4/19/16

Book Review: Prince of Wolves - Quinn Loftis

Title: Prince of Wolves
Author: Quinn Loftis
Genre: YA - Paranormal, Romance

Buy Link:  http://amzn.com/1463685688

Blurb (from Goodreads): 
Jacque Pierce was just an ordinary 17-year-old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer are going to get a lot more interesting.

From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul.

The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas.

Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?

My Review:
I have heard a lot about The Grey Wolves Series by Quinn Loftis, and how much I need to read these books. I'm all about the paranormal romance genre, but I've been sitting on Prince of Wolves for a while. Mostly because I did start the book over a year ago and stopped reading it. At the time I just wasn't getting into it. BUT with much persistence I picked the book up again.

What I Loved: There was a lot of playful banter in this book. Especially between Jacque and her best friends Sally and Jen, and even a bit between her and her prince wolf, Fane. While it came off very young at times, or a little over the top on the valley girl meets wanna be thug, it still made for some comedy.

The action in Prince of Wolves was pretty good, there was tension and the story line moved along at a fast enough pace to keep the reader interested.

Of course there is that cover.  Isn't it gorgeous??

Not So Much: Well, I had a hard time biting off the easy acceptance of there being werewolves in existence. I mean it wasn't just the main characters, but even some of the supporting characters took the news in stride and just kept right on going as if it were nothing. Jacque (I really had a hard time with her nickname too, if I'm completely honest) would have these mini-panic attacks about the situation and all the things she was learning, but they seemed more like young teenager tantrums than a real reaction to the events surrounding her life.

Another thing I didn't quite understand was the fluctuation with how cussing was handled in this book. At times it seemed like the characters were using word replacements for cuss-words, other times it was like "he cursed and...," then there were times a cuss-word was actually spoken out loud (no replacement word used), and at least once I saw the characters indicating a cuss-word ($*%#). This probably could have at least used some consistency throughout the novel.

The Verdict:     
While I did not absolutely love this first book of the series, this is an (almost) 10 book series, that has a bit of a following. I was already warned that the first book was a little iffy, but that Quinn's writing definitely gets better with time (and I'm 100% sure that it does). So this isn't me writing off this series. As I stated before, the book moved along and was interesting, I just had a hard time with some minor things that could be viewed as personal preference rather than flaws with the book if you think about it. As a whole, I'd say if you like paranormal and romance, and fun banter - pick this book, and series up. It is clean with mild cussing, but okay for teenagers.

4/8/16

Book Review: Dead Girl - Tessa Marie

Title: Dead Girl
Author: Tessa Marie
Genre: YA - Coming of Age, Bullying, Romance

Buy Link:

Blurb:  If her mother wasn’t watching, Kylie Presby would punch Queen Bee, Natalie Silvers, in the face -again. But as Kylie wipes her tears away with the layers of toilet paper encasing her car, she knows she can’t retaliate like she did last time. Her dead mother wouldn’t approve. Kylie no longer cares about popularity. Invisible would work just fine.

Then the new kid, Braydon, mysterious, good looking and too clever for his own good, shows up and sacrifices his social status, becoming Kylie’s shield from the front line assault. After enough chocolate ice cream and movies it’s as if they’re best friends. Crazy, since Kylie knows so little about him.

As Natalie continues her relentless attacks on Kylie another person deals with his own line of bullies. Jack Stine was popular until his deepest secret was revealed and his friends abandoned him. Kylie and Jack bond over their tormentors and form an unbreakable friendship.

Three lost souls each with a story that binds them together, but will it be enough when the bullying goes too far and secrets are revealed?

My Review:
I'm on a roll here.  It is completely unintentional that I keep picking up these books that have to do with school bullying, self-esteem issues and the like.  Maybe I should start paying more attention to blurbs, but when we're talking about already loved and trusted authors - I rarely find the need to do so.

What I Loved:  I will never get tired of authors writing about things that matter.  I've already said it, but books speak volumes, and change lives.  If only we could get the books that matter into the hands of as many people as possible.  I love sparkly vampires as much as the next person, but I also love books that compel me to be a better person, to love others more and to not give in to mainstream.  And that is what Tessa Marie does in Dead Girl.

I really liked the fact that Kylie is not a flawless person.  She makes mistakes, and there were times I wasn't very found of her as a person.  Every character in this book had lessons to learn and character development, and at some point, they all said or did things that made me think, 'what the heck, man?'  But I felt like this contributed to the story and made it more realistic.

If I am completely honest, I feel like this is the best book (that I've read) by Tessa Marie to date.  I was engrossed from the start and I had to know what happened to Kylie, Braydon, and Jack.  I was intrigued by their secrets.

Not So Much:  I really would have liked to have seen some additional consequences for the biggest culprits of bullying.  I know that there are some 'natural consequences' at play, but gosh - expulsion from school or something.  Or I might have been happier if the school started a campaign or something proactively against bullying.

The Verdict:          


Even if I did want more at the end, I do feel like this story was perfectly executed.  I loved it!  I look forward to whatever is next from Tessa!  This is another book perfect for younger and older teenagers.

4/7/16

Weekly Deja Revu

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Déjà Revu is a weekly review round-up that is open to all book review blogs.

