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**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
The Boy Next Door is the first book I have had the pleasure of reading from the new crowd-sourced Macmillan imprint, Swoon Reads. I absolutely love the idea behind Swoon Reads. It is a community that anyone can join online for free, writers can upload their manuscripts and readers can read them and vote on their favorites and leave feedback. It's great because teens and readers in the Swoon Reads Community are telling the writers and publishers what they like and what they don't, and they are helping to pick the next books that are going to be published. It is such a great concept.
The Boy Next Door is an ice skating romance, that reminded me of Jennifer Comeaux's Crossing the Ice- which I absolutely loved. So I was super excited to dive right into another pairs figure skating romance. And The Boy Next Door was a great one! There were some skating struggles, but there weren't as many on ice problems as there were in Crossing the Ice, but rather, in the Boy Next Door, most of the problems centered on the pair off the ice.
The book is told is dual narrative between Gabe and Maddy and the font even changes when the chapters change point of view. I love little touches like that in books. I am a big fan of this narration style because I feel like it enables the reader to really get to know the characters very well. Especially in a romance like this one, where you could see how any given decision affected Maddy and Gabe differently. Their personality differences were accentuated throughout the story. But yet, in so many ways they were the perfect complements to one another. I really liked them together. I was rooting from them from the start, and even though I thought Gabe was making it much harder than it needed to be. I mean come on, his two week and i'm bored rule is such a lame excuse to not get in a relationship with a girl that he so obviously cares about.
While this was a fluffy, feel good romance, there were some serious things Maddy and Gabe had to deal with. I really liked that their family lives were a focus of the story as well. Katie Van Ark did a really good job of telling a well rounded and complete feeling story.The writing was witty, cute and felt very conversational. The pacing and story development was great and this book made me feel a whole spectrum of emotions. I'm not sure if there is going to be a second book or not, but I sure hope so. I could use another dose of Maddy and Gabe.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
The Boy Next Door is the first book I have had the pleasure of reading from the new crowd-sourced Macmillan imprint, Swoon Reads. I absolutely love the idea behind Swoon Reads. It is a community that anyone can join online for free, writers can upload their manuscripts and readers can read them and vote on their favorites and leave feedback. It's great because teens and readers in the Swoon Reads Community are telling the writers and publishers what they like and what they don't, and they are helping to pick the next books that are going to be published. It is such a great concept.
The Boy Next Door is an ice skating romance, that reminded me of Jennifer Comeaux's Crossing the Ice- which I absolutely loved. So I was super excited to dive right into another pairs figure skating romance. And The Boy Next Door was a great one! There were some skating struggles, but there weren't as many on ice problems as there were in Crossing the Ice, but rather, in the Boy Next Door, most of the problems centered on the pair off the ice.
The book is told is dual narrative between Gabe and Maddy and the font even changes when the chapters change point of view. I love little touches like that in books. I am a big fan of this narration style because I feel like it enables the reader to really get to know the characters very well. Especially in a romance like this one, where you could see how any given decision affected Maddy and Gabe differently. Their personality differences were accentuated throughout the story. But yet, in so many ways they were the perfect complements to one another. I really liked them together. I was rooting from them from the start, and even though I thought Gabe was making it much harder than it needed to be. I mean come on, his two week and i'm bored rule is such a lame excuse to not get in a relationship with a girl that he so obviously cares about.
While this was a fluffy, feel good romance, there were some serious things Maddy and Gabe had to deal with. I really liked that their family lives were a focus of the story as well. Katie Van Ark did a really good job of telling a well rounded and complete feeling story.The writing was witty, cute and felt very conversational. The pacing and story development was great and this book made me feel a whole spectrum of emotions. I'm not sure if there is going to be a second book or not, but I sure hope so. I could use another dose of Maddy and Gabe.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
City in Embers is the first book in a new paranormal action series, called the Collectors. As you may know, Stacey Marie Brown's Darkness series is one of my favorite New Adult paranormal series. The Collectors is set in the same world as that one and the electrical storm caused by the Dae in the Darkness series is what has rocked Seattle, where the main characters are on the run in City of Embers. Which I thought was the perfect crossover between the two worlds. It really added to the atmosphere throughout the story, and it was a cool throwback that fans of the Darkness Series would get. But you absolutely do not need to read the darkness series to get this one. They are very separate, with all new characters. I thought this book had a very different feel than the Darkness series. One that I ended up really enjoying. (But the Darkness Series is still my favorite.)
