#CoverLust: The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

Welcome to #CoverLust - where we talk about all those books we picked up because of the beautiful covers. 

      I fell in love with this cover as soon as I saw it, but unfortunately, what was between the covers wasn't nearly as good. Overly melodramatic and cliche, characters who make so many stupid choices, annoying female character and writing style... None of those worked out for me. I thought that I'd never read anything  written by J.A. Redmerski, but I was wrong. I loved Killing Sarai novels - they are completely different from her other books.

Until the next time,

#CoverLust - The Pact by Karina Halle

Welcome to #CoverLust - where we talk about all those books we picked up because of the beautiful covers. 

      When I found out about new book by Karina Halle, I got excited. When I saw that pretty cover, I got really excited. When I read book description, I got super excited.

Book summary:

"It all started with a pinky swear…

Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and gunslinger handsome; a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to spare. He’s also one of Stephanie Robson’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as she’s known him.
But some relationships can’t be boxed, can’t be classified, can’t be tamed.
Back in their mid-twenties and tired of the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them are in a serious relationship by the time they hit thirty.
It sounds like fun and games but as the years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact becomes larger than life.
Sex is inevitable. Friendships are tested. Hearts are on the line.
The pact is about to change everything."

       I can't say that I hated it - it's just that there are parts that I liked and those that made me want to pull my hair out and scream.

      What I liked? Everything about that big, scary 30th birthday. I could totally relate and everything is so damn true. Society thinks that you are not young, but you're not old, too. You should act mature, pay bills, get married, have kids, stop having fun... And you still feel like a teenager sometimes. You just don't live with your parents, you can have sex whenever you want and you don't have to clean your apartment if you don't feel like it. But you still have to pay your bills.

      Friends to lovers and whole pact thing was the main thing that appealed to me. Story did start good, I was waiting for two of them to finally get together, it was funny, but... it turned into overly melodramatic, angsty, trashy, Spanish soap opera kind of story.

      Despite all things that I didn't like, I still think it is okay read. Nothing spectacular, but a fun quick read.

Review: Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

My rating: 2 stars

Book summary: 

"Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.
Complete strangers since this morning.
He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget"

**Before reading**

WHAT??? COLLEEN HOOVER AND TARRYN FISHER WILL WRITE A BOOK?
TOGETHER????
I CAN'T.... *jumps up and down*

Best news ever!

**After reading**

So...
What the hell was that?
First of all, it should have been announced that this would be a serial novel and not series or standalone.
Second, this premise is nothing new or original or special or that shocking. Obviously, other's people definition of mind fuck is different from mine.
Third, so many things that are just... stupid! Okay, they don't remember anything. Two pages later - they do remember some things. Oh, how convenient! Hey, our lives are turned upside down by some unexplainable event - but they act like they are out on the first date or something like that. A lot of pathetic love scenes. In the story with a premise that DOESN'T NEED THOSE!
Fourth, I got a feeling that this whole thing was written because both authors knew it would bring them a lot of attention and possibly money and high sales rank.

I'm disappointed and I need break from both Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher because I'm just annoyed now.

Review: Confess by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 3 stars

Book summary:

"Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…"

(There are few spoilers in this review.)

     So... That Colleen Hoover... She knows how to sell a story, doesn't she? I've been waiting for so long to read Confess, my little black heart hated deeply everyone who got ARC and I was so excited when I saw that there are actual pictures in it. And then few of my trusted Goodreads friends had a lot to say - a lot meaning not positive.
(I should have know what would happen as soon as I agreed to read this book with Vishous. Have you noticed how we end up not liking CoHo books that we read together, darling?)
   

All the things I did not like:

 - Hipster characters. Oh, Colleen Hoover just loves those - artistic, misunderstood, emotional, heartbroken, preppy, sensitive, with a lot to say and, let's not forget, great hair. Owen is epitome of all previously mentioned. Some might argue how his character is different from other CoHo boys, but he is not. Only difference is the type of art he chooses. Everything else - same old, same old. Auburn is overly naive despite the fact that she got pregnant when she was fifteen and that she has a child, that she had to give up on her dreams and follow her evil "mother-in-law" across the country so she should be close to the kid.

