Review: Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Title: Walk the Edge
Author: Katie McGarry
Series: Book Two in the Thunder Road Series
Published By: Harlequin Teen (March 29, 2016)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Contemporary
My Rating: 4.5 Stars!


Book Description:
One moment of recklessness will change their worlds 

Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life. 

Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don't belong. But when he learns she's being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it's time to step outside the rules. 

And so they make a pact: he'll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she'll help him seek answers to the mystery that's haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they're both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they're going from here.

*Amazon*B&N*

Is there truly anything that McGarry can't write? Each new book, each new story just seems to get better and better. And not only better but so much more memorable and she just knows how to hit you right in the feels and let me tell you, this book is all about the feels!

I liked Razor from book one but I wasn't quite sure if he would be able to win my heart over, but oh boy did Katie have me changing my mind about him and his gruff exterior. He truly was a surprise and such a wonderful character. Flawed, damaged but still knew how to love and love well. He is fierce in his promises and in his love. I seriously drooled over him he is that well written and fleshed out. 

Katie McGarry is truly one of the few YA contemporary authors that I come back to time and time again because I know she will deliver. And not only does she know how to write her swoon worthy heroes but her heroines are just as feisty, tough and lovable. 

I adored Breanna from the very first chapter and wanted more of her story. I felt so much for her in this. She isn't damaged in the typical fashion but rather over worked and overused by not just her parents but all her siblings. She is under appreciated and yet with all that is on her plate, she still has a heart of gold and can see past what others can't. 

This story was just so much more than what I was expecting and completely restored my faith in this genre. This isn't the same old storyline with a new buff shininess to it. It stands and shines on its own and is really just that good. It will make you laugh, make you smile, make you cry and even make you melt. This was an outstanding second book to the series and I'm eagerly waiting for more.

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Top Picks For Summer 2016

So I just might have a bit of spring...er...summer fever going on, especially after being sick last week and stuck inside for most of the week. It sucked being sick just when it finally started to warm up and actually look like winter was a thing of the past. 

I'm so excited that the clear weather and sunshine is so far, holding and we are all well again and able to enjoy it. 

The spring bulbs are even making an appearance. So it's no wonder that the new releases for summer are on my mind. Okay, confession, new releases are always on my mind but I thought it would be fun to talk about them anyways and hopefully get to see what you guys are excited about reading soon as well. 

So without further ado, I give you my top picks for Summer 2016:

I'm so excited about this one even though I still have book two to read because I know for loyal fans the wait has been long and book one was so good that I will be buying this, even without having read book two yet.

 The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin

And I Darken by Kiersten White

I've never read this author but I'm eager to try her and this looks like a great place to start, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be.

The Curse of Tenth Grave by Darynda Jones

Charley and Reyes, need I say more?

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

This just looks so much fun and it has two authors that I really have enjoyed in the past. The other, I don't know their work yet but I am looking forward to getting a taste of it here and it screams historical and I'm such a sucker for history. 

The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I loved the first book in the series, actually I have really enjoyed all her books so I'm excited to see where this one will go after all the craziness of the first book.

Betrayals by Kelley Armstrong

Not only do I love this author but I adore this series as well and I can't wait for the latest release to be out. I know it has only been a year since the third but sometimes waiting takes forever and it feels way longer than that.

The Sight by Chloe Neill

Again, I love this author and the first book promised to be the start of a fun series so I really have high expectations for this sequel. I really hope it pans out and wows me! 

The Telling by Alexandra Sirowy

Okay this is a completely new author but I'm a cover whore and the cover is calling to me, I can't help myself. I would act ashamed of my behavior, but, I'm not. :P

So there you have it. The reads I'm most excited about that will be on my pre-order list this summer. 

So what about you, like any of these? If so which ones and if not, what are you excited for?

Review: The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

Title: The Great Hunt
Author: Wendy Higgins
Series: Book One in the Great Hunt Trilogy
Published By: HarperTeen (March 8, 2016)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Fantasy/Retelling
My Rating: 4 Stars



Book Description:
Kill the beast. Win the girl.

A strange beast stirs fear in the kingdom of Lochlanach, terrorizing towns with its brutality and hunger. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity understands her duty to the kingdom though it pains her to imagine marrying a stranger. It would be foolish to set her sights on any particular man in the great hunt, but when a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention, there’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not keen on marriage. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast and protecting his family—yet Princess Aerity continues to challenge his notions with her unpredictability and charm. But as past secrets collide with present desires, dire choices threaten everything Paxton holds dear.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale, “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, outlawed magic, and a princess willing to risk all to save her people. 