Zoey grew up really bad off in the foster system. I didn't particularly love how stereo typically cruel her foster parents were but you get over it because so many other things start to happen that they fade into the background very quickly. There is a lot of fast paced action once you got into the book a little ways. I had a really hard time getting into this book. It took me maybe 18-20% mark on my kindle before I really started to like the story. It was all up hill from there, but I took me a while to get interested. So if that happens to you, don't give up on the book! It gets so so much better!
Ryker and Zoey had an interesting relationship. I liked that they really disliked each other for most of the book, and only later on did they come to realize that they cared for the other person. And even so, this thing they had (I don't even want to call it a romance, not yet.) was never anything close to warm and mushy. They are two tough cookies that don't like opening up to other people. So when they tell each other something from their past, that is about as mushy and romantic as they get. And it works for them. I liked that the focus was much more on the running and the action than it was on these two and their romance. Now, that is not to say that I don't want to see more of them together in the future, because I do. But for the first book this worked.
I loved that the fae and creatures were consistent with Stacey's darkness series. And I loved how much action there was this book. I have no idea where the next book is going to take us because there was one heck of a cliffhanger at the end of this one. But most of all, I am glad that I didn't give up on this book, like I wanted to more than once, because I ended up really liking it a lot.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
City in Embers is the first book in a new paranormal action series, called the Collectors. As you may know, Stacey Marie Brown's Darkness series is one of my favorite New Adult paranormal series. The Collectors is set in the same world as that one and the electrical storm caused by the Dae in the Darkness series is what has rocked Seattle, where the main characters are on the run in City of Embers. Which I thought was the perfect crossover between the two worlds. It really added to the atmosphere throughout the story, and it was a cool throwback that fans of the Darkness Series would get. But you absolutely do not need to read the darkness series to get this one. They are very separate, with all new characters. I thought this book had a very different feel than the Darkness series. One that I ended up really enjoying. (But the Darkness Series is still my favorite.)
Zoey grew up really bad off in the foster system. I didn't particularly love how stereo typically cruel her foster parents were but you get over it because so many other things start to happen that they fade into the background very quickly. There is a lot of fast paced action once you got into the book a little ways. I had a really hard time getting into this book. It took me maybe 18-20% mark on my kindle before I really started to like the story. It was all up hill from there, but I took me a while to get interested. So if that happens to you, don't give up on the book! It gets so so much better!
Ryker and Zoey had an interesting relationship. I liked that they really disliked each other for most of the book, and only later on did they come to realize that they cared for the other person. And even so, this thing they had (I don't even want to call it a romance, not yet.) was never anything close to warm and mushy. They are two tough cookies that don't like opening up to other people. So when they tell each other something from their past, that is about as mushy and romantic as they get. And it works for them. I liked that the focus was much more on the running and the action than it was on these two and their romance. Now, that is not to say that I don't want to see more of them together in the future, because I do. But for the first book this worked.
I loved that the fae and creatures were consistent with Stacey's darkness series. And I loved how much action there was this book. I have no idea where the next book is going to take us because there was one heck of a cliffhanger at the end of this one. But most of all, I am glad that I didn't give up on this book, like I wanted to more than once, because I ended up really liking it a lot.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Dark Siren is the first book in the Young Adult paranormal series, called the Dark Siren Series. I love the cover of Dark Siren. The colors and the vivid-ness really work for me. A great things about this series is that the first three books are already out. So if you are like me, and you really enjoyed the first book, you can immediately grab books 2 and 3 and start reading. That is my favorite thing of discovering a great hidden gem series a year or two after its' release. You can gorge on all the books at once if you want.