  - Instant love and all "we were meant to be together" talk . Okay, this is pretty much something that you have in every C. Hoover book so far. I think I was more annoyed by predictability of the storyline than the insta-love scenario itself.

 - I suffer, you suffer, we all suffer... Everyone got to have a sob story. Even a sob story, has a sob story. I'm talking about that part in the end where she explains how Adam and Owen are connected.

 - Too slow, too fast. At first, I was bothered by how little happens and later everything happens at once. Ending was to rushed I I really didn't like whole evil brother trope. Do we seriously need to go there every time? I didn't buy that part of the story, plus additional connections between characters were a bit over the top.  

DID I LIKE ANYTHING?
 

      No one can say that Colleen Hoover doesn't know how to write an emotional story. Her writing pulls you from the very start and the way she describes things - just wow. I loved whole part with confessions and paintings, how she connected them. Also, giving shout out to artists out there is slowly becoming one of her signature moves and it's something I admire. Confess is enjoyable and quick read that all fans of this author will appreciate. Maybe I would have liked it more if I didn't have tons of work related things to finish, but I am still happy that I gave it a go.

Until the next time,

(ARC Review) Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

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Expected publication date: May 5th 2015, Balzer + Bray

My rating: 3 stars

Book summary:

"When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

(This is a standalone novel, not part of the Cruel Beauty Universe.)"

      Rosamund Hodge and her debut novel, Cruel Beauty, was one of the best gems of 2014 - at least for me. Gothic and dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast, main female character who is almost anti-heroine and a bad guy with a closet full of skeletons. And, of course, pretty cover. I was looking forward to reading her second novel, Crimson Bound. 

     But something went wrong. First of all, if my memory serves me right, originally this was supposed to be story set into the same fictional world as Cruel Beauty. Or I just overlooked that note in the book description stating that Crimson Bound is not part of the same fictional world. I got into the book expecting similar setting and then - puff, I was all how?, who?, where?... Devaurer, what? I can only blame myself for this. I wish that I can say that it was the only thing that bothered me. Sadly, there was more. 

      Rachelle. I am not the fan of main female character. She should be strong and kick ass, and she is sometimes, but most of the times she was insecure and naive. 

      Love triangle. Actually I wasn't the fan of romance in general when it comes to this book. They go quickly from "I do not trust you" phase to "I love you and let's be together". There was this one part that completely surprised me - in a good way, because you won't see that kind of twist very often in young adult novels. I just wish that author didn't rushed it so much. 

      Mythology. So confusing, but original. I had to read some explanations again to understand what is going on - it's not outright description or even completely clear. You got a lot of vague clues and hints about paranormal side, but in the end, everything comes to the right place. Rosamund Hodge did a great job with describing Forest considering that it is more like metaphysical than actual place.   

      Final judgement? Crimson Bound  would be a perfect choice for fans of fantasy novels who crave for a little bit different story and everyone who prefer more mature young adult genre.



 Happy reading,

 

*ARC was provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.*

 If you found this review helpful, please, consider liking it on Godreads.

Beautiful Redemption by Jamie McGuire

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My rating: 2.5 stars

Book summary:

"No-nonsense Liis Lindy is an agent of the FBI. Deciding she is married only to her job, she breaks off her engagement and transfers from Chicago to the field office in San Diego. She loves her desk. She is committed to her laptop. She dreams of promotions and shaking hands with the director after cracking an impossible case.

Special Agent in Charge Thomas Maddox is arrogant, unforgiving, and ruthless. He is tasked with putting away some of the world’s toughest criminals, and he is one of the best the Bureau has to offer. Though, as many lives as he’s saved, there is one that is beyond his reach. Younger brother Travis is faced with prison time for his involvement in a basement fire that killed dozens of college students, and the media want a conviction. Travis’s only savior is his unusual tie to the mob. In a deal that will spare his brother, Thomas has agreed to recruit Travis into the FBI.

