Fates and Chaos are the first and second books of the Fates series by Lanie Bross and I have decided that I am going to do this review combining both books since I was able to read these books back to back. I have to admit, I enjoyed both books but I think Fates (book 1) edged out Chaos by a smidge. Please be warned – there are some things that I might mention that could be spoilers so definitely continue reading at your own risk.

Fates kicks off the series by introducing the reader to Corinthe. I was immediately drawn into her story because of the way Bross introduced us to who she really is and although there are a number of other characters, this story really belongs to Corinthe. See, Corinthe was a Fate and has been exiled to Humana for the last 10 years and her role as an Executor has been to help fate along so that she could eventually go back to Pyralis Terra…or so she thought.

Turns out she was really just a pawn in a larger objective that her Guardian, Miranda had been plotting in support of the rebellion. Miranda has invested a lot of time and effort into getting Corinthe to do what she wanted her to do and Lucas, who is introduced early on in the book, plays a large part in making sure Miranda’s plans work out. Miranda has tied their fates together by bringing Luc’s sister, Jasmine, into the mix and as he and Corinthe search for a way to save her.

As the story moves along, we find out what Miranda is really up to but I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book was the world building that Bross did throughout as she described each of the worlds that Corinthe and Luc moved through in an effort to save his sister. We also see the way that Corinthe changes as she begins to realize she wants more than just to go back to her sister Fates…now she has realized that Luc is just as (if not more) important to her.

As Fates comes to a close, things are a bit crazy for these characters and Corinthe gives the ultimate sacrifice to save Luc’s sister. With that in mind, Luc has decided he is going to do whatever he can to bring her back.

Chaos is Luc’s opportunity to bring Corinthe back but there is an added twist. Because Jasmine doesn’t remember anything about what happened when she was taken by Miranda, she is unaware of what Luc has been up to. All she knows is that Luc is acting weird, her dad is going to rehab, and now there are some people she doesn’t know following her around trying to hurt her.

As Jasmine tries learns more about what she missed during the days of her captivity and why time is jumping around so much, she ends up relying on a guy named Ford to help her out. He definitely has a story and we know very little about him. As the stories intertwine, the things Luc does have an impact on Jasmine as he causes time to jump around on her. The jumps help her figure out who she is, what is going on, and what she needs to do to get things back to normal.

As for the characters, I liked Jasmine but I had a hard time believing that she is 15. Maybe the intent was to have her seem older due to the life she has had but she always seemed much older than her actual age. Ford was an interesting character as well. We don’t really learn a lot about him outside of the fact that he is a Radical who believes like Miranda does, that no one should dictate how others live or die.

Similar to Fates, Bross does a great job of building out the worlds in this book. I also thought the story had some good progression. One of the things that does happen that did drive me crazy is the insta-love…both between Luc/Corinthe and Jasmine/Ford.

I can’t say much about the details in this book only because I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone. I found these books to be entertaining and the story interesting. There is plenty of action and a bit of romance all tied together into a story with wonderful world building and an interesting take on fate. Consider checking this series out when you can.

3.5 on this one I think.

Review to come.

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay was one of those books that I kept hearing about and once I read the synopsis I instantly wanted to read it - I was not disappointed.

Aurora is the daughter of Sleeping Beauty and she is on a quest to save her brother when she decides to use Prince Niklaas to help her on her mission. Aurora is blessed with strength but the flip side of this is that she also has to live with the burden of a curse. Basically, any man who kisses her loses their free will.

You’re probably wondering why I am mentioning this. Well, Niklaas happens to be on a mission of his own - which is to break the spell his father has cast upon Niklaas and every one of his older brothers. In order to do this, he needs to marry a princess in order to remove the threat of inheriting the throne from his father…guess what happens!

I enjoyed the characters in this book. Aurora is smart, loyal, and willing to do what she needs to in order to protect the people she loves. Niklaas was a solid character as well. Admittedly, the thing I loved most about him was the way he would talk to Aurora when he thought she was her brother. Niklaas is snarky and funny but he also realizes how serious his situation is which makes him very determined. When he realizes that Aurora really is the princess, he is clearly upset and willing to walk away from her because of his inability to trust her.

