Book Review - The Last Summer of Us by Maggie Harcourt

The Last Summer of Us is based on three friends from Wales who go on a road trip during the summer – the last summer all three of them would spend together.

I’m going to be honest and say that when I first seen this book, I wasn’t sure about it, I actually put it back down on the way to the till only to pick it back up again the next day with the decision to give it a go and that is not a decision I regret.

This book isn’t the typical type of book I would go for, I love all things supernatural and fantasy based, but this book – this book is so realistic it could be someone’s life right at this moment – the storyline is so well captured in what goes on in a young teen’s life and mind when everything around them seems to be changing. There’s love, sadness, happiness, lies, acceptance and also truth and the harsh reality of it. During some moments I even found myself wondering, how can this author capture something that is so relatable to such a large number of people so effortlessly. And I know I am being quite vague about the heart of the story line but that is because I want use all to read it, I urge use too, because this is a story that will stay with you – for all the right reasons.

Book Review - Flight (The Cresent Chronicles #1) by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad's invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind - until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her. 

Ill be honest in syaing that I don't really know what drew me to this book, it definately wasn't the cover, I really don't like it... it was probably the fact the blurb mentioned a supernatural society, I have a thing for those and I was pleasently surprised to find that it wasn't the typical vampire/nephilium side of the supernatual spectrum - it was something completely different.

I really enjoyed this book - it was like nothing I've ever read before and that's always a good thing, I loved the characters and I loved the story line.
The plot was paced at a decent speed, it didn't go too fast, where you didn't even know what was happening, and it didn't go too slow, where you were praying for the chapter to end. I really enjoyed the story, a summer away to another city to work for your dad, then you meet a handsome, charming, alluring yet very annoying guy to end up getting caught in the middle of a supernatural power struggle - that's a lot to take in - but Alyssa made it exciting. She made it so that the entire story just flowed, you werent sitting there wondering what in the world is happening and that's one of the main things I loved.

I also loved the supernatural side of it, Pterons. I've never heard of them, but they are very important in this story, and are the main part of it - Levi, his friends, his family, are all Pterons and rule the supernatual society in New Orleans, which no one tells Allie - shocking - and in order to keep peace (so to speak) the heir to the thrown must find a mate, or else the society will be moved to the next city with an heir who has already chosen a mate - that bit was a bit confusing. But I'm sure you can guess where I'm going with this.

Overall I did really enjoy it, the budding romance, the supernatual, the danger and excitment - what more could you ask for in  a book?

Book Review - Awaken (Abandon Trilogy #3) by Meg Cabot

A storm is coming.

I must say, I love when books have these one lines for blurbs - not only does it make me desperate to read the book - it adds a certain spice to a book, not knowing what's going to happen so you don't have the luxury of guessing or anticipating what way it will end. 

It does have the blurb on the inside of the cover though - but Im not going to tell you it.. *evil laugh*

This book for me was like a clock in the sense that - something big was happening and throughout each chapter it was counting down and the apprehension was growing - which I loved! It made me so interested in finding out what was going to happen.

The plot in this book, it based around the furies - they know John broke the rules, twice, but no one knows when or how they're going to strike - it was at a really good pace, it didn't drag but it wasn't over within the first three chapters. All of the characters are back also which is awesome - Pierce and John are working through their relationship which adds a bit of romance to the story, there is also some humour and some moments of anticipation which really keeps you intrigued and turing the pages.

I also loved the cover of the book. This is the first cover were you can see some resemblence as to what John looks like, obviously you have a picture in your head but it's always nice to have a picture to refer too, and a face to put name too.

I can't think of anything negative to say about this book.... Overall it was a really good read which I recommend :)

Book Review - See Me by Wendy Higgins

While most seventeen year old American girls would refuse to let their parents marry them off to a stranger, Robyn Mason dreams of the mysterious McKale in Ireland, wondering how he’ll look and imagining his cute Irish accent. Prearranged bindings are common for magical families like her own, however when she travels to the whimsical Emerald Isle she discovers there’s more to her betrothal and McKale’s clan than she could have imagined.

What starts as an obligatory pairing between Robyn and McKale morphs over time into something they both need. But one giant obstacle stands in the way of their budding romance: a seductive and deadly Fae princess accustomed to getting what she wanted – and what she wants is McKale as her plaything.

Love, desire and jealousies collide as Robyn and McKale’s clan must work together to outsmart the powerful faeries and preserve the only hope left for their people. 

