Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
by Fiona Paul
Publishing: 3.20.14
Pages: 336
Source: Thanks to FIONA for the copy! *hugs*
In the final book in the trilogy, Cass and Luca are back in Venice trying to find the Book of the Eternal Rose to clear Luca's name and keep them both out of prison. But the hunters become the hunted when the Order of the Eternal Rose figures out their plan. Filled with twists and turns, danger and torrid romances, this novel brings the Secrets of the Eternal Rose novels to a thrilling, heart-pounding, sexy conclusion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fiona Paul lives in the Midwest but travels a lot since she can’t breathe if she spends too much time away from the ocean. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a major in psychology and spent a year teaching English in Seoul, Korea while she was deciding what she wanted to be when she grew up. Answer: everything. In addition to being a teacher and writer, she’s also worked as a saute cook, sporting goods manager, veterinary assistant, and registered nurse. When she’s not working, you can usually find her kayaking, reading, or helping turtles cross the road. Her future goals include diving with great white sharks and writing more books, not necessarily in that order. Venom is her first novel.
Guys...when an author wants to dive with Great Whites...you know she's awesome! Make sure to check her out on social media! She's the bomb! (Also read her books, that's important too. =)
Before I begin I just want to say, that I am disappointed my vote didn't win and this book wasn't called Falco instead, but I think that we can all agree once reading this book that Starling was in actuality the perfect name for this book. And this book, this trilogy is not going to be one I forget for a long
time.
Venom set the stage with a bang, a chilling and dark mystery in a very real historical time period. Belladonna got better and continued the mystery with a smart and fast ride that hooked you in and left you gasping in shock with the revelations and the surprises loaded in the book. And Starling, the end has finally come and it could not have ended better. This book hit me in the feels, it hit me in the everywhere else as well.
Venom set the stage with a bang, a chilling and dark mystery in a very real historical time period. Belladonna got better and continued the mystery with a smart and fast ride that hooked you in and left you gasping in shock with the revelations and the surprises loaded in the book. And Starling, the end has finally come and it could not have ended better. This book hit me in the feels, it hit me in the everywhere else as well.
It’s hard to know what I can say about this book without
spoiling anything in the first two. So many feelings are present in this book,
and from page one I was hooked in their grasp, racing along to the finish line
with these characters that I had grown to love. I was so very curious, no I was
DESPERATE to see how it ended for them all.
Espescially in regards to that quite distinct love triangle.
Falco versus Luca. The dark and wild artist against the strong and steady
friend. We’ve all seen if before in books, but this triangle is different. It’s
set up in a way that by the end of Belladonna I was questioning the feels of my feels. I had no idea what to expect and I was just desperate for the end. I’m not going to imply or suggest anything
that would spoil the ending to such a wildly discussed and intricate romance.
But I will say that what did happen was something so right for this book, and
this story and these characters, that I wouldn’t have changed it.
That’s a good story.
What makes these books stand out from other historical
fiction is the dark mystery aspects that are prevalent. They are not
supernatural, but they are mysterious and quite often creepy. Half of the time
I found myself immersed and confused at the same time. But it’s so interesting
and well told that you just can’t stop, even if it makes no sense at parts. It’s
a very unique aspect and in a way I really liked that dark element.
I literally have nothing else to say. With Starling, Fiona has delivered and spell-binding conclusion that will keep you glued to your chair until the last page when all you have left to do is cry and laugh and feel a LOT of feels.
Thumbs up Fiona. You’ve done yourself proud. Cass, Falco and Luca have forever earned a spot in my heart, and I’ll probably never think of Italy in the same way again. So by all means, hop on this bandwagon (er, gondola) if you haven’t yet! There’s a steady current ready to take you downriver to Venice.
There are my feels everyone. I hope you find this book filled with as much awesome as I did! For more reviews and goodies on this beauteous book check out the full tour schedule here! Now onto the giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for stopping by! Spread some comment love for Fiona (& Falco) in the comments! XOXO,
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
by Marissa Meyer
Publishing: 2.4.14 from Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 560
Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. I received no compensation for this review.
In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.
