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erinarkin20
Ahhh Soo good!
Scammed is book two in the Vale Hall series by Kristen Simmons and if you haven’t picked this series up yet, you definitely need to change that. Simmons not only has a page turning story in this second book, but I was so invested in the characters that I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what was going to happen next. No spoilers here – it is a book two though so if you haven’t read The Deceivers yet, proceed with caution.
Brynn is our main character but at Vale Hall there are a number of other characters she is interacting with and each one has their own secrets. What she has to figure out is who she can trust and it’s not as easy as one would think.
In this book, Brynn is still working for Dr. Odin but she questions just about everything he tells her and when what he asks her to do begins to make her question Caleb, things start to get twisty. I can’t say too much about this because it is core to the story, and I don’t want to give anything away. Just know that there is so much that we don’t know right along with Brynn so I can’t hold any of her decisions against her. Well…maybe most of them.
Right along with all of that, Grayson is back in the picture which only complicates things more. This is where I wanted to elbow Brynn and tell her to think about what she is doing. So much happens with Grayson now that he is at the school and a big piece of the puzzle for Dr. Odin. I will tell you, I have always had strong feelings about Grayson and this book only solidifies my thoughts about him.
I have to also mention that I loved that we had more time with the secondary characters in this book. We got more exposure to Charlotte, Henry, Sam, and Geri and I thought it provided a bit more depth to them so I could better understand their relationships with Brynn. Of course, the bits with Caleb and Brynn together are some of my favorites.
I hate that I have to be super vague with this review but I really don’t want to ruin anything as there are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing around what is really going on and right along with Brynn you will be trying to figure it all out. If you take anything away from this review, please know that I loved this book and can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next. Grab this book when you can…you won’t regret it!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Scammed is book two in the Vale Hall series by Kristen Simmons and if you haven’t picked this series up yet, you definitely need to change that. Simmons not only has a page turning story in this second book, but I was so invested in the characters that I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what was going to happen next. No spoilers here – it is a book two though so if you haven’t read The Deceivers yet, proceed with caution.
Brynn is our main character but at Vale Hall there are a number of other characters she is interacting with and each one has their own secrets. What she has to figure out is who she can trust and it’s not as easy as one would think.
In this book, Brynn is still working for Dr. Odin but she questions just about everything he tells her and when what he asks her to do begins to make her question Caleb, things start to get twisty. I can’t say too much about this because it is core to the story, and I don’t want to give anything away. Just know that there is so much that we don’t know right along with Brynn so I can’t hold any of her decisions against her. Well…maybe most of them.
Right along with all of that, Grayson is back in the picture which only complicates things more. This is where I wanted to elbow Brynn and tell her to think about what she is doing. So much happens with Grayson now that he is at the school and a big piece of the puzzle for Dr. Odin. I will tell you, I have always had strong feelings about Grayson and this book only solidifies my thoughts about him.
I have to also mention that I loved that we had more time with the secondary characters in this book. We got more exposure to Charlotte, Henry, Sam, and Geri and I thought it provided a bit more depth to them so I could better understand their relationships with Brynn. Of course, the bits with Caleb and Brynn together are some of my favorites.
I hate that I have to be super vague with this review but I really don’t want to ruin anything as there are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing around what is really going on and right along with Brynn you will be trying to figure it all out. If you take anything away from this review, please know that I loved this book and can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next. Grab this book when you can…you won’t regret it!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Highland Obligation by Lori Ann Bailey is the fifth book in the Highland Pride series. I haven’t picked up the other books of this series, but I don’t think I missed anything in this book by not doing so. I have been on a historical romance binge and this one sounded interesting, so I decided to pick it up.
Bailey does a good job building out the story for the main characters. Neither wants to be in the situation they are in, but they don’t really have a choice. Isobel was an interesting character. She is determined to do whatever she has to in order to protect her family. I found her to be a bit stubborn and she definitely didn’t have any trust in Grant to do what needed to be done. At the same time, Grant finds himself married to the woman he blames for the death of his friend and he isn’t willing to give her an ounce of trust. I’ll admit that I found that plot to be a little frustrating because his blame didn’t really hold up and no matter what, Grant kept coming back to the blame he had for Isobel.