Liis is stubborn, defiant, and yet somehow softens Thomas’s rough edges, making her the perfect agent to accompany him to the ceremony. Posing as a couple, they must travel to Travis & Abby’s beach vow renewal and give him the news, but when the pretending ends, she finds herself wondering if they were pretending at all."

Short?
      It was okay, but main female character was so damn annoying.

 Longer version? Here we go...

 

      I was probably among first hundred people who read and loved Beautiful Disaster, before whole "new adult wave" and x-number of Travis Maddox rip-offs. Yes, I did read all sequels because, let's be honest here - all of us have that one series we keep reading no matter the fact that it's not good as the "original" story. Jamie McGuire and her Maddox Brothers are that for me.

So, what happened with Beautiful Redemption?

       At first, I was excited because, finally, setting of the story is not college or underground fighting circles, characters are older and it looked as if it would have more suspense elements.
      Um... No! It is, after all, Jamie McGuire who, along with S.C. Stephens, writes the most annoying female characters you can imagine. But seriously, they are begging you to hate them.

 
       Liis Lindy is an agent of the FBI and she is supposed to be this tough, bad-ass girl who takes down bad guys with her mad skills. Well, for someone who is "the best in her field of work", she acts like immature teenage girl who throws tamper tantrums because shade of her nail polish doesn't match her current mood.  

Whole book is rinse and repeat of following:

1. Let's have sex.  
2. Let's ignore the fact that we had sex.  
3. Act like a jealous girlfriend/boyfriend even though we agreed we won't do relationship.
4. Let's have sex again. But just because our super important, secret mission. Yeah, that's the reason... And when can we repeat it again?
5. I know that I said that we will not be couple, but let me be complete bitch because you still haven't gotten over your ex-girlfriend.   
6. Repeat number 3.  
7. Repeat number 4.  
8. Repeat number 5.
9. Again number 5.  
10. Repeat... okay you get the point.

       Considering all alpha male melodrama that follows every Maddox brother, Thomas is quite tame compared to his brothers. That is probably one of the rare good things in Beautiful Redemption. We finally get a different character. Premise of the story was really good, but I have to admit that I couldn't follow many FBI related details. It was confusing and rushed. Especially in the end.

      I did enjoy reading this novel - as I said, I just can't resist Maddox clan and I can rant until the end of the world, but I will still read every new sequel. Beautiful Redemption had potential to be the best so far, but sadly it failed.

Running Barefoot by Amy Harmon

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My rating: 3 stars

Book summary:

"When Josie Jensen, an awkward 13-year-old musical prodigy crashes headlong into new-comer Samuel Yazzie, an 18-year-old Navajo boy full of anger and confusion, an unlikely friendship blooms. Josie teaches Samuel about words, music and friendship, and along the way finds a kindred spirit. Upon graduation, Samuel abandons the sleepy, small town in search of a future and a life, leaving his young friend behind. Many years go by and Samuel returns, finding Josie in need of the very things she offered him years before. Their roles reversed, Samuel teaches Josie about life, love, and letting go. Deeply romantic and poignant, Running Barefoot is the story of a small town girl and a Native American boy, the ties that bind them to their homes and families, and the love that gives them wings."

      I never know what to expect when I pick up novel written by Amy Harmon. Sometimes I love them to pieces, sometimes I think they are okay, and there are those with some topics that I don't prefer when choosing what to read next. 

      One of my favorite books that I read last year is The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon. (You can read my review here.) Everything about that book was perfect - characters, topic, writing,  storyline... When I figured out that it's happening in the same fictional world as one other Amy Harmon novel, I knew that I'd read it soon as well. Running Barefoot is her debut and has all recognizable bits and pieces of Harmon's writing - emotional read, small town setting, religious tones and sweet love story. I have to be honest and say that I would probably never read Running Barefoot if there wasn't Moses ans his story. I wanted to know what happened to Josie and what does that tall and brooding Samuel hides. I am happy that I did because it was a book worth reading. I did have a lot of issues with it - mostly regarding all religious undertones and how some views seem a little bit overly "exclusive" to the only one group of the people sharing same ideology. Or Sam's transformation and his complicated relationship with his heritage and parents that gets resolved in the direction of previously mentioned ideology. On the other hand, that is mentality of small, traditional communities - that thing is same wherever in the world you are living at - so I sort of was able to understand their actions. 

