Gron's Fated (Ruth & Gron #2) by V.C. Lancaster ~ Review

Source: KindleUnlimited

Gron's Fated (Ruth & Gron #2) by V.C. Lancaster

Ruth and Gron have finally arrived on his home planet after falling in love when they were both abducted. But that doesn't mean their problems are over. Now they have to deal with Gron's family, and how Ruth can fulfill her role as a Queen in his society when she can't understand anything anyone says! With Gron's Alpha, mother, brother, and best friend all getting involved, the strain begins to take a toll on his and Ruth's relationship...

Ruth is just trying to make the best of a bad situation in her new jungle home with her mate, but Gron finds himself getting jealous now he doesn't have Ruth to himself anymore, though he knows a male can't expect to hold all his Queen's attention. He has to decide whether he can put his own happiness before Ruth's safety, or whether he has to sacrifice his heart to protect her.

Goodreads | Amazon

After reading Ruth's Bonded, I was curious enough to pick up book 2 but not exactly excited for it. So mostly my expectations were nonexistent--something I hoped would work in Gron's Fated's favor. Unfortunately, this second installment wasn't an improvement on the first.

On the bright side of things, Gron's Fated was largely from Gron's POV. It was interesting getting to learn about his culture and actually witness some INTERACTION throughout the story. And the addition of more characters than just Gron and Ruth was nice, too.

That said, this novel continues an issue I had with the first one: neither Gron nor Ruth put forth much effort of learning to truly communicate. I understand that they love each other regardless and clearly get on well enough...but why would they not want to improve their situation by learning more? They don't even really TRY. So Ruth barely knows what's going on most of the time, and Gron is hoping she catches on. It makes things more difficult than they have to be.

Another downside to this one was just the fact that it was kind of a drag. It was interesting at first, but once things got going and it became pretty clear how things would turn out (i.e. with little to no true development between the characters), it got harder to want to continue reading. In the end, I was feeling solidly meh.

Overall, Gron's Fated was unfortunately more of a drag than a joy to read. There were some solidly good aspects, but those were overshadowed by the lack of development. Yet again, however, I am curious enough to continue the series. Maybe some different characters will revive the series for me? Fingers crossed!

2 stars - Solidly meh for me.

The Prince (Wicked #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout ~ Review

Source: e-ARC provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Prince (Wicked #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a new story in her Wicked series…

She’s everything he wants….

Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.

She’s everything he can’t have…

Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.

She’s everything he’ll take….

But there’s someone out there who wants to return the Prince to his former self. A walking, breathing nightmare that is hell bent on destroying the world and everyone close to him. The last thing either of them needs is a distraction, but with the attraction growing between them each now, the one thing he wants more than anything may be the one thing that will be his undoing.

She’s everything he’d die for….

Goodreads | Amazon 

It is no secret that I love me some JLA. Her books are some of my favorites. And Wicked was a good trilogy, so I was looking forward to The Prince. Partly because I was excited for more of the Wicked characters--but especially because Cadan intrigued me in Brave. Unfortunately, this novella didn't end up really working out for me.

Let's start with things I liked:

- Tink! Tink is hilarious. Adding more Tink to anything automatically makes it better. That's just a proven fact. So I liked his humor and silly ways, but I also liked how he was a friend to Brighton.

- There were some good moments between Cadan and Brighton. They were fleeting, and I'll talk more about this in a minute, but I have to give credit to the moments I liked, and there were a couple.

- It's not a long novella, so it was easy to fly through. I honestly read it in one sitting without a problem. 

Now for things I was not a fan of:

- The romance. First of all, there wasn't a lot of it. I get that this is a novella, but so much of it was spent on world stuff and only a small portion of it was spent working on the actual Brighton/Cadan romance. Second of all, when it was happening, it wasn't a solid romance. It was so shaky and I felt nervous the entire time reading it. Never did I feel like they were a stable couple. Third, it's so short. They have a moment one second, then they're over the next. Ugh. That's all I'm going to say about that for the sake of spoilers.

