Review: Sometimes Never by Cheryl McIntyre

Blurb:

Hope didn’t have the best role model when it came to relationships. She’s content with her current no-strings-attached extracurricular activity with the lead singer of her band. She’s never believed in love and commitment.

Mason starts his eighth school in five years anticipating nothing more than the usual—boring classes, fighting more than making friends, and girls happily willing to succumb to his easy smile. He’s never put much stock into love at first sight—until he sees her.

Regardless of their painful pasts, Hope and Mason discover that sometimes never can become forever.

This is a mature young adult romance. Recommended for 17+ due to sensitive subject material, harsh language, and sexual situations.

Wow, I just finished this book and the novella.  It really pulled me in and made me feel like I was a part of Hope and Mason’s life.  They are in high school when they meet.  Both have not had the greatest life.  Hope’s was downright horrible.  But they are able to still live and see some good in life.

I really liked all of the characters, especially Guy-Hope’s foster brother.  He was like the best person ever!  The character development was excellent for all characters-even the secondary.  The situations the characters are put in are believable.

As you get to know the characters, you understand why they are the way they are.  I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!  You are pulling for Hope and Mason throughout.  You want a happy ending for them so badly, but it may not be in the cards for them.

I give this 5 out of 5!

Review: The Rush (The Siren Series) by Rachel Higginson

Blurb:

A life not her own—A future already decided.Every facet of Ivy Pierce’s life is meticulously planned out and plotted. Cynical and jaded by sixteen, Ivy’s only hope is to escape the legacy she was born into.

She has a plan, a carefully thought out, feasible plan. She just has to play by the rules until everything falls into place. Unfortunately as predictable as her life can be, she never sees Ryder Sutton coming. He tumbles into her life unimpressed and untouched by her and the life she lives. He’s an enigma to her. A gorgeous, frustrating, sincere mystery and a complete phenomenon in the ugly world she lives in.

What blooms between them is a fiercely intense attraction that cannot be ignored. Even though they would both be better off without each other—Even if both their lives depend on staying apart.

This was an interesting read.  Ivy is the main character, and she is a siren.  I haven’t read many siren books, but I was pleased with this one.  Ivy is 16 years old and attends high school.  She is being groomed to be a professional siren, working for Nix.  Nix is older, and has his sites set on bringing Ivy into his personal collection.  Ivy’s mother is a siren as well, and is not a mother figure to Ivy at all.

Ivy meets Ryder, who is somehow immune to her curse.  Being a siren, the males around her cannot help wanting to be with her, and the females hate her.  It is a part of her curse, and she understands that.  She hates it, but understands it.  But Ryder is different.  He initially does not like her at all.

What follows is a story into Ivy’s life and what is to be expected of her.  It is a bit messed up at times, but still a very good book.  I thought the character development was done very well, and the plot was good.  There were no slow parts in this.  I’m excited to see what is next in the series.

I give this 4.5 out of 5.

Review: Clash (Crash) by Nicole Williams

Blurb:

The steamy sequel to Crash!

Their Romeo-and-Juliet-level passion is the only thing Jude and Lucy agree on. That, and fighting all the time . . .

Also not helping? Lucy’s raging jealousy of the cheerleader who’s wormed her way into Jude’s life.

While trying to hang on to her quintessential bad boy and also training to be the top ballet dancer in her class, Lucy knows something’s going to give . . . soon.

How can she live without the boy she loves? How can she live with herself if she gives up on her dreams? If Lucy doesn’t make the right choice, she could lose everything.

I was hoping that Lucy and Jude would get a bit of a break from Crash, but it just wasn’t that way.  They move on with their lives, and grow a bit.  This book mainly takes part at college.  They attend different schools, after a bit of a break.  Clash takes you through the young love and insecurities that it entails.  A girl is making a play for Jude, and Lucy has to deal with her own anger issues about it.  But she doesn’t deal well with it.

As I was reading, I was getting so frustrated with her.  You see her making the wrong decisions so often you just want to scream.  But, it did keep me interested in the book!  And Jude makes some really crappy choices as well, which made me want to smack him.

Anyway, it was a good follow up to Crash.  I am just hoping that Crush will allow them more happiness!