      Final judgemnt? Sweet story that fans of Amy Harmon novels will enjoy reading, as everyone else who prefer religious-heavy romances. As I said, I am not a fan of any religious ideology and I still enjoyed reading this story.

Happy reading,

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

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Book summary:

A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn…

Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above. 

       Do you guys believe in coincidence? I did not, but then it happened. Just a day after I finished this story we started with Sexing the Cherry which in it's base also has the story of 12 Dancing Princesses or well a deconstruction of it. Anyhow my point is that I have never actually read the original story before reading Princess of the Midnight Ball so yeah I couldn't stop wondering...

       Speaking of retellings well it took me some time to start seeing them as individual stories rather than creatures from my nightmares that are trying to destroy my childhood. Once I did I couldn't but get addicted so nowadays I'm hunting them down. Luckily I have help and when Rashika told me that I should read this of course I did!

        While this series does share the original base with the fairy tale it still builds differently in some ways. We get a story about 12 sisters whose shoes are found every morning worn out and it creates a mystery that their father wants to solve. So of course he calls for help and we get an soldier who just returned from the war. So their journey starts, when the soldier has to find a way to trick the princesses and find the solution to this puzzle.

       To be frank I have a really mixed feelings for this book. While it offered me, personally, some thing will not surprise those who have read this fairy tale before, as this story is not much different than original. Also while I did get to enjoy the romance here, it didn't help that there was not much character development. All but the two main character who made this book really interesting. Then there is humor, as I couldn't help but laugh out loud so many times. It made this book really enjoyable at the end of the day and that's what I was looking for.

      Basically, if you want to be entertained a bit while struggling with your exams or any stressful thing, go for this one.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Until the next time,

(ARC Review) The Shape of My Heart by Ann Aguirre

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Publication date: November 25th, 2014

My rating: 3 stars

Book summary:

"Some people wait decades to meet their soul mate. Courtney Kaufman suspects she met hers in high school only to lose him at seventeen. Since then, Courtney's social life has been a series of meaningless encounters, though she's made a few close friends along the way. Especially her roommate Max Cooper, who oozes damaged bad-boy vibes from every pore.

Max knows about feeling lost and trying to move beyond the pain he's been on his own since he was sixteen. Now it's time to find out if he can ever go home again, and Courtney's the only one he trusts to go with him. But the trip to Providence could change everything because the more time he spends with Courtney, the harder it is to reconcile what he wants and what he thinks he deserves.

It started out so simple. One misfit helping another. Now Max will do anything to show Courtney that for every heart that's ever been broken, there's another that can make it complete."

      Third and final book new adult series, 2B Trilogy by Ann Aguirre, was a pleasant enough read and I believe that fans of this kind of books will be satisfied with story about Max and Courtney. One thing I have to admit is that I expected much more from this story.

      Max. I was looking forward to reading his  story because he was such a strange guy in previous two books. Mix of two completely opposed images - he is emotional and vulnerable young man, cuddly and sweet, but only in front of his roommates. For everyone else, he turns into player and womanizer, friendly guy who seems to get along with everyone. I knew that there would be a darker story about his past compared with other characters and that was completely fine by me. Unfortunately, it took turn into overly melodramatic and not so dark after all. More like "Cinderella and evil stepmother" or similar black and white reasoning. 

      Courtney. Probably one of the most original female characters -  because of the fact that she is bisexual. I have never so far read new adult (or young adult) with bisexual character. So many wasted possibilities! Don't get me wrong, I did like her, but I felt as if that part of her portraying was thrown into the mix just to make her look more interesting. Whole part about Courtney liking girls and interacting with her ex was unbelievable. Story quickly turns into regular new adult boy/girl romance.

    Final judgement? The Shape of My Heart is satisfying conclusion to the trilogy with few original ideas and even more typical new adult premises.