I honestly didn’t expect this kind of story from Wendy Higgins – I thought she would’ve stayed more towards maybe the Nephilim/Vampire section of fiction – but I’m certainly glad she didn’t! Living in Ireland myself I was so excited when I first seen that Wendy had wanted to write this book and that it was based in Ireland.

I really enjoyed this book, there is something just so different about it compared to the other books I’ve read. It was just something that was incredibly simple to read, the story was fast paced and easy to follow and something that would be enjoyed by anyone. I loved how the was some good honest humour in the book. Most books now I've noticed always end up trying too hard with the humour and in the end, it isn't even funny, or else it's just really awkward - but not this book, I actually laughed out loud at a few parts which I loved.
  Even with the relationship aspect of it it’s really relatable to girls – which I think most girls will agree with. That awkward first meet when you don’t know what to say or how to address someone even though you totally fancy them… it’s hard.

Robyn and McKale have a hard time getting to know and understand each other and they rarely would get the time too – which does start their relationship off a little rocky. McKale is shy and awkward around Robyn which makes her feel as though he doesn’t even like or find her attractive (see what I mean girls? Lol) And on top of this there is the Fae Princess – who really annoyed me, I wanted to slap her – I will admit though that she was very smart in her plans to get McKale, but she was just a b****.

I honestly just really love this book, as I said before its fast paced, the story line is awesome and the characters are lovable – minus the Fae Princess – and that just makes it a whole lot more interesting and fun to read. I can’t think of a bad thing to say about this book, the only thing I would say I didn’t like was the cover – it didn’t really do it for me to be honest 

Book Review - Sweet Reckoning (The Sweet Trilogy #3) by Wendy Higgins

It's time.

Evil is running rampant, and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody know when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anythin necessary to rid the earth of demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forced proves to be perilous - especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust send Anna's great love, Kaiden Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she's prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet. Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom. 

 

Overall I must say, I really loved this series, between Sweet Evil, Sweet Peril and Sweet Reckoning, tears were shed, the laughs were out loud, the nerves were jittering and the smiles were often - so it hurts me to say this but... I was a bit let down with Sweet Reckoning not because the story wasn't great because it was, it just didn't really draw me in - I found it quite slow paced throughout and towards the end when I was expecting the grand finale - it just kind of sizzled. 

 

All of the characters are back in Sweet Reckoning which I loved - especially Kai (dreamy) and there were even some new editions that we only heard glimpses of in the past books so that was really good.

There was quite a lot of drama happening throughout the book as well especially between the Neph and Anna bestfriend Jay - some of the drama I was not expecting! Like at all, I honestly think I stared at the pages with my mouth hanging open in complete shock! haha those moments I think were the best, when I thought I new what was going to happen but it completely turned on its head and had me thing, (wtf...) 

 

I also loved the part at the end of book when we meet them again 6 years later - I wasn't expecting that and I was really surprised about what I read - I'll admit I got a bit teary, mostly from shock and happiness just the closeness I felt with the characters, it was a great insight into the adults that they've become and I was just incredibly happy for them

 But I don't want to go into too much detail about the drama and what not because I don't want to spoil it for anyone - but overally I would give this book a 3/5 because of the slow pace and also the fact that the cover was changed from red to pink.. Red signified Kai and Anna, it was their "colour" so to speak so I'm just baffled, but yeah :)

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review - The Liberator (Dante Walker #2) by Victoria Scott

Bad Boy meet Bad Girl

Dante has been granted a second chance with a shiny new cuff provided by Big Guy himself - he is now, a Liberator - to seal the souls of those who do good things for others and themselves. When Dante is given his first mission as a Liberator so save the soul of 17 year old Aspen, he knows he's got this, but Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations.

With Charlie becoming the girl she never was able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast - Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he'd return to in order to save the girl he's been assigned to and keep the girl he loves.

I honestly wasn't sure whether this book would live up to the first instalment, The Collector - you can check out my review for it here - but I was wrong, it was just as good if not better! Dante is back and he's as incredibly irresistible as ever.

The plot for this book was a bit of a mystery until the last few chapters. No one is telling Dante why Aspen is so important - he only knows it has something to do with Charlie, but what? Throughout his time with Aspen, he learns a few things - she's troubled, she drinks to hid away from it and the people who she thinks are he friends are using her, and Dante has a suspicion it has to do with the assignment itself.
While Dante is away - Charlie is not being herself. She goes out, drinks, does dangerous dares with two guys she hardly even knows but worst of all - she pushes then pulls Dante. First she proclaims her love, then bites his head off. And I'll be honest, I wasn't all that fond of Charlie in this book. Her temperament was driving me insane and I wished Dante had seen that Aspen was basically perfect for him!
But anyway, when you get towards the end and the plot is finally uncovered and you know now why Aspen and Charlie for that matter are so important - you will be in shock. It was a pretty awesome plot and I know the next book will be just as awesome!

