I love the Daughters of Zeus series. The way the second book ended, I knew this book was going to be an action and fighting filled book, and I also wasn't sure if it was going to be the last book in the series or not. I mean, they were fighting Zeus! He is the big guy, so I didn't really know where it could go after him. I liked this installment in the series, and I think there is going to be another book because at the end, something new, mysterious and powerful was alluded to. I have to know what it is, what could it possibly be? Ok back to the Iron Queen. I really enjoyed this book and fans of the series will love it too, but I would have been over the moon for a Hades and Persephone love fest from the first page to the last. Alas, that is not the case. Persephone is always getting herself into trouble it seems and in this book she got herself into a huge jam.

But the cool thing was, pretty much all of the gods came together to fight their common enemy. This meant we got to see characters galore. I loved Kaitlin Bevis' depictions of all of the gods. All of the original characters from the first two books are back, but we also got to meet Ares, Hephaestus, Athena, Artemis, Adonis, and more. And we did get to see plenty of Hades. That guy just melts me a little bit. I loved seeing how heated he was over Persephone. Their connection is really something else. He would do anything for that girl. Not that he needs to- Persephone is pretty scary when she wants to be. She has so much untapped power, but she is still one of the most kind and generous people. And super strong. No one can doubt that after see what she goes through in this book. Gone is the slightly whiny teenager. She really comes into her own in The Iron Queen. I loved watching her grow.

I was sad about some of the things that happened in the story but it was pretty much non-stop action and fighting so it is natural that there will be a few casualties along the way. Still, I have become so attached to all of the characters that I didn't want to see any of them go. A lot of questions are answered in this book and a lot of loose ends are tied up nicely- especially when it comes to Aphrodite. I can't believe it when I say that I actually came to like her. She grows on you once you start to understand her a little better. The Iron Queen is a great addition tot he Daughters of Zeus series. There is lots of series storyline progression, and good character growth. I wanted more Hades and Persephone, but I realize that would have been impossible since they were apart for almost the whole story. The ending left me wanting the next book. The last scene was all just so mysterious and I am stumped as to what it was referring to. One thing is for sure- I can't wait to find out!

If you have not read a book by Nadia Simonenko yet, you NEED to. Her lost and found series was one of my favorite duologies ever, so I jumped at the chance to read her new contemporary romance, Chasing Wishes. And it did not disappoint at all. Nadia is the queen of writing emotional books that make you feel every emotion imaginable. I can't get enough of her words.

Chasing Wishes is the story of Nina/Irene and Isaac/Terrance. They fell in love in high school against all odds. And if that wasn't a sweet enough story that was just the beginning. Nina was ripped away by child protection services and forced to change her name, and just like that she lost Isaac. Isaac went blind and changes his identity as well. Fate brings them back together years and years later but they don't know who the other one is. Both of them have grown up and Isaac is blind so he has no reason to belive Irene is really his Nina. And Nina knows that Terrance reminds her so much of Isaac but he has changed a lot in the years gone and she doesn't believe that it is him. I completely understood why Isaac didn't know it was Nina but my only hold up with the story was why Nina couldn't figure it out. She could SEE Terrance. I would have thought that she would have been able to figure it out, but there were a couple of times where she did "test" him to see if he was Isaac and to her credit he didn't pass the tests.

The magic in this story is the love story. Both the love story of how strong the love was between Nina and Isaac that after all this time. They were both still so hung up on the other person. It was really sweet. But then there is this whole other layer of Irene and Terrance's love story. You can instantly see the intensity of their connection, but they are both still hesitant for various reasons. Chasing Wishes is beautifully written. Nadia Simonenko had this insane talent for writing the most powerful characters. Her description and eye for detail bring the story to life. This is now 3 out of 3 books that have blown me away by Nadia. She is on my must read list for sure. One of my favorite authors. Fans of emotional contemporaries with perfectly damaged characters and a kick butt love story, need to check out Chasing Wishes. You will love it.

Something Great blew my socks off. It is a too good to be true love story, but one that totally worked for me. Something Great just made me smile from start to stop. Max is the sweetest guys on earth. He is something great for sure. Jenna is the main character and the whole book is through her point of view, and I really did connect with Jenna, but for me the real star of the book was Max. I just lurve him so. If you like feel good romances this is THE BOOK for you!