I give it 4 out of 5!

Review: Jordyn (A Daemon Hunter Novel Book One) by Tiffany King

Blurb:

Hand to hand combat training: Check
Cardio and strength training: Check
Daemon hunting: Check
Anomaly: Check

Check, check, check, check…That’s all my life is. There’s nothing ordinary about me. I’m “special.” I know this because I’m reminded of it every stinking day. I can kick a Daemon’s ass with both hands tied behind my back. I can run up a mountain without breaking a sweat. Know what I can’t do? Get guys to notice me, or hang out with friends like normal people do. I can’t just be ordinary because I have an Arch Angel for a mentor who is always breathing down my neck, and a family of angelic Guides and Protectors who scrutinize every little thing I do. Just for a day I want a life where I’m no longer some anomaly, where I don’t have to feel like a lab rat. 

And then I met Emrys. Okay, so my mentor and family hate him, but probably for good reason. After-all, he is a Soul Trader, and they aren’t the most trust worthy beings. But, he is sooo hot with his green eyes, leather jacket and the sexiest tattoo you’ve ever seen running down his back. And-he doesn’t treat me like a project.

I’ve got myself in quite a little quandary here. Choosing between my responsibilities, and the Trader that holds my heart is something I didn’t sign up for. Torn between two different worlds, I must now decide who to trust and who to walk away from. What’s a girl to do? See what I mean? I am an anomaly. I am Jordyn.

I just happened across this book somehow.  I have read Tiffany King’s Saving Angels Series and loved it, so I thought I’d give this one a try.  This story incorporates the characters from the Saving Angels Series, with a new one added in, Jordyn.  Jordyn is an anomaly.  She is stronger than the Guardians and Protectors, but she doesn’t know why.  She is a 17 year old girl who has no recollection from her life before moving in with Krista and Mark.  She is constantly training, since she is a Daemon hunter.

She meets Emrys, a Soul Trader, and feels an instant connection with him.  But, according to the angels and Archangel Haniel, Emrys is not to be trusted.  Jordyn, being the rebellious teenager, sneaks out and meets Emrys on a few occasions.  She starts to fall for him.

I really did enjoy this book.  There was a bit of a twist on the end, which now means I have to wait until the next book in the series comes out!!!  I’m a bit older than Jordyn, which may be why I had some issues with her rebelliousness.  I understand she is 17 and wants to lead a normal life, but she’s not normal.  She constantly defies her guardians by lying and sneaking out.  But, that is what rebellious teenagers do I guess.

I enjoyed how Tiffany King kept the characters from the Saving Angels series.  The character development for Jordyn was good, but if you haven’t read the Saving Angels series, you won’t understand fully what is going on.  I recommend reading that series before starting this book.

Overall, I give this a 4.5 out of 5!

Review: Healed (Scarred) by J.S. Cooper

Blurb:

Sometimes love can heal you from your scarred past. But sometimes it’s the love we don’t expect that makes the biggest impact.

Lexi Lord has dreamed of dating Bryce Evans for years. But now that her dream has become a reality, she is no longer sure that he is the man for her. When a death unveils a deep secret, Bryce and Lexi’s world together is torn apart and they are both forced to question everything surrounding their relationship and very existence.

There are some bonds that can never be broken, but Lexi and Bryce have to decide which love can heal them from their scarred pasts and which love they have to let go of. Because sometimes letting go of someone can be the greatest gift of all.

‘Healed’ is the sequel to the bestselling book ‘Scarred’. 

New Adult Contemporary Romance **Mature Content** Recommended for ages 17+ due to sexual situations and language.

So the story continues following Lexi, Bryce, Luke, and Anna.  Some small twists are thrown in, which kept it a tad more exciting.  Otherwise, I’m sorry, but this book sucked.  The editing was horrible- the tenses would go from past tense to present tense in the same paragraph.  That is one of my pet peeves.

And, unfortunately, the characters do not mature from the first book to this one.  Oh, and Lexi is so fickle-she want’s Bryce, she wants Luke, she can’t make up her mind.  This book was also extremely cheesy.  I had a difficult time finishing it.  There were so many cliches it almost made me sick.  A little over half-way through I almost stopped reading.  But, I stuck it out since I paid for it.

