Where did this book come from?! Big Little Lies was genius. Um....hello desperate housewives of Pirriwee!! This was funny, managed to feel light, even though there was some more serious subject matter, sometimes it was a little over the top, but also so damn honest and relatable to so many things that are totally relevant to being a parent now a days. I can't say I have ever read anything quite like it, and it really just blew me away, for so many different reasons.


The first, and possibly one of the most important, to me, is just how damn relatable this was for ME. Madeline's story was so similar to my real life at times, it was frightening! Some of the things she thought about her life, situation with her ex, and her daughter and family in general, were so honest and accurate, it was a relief in so many ways! I've honestly never known anyone with a situation like mine, raising a child with an absentee parent that comes back around YEARS later. It's a struggle. A blessing....but also a personal curse of sorts, if you will. I wavered between wanting to send this author a thank you letter, or telling her to stop her sneaky mind ninja ways and stay out of my head!


This was ultimately the story of a group of kids who were just starting Kindergarten and their parents dealing with that, their crazy lives, and each other. It was also about the skeletons people keep in their closets, as well as the little lies we tell others, and ourselves. Even the most perfect looking picture has it's flaws, and sometimes they are the biggest ones.



"Mothers took their mothering so seriously now. Their frantic little faces. Their busy little bottoms strutting into the school in their tight gym gear. Ponytails swinging. Eyes fixed on their mobile phones held in the palms of their hands like compasses."


"It had never crossed her mind that sending your child to school would be like going back to school yourself."



"If she packaged the perfect Facebook life, maybe she would start to believe it herself."


There are about 50 other totally true and awesome quotes in this book that , especially for anyone having been through sending your child off to school, you will find hilariously accurate, and refreshing to hear said aloud!


Funny enough is that while you are getting to know all these characters and their many quirks, even learning their family dynamics, you are also very aware that there has been a heinous crime committed amongst these people. Someone has died, or rather, was murdered. This is really just many glimpses in the not so distant past, of the people inadvertently and directly involved to this crime, and the MANY big, and little things that has lead up to this tragic event. I just loved the ending or beginning of the chapters where we got little snippets of the interviews with the parents after the crime. Most of them were so vapid and gossipy, and it was just funny to read through them.


I don't know how something can feel over the top, but also completely accurate at the same time, but this book pulled just that off. It was so many contradictory things at once, funny and serious, light and dark, realistic and fantastical. It was masterfully done. I am definitely going to check out more from this author, she truly amazed me with this story.

Ok….I have to admit I kind of went into this book thinking that it was going to be good, but not as good as the first book in the series (my personal favorite…until now that is). I mean pretty much anything JLA puts out there is going to be good, in my humble opinion. But Stay with Me ended up really surprising me. From page one I was completely enamored in this story. If you are like me and thought Cam and Avery were the best this series can get, my friends you MUST meet Calla and Jax! Give them the chance to wow you like they did me!

Just like with any other JLA book this had a ton of sarcastic, nerdy humor, and totally awesome pop culture references. This author has a fantastic sense of humor and it always shines through in her books. Stay with Me had a TON of heart. Both Calla and Jax had interesting and heartbreaking pasts, in completely different ways, and once together they made sense in ways that not many other couples do. They completely worked for each other and I loved it! I loved the way Jax brought Calla slowly out of her shell, and at the same time my heart was heavy with the fact that in her 21 years virtually no one else ever made her feel accepted, or safe, or beautiful. I also really liked the fact that as the story progressed I honestly just kept liking both of these characters more and more! I felt like this story had a little more action in it too, compared to the rest in the series, and I really enjoyed that extra element! We also got introduced to a whole slew of new characters, and of course I already love them and can’t wait to see more of them!! Ahem….ROXY! Even better yet, I heard the next book in the series will be Roxy and Reece’s book! OMG CAN’T WAIT! It sounds as if that book will also have some more action in it, which I am super happy about.

This series in general is really great. It’s some of the best NA out there , I love the lightness of the budding romances that is so starkly contrasted by the darkness of the issues these individuals are dealing with. Its the yin and the yang, they ultimately meld together and bring forth an emotional journey of epicness.You can always tell just how great a story is by your reluctance to physically put it down. I did not want to put this book down. I didn’t care about getting a good night of sleep (thank god I started this the night before I had a day off), I FORCED myself to put this up at 3am so I could get a few hours of sleep before starting the next day. Then I woke up (with a list of things I HAD to get done that day) and promptly sat my ass on the couch and finished the rest of this book. Needless to say I didn’t even start my day until after noon. But you know what…..totally worth it.