Jenna has been hurt in the past and is has given her some major trust issues with guys. She was always shy and reversed but then when she finally opened up in college to her first major boyfriend, he cheated on her with her freakin' roommate of all people, and it really did a number on her. She threw her wall up big time and I didn't think that anyone would be able to break it down. She only dates super safe, or boring as her best friend would say, guys that she thinks won't ever hurt her. But it just seemed like she was coasting through life. She wasn't excited about anything or anyone. Then she starts a new job at Knight magazine and the real excitement starts for her.

Max seems to love Jenna at first sight. Since we see the book only through Jenna's eyes it was a little hard to trust that he was so genuine and good at first. She didn't want to start anything and she thought that he would hurt her. But right from the start he says the cutest things, and he is always looking out for her and taking care of her. He keeps a little secret that he is kind of a big deal at her job, it complicates things. But only for Jenna. She is so serious about her job and she was worried about dating anyone from work, but I would have been more worried about dating her boss. She didn't seem to care about that, just that he was from her job. I thought a little bit of a bigger deal should have been made that she was getting perks and advantages because of her connections. You know how people talk in the workplace and how rumors are spread. But there really wasn't any of that. But it didn't bug me too much because the love story between Jenna and Max was just so great. I can't wait to read something from Max's Point of View. I think that would just be so swoon-worthy.

Something Great is a feel good romance if I ever did read one. I couldn't get enough of it. There were bumps and turns thrown in, but it was just one of those books where you know the couple belongs together so I didn't ever really think that it wouldn't work out between the two of them. It was just a matter of how it would all end. I could not put this book down and I can't even count how many times I smiled and awe-ed over this book. This book was Something Great.

I have no idea how C.J. Duggan does it. This is the third book in the Boys of Summer series, and I am head over heels in love with the Onslow boys! When I read the first book, I thought this is the cutest couple ever. There is no way I am going to like any other couple as much as this one. And then I read the second book, and it took awhile, but I ended up thinking the same thing. And then I read That One Summer. This book is Tammy and Chris' story. They captured my heart right from the start. I think they ended up being my favorite couple, but I think I still have Onslow boys stars in my eyes, so I might be a bit biased.

Tammy is interesting because she doesn't really feel like a true part of the group. Her best friend is Amy, and Amy is the one that dragged her into the group, and I understand that it was hard for Tammy to be kind of on the outskirts because she is shy and hates confrontation. But I do have to say, she always seemed like a part of the group to me. Everyone always included her and seemed very nice to her. So I never felt like she was an outcast, but she did. Tammy is a such a nice and sweet girl that it was easy to like her. And I did, and then what pushed me up for like to love was seeing her go out and push the edges of her comfort zone. She wasn't always the most comfortable trying new things, but she did it, and that is what matters. Its what made me love her. Plus she is hilarious.

Chris was an easier sell for me. I am a little in love with him myself. He is so smart, and determined, and the responsible one. But he never complains about it, he just quietly takes care of everyone else. And it was so easy to see that he had feelings for Tammy, but holy cow! Sometimes he had a very strange way of showing it. He runs very hot and stoic. I don't want to say cold because he was never really mean. He was either fun loving and sweet or very reserved and void of emotion. And it was super hard to read him when he was holding back. I think that's why Tammy couldn't see that he liked her.

I loved that That One Summer took place on a new years camping road trip. They stopped in a bunch of different places in Austalia before reaching their final destination for new years eve. That One Summer is like a romantic comedy adventure. I can't say enough good things about this series. I want to reccomend it to everyone. The group of friends is so great. They guys are rambunctious and hot and a riot and the romances are beyond adorable. C.J. Duggan keeps upping the bar with each book. I have no idea which is even my favorite- maybe this one.

2014 is off to a great book start! I loved Love Show. This book is everything that I love in the New Adult contemporary romance genre. It has great characters that you can connect with, a smoking romance, and a plot that you will not be able to get enough of. I could not put this book down. I stayed up until after 4 am reading it.