*Amazon*B&N*

I fell in love with Higgins writing after her very first book and that love only grew as she series did so it was without the slightest hesitation that I picked this up and dove right in.

I was hooked and sucked right into the very heart of the story after the very first chapter. 

A horrible beast, hell bent on devouring those around it, how could I not be? And while there were some slower moments after that riveting introduction, I still left this was a good feeling and a satisfaction that Higgins had pulled off yet another fabulous book and what promises to be a riveting series. 

The pages are filled to the brim with all the best things about fantasy, love, action, adventure, danger, and forbidden magic and secrets around every bend. And while I wasn't familiar with the tale that this retold, it was still a wonderfully done and beautifully written and one that ended up being every bit as hard to put down as it was good. 

This is a series that needs to be read, loved, and watched. 

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

WoW Pick of the Week!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It is a chance to share those new releases were are super anxious to get our hands on and read.


I adore this series and I can't wait for the next installment and the best part is that even though this is book ten, yes TEN, it is still as good as the first one was.

Book Description:

Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the tenth installment of Darynda Jones' New York Times bestselling paranormal series.

Part-time PI and full-time grim reaper, Charley Davidson has asked a lot of questions throughout her life: Why can I see dead people? Who is the hot supernatural entity following me? How do I get gum out of my sister's hair before she wakes up? But, "How do I trap not one god, but three?" was never among them. Until now. And since those gods are on earth to kill her daughter, she has little choice but to track them down, trap them, and cast them from this dimension.

But one of them stole her heart a very long time ago. Can a god of absolute death and destruction change his omniscient spots, or will his allegiance lie with his brothers?

Those are just some of the questions Charley must answer, and quick. Add to that a homeless girl on the run for her life, a man who's been framed for murdering a woman who is still very much alive, and a pendant made from god glass that has the entire supernatural world in an uproar, Charley has her hands full. If she can manage to take care of the whole world-destroying-gods thing, we're saved. If not, well...

Review: Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

Title: Marked in Flesh
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: Book Four in the Others Series
Published By: Penguin/ROC (March 8, 2016)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 4.5 Stars!


Book Description:
For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they’re willing to tolerate—both within themselves and within their community...

Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the delicate dynamic between humans and Others changed. Some, like Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn, see the new, closer companionship as beneficial—both personally and practically.

But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don’t realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land that belongs to the Others—and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is theirs…

*Amazon*B&N*

This series continues to be one of a kind and one of my very most favorite.

With the world that is like ours in some many ways and so unlike in others, it is easy to imagine and believe. With a cast full of the strange, beasts and sups alike, this series truly stands out.

Told in multiple point of views that only Bishop can pull off without being too overwhelming or tedious, this series is one that you never want to end.

With a slow burning romance full of new experiences, the dangers that are always lurking and of course the Others in all their unique glory have truly wedged their way into my heart and planted themselves there forever.

And if the Others haven't captured your heart then Meg and her human pack are sure to do you in.

This series is spectacular. It stands out, shines, and holds it's own against any other I have read in its genre. 

With beautiful fluid writing, Bishop goes above and beyond with her tale and her characters. She captures you, captivates you and always leaves you wanting more. 

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Review: Death, and the Girl He Loves by Darynda Jones

Title: Death, and the Girl He Loves
Author: Darynda Jones
Series: Book Three in the Darklight Trilogy
Published By: St. Martin's Press (October 8, 2013)
Source: Purchased
Genre: YA Fantasy
My Rating: 4 Stars!


Book Description:
The fate of the world is not something a girl wants on her shoulders, and that is especially true for Lorelei McAlister. Unfortunately for her, that is exactly where the world’s fate has decided to take up residence. Lorelei has seen firsthand the horrors that lie beneath our everyday world. And those horrors are getting her friends killed. Because of this, she agrees to leave the sanctity of her hometown and is sent to a different world entirely. A boarding school. But even here she is being watched. Someone knows what she is. What she carries inside her soul. And on top of that she’s seeing visions. This is nothing new for Lorelei. But these visions are something more: death, destruction, and the end of the world. Lorelei must face the fact that there are people who want her dead, and no matter where she goes, no matter how far she runs, the lives of her friends and family are in mortal peril. Lucky for her, her friends and family include the handsome Angel of Death, a fiercely protective half-angel, and a ragtag group of loyal supporters who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty in the name of fighting pure evil. 

