Enjoyed the audio on this one and the story was as good as I remembered.

4.5 stars
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis is a standalone YA thriller that I had to have as soon as I knew about it. First, I loved Not a Drop to Drink by McGinnis and second, the summary immediately had my attention. After reading I will say, this book may not be for everyone as it addresses some touchy subjects but I actually find these types of stories interesting as I like to see how the characters respond. McGinnis definitely took me down a path I wasn’t expecting for some of these characters and I thought she did a wonderful job with this story.

Alex Craft has kept herself separate from everyone since her sister was murdered and the killer walked free. She doesn’t trust herself around others because she knows there is something different about her. When the story picks up, it is her senior year and she is leading the race for valedictorian. The person next on the list is Jack Fisher and Alex grabs his attention in a meeting and he can’t stop thinking about her. The other key character to this story is Peekay, the preacher’s kid. She ends up connected to Alex because her Senior Year Experience is to volunteer at the animal shelter where Alex spends quite a bit of time. As these three characters begin to build relationships with each other, they face plenty of challenges as well as learn more about who they are and who they can trust.

Alex was such an interesting character. When her sister was found murdered, Alex knew who did it and decided to take things into her own hands. This was the catalyst to her recognizing she needed to keep herself separate from others but when she begins to build a friendship with Peekay and a relationship with Jack, the star athlete and popular guy, she also begins to mingle with the other students in her class and this just opens the door for things to happen that may not have had she kept herself away.

Jack drove me crazy. Alex and Jack’s relationship is not readily accepted by everyone…especially Branley, the girl Jack used to hook up with. It was obvious that he was very interested in Alex but he also didn’t really stop Branley from thinking she ever had a chance with him again. Now perhaps teenage boys are that stupid but there were times I just couldn’t believe he was serious about Alex when he would be getting texts with provocative pictures from Branley and didn’t do anything about it to get her to stop. It also just made me sad that Branley thought her looks were all she had to offer anyone. When things finally hit a head between Jack and Alex, he just kind of stepped back and didn’t really do anything until Peekay pushed him to acknowledge he still had feelings for Alex and again, I wonder if things would have ended up the way they did if he had just continued to sit back and do nothing.

I loved that Peekay and Alex became friends. They both needed each other and connected at exactly the right time. Peekay has recently been dumped by Adam…who by the way is a douchebag. Are high school boys really like him and Jack? If so, I’m glad I was never faced with those two as choices. Anyway, Peekay pulls Alex out of her cocoon and Alex watches out for Peekay in her own way. Alex isn’t afraid to say what is on her mind and confront those that have wronged her or the people she cares about and in some cases, this is what gets her in trouble. Peekay is the one who pulls Alex along with her and gets her to open up and eventually their friendship is as normal as any other teenage friendship.

As I mentioned there are some sensitive topics in this book. Rape, image and how people see themselves, murder, etc…yes, really et cetera. McGinnis covered off on a number of issues and did it in a way that felt real. She also somehow made me feel like Alex, while definitely wrong, was a good person and I think that is why I enjoyed this book so much. I knew going in that McGinnis was going to tell a great story, I just had no idea that I would have so many feelings about everything and because I don’t want to give anything away, I can’t really say that much about the details in this review. You should just go and read this book and then we can chat all about it. If you are in the mood for a book that will get you thinking and yank on your feelings, definitely check this one out. I can’t wait to see what McGinnis writes next!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

Review to come

Forsaken by Sierra Kincade is the first book in her new Deep Connection series. First, I can’t even tell you how excited I was when I found out Kincade was writing a new book. If you have not checked out the Body Works series by her, you need to correct that immediately. I loved every minute of those books which leads me to the fact that regardless of whether you have read those or not, you should DEFINITELY check Forsaken out.

The story focuses on the main characters of Marsella and Jake. Marsella is the daughter of a man who, in my opinion, is a pretty crappy father (that is me being somewhat forgiving). She has worked extremely hard to show to him that she deserves to take the lead and run the family restaurant. On the night that Marsella, her brother, sister and father get together to celebrate her brother’s birthday at the restaurant, Marsella ends up realizing two things. First, her father will never give her what she has earned. Second, a bit later, she discovers that her father has been using the restaurant to cover up some not so legal things he has been doing. Immediately Marsella’s life is turned upside down because as soon as her father realizes their restaurant is being swarmed by police, he hands her a ledger and tells her to run.

Jake is the other character in this story and I admit it, I kind of loved him. He has some secrets and he is one of several people looking for the ledger that Marsella had when she ran. The thing about Jake is that he is the one who helped her run so now, two years later, he is definitely doubting whether he made the right decision. He isn’t sure he should have trusted her but when he finally finds her…working as a waitress no less, he can’t help but be drawn to her again. He knew her before she was on the run so he initially has a hard time reconciling the new Marsella with the old but eventually, he finds himself getting close to her. Of course, that is when all his secrets start to come out.