- The story was rushed. I thought it was only going to be the beginning, but the whole thing was very this happens then this then this then this, which I guess is good? But it didn't exactly come across as entirely organic, you know? I get that it's a novella, but...

- The Prince is not a standalone. There will be a sequel. So this is like the first half of a story. Which means, in theory, that it could have been fleshed out just a liiiitle more before getting to the, ahem, ENDING, thus making the novella flow better.

- I also did not like the ending. I get that it's supposed to make me intrigued for the next book but I'm...I'm not sure. I don't feel invested in this story enough. I think that's just a ME thing, though. I think others who liked the Wicked world will probably click better with the arc that's being executed here.

Now, there are two things I'm on the fence about:

- Brighton. I'm not sure if I like her or not. I think maybe I just don't understand her. I don't dislike her at this point, so that's good.

- Cadan. I don't quite know what to say about him. The way he is sometimes...I don't like it. But when he's HIM, I kind of do. But the way he ended this book...sigh. I know he's going to have his reasons, but jury's out on how I'll feel about him when all is said and done.

Overall, I wanted so badly to enjoy this novella. Unfortunately, The Prince didn't click well with me. I wanted more (solid) romance, and I wasn't all that interested in the actual plot of the entire thing. I'm on the fence about whether I'll continue onto the next book or not--I'll need to think about it more. BUT, all that said, I think this is a *me* issue. I think most people who enjoyed the original Wicked trilogy will like The Prince just fine. It just didn't turn out to be my cup of tea, sadly.

2 stars - This novella just didn't click with me, unfortunately.

DNF Reviews (1)

Hi, friends! So I don't DNF books very often (DNF stands for did not finish, if you did not know). However, there are a few that I'd kind of like to officially DNF and move on from -- so I'm going to tell y'all about my experiences with them today. I most likely won't do these posts frequently (since it's rare that I give up on a book), but maybe it'll catch on every now and then? :)

Source: Gifted.

Sweet Evil (Sweet #1) by Wendy Higgins

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Thoughts...

How much of the book did I read? Only the first few pages.

With this book, it honestly comes down to the premise. It's just not for me. And I so badly wanted it to be, because everyone LOVES this series. I have so many friends who think these books are amazing and that Kai is hott and swoon-worthy, etc, etc. But knowing what the book is about, I simply could NOT get into it no matter how hard I tried. I mean, it's 2017, y'all. I've had this book since 2012. It's about time I called a spade a spade. 

Luckily, this isn't entirely a "Wendy Higgins' books aren't for me" situation, because I enjoyed her book See Me, and I think her Great Hunt books are right up my alley. Unfortunately, the Sweet series isn't.

Source: Gifted.

8 Weeks (Time for Love #1) by Bethany Lopez

Is eight weeks enough time to earn back the love of someone you've betrayed...the only one you've ever loved?

Shelly has been in love with Cal since they started dating in eleventh grade. Despite everyone saying the odds were against them, they got married after graduation and built a life together. Now, six years later, she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Devastated, her first instinct is to call it quits…

After a drunken binge at his best friends’ bachelor party, Cal betrays the one person who has always been there for him, his wife, Shelly. Terrified and realizing she might divorce him, Cal must come up with a way to prove to her that his love is true…

Cal asks Shelly for eight weeks. Eight weeks to convince her that their marriage is worth the fight. Will Shelly be able to trust him again, or will their marriage end the way many others do when faced with opposition… In divorce?

8 Weeks is book 1 in the Time for Love series, but can be read as a stand alone.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Thoughts...

How far did I read? The beginning of the book, then skimmed a great portion of the rest.