*Amazon*B&N*

I was so excited to get to this last installment in the Darklight trilogy and I'm happy to say that it was everything that I was hoping it would be. I can't believe it took me so very long to finish it. So without further ado, here are my top five reasons you should pick up this series and read it:

1. You love a good mystery mixed in with your fantasy and all things supernatural. 

2. Danger is a hot sexy guy capable of melting your panties off. Think Reyes (Charley fans) but in teenager and PG form. 

3. Amazing friends that you will love every bit as much as the main character.

4. Jones' amazing writing. Let's face it, fans of her's know this woman can write! 

5. An ending you can be satisfied with and that holds true to the rest of the series. 

Short Hiatus

Sorry everyone, my whole family is currently sick, including me and to be honest, it is kicking my butt right now. I barely was able to get out of bed today, thank goodness it was a school holiday. 

So, I'm going to be taking the rest of this week off until I'm back on my feet again and my family is as well. 

It is rare that I get sick so I wasn't even worried about it when my youngest got sick and then it slowly started being shared around the house but I wasn't so lucky this time.   :(

I will hopefully play catch up as soon as I'm feeling better. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and commented on my post today, I postponed all my other blog posts since I feel bad when people comment and I can't comment back.  I will do my best to be back as soon as I can!

Review: Death, Doom, and Detention by Darynda Jones

Title: Death, Doom, and Detention
Author: Darynda Jones
Series: Book Two in the Darklight Trilogy
Published By: St. Martin's Press (March 5, 2013)
Source: Purchased
Genre: YA Fantasy
My Rating: 4 Stars!


Book Description:
The normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.

It went out with a bang.

Goodbye normal.

Hello dark and eerie.

While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late?

*Amazon*B&N*

I've been trying to finally get to those trilogies and series that I have been putting off, either continuing or finally finishing and this one was high on my list. Yes I realize it is December but better late than never right?

Darynda Jones has quickly become one of my most favorite authors. Her books are always riddled with humor, sarcastic witty one liners, memorable characters and a fast moving plot, all attributes a girl like me loves in her reading material so it was no wonder this trilogy appealed to me so much.

Having read the first book and liking it, I'm not sure what took me so long to pick up the rest of the series and continue but I'm so very thankful that I finally did.

Filled with Jones' trademark humor that I think her PNR series is famous for, this really was a fun read and a great sequel to the first, in fact, I think I loved it even more than I remember loving the first.

Jared is almost like a miniature Reyes in his brooding dark good looks ways and if Charley had a little sister, you can bet that Lor would fit the bill perfectly.

With a cast of fun and lovable characters, an action filled plot that will keep you guessing and on your toes, paranormal woo hoo and a romance to swoon over, this was such a fun book to read and reminded me all over again why I wanted to read it in the first place.

I can't wait to dive right into the last book and see how it all ends.

Review: Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

Title: Of Beast and Beauty
Author: Stacey Jay
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Delacorte Press (July 23, 2013)
Source: Purchased
Genre: YA Retelling/Fantasy
My Rating: 4 Stars!


Book Description:
In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.

As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

*Amazon*B&N*

Beauty and the Beast is by far my most favorite childhood fairy tale. Who didn't love the beautiful brown eyed girl who love to read and had a heart of gold?

Being a brown eyed bookworm myself, she was the princess I related to the most. And who wouldn't want to marry a handsome prince?

Being a lover of both the Beauty and the Beast fairytale and of re-tellings, I couldn't resist Stacye Jay's spin on the classic tale. Already loving her spin on the classic Romeo and Juliet in her Juliet Immortal series, I just knew I would be in for a treat and a tale that would be darker and definitely one that would keep me on my toes.

I was not disappointed in the least.

Told in three point of views of Isra, Gem, and Bo, this was done beautifully. 

With a fantasy world that was easy to envision and a cast of character reminiscent of the fairytale this was a fun take on the classic and something I easily and quickly devoured. 

Jay's writing continues to enchant me and I will pick up anything she writes in the future. I just love her twisted take and darker versions of stories that almost have a new like feel and appeal to them.  This was another winner for me and after having this one in my TBR pile for nearly three years, I'm glad I finally read and loved.

Review: Firstlife by Gena Showalter

Title: Firstlife
Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Book One in the Everlife Series
Published By: Harlequin Teen (February 23, 2016)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Fantasy
My Rating: 4 Stars!


Book Description:
ONE CHOICE.

TWO REALMS.

NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision… 

*Amazon*B&N*

Believe it or not this is my first Showater book and I could literally kick my own butt beccause of it. To say the very least, I fell in love with her imaginative world, her endearing but tough characters, and the whole world she created and it makes me wonder why I waited so very long to try her.

This book is a hard one to go into detail about without spoiling anything so I will keep this review short and sweet and stick to the basics. 

This is a series you don't want to miss out on. 

