Complete Nothing is the second book in the True Love series by Kieran Scott and it picks up immediately where book one left off. I found myself enjoying this book a bit more than the first one but it is mostly because I already had all the backstory and the book jumped right into Eros’/True’s challenge.

Zeus had made things even more complicated for Eros/True by throwing Orion into the mix on Earth. If you recall, Orion is the reason Eros/True is on Earth and in order to be able to go back to Mount Olympus and save Orion from Zeus’ wrath, she needs to match three couples on Earth…without her powers. She has successfully matched one of the three and she only has two more to go. But now she has to match two more couples and also deal with the fact that Orion doesn’t know who she is and what they mean to each other. Just to make things even more worrisome, Hephaestus has heard that Artemis and Apollo are doing everything they can to get sent to Earth to get their revenge on Eros/True.

As it happens, Peter, the quarterback of the Lake Carmody High football team, decides to break up with his girlfriend Claudia and getting them back together becomes True’s focus over the next week. One of the things that Scott does well is show the progression of the story from multiple characters’ points of view. We follow along with True to see how she is progressing but we also get to find out more about who Peter and Claudia are and what is really going on with them.

I loved the introduction of Peter and Claudia and thought Scott did a great job of reflecting what it is like as a high school senior to not know what you really want to do with your life in Peter and then the exact opposite – knowing exactly what you want to do in Claudia. As we learn more about them, we also find out that their biggest issue right now is that they don’t really talk about all the changes that are coming. So instead of discussing the fears that he has, Peter lashes out and they end up saying things to each other that they immediately regret.

As True is pulled into their world, another mistake happens. True assumes Peter is just being a normal teenage boy who wants to “sow his wild oats” before he goes away for college. If she had spent the time to dig into what was really going on with him instead of assuming what she did, she wouldn’t have encouraged Claudia to make him jealous and begin seeing a boy who Peter considers his nemesis – the quarterback of their crosstown rival, Keegan Traylor.

I won’t go into all of the details here but the story follows these characters as they try to figure out how to either walk away or salvage what is left of their relationship. Both Peter and Claudia realize that they have made some mistakes but they are young and I found myself cheering them on just hoping they would figure everything out.

I will mention that I loved the secondary characters in this book. Lauren, Gavin, Wallace all added to the story. Additionally, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Ares all added to the story and I found the twist that was introduced (which really threw True for a loop) interesting.

If you are looking for a young adult story that includes mythology and a great story, definitely check this series out. The characters are well developed, the story is engaging, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series as I can see that things are about to get even more interesting for True.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

Ezra Faulkner is adjusting to life after an accident takes away his ability to play tennis. For such a long time it has defined who he is and now he doesn't have it going into his senior year of high school. He spent the summer avoiding all of his friends and trying to come to terms with what he will do when he goes back to school.

Cassidy is the new girl and although it is clear she is hiding something, she refuses to talk about it. A number of the kids that Ezra ends up hanging out with know her from her old school because of debate and ultimately she and Ezra become close.

I loved the two of them together. The friendship and banter ultimately turns into more and eventually they are a couple. Another great thing about this book are the secondary characters. Toby was definitely one of my favorites and honestly, the way he is introduced to the story by Ezra has to be one of my favorite character introductions. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but it definitely had me wondering how the rest of the book would be.

Overall this book had me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. It isn't all puppy dogs and rainbows...if you don't care for angst this won't be for you but I truly enjoyed this book. It was wonderful to see Ezra (with the help of Cassidy) come to realize what he wants to do and understand that one thing does not define him entirely.

5 full stars for this book.

Deliverance is the third and final book in the Courier’s Daughter/Defiance trilogy by C.J. Redwine and I have to say I enjoyed how Redwine wrapped this series up. There is quite a bit of action, a heck of a lot of danger, and some swoons. If you enjoyed the first two books in this series, definitely check this one out when you can. Warning: I will do my best to not give anything away here but I can’t guarantee this so be warned if you continue reading…

This book picks up shortly after book two ends with Rachel on her way to Rowansmark with Ian and Logan trapped at Lankenshire. The book alternates every few chapters so that we can see what is going on with Rachel and her journey as well as what is happening with Logan. I was happy to see this because with them separated, I wanted to know all the things that were happening with both.