I was hesitant going into this one because, though the premise sounds like it's wide open for cute moments, it also sounds like it features a deal breaker topic for me. And, sure enough, right in the beginning of the book it freaking did. But I held out hope anyway that it'd be a misunderstanding or something--which was where the skimming came in. But alas, nope. I was disappointed. And didn't want to even think about properly reading this freaking book. SIGH.

So I guess the gist is that this one REALLY was not for me. I might pick up another in the series at some point, though. I like the romance aspects -- just hated what spurred the plot into motion in this one.

Source: Publisher sent me a copy in exchange for review consideration.

Nothing More (Landon Gibson #1)

New York's skyscrapers and hectic pace are a far cry from where Landon Gibson grew up, and the transition to New York University has been jarring. But he's getting the hang of things, found a job that pays (some of) the bills, enjoys school, and only occasionally runs into his ex, Dakota. You know, the one he chose NYU for...before she dumped him.

Luckily, his best friend, Tessa, shares a (terribly small) Brooklyn apartment with him. And given the ups and downs she's had with her own ex, she's a good listener when he finds himself in something of a love triangle—a love knot? Whatever it is, it's a mess. An exciting mess. Maybe an addicting mess, because beautiful girls.

Being young and finding your way in the world is hard. Landon's always been a positive person. But such a loud, demanding city so far away from home means you only get by with a little help from your friends. And a good pair of headphones.

Landon's going to be okay...but the journey sure will be fun to watch.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Thoughts...

How much of the book did I read? Enough to realize: a) that I was missing something, and b) that this was going to have a love triangle I was sure to hate.

This book landed in my mailbox one day without me asking for it or anything -- so it makes sense that I knew nothing about it. But I've heard good things about Anna Todd's books so I thought it'd be cool to start off with this one, since it seemed like this was the start to a new series. WELL. Technically it is...but it's a companion/spin-off/whatever to her After series. So right off the bat I had a hard time getting into it.

But whatever. I read Six of Crows without even trying to read the Grisha trilogy, surely I could make my way through this one, right? WRONG. Because turns out, Landon's got a bit of a love triangle going. With two girls. Which is something I do not like. I feel like it's obvious by now that I am a jealous reader. So two girls for Landon, while I definitely prefer one for him but I'm not sure he prefers the same one? It was a no go. I couldn't do it. 

And thus, I put the book down and gave up on the duology. I'll have to try some Anna Todd another time, I guess.

Tall, Dark, & Lonely (Pyte/Sentinel #1) by R.L. Mathewson ~ Review

Source: Purchased.

Tall, Dark, & Lonely (Pyte/Sentinel #1) by R.L. Mathewson

When the mother that abandoned them years ago suddenly shows up and moves them to New Hampshire, Madison has no choice but to go or lose her family. Shoving her dreams aside yet again, she tries to make a life for her siblings only to discover that nothing is going the way that it should. It's really cold. Her fifteen year old sister acts like a hooker in training. Men act funny around her. Her boss is a real jerk. She feels like an outsider. Her best friend turns out to be a mouthy sixteen year old kid and the incredibly handsome guy renting the room adjoining hers not only hogs the bathroom, taking three showers a day and leaving her with cold water, but he also has a secret. A secret that she becomes a bit obsessed with and can't let go no matter how many times she's warned off.

Detective Ephraim Williams learned long ago not to show any emotion or allow himself to get attached to humans. What was the point? They came and went and he remained. This time wouldn't be any different or so he thought. When his landlady told him that her grandchildren were moving in he didn't expect much, well other than to be left alone. What he didn't expect was to have to fight bloodlust every time he so much as caught the scent of his delectable neighbor's blood or her bombarding him with questions every time she cornered him. If that's not bad enough, a Master from his past has found him once again and is demanding his blood and is willing to do anything to get it, even using the beautiful, irritating, neighbor that makes him feel more than pain for the first time in centuries to get it.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

I'm a huge fan of R.L. Mathewson's Neighbor From Hell series -- it's so funny and the romances are great. So while I'm waiting for the next book in that series to drop, I figured it'd be a good idea to try another of R.L. Mathewson's series, Pyte/Sentinel. Unfortunately, the first book in the series, Tall, Dark, & Lonely, didn't click with me very well at all.

