, and though Sepora is not in the role of a princess, she was still one at heart and Tarik was a king so I just got all the royalty.

The world building was oh so good. I love Egyptian mythology and Theoria looked to me like it was based off of Egypt. It probably was, I just don’t want to make assumptions.

Okay, so Sepora. I can’t really decide if I like her or not. She seemed so naïve and innocent. She really didn’t understand the world and needed to have a better grasp on it, especially if she was going to be a queen. She was also very entitled and stubborn. She wanted to get her way and would do anything she could to get it. I wanted to smack and shake her half the time. She was also a teenage girl. She needed to get a grip on her emotions and be less of an annoyance.

I really enjoyed Tarik, though he was just as naïve sometimes. He was suddenly thrust into his role as king and he was trying to make the best of it. I think if he was given more respect by his advisor, he would be able to do an amazing job. BUT THAT ADVISOR WAS SO ANNOYING. I honestly hated him and I wished Tarik would just get rid of him. I wish that I could’ve seen more of the real Tarik, he was so guarded that it was hard to see the boy that he really was.

Nemesis is the book y’all have been waiting for. Anna Banks did such a freaking good job writing this book! It is the perfect mix of fantasy, romance, and teenagers finding their ways.

ARC Review: Stealing Snow

Title: Stealing Snow

Author: Danielle Paige 

Published: September 20, 2016

Format: eGalley from Netgalley 

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent the majority of her life within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down, she knows she's not crazy and doesn't belong there. When she meets a mysterious, handsome new orderly and dreams about a strange twisted tree she realizes she must escape and figure out who she really is.
Using her trusting friend Bale as a distraction, Snow breaks free and races into the nearby woods. Suddenly, everything isn't what it seems, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and she finds herself in icy Algid--her true home--with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai, none of whom she's sure she can trust. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she's destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change the fate of everything...including Snow's return to the world she once knew.
This breathtaking first volume begins the story of how Snow becomes a villain, a queen, and ultimately a hero.

My feelings about Stealing Snow are hard to put into words. My initial reaction was to love the book and not think into any of the inaccuracies I noticed and the things I didn’t like… Then I started thinking and talking to other readers. One review that made me rethink things was Carrie’s review over on Paper Bindings.

Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy Stealing Snow but there were just some things that got under my skin now that I am thinking back on the book.

The world building just wasn’t all there. I was able to picture certain things that were very descriptive and then other things were not. Some scenes were so vivid in my mind and then the following would be lacking in description and suddenly jump to another time and I would be lost in a sea of words that didn’t make sense, so that made the book a little hard to understand.

SNOW WAS SO ANNOYING. Okay, I get it, she is in a mental institution where she has been drugged since she was a small child, so there are going to be some issues in her thinking process and her people skills, but there were so many problems with Snow.

*Spoilers Ahead*

She said she loves Bale, but she gave no other reason than he talked to her. The only interaction you see is a fight between the two where he breaks her arm because she kissed him. What the hell? That just seems abusive to me. You are given no other reason to like Bale! HE HURT YOU! Get over him Snow and move on!

Also, this love for Bale wasn’t very strong because she started to like TWO, I repeat TWO, other boys. That she had just met. Like seriously hun, that should not be happening!

So those flaws in her character really bugged me. I wanted to smack her every time she almost kissed one of them.

Other than that, I did like the story. It had a very unique world and I did enjoy the story, which is why I didn’t think too much into it. I also love Danielle Paige and I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. I hope that some of those errors are fixed in the finished copy though, because there were typos in the book and formatting errors that made me want to scream.

*End Spoilers*

So yeah… If you are looking for a book to take your mind off of things and don’t mind wish-washy characters, then I would read Stealing Snow! I read the book in about a total of 4 hours and it was a very easy read! 

#ARCAugust & #ReadThemAllThon Updates!

Good morning, y’all and welcome to my week 3 ARC August 2016 recap! ARC August is a reading challenge where you try to read as many of your early release copies as you can! These books can come from Netgalley, Edelweiss, or physical ARCS.