I’m really sorry to the author, but I wouldn’t recommend reading this book.  I can’t think of anything good to say about it.  I give it 1 out of 5.

Review: Scarred by J.S. Cooper

Blurb:

Sometimes the deepest scars are the ones you don’t see. 

Everyone in Jonesville thought that Bryce Evans had the perfect life in High School: he was the Mayor’s son, the quarterback for the football team, the boyfriend of the head cheerleader and had a 4.1 GPA. His acceptance to Notre Dame came as a surprise to no-one. However when he chose to enlist in the marines instead everyone was shocked. 

Lexi Lord was the quiet girl in school and kept to her small group of eccentric friends. She had no connection to any of the popular kids except for one incident on Prom Night when her path crossed with Bryce’s. When Bryce enlisted, Lexi was the only one that wasn’t disappointed and decided to send him anonymous letters as a way to feel connected to him. She stopped after a year because she felt there was nowhere for their relationship to go. 

Fast-forward four years and Bryce is back in Jonesville and once again he and Lexi cross paths. Only he’s no longer the seemingly perfect man and Lexi’s no longer the quiet girl. This time their relationship is quite different but both of them have secrets from the past and friends that threaten to ruin their chance at happiness together.

New Adult Contemporary Romance **Mature Content** Recommended for ages 17+ due to sexual situations and language.

So I got this book on a whim.  It seemed to have mostly good reviews.  The storyline is not too bad.  Girl has crush on boy, boy has no clue who girl is, boy moves away to war, girl pines over boy, boy returns and so the story goes.  Lexi has had a crush on Bryce for several years.

Okay, I’m not going to rehash what the blurb says.  And I’m not really sure what to make of this book.  In some respects, I see what the characters are doing and going through.  In other respects, they are extremely immature for their age.  I understand the author wanted to use someone that went to war and returned, so the characters had to be appropriate ages, but with this story, they should be closer to 18.

Okay, on to my rant of parts of the book, and this may contain spoilers.  Actually, it does contain spoilers, you’ve been warned.  Lexi and Anna are friends, and virgins, at 22 years old.  At Bryce’s party, he wakes up to a girl in the bed with him, and she’s naked.  He’s on pills and alcohol and has sex with her.  He thinks it’s one of his ex’s.  Low and behold, it’s Anna.  Yeah, so the 22 year old virgin decides to throw those 22 years out the window, and her morals, for a one night stand.  I really had an issue with that.  It brought up so many inconsistencies.  Who waits 22 years for the right man, perfect man, etc. then jumps in bed, naked, with your best friend’s crush?  Okay, that is just one issue.

Second issue-the timeframe for this story is extremely short.  All of a sudden, Lexi’s other best friend, Luke, is professing his love while she has a ton of other stuff going on.  He knows her and knows what she is going through, and he couldn’t pick a better time?  No, if he loved her, he would have waited instead of putting added pressure on her.

There were a few other issues, but those were the biggest that I had with the storyline.  The author could have drug the story out more, made it last a month or so.  But so much happens in a few days time.  Oh yeah, so then Lexi is throwing herself at Bryce and he even stops her.  If she is a 22 year old virgin, waiting for the love of her life, which she thinks is Bryce, she could have waited a few more days, or a month.  But no, it’s like these virgins just threw those morals out the window.  So then she and Bryce have sex, like a day after he and Anna.

There are a few editing errors, but nothing major.

Overall, I give this story a 3 out of 5.  I will read the next book to see what happens, hoping that the author has matured the characters a little.

Review: Dark Light (The Dark Light Series) by S.L. Jennings

Blurb:

LOVE. SEX. MAGIC.

Before her 20th birthday, Gabriella was pretty much clueless about all three. In love with her best guy friend since the age of 14 and too crass and intimidating for most of the male population of Colorado Springs, both love and good sex were virtually a myth.

And then there’s magic. Freakin’ magic. There’s no way that legend could have a place in her less than exciting life. So why after twenty years of utter obscurity do her adopted parents hit her with the ton of bricks that is her true identity? And how the heck is she supposed to accept all this and instantly become what she was destined to be?
 