This is the first book in a paranormal series with vampires and whatnot. Normally, I'm a huge fan of vampires. But these ones...they were just so boring. I'm not entirely sure why, but they really did not intrigue me. Well, the Pyte didn't at least. The Sentinels sound like they could be fun -- but mostly because they have soulmates and I am ALWAYS here for that.

The heroine of this story is a girl named Madison, and I can't really tell you anything about her other than that she's a teacher. And stubborn. That's it. She didn't leave a lasting impression on me to like or dislike her. Instead, she simply bored me. Then there's Ephraim who is kind of cool. Definitely not the best hero I've read, but not the worst either.

Together, I liked these two well enough, but I don't feel like we got enough of them actually being together. We have a lot of Ephraim not wanting to be around Madison, and Madison mad at Ephraim, and then there's the big conflict of the novel. We don't really get the in between moments of things progressing for the couple.

And that brings me to the writing, which wasn't up to par with what I'm used to from an R.L. Mathewson book. I think this is due to the fact that this is one of her earlier books and she's clearly improved since then. That said, it's still notable that this book did not really draw me in. Actually, to be honest, I had to force my way through most of it. Things weren't all that interesting, and I feel like we missed a lot on the relationships front -- both in Madison and Ephraim's romantic relationship, and the familial relationships with the kids.

Oh, but! I almost forgot to mention. My favorite aspect of this book was Chris. I am a huge fan of him, and I would be interested in seeing where his story goes. He's a good, funny, cool guy. Okay, sidenote over. :)

Overall, I was so underwhelmed by this book. That said, I am considering picking up book 2 because it's a Sentinel book and they seem quite intriguing. But I'm not exactly jumping right to it -- we'll see when/if it happens. For now, though, I'd say Tall, Dark, & Lonely is a book you can skip if you're considering trying some R.L. Mathewson, but I do highly recommend her Neighbor From Hell series if you're in the mood for some contemporary romance that'll give you all kinds of laughs!

2 stars - Sadly underwhelming.

The Right Ranger (The Men of At Ease Ranch, #3) by Donna Michaels ~ Review

Source:  Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Haley Wagner's life just got a lot more complicated. As if turning her struggling ranch around isn't tough enough, she's forced to call him for help. With his hard eyes and even harder body, Cord is an irritatingly sexy contradiction of hot and cold. How can she possibly hide her embarrassing secret when just looking at Cord is a combustible event?

Former Army Ranger Cord Brannigan has a secret, too. He promised his fallen teammate he'd protect the tempting, fiercely independent Haley from a distance, but now they're stuck together for three weeks. Alone. Keeping his hands off will take every ounce of control he can muster. And that control is slipping...

Amazon | B&N

Let's be real, this cover drew me right to this book.  And then I read that blurb and really wanted to read it.  Love military guys and there's no doubt I'm on board for him 'trying' to keep his hands off her.

Here's the deal though, I missed part of the book.  The part that wasn't written.  I will admit that this is a book three but it's campaign books so I figured I'd be okay.  Yet I still felt like I missed a whole lot of story.

I'm a show me kinda story girl.  I want to hear the conversations where they get to know each other.  I want to experience the awkward meals they share.  I want to get details about the work they're doing together.  (I swear they worked on building a fence and cleaning out stalls for most of the three weeks.)  But those experiences were just summarized and I was so sad.  I kept finding myself saying "Wait, what happened!?"  And because of that happening over and over again, I just didn't buy it.  And while I did like these characters, they fell flat.

I could give you examples but that would spoil the story.  Let's just say that the drama between them felt forced and the forgiveness easily won.  I did love the grand gesture as far as that went but he didn't use it till she'd already forgiven him.  