I am also a sucker for some kind of mysterious or magical artifact. It's why I love shows like the show, Warehouse 13, with all of the "historical" artifacts that actually have some hidden history or magic properties. Now Dark Siren is actually a paranormal book so it was a little different, but the artifact aspect of the story felt kind of similar. Kali, the main character in Dark Siren, has no idea who she is. Which sounds terrifying, but even more interesting was the fact that she was constantly craving a "spark" from the people around her. Eden Ashley did a fantastic job of making the reader interested. I felt compelled to read this book faster and faster, just so I could figure out what was going on with Kali.
Rhane, the love interest, was very intriguing as well. Dark Siren is one of those books that felt a little like insta-love, but there was a reason behind it. Those don't bother me as much in hindsight, as long as everything is well explained and doesn't seem too forced. And again, without giving too much away, Eden Ashley did an excellent job of explaining this aspect of the story and making it all work. Rhane was a little frustrating in that he wouldn't give anything away. Just tell Kali something little about her past or about what is going on to tide her over. I don't think that would have been so hard. But it never seems to happen that way. But that was a minor issue. Overall, Dark Siren kept me engaged and invested in the story for the entire time.
I loved Eden Ashley's take on Sirens. I really want to read more books about them now. This one does have a cliff hanger, but like I said above, the next two books in the series are out already. I'm not sure how many books will end up being in the series though. Bottom line, if you like mysterious ya paranormal books, and are not deterred by slight-insta-love-but-for-a-reason, then the Dark Siren's series would be a great match for you.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Dark Siren is the first book in the Young Adult paranormal series, called the Dark Siren Series. I love the cover of Dark Siren. The colors and the vivid-ness really work for me. A great things about this series is that the first three books are already out. So if you are like me, and you really enjoyed the first book, you can immediately grab books 2 and 3 and start reading. That is my favorite thing of discovering a great hidden gem series a year or two after its' release. You can gorge on all the books at once if you want.
I am also a sucker for some kind of mysterious or magical artifact. It's why I love shows like the show, Warehouse 13, with all of the "historical" artifacts that actually have some hidden history or magic properties. Now Dark Siren is actually a paranormal book so it was a little different, but the artifact aspect of the story felt kind of similar. Kali, the main character in Dark Siren, has no idea who she is. Which sounds terrifying, but even more interesting was the fact that she was constantly craving a "spark" from the people around her. Eden Ashley did a fantastic job of making the reader interested. I felt compelled to read this book faster and faster, just so I could figure out what was going on with Kali.
Rhane, the love interest, was very intriguing as well. Dark Siren is one of those books that felt a little like insta-love, but there was a reason behind it. Those don't bother me as much in hindsight, as long as everything is well explained and doesn't seem too forced. And again, without giving too much away, Eden Ashley did an excellent job of explaining this aspect of the story and making it all work. Rhane was a little frustrating in that he wouldn't give anything away. Just tell Kali something little about her past or about what is going on to tide her over. I don't think that would have been so hard. But it never seems to happen that way. But that was a minor issue. Overall, Dark Siren kept me engaged and invested in the story for the entire time.
I loved Eden Ashley's take on Sirens. I really want to read more books about them now. This one does have a cliff hanger, but like I said above, the next two books in the series are out already. I'm not sure how many books will end up being in the series though. Bottom line, if you like mysterious ya paranormal books, and are not deterred by slight-insta-love-but-for-a-reason, then the Dark Siren's series would be a great match for you.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Calling California is the first book in the New Adult Series, the Hunter Hill University Series. I got a copy of the second book, Mending Michael for review, but even though each of the books can be read as a standalone, I decided to read the first book before Mending Michael. Calling California is kind of a typical New Adult contemporary romance, told in dual narrative between the guy and the girl, which I love.
I think I liked Griffin more than our heroine, Cali in Calling California. Griffin is just such a sweetie pie. And so is Cali. She really is such a sweet, sweet girl, but she bugged the crap out of me a lot of the time. She is just so hung up on money and is beyond super bitter about her financial situation. I understand her being a little upset or realistic about her experiences, but it seemed like every other word out of her mouth was about being poor and disliking rich people, yada yada yada. It felt like way too much. And I was really bummed about that, because I really really like Cali as a person, but I just wanted to tell her to shut the heck up and stop being so bitter all the time. It made it hard for sweet, kind Griffin to tell her the truth about him and that stinks because he is so not the lying type. I put all the blame here on Cali. And it made it hard for me to really get to know Cali when all she was focused on was money. I get that the story is about money, and I absolutely think that some of it was necessary for character growth and development and it played a role in both of those things for Cali, but in my opinion, I felt like it was overdone with Cali.