Hadley appears to be your typical straight laced, type A over-achiever, rigid perfectionist. I say that with love, because there may or may not be one or two people who would have said something very similar about me at some point. She has goal oriented tunnel vision. She is editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, and all she wants in life is to become a big time, serious war journalist. And she isn't looking for any distractions, but with a little help from her roommate, she lets loose just for a second and she meets Jack. And that is pretty much all it takes.

I loved how much Jack got under Hadley's skin. Even when she wasn't sure she liked him, he had her acting like the typically girl who was crushing. She even facebook stalked him. It was cute, because it wasn't fitting with her initial persona at all. And she is still very much a serious student after they meet up again, but there is also a love story kind of sneaking its' way into both of their hearts. As much as Hadley didn't want to admit it.

I loved the relationship between Jack and Hadley. Even though it was called friends with benefits and even though Hadley had a ton of rules for Jack to follow, you got to see the two of them really getting to know each other. They became great friends. They became part of each others lives. Hadley seemed like the guy out of the two of them. Jack was the one with feelings. I just loved seeing him in the more typical "girl" role. I'm not sure that makes sense, but I just loved the dynamic between the two of them. It made the whole story. They were like magic.


Love Show was not just 100% about Jack and Hadley. There was also the sub plot of Hadley's roommate. I liked that storyline too, but it was very secondary to the main relationship in my eyes. In the book, it played a pretty important role, but it still was able to take back stage for me. The only little snag I was able to find, was that once or twice little details were missing. For example, Hadley said at one point that she didn't want a relationship and then she was the one making things "exclusive" between her and Jack, and I had to go back an few pages because I was sure I missed something. And then Jack made an exclusive joke and it just seemed to be something both of them knew, but I couldn't find a reference to. But like I said, I am really stretching to come up with that. It was the only inconsistency that I could find, and it was just a tiny little thing. Love Show is a fantastic New Adult romance that will leave you happy, sad, swooning, smiling, and awh-ing throughout it all. I just loved this book. I would recommend it to everyone.

This was the first book of Lisa Burstein's that I've had the pleasure of reading. I freakin' loved it. Candice is one of my favorite female leads that I have read in a long time. She is strong and savvy, but she isn't perfect. She is still hesitant in many ways with herself. Sneaking Candy was about her becoming comfortable with being Candice AND Candy. And I loved the journey that she went on.

I'm from South Florida so I liked that the book took place at the University of Miami (even though I'm not a huge hurricane fan, it was still nice to know the setting of the book.) Candice is a graduate student so she was taking classes as well as teaching classes. This girl seemed busy! But she still has time for a rockin' romance. As soon as I met Candice's professor I thought he was an arrogant jerk. He may have been hot but he was awful. I was really worried that there was going to be some sort of love triangle going on in Sneaking Candy, but I am super happy to report that there was no love triangle. Sneaking Candy was much more about Candice's personal growth and her romantic endeavors included only one, very awesome guy.

Candice was so hesitant about James at first, but I liked him right off the bat. He was cute and more importantly he seemed to be a guy of substance and he just seemed so sweet. I liked how much he seemed to genuinely care about Candice, but that didn't mean he would blindly just do whatever she told him too. He wanted something real and I really respected that. The romance isn't rushed or forced, it takes some time to develop and more than one curve ball is thrown their way but I loved reading about the two of them.

Lisa Burstein has such a gift with words. The writing in Sneaking Candy was wonderful. More than once I thought, "that would be an awesome quote to blurb somewhere." And I don't normally think that with books. Sneaking Candy is a fun and sexy read, but don't let that fool you. It isn't just frivolous fun, it has so much substance too. I kind of saw it as a second coming of age story for Candice. She had to learn to accept her "other half" as well. I am addicted to Sneaking Candy.