I wanted so much more from this story.  Maybe a flash back to when they had knew each other before the deployment.  That prior relationship has a baring on the story yet we really don't know anything about it.  Just that his feelings have been there since then.  Why?  I didn't get it.  

The book isn't that long and so I really don't get why it couldn't have had 50 pages more with some more details about the time they spent together.  Why skip two days?  Nothing happened during that time?  Really?  They only have 3 weeks together to fall in love people.  Don't give away 2 whole days.  Yet it happened.

I will admit that the sexual tension is done well and that the attention to detail during the sexy times is high.  So if you like the focus to be on the sex and have a couple hours, maybe this one is for you.

 Others felt differently.  Check our Misty's review for another opinion.

                     

Furious Rush by S.C. Stephens ~ Review

Source: e-ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Furious Rush by S.C. Stephens

Too fast, too furious-and way too hot to handle . . .

Mackenzie Cox has a lot to prove. Daughter of a racing legend, she is eager to show the world that she has inherited her father's talent in the male-dominated sport of professional motorcycle racing. The last thing Kenzie needs is to be antagonized by her rival team's newest rider, Hayden Hayes. Plucked from the world of illegal street racing, Hayden immediately gets under Kenzie's skin. His insinuations that Kenzie is a spoiled princess who was handed her career fuels her desire to win, and much to her surprise, Kenzie soon learns she performs better when she's racing against Hayden.

As Kenzie and Hayden push each other on the track, the electric energy between them off the track shifts into an intense--and strictly forbidden--attraction. The only rule between their two ultra-competitive teams is zero contact. Kenzie always does her best to play by the rules, but when her team slips into a financial crisis, she has no choice but to turn to Hayden for help. The tension simmers during their secret, late-night rendezvous, but Kenzie has too much to lose to give in to her desires. Especially when she begins to doubt that Hayden has completely left his street life behind...

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Review...

This is the first book I've read by S.C. Stephens, but it's definitely not the first of hers on my radar. I've had my eye on the Thoughtless series for a while, I even have them all on my Kindle, but I've never actually taken the leap into reading them. I was really excited to read Furious Rush, though. It sounded great and I truly thought it'd be up my alley. And it was. For all intents and purposes, I SHOULD have enjoyed this book. 

But I didn't.

And it's not even because this is a bad book. It's actually pretty darn good. I just never got super into it. I never fell in love with it. I never got to the point where I was wholly invested in the characters and their story. As I read this novel, I spent the entire time taking note of the good things that should have made me enjoy the story--only to realize that I wasn't enjoying the story. I don't know why. I think this one just wasn't for me, which stinks. 

That said, I can tell you some great things about this book. Like the fact that it's so fun. The racing, the forbidden romance, the TENSION that fills the pages. S.C. Stephens did a great job building a solid story, and with a sport that isn't often given the spotlight. The characters were well-defined, both in their personalities and their ambitions. As I said, the shaping of this novel was very well done.

Along with those good points, I can also point out some things that I didn't think were so great about this book. Like the fact that while the characters were painted clearly, some of the steps taken to getting that way were a little over the top. And what I mean by this is that some things were expressly said in the novel in a way that didn't feel organic--instead it was more like the words were included to get those points out there even though they seriously took away from the conversation the characters were having. For example, in the beginning of the book Kenzie and Nikki were talking and Kenzie basically said "You know I'm under a lot of pressure to make my father proud and honor his legacy" and it was so obviously just a piece of information that was needed to be given. I'd have rather that been in Kenzie's internal narration than smacked in the middle of a conversation where it kind of stuck out like a sore thumb.

But anyway. Other things I didn't think were very good about this book. It took me longer than I would have liked to get over my dislike for the love interest. He was a total douche during Kenzie's first interactions with him and while she was getting distracted by how hot he was, I was still wanting to slap him upside his head. Another issue I had was that even after I got over my dislike for Hayden (the love interest), I was on edge around him often. Why? Because I didn't feel like he could be trusted. Which kind of dampened the fun of the romance for me, too, unfortunately. 