Once the story moves along though, Cali starts to get past her money issues, or at least she tries too and I warmed up a lot to her once she made that attempt. After that, it was easy to just sit back and enjoy Cali and Griffin. I really liked how sweet Griffin was with Cali. I know he said that he used to be a love em and leave em type, but I never saw that. Even for a second with him.
Calling California turned out to be a good romance. I can't say great, because like I said, I thought the author was a little too politically leaning with her representation of Cali, and I would be lying if I said it didn't rub me the wrong way. I think she is a good person and I eventually warmed up to her but it took awhile, and there were quite a few veryyy stereotypical political statements that I felt were very inappropriate. I hope that the next book, Mending Michael has less political comments, but even so, I thought Calling California was a decent read.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Calling California is the first book in the New Adult Series, the Hunter Hill University Series. I got a copy of the second book, Mending Michael for review, but even though each of the books can be read as a standalone, I decided to read the first book before Mending Michael. Calling California is kind of a typical New Adult contemporary romance, told in dual narrative between the guy and the girl, which I love.
I think I liked Griffin more than our heroine, Cali in Calling California. Griffin is just such a sweetie pie. And so is Cali. She really is such a sweet, sweet girl, but she bugged the crap out of me a lot of the time. She is just so hung up on money and is beyond super bitter about her financial situation. I understand her being a little upset or realistic about her experiences, but it seemed like every other word out of her mouth was about being poor and disliking rich people, yada yada yada. It felt like way too much. And I was really bummed about that, because I really really like Cali as a person, but I just wanted to tell her to shut the heck up and stop being so bitter all the time. It made it hard for sweet, kind Griffin to tell her the truth about him and that stinks because he is so not the lying type. I put all the blame here on Cali. And it made it hard for me to really get to know Cali when all she was focused on was money. I get that the story is about money, and I absolutely think that some of it was necessary for character growth and development and it played a role in both of those things for Cali, but in my opinion, I felt like it was overdone with Cali.
Once the story moves along though, Cali starts to get past her money issues, or at least she tries too and I warmed up a lot to her once she made that attempt. After that, it was easy to just sit back and enjoy Cali and Griffin. I really liked how sweet Griffin was with Cali. I know he said that he used to be a love em and leave em type, but I never saw that. Even for a second with him.
Calling California turned out to be a good romance. I can't say great, because like I said, I thought the author was a little too politically leaning with her representation of Cali, and I would be lying if I said it didn't rub me the wrong way. I think she is a good person and I eventually warmed up to her but it took awhile, and there were quite a few veryyy stereotypical political statements that I felt were very inappropriate. I hope that the next book, Mending Michael has less political comments, but even so, I thought Calling California was a decent read.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Paper Or plastic is a story about a teenage girl that gets caught shoplifting with her friend and as a punishment, she has to work at the SmartMart, a very uncool store in town, to repay her crime. The whole shoplifting incident happened very early on in the story so some of the details were a blur. But even so, I thought that Paper or Plastic was a very cute and fun fluffy contemporary. Great for a light read.
I thought Vivi Barnes did a wonderful job with her characters. Especially considering the fact that initially Alexis and her friends seemed like real brats, it was a big accomplishment to make me like Alexis as much as I did. I am so happy to report that my initial impression of her was incorrect. Of course my impression of some of her “friends” and of her mom wasn’t incorrect at all, but sometimes those “bad” characters can add to a story too. I mean, hey, at least they pull some strong emotions out of you.
What I appreciated most about Alexis was that she was able to put up with her mom. I know that seems like a silly thing to like the most about her, but even I wanted to choke her mom out a few times.