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Contemporary

Fantasy

Paranormal



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Fantasy

Paranormal

Romance

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Contemporary

Horror

Paranormal

Romance

Science Fiction


Woman's Fiction

4/2/16

Weekly Deja Revu

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Déjà Revu is a weekly review round-up that is open to all book review blogs.

Picture
Picture

Contemporary

Fantasy

General

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Contemporary

Romance

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Horror


Paranormal

Romance

Suspense/Thriller

Woman's Fiction

4/1/16

Book Review: Get Lucky - A YA Anthology

Title: Get Lucky
Authors: Ali Dean, Kristen Kehoe, Cassie Mae, Tessa Marie, Kelly Oram, Ginger Scott
Genre: Young Adult - Romance

Buy Link: http://amzn.com/B01D0XY1OO

Blurb (From Goodreads):
A YA anthology featuring some of today's hottest Young Adult authors!

Doubles Love by Ali Dean - Mackenzie Bell loves two things: tennis and the Kendrick family. She doesn’t want to be anything like her mother, who hops from one husband to the next. It’s one of many reasons why she’s never dated. The other reason? She’s in love with her best friend’s older brother, Jesse Kendrick.

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not by Kristen Kehoe - Kennedy Russo has had it rough. She's become a pro at being invisible. But when she's paired up for a 5 week assignment with golden boy, Gage, she starts to realize that anonymity may not always be the best option. Gage is on a mission to make her his friend, but will their tentative friendship bloom into something more?

Stroke of Luck by Cassie Mae - Jensen is well on his way to the PGA, if only he could focus. Getting stuck with his best friend as co-counselor at the golf camp will help—Penny’s always been one to push him. But when their alone time turns romantic, Jensen wonders if she’ll just be another distraction.

Someone I Used to Know by Tessa Marie - Charlotte was not looking forward to Spring Break. No technology and a boy she can’t stand. But when she realizes the boy is actually a hot guy now, and wants to hang out with her (!) she cant help but think this break may turn into something pretty awesome. But, is he harboring a secret that will challenge their budding relationship?

16 Kisses by Kelly Oram- All Cassie Caldwell wants for her sixteenth birthday is to finally be kissed. When Cassie’s older brother and his best friend—the lovable, sexy cowboy, Jared—discover her secret, Jared takes it upon himself to make sure her birthday wish comes true.

Four Letter Words by Ginger Scott - Dakota Wright has been making Jace Padgett look good for years…and she’s tired of it. What started as a favor has turned into a habit—one that she’s justified in her mind because Jace also happens to be six feet of gorgeous hunky quarterback, green eyes and a smile that can swing a girl to the moon. But the last favor she did for him may have finally tipped the scales, and Dakota’s ready to call it quits. One small hiccup—her heart can’t seem to let her. And when Jace starts to share pieces of the real him, Dakota begins to think her heart might just be smarter than her head after all.

My Review:
So, here's a secret: I have never read an anthology. Can you believe it? My best friend is even in one (and I’ve read her story). My reasoning is simple; I like the whole story, not a snippit. I’m not a huge fan of novellas either, though I have actually read a few of them. Anyhow – some of my favorites were a part of this particular anthology, so I had to at least give it a fighting chance…

What I Loved: What I loved the most was the silly smile on my face at the end of each story. I’m a big sucker for HEA’s and sweet romance stories, therefore this book was right up my alley in all the right ways. “Lucky” was the common theme of the book – thus the title and the St. Patrick’s release day, so it was interesting to see how each of the 6 authors utilized the theme. Another semi-theme I noticed in the first 3 stories: each of the male characters in had a “goal” to make or at least was enamored with their leading ladies laughing. I just thought it was a funny happenstance.

So I was surprised by how satisfied I was with the short stories. Like I said, I want a whole book worth, not really a small taste. However, these shorts were perfect for the kind of week I was having when I started the book. It was nice to not feel like I had stopped in the middle of something – and I could actually put the book down for a day while my-crazy-life proceeded on. Twice, though, I was up until early AM hours finishing up a story. I LOVE when authors do that to me. I also hate it, because I pay for it the next day!

Not So Much: Alright you authors, please no jealousy for not getting specifically mentioned..had I divided this review up by story it would be a very long blog post that most people wouldn’t read due to length. BUT I have to say that Four Letter Words by Ginger Scott: I LOVED this more than you could know, I want the book. The WHOLE book. I think the main reason is because of Jace’s learning disability, and his home life – I wanted so much more than was given in back-story in moving forward, in overcoming. This needed an entire book, and I’m actually really sad it was just a short! Seriously.

The Verdict:        

First, I am wrong not to give anthologies more of a shot. Not only did I get 3 wonderful shorts from 3 of my favorite authors…but I also found 3 more that I MUST check out. Yes, I’m going to be stalking them and figuring out what they’ve already published and getting my hands on some new material…soonish. I’m not supposed to be buying anything new this year! Second, this anthology is perfect for YA lovers, Romance lovers, people who like sweet stories, happy endings, and goofy grins. Honestly, it would be a perfect vacation, or beach read. Get it! The whole book is clean, perfect for younger and older teens.