Okay Jenny, you were right.....I dug it. I've had this book for quite some time, after much prompting from my blogger buddy, and now I'm just bummed I didn't get to it sooner! I've heard a lot of people talk about the similarities with this book and The Vampire Academy by Racheal Mead, and the Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. You know what, they aren't wrong. But I will say that I heard the same thing when the Covenant series came out, Vampire Academy fans were hating big time. I read Covenant first, and then Vampire Academy, and similarities or not, I LOVED the Convenant series, and was not a fan of Vampire Academy. Even though they had some things in common, they had different themes, styles and characters, and it made them completely different. Such is the case with Whirl too. Raveling put her own stamp on this, hands down. I saw the common threads, but she made it her own, and I enjoyed it!


First off, I LOVED the idea of this world of elementals!! We got a close look at the water elementals and their various roles and just scratched the surface of their abilities. Ummm first time seeing Selkies in a book, and how sweet is that?! I can't wait to see more of them!! This was clearly the start of a series, and a fantastical one at that, so Whirl ended up being more of an introduction to a very complex, imaginative world. I'm cool with that, as long as the world keeps expanding and bringing the wow factor, and I have high hopes for this as of now.


I liked Kendra for the most part, she's kind of a badass, but like a baby badass in the elemental world. I like that she's still got a lot to learn, it makes it fun for the reader to learn right along with her. She's used to being mostly on her own and she doesn't exactly play well with others, but she's also that kind of heroine everyone likes because she has a penchant for befriending, and defending the underdogs, and who doesn't like a good underdog? She can be a little brash but I'm cool with that, I think that will even out as her character grows throughout the series. Totally random, and really childish, but I also love that there's cuss words in this book. I don't know many 17 year olds that talk like granny church mums, so I'm glad when that comes through in a story. It makes it feel a little more real. And I have a mouth that can rival any sailor most days, so fuck yeah! I'm done waiting, I already have the sequel, Billow so I'll be starting that like right now.

Karina Halle strikes again! I'm such a fangirl of hers. Her EIT series made me fall in love with her, I mean she can write a mean scary story. But she can also write some of the grittiest, realest characters, she's never one to shy away from the human condition, in all it's glory. I love that about her. That same character appeal was definitely present in Love, in English. Vera and Mateo's story was not one of pure sunshine, even the brightest love can have a dark side. And in typical Halle fashion she bares it all, the good, the bad and the ugly, in the most beautiful way.


"Love causes war and causes death, breaks souls and breaks lives. It runs people into the ground, makes them behave like moronic, immoral beasts, before it dances off, leaving only destruction in its wake-hearts blown wide open for the whole world to see."


I liked Vera, she was for the most part, a pretty typical (young) 20's gal. Maybe a little more adventurous than most, but she still had that just trying to find herself and making brash decisions thing that most people in their 20's have going on. It was interesting to see her go from that mentality to actually having to think a little about how her actions and feelings could impact others. We saw her trip to Spain shape her into the woman that she is becoming, and it was quite a transition!

Mateo was great as well! Although I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel, Love, in Spanish, as it is told from his perspective, and I'm dying to know what's really going on in his head! With the slight language barrier, and the fact that this story was told solely by Vera, it could be hard to read Mateo sometimes. He always seemed mostly open with Vera, concerning the way he felt about her, but I would have liked to know more about what was happening during his dealings with his wife, and the whole messy triangle.


The setting for this particular story was genius. It's not too hard to picture something like an affair happening in a situation like this one, being secluded to a resort with strangers for a month, with little contact with the outside world. You just know that Vegas like rules apply in most of these situations, what happens at the resort stays at the resort. I liked that element, but I also loved to see what happened when things didn't just stay in the resort! It got messy back in the real world, and it said a lot about both characters in the way they handled themselves in the light of day.

The only real complaint that I had about this story was that I was disappointed that Vera never seemed to consider how her life would change when she made the decisions she did. I mean it vaguely crossed her mind what it would mean for Mateo's daughter, but she never really touched on the fact that in being with Mateo, it would also mean having a substantial role in his child's life as well. With a young girl that doesn't even speak the same language, literally. This killed me. I couldn't believe that Vera never seemed to even think about the fact that her life would change in that way as well. Alas, maybe it was just a part of her being so prone to jumping first and asking questions later, or being an average short-sighted 20 something year old. It just surprised me that she never thought about it is all. I almost hope that this subject is touched on more in the second book. That would make sense to me then.

