I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

All the Skies I Will Not See by Petra March is side story from her book A Veil of Glass and Rain which I have not read. That being said it did not affect my opinion one way or the other having read the story. This short story begins and ends with tragedy. David, Eagan's best friend, lies dying on the road after a car accident and begins recounting the high moments of his life.

Told in past and present POV as David drifts in and out of consciousness, he recounts his road to self-discovery and his biggest regret. I was torn with the character as he relived some of his most intimate memories and biggest secrets. My heart-broke for him and having not read the original story I was really hoping for a different ending, one that saw David moving on with his life. But the tragedy of David's story is also one of inspiration, a reminder to live life to the fullest.

Overall, David's story is moving and touching. It left me sad and wishing for different things for this young man's life. If you enjoyed the original book or you are looking for a quick read, this is the book for you....just be sure to have to tissues on hand!

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

My Immediate Reaction to this Book:



AND I CAN’T STOP!!!!

This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp is a beautifully written story about the events that occur during a school shooting in a small town. Told from the perspective of four students over 54 minutes, it is a heart-breaking, edge of your seat read that will leave you breathless and sobbing. Honestly, I know we are only four days into the new year, BUT I’m not sure anyone can top this book for me.

The writing is superb, bringing the characters and their reality to life. It was so hard for me to separate them from real life. I could easily see Sylv, Autumn, Claire, or Tomás at school somewhere living this story out. For those old enough to remember Columbine, reading this book was like watching that shooting unfold on the news. I’ll never forget the sense of dread I had as a 13 year-old watching that at home and now at 29 reading about one. Fair warning to those with triggers….do not read this book. It will haunt you!

I think what made this story so real was that with each chapter there were twitter feeds, news reports, and a blogger, talking about the shooting as it happened. Students in the auditorium tweeting to family, sending text messages, things that would happen in life today. Each chapter ended with these and it really drove the message home. One student’s tweets appeared over and over again, a student who played hooky that day and is trying to find his friends, survivor’s guilt kicking in, and his growing desperation as no one replies to him. This particular student wasn’t one of the four main characters and we never saw him in the actual story line but his part in the book is just as moving as the rest.

Sylv, Autumn, Claire, and Tomás…oh how my heart ached for these characters so inexplicably tied together through the shooter and each other. Sylv and Tomás are twins, Autumn is Sylv’s girlfriend and sister of the shooter, Claire is the ex-girlfriend of the shooter (promise these aren’t spoilers, it all comes to light within the first few pages of the book). I think my favorite characters are Tomás and Claire. He is the school prankster, always in trouble and when the shooting begins he’s breaking into the principal’s office. Claire is the middle child in a military family, a track star, and happens to be outside with her team when the shooting begins.

What made this story so poignant and unique was the author’s ability to give insight into the shooter, humanizing him, rationalizing his decisions without making excuses for him. The characters who knew him were just as shocked by his actions as everyone else. They were horrified and just as much victims as the rest of the student body. It was heart-breaking from start to finish. Overall I loved the book! I won’t pretend that it has a happy ending, but the characters in just under 300 pages over the span of 54 minutes grow so much. Too much really, they lose their innocence but gain camaraderie. If you enjoy realistic fiction, I highly suggest you grab a copy of This is Where It Ends. It is fantastic!

I received an eARC of this book from I Am a Reader in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Twelve Days in December by Michelle Paige Holmes is a sweet romantic novella set in New York. While it is a part of a series, I can tell you that it does not have to be read with the series to enjoy it. I haven’t read any of the previous books and loved this one! William and Charlotte are characters from Marrying Christopher, and while I hadn’t read that book, I found the two quite charming.

William Vancer is a wealthy NY businessman, who is set to claim an inheritance only if he is married. He is kind, gentle with Charlotte, and takes up with her son as if he was his own. Yet he guards his own heart fiercely. This marriage with Charlotte will be his third attempt, after being jilted twice. My heart broke a bit for him and what he has faced.