Lucky for Gabs, sexy as sin Dorian is more than equipped to help her embrace these new revelations. And while everything about him feels oh so good, she soon learns that there’s more behind his crystal blue eyes, chiseled body and exotic beauty. Something dark, menacing and downright unnatural. Yet Gabs is in way too deep to even try to turn away from him now.

Dark Light, Book 1 of the Dark Light Series, is the raw, emotional story of a young woman’s journey of self-discovery in a world that was not meant for her. And her scorching hot, lip-biting addiction for the man she can’t deny, no matter the cost.
*Contains strong adult content.

Very steamy book!  Overall, I thought the book was very good.  Gabriella just turns 20 and learns that she is a magical being.  When she turns 21, she will ascend.  But, there has not been anyone like her before.  She learns about her parents, and a little about what and who she is.

Enter Dorian.  A man she sees at a club, then meets later.  They start a steamy, hot relationship, but you know there is something about him.  You want Gabriella to see him for what he is, but you don’t know if that will really make a difference.

I really did like this book.  It had some really good sex scenes that didn’t take away from the plot.  I liked the characters, the scenery, the plot.  This is a short review because I have to get ready for work!

I give it 4 out of 5 stars!

Review: Rogue (Exceptional Series Book #2) by Jess Petosa

Blurb:

This is the second book in the Exceptional series.

Ally lowered her hands and stared at the pile of ash in front of her. They made it four hours into their morning travels before they ran into another pair of Exceptional Guards. The Guards had approached Ally and her group with ease, expecting an easy catch. Once again, Ally had raised her hands and eliminated the Guards before they took another step toward her or the others. She stood over the pile, breathing heavily.
She felt Stosh come up beside her, his arm brushing against hers.
“Seven,” she said in almost a whisper.
“I know,” he responded, taking her hand in his.

Ally is finally outside the City walls, with her brother and her best friends.

Luke is still inside the City walls, with no memory of the girl he once loved. 

Life in the Wilderness is dangerous, and they soon find out that they are not alone. Will Ally continue her journey to the Southern City, or will she risk it all to help the boy she loves?

As the blurb states, this story picks up where the first book left off.  Ally, Stosh, and their friends are traveling through the wilderness to escape the Guards while trying to locate other settlements.  On the way, they do encounter some Guards, which Ally has to kill.  They come across a settlement, which is more like a town, called Champaign.  Champaign has at least a couple thousand residents, and they have electricity, running water, etc.  Heath, the town’s leader, has allies that are Guards.

Enter Max.  He is Heath’s nephew, and starts falling for Ally.  Ally then runs across some information from Kemp.  She gets that info and tries to figure out who she trusts enough with it. She decides she trusts Heath with the vaccine information.  A raid by the Guards in the town of Champaign lands Stosh and Sabine in the City jail.  Ally decides to no longer wait for Heath’s plans to enter the city.  Will Luke be there when she enters?  What will it be like?  She has no idea Luke had his memory wiped clean of her.

While all of that is going on, the story follows Luke in the City as well.  You watch things that he is doing, knowing the old Luke would never do them.  He is becoming more like his father, Aden.  Aden gets sick, so Luke is placed into power early.  Pax is by his side, which you do wonder about him since in the first book he killed a friend of Luke’s with a smile on his face.  Luke has the city plan for evacuations, and prepares for the Rogue attacks.  But how well can you really plan for a war?

Okay, I did enjoy this book.  I re-read the first in the series before starting this one to get to know the characters again, and I’m glad I did.  You see how Luke and Ally fall in love, and you see how that is taken away from them.  You do want them to get back together, but is it really in the stars for them?

This book had some suspense, love, fighting, and of course two swoon-worthy guys!  You feel sorry for Ally having to deal with all of this when she is only 18 years old.  And Luke, you are angry that he is acting like his father.  Even though his memory has been erased, he still knows he is missing something-some sort of shadow.  And the people Ally and Luke trust- are they really trustworthy?  I stayed up late last night finishing this book because I was so into it.  You do have to read the first to understand the second.  Character development was good, plot was good, and twist at the ending was good.  The ending helped explain some things, but also left a few questions in my mind.  I’m excited for the next book, but I know I’ll have to wait a while.