Along with her hacking abilities, Cress brings in the fairy-tale aspect of Rapunzel and it was so much fun to read about. I've always loved that fairytale, and know the original story very well. This is where it goes back to my nerdy geek side. If you know the original tale, you'll know that the prince is pushed from the tower and lands in a group of thorny bushes which blinds him, until he's later healed by Rapunzels tears when they are reunited.
"Captain?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think it was destiny that brought us together?"
He squinted, and after a thoughtful moment, shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure it was Cinder."
Anyway so this Prince. Because there can't be a new girl without her guy right? Of course right! If you've read Scarlet, you've met him as the infamous Captain Carswell Thorne, comedic relief of the gang and quite the scoundrel. Watching these two be thrown together was hilarious, entertaining and just all around wonderful. Cress knows lots of things, including lots about this guy, and it presents a new side to one of the relationships in this books. Plus the circumstances they are thrown into just makes things awkward, hilarious and endears you even more to the characters until you find yourself riveted and so in love with.
"If you honestly believe that," said Thorne, stowing the gun again, "then you really don't recognize true value when you see it."
But of course this book was more than just Cress and Thorne. Cinder, Kai and Dr. Erland play a much bigger role in this book. Scarlet and Wolf are not as prominent, but I still love them as much. They're drama gets going early on and it throws quite the wrench in the story, and the characters emotionally. *SOBS* It opens up new doors and again, brilliant storytelling. But back to Cinder and Kai. This is the book where as a reader connected to the characters, I have been the most invested in the story of Cinder and Kai. They keep on growing and developing in new ways as they try to sort out their feelings, ever changing situation and themselves. I love them to pieces and agonizing over their story was quite possibly about 50% of my feels in this book. There was one scene in particular that I was DYING to see and for those who have read it, check out my thoughts (highlight to read):
SPOILER --> [CINDER AND KAI'S REUNION IN THE LAST SCENE was literally my most anticipated scene of the whole thing. Darn that agonizing wait to get there though. But it was so perfect, I must have read it like ten times after reading it. It was beautiful and perfect and I couldn't ask for anything better. Wouldn't you agree?] <--END SPOILER
I also mentioned Dr. Erland. He is just, wow. I REALLY liked him in this book. He is also a much more prominent character and it was so fascinating to get to see much more of his backstory and how that intertwines with the rest of it. *slaps hand over mouth before the feels come gushing out* Again with the brilliant plot Marissa. Oh and then there's Queen Levana. You evil woman! She's hecka powerful and I really just hate her with a fiery passion. But I liked getting glimpses into her mind and her world. With these side plots introduced we've been set up for a bomb of a last book.
Monday, February 3, 2014
by Marissa Meyer
Published: 2.5.14
Pages: 454
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.
Here it is! My three-month overdue review!
I don’t know what it
was that took me so long to read Scarlet, but it took me just that, a long
time. And I regret that so much. Where Cinder was fun, Scarlet was the bomb.
Where Cinder made your heart smile and flutter, Scarlet made you Swoon to high
heavens!! Where Cinder was full of intrigue and building plots, Scarlet was
exploding with action and twists. Basically take Cinder and multiply it by two
and throw in a side of more freaking epic characters and you have Scarlet in a
nutshell.
Scarlet ups so many of the dimensions that Cinder presented. We
have a new batch of characters, mainly Scarlet and Wolf, (and Thorne!) bringing with them a
new fairytale thread. I loved these characters. The way I was able to slip into
their minds and enjoy the story was fantastic. Their voices were unique and
filled with character. Scarlet was intense, passionate and brave. Wolf was fierce,
mysterious and strong. Thorne was the comedic insert to the story. While we mostly saw Scarlet or Wolf narrating, all three had interesting storylines to match their fun and humorous voices.
And while these new voices are new, we still got to see some of
Cinder and Kai. I’ll admit I was never totally in love with Cinders character.
She’s interesting and I like her and Kai, but I’m so glad that we see much more
development of the two in this book. This book gives so much more dimension to them and I really liked the direction they're headed as characters. Whereas Thorne, our new side-kick is so fun. He's quirky, and so funny. He's doesn't have a romantic interest but you love him all the same.