As Grant and Isobel build their relationship, the only thing that is missing is communication. They are absolutely attracted to each other and they grow to care for each other along the way…unexpectedly. I liked how Bailey built this out over the course of the book. As both Grant and Isobel work to stop the man who could destroy Isobel and her family, they eventually find themselves in a place they never thought they’d be, in love.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and will be checking out the other books of the series. While this one had a few things that didn’t work for me, overall it was a solid story with great character development. Check it out if you’re looking for a strong heroine and opinionated hero.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Bailey does a good job building out the story for the main characters. Neither wants to be in the situation they are in, but they don’t really have a choice. Isobel was an interesting character. She is determined to do whatever she has to in order to protect her family. I found her to be a bit stubborn and she definitely didn’t have any trust in Grant to do what needed to be done. At the same time, Grant finds himself married to the woman he blames for the death of his friend and he isn’t willing to give her an ounce of trust. I’ll admit that I found that plot to be a little frustrating because his blame didn’t really hold up and no matter what, Grant kept coming back to the blame he had for Isobel.
As Grant and Isobel build their relationship, the only thing that is missing is communication. They are absolutely attracted to each other and they grow to care for each other along the way…unexpectedly. I liked how Bailey built this out over the course of the book. As both Grant and Isobel work to stop the man who could destroy Isobel and her family, they eventually find themselves in a place they never thought they’d be, in love.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and will be checking out the other books of the series. While this one had a few things that didn’t work for me, overall it was a solid story with great character development. Check it out if you’re looking for a strong heroine and opinionated hero.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sting is the first book I’ve read by Cindy Wilson but it won’t be the last. This book has some interesting characters and a story that kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.
I thought the world building in this book was done well. In Victor, you have the Darkside where people are cutoff from electricity and basic things needed to survive and then you have The Light District where everything is, as you can imagine, bright and lively. There are parties and shopping, and no one really knows about the challenges the Darkside go through. Of course, this sets the stage for the story.
Scorpion (Tessa) is our main character and she has been on her own for a while living amongst the Darksiders. She’s known as Scorpion because of the scorpion bots she uses to scope out areas and she does what she can for those around her and there are a few people that she will do anything for because they have become her family over time. I thought Wilson did a good job of reflecting the relationship that Tessa had with each of these characters. Elle is the daughter of a powerful man in the Light District but opposed to the way things are run, Cass is essentially her little sister, and River is the boy she has feelings for but is afraid to really analyze what those feelings really mean.
Over time, Tessa has built a bit of a reputation amongst the people in the Dark District and that means that the leaders of The Light District see her as a danger and they have begun to make the missions she goes on to get supplies much more risky now that the Enforcers are out searching for her. When one of the people she trusted most betrays her, Tessa sacrifices her freedom to save Cass. This puts her a prison called Decay and under the watch of some very questionable men.
In prison, Tessa meets Pike. Pike has been in Decay for a while, but he has a plan to get out and now that Tessa is there, he decides she will be the perfect person to help him. As Tessa learns to navigate the prison, she realizes that her mechanical knowledge is what is going to help her get the warden to loosen up on her monitoring. By doing this, she sometimes gets a bit more freedom and that means she and Pike also have a bit more space to finalize their plan to escape and when they do, they find themselves trying to hide out in The Light District.
Once they get to the Light District, Tessa doesn’t know who she can trust from her old life. The one thing she does know is that she needs to find Cass. When the people in her new life begin to mix with those of her old life, she realizes just how much she has changed. I thought Wilson did a good job of reflecting the growth Tessa goes through over the course of the book. She’s not as standoffish and doesn’t try to hold herself apart from others. I also thought that Pike really balanced her out – he pushed her to not be so reactionary and while she didn’t always listen, it did start to influence her actions.
In the end, the story was one that kept me interested. The characters were developed well and while I questioned some pieces (i.e. how easy it was to get out of Decay), I thought the story was well done. I know I didn’t give a ton of detail in this review, and that is mostly because I think you should read the book and I also don’t like to give anything away. Just know that if you are looking for a Dystopian book with interesting characters, a bit of romance, and good overcoming evil, consider picking this one up.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
I thought the world building in this book was done well. In Victor, you have the Darkside where people are cutoff from electricity and basic things needed to survive and then you have The Light District where everything is, as you can imagine, bright and lively. There are parties and shopping, and no one really knows about the challenges the Darkside go through. Of course, this sets the stage for the story.