I absolutely love Rachel. She doesn’t take anyone’s crap and ever since she found out who Ian is and what his purpose was, she has been a thorn in his side. She definitely isn’t a meek prisoner on this journey with Ian and his tracker companions. As they make their way to Rowansmark, Rachel is also aware of the fact that she isn’t on her own. She knows that Quinn is out there somewhere just waiting for a chance to help her. As part of her journey, Rachel makes the decision to send Quinn away because she knows that in order to save and protect Logan (due to things she finds out along the way) she has to get into Rowansmark.

Once there, Rachel finds out what she expected. James Rowan rules with fear. If he doesn’t get the outcome he desires/expects, he does what he feels is necessary to punish the offenders. In the case of Rachel, she definitely doesn’t respect him or fall into line and because of this, she is whipped. She is also thrown into a dungeon where she comes across someone unexpected….(sorry – I can’t say who – you need to read to find out more).

While all of this is happening with Rachel, Logan is also on a journey. Once he is freed from the prison in Lankenshire, he develops sort of a truce (but not really) with the commander. They make a plan to travel to the other city states to request support to build an army so that they can fight Rowansmark. As they get closer and closer to their goal, Logan knows and expects the commander to go against their agreement and betray him so he makes other plans.

Logan has always been a planner and he definitely is still doing it but he is also pretty worried about Rachel and is willing to risk everything to find her and protect her – even though he knows she is perfectly capable of protecting herself. I love this about him and there was a section in the book that I thought explained/described it perfectly.

“Saying that I feel worry for you when you’re in danger is like saying a starving man feels like having a snack. I don’t worry, Rachel. I’m consumed. You’re in every breath I take and so I don’t worry. I agonize. I plan. I reassure myself. And then I plan some more, because I’m not going to stand idly by while men who’ve been corrupted by their fears or their greed destroy the only family I have left.”


Although these two characters were on very different paths throughout the majority of the book, I still loved the story. Don’t get me wrong, I always want more swoony bits…especially with these two, but I thought Redwine did a great job keeping me engaged in this book even though they weren’t together most of the time.

Additionally, I thought the secondary characters were great…as usual. Quinn is traveling with Rachel. Willow is traveling with Logan as is Aaron. He also has Drake, Nola, Smithson, Jodi, Peter, Frankie, and a new character – Connor. Conner was actually one of my favorite new characters. He is smart and not afraid to use his knowledge/smarts to influence things.

On the flip side of this, you have Ian. I know he feels he has a valid reason for the actions he took but I can’t agree and although Rachel continues to fight him and show him how wrong he is that he thinks he did the right thing to a bunch of innocent people, I felt like she was just beating her head against a wall. Ian wasn’t going to hear it and no matter how good he was before his father’s death, he can’t make up for the actions he took that resulted in a number of deaths. Add to that the way he treats Rachel on the way to Rowansmark and I can honestly say…I’m not a fan.



As I mentioned, Rachel and Logan spend most of their time apart but when they finally do come back together I was happy. I mean, there was so much swoon in those chapters that all I can say is all that time apart is definitely made up for in the remaining book when they come back together.

So there you have it. This was a great series that has fantastic characters, lots of action, and a story that kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. Redwine did a wonderful job of wrapping of this series and I will definitely be checking out whatever she decides to write next.

Thank you to @book_junkee (Stacee) for the loan!!

4.5 stars

Deception is book 2 in the Defiance series by C.J. Redwine and it picks up right where book 1 (Defiance) left off. Baalboden has been destroyed by the Cursed One and Logan has become the leader of those who have survived. Rachel is still angry about her father’s death and the Commander is outside the wall just waiting for his opportunity to strike.

Deception brings back a lot of the things that I loved from book one, action, mystery, good guys, and bad guys. Redwine keeps you guessing throughout the entire book and you may be surprised to see where she goes with it.