Charlotte is Marsali’s older sister (for those that have read the other books) and is recently widowed. When her own sister’s husband turns up alive, Charlotte offers to take her place. She has a young son and no home to go back to. But she is still grieving, hurting over the loss of her husband and afraid to give more than just friendship to William.

This short story focuses on the 12 days that William has taken from work to get to know his new wife and step son. It really is amazing to me just how much an author can pack into these short stories. In just 80 pages, there is tremendous character growth for both Charlotte and William along with a budding romance. It’s sweet, tender, and moving!

Overall I really enjoyed their story! Personally I could’ve read a full novel about the two, it is that good. I hope to go back and read the entire series as I’d like to know more about Marsali and her husband. If you enjoy historical fiction and a little clean romance, I highly recommend this one!

I don’t know what it is about Sarah Fine but whatever she writes I tend to love and Of Metal and Wishes is NO exception! Beautifully written, I was instantly drawn into this dark dystopian world that Wen and the other characters are subject too. AND bonus points for it being a loose retelling of The Phantom of the Opera!

Wen is a character that had to grow on me. Here she is a former rich girl, grieving her recently dead mother, and now living with her father at the meat factory. It’s a rough life for her and she is bitter about it. She’s 16, just starting to show the curves of a woman and faces threats daily from those that work in the factory. Then the Noor show up. She’s been told tales of them as a child, of their brutality and hatred. Naturally she is scared of them and her attitude towards the Noor is a bit over the top in my opinion. She instantly dislikes them and judges them off what she knows.

The book centers around Wen and the social classes that are in place at the factory, the injustices that they face. It’s full of class discrimination and how it is handled. In addition to this there is the mystery of the Ghost, a character that resembles the Phantom in every way. He’s creepy and kind and grants wishes to all those he can. Wen seeks him out after an incident with the Noor and the plot turns from there. It’s horrific, heart-breaking and at times heroic.

Overall, I couldn’t have loved this book more! It was beautiful and haunting with characters I won’t soon forget. The author makes a strong case for the social injustices caused by the class system and prejudice based on stereotyping along all in a steampunkish dystopian setting. My kind of book!

I received an eARC of this book from the author via Lola's Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Indestructible by Emma L. Adams is the start of an exciting new dystopian series. I really enjoyed this book though I can’t really pinpoint any one reason as to why. At the beginning of the book, you are dropped into the middle of the plot. Leah has just survived an energy blast that killed the rest of her group. It should have killed her too, but it didn’t. Now she’s on the run for her life, away from the fiends. The only people she can trust are the two strangers in red-cloaks that just showed up to save her, but they have a devastating secret.

Leah is a great character! She is smart, self-reliant, and despite losing everyone and everything she’s ever cared for she keeps going. As she learns more about the people in the red-coats and what surviving the energy blast means for her, she embraces it. She doesn’t take a minute to feel sorry for herself. Instead she focuses on living her life to the fullest and avenging those that she loves. Honestly she rocks!

The red-cloaked strangers are the Pyros. They can survive energy blasts because they are like living flames. Pretty cool, huh?! They take Leah in and begin training her in how she can harness her power and fight the fiends. But they hold secrets, secrets that aren’t willing to share which puts Leah on edge. I can say that I had a hard time with who to trust in the book as did Leah.

The fiends are like mindless monsters that came through the divide, a crack in the Earth’s surface. They kill without thought and they particularly like Pyros. At first I thought these creatures were zombie-like, but they are more like demons or gargoyles. Hard rough skin, talons, horns, the works! They are actually pretty scary and the author does a good job of conveying the threat through Leah as narrator. You can feel her terror.

I don’t want to give too much of this story away as it is a relatively short book. The author does a fantastic job with Leah as narrator. I was fully immersed in the story. Albeit a little confused at the onset….but then again so was Leah. As the reader, you feel what Leah feels as she experiences it: her terror, her strength, her fight. It’s fantastic! So why 4 stars instead of 5?