As for the romance build-up between Scarlet and Thorne it's done seamlessly! Their interactions grow and and so much fun and in the subtle ways that just work so well, chemistry builds until we are as much in love with them as they are with each other. **SWOON ALERT**
Cinder and Kai on the other hand are a totally different story! (If you know what I'm talking about from the ending of Cinder.) These two have a chance to develop more on a personal level, while at the same time, this development makes them seem so much more awesome, leaving you anxious for more of them in the next book.
What makes these books so much fun is the fairy-tale aspect. And
Marissa Meyer did a fabulous job of mashing Little Red and Cinderella together! And the way she is able to cleverly fit the stories together and in the
new futuristic society is just mind-blowing. Scarlet builds on the tension and continues
on to be filled with action while exploding with new secrets and information.
It’s all fantastic. This book left me with a thrill of adventure, fairy-tale (or
not) romance and lots of exciting cliff hangers for Cress. I can for sure say
this book was better than the first. I loved it all, the characters, new
locations and world building. The new cast of characters is so much fun and it’s
just SO. COOL.
Even if you weren’t blown away by Cinder I highly recommend you
check out Scarlet. It’s for sure an awesome build to the world, characters and EVERYTHING! You'll be finished before you could say Big Bad Wolf.
Stay tuned for me review of Cress, live tomorrow on the release date! Happy Monday! XOXO,
Stay tuned for me review of Cress, live tomorrow on the release date! Happy Monday! XOXO,
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
by Rae Carson
Published: 9.20.11
Pages: 423
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. Most of the chosen do.
The Rest of the Series:
I’ve always loved a good fantasy! That’s why it surprised me
it took me so long to pick up The Girl of Fire and Thorns and sequels. But I
finally did and having recently finished the trilogy I decided to bring you my
collective thoughts in one post. (cheap blogger) Some call this the “Game of
Thrones for YA”, but I call it “Hectorific.” Because that is what I think of
when I think of these books. [More on that later.]
Note: My thoughts
will proceed somewhat in order of novels, but there will be mild spoilers
attached. You have been warned.
Book one starts off with a kick. Princess married in secret…shipped
off to be secret bride queen. Oh and don’t forget she’s the Chosen One of the
century. And does our heroine want this role? Nonsense! Who wants to be a hero?
Since when is that cool? Elisa, Elisa, Elisa. Where do I begin with you. We’ve
had a bit of a love-hate relationship you and I. See, in book one you kinda
annoyed the crap out of me. In book two, I tolerated you more because Hector
was on the scene, and in book three, we formed a truce of peace. By the end we
were friends…I think.
In book one we see her start as a shy timid, but very
thoughtful kind of a character. She was interesting, but I didn’t connect with
her. We know she’s pudgy and not the skinniest girl on the block. Oh we know
alright. It was constantly in the back of Elisa’s brain, making in the back
of the readers. That’s probably what annoyed the most. Her belittling and annoyance of herself. What made me laugh
was her awe at the change in her body (in size and fitness) after walking
across the freaking desert. Haha. However, she did have some great moments in thinking,
and character. She just didn’t resonate with me.
Now, in book one we’re introduced to a romantic interest,
Humberto. Because I already knew darling Hector would be the main love
interest, I didn’t care much for Humberto. It was pointless in a way. Now I did have that foresight, and that might
have been what dragged this down for me, but that pretty much led to me no
caring so much for this book because I wanted all the Hector we could get in
book two.
My other main issue with these books was the world building.
It was interesting and we had a neat plot/set up going on, but I was so often
lost and confused and bored by it all. Gimme a break. All these things and
names of peoples and places to remember…it just wasn’t for me.
We didn’t click.
Here it was there, next minute it was gone. Are they good or are they bad?
Wait, how are they connected again? What’s this country/community/badguy?
Straighten out this lore, connect these dots. These questions basically made up
my lack of interest and connection to the world, which was nice I suppose but
not something I cared about. I found myself skimming political and explanatory
parts, wanting it all giving to me and wanting to just know the outcome. (mainly
in the last book). It’s a shame, but true.
My main drive eventually became Hector. He was such a great
character in Crown of Embers that I just wanted his happy ending! Basically it
took me two weeks to read The Bitter Kingdom, for lack of me wanting to read
everything. I kind of had to make myself read it through to the end. *spoiler* But the ending did come and Hector got his HEA and
Elisa became a freaking Empress and it’s all happiness and gumdrops. Huzzah,
end of the book!