Wow two awesome books in a row. I am on such a great book streak. Persephone was fantastic. It is no secret that I love mythology books, and I am super excited that there seem to be more and more of them popping up in the young adult age group. But Persephone, while staying very true to the original myths and stories of the gods, gave a modern spin on the description of the underworld. The whole setting just seemed revamped, and I think it is my favorite layout and concept of the underworld and Hades that I have read to date. I just loved the idea of the asphodel fields, where the majority of the people end up, being like the suburbs. The really evil people get weeded out and the truly fabulous and heroic go on to elysian fields and the rest live out the days of their afterlife much like the days of their death. Some of them open up hobby shops and food shops and little boutiques, and it just all seemed very modern and comforting. Which was great, because a majority of the story takes place in the underworld. Persephone started to come into her goddess nature, and she was all too unaware of what she was (I've noticed that a lot in stories lately)and she unknowingly attacked the attention of the wrong God, so Hades came to her rescue. And that's all just in the first 10%

Persephone is a great character. She is strong and forceful, and maybe just a teeny bit rash, but it makes her fun. She is flawed, but she is only 16. I loved watching her train and mature and really come into her own throughout this story. And I loved watching her interact with Hades. The two of them just knew exactly how to push each others buttons, and get a rise out of the other one. It was so much fun to read about. I loved the two of them. You could see the slow but steady growth of feelings on Persephone's end. The romance is not rushed in the slightest. It is actually very slow, but it makes perfect sense the way Hades described it. They are immortal, they have forever to figure things out. I actually liked the slow and tentative courtship that they had.

Hades is kind but he has a pretty fierce dark streak running through him. He is not someone that I want to mess with, and he is certainly someone that I want on my side. He is so loyal to his friends. I admired that about him. And I lived for those rare moments when he would let his emotions show for just a split second. One of my favorite scenes was when Persephone was in his dream scape and she found a picture of her self and he was so scared about what she was seeing. He was embarrassed. It was adorable.

Persephone is the first book in the Daughters of Zeus series and I can already tell that is going to be a favorite series of mine. I am already itching to get my hands on the next book. The ending of this one had one part that I completely did not see coming. It made me sad. I need to see where that storyline is going in the books. Kaitlin Bevis has a real hit with Persephone. It is a must read for fans of mythology. Awesome book!

I really liked My Ex From Hell, the first book in the trilogy. I thought it was a unique twist on greek mythology while still remaining true to the stories and gods and goddesses, and My Date From Hell raised the bar even more! I totally loved the second book in the Blooming Goddess Trilogy. My Date from Hell picks up right after My Ex from Hell left off and it starts off with a bang. Sophie is hanging out with Zeus and lets just say it wasn't a social call. In fact, that was one of the things that I appreciated most about the story. So many mythology books have Hades and Zeus being all lovey dovey. Powerful, but nice, but in reality the head honchos of the gods have always traditionally been depicted as being aloof from humanity. They don't care for them one bit, except as their playthings. I thought Tellulah Darling did a great job with her characterizations Zeus and Hades.

Sophie is just as much of a spitfire in this book as she was in the first one. I loved that she just would not back down; from anyone or anything. Her spunk and attitude is what made me fall in love with her and Im pretty sure it's what Kai ended up liking the most about her too. Speaking of Kai, I was all set to hate on him for what he did at the end of the last book, but then right at the start of this story he has to go being all adorable and wounded and has a good reason for his actions and all that annoying stuff that made me go mushy and like him even more! I loved watching Kai and Sophie in this book. They are on an extended quest, just the way I like it in my mythology books, and basically it was chocked full of awesome Kai and Sophie moments that kept me smiling and laughing. I really enjoyed that throughout the story random things would trigger Sophie's Persephone memories. It was like getting tidbits into her past life, and slowly she was piecing things together.

Theo and Hannah and the whole old gang are in My Date from Hell, and they were just as great as before. but what's even better is we get to meet a whole bunch of new gods and goddesses along their journey. And they were hilarious! The dialogue in My Date From Hell was witty and snappy and extremely enjoyable. I liked the brisk pace of the story and I liked how funny the characters were. She reminds me of Meg Cabot, with all of her wise cracks and pop culture references. (and anyone that knows me, knows that is a HUGE comparison. I LOVE Meg Cabot!) The Blooming Goddess trilogy is so incredible! I am completely loving it. The ending of My Date from Hell was a humdinger too! I am so sad that I have to wait until 2014 for the next book. I hope it comes out in January. haha.