Happy reading,

*Copy of the book was provided by publisher, Harlequin HQN, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*

(Series Review) Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

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Book summary:

"Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?"

      I am so happy that I waited for all three books to be published before picking up Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor is a queen of killing you slowly with cliffhangers. Even the final book leaves you with more questions than answers.

     First book of the trilogy was the weakest, in my opinion. Mainly focused on the romance and full of unbelievable portraying of Czechs - more like literary caricatures than actual characters - Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a book that slowly drives you crazy, no matter the fact that you keep reading it because you just have to see what will happen next. The most appealing thing about it, as one of my friends described it, is its weirdness. Yes, this is a love story with a paranormal twist and most of it can be labeled as the usual archetypes of the genre, what makes it easy for a reader to predict in which direction will story go, but, at the same time, you are pulled into this crazy whirlwind of emotions and mythology.

     Days of Blood and Starlight was a pleasant surprise - when it comes to trilogies, second book tends to be the weakest link, one that has all standard "middle book syndrome" issues. There is no middle book syndrome here.  Laini Taylor managed to redeem herself because she moved the focus of the story from the romance to the political intrigue, building of the fictional (fantasy) world - and here we come to the part where I realized what was the big no for me in the previous book, but also generally in fantasy literature. There is no "world will end if the star-crossed lovers don't end up together" storyline. I was sure that something along those lines will happen in the rest of the series, but thankfully, it did not.

     Dreams of Gods and Monsters was the most exciting book of the trilogy. Every chapter was like a cliffhanger for itself - it was a pure, enjoyable torture to read it. Full of angst and drama, unexpected twists and turns, final installment keeps you on your toes until the very end. And the second end. Also, the third one. You're confused, right? I know, I was, too. Dreams of Gods and Monsters started so good, but ended in the massive cluster of hints for what would come in the fantastical world of Eretz after we close the book and quick solutions for mysteries that popped up along the way. Imagined like the explanation of all whys and hows and how comes, it overwhelms a reader with amount of information, mythology and science mix up and constant switching from one point of view to the another. Dreams of Gods and Monsters is a book that should be read slowly - not in one sitting - take a breaks, process what you read and then continue. (Jessica from Rabid Reads explained this perfectly.)

    What is my biggest issue with the Laini Taylor's trilogy? Ending. It is obvious that this is not the open ending which is the end no matter all questions and mysteries that it includes, but the introduction to the possible spin-off series. (If the marketing division of the publishing house establishes that there is enough interest among readers/buyers for something like that and that it would bring a lot of money - you know, The Mortal Instruments scenario.)

      Final judgement? Beautifully told story about angels and demons, Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy will find its fans among readers who prefer fantasy and paranormal romance, especially younger readers who are meeting this kind of literature for the first time. For those who are spoiled by epicness of Lumatere Chronicles or don't like when trilogies are not really trilogies, this will be enjoyable read,like it was for me.

Ratings:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - 3 stars

Days of Blood and Stralight - 5 stars

Dreams of Gods and Monsters - 3.5/4 stars

Happy reading,

The Scent of Legacy (Arkona Purpur, #1) by Drina Steinberg

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My rating: 3.5 stars

Book summary:

"Have you ever wondered if a dream is not just a dream? If a memory is more than a memory?
Whether everyone is the master of their own fate, or everyone’s destiny is written in the stars?
Have you ever had the feeling that there are no coincidences and that losing one’s mind is just a way of hiding the truth?
Would you dare to explore the secrets the origin of our blood holds?

The Scent of Legacy opens the doors to a whole new world. The world of a man with a secret larger than life and a woman whose madness can help her reveal it. Their inevitable encounter will spark forbidden flames, precipitate the clash of old enemies, and rediscover the long-forgotten idols.
In the first part of the Arkona Purpure trilogy, the author Drina Steinberg begins her story of the chosen legacy of the Slavic gods and sets out on a search for answers that will make you go on an adventure filled with twists, secrets, passion, and prohibitions. An adventure that will take you to the borders of contemporary world and Slavic mythology.
This is the story of the ancient origins of our blood.
The story after which nothing will ever be the same."