While the book was fast-paced and an exciting read, I was lost at the onset, dropped into the middle of the plot with little explanation. There wasn’t a lot of world-building or explanation til towards the end of the book and then it felt like an info-dump. I would have liked to see more world-building throughout the book and some explanation about the fiends.

Overall I really enjoyed the book though and have every intention of continuing the series! That ending….be warned it’s a cliff hanger. I need the next one ASAP! If you enjoy young adult dystopia, than I highly recommend you check out this book!

I received an eARC of this book from I Am a Reader in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Broken Things to Mend by Karey White is a sweet, heart-breaking story about a young woman on the run who finds a home in a small town in Oregon. This is the first book in a standalone series called Power of the Matchmaker. The only character that is the same throughout the books is the Matchmaker and I’m really excited and intrigued to see how that plays out!

Celia is a beautifully written character that the author gives strength, faith, and hope. An orphan who bounced from foster home to foster home, Celia has zero self-confidence and no sense of self-worth. She believes that everything that has happened to her was supposed to happen. She doesn’t believe she deserves better. Then despite the horrific circumstances that land her in the small town of Sisters, Celia keeps her head up, she works hard, and she gives no one a reason to doubt her sincerity. However she also keeps a big secret, one that eats at her, gives her nightmares, and breaks her. Celia is broken when she arrives in Sisters yet somehow the kindness of strangers mends her and it is truly a beautiful journey to read!

Silas is just :::swoon::: He’s amazing! Like Celia, he’s an orphan, but he had his aunt who took him in. The accident that killed his parents left Silas shaken and broken, though he’s come a lot farther than Celia in mending himself. He believes that everyone he loves leaves and there is no reason for him to find a special someone. Truly Silas is just as heart-breaking as Celia.

The beauty of this book is the way in which Karey White conveys the feelings of the characters, their growth, and their relationships through the characters’ own POVs. It was so easy to lose myself in their story, cry for them, laugh with them, and be scared for them. That is a feat not many authors achieve, but White does it masterfully!

Overall I really enjoyed this book. Celia and Silas are two characters that you will root for and want to know more with every turn of the page. If you enjoy clean contemporary romance, I highly suggest you check out this book!

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

A Fistful of Evil by Rebecca Chastain was just ok for me. It’s about Madison Fox, a down on her luck woman who finds out she’s a bit special because she can see evil. Now she gets this awesome paying job working as an Illuminant Enforcer, fighting evil, and saving the city she lives in. It’s billed in the synopsis as being similar to Stephanie Plum….this was its mistake. You see I LOVE Stephanie Plum and all her crazy antics. I have loved her for the last 15 years (which is when I discovered her and Joe). So this book set high expectations for me and unfortunately didn’t meet them.

Madison is a good character, don’t get me wrong! She’s funny, quirky, more than a little stubborn, and she’s willing to do the work. She’s actually a character I could love if I hadn’t been expecting a Stephanie Plum. The problem is she just didn’t hold my attention. She was too fixated on the vet and the hot guy she works with instead of focusing on the fact that she can SEE EVIL!!! Not only that but she’s had this “problem” with seeing evil since she was a kid, but thought she was nuts for it. Now she just accepts it and does the job willingly. That was a bit hard to swallow for me.

Supposedly now that she is looking at the evil beings, the darkness as she used to call it, they see her where as before they left her alone. Again…NOT BUYING IT! Why would the evil leave her alone if her light is as pure as described? Why, now that she knows what they are, are they attacking her? Why did they not attack her before? I just didn’t understand this as it was a main plot driver.

So the plot revolves around Madison coming into her powers so to speak, understanding them and finally using them. This did make for a funny story at times, but at other times I was just bored. There’s a demon that has moved into town, now that he knows there’s a new enforcer and he makes all kinds of trouble for her. I’ll admit that I was surprised by the ending! I didn’t see it coming so kudos for that.