Scorpion (Tessa) is our main character and she has been on her own for a while living amongst the Darksiders. She’s known as Scorpion because of the scorpion bots she uses to scope out areas and she does what she can for those around her and there are a few people that she will do anything for because they have become her family over time. I thought Wilson did a good job of reflecting the relationship that Tessa had with each of these characters. Elle is the daughter of a powerful man in the Light District but opposed to the way things are run, Cass is essentially her little sister, and River is the boy she has feelings for but is afraid to really analyze what those feelings really mean.
Over time, Tessa has built a bit of a reputation amongst the people in the Dark District and that means that the leaders of The Light District see her as a danger and they have begun to make the missions she goes on to get supplies much more risky now that the Enforcers are out searching for her. When one of the people she trusted most betrays her, Tessa sacrifices her freedom to save Cass. This puts her a prison called Decay and under the watch of some very questionable men.
In prison, Tessa meets Pike. Pike has been in Decay for a while, but he has a plan to get out and now that Tessa is there, he decides she will be the perfect person to help him. As Tessa learns to navigate the prison, she realizes that her mechanical knowledge is what is going to help her get the warden to loosen up on her monitoring. By doing this, she sometimes gets a bit more freedom and that means she and Pike also have a bit more space to finalize their plan to escape and when they do, they find themselves trying to hide out in The Light District.
Once they get to the Light District, Tessa doesn’t know who she can trust from her old life. The one thing she does know is that she needs to find Cass. When the people in her new life begin to mix with those of her old life, she realizes just how much she has changed. I thought Wilson did a good job of reflecting the growth Tessa goes through over the course of the book. She’s not as standoffish and doesn’t try to hold herself apart from others. I also thought that Pike really balanced her out – he pushed her to not be so reactionary and while she didn’t always listen, it did start to influence her actions.
In the end, the story was one that kept me interested. The characters were developed well and while I questioned some pieces (i.e. how easy it was to get out of Decay), I thought the story was well done. I know I didn’t give a ton of detail in this review, and that is mostly because I think you should read the book and I also don’t like to give anything away. Just know that if you are looking for a Dystopian book with interesting characters, a bit of romance, and good overcoming evil, consider picking this one up.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Night Spinner by Addie Thorley is a book I had on my TBR list from the moment I read the summary. I love the idea of a retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame but with a female character and magic. In a world where magic means power, this book will have you wondering who can really be trusted and what everyone’s endgame is.
Thorley does a great job of setting this story up with Enebish as the main character. Her magic is the thing that has made her a monster to the people and having been one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King’s Imperial Army, her magic has been her downfall. I couldn’t help but feel sad for Enebish. With the “help” of her adoptive sister, Ghoa, her punishment for losing control of her power and killing an entire merchant caravan is that she has been banished to a monastery.
It’s hard for Enebish to look at this as merciful as all she wants is to be useful again and as a Night Spinner, she can control the threads of darkness - a power that is very rare and dangerous. When Ghoa approaches her with an offer, she’s unable to refuse. If Enebish can hunt down the rebel Temujin, she can have her freedom and be reinstated as a warrior. Of course, Enebish jumps at this opportunity and as she ventures out on her mission, she begins to learn more and more about what is really going on and she struggles with who she can trust.
I loved Enebish. She isn’t afraid to take chances and she is willing to risk everything for the people she loves. Unfortunately, having been locked away from the world for so long, it definitely takes her a while to figure out what is going on.
On the other hand, I did NOT trust Ghoa. She always appeared to be only looking out for herself an when her history with Enebish and the Army are revealed, I felt totally vindicated for my feelings. As for Temujin, I’m still on the fence. My favorite was Serik – it felt like he was the only one who was there to do whatever was needed to help and protect Enebish. Don’t get me wrong, he also seemed to get her into a number of bad situations, but he was the one who was there for her when she most needed someone.
I can’t say a whole lot without giving away the story, so you’ll have to pick this one up to know more of the details. Just know that I really enjoyed this. The pacing was just right, there’s plenty of action, some great characters, and a story that will keep you wondering what will happen next. I’ll definitely be picking up more by Thorley in the future as she continues to write books that I can’t put down.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thorley does a great job of setting this story up with Enebish as the main character. Her magic is the thing that has made her a monster to the people and having been one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King’s Imperial Army, her magic has been her downfall. I couldn’t help but feel sad for Enebish. With the “help” of her adoptive sister, Ghoa, her punishment for losing control of her power and killing an entire merchant caravan is that she has been banished to a monastery.