If you are tired of the same old same old and want something different, fun, and that will stand out while still being well written and completely entertaining, you need to pick up this series.

No love triangles, not daunting whoa is me mean girls, or Mary Sues, this series has a touch of romance, a whole lot of action, three highly kick butt characters, and a whole lot of imagination. 

Set in a world like is both futuristic and sci fi, this book had me hooked from the very first chapter and it only got better as it went.

A stunning new series that will blow you away and leave you begging for more.

*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Cover Reveal: In the Dying Light by Angela Carling

I'm pleased to share with you today the second book in the Secret Keeper series,  The Dying Light.

As some of you may remember I read and reviewed The Secret Keeper (see review HERE) and it was such a fun and different kind of read, I'm excited to get to book two and see what else is in store for Winter and her friends!

Book Description:

Winter Merrill knew it would be difficult when she took on an ancient curse to save her family, but couldn’t have imagined the isolated existence she would inherit.

When her long-time boyfriend’s demanding college schedule competes with her needs, Winter is left completely alone to fight the dark secrets she bares. At her breaking point a stranger enters Winter’s life, one who understands how she feels and more importantly knows how to eliminate the curse.  

Will his friendship be a new beginning for Winter or will it prove to be her demise? 

Get caught up! Grab The Secret Keeper, the first book in the series before In The Dying Light comes out in March.

*Amazon*B&N*Kobo*iBook*

Here’s a little excerpt from The Secret Keeper (book one in the series) to get you started:

Over and over in my head I repeated, “She can make my secret go

away.” I’m not sure if I was trying to convince myself, or trying to keep

myself from going nuts, but the phrase calmed me as I drove.

I found Lejo Street and began the steep climb to the top. The houses

in this neighborhood were small. Most were weathered if not

completely forgotten. Pines grew too close together. Piles of rusted tools

and long-forgotten bathroom fixtures littered the landscape, hidden

only by overgrown grasses and neglected Quakies. No wonder everyone

thought it was creepy.

My heart rate quickened with the ascent, and my palms left sticky

sweat on my steering wheel. I wiped them on my jeans only to have the

moisture build up again immediately. Soon there was nothing but dense

forest; a blur of green, broken only by the ashen skies above. The rain

came down in unyielding sheets and I turned up the windshield wipers.

Back and forth they went like a giant metronome, keeping in step with

my nervous heartbeat.

I strained to see out the windows until all at once there was nothing

in front me but a large rusted metal gate and a cracked wood sign, painted

long ago, that declared, “No trespassing.” Beyond the gate, through the

trees and the rain, I saw the pale blue house that the girl in the park had described.

One more time I said out loud, “She can make my secret disappear.”

I’d almost convinced myself now. I had to be convinced, what with the

dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere and the stormy weather.

Everything screamed “Don’t go in!” but I was driven to try something,

anything, not to lose my best friend and boyfriend.

I climbed from the car and ran until I reached the porch, slipping and

having to catch myself as I tried to take the stairs too fast. Light spilled

out through a crack in the curtains, letting me know someone was there.

I lifted my hand to knock on the old splintered door and froze. I didn’t

know the secret keeper’s name. How would I address her? Before I could

decide what to do, the heavily scratched door handle turned and the door

opened a crack. My mouth fell open. The eyes that peered through the

opening were surprisingly young.

My throat felt tight as I swallowed and it sounded loud to me. I

could turn and run. Everything in my gut told me to go, but I stood like

a marble statue frozen by my anguish.

Who are you looking for?” she asked.

Her melodic voice made me think of dozens of wind chimes all

tinkling at once. Still, I felt uneasy.

I made myself spit out the words. “The Secret Keeper.”

An excruciatingly long minute passed and I thought she might tell

me that I had the wrong house or that I should get off her property.

Finally, in a voice no louder than a whisper she said, “Come in. I’m the

Secret Keeper.”

About the Author:

Angela Carling was raised in Palm Springs California, but lives Arizona with her husband, three kids and five felines.  After years of denial she finally admitted that she is a hopeless romantic which led her to write her first Young Adult book Unbreakable Love. Since then she’s published three more books, Shackled, Becoming Bryn and The Secret Keeper. Shackled won the silver IPGA award in 2012 and has been optioned as a screenplay. She always eats the frosting off her cake and leaves the rest, and can be caught singing in public bathrooms for the acoustics.  When she’s not writing YA novels, she’s mentoring teen writers, making pizza with her family or dreaming of taking a nap, not necessarily in that order.  

Links to connect with Angela

Website

Blog 

Twitter 

Facebook 

Goodreads 

Youtube 

Instagram