One thing I want to call out about Kincade’s writing is how well she builds the backstories of her characters. I loved how I got to learn more and more about each of these characters, their families and their motivations. Kincade does a wonderful job of developing their stories as well as pulling the reader into their lives. Also…she writes amazing sexy times scenes. If you have any interest in that at all (which you should…) you need to read!

As the story progresses, we get to find out what really happened to Marsella when she ran and it definitely wasn’t easy for her. Lucky for her, she ran into some fantastic people who helped her when she was at her worst. I really found both of these characters interesting and wanted to know more about them. Garrett is the man who saved her and Kenzie is his sister and ultimately becomes Marsella’s boss at the diner. They are all pretty close and protective of each other but Marsella has been very selective about what she tells both of them. They only know she was trying to get away from someone so they both made some assumptions on what that meant and Marsella never really filled in the blanks. We also get to find out what Jake’s story is and everything comes right back to Marsella’s family in the end.

I thought Kincade did a wonderful job of tying the story together at the end and I am excited to see where she takes the rest of the series. I loved the characters, the story, all the secrets, and of course, the romance. If you are looking for something that will keep you turning the pages to see what will happen next consider checking Forsaken out. After reading this book you will want to read all of Sierra Kincade’s books and trust me when I say…you should!

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

Review to come

Review to come.

Fall of Thrones and Thorns is the final book in Jennifer Ellision’s Threats of Sky and Sea series. I am so glad I came across this series and thought Ellision did a wonderful job of wrapping up the story.

This book picks up shortly after the end of book 2 and the group is now in Nereidium and Bree finds herself separated from her friends, learning more about her power and her role within the kingdom, and figuring out what to do about the King.

I thought Bree really grew into who she is throughout the course of the story but this book really showed how she will lead and protect her people. When separated from her friends, she learns a lot about herself. Even when they are all back together and fighting off the King’s plans, she realizes just how strong she is. Of course, she is stronger when she is surrounded by her friends, but that isn’t always the case.

Aleta is another character I enjoyed and her world has been flipped upside down with the realization of who Bree really is…and who Aleta is not. I liked how she was in this discovery mode of trying to figure out who she was and what she was going to do with her life. She didn’t have the limitations placed on her any longer based on who she was previously but I also think it twisted her up a bit. Ellision did a wonderful job of showing Aleta’s mixed emotions around this change.

As the confrontation with the King comes to a head, there is quite a bit of action, some deception, and of course magic. The way the story wrapped up was well done and the ending was realistic, considering who these characters were and what their responsibilities were. Overall, a wonderful YA Fantasy series that had some solid characters and a great storyline. Check this one out when you can.

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

School Ties by Tamsen Parker was only ok for me. As soon as I read the summary I knew I wanted to read this one but it fell a bit short for me.

First, Erin Brewster is a teacher at Hawthorn Hill and as her first job out of college, she always knew this was her dream job. Immediately she finds herself drawn to Zach Shepherd who happens to be a senior in one of her classes. She knows she can never do anything about it but she can’t stop looking at him.

We first meet Zach as a senior in high school and he (just like Erin) is intrigued and attracted to Erin but he can never do anything about it. When he comes back to Hawthorn Hill 3 years later as a teacher, he finds he is still drawn to her and wants to protect her.

The thing I didn’t mention yet is I found these two to be somewhat annoying and in some cases, their stories were just a bit ridiculous. I know, I know…fiction and all but come on! She marries a guy because she is pregnant and doesn’t want to lose her job?? What century is this? And the fact that Zach was supposedly working in a sex club but never had sex…even though he “played”. Nope. Don't buy it.

When these two finally do come together they take it slow and they form a relationship…it isn’t just about the sex for them which I appreciated considering Erin’s past. Despite that I don’t know that I would rank this as bdsm…there were blindfolds and erotic books mentioned but it all felt tame.

Overall this one just didn’t follow through on my expectations, which was sad because I really wanted to like this one.

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

When I found out there was a new Jus Accardo book coming out I was super excited. I have always enjoyed her stories and Infinity, book one of the Infinity Division series, falls into that category right alongside her other books.

Kori is a typical teenager with a few exceptions. Her father is a pretty high ranking army general which requires her to move around quite a bit which means she doesn’t really get close to anyone. When her mother died, Kori had a rough time and because of her father’s job, he wasn’t there for her. In an attempt to stay close to her, Kori starts a mural on a public wall. Since her work is against the law, she only goes out late at night to paint and when the story opens, she crosses paths with someone who will change the course of her entire future.

I like Kori. She hasn’t had things easy and she isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. When she is put into a situation that seems completely unreal, Kori is able to look at things objectively and figure out what the path forward should be. Yes, at times she acts rashly but in the end, she puts some thought into what she is doing and her end goal is almost always, protecting the people she loves/cares about.