As the story progresses, we learn more about the blessing/curse that Aurora has to live with as well as the one that Niklaas has to live with. We also see the friendship develop which I enjoyed. As I mentioned, the parts I enjoyed most were when Niklaas had no idea he was talking to a girl. From Aurora’s point of view, we see the friendship turning into something more and eventually, when Niklaas realizes who she really is and after her life is threatened, he comes to view her as more as well. Of course, things happen that I can’t necessarily disclose for fear of ruining the book but things aren’t necessarily easy for either of these characters.

The queen’s storyline was interesting and I found myself wanting to know more. We did learn about how she captured souls and what was really going on but there were only brief snippets mixed in with the rest of the story. I did like how we got to see that she also struggled with who she was destined to be and what was really driving her…which I thought added a great layer to the story.

If you are looking for a story that has action, some magic, and great characters, definitely check this one out. I was unable to put this one down and found myself chuckling at a number of the passages.

Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy.

Review to come.

2.5 I think.

This one was a bit odd and I have to admit wasn't expecting the "thing" that happened to be what it turned out to be. The character's voice was interesting but it was a bit frustrating how obsessed she was with her mom's beauty. Overall I found myself curious about what happened and how things would turn out for Sephora but I can't necessarily say I loved this book. I felt like there were a number of things left unresolved and I found it frustrating.

Interesting read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Ahhh....that ending!!!

Blackout by Meredith McCardle is the second book in the Annum Guard series and I have been waiting (a bit impatiently) for this book to come out. Not only because I love time-travel books but because the mystery of what is going to happen next with these characters always keeps me turning the pages. Keep in mind that if you haven’t read book one, this review might mention some things that you might not want to know yet.

Amanda Obermann is Iris and she still a member of the Annum Guard, a covert government organization that keeps history on track, and things are necessarily going as she had hoped they would once Alpha was killed. Now Jane Bonner is the interim leader and she is definitely making things difficult – for everyone. It is hard for Amanda to believe Bonner is there to make things better and as Amanda continues to dig into who she is and why she is now in charge, she finds out some interesting things.

The one bright spot for Amanda is that Abe now works for the Guard too even though it has created a tense situation with his grandfather. Abe balances Amanda out and while she continues to figure out what is going on with the guard as well as what to do with her mother, she is able to lean on Abe and he provides support, guidance, and at times, a bit of tough love to help Amanda figure things out.

As the guard continues to go on missions, things begin to get dangerous due to the fact that the guardians are disappearing and no one knows what really is happening to them. Amanda covertly begins working with Red to figure out what is really going on and what Bonner is up to and finds out some very interesting things about not only those individuals with the Annum Guard now but also those that started the organization.

McCardle does a wonderful job of pulling the reader into the time-travel by providing some great descriptions and keeping the story moving. I found myself turning the pages just to find out what was going to happen next - I wanted to know what else Amanda was going to find out. The mysteries really help move the story but I also love that there is a lot of action too and not just a history lesson – and this is from someone who loves history.

I thought this was a great second book that helped move the story forward and was happy to see that there was a great mix of action, character development, and story progression. Relationships change along the way and major things happen – I know that is so, so vague but I can’t say what without really giving anything away…so I won’t. Just trust me when I say, if you haven’t started this series, you should get started. I loved everything that McCardle did with this story, even if the end of this book almost killed me (figuratively…obviously). I have no idea what will happen next for Amanda and am excited to see what McCardle does next with this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Skyscape for the review copy!

Let me start this review by saying…I loved this story. It had everything I love in a YA novel, a bit of mystery, some romance, and the politics of navigating high school. Richards created some interesting characters and a very realistic situation while creating a story that had me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

Piper is in her senior year of high school and just counting the days to graduation so she can get to the college of her choice and focus on her photography. She has always been at the bottom of the popularity ladder…not quite the bottom, but close enough. Piper’s closest friends are Manny and Tacey…both of whom are on the yearbook staff with her.