All that said, however, I think I can chalk my issues with this book up to the fact that this one just wasn't for me. Most others who've read it seem to have enjoyed it and I absolutely see why. Furious Rush is fun, sexy, and definitely a fast read. I flew through it myself, actually. So if you're in the mood for a forbidden romance based around motorcycle racing, I definitely recommend giving this book a shot. 

2 stars - A fun and sexy romance that sadly just wasn't for me.

***

As I said, many others liked it so if you'd like to check out a review by someone who enjoyed Furious Rush, try one of these...

Vi gave it 4 stars

Bianca gave it 4.5 stars

Karen gave it 5 stars

The Paper Swan by Leylah Attar ~ Review

Source: Purchased.

The Paper Swan by Leylah Attar

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.
They lie.
For 21 days she held on.
But on Day 22, she would have given anything for the sweet slumber of death.
Because on Day 22, she realizes that her only way out means certain death for one of the two men she loves.

A haunting tale of passion, loss, and redemption, The Paper Swan is a darkly intense yet heartwarming love story, textured with grit, intrigue, and suspense. Please note: This is NOT a love triangle.

A full-length, standalone novel, intended for mature audiences due to violence, sex and language. Subject matter may be disturbing for some readers.

Review...

When The Paper Swan released, there was all kinds of hype. I saw it all over the place--on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, EVERYWHERE. And the book looked really good. So I bought it on my Kindle. I was looking forward to reading it, because so many people have loved it, but I didn't get around to picking the book up. Then I got a paperback copy in my Bookworm Box. At that point, I was like, "Okay. CLEARLY I need to pick this book up SOON." So I did. And...meh. This book was not for me.

The synopsis for The Paper Swan is so vague. Which is obviously pretty intriguing. But it also leaves a lot of room for picking up a book that is so NOT FOR ME thinking it's something I could love. As it turns out for this particular novel, however, I just ended up sorely disappointed.

Before I wade into the waters of WHY I wasn't a fan of this book, I want to mention the things I liked about it first. Because this book wasn't a total waste. The writing was actually great. Leylah Attar clearly has talent. I got pulled in quickly, and even after I got to a point where I hated what was happening I could not bring myself to put the book down. And there was a twist in there that I was completely caught off guard by. Also, I want to take a moment and admire that beautiful cover. It's so PRETTY. Sigh.

Okay. So that's what I liked about The Paper Swan. What I didn't like is kind of hard to explain (without spoiling, at least), so bear with me while I try to outline my issues without giving away the twists.

My biggest problem with this book is that I don't think the hero is redeemable. Not with this particular girl, anyway. He treated her terribly, like SUPER terribly, and then all of a sudden he's forgiven. I have two issues with that: 1) There is a fine line between what is redeemable and what is not, and this guy DEFINITELY crossed it. For sure. It was so bad that I was HOPING for a love triangle so I could root against this dude. 2) He never did anything to redeem himself. I honestly do not understand what he did to make up for how bad he was to her. Say sorry a few times? Because that's basically all he did before the girl was forgiving him.

I feel like a lot of things in this book are waved off because of the past. Like, "THIS happened before, so I understand why THIS happened now." Or, "I understand why you did THAT because of THIS in the past." (Am I making any sense? It's hard to do this without spoiling! Ha.) It got to the point where the girl apologized to the GUY for things. Which she should not have had to do. It was so messed up.

Then there's the fact that there isn't really romance in this novel. There is smexy times. There are declarations of love. But there isn't much seeing them together being a couple. Which is ANOTHER thing that seemed to just be justified by the past. Just because people knew each other years ago and were close doesn't mean there's no relationship building to happen now. Especially after everything that happened.