On the day we meet Kori, she is caught by the local cops defacing the wall with her painting. When her father finds out what she has been up to, he isn’t happy and when he feels like he can’t trust her to stay in line, he has some of his army privates hang around to make sure she does. Since he’s headed out of town, Kori expects them to show up at any time and sure enough, two guys (Cade and Noah) she has never met before but apparently work for her dad, come to “babysit” her and keep her out of trouble. Kori, of course, finds it ridiculous and decides she is still going to get out of the house…without her wardens.

This is the part of the story when things begin to pick up and Kori begins to find out things she never expected. The first important piece of information is that there are alternate universes that include different versions of her and the people around her. The second thing she finds out is that the two men sent to protect her are actually from another universe and they are both linked to her in that universe. Not only that, but her mom and dad aren’t exactly who she thought they were. Yes, her father works for the military but he leads a secret program that Kori’s mom developed which involves the ability to skip from one universe to another.

The characters in this book were very well-developed. I thought the backstories for both Cade and Noah were believable and their links to Kori (from the other universe) helped keep the story moving forward. The tension between these characters was well done and it helped them realize just how different they are from one universe to the next. They all were pushed to realize that even though there are multiple versions of someone, they aren’t always the same due to the circumstances they grew up with.

The bad guy in the story is linked to Cade and Noah’s universe. Dylan is searching for something he may never find and he doesn’t really care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. I thought Accardo did a good job of building his backstory around what he was doing and linking the rest of the story to his conflict with Cade. As emotional as he was about the situation, I found it interesting that he always had a backup plan and was able to get out of whatever plan the group had to stop him.

One other thing I can always count on with books from Jus Accardo is a bit of romance. Of course, because Kori and Cade have a history from his perspective, initially he looks at her and sees the Kori from his universe but that definitely changes. This Kori is so different from the one he grew up with and I have to say, I was really glad that Accardo cleared the air around that bit of detail because I wanted Cade to be better than that. I am also glad he had the opportunity to tell Kori because otherwise she would have continued to doubt his feelings.

Once Kori learns more about what is really going on and she, Cade, and Noah start working together, the story is almost non-stop action. Kori, Noah, and Cade are constantly on the run either trying to find answers or people and I thought Accardo did a fantastic job tying everything together. This was a fast-paced, action filled, story that kept me turning the pages. I found it to be a fairly quick read and although I thought the ending felt slightly rushed, I enjoyed the story. I love a good parallel universe story and look forward to seeing what happens next for these characters. If you are looking for a YA sci-fi that has strong characters and a great story, definitely check this one out. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series when it is released.

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

The Rift Uprising is the first book I’ve read by Amy Foster and when I read the summary, I was immediately interested. The focus is on a group of teenagers who were developed to be stronger and smarter so that they can help protect their world from whatever might come through the Rift, a portal that leads to alternate Earths and something they can’t close.

Ryn is the main character and she is also the leader of her group so when it is her team’s turn to be on the front line of the Rift the day that a boy she is immediately drawn to comes through, she makes the decision to go against protocol and this changes everything for her.

Ryn is interesting. It is clear she is a leader and she definitely doesn’t react well to those who don’t agree with her. I found that to be somewhat frustrating but I get it…she is in a role where it isn’t a good idea to question those in charge. As a Citadel, she is tasked with protecting her Earth from things that come through the Rift and that means there is potential that her family and friends could be in danger if anything would happen. As she pushes through the story and finds out more than she thought she would, she begins to understand just how much danger she and those she cares about are potentially in. Her biggest concern is always her family and friends and I liked that about her.

When Ezra comes through the portal, Ryn is immediately drawn to him and she finds herself promising things she never would have promised to anyone else. What I liked about Ezra was that he challenged her at every turn and he wasn’t someone to just take things at face value. He made Ryn think about what was really going on which leads everyone to the situation they are in.

One of the things I thought was well done was the friendships that Ryn had with her crew. It was clear to see how close they were and how supportive they were of each other. I do wish we would have gotten a better picture of the relationship that Ryn had with her parents. It was clear this was a tough situation for her and she hated lying to them but it was really only conveyed through Ryn’s thoughts and I kind of wanted to see more of her interactions with them because she clearly cared for them.

As Ryn and Ezra begin to challenge the things Ryn has been told and she digs deeper into her training, she finds out some pretty disturbing things and decides she won’t just sit by and let those in charge use her and her friends. There are very few people she trusts and the ones she has been working with day in and day out (outside of her team) are definitely not to be trusted. I won't say much about this only because I don't want to ruin anything for anyone but there are a lot of people in charge that Ryn has to

Overall I thought this was an interesting book one and the start to a solid series. The characters have been well developed and Foster has laid the groundwork for the upcoming books which will hopefully include some jumping to other versions of Earth. If you are looking for a YA science fiction story that has solid characters and an interesting story you should consider checking this one out. There was plenty of action, definitely some secrets and deception, and Foster even through in some swoony bits which I always appreciate. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series and encourage you to check this one out if any of those things interest you.