It was impressive the amount of life that Vivi Barnes was able to breathe into such a large cast of secondary characters. Some I absolutely loved and just want to hug- I’m talking about you Grandma!!, some very the friends that even though they are annoying, you still love them and some I less than liked. And then there was Noah. Noah, who even though he made me roll my eyes a few times, was super adorable and was a hoot with Alexis. All of the characters came together to form a fun and kooky cast. Character driven readers will really enjoy Paper or Plastic, just like I did.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Paper Or plastic is a story about a teenage girl that gets caught shoplifting with her friend and as a punishment, she has to work at the SmartMart, a very uncool store in town, to repay her crime. The whole shoplifting incident happened very early on in the story so some of the details were a blur. But even so, I thought that Paper or Plastic was a very cute and fun fluffy contemporary. Great for a light read.
I thought Vivi Barnes did a wonderful job with her characters. Especially considering the fact that initially Alexis and her friends seemed like real brats, it was a big accomplishment to make me like Alexis as much as I did. I am so happy to report that my initial impression of her was incorrect. Of course my impression of some of her “friends” and of her mom wasn’t incorrect at all, but sometimes those “bad” characters can add to a story too. I mean, hey, at least they pull some strong emotions out of you.
What I appreciated most about Alexis was that she was able to put up with her mom. I know that seems like a silly thing to like the most about her, but even I wanted to choke her mom out a few times.
It was impressive the amount of life that Vivi Barnes was able to breathe into such a large cast of secondary characters. Some I absolutely loved and just want to hug- I’m talking about you Grandma!!, some very the friends that even though they are annoying, you still love them and some I less than liked. And then there was Noah. Noah, who even though he made me roll my eyes a few times, was super adorable and was a hoot with Alexis. All of the characters came together to form a fun and kooky cast. Character driven readers will really enjoy Paper or Plastic, just like I did.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Burdened is the first book in the New Adult series of the same name. I had such high hopes for Burdened. I thought the cover was pretty and creepy at the same time- perfect for the paranormal element of the story, and I thought the summary had lots of potential to unique and very interesting. I love stories involving being mated to someone. I thought this would be right up my alley, but I think by this point you are starting to see that a big BUT is coming.
And here it is...But Burdened just didn't work for me. I thought the story was ok, but the book on a whole was just a lot more cringe-worthy than it was enjoyable. I put this book down about 10 times, sometimes with the intention of not picking it up again, and sometimes because I just needed a break from it. But each time I convinced myself to go back because I wanted to see how the story would turn out. The plot was interesting. Which is what makes this review so tough for me.
I couldn't connect with the characters and I big reason for that was the writing. Now, I don't mean to say that the writing was not technically sound, good writing. It was. Peiri Ann is not a bad writer. It just felt like the book was trying to be something it wasn't. The writing didn't flow and it didn't feel conversational enough to me. It felt like the stiff, buttoned up writing of an academic paper. I just couldn't get it to fit in with the vibe of a new adult paranormal romance with magic and mystery swirling around. And then to top it off, the story didn't ever feel 100% believable to me. It felt forced and very convenient.
As much as it pains me to say it, Burdened just didn't work for me. Some books are just not meant to be, no matter how much you want them to be. But that is not to say that other people, and perhaps many, many other people, would not only enjoy but completely love the Burdened Series. I hope that you and all other future readers are those people. But I won't be continuing on with this series.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Burdened is the first book in the New Adult series of the same name. I had such high hopes for Burdened. I thought the cover was pretty and creepy at the same time- perfect for the paranormal element of the story, and I thought the summary had lots of potential to unique and very interesting. I love stories involving being mated to someone. I thought this would be right up my alley, but I think by this point you are starting to see that a big BUT is coming.
And here it is...But Burdened just didn't work for me. I thought the story was ok, but the book on a whole was just a lot more cringe-worthy than it was enjoyable. I put this book down about 10 times, sometimes with the intention of not picking it up again, and sometimes because I just needed a break from it. But each time I convinced myself to go back because I wanted to see how the story would turn out. The plot was interesting. Which is what makes this review so tough for me.
