I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, it has such promise. A story revolving around the power of the sea. But, no, I sped read during the last half of it just to see what happens to the characters. The characters were the best part, except Khosa, I did not care for her. The others had everything I want in a character, so developed. It was the plot and the fact that it was so dependent on sex. I will probably skip the next one should this turn into a series. Thanks First to read for the galley in exchange for an honest review.

I kept reading this one just to see it to the end. I wasn't really invested in either of the main characters, but for some reason the subject matter compelled me enough to keep going. I was incredibly interested to read a book about surrogacy and even more interested to read a book that takes place mostly in India. The author did a good job showing the horribleness of both sides of the story. A woman who will do anything to have a baby vs. a woman who has to sell her womb to give her family a better life. The story just left me feeling so sad, even though there was a bit of positivity at the end. Infertility isn't a happy subject and poverty isn't either. But, I do think the author was brutally honest in her descriptions of both. thank you netgalley for providing a free galley in exchange for an honest review.

Not remembering much about the Mulan story, other than what I remember from watching the Disney movie version, I was very excited to read this story. It started off with a bang. Mariko is on her way to be married to the Emperor's son. Her wagon is ambushed and everyone is killed except for her. She ends up finding her way through an enchanted forest and becomes part of the Black Clan, a notorious group of thugs. The kicker is that she joins this group dressed as a man. Everyone is fooled-really how did she live with them for weeks and they didn't suspect?? Anyways, after Mariko joins the Black Clan and we get to know its' members the story starts to sag and the action fades. I didn't need the romance. I wanted more action, more myth and magic. I realize that the author is creating a series here and needs to build up characters and plot, but I struggled to finish this and won't be continuing the series. Thank you First to Read for the free galley in exchange for an honest review.

A chance meeting on September 11th intertwines Gabe and Lucy for the rest of their lives. They start a love affair that lasts close to 13 years. Throughout this time you see each character grow as their life unfolds. Unfortunately the reader can tell very early on that something has happened to Gabe as the story plays out as Lucy retelling their history to him. It is a heartbreaker. But I kept myself from sobbing since you know early on that there probably won't be a happy ending. thanks first to read and Netgalley for the galley in exchange for an honest review.

A new take on Romeo and Juliet with a lot of magic and a touch of the afterlife thrown in. Saul and June are from feuding families. They have grown up being told to stay away from each other, that their families are cursed. One night at the local carnival changes their?lives forever. They start falling in love and become determined to end the curse on their families. With the help of magic, memories and ghosts, they travel through the past to discover the truth. I really enjoyed 90%of this book. Towards the end I had difficulty following and believing the magic and the sequence of events. Overall, a pretty decent cursed love story

This book was chosen by my book club, not sure it is the best book club book as there is not much to discuss, but that being said I really enjoyed this thriller. Virginia is a hard core news producer who leads a very interesting team of characters in solving the disappearance of a young woman in D.C. Virginia has a photographic memory-she literally remembers every photo/video she sees. Which makes her an excellent news producer, but is also a curse since she can't seem to get the photo of the missing woman out of her mind. It leads her into dangerous situations, full of tense characters with lots of baggage. I enjoyed the bit of romance between Virginia and Ben. I also hope this turns out to be a series as I would love to see Virginia fleshed out a bit.

A 1980's spin on boy from the upper classes falls in love with girl from the wrong side of the tracks. I enjoyed this love story. Elise is not your typical New Haven citizen. She has seen it all in her young life. Born and raised in the projects she escapes to find herself and make something of her life. Jamey has life handed to him on a silver spoon. He has more money then he knows what to do with, but he is grossly unhappy. They are attracted to each other because they are so opposite. I didn't mind the obsessive relationship or the colorful sex scenes. What I did mind was that the story dragged. I get that they are in a rough spot, I get that his family doesn't approve and she has had a rough life-but make something happen already. The middle really dragged. Only in the last 30 pages did the story start to shift again to something worth reading.
Thank you First 2 Read for the opportunity to read and review this work.

I honestly did not believe when I chose this book to read that it would be about a group of people who formed a club based on their love of sharks. A great summer read since the story takes place in Florida, right on the ocean. It's a pretty fast paced read too. I could have done without the love triangle between Maeve, Daniel and Nicholas. But, it needed some romantic suspense I guess. I enjoyed the real mystery. I had heard about shark finning in the past, but I got emotionally invested reading about what this does to the sharks, the shark population and for what?? Maeve's relationship with Hazel made me keep reading this book when I would have put it down and picked up something with a bit more teeth. If you are looking for a quick beach read with a bit of romance, mystery and science, this is for you.

I kept reading this work even though nothing much happens, the characters don't really evolve and I am not even sure everyone ends up semi-happy. Frances and Bobbi are university students, not even 25 yet, and struggling with what to do with their futures. They end up involved with a group of artists, writers, older people and spend time in France with them. Frances becomes infatuated with Nick, a married/older man, and most of the book is about them and how their relationship effects Frances's relationship with Bobbi. I kept waiting for something extraordinary to happen and was disappointed. I did think this was very well written, which is probably even with the lack of action or even character growth, I kept picking it up to read.
Thank you First to Read.