      The Scent of Legacy is a first novel in Arkona Purpur, paranormal series written by a new author, Drina Steinberg. I am especially happy to talk about this book today because she is our "neighbor", Drina is Serbian author. That is a main reason why I wish I liked The Scent of Legacy more then I did. It was a good book,  some parts I really enjoyed and others were... not so good.

• Interesting idea. This is the first book I have read so far that is based on Slavic mythology. I don't even have to say that it's the part of the story that excited me the most considering that I am part of that (really big) group (read more about Slavs on Wikipedia). It was interesting to see how author managed to put together modern world and ancient beliefs. I've listened stories about  Rügen and last pagan Slavic temples my whole life. It was like going back to the childhood and listening my father's voice lulling me to a sleep with tales about god that sleeps and dreams about the world we live in.
• But... For those who never before heard about Slavic mythology, it could be a little bit confusing. I know those tales and at the times I felt lost because some of the names or details were mentioned and not explained.
• This is not YA. I do not know I thought it was. Main character, Purpur, is 39 and Lirai is even older. Yes, there are a few steamier scenes, but don't let that small detail push you away.
• Characters? Story? I have no idea how to explain this and not spoil the story for you, but I will try. I hated and loved Purpur at the same time. At first, she won me over with how kick-ass she is, but then she turned into Bella Swan. And she is 39. If you know me and my reading preferences, you're well aware of my lack of patience for middle aged women who act like teenage girls. And there is this whole issue I had with a lack of chemistry between Lirai and Purpur. It should have been lust at first sight, but I just didn't buy it. That whole part made me so confused because everything happened fast and a lot of different characters were introduced into the story. Actually, first 30% book was confusing (and everyone using word "darling" three times on one page was a bit to much). Things did get better after that, we finally get some answers and everything starts unraveling faster. Ending kept me biting my nails and cheering for a good guys, but... I wish that few things were told differently, that timeline of the events wasn't so slow in the beginning and a little bit hectic in the end. 

      Final judgement?  I believe that The Scent of Legacy will find its fans among readers who love fantasy novels and who would love to read something a little bit different from their usual picks. Fantasy is not a genre that prefer and love (well, Melina Marchetta and Lumatere Chronicles are exception), so maybe that is why this book is not five star read for me. I would love to hear your thoughts about Arkona Purpur, so if you decide to read it, make sure to stop by and share your review links with us.

Happy reading,

*Copy of this book was provided by author in exchange for an honest review.*

ARC Review: Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker

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Expected publication: 21st October

Book summary:

It's an oppressively hot and sticky morning in June when Sterling and her brother, Phin, have an argument that compels him to run into the town swamp -- the one that strikes fear in all the residents of Sticks, Louisiana. Phin doesn't return. Instead, a girl named Lenora May climbs out, and now Sterling is the only person in Sticks who remembers her brother ever existed.
Sterling needs to figure out what the swamp's done with her beloved brother and how Lenora May is connected to his disappearance -- and loner boy Heath Durham might be the only one who can help her. 
This debut novel is full of atmosphere, twists and turns, and a swoon-worthy romance.

         Are you willing to embrace weirdness and just go with the flow, without taking in consideration where that river might take you? Just read and not think about logic. Also do you like books that have realistic setting but much unrealistic elements? If the answer is yes then this is probably book for you.

         After seeing this cover for the first time I knew I needed this book in my life and after it landed on my Kindle I couldn't  but do happy dance around the room. But after I started reading it I was a bit skeptical. Beware the Wild starts with the story in present. You get to meet Sterling while she is waiting at the police station and it takes few pages to get the story behind her anxiousness. Her brother had sort of a breakdown and went to the place that's been source of their fears for many years - swamp. The next day things change in her home. Suddenly her brother is magically replaced with Lenora May who got out of the swamp and took his place with people behaving like it was always that way. All but Sterling and Heath, who need to find a way to understand this.