It’s hard for Enebish to look at this as merciful as all she wants is to be useful again and as a Night Spinner, she can control the threads of darkness - a power that is very rare and dangerous. When Ghoa approaches her with an offer, she’s unable to refuse. If Enebish can hunt down the rebel Temujin, she can have her freedom and be reinstated as a warrior. Of course, Enebish jumps at this opportunity and as she ventures out on her mission, she begins to learn more and more about what is really going on and she struggles with who she can trust.
I loved Enebish. She isn’t afraid to take chances and she is willing to risk everything for the people she loves. Unfortunately, having been locked away from the world for so long, it definitely takes her a while to figure out what is going on.
On the other hand, I did NOT trust Ghoa. She always appeared to be only looking out for herself an when her history with Enebish and the Army are revealed, I felt totally vindicated for my feelings. As for Temujin, I’m still on the fence. My favorite was Serik – it felt like he was the only one who was there to do whatever was needed to help and protect Enebish. Don’t get me wrong, he also seemed to get her into a number of bad situations, but he was the one who was there for her when she most needed someone.
I can’t say a whole lot without giving away the story, so you’ll have to pick this one up to know more of the details. Just know that I really enjoyed this. The pacing was just right, there’s plenty of action, some great characters, and a story that will keep you wondering what will happen next. I’ll definitely be picking up more by Thorley in the future as she continues to write books that I can’t put down.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review to come.To Have and To Hoax is the first book by Martha Waters that I’ve read but it definitely won’t be the last. This story has everything I love in a historical romance; strong characters, a relationship with conflict, and a plot that had me both rooting for and yelling at the main characters.
Lady Violet Gray and Lord James Audley met and it was love at first sight. After quickly marrying, something happened that five years later, we find they are living completely separate lives, and neither is willing to let go of their stubbornness to resolve their differences. When Violet receives a note telling her that James was severely injured at the stables that were one of the reasons they fought, she rushes from London to see him only to run into him on the way and find out he is perfectly fine. At this point, Violet is angry, and she decides she needs to pay him back a little, so she decides to tell him she is ill and that’s when everything gets interesting.
The characters in this book were great. Waters did a great job building them out – there were times that I loved them and times that they were so frustrating. Seeing these two go back and forth and of course, their poor friends were all pulled into the middle of everything. Their level of stubbornness and inability to work things out made for an interesting story as well as some great conflict. I have to admit, both of their families were frustrating, and I was happy when the reasons for the argument are finally revealed, I hated that they didn’t work things out earlier.
That’s all I can say about this without giving anything away so pick this one up. Overall, I really enjoyed this book - it was an engaging story and I found myself unable to put it down. The story moves at a great pace and with all the conflict and banter, the story never slows. If you are looking for a historical romance, consider picking this one up. I will definitely be picking up more from Martha Waters when I can.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Lady Violet Gray and Lord James Audley met and it was love at first sight. After quickly marrying, something happened that five years later, we find they are living completely separate lives, and neither is willing to let go of their stubbornness to resolve their differences. When Violet receives a note telling her that James was severely injured at the stables that were one of the reasons they fought, she rushes from London to see him only to run into him on the way and find out he is perfectly fine. At this point, Violet is angry, and she decides she needs to pay him back a little, so she decides to tell him she is ill and that’s when everything gets interesting.
The characters in this book were great. Waters did a great job building them out – there were times that I loved them and times that they were so frustrating. Seeing these two go back and forth and of course, their poor friends were all pulled into the middle of everything. Their level of stubbornness and inability to work things out made for an interesting story as well as some great conflict. I have to admit, both of their families were frustrating, and I was happy when the reasons for the argument are finally revealed, I hated that they didn’t work things out earlier.
That’s all I can say about this without giving anything away so pick this one up. Overall, I really enjoyed this book - it was an engaging story and I found myself unable to put it down. The story moves at a great pace and with all the conflict and banter, the story never slows. If you are looking for a historical romance, consider picking this one up. I will definitely be picking up more from Martha Waters when I can.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