Dante was his usual self - cocky, badass and hilarious. It takes a while for him to get into the role of the liberator but when he does, he can feel the difference and he wants to help Aspen anyway he can. He becomes loyal like a brother and will do anything to complete his assignment.
Charlie like I said annoyed me - her mood swings were driving me insane.
Aspen I really liked - she was literally the girl version of Dante. She had a lot of troubles that she kept bottles up and because of that, she expressed herself differently, she was strong mentally and physically but loved with a ferocity that shocked me.
All of the other characters like Red, Max and Annabelle had a lot of input in this book also - they helped Dante and Charlie anyway they could in completing his mission even when he entered back into hell but they stayed true - which is a big thing to ask.

There is also a sneaky like twist which I loved and I guarantee you's will love it too! I was so shocked I honestly thought it was some kind of game and that it would turn out to be a disaster but it didn't.. and I loved it!
Overall a really good sequel to The Collector and I can't wait to read the next instalment! :D

Book Review - Deception by C.J. Redwine

Baalboden has been destroyed. The commanders whereabouts are unknown and Rachel, grief stricken - needs Logan now more than ever. With a ragged group of survivors, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need and abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the wasteland. But someone is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The uncertainty of each day puts Rachel and Logan's relationship through unbearable strain and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering and to make matters worse - the commander will stop at nothing to destroy them.

Can they make it out of the wasteland alive?

Okay so after reading this, I have a correction to make. After I read the first book Defiance and wrote my review which you can find here, I stated that due to the lack of information given as to what time frame and where they actually were in the world, I had to guess the century they were in, I guessed the 20th, but I was wrong. Throughout the book and Rachel and Logan's journey, you uncover bits and pieces of the old civilisation which in the book, was 60 years beforehand and from some of the items and such that they find, I now state that they are in America and are in the 21st Century - but anyway, onto the review!

After reading defiance, I knew this book was going to have one heck of a plot and a story and I was right. From the very beginning there's suspense, drama, romance and of course a few battles. The overall plot of the book was amazing. A traitor among their own ranks? The commander and army after them? A hidden tracker following their every move? And lets not forget about Rachel and Logan's blooming romance - I mean, it could've went wrong in so many ways but it didn't. There was excitement, suspense that kept me on the tip of my toes dying to turn the page, there were a few sad moments again and I'll admit I got teary eyed (I'm an emotional reader lol) but the story just kept going! Deception is the best title and most fitting title for the book because that's the main plot in it. 

Rachel again in this book is in her shell. She is just a shadow of her former self and is really just being the cause of it. I know she's only 16 and whatnot, but there are a hundred odd people depending on her and Logan and yet all she can do will wallow in her own guilt - that's a big no no for me - rub some dirt on it and move on. I will admit though toward the end she started to focus on what really matters, and let go of her guilt in order to get things done which I liked.

Logan is just, well, he's something else. At 19 - he's an amazing leader. He plans out everything in explicable detail and knows what to do and how to do with every possible scenario and outcome covered - I mean, I was dumbfounded. He knows Rachel isn't right and that puts a strain on their relationship because she won't let him in, but he doesn't give up - he loves her too much. You also find out a lot about Logan's past which did leave me open mouthed - I was definitely not expecting it but at the same time - you can understand and even see how some of the things that happened and were said in Defiance, could lead this conclusion.

All of the other characters have been really well developed and each had a good impact on the story. I loved how you got an insight into Quinn and Willow's background because it's always been so mysterious - they've really grown on me over the story.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It was a great sequel to Defiance and definitely didn't lack in action. This is a must read and with the ending - I'm definitely hoping the next book won't disappoint!  

Book Review - Defiance by C.J Redwine

Instead of learning to dance and sew within the walls of Baalboden, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. When Rachel's father fails to return from a mission and is declared dead, the cities commander sets Rachel a new protector, Logan - her fathers apprentice and the boy she declared her love too. With the fierce belief her father's survival, Rachel decided to escape and find him herself. 

Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of  assassins out for blood. They discover romance, heartbreak and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making. 

I first heard of this book by Rachel over at Booktastic Reviews and I was instantly intrigued. It sounded like something I've never read before though it did kind of remind me of Angelfall by Susan Ee which I have also done a review (if you want to read you can click here) 

After reading a few chapters, I was instantly drawn in, I loved so many things about it. The first thing was the writing style - I love how C.J alternated each chapter between Rachel and Logan and we were able to see from both of their points of view. 