While the writing was great, the plot itself was pretty weak. There's one big issue driving the entire novel, but it gets to the point where it feels like the hero should be over it. The fact that he couldn't let it go actually got annoying. Then there were a time jump or two which were just odd. I get why they happened, but when I was reading and flipped the page only to find out it was years later, it was confusing.

As I mentioned, there was one twist that caught me off guard, but then the rest of what was supposed to be surprising only made me roll my eyes. That may just be me, though, because I was kind of done with the story by that point. The hero wasn't redeemable and the heroine had Stockholm Syndrome or something and I didn't get how this was a love story and just blah.

Overall, The Paper Swan was disappointing. The writing was well done, and I'd definitely be willing to pick up another book by her someday, but the contest of this novel didn't work for me. If you like suspense, this one might work for you, but if you need great romance to enjoy a book, I recommend passing on this one.

2 stars - The writing was great, but the story itself was sadly disappointing.

Firstlife by Gena Showalter ~ Review

Source:  Picked this up at ALA.

ONE CHOICE.

TWO REALMS.

NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…

At first, I thought I would like this one.  But it ended up not being the case.  

I didn't think much of Ten.  The whole set-up for her not accepting her parents choice for her afterlife didn't make sense to me.  I feel like if you're going to accept an asylum because of your choice, you better have some pretty good reasons for it.  I never felt like she had any such thing.  And then the two fighting over her?  And I do mean fighting over her.  Pretty much just annoying.  The whole premise has promise but there just wasn't a good reason for it.   

So this world believes that your first life is just the dress rehearsal for the real life that you will have after you die.  But you must pick which side you will be on before you die.  I never really understood why you had to choose in this life and not the next.  It was too contrived for me. 

Myriad and Troika have different beliefs and that's all well and good.  But why they hate each other so much is beyond me.  The war they have going on doesn't seem to have to real reason except a numbers game.  I wasn't buying it.  Perhaps more information will be made known in the next book but I won't be along for the ride. 

It did have that religious arguing vibe.  Someone was always trying to convince you one way of another.  I avoid religious conversations since people just don't agree.  Why would I want to listen to characters argue over it?  Neither side seemed to be the good guys since both stooped to pretty low levels to entice those who were uncommitted.   I'm reduced to just not caring.

And long.  This book is long.  Every time I put it down, I just didn't want to pick it back up.  That's not what a book should be like.  When I enjoy a book, not only do I not want to put it down but I can't wait to carve out time to pick it back up.  Even the hot boy in this one didn't motivate me.  While I was interested in Killian, I didn't get him.  He seems to fall for Ten quickly and he's desperate to convince her to his side.  But if you love someone, you want the best for them.  

I was surprised to not enjoy the writing.  I've read this author before and loved it.  But this one felt too scattered.  Maybe it was done on purpose for effect but I didn't enjoy it. 

Considering my strong paranormal mood, I was really surprised I just didn't enjoy this one. Of course, others feel different.  See below.

Naomi gave it 5 stars

Ashley gave it 4 stars

     

Unexpected Rush by Jaci Burton ~ Review

Source:  Received copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

In the new Play-By-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of All Wound Up, a football hot shot and his best friend’s sister are breaking all the rules.

All the Right Moves

For Barrett Cassidy, playing defense for the Tampa Hawks is a dream come true. And now he may have discovered his dream woman. Harmony Evans, once the sweet, gawky teenage sister of his best friend and teammate has grown into a smart, gorgeous woman with moves he finds hard to resist. But he knows he can’t get involved with his best friend’s sister—it’s guy code.

Harmony has always gone after what she wants with single-minded determination, from her independence to her education to her career in social work. She never expected her youthful crush on Barrett to develop into something deeper. And she’s not about to let some ridiculous man rules or her brother stand in her way.

When the chemistry is this combustible, lines tend to get crossed. And when Barrett and Harmony’s secret gets out, it just might be game over...