All in all this was a great read. Halle has yet to let me down when it comes to telling an engaging tale. It doesn't seem to matter what genre she writes in, she has a way of grabbing the reader from the very beginning and dragging you, and your emotions along for the wild ride.

That ending was.....unexpected. I don't know if I missed the signs or what, but I did not see that coming. Krya Davis is making this a habit, and I like it. I am left here wondering where the hell does this story go from here?! Did poor Kasie just trade one cage for another?

There was a lot more going on in Exposed, more characters came into play and I don't know what to think of any of them right now! Tom Love....I dismissed him as a pig in The Stranger, in Exposed I loved him, then I wanted to punch him in the face, and then I wrapped it all up with some pity at the end. Asha was a manipulative jerk. There were times in this book where I felt like I was in an adult version of Gossip Girl lol. There was a lot of blind ambition, manipulation, power struggles, and sex. But hey, I liked GG too, so naturally I could get on board with all this. Dave really surprised me in this one, I really was blown away by his actions towards Kasie. By the end though I think you get a better understanding of who he is and why he's doing the things he does. Doesn't really excuse any of them, but there was a better understanding of them. Although its hard to completely villainize him knowing that he was a victim too. Man, when Kasie was fighting back in this book, she was brilliant. I liked her way of handling things. She wanted to make her point and free herself without completely ruining anyone else in the process. It was rather admirable. Mr. Dade.....you really through me for a loop there at the end. I'm not sure what to make of you right now.

All I know is I am dying to know how this ends!! I'm pretty sure the third and final installment does not come out for another month. Why???!!!!!!! After this ending I need to see what happens next! Waiting sucks lol.

Billow was a great follow up to Crest. Kendra is starting to learn what being the sondaleur truly means, piece by brutal piece. She's also realizing that she isn't walking the lonely path she always has anymore. Somehow people have wormed their way into her life, and her heart, even though she tried to fight it. I'm not sure what was the larger struggle for Kendra here, navigating her way through the hardships of the responsibilities and being the sondaleur or figuring out how to deal with having relationships with people. We learned in Whirl how Kendra was raised to take care of herself, and NEVER form any kind of attachments. Well in Billow we really get to see what that means for her while she flounders through trying to understand others and what her role in a relationship really is. I loved this! It's one thing to be told someone is a certain way, and it's another to watch the person deal with the inevitable repercussions because of it.

Now, while I loved the journey of self discovery that Kendra was on.....I could have done without all the whining she did. I get that she was brought up in such a foreign way, that she was struggling with basic social skills that normal people acquire when they are in elementary school, but sometimes it was agony to listen to her incessant whining. Sometimes I wanted to reach through my Kindle and just shake her a little.

Obviously Kendra is the star of the show, but there's something to be said for all these other AMAZING side characters. They all truly shine in this book. I'm not going to lie, Julian's wit and relentless flirtatious behavior with Kendra charmed me. I mean Tristan is fabulous and all, but he's also somewhat intangible right now. Which is precisely what makes Julian's in your face, I'm right here and my body is ready, attitude alluring. I just hope that he doesn't break my heart in the end. Stay good Julian, don't turn into a villain if Kendra doesn't choose you in the end!!!!

3.5 stars

Another solid installment to the Marked Men series. The one thing that I really enjoyed in this one, that set it apart from the others, was that while Nash did have some issues he was trying to work through, he was a genuinely good guy. He cared for others immensely and wasn't the cruel person that Saint believed him to be. It was nice to see the "nice guy" not finish last. Even better was the main theme of this book, about letting go of the past, and being able to love yourself first before you can be in a serious relationship. I LOVED this!! It's such a true and relevant thing to bring up, especially in this new adult genre. I wish more NA novels would bring this subject material to light. I think it's a big part of growing up, becoming a thriving adult and growing into serious relationships.

Saint really struggled with self image issues, she had a rough childhood, being overweight and pimple faced in high school can be hell. I get it. It did grow a little tiresome when she used all that as a shield against getting close with anyone. It also became annoying when she wouldn't accept the things she learned in the present because she let the past cloud everything. A past that was not all she thought it was in the first place. But the ultimate transition with her was very nice to see by the end. And she wouldn't be the first person alive that had a hard time letting go of the past, especially the highs and lows of school days past.

Of course we got to see the other couples from previous books in the series progressing in their relationships, which is always nice. There was also some big changes to the marked men's lives. I can't wait to see where these new exciting ventures go, and the new exciting characters that come along with them!