I couldn't connect with the characters and I big reason for that was the writing. Now, I don't mean to say that the writing was not technically sound, good writing. It was. Peiri Ann is not a bad writer. It just felt like the book was trying to be something it wasn't. The writing didn't flow and it didn't feel conversational enough to me. It felt like the stiff, buttoned up writing of an academic paper. I just couldn't get it to fit in with the vibe of a new adult paranormal romance with magic and mystery swirling around. And then to top it off, the story didn't ever feel 100% believable to me. It felt forced and very convenient.
As much as it pains me to say it, Burdened just didn't work for me. Some books are just not meant to be, no matter how much you want them to be. But that is not to say that other people, and perhaps many, many other people, would not only enjoy but completely love the Burdened Series. I hope that you and all other future readers are those people. But I won't be continuing on with this series.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Obsessed. That is one word to describe how I have become with all of Penny Reid's books. This is the third one that I have read from her and I think every single one of them got 5 star reviews from me. That is crazy! I am a huge fan of her blend of comedy, wittiness and romance. It is something that seems to work for me every single time. I didn't even know this was a collaboration between Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway until I started to put this post together. Now I have another author on my radar. I must find some more of L.H. Cosway's books to read.
There are so many things that I loved about The Hooker and the Hermit, so I am just going to give you a few of the highlights. And before we start that, get your minds out of the gutter- this kind of hooker is the rugby equivalent of a quarterback. Ok, back to the things that I loved about The Hooker and the Hermit. First, and most importantly it is such a well written book. I love Penny Reid, and now L.H. Cosway's writing style. They make me feel like I along for the ride with Annie and Ronan, like I really know them in real life. These are the kinds of writers were you will find the most realistic book boyfriends and bookish best friends.
Another thing I loved was the way they infused humor into the story. Annie is a clutz and is very socially awkward, so that makes for some hilarious scenes. I am thinking in particular about a certain bakery scene that still has me giggling. And I really, really loved the little tweets, and definitions of different ways to take photos with your cell phone on the sly. They cracked me up because I could imagine Annie doing all of them. Annie is famous celebrity blogger, who uses good natured humor to poke fun of male celebs. And Ronan was one of her victims on the blog early on. You can see on the front cover. the way she dissects her male guests in her posts.
Annie is super quirky and cute. She sends her emails in infographic form! I want to do that now. haha. And I loved how much Ronan was completely besotted by her. Speaking of Ronan, can I even just say he is my ideal male lead in books. He is strong and sweet, and has that touch of possessive jealousy that gets my heart beating a little faster. Ronan and Annie are such a treat to read about. I want more from them!! Do yourself a favor and read this book. And if you have not read any of Penny Reid's books, you are really, really, reallllyyy missing out.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Obsessed. That is one word to describe how I have become with all of Penny Reid's books. This is the third one that I have read from her and I think every single one of them got 5 star reviews from me. That is crazy! I am a huge fan of her blend of comedy, wittiness and romance. It is something that seems to work for me every single time. I didn't even know this was a collaboration between Penny Reid and L.H. Cosway until I started to put this post together. Now I have another author on my radar. I must find some more of L.H. Cosway's books to read.
There are so many things that I loved about The Hooker and the Hermit, so I am just going to give you a few of the highlights. And before we start that, get your minds out of the gutter- this kind of hooker is the rugby equivalent of a quarterback. Ok, back to the things that I loved about The Hooker and the Hermit. First, and most importantly it is such a well written book. I love Penny Reid, and now L.H. Cosway's writing style. They make me feel like I along for the ride with Annie and Ronan, like I really know them in real life. These are the kinds of writers were you will find the most realistic book boyfriends and bookish best friends.
Another thing I loved was the way they infused humor into the story. Annie is a clutz and is very socially awkward, so that makes for some hilarious scenes. I am thinking in particular about a certain bakery scene that still has me giggling. And I really, really loved the little tweets, and definitions of different ways to take photos with your cell phone on the sly. They cracked me up because I could imagine Annie doing all of them. Annie is famous celebrity blogger, who uses good natured humor to poke fun of male celebs. And Ronan was one of her victims on the blog early on. You can see on the front cover. the way she dissects her male guests in her posts.