Review...

I adore football in my romance.  How can I not love sweaty football players that fall for some lucky girl?  Yeah, about that.

So this one fell flat for me.  I know, it's totally my kind of book but it just lacked something...something important.

Both characters were just okay.  I got the man code thing that was holding Barrett back and I liked that he held to his guns for a while too.  I liked that Harmony went after what she wanted despite the resistance.  But neither of them felt real to me.  Maybe it was the third person writing.  Maybe it was the convenience of the whole thing.  She didn't think about him until he was there and then then suddenly she's had a crush on him for years.  He resisted her until he didn't.  Don't ask me what changed it, I have no idea.  It just felt too much of a set-up to make the story work.  I mean, if he really wanted to resist her, why is he taking her to the beach and renting a hotel room with her?  

And then there was her brother.  Really, why were these two not together and then hiding their relationship?  Because of a punk brother that totally acted like a jerk to Harmony's ex like he had broken her heart when in fact it was a no biggie kind of break-up.  He had to be a jerk because the only reason Barrett doesn't go after her is his best friend.  Felt contrived. 

Because the hero was right about the man code thing and his best friend being ticked off and the heroine was mad at him about it.  Say what?  Made enough that she broke up with him?  Really?  Did that just happen?  Whatever. 

Mostly, I just didn't care.  About any of it.  

It felt like everything was set-up for the hot sexy scenes.  No real story, just backdrop for sex.  So if that's what you like, then pick this one up.  If you want more story than that, pass on this one.

Others felt differently.  Check out other reviews below.


      

Annie gave it 4 stars

Elizabeth gave it 4 stars

A Silver Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear ~ Review

Source:  Received an eBook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fans of shapeshifter romance will be thrilled to spend Christmas with the Silver Town werewolf pack...

C.J. Silver is eager to help the new she-wolves in town renovate the old hotel in time for the holidays, especially if it means spending time under the mistletoe with the alluring Laurel MacTire.

The bustle in the long abandoned hotel attracts the attention of human ghosthunters out to prove the place haunted, but the bigger problem is keeping them from discovering the werewolves in Silver Town. CJ and Laurel have to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. Working together is a surprisingly hot holiday treat for two attractive and clever wolf shifters.

I should have liked this book.  Shifters.  My favorite paranormal.  Christmas.  Always a favorite.  And it's set in a fictions Colorado mountain town that sounds very much like a real town that I love.  Said town in about an hours drive from my house and is a favorite place of mine.  So I should have liked this book.  I didn't.

I was reading an ARC.  When you read advanced copies, it's normal to see editing errors that end up fixed for the final copy.  I have no issue with that.  But major plot holes are rare in ARCs, at least that has been my experience.  But I couldn't get past some of those holes in this book.

There were several things that felt inconsistent and confusing.  Attitudes that changed rapidly, dates that seemed to not work, emphasis placed on things that turned out to be nothing - all just bugged me.

This is book 17 in a series that lots of people have enjoyed but I'm not one of them.  This is the first book I've read in the series and I just felt like the joke was on me.  I was missing something because the whole feel of the book fell flat for me.  I didn't enjoy the whole feel of it.

I didn't care for the sisters much.  They were standoffish, keeping secrets and inconstant.  In one breath they were giving Lauren the stink eye for her letting C.J. help get the hotel ready and in the next they were trying to convince her they should stay and settle down.  And Lauren can't stop encouraging C.J. despite trying to discourage him.  Made my head swim.

C.J. was a good guy.  He was persistent and kind.  He never let Lauren's lack of interest discourage him.  Having decided who he wanted, he stayed the course.  I liked that.  I, also, liked the make-out session after their night run.  And his protectiveness - liked that.

I just didn't like enough of this one to enjoy it.  I can't recommend it.

     

Others did enjoy it.  Check their reviews below.

Angela gave it 5 stars

Beth gave it 4 stars