Overall the book was just okay for me. I wasn’t thrilled, I wasn’t asking for more at the end. It was just ok. If you enjoy paranormal, urban fantasy, I highly recommend it. If you’re looking for the new adult aspect though, it is lacking. Although this book wasn’t for me, I do plan to read the next one. Maybe now that the characters are introduced I’ll like it better? Who knows!

I received an eARC from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book or the content of this review.

So I know the new year just started BUT this book may be my favorite for the year! Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan is an epic tale full of mythology, fantasy, and romance. Raisa was a child when she arrived at the palace in Qilara and barely a teen when she was chosen to be the next Tutor. Her story is full of peril and love, heartbreak and suspense. I’m telling you now before I’ve even really begun this review to GO READ THIS BOOK!!!!

Raisa is a character that I instantly fell in love with. She’s a slave, only 15 when the book opens, and missing her home, her old life, the life she barely had a chance to know. She can read a little, even though it is forbidden for her class in the kingdom of Qilara. Her father was a Learned One and he was teaching her before she was captured. Now having been chosen as the next tutor, she has to hide her secret or risk death if it is discovered. Raisa is determined, bold, and at times manipulative, but only when she needs to be. There’s a softer side to her that I found appealing and my heart broke for hers over and over again with the hurdles she faced.

Prince Mati :::swoon::: I went back and forth with him. I didn’t know if he could be trusted, if he really loved Raisa. Were his actions honorable? Was he using the new Tutor? I didn’t know and it left an air of mystery around his character that was quite attractive to not just Raisa. Mati is what you read, he doesn’t hide behind his crown, and when he is first introduced in the book he is only a year older than Raisa. His actions are that of a teenage boy and I loved watching him grow in the book (Raisa too!).

The plot revolves around Raisa, her position as the next Tutor, and the Resistance. I found the whole story intriguing. I could NOT set the book down for even a minute. I was terrified for Raisa, cheering her on, distrustful of those that were trying to use her, and just engrossed to the point of no sleep. Why? The writing! The author writes in such a beautiful way, really bringing the feelings of the characters out in her words and describing the tension and stress that Raisa was under so that you as the reader feel it too.

And then there was the mythology! The author creates an entirely new mythology to go along with Raisa’s story. Each chapter begins with a part of that story and it is so intertwined with the main plot that I was on the edge of my seat reading it. I could honestly have read an entire book on just the mythology that is created and been happy!

Overall I LOVED THIS BOOK! And yes that deserved all-caps excited yelling. I adore high fantasy novels and this book is just that. With the fantasy, mythology, and the author’s wonderful characters, I truly fell in love with the book. And the ending….argh!!! What an ending!!! The author wraps the story up nicely, leaving it slightly open in which I hope means there will be more. BUT if there’s not, it is a fantastic standalone in a world full of series. If you enjoy high fantasy, romance, dystopia, and suspense, I highly suggest you get your own copy of Sword and Verse. You won’t regret it!

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

I received an eARC of this book from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald is a rather bland story about a Swedish girl coming to a small American town and falling in love. To be honest I’m not sure how realistic this is, so I just kinda rolled with it. It is fiction after all BUT overall the story fell flat for me.

Sara is the main character, the girl who flies all the way from Sweden to meet her penpal Amy (more on that in a minute). Sara’s on the shy side, has zero self-confidence, and apparently made good money working as a clerk in a bookstore since she was able to take a TWO MONTH vacation to America. She’s a bibliophile which is her redeeming quality! She prefers books to people and isn’t afraid to tell others that. However her life is turned a topsy-turvy when she arrives in Broken Wheel.

The rest of the town is full of quirky characters that will inevitably remind you of someone you know. You have the busybody, the moral compass, the Sheriff, the quiet guy, and the token gay couple (has anyone else noticed that this seems to be a thing in books nowadays?) all in one small Iowa town. Each of the characters contribute to the story, but in all honesty the story could be told without them. They are THAT flat. There is no dimension to these characters, they are the stereotypical aspects that I’ve listed above and nothing else.