I love the story here – survivors trying to figure out who they should trust. The kicker is that eventually the person they choose to lead is the one that was looked at as an outcast within the walls of Baalboden. In addition to that, there is still a mission here…where in Defiance Rachel was looking for her father, in Deception, the group is trying to keep the device that controls the Cursed One out of the hands of the Commander while keeping everyone safe on their trek to a neighboring city. If I had to pick one word to describe the story it would be survival.

I love the characters within this story. First, Rachel is so angry and at times reckless in her bid for revenge it is a bit scary. She is so focused on killing the Commander that she is willing to do whatever it takes. Unfortunately, she doesn't really look at the big picture and how much it would impact the group (and Logan) if something did happen to her. I could easily understand Logan’s almost desperation to find some way to keep her safe from herself.

Logan is by far my favorite character in this book. Not just because he is super swoony (which he is - almost all of my stickies are for him…) but because he is someone who, despite the hand he has been dealt in life, does what he can to stand up for himself and those he cares about. Logan is someone who will make the hard decisions and do whatever he needs to in order to make sure those he cares for are safe and protected…and I love that about him. He takes leading the group very seriously and similar to Rachel, will do whatever he has to in order to make sure they reach their goal.

The secondary characters are important in this story. Ian, Adam, Quinn, Willow, Sylph, Thom, and Frankie…every last one of them play a critical role in this story and help things progress. I refuse to give anything away but some big things go down in the last 1/3 of the book that each of these characters have an impact on. So…now that I left you with that little nugget…



Trust me when I say you should read this book. If you haven’t yet read Defiance, get started and by the time August rolls around, you will be ready to dive right into Deception. This was a great second book in the series and I recommend this to anyone who appreciates the post-apocalyptic, dystopian genre with a great story.

Dear Trisha Leigh, You just seem to get me. I mean, time travel, boys, fate and a bit of mystery all in one book. GAH! I'm going to be needing the next book real soon please. No pressure.

I had my eye on Return Once More by Trisha Leigh way back when she was calling it The Historians so OF COURSE the first moment I saw this up on NetGalley I was going to request this. Not only did I love Leigh’s First Year series so I know her writing style is right up my alley, but for real…History and time travel – it’s like she asked me what my favorite books include and decided to write this story just for me. As always, I am going to try to do this review spoiler free…don’t hate me if I don’t answer all the questions and leave you wanting to know more.

This book leads off by bringing us along to observe the death of Julius Caesar right alongside the Historians. I loved how Leigh pulled me right into this world where there is a look but don’t touch mentality. Here they are, faced with the death of a very influential leader and as Historians, they are not allowed to do anything but: “Research. Record. Reflect.” Not only can I see that as being very frustrating but if the event has something to do with you, would you be able to step back and allow something horrible to happen without a second thought? Something to think about.

Kaia is the main character and she is living on Sanchi, a planet within the solar system Genesis, because Earth Before has environmental concerns and other issues that prompted the leaders to relocate. Now the role of the Historians is to make sure the same issues that plagued Earth Before don’t happen again. Kaia is also training to be a Historian and since the age of ten, has been living at the Historian Academy with her six classmates. As her birthday comes around, one of the questions Kaia has to ask is whether she would like to know the name of her True Companion – the one person (born or unborn) who was made to love her. I mention this because this plays a fairly large role in the story but I will come back to this.

Kaia is an interesting character and I liked her. She isn’t afraid to step outside the rules to get what she wants. With that said, she never does anything with the intention of hurting someone but because of her actions, there is collateral damage. She definitely cares about her people (friends and family) but she isn’t afraid to push the envelope when it comes to the dictations of the Elders.

Kaia has some pretty supportive friends in Analeigh and Sarah. Analeigh especially supports Kaia throughout the story and really steps in to help her out whenever she is in a pinch or just plain needs a friend. In addition to them, their group of friends includes Sarah’s True Companion, Oz. The other character who plays a fairly important role is Kaia’s brother Jonah. The thing to note about Jonah is that he has been on the run for the last three years and we don’t really find out what he has going on until later on in the story. The thing we do know is that he is definitely wanted by the Elders and has some information that would definitely be useful for Kaia to know.