MY GOAL:

Read 5 books for ARC August

BOOKS I READ THIS WEEK:

My Unscripted Life by Lauren Morrill 

This book was so adorable! I read it in about 2 hours and it was a good break from all the fantasy I have been reading!

Books I have read so far:

I have almost completed my goal! I just need to finish Glitter by Aprilynne Pike and then I will have successfully completed #ARCAugust! 

The Pokemon Indigo League #ReadThemAllThon is a 3 weeks long reading challenge based on the Kanto’s Indigo League. Long-time fans of the series would recognize this as the first set of gyms Ash Ketchum had to conquer in his quest to become the Pokemon Master. Now you, my friends, will also embark on a journey to become the very best. Instead of fighting gym battles, you’ll be reading books instead!

My Unscripted Life by Lauren Morrill

This was super cute and adorable!

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

I enjoyed the story, but there were some major plot holes. 

Remembrance by Meg Cabot 

This was everything my 14 year old self wanted and more. 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Pecuilar Children by Ransom Riggs 

This was slightly creepy, but still a good story! I am excited to see the movie now! 

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab 

This was a very unique and creative story! Schwab did a great job world building! 

Are you participating in either #ARCAugust or #ReadThemAllThon? If so, what have you read so far? Have you met your goals? If not, what have you read this month? 

#ARCAugust: Week 2 Recap!

Good morning, y’all and welcome to my second ARC August 2016 recap! ARC August is a reading challenge where you try to read as many of your early release copies as you can! These books can come from Netgalley, Edelweiss, or physical ARCS.

My goal:

Read 5 books for ARC August

Books I read this week:

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

I was so surprised by this book! It was nothing like I was expecting and I absolutely loved it! I can't wait to read more! 

Books I have read so far:

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ARC Review: Turbulent Intentions

Title: Turbulent Intentions

Author: Melody Anne

Published: August 9, 2016

Version: eGalley from Netgalley

Synopsis: 

The Armstrong brothers are wealthy, wild-at-heart bad boys—until their father’s will demands they prove themselves and marry in order to inherit their fortune.
Eldest brother Cooper channels his reckless spirit into becoming CEO of his own airline. The only thing better than the adrenaline rush of flying is his one-night stand with a stunning stranger. At first he doesn’t recognize the fiery barista he clashes with years later at an airport coffee shop. But when Stormy Halifax turns up as his new house sitter, Cooper knows she’s his Cinderella. And he doesn’t just want her in his mansion. He wants her back in his bed.
Stormy can’t believe she’s living under Cooper’s roof. Gorgeous and arrogant, he’s convinced she’ll surrender again—and he’s right. But just as Stormy is succumbing to a world of pleasure, her trust is shattered. And the biggest challenge Cooper has ever faced will be proving he wants Stormy, now and forever, for all the right reasons.
Turbulent Intentions was originally published as Below the Radar - The Billionaire Aviators. This edition has been completely edited and revised, including significant plot changes.

My review:

First off: THIS BOOK MADE ME SHED SOME TEARS.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s continue. I enjoyed Turbulent Intentions a lot, obviously since it made me cry, but it took the book a long time to get to that point.

The first 50 pages of Turbulent Intentions were soooo slow. I found it hard to be interested in what Melody Anne was writing and the dialogue was very boring and just generic. There wasn’t a lot of depth to the beginning of the story and it took a little too long to develop into something interesting.

Now, from page 51 on, I was in love with this book. Hence why I stayed up until 2 am finishing and paid for staying up so late with a migraine and major neck and shoulder pain, but it was worth it. Once I passed that initial hurdle of the first 50 pages, I was going for the finish. The dialogue and writing got so much better the further I went and I needed this story to break up all the fantasy I’ve been reading lately.

Stormy was not one to shy away from a fight. She was strong and independent and I loved her. Except the few times she was a coward and she shouldn’t have been. Whenever she had those cowardly moments, I wanted to smack her and wake her the hell up.