Annie is super quirky and cute. She sends her emails in infographic form! I want to do that now. haha. And I loved how much Ronan was completely besotted by her. Speaking of Ronan, can I even just say he is my ideal male lead in books. He is strong and sweet, and has that touch of possessive jealousy that gets my heart beating a little faster. Ronan and Annie are such a treat to read about. I want more from them!! Do yourself a favor and read this book. And if you have not read any of Penny Reid's books, you are really, really, reallllyyy missing out.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
3.5/5
Sing for Me is the first book in the new adult supernatural series, the Angels and Arias series. As you may have guessed it, this is an angels and demons type of battle story with some romance. But there is also a pretty different twist on the story. It centers around a lovely angel named Madeline, and she is a choir angel. She sings and provides the vocal entertainment in her home of the realm. But a rogue angel is chasing down the choirs (I am not really sure why) and so she is in hiding. So a lot of the story centers around music and theater, which I thought was a nice balance to all of the doom and gloom of fighting demons. Sing for Me was a lovely story, and looks like I series that I would really enjoy.
I adored Madeline, and Damascus really. Both of them were so different that I almost have no idea what drew each of them to the other, but when they are together it is hard to even think about anyone else in the picture. They were that intense. I liked the whole cast of characters that Gracie Madison came up with. I even loved to hate Danielle. I think it will be awesome to see more of the other hunters in the next book. Sing for Me is told from multiple perspectives. I do kind of wish that the chapters had a character label at the start, so that the readers would easily be able to tell right away whose perspective we were seeing the world from. Even without the labels, it was easy to follow along, and I have to say that I really enjoyed this take on the whole angels and demons story. I loved how choir angels have such powerful, and immensely dangerous, voices. I feel like we only touched on the tip of the iceberg of this world and what their voices can really do. I hope we learn some more about that and about why hunters and choirs are so forbidden, in the next book.
Sing for Me is a solid read. I am certainly interested in continuing on in the series. There is not a major cliffhanger, but it does set up the next book nicely. Madeline and Damascus have a tons of ups and downs that they go through in the story. It is clear as day that they have strong feelings for each other, but the realm forbids them from being together. All for vague doom and gloom type reasons. But even so, there is a really nice romance in the story. It was my favorite part, in fact. I really like the two of them. You know which bad guy I kind of wanted to see more of though? The main baddies right hand man- the demon in the cafe scene with the waitress. He really piqued my interest. If you are a fan of supernatural books and angel stories with musical twist, you should check out Sing for Me. It will be a great fit for you.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
3.5/5
Sing for Me is the first book in the new adult supernatural series, the Angels and Arias series. As you may have guessed it, this is an angels and demons type of battle story with some romance. But there is also a pretty different twist on the story. It centers around a lovely angel named Madeline, and she is a choir angel. She sings and provides the vocal entertainment in her home of the realm. But a rogue angel is chasing down the choirs (I am not really sure why) and so she is in hiding. So a lot of the story centers around music and theater, which I thought was a nice balance to all of the doom and gloom of fighting demons. Sing for Me was a lovely story, and looks like I series that I would really enjoy.
I adored Madeline, and Damascus really. Both of them were so different that I almost have no idea what drew each of them to the other, but when they are together it is hard to even think about anyone else in the picture. They were that intense. I liked the whole cast of characters that Gracie Madison came up with. I even loved to hate Danielle. I think it will be awesome to see more of the other hunters in the next book. Sing for Me is told from multiple perspectives. I do kind of wish that the chapters had a character label at the start, so that the readers would easily be able to tell right away whose perspective we were seeing the world from. Even without the labels, it was easy to follow along, and I have to say that I really enjoyed this take on the whole angels and demons story. I loved how choir angels have such powerful, and immensely dangerous, voices. I feel like we only touched on the tip of the iceberg of this world and what their voices can really do. I hope we learn some more about that and about why hunters and choirs are so forbidden, in the next book.