One thing I will mention here is that Leigh does a great job of creating this world that Kaia lives in. Not only are the descriptions of the places Kaia visits detailed, but the academy where she lives and the people and things she encounters along the way are very well done. Adding the science fiction to the story was a great way to show how Kaia and the people of Sanchi have the ability to transport to different eras as well as use tattoos to communicate, translate language, and pay for things.

So of course I am going to spend a bit of time talking about the boys in this book. Remember how I mentioned that Kaia has the option to find out who her True Companion is…well she decides she wants to know who it is and once she does, she makes the decision to learn more about him. Now…I don’t want to say too much here but Kaia’s True Companion is definitely swoony and although we only get snippets of him, I really found myself liking him more and more. He is absolutely presented with something unbelievable and he never really questions Kaia about who she is and he has to help her realize what the right decision is and I loved his integrity and ability to listen without reacting negatively.

Oz is a bit of a mystery through most of the book. I knew something was up with him and there were points of the story where it was clear he was hiding things from everyone. There were also points where I wanted to smack him and others where I was glad for his reaction and/or quick thinking. I won’t say too much more about Oz but I am definitely curious to see what happens next for him.

So it is probably pretty obvious that I really enjoyed this book but I will say it…Trisha Leigh knows how to write a fantastic story. She blends in a bit of history, some sci-fi, and wonderful world building to create something that had me turning the pages quickly just to find out what happens next for everyone. The only bad thing about reading this book so quickly is that I finished it soooo quickly. I am definitely looking forward to the next book of this series (is it too soon to ask when it comes out??) and trust me people, grab this one when you can!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge is inspired by the Little Red Riding Hood tale and I enjoyed what Hodge did with this story.

Rachelle’s story begins when she is fifteen and apprenticed to her aunt in learning to protect her village from the dark magic that threatens them. Thinking she can outwit the dangers in the forest, Rachelle breaks the rules her aunt gave to her and becomes tied to the evil that made her what she is, a bloodbound. Not only that, a bloodbound who serves the King.

As Rachelle receives some information that the Devourer is returning to bring about “endless night”, she decides her mission is to find the only thing that will destroy the Devourer, a sword that was forged for that purpose alone. To add a bit of a challenge, she is also assigned to protect his son, Armand. Armand is not someone Rachelle respects, mostly because of the message he projects.

Armand is the King’s illegitimate son and looked upon as a martyr because he supposedly faced the bloodbound and refused to kill. As punishment, the forestborn chopped off his hands but let him live. This does not sit well with Rachelle because she knows a forestborn would never forget to claim someone and she hates that she is forced to guard someone who reminds her everyday about what she did and what she is,

As Rachelle searches for the sword, she and Armand come to an agreement and begin to search together. While Rachelle is looking to eliminate the Devourer, Armand has a secret agenda and he uses his relationships to help further his cause.

I enjoyed seeing the change in the relationship between Rachelle and Armand. At first she doesn’t respect Armand and eventually as she learns more about him and what he has been through, she begins to understand him…or so she thinks. When something happens between Rachelle and Armand that makes her doubt everything between them, Rachelle ends up in the arms of Erec.

Erec is a bloodbound and he also is the King’s right hand man. Erec is also the man who helped Rachelle adjust to her role serving the King. Although Rachelle never really trusted Erec, she found herself drawn to him and was constantly fighting the urge she had to give in to him. When Rachelle ends up in Erec’s arms, she finds out some things she never expected and I have to admit, it was a twist I wasn’t expecting.

So there is a lot more to this story than I am mentioning but I can’t really mention a lot as I don’t want to give anything away. I thought Hodge did a good job of building the world in this story and she has used the Little Red Riding Hood story as a base to create a story that includes magic, action, and some swoony parts. Consider checking this story out when you can. I found myself quickly turning the pages to see what was going to happen next and with all of the twists and turns, it was one of those books that kept me interested until the very last page.