I want to add that the book kind of jumped around. There was no clear passing of time and it was very hard to follow along. No matter how hard I focused, I couldn’t tell the passing of time in the story. I believe that something like 3 or 4 months passed and there was no indication of it. Maybe less time, maybe more, but it was so hard to tell. I wish that was a little clearer.

All in all, I really did enjoy this book. Hell, I was shedding some tears in the last 50 pages. Just get passed those first 50 pages if you are struggling and I swear it will pick up. It was a great read and the break that I needed from fantasy. 

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ARC August Week One Recap!

Good morning, y’all and welcome to my first ARC August 2016 recap! ARC August is a reading challenge where you try to read as many of your early release copies as you can! These books can come from Netgalley, Edelweiss, or physical ARCS.

My goal:

Read 5 books for ARC August

Books I read this week:

Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley

Overall this book was just okay. I was a huge fan at the beginning of the book, but as it progressed it didn’t seem to be going anywhere and I was getting bored.

Turbulent Intentions by Melody Anne

I really enjoyed Turbulent Intentions! The dialogue was kind of sub-par at the beginning, but as I got further into the book I really started to enjoy it, enough to make me cry!

Reviews to come for both of these books!
 What have you been reading this month? Are you participating in ARC August? How many books are you planning to tackle? 

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Review: Don't Tempt Me

Title: Don't Tempt Me
Author: Lori Foster
Released: July 26, 2016
Synopsis:

Love comes along when it's least wanted 
Jason Guthrie has no time for entanglements—between helping out his widowed brother and teenage nephew and getting his hometown back on its feet, his days are spoken for. But his nights are another story… And when his lovely new neighbor, Honor Brown, reluctantly accepts his help in remodeling her house, Jason finds himself wishing his handyman skills could knock down the defenses she keeps building around herself.

Martial arts teacher Sullivan Dean knows real danger when he sees it—even when it takes the form of the gorgeous blonde helping her friend move in across the street. After putting his wayward past behind him to focus on teaching control to troubled kids, Sullivan has learned to avoid party girls like Lexie Perkins. But Sullivan can't seem to keep his hands off the real woman behind that flirty charm—or keep his heart from landing at her feet…

My Review:

Don’t Tempt Me was kind of a mess. First off, it had 4 different point of views, Jason, Honor, Lexie, and Sullivan, and no real way to tell whenever it was switching POV’s. I needed to know who was talking, and it was very hard to follow along. Second, the writing seemed rushed and a bit illogical. Lori Foster was trying to fit two different stories into one and it didn’t seem so well planned out. Now, bear with me, the copy I had was an early release copy, so a lot of these problems could be fixed, but they bugged me a lot whenever I was reading.

Honor was a mess of emotions. She refused to let anyone help her and felt that if anyone did, it was her being weak. GIRL! You can accept help without being a weakling, I promise. She was a very stubborn character, but had a fire in her that was badass when she let it show, but that was very rare. I loved who Honor was in her heart, I just think that she had a lot of problems that didn’t seem to be solved or get better. I also don’t like problem characters who suddenly get better, it just annoys me. Especially emotions.

Jason was a rock. He was always there willing to lend a hand and help in any way he could. His whole family was that way and it was adorable. I loved seeing things from Jason’s POV because he gave Honor the time and space she needed to let go of some of her problems. I really enjoyed Jason’s character because he is someone I would want to have in my life. He is a good wholesome person who just wanted to help others and build things with his hands. And he was damn good at it.

Lexie and Sullivan will be put together. Their story seemed forced because it didn’t get that much time to be developed. Both of their characters were good at heart, but it was hard for them to show it outside of their walls. They both cared deeply for the loved ones in their lives and it was nice to see people without any ulterior motives. They just wanted the best for those in their lives and care.

Honestly, this book was cute. But the ending was a mess of too much emotion and tears and that annoyed me. I don’t know why, but it did. Usually I’m all for those kinds of endings, but it just didn’t seem to fit. Don’t Tempt Me is a cute little summer read that is perfect for a day in the sun.