        Books with fantasy elements set in realistic environment are usually hit or miss for me. I like my fantasy reads in another worlds, and realistic settings in contemporary books. So I'm not sure how I feel about this. I did like the whole mystical setting and it was really vivid and unusual, but at the same time I was really hard to get myself involved with this idea.

       When it comes to characters and romance, well Sterling was a really determined girl. I admired her willingness and strength but at the same time her recklessness bothered me from time to time. Hugh was also really interesting and real character but at the same time he didn't feel like someone who has strong views as he followed Sterling almost blindly. At the same time both were real, with real issues and troubles. And their romance was really sweet and nicely developed. It's one from friends to lovers kind which we all tend to love.

       This book had a really interesting mix of elements which wasn't really according to my desires but still it worked out just fine.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Until the next time,

I Want It That Way (2B Trilogy, #1) by Ann Aguirre

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Publication date: August 26th, 2014

My rating: 3.5 stars

Book summary:

"Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she's determined to make them come true—for her parents' sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B….

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can't risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia's and Ty's paths cross, and soon they can't stay away from each other.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can't know what you truly need until you stand to lose it."

      I know that most of you know Ann Aguirre because of her dystopian novels (which I haven't read yet, by the way) and that most of her readers are doubtful about Ann writing contemporary romance, new adult romance - but since I am in the mood for new adult and more realistic stories, this was a great choice for me.

    Let's talk about that title! I am guessing that younger generation doesn't know or has vague knowledge about very popular boy band from the end of the nineties, Backstreet Boys. Rest of you thought about their song as soon as you saw the title, admit it? I laughed like crazy, but Ann Aguirre gets extra points for being a fellow BSB fan. (Yes, I know - I am so old!)

     Story - interesting idea, but put on a paper... Girl moves in with her friends into the new apartment. Cute guy lives floor below her. They have connection. He has a kid. Oh, the complications and drama! This was truly brilliant idea for new adult story full of twists and turns and tension and feels. Unfortunately, it failed to deliver sometimes mostly because of writing and few plot holes.

      Characters. Nadia was constantly on that fine line between acceptable female character and the one that annoys the hell out of you. She could be so selfish and self-centered at times and then do something so awesome that you would scream girl crush to anyone who would listen. Ty is build from a swoon worthy material, but even he can't see further from his own nose at few occasions.

     Final judgement? Adorable story that will be a perfect fit for warm August evening, especially if you need something sweet and romantic.


Happy reading, 

***Copy of the book was provided by publisher, Harlequin HQN, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!***

ARC Review: The Lonely by Ainsile Hogarth

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Publication Date: September 8th 2014

Book summary:

A darkly humorous and imaginative story
After she discovers The Terrible Thing, Easter Deetz goes looking for her sister, Julia, but ends up pinned under a giant boulder with her legs crushed into tomato paste. Bored, disappointed, and thoroughly dismembered, Easter slowly bleeds to death in The Woods with only sinister squirrels to keep her company. As The Something Coming draws closer, memories of Easter's family surface like hallucinations: a mumbling father who lives alone in the basement; a terrifying grandmother who sits in her enclosed porch all day; an overly loving mother who plays dead in the bathtub on Sunday nights.
As the story of her life unspools, Easter realizes she's being stalked, making it very difficult for her to bleed to death in peace. Will The Something Coming save her? Or will it do her in entirely?

          "A darkly humorous and imaginative story" are probably the best words to describe this story, as it was just that. Story at first seems childish with the names like "The Terrible Thing" and "The Something Coming" but in reality this story deals with really tough and dark life story.

          At the start we meet Easter, our main character of this story. While running away from The Terrible Thing she finds herself in The Woods, looking for her sister Julia. Only suddenly something terrible happens and her legs get crushed. She knows she has a little time left but still she is not alone. While unwrapping her memories and remembering all terrible things that happened to her she knows that she is being stalked. She is not sure if it's a friend or enemy. Is this her end or just beginning.