Sing for Me is a solid read. I am certainly interested in continuing on in the series. There is not a major cliffhanger, but it does set up the next book nicely. Madeline and Damascus have a tons of ups and downs that they go through in the story. It is clear as day that they have strong feelings for each other, but the realm forbids them from being together. All for vague doom and gloom type reasons. But even so, there is a really nice romance in the story. It was my favorite part, in fact. I really like the two of them. You know which bad guy I kind of wanted to see more of though? The main baddies right hand man- the demon in the cafe scene with the waitress. He really piqued my interest. If you are a fan of supernatural books and angel stories with musical twist, you should check out Sing for Me. It will be a great fit for you.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net**
Stupid Boy is the second book in the New Adult contemporary romance series, Stupid in Love. It is a companion book to Stupid Girl, and features totally new characters. Olivia and Brax, the couple from the main book showed up throughout the story and were connected to the two new characters in Stupid Boy, which was a nice addition. Stupid Girl made my favorites of 2014. I loved it so much! I really liked Stupid Boy a lot too, but it was hard to recreate the love that I felt for Olivia and Brax. So if I had to pick, I would say that I enjoyed this book less than the first book, but only by a little.
One part that was bugging me, was that I couldn't figure out where Harper connected from Stupid Girl. She wasn't Olivia's roommate from the first book, but she did seem to know Olivia and Brax, but I just couldn't place her. Maybe it was never explained, maybe they just know each other from being classmates or something. But if someone does know who she was in the first book, please let me know. Kane was an easy connection. He is Brax's foster brother. I loved the little backstory at the start of the book showing Brax and Kane's first meeting when they were younger. I thought it was really sweet.
Harper and Kane have both led tough lives, with different kinds of abuse. Stupid Boy felt darker and dealt with some tougher issues than Stupid Girl. It also felt like a shorter book. Which is super weird because they are each listed on goodreads as being 332 pages. What I loved the most about Harper and Kane was that they were each instantly able to see past the other's defenses. They recognized something haunted in the other person and they identified with it. But their connection never felt like insta-love. It was just that, a shared connection. It was actually very moving.
The Stupid in Love Series is an excellent addition to the new adult genre. The romances are rich and gratifying. These are feel good books and they are so well done. If you have not read this series yet, you need to. But start with Stupid Girl. Each of the books work as standalones and can be read independently, but Stupid Girl is so amazing. So trust me and read that one first. Stupid Boy is a high quality romance between two tortured individuals.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs
Stupid Boy is the second book in the New Adult contemporary romance series, Stupid in Love. It is a companion book to Stupid Girl, and features totally new characters. Olivia and Brax, the couple from the main book showed up throughout the story and were connected to the two new characters in Stupid Boy, which was a nice addition. Stupid Girl made my favorites of 2014. I loved it so much! I really liked Stupid Boy a lot too, but it was hard to recreate the love that I felt for Olivia and Brax. So if I had to pick, I would say that I enjoyed this book less than the first book, but only by a little.
One part that was bugging me, was that I couldn't figure out where Harper connected from Stupid Girl. She wasn't Olivia's roommate from the first book, but she did seem to know Olivia and Brax, but I just couldn't place her. Maybe it was never explained, maybe they just know each other from being classmates or something. But if someone does know who she was in the first book, please let me know. Kane was an easy connection. He is Brax's foster brother. I loved the little backstory at the start of the book showing Brax and Kane's first meeting when they were younger. I thought it was really sweet.
Harper and Kane have both led tough lives, with different kinds of abuse. Stupid Boy felt darker and dealt with some tougher issues than Stupid Girl. It also felt like a shorter book. Which is super weird because they are each listed on goodreads as being 332 pages. What I loved the most about Harper and Kane was that they were each instantly able to see past the other's defenses. They recognized something haunted in the other person and they identified with it. But their connection never felt like insta-love. It was just that, a shared connection. It was actually very moving.
The Stupid in Love Series is an excellent addition to the new adult genre. The romances are rich and gratifying. These are feel good books and they are so well done. If you have not read this series yet, you need to. But start with Stupid Girl. Each of the books work as standalones and can be read independently, but Stupid Girl is so amazing. So trust me and read that one first. Stupid Boy is a high quality romance between two tortured individuals.
This review was originally posted on Book Briefs