I give this 4.5 out of 5!

Review: Suicide Note by Teresa Mummert

Blurb:

Sometimes in life it feels like everything that can go wrong does, but everything happens for a reason.  A relationship crumbles so someone else can mend the pieces of your broken heart.  A change of plans can lead you to something you didn’t even know you were missing. We help others and discover that it was us who needed to be helped all along. 

Jenn’s life is nothing as she had imagined it would be. She is twenty-something with a failing career and her love life has officially ended with an ultimate act of betrayal. She is ready to throw away her dreams when a chance run-in with a soldier, dealing with his own misfortunes, alters her course and changes her perspective on life. 

 Everything happens for a reason.

I really tried to like this book.  It started out okay, and I could see that I could possibly enjoy it.  Unfortunately, the author left me hanging.  I had a difficult time identifying with Jenn.  At one point in particular-when she is talking with Gail about Gail not being able to have kids.  And Jenn thinks Gail only wants kids because she was jealous of the attention her friend was getting.  Then, Jenn thinks ‘Everything really does happen for a reason.’  First off, how insensitive can the author be?  I understand Gail is a bitch-I totally get that.  But for the main character, Jenn, to even think that Gail is not able to have kids because she is selfish is ridiculous.  That really pissed me off.  Made me think of how judgmental Jenn actually is.

Another issue that really bothered me- always saying I am instead of I’m.  I am fine.  I am eating.  Two sentences in a row.  A majority of the book was spoken like this, which I found highly unlikely.  Who says that?  Think of the next time someone asks how you are doing- do you verbally say I am fine, or I’m fine?

Outside of those, the story was a bit predictable.  Then, towards the end, Jenn asks Shane if he’s mad at her because his ex-girlfriend is telling her stuff and he’s not opening up to her.  Talk about set up for an abusive relationship.  Jenn seems to talk a bit like she is still in high school, not 27 years old.

There were some interesting parts, and some parts that would make you cry if you could identify with the characters easier.  But, due to lack of good character development, the emotional parts just reminded me of a quick commercial.

Okay, I’m done tearing a new one to this book.  Obviously I still have issues with it!  I really don’t like giving bad reviews, which is why I waited on this one.  But I just couldn’t wait any longer, and had to get this off my chest!

I give it 1 out of 5.

Review: On Every Street by Karina Halle

Blurb:

When young con artist Ellie Watt decides to call herself Eden White and go after the drug lord who ruined her as a child, she never expects to fall for one of his henchmen. But Javier Bernal is no ordinary man. Subtly dangerous and overwhelmingly seductive, Eden finds herself passionately in love with Javier, the very person she’s set-up to betray. With her body and heart in a heated battle against her deep need for revenge, no one will walk away from this con a winner.

This 50K word (100+ pages) novella takes place six years before Sins & Needles (book #1 of The Artists Trilogy) and tells the story of Ellie and Javier’s passionate yet torrid affair. It can be read before or after Sins & Needles.
You do not need to have read Sins & Needles to enjoy this book and can be read as a standalone.

***Contains graphic sexual scenes, language and violence***

This is the prequel to Sins & Needles, delving into the life of Ellie as she meets Javier.  I’m glad Karina Halle decided to write this prequel-it gives a lot to the background for Sins & Needles in regards to Javier and Ellie.

Ellie decides she needs revenge on a drug lord who scarred her leg when she was just a child, caught trying to steal from him per her parents’ order.  She figures the best way to the man she is looking for is to get close to one of his associates.  Enter Javier.  But what she doesn’t expect is to actually fall in love with him.

This story takes you through their relationship-the ups and downs.  It includes love, lust, and extreme heartbreak.  On Every Street did help me to get into Ellie’s head easier, so her character development was mainly built in this story.  I would highly recommend reading this if you choose to read The Artists Trilogy.

While Javier doesn’t have the ideal occupation, you actually do feel something for him.  He shows a human side that you wouldn’t think for a seasoned killer.  This is not a typical romance-it’s messed up and messy.  I do recommend reading it!

I give it 5 out of 5!