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

3.5 stars...

Rebellion by Stephanie Diaz is book two in the Extraction series and I admit the second I saw this up on Netgalley, I requested it. I loved book one and couldn’t wait to see where Diaz was going to take these characters based on how that book ended.

Rebellion picks up shortly after book one ends. Clementine, Logan, and the other rebels are hiding from Commander Charlie while he continues to look for a way to defeat them and reignite the war with Marden.

Clementine is definitely feeling the aftereffects of going against the Commander. She still feels a lot of guilt over what happened to Oliver and she can’t seem to get over the fear she has that the Commander is after her. I thought she was much more vulnerable as a character in this book than she was in book one. Partially because Logan is closer to her (location-wise) and there seems to be more risk to him which trickles down into what Clementine is willing to risk.

While Clementine tries to protect him by not sharing everything with him, she realizes it is only hurting their relationship and she finally tells Logan what she is going through. I think this had to happen in order for Logan to be willing to risk everything in the rebellion.

I can’t say much about the story without giving anything away so all you will really get here is that the story definitely moves forward. Things happen that were unexpected and as the group does what they need to in order to save everyone from the Commander, things do not go as planned. There was great progression in the story and I thought Diaz did a fantastic job of creating the worlds these characters experience in this book.

If you like science fiction and action along with some solid world building and character development definitely check this series out. I can’t wait to see where Diaz takes the story in the next book and recommend you consider reading this when you get a chance.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy!

Finn is a definite favorite now...just saying.

Review to come.

Review to come.

The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead is book two of the Age of X series and I have to say, I am even more drawn into this series after reading this book. The story progresses well and while I’m not entirely happy with the fact that I have to wait for what might feel like forever for the next book, I really am excited with where this series is going and how Mead is developing everything.

The story picks up shortly after book one ends and we are pulled back into the work Justin and Mae are doing investigating the return of the gods. As a servitor, Justin continues to serve the government and evaluate the religions inside the RUNA while Mae continues to protect him. In addition, they are also digging into what the gods are doing with the Elect and what that will mean to the world.

As the story takes Mae and Justin into Arcadia to support Lucian Darling’s agenda, Mae is also on her own mission. Through the use of an amber dagger, Mae has visions of her niece and they lead her to Arcadia. Arcadia is a country that neighbors RUNA, and Mead did a wonderful job of building a world very different from Gemman society. In Arcadia men run everything and girls are treated as property. Because of this, Mae’s cover is that of Justin’s concubine and it was definitely a twist to their relationship.

While in Arcadia, both Justin and Mae connect with the gods who have been reaching out to them and have decisions to make on whether they will work with them to build their following. At the same time, Justin has uncovered a plot against the RUNA that the leaders of Arcadia have hatched and as Mae takes unexpected action around freeing her niece, Justin makes the decision to loop Lucian in on what has really been going on and influences him to make some decisions that will work out in their favor.

I loved seeing the progression of Justin’s relationship with Horatio and Magnus and his willingness to lean on them more despite his aversion to giving himself over to Odin was great. I thought the twist at the end was unexpected…based on what I was thinking would happen and I’m excited to see what happens now (SORRY if that sound super vague). I do have to say…Justin has some swoony parts here too and he completely made up for the bad behavior he showed in book one.

I really like Mae. She isn't afraid to make tough decisions and do what she needs to in order to protect those she feels she needs to protect. She has also had enough of Justin’s avoidance of any idea or talk around their relationship and I love that she sees right through him and isn't afraid to tell him what she feels anyway.

I love the way Mead developed this world and builds out the characters. There is so much more going on that I can’t even talk about because it might give something away. I hope that people decide to check this story out as it is a great mix of action, great characters, and a great story. I am interested to see where Mead takes the story from here. She has introduced a few of the gods and I am curious to see who else might make an appearance and in what way. If you are looking for something a bit different that falls into the Science Fiction genre definitely check this out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the review copy.