          This book is a really tough one to review. It is a sad and really dark story. But it is also a story that deals with tough issues and the one that will try to tell a really shocking story in a different way. I liked to put pieces together here and even now after reading this book I'm not sure I've got all of them. Somehow it is hard to wrap your mind around this story, but it stays with you for quite some time after your finish it.

          Now I have to pull that old trick from the hat and say that the reason I didn't enjoy this story as much is actually me, not the book. This book, for sure, will find its readers and people who will love and praise it. I'm happy for it and this book deserve it. But I won't be one of them. Many things about this book were hard for me to comprehend and therefore to enjoy this story, even though this story might not be written to be enjoyed. It was confusing and at moments I felt uncomfortable with it.

         Simply, there was too much darkness for me to embrace. But this book was unique, that for sure.

Rating: 3 stars. 

Until the next time,

*Note: Copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, Flux, via NetGalley. Thank you!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

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Book summary:

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. 
Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. 
Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

         I was really torn after reading this book and I will never stop blaming myself for reading this book during the times I was under so much stress. It reflected on my reading and feelings for this book, but giving this book anything less than 3.5 stars would be like putting a dagger through my heart.

        The Dream Thieves continues in the fashion of The Raven Boys. It still possesses that amazing world-building and that already well-known writing that I cannot stop loving it seems. It also possesses boys (yes, boys as in plural) which still continue to entertain and it still has Blue, the girl I adore. After their discovery of ley lines they are even more bound. They have plans and things to do and while they still work together on this, it's evident that each one of them has other problems they have to deal with. Ronan, most of all. Gansey's obsession is continuing to grow and Blue still has that puzzle to solve. While Adam is Adam you feel for.

        This book is everything I could ask for. Nicely written as in Maggie doesn't disappoint. Still amazing characters and their even better development. More mystery which puts pieces of the puzzle in place. Still only pieces, we have a whole bunch of them we have to put together. Which will have to wait till Blue Lily, Lily Blue. The best of all this book possesses magic, the best kind. One that is like a dream, you know it's fiction but damn, it feels real.

         But in all that I was an idiot and I shall never forgive myself this. I picked this book when I was in the mood that you should not be while reading this book. Stress was running through my veins and it reflected on my mood. So I struggled a lot at the start of this book. I couldn't read more than a chapter a day and it took me too long to finally get into the story. I did, eventually, and enjoyed the last part of the book, but still it wasn't what this book deserves. So in October I'll be ready!

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Until the next time,

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

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My rating: 3 stars

Book summary:

"From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.
Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is."

      Two years ago one of the biggest young adult  contemporary surprises for me was Huntley Fitzpatrick's debut novel, My Life Next Door. I was so amazed with this story that I tried to make all my friends read it, I raved and raved and raved about it. No one should be surprised that her new novel, What I Thought Was True, was on the top of my 2014 wishlist. Unfortunately, tale about Gwen and Cass was nowhere near awesomeness of Samantha and Jase. 

     Last week you could read Tanja's review for this book (if you missed it, you can find it here) and I have to agree with almost everything she wrote. It was not a bad book, but I expected much more. The best part of the story was humor - I laughed so hard at some parts, especially all scenes with old Mrs. Ellington and steamy romances. Setting is beautiful - island and sea, summer and sand. 
       I had really hard time relating to characters, Gwen for the most part. I think that my main issue was with how the story was narrated, because in the first half of the book you get partial snippets to the previous events and non of those make her look "good". It's like she is begging you to hate her. Second half of the book - after everything that happen during school year is revealed, is much better and story picks up. 

      What I Thought Was True could be described as a novel with the identity crisis - it is labeled as young adult novel, but there are a lot of things that make it feel more like new adult. That is probably one of the reasons for all mixed feelings in reviews I read around blogosphere. In one moment it's like you are reading Sarah Dessen or Summer series by Jenny Han and then suddenly you have a feeling as if you picked up a novel by J. Lynn, Jessica Sorensen, J.A. Redmerski or Fisher Amelie. 

      I maybe didn't like Huntley Fitzpatrick's second book as much as I did first, but I am still a big fan of her writing and I can not wait to see what will she write next.

Happy reading,