I loved Piper. She is smart, sarcastic/snarky, and really loves the people in her life. Yes, she has her flaws…one of them being the fact that she is fairly judgmental with good reason. All her life the popular kids have bullied or made her life hellish, which is part of the reason she can’t wait to get away. But with that in mind, it is very clear that as the story progresses that this is something that she is using to help justify the reasons why she does certain things.

As the story kicks off, Piper finds a mysterious notebook on the steps at school and while it happens to be in code, there is a lot of information stored in the notebook that Piper is uncomfortable having. Despite that, she doesn’t turn it in and this is the beginning of the mysteries that she works to unravel. That same day, Piper witnesses a verbal attack by the popular boys (Jackson, Tate, and Nick – in all fairness, the attack was by Tate and Jackson and Nick was completely taken by surprise) on Stella, one of the most popular girls in school. We come to find out that one of the boys is her boyfriend and he had just seen a video of Stella having sex with someone other than him. A few days later, it is found out that Stella was hit by a train and dies.

Stella’s death leads Piper to believe that she should have done something and opens up the door for all the guilty feelings she carries throughout the story. As the story moves forward, we also find out that Nick is feeling guilty as well. He has also been noticing Piper and even though Piper thinks it is fairly sudden that he is paying attention to her, he implies that it is only sudden because she is finally noticing him. I will definitely talk more about Nick in a minute but getting back to the story, because of her guilt, when Piper receives a mysterious text about getting some justice for Stella and this pulls Piper into something she never expected.

I loved the characters that Richards’ created in this story. In addition to Piper, there is Manny, her best friend. He has a tough life and it’s clear he is on a slightly different path than Piper. He is ok with it but she isn’t and this is one of the things in their friendship that creates tension and as they get closer to graduation, becomes even more of an issue. While there wasn’t much of Manny on his own, the friendship between Manny and Piper was great.

Nick is another solid character and I loved how the relationship/friendship between him and Piper progressed. While Piper had feelings, she was a bit leery about trusting him…mostly because he was one of the popular kids. I loved how he called her out on it though and the fact that he didn’t let her get away with it was important. I think Nick is one of those characters that everyone can love…he might be too perfect but I honestly don’t care. He is smart, athletic, and has a personality. Plus, he totally calls Piper out on her crap like this….

“Well, I guess we can chitchat about all the common interests we probably don’t have.” I’m trying for playful and coming off all wrong. I used to be better at this, I think.

He laughs anyway. “Well, I’m not sure how you could know since you’ve never asked about my intersts.”

Point to Nick for rolling with the punches. He smiles and it warms me all over.

“You’re right. What are you interested in, Nick?”

“You, for starters.” His smirk makes him look like trouble. It also renders me incapable of speech.



Outside of the characters and the budding relationship between Piper and Nick, there is a great story and mystery around who is sending the messages to Piper as well as who owns the notebook she found. As the story moves forward, we learn more about it all and our eyes are opened right alongside Piper’s.

If you are looking for a great story with a bit of mystery, some action, and some swoony parts, I recommend you check this one out. I was unable to put it down and despite guessing who was behind the text messages, I still found myself unable to put the book down. Definitely check this one out when you can!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!

4.5 stars.

After completing Dangerous Girls, I jumped at the opportunity to read Abigail Haas’ Dangerous Boys. I mean, I devoured (Yep…really) Dangerous Girls and didn’t think it would be any different for this book and really the only difference for me this time around was that I just knew a twist was coming. No worries – I’m not going to give anything away.


Chloe is the main character and she is determined to get out of Haverford, Indiana. She doesn’t have a great home life since her father left her mom and I have to admit, I felt a bit sorry for her at times. It is clear her dad has checked out of her life and her mom is completely lost. As Chloe finds she has to step up and be the adult, she also realizes her dreams of leaving Haverford might be just that. As the book moves forward, we definitely see a lot of different sides to Chloe.

Spoiler

I got the sense that she wanted to be the girl Ethan thought she was but really underneath it all, she really was the person Oliver thought she was. And that is all I can say about that.