Tom is the exception but even then he’s not much of one. He’s the opinionated, leave me alone guy who winds up being the love interest. (I promise I’m not spoiling anything because this story is sadly predictable). I liked Tom. He’s the guy everyone relies on and he’s the one that pushes everyone to keep going. He’s like the town’s lifeline until Sara comes along.

The story revolves around Sara and her arrival in Broken Wheel. When she arrives, she’s planning on spending two months talking books with her penpal Amy, but on arriving she finds out that Amy’s died. She was sick for a long time, but didn’t tell Sara because she wanted her to come and meet the town and her friends. So her friends, honoring Amy’s wishes, do what they can for Sara and make her feel at home. With nothing to do with her time, Sara starts a book store using Amy’s books and her own and buying books with her own money to fill the shelves.

To be blunt, I didn’t believe this story was possible AT ALL! Sara worked at a bookstore as a clerk so unless she was an heiress to a giant fortune how in the world could she fly to America, spend 2 whole months there AND open a bookstore?! Not to mention this is illegal in the US. The saving grace of the story is that the quirky town grew on me and Sara’s love for books shines through in all her quotes and recommendations to the townspeople.

Overall this story is just okay. I was not thrilled with it and at times I was bored. And that comparison to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a flat out lie! I loved that book which means I had high hopes for this one that were crushed. If you enjoy contemporary romance, than you might enjoy this book. I didn’t, but you might.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

I really struggled with Sarah Anne's Expedient Marriage which is a shame! Any of you that have followed the blog for any length of time knows that I have a soft spot for historical fiction. I love it, can't get enough of it, and usually try to squeeze in a few a month. But this book was a struggle to finish. The authors attempted to write in a formal style, befitting the era the book takes place in, however it just made the story hard to follow, the characters bland, and the plot drag.

The book begins with the arranged marriage of Sarah Anne to Alexander Swyndhurst II. This marriage is really just a show. Alexander is a recent widower, still grieving for his late wife. Sarah Anne is grieving her recently passed father who arranged the marriage for protection for his daughter. After the wedding is over, Alexander hops a boat back to England and leaves Sarah Anne at his estate in Massachusetts. Fast forward two years, Alexander feels he should return to get to know his wife and Lord willing have a true marriage, but will Sarah Anne accept him?

Sarah Anne is a kind, generous young woman. She works herself to the bone, volunteering to visit the sick of the church, helping out the town's widow with her 3 children, and finding reasons to stay out of the house. She's a work horse really, never staying long enough at the estate to meet any callers or live the life her new husband can afford for her. She never wanted to marry, but knew she had too. And then there is the man who followed her, the man that her father was trying to protect her from. She's fearful of what he might do and so staying busy abates this fear.

Alexander is a grieving man when he is first introduced. My heart breaks for him over and over again throughout the story, first as he grieves his first wife and then as he tries to woo his new one. He's kind and generous, allowing the Lord to direct his actions, praying before he decides anything. Really he is the picture of what the Bible lays out as a Godly husband. His biggest mistake, in my opinion, is leaving out communication with his wife. He makes decisions for her, most of the time with her best interest at heart, but in not communicating with her he opens the door for her leaving.

The plot of this story takes place over a couple of years, really time flowed oddly in this book...at least it did for me...and is told from multiple POV which for me was hard to follow. There was a lot of head hopping and it was hard to figure out whose perspective it was before it switched again. It kept me on my toes at least! The romance is really lacking in this story. Sarah Anne and Alexander build a friendship and then circumstances (which I will not elaborate on because SPOILERS!!!) separate them. It was a sweet romance and I really did enjoy watching it blossom.

Overall I didn't care for this book. The writing really got to me. I understand what the authors were trying to accomplish with the formal style but it bored me and didn't add anything to the story. The premise of the book intrigued me and I enjoyed following Sarah Anne's and Alexander's romance but honestly I was glad when I reached the last page. If you enjoy historical fiction, Christian romance, and the old formal style of writing (think late 1700s, early 1800s style) than give this book a try.