I loved the relationship that was shown between Rachel and Logan - you can tell from the beginning that there's some underlying tension which you recently find out a bit later which just made everything understandable. 

Rachel as a lead character is awesome. She is only 16 but yet she's so strong, confident and has a backbone - in other words, she speaks her mind and doesn't care what anyone thinks. She is so loyal to those she loves and will do whatever it takes to make sure they're safe - which is why she goes after her father. I will say though that she does have quite drastic mood changes which makes you step back and think "waow, calm the f*** down girl" It did annoy me quite a bit.

Logan is also amazingggg - he's extremely smart, strong and courageous. Throughout the book he goes through so much and you find out a bit about his past which gives you a huge insight into why he hates the Commander so bad, and you can't help but cheer him on throughout the challenges he faces during the book. He was Jared's apprentice (Rachel's father) so he is trained to be a tracker and he also is incredibly smart and can make incredible gadgets which help throughout their journey. 

The other charactes such as Oliver - Rachel's friend/adopted grandfather is also involved a lot and you get a good insight into his relationship with Rachel and also Logan which is really good.

The bad thing about this book is that, you don't get any detail of where this takes place, yes it's in Baalboden, but where in the world is that - and you don't get any idea of the time frame of in what year this takes place which annoyed me. Though considering that there is no high tech gadgets/technology apart from what Logan makes - no one has an idea of what it is - I'd guess the book is placed in the 20th Century and even the dress sense and the language used suggests that it was in a different/older time.

Overall, I really liked this book - it was different and definitely not something that I would usually read which is the main reason I wanted to read it. I will definitely be purchasing the second book :) If you want something different to read, I would definitely purchase this book.

Book Review - Elegy (Watersong Series) by Amanda Hocking

Gemma now holds the key to breaking the siren curse and the stakes have never been higher. She finally has the chance to have a future with the people she loves, and a romance with Alex is close enough to touch... but not if Penn has anything to say about it.

Penn is more determined than ever to have Daniel for her own and destroy Gemma and Harper along the way

Elegy is the Final book in the Watersong series, and I can definitely say, it did not disappoint! The main plot of the book is great. There is a lot of adrenaline and excitement throughout the entire book which kept me glued to the pages and dying to find out what happened next! 

The general storied revolved mostly around how to break the curse, but with the time slowly running out, I did wonder why they didn't come up with a plan of attack and kill the sirens? Granted they wouldn't know what that would do Gemma but still... they could've at least got rid of Penn - she's going after Daniel after all. 

The characters are also amazing - you see a lot more of Liv who turned up at the end of Tidal and you get a real understand of what a crazy/power hungry girl she is - which really peeved me off, I didn't like her. Lydia is also in it a lot more which I really liked - she's querky and fun and generally a nice girl. 

Harper and Gemma are their usual selves - trying to find a way to break the curse and juggle their social lives at the same time.

Alex is in this book a lot more which I loved - he's awesome not to mention the fact he's a hunk now ;) but him and Gemma work together to get their relationship back on track and you can;t help but root for them. 

Daniel is in it a lot also, but he is a bit aloof - mostly because of Penn but still, I begged him throughout the book to talk to Harper, but it didn't happen for a while which caused a bad reaction. 

The other characters were also really involved and had a big part within this book - helping Gemma and Harper along their journey.

Overall, I can't reall say much more, this book is just a great finale to the series and I guarantee if you read it, you will love it :)

Book Review - Watersong Series (Wake and Lullaby) by Amanda Hocking

The first book in the Watersong series in Wake. I was immediately drawn to this book because of the cover and also the blurb. I've never before read a book which was about any mythical water creatures such as sirens so it was very different and I was very interested. 

Penn, Lexi and Thea = Dangerous, Gorgeous and Fearless, these are the type of girls you envy and hate. They're new in town for the summer and have caught everyone's attention, but Gemma has caught theirs. Gemma is smart, carefree, pretty and falling in love with the boy next door, Alex, so when she takes a late night swim and runs into Penn and her friends she knows she's in trouble, what makes it worse it that she wakes in the morning on the beach , sore all over, with no recollection of what happened, but she's knows something has changed, and not something good. 

I loved this book. The writing style was amazing and I loved how Amanda had written it in a certain way that you got a view point from each of the characters throughout - it's not very often that a book would be written from all different perspectives so I really liked that. The overall plot was really good - it was fast paced and kept me 100% interested.