As the book opens, we are also introduced to Ethan. He and his family recently moved to town as his dad owns the construction company working on the land development project that is mentioned in the summary of the book. He is truly a good guy and thinks he finds the perfect girlfriend in Chloe and honestly, for a while I am on board with him. Things definitely take a turn though when Chloe starts to learn more about Ethan’s brother, Oliver.


I don’t even know what to say about Oliver that won’t give anything away. He is an intriguing character and I think the more interesting one in the story. The relationship he has with his parents and brother is obviously strained but the question remains, did he end up how he was because of his childhood or was it always inside of him? I still don’t have an answer and to be honest, I think the same question could be asked about Chloe.


It is tough to mention much about this story without giving anything away so I won’t. Just note that as the summary also mentions, things come to a head between Oliver, Ethan, and Chloe and only one of the boys survives the fire. As a reader, you don’t know who right away and you don’t know what really went down but through Chloe, we learn what happened.

Definitely check this one out when you can. If you enjoyed Dangerous Girls I think you will like this one too as Haas creates characters that are at times likeable and unlikable and a story that kept me wondering what was really going on.

Thank you to the author for the review copy.

Holy crap! Review to come.

4.5 stars

My Beautiful Enemy is the first historical romance I have read by Sherry Thomas and I have to say I will absolutely read more. I have read her YA Fantasy and loved it so I’m not at all surprised that I enjoyed this story. Yes, it is definitely a different genre but Thomas does a wonderful job of developing these characters and I loved that this book didn’t fall into the standard historical romance formula.

Catherine Blade is new to England and on a mission. She is hunting down two jade tablets that someone she knew had in his possession. Unfortunately when he passed away, she had no idea where to find them and her hunt has led her to England. As her ship docks and her travel companions bring her with them ashore, she ends up face to face with the only man she has ever loved…and lost.

I liked Catherine. As a woman growing up in 19th century China, she clearly is not considered your normal young woman. She is a fighter and independent but as the step-daughter of a very influential man, she is kept locked away for a good portion of her life. When she finally does get the opportunity to spread her wings, she crosses paths with someone she refers to as the “Persian” (if you didn't guess, this is Leighton) and eventually they come to rely on each other…and then fall in love. The challenge is that they both have secrets and as they make assumptions and/or find more out about the other, they end up making decisions that impact the rest of their lives.

As I mentioned, Catherine is tough and when she does realize she loves the Persian, she is willing to give up everything she has ever known for him. She is loyal and despite the bravado she has, she is also vulnerable and I was right there with her for all the ups and downs she experienced.

Trust me when I say there is a lot going on in this story. As I mentioned, Catherine is on a mission but she also has an assassin tracking and threatening her. At the same time, when she runs into her “Persian” she is dealing with all of the emotions that come with that reunion. Due to some circumstances around their split, Catherine never thought she would see him again. In addition to all of this, she is faced with the fact that the man she has always loved is now engaged to another woman who, although she is friendly, is definitely not a fan of their covert conversations.

I don’t want to give everything away here so I won’t say much more but I have to say I loved how Thomas wove current time together with the chapters from the past. It really showed how Catherine/Ying Ying and Leighton ended up meeting and eventually ending up in love. It also gave just enough background to show me why they both faced the challenges they did. If there was one thing I wanted to know more about, it was Leighton’s backstory. Thomas told us how he ended up living with his uncle while his younger brother left with his mother, but I wanted to know more about why that was the case…hopefully I didn’t just miss it. Maybe just a minor plot point but still, I was confused as to why this was the case.

Another thing I enjoyed was how Thomas takes the reader to China and India versus just basing this in England. Based on my limited exposure, it seems very rare that historical romance ventures into these locations and it was great to learn more about those locations/cultures.

If you enjoy historical romance, definitely check this one out. Sherry Thomas creates some interesting characters who face some pretty daunting challenges while still keeping the “romance” feel to it. I loved the layers Thomas created within this story and look forward to reading more of her books from this genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the review copy.