To conclude, this trilogy was enjoyable to a point and then
the rest of it was boring or annoying. Basically Hector wins all. Elisa had her
moments of tactical genius and there were elements of action and fantasy I did
appreciate. The rest was mediocre. But if you like fantasy, don’t just take my
bored word for it. Try this book! Read other more positive reviews. Who
knows, you may love these books and come back to curse me for ever disliking
them. What? It could happen.
Series Rating: 3 Stars
Phew! My thoughts have left me without words.Your turn now! What do you think? Merry Christmas Eve!
Friday, September 27, 2013
Innocent Darkness
byt Suzanne Lazaer
Published: 8.8.12
Pages: 408
Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock's hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed, otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.
I loved the idea of Steampunk meets Faeries. However in this case, I feel like the fey aspect overrode the Steampunk so much that they didn't work well together. The development of the Steampunk aspect was very little and almost seemed to be taken for granted. We never got to know the world. How it worked, how it runs, it was just..a world we were living in. And the fey part was even more so. There were these random words in there used regularly, such as hoyden. As the reader, I felt like I already had to know certain aspects and what things meant in regards to the fey before I read the book. Maybe these worlds didn't work because they were thrown together. Maybe for others it does work! But for me, I had too many questions and not enough were answered.
So while the lack of world building made it hard for me to fully immerse myself in the story, I think that the main problem I had was connecting with the characters. Any of them for that matter. Noli came through a bit strange, and hypocritical at times. She was stubborn one minute and almost blubbery the next, and frankly I found her quite childish. I really wanted to like her, and so it saddens me that I couldn't. The rest of the cast wasn't any different. Sure, they have interesting names and faces that have to interact with Noli, but I couldn't find anything to really endear me too them. The queen didn't seem to live up to somet of the things said about her, Kevign was very disturbing for my tastes, and the romantic interest fell flat. *sigh* These characters have so much potential and I'm sorry I couldn't connect with them.
The plot had a chance at redeeming this book. A very interesting conflict is raised in the beginning and for the first little bit I was honestly interested, but unfortunately like the rest of the book, it felt short. I must be getting pickier or soemthing. To me the way it played out felt dragged on and on till the end when we go out with a bibbidi-bobbidi-boo and Happily Ever After. It was great and all, but I needed to be able to feel like the HEA was justified. And in this case, I didn't get that.
So I'm unfortunatley left to conclude that this book didn't work for me. I'm sad to admit it, but that's the truth. I know this book has been enjoyed by quite a few people, so maybe this will be up your alley!
Content: Moderate
[kissing, a man has man perverted thoughts about women. characters are chaste, but sleep in bed together. it is known that some characters are not chaste.]
Saturday, August 17, 2013
by C. J. Rewine
Publishing: 8. 27. 13
Pages: 480
Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland. But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.
Just as in Defiance, Rachel is seriously kick-all-the-butt. Ha. She's as fierce, loyal and still insanely good with a sword. I loved that her character was still strong, despite all the demons raging within her. Speaking of, oh man. Rachel does go through the wringer emotionally. Just watching the after-affects of Defiance roll in combined with all the ups and downs of Deception? It's tough. It made me feel all the feels for Rachel. But she stayed strong and still kicked all the butt I could have wanted her too. Rachel FTW!
This book was insanely action-packed. It starts off, starts a chugging and then we are on full speed ahead. Seriously. If yo uthink it's safe? It's not. Don't ever believe your brain. It's intense and the action comes in all shapes and sizes. Which I LOVED. There was variety, but there was never a dull moment! Sure there were downtimes, but there is always something happening to keep you excited and on your toes. And when there's an aura of mystery, she keeps you guessing and re-thinking yourself and the eventually surprising you to the point where you think you were an idiot for not getting it sooner.
Before I forget, I just have to mention the Cursed One. Becaue he's the freaking bomb. Although I was actually really sad we didn't see more of him..[her?]..in this book. Why I'm so obsessed with something that everyone in the book is afraid of I don't know. But I do know that what we saw the Cursed One was hecka legit. And that the things C. J. subtley mentioned about the Cursed One have me so excited and guessing and hoping that I can't stand it. If anything? Read for the Cursed One alone!
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