The characters were also amazinggggg. Gemma is smart, funny, kind and overall a great lead (ish) character. Harper, Gemma's sister is also great. She's mature, wise and funny - granted she is a bit over-protective of her baby sister but that's suspected considering the circumstances. Alex - the boy next door and Gemma's boyfriend - is funny and kind and very well suited for Gemma - he helps her when she needs it and doesn't ask any questions and then there's Daniel. Oh mummy - he's strong, funny, sarcastic, gorgeous and a real handy man. He help's Gemma and Harper throughout this book and becomes a real part of Harpers life with no questions asked, he'll do anything he can to help. 

Penn, Lexi and Thea are also great considering their meant to be the bad guys. They're strong, dangerous and drop dead gorgeous. They can make anyone do anything that they want and they aren't afraid to do whatever it takes to get Gemma to join them. The other side characters, like Gemma and Harpers Dad and their friend Marcy are also really well developed and play a big part throughout the book.
Overall a really good read!

Lullaby is the second book in the Watersong Series. Lullaby continues on about a week or two after Wake ends which I like because it helps you to keep track of the time in which things are happening. Lullaby is also more from Harpers POV which I also really like because you get to learn a lot more about her, and Daniel for that matter.

Gemma has no other choice to but run away with sirens - after she has inherited their gifts and is continuously getting stronger in her abilities - she doesn't think she has any other option. But Harper won;t give up on finding her - her and Alex work together to try and get her back - but she also recieves the help of Daniel - she has always been the strong one who everyone else depends on - but can she let herself depend on Daniel?

For me personally, I liked Lullaby over Wake. Mostly because it was from Harpers POV the majority of the time, which I liked. She was sort of in the background in Wake and you never really got a good idea of what her personality was like, other than protective and more mature than she should be. Then Daniel's there, stirring feeling that he shouldn't, he wants her to depend on him, but she's always been so busy being the dependent on everyone else and looking after everyone else.
The plot was also extremely fast paced - there was a build up were you knew something was going to happen but you just didn't know what, and that kept me glued to the book - I literally couldn't put it down. I liked how Amanda kept the main role switching throughout the book and I liked how the main characters had a more prominent role. I also liked how Harper, Alex and Daniel were struggling to understand the concept of sirens so began to dive straight into any books they could find to help them - I don't know why I liked this, I just felt as though I was apart of the team encouraging them to find something and cheering them on when they did. There was also a lot more blood and gore than I had expected there to be, considering it's a romantic mythological book - I was really surprised - but in a good way.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I couldn't wait to read the next one!

Book Review - Falling to Ash (Moth) by Karen Mahoney

Moth is a newly turned vampire and is struggling to find her place between the two worlds and her two different lives and her maker, Theo, Leader of the Boston Clan is making it very difficult for her.

You see, Theo turned Moth (or Marie, which is her human name) without the Boston families consent and therefore could face repercussions himself for his loss of control - he has to ensure he has Moth under control and doing exactly as he says in order to prove she is worthy of being accepted and staying in the family. 

Moth was turned at 17 - she was going through difficult times with her family - so it's only natural when an extremely attractive and dangerous man offers you affection, you take it. Moth has been dealing with this for nearly a year and is slowly loosing her sensitivity to the sun - soon she won't be able to go out in daylight at all, which is a problem when your younger sister always wants to see you and hang out. But another problem is the alluring Jason Murdoch (if you've read the short ebook Moth then you will know who he is.) 

When murders begin, Moth and Jace form an unlikely truce in order to find out who is behind the killings, but will they figure it out before someone winds up undead? 

I actually really enjoyed this book. The main plot is different to many other supernatural/vampire books that are out there which I really liked. It was fast paced and kept me intrigued and wanting to turn the next page in order to find out more, and the writing style was very good. There was a lot of humour which I liked but also a seriousness to it.
Having Moth as the lead character was brilliant. She's smart, independent, funny and really likeable - you can't help but fall in love with her story and cheer her on throughout her "quest."

Theo was also a great character. He was regal, strong, caring and slightly protective - but you can understand why. He needs to ensure Moth is under control in order to keep both of their heads - she is the first vampire he has ever sired so there is an underlying connection that they can't resist. Plus he sounds to be extremely pleasing to look at lol. 

Jace is a great character as well. He's funny, strong, independent and dreamy sounding. If you've read the ebook Moth, then you'll notice the dramatic change in Jace - he's much more mature and in a way, caring. He helps Moth and throughout their journey which makes an unexpected friendship - or maybe even more ;)

The other characters were also well developed and had a good input into the overall plot of the book. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can't wait until the next one comes out! If you like vampire/supernatural books then I highly recommend :)