Nadia Simonenko has found a fan in me. She is now on my must read and watch for author list. Her first book in the Lost and Found series, Lost, absolutely blew me away. It was incredible and powerful and I was at a loss for how to adequately express my love of the book. I could not wait to read the sequel, Found. And I have to say, Found had some pretty big shoes to fill. And it totally delivered. Lost ended up with a temporary happily ever after for our couple, Maria and Owen. Which made me so happy because they truly seemed like they were perfect for each other. But at the end of Lost the author warns us that it is going to still be a bumpy road for the two love birds and that made me nervous. And indeed there were a few bumps in the road in Found, but honestly it would have been a pretty boring book if there wasn't.

Owen and Maria both go through their share of trials and tribulations in Found, and each of them have to learn how to face their own demons. Maria is so there for Owen. Owen is great for Maria too but he does that guy thing of pushing people away when things get hard. He made me want to slam my head into a wall a few times in the book, but eventually he learns. I think that Owen had the most character growth in Found. I felt like Maria grew a little more in the first book, and in this book she was already a pretty strong person. What I loved about both of the books was that it alternates point of views between Owen and Maria so that it really is both of their stories, but I think Lost focused a little more on Maria and her inner demons and Found focuses a little more on Owen and his demons.

The romance in Found was great. Maria and Owen really do complete each other. The bond that they share is incredible. They always seem to know exactly what the other person needs and when they need it. It was so sweet to see. But just like with any couple, they do face a few hiccups and fights along the way. But it just made them seem more realistic in my opinion. Nothing can be perfect all the time. But there are no love triangles, which I really liked because in my mind Owen and Maria belong together and I didn't want to see anyone come between them. The ending of the book is very satisfying as well. It made me smile. I'm not sure if there will be a sequel or not, but it ended at the perfect place in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see more of these characters but I was just so darn happy with the way everything turned out that I would be content with the way things were wrapped up.

The writing in Found is every bit as powerful as it was in Lost. Nadia Simonenko does such a fabulous job evoking emotion with her descriptions. I am in love with her writing. She really has the gift of story telling. I think that the lost and found series is a must read for everyone. (and I don't say that a lot, but I really think that there is something in these books that everyone can relate to and everyone will fall in love with.) Both Lost and Found top my favorites list. Found is one of the best books that I have read this year. (maybe only topped by the first book in the series, Lost.)

The Collector was a book that I just could not wait to get my hands on. I am such a character driven reader and Dante was a character that I just knew I wanted to get to know. And he certainly did not disappoint. He was everything I hoped he would be and more. The Collector takes you all over the place. I loved the amount of description that Victoria Scott writes with. She is awesome at painting a picture. I was never confused or left wanting more out of a scene.

My favorite part about The Collector was the description of the collectors and how the process works. Every bad deed gets a "soul stickers". They can vary in size depending on the severity of the actions. And I also liked that each collector had different colored stickers. Once stickers completely cover someone's soul they can be collected. Really interesting. Dante has a job- he has to collect Charlie. At first Dante is just not very impressed with Charlie, and honestly that gave me a bad taste in my mouth about Dante. And trust me, I really wanted to love Dante. But he seemed kind of shallow. But luckily, he totally redeemed himself pretty quickly and I was right back to loving him. As soon as he started getting to know Charlie, he started questioning why his boss wanted her collected so bad. And the more he got to know her, the more he questioned it. And with every doubt Dante had about Charlie, I loved him a little more. He was a closet softie. He stuck up for her and he looked out for her. It was so cute.

Charlie is such a great girl. She is genuinely a good person. I thought her transformation was bittersweet throughout the story because I thought she was pretty awesome to start with. But watching her with Dante was a lot of fun. You could just see her influence changing him. And it was very natural to me. That is the beauty of Victoria Scott's writing. She has great pacing and story progression. I flew right through this book even though I didn't want it to end. The language is very teenager authentic, but never in an annoying way. Everything just came together- the characters, the romance, the plot, and the writing and it all worked perfectly. The Collector set the bar really high for Victoria Scott. I am so glad that this book lived up to all of my expectations and to the hype. The Collector is a reaper book done right, and it is flippin' awesome- just like Dante himself.