Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows

By: Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Series: Throne of Glass #4

Description:
The queen has returned.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world. 

Review:

I have finally taken the chance to read this book and I couldn’t put it down.  Sarah J. Maas is just an amazing writer with quite a creative and imaginative mind.  Usually books in series start to go downhill but not this series, Throne of Glass has been amazing from the beginning through the whole series.  In this last book that I’ve read (will be reading the next one very soon) there was no disappointment and so much hope has been bought out on me with all these amazing characters.

We are back in Rithfold and Aelin is in the process of freeing magic and bringing down the King, rightfully so because he’s so very evil.  I want to tell you so much about the book but I really can’t without giving so much away.  Let’s just say this book was amazing.  The characters are amazing.  Aelin is stronger and more courage than any other character I’ve ever met.  Rowan is just as adorable as ever and her cousin Aedon is quite the macho man trying to be the tough one for her, but his rescue was mesmerizing and so fun to read about.  If this book (which I think it will) more like if this series comes to life on television I really hope they do everything the right way. 

There are new and more dangerous evils in this world that are being created and bought back from long ago and that just means more work for these courageous characters.  Watching Dorian struggle with the valg that lied within him and has overtaken his body was so interesting.  Watching and reading about their fight for the castle and the fight against the king was intense and mesmerizing.  There was so much action in this book from all parts of the world that it kept you entertained from the very beginning to the very last page, and still I want more. 

Ah I don’t really know how to review these amazing books because I just can’t give anything away because I really want you to read it all.

There was a lot of emotion in this book. In the beginning I didn’t think much for example of Manon, but by the end of this book I have to say even though she is a witch and on the slightly evil side, I’ve come to love her as a character.  She’s really grown on me and the things she has done and the things I know she will do in the future make her that much more of a likeable character and her human side has come out quite nicely.  There are so many people involved in this series.  You have Chaol who I was totally rooting to be with Aelin but after Rowan and meeting Nesryn I knew they weren’t meant to be.  All these new characters just bring more to the series and more excitement, relationships and more emotional involvement.  I can’t wait to see what happens next.

We were left with a little peace of mind but really how long will this peace last.  Not very long if the other players left in this story have any say on it.  I can’t wait for Aelin to rebuild Terrasen and to see what Dorian will do with the kingdom.  I have to say one of my favorite characters with her special abilities that I’m adoring right now is Lysandra, who would have though.  Quite lovely this gift of hers and unique to everyone there.  I have a feeling and an inkling about her possibly ending up with another character in the book, but I’ll have to wait to read the next one, after all I can hope. 

Overall even this book was about six hundred something pages, it flowed nicely and you couldn’t help but continue reading.  Trying to finish it all as soon as possible so that you can know what’s going to happen next.  It’s hard not to want to know what happens next, I hope this series never ends.  The possibilities are endless.  The characters are amazing.  The story is amazing, original and interesting.  Sarah J. Maas I don’t know how you do it, and I can’t image doing it but keep on doing it because I will be a loyal fan till the end!  Now go read this as I try and finish catching up to this series. 

Excerpt because this was so touching and things they are a changing!:

“What was it like?” Manon asked quietly. “To love.”
For love was what it had been—what Asterin perhaps alone of all the Ironteeth witches had felt, had learned.
“It was like dying a little every day. It was like being alive, too. It was joy so complete it was pain. It destroyed me and unmade me and forged me. I hated it, because I knew I couldn’t escape it, and knew it would forever change me. And that witchling … I loved her, too. I loved her in a way I cannot describe—other than to tell you that it was the most powerful thing I’ve ever felt, greater than rage, than lust, than magic.” A soft smile. “I’m surprised you’re not giving me the‘Obedience. Discipline. Brutality’ speech.”
Made into monsters.
“Things are changing,” Manon said. 

Review: A Brit on the Side By Brenda St. John Brown

A Brit on the Side
By: Brenda St. John Brown
Release Date: August 15, 2016
Series: Calder Castle #1

Description:
Bea’s English escape plan: 
• Work in a real British castle
• Quality time with bestie
• Figure out what spotted dick really is
• Fall for bestie’s older brother. Hard. 

Bea Gillespie would rather do anything than teach summer school math two classrooms down from her ex-fiancé. So when her best friend, Scarlett, invites her to England for the summer to work in her family’s castle-turned-hotel, she jumps at the chance.

Now Bea’s an ocean away from her problems at home, but she’s got a bigger one. A British one. Scarlett’s older brother, Jasper, is at Castle Calder for the summer, too. And he’s as sexy and smart as Bea remembers. Two years ago Jasper came stateside, and he and Bea shared a hot weekend. But that’s all it was — a weekend. One she purposely didn’t tell Scarlett about.

It didn't feel like much of a secret until now. As Bea falls for Jasper, what started off as a fling begins feeling more and more like the kind of thing you’d gush about to your best friend. If you hadn’t been lying to her all along.

Review:

This book makes me want to go to a castle and explore all over England, just because.  It was so very sweet and endearing and really if you think hard about it, totally realistic.  This could happen, maybe not to me but it can definitely happen.  Brenda St. John Brown really did a great job bringing all these characters to life in a beautiful setting that is fairy tale like, but realistic.  I adored this book and everything about it.

We meet Scarlett and Bea as they are off to spend the summer in England working in Scarlett’s family’s castle hotel.  Sounds adventurous from the very beginning but throw in the unexpectedness of Scarlett’s brother also being there (after a quick tryst in Atlanta with Bea unbeknownst to Scarlett), it’s just a plan for something amazing to happen, good or bad.  It’s always hard when you have to keep secrets from your best friend, but it’s even harder when it involves their family members and your heart.  When Bea and Jasper first reunite it’s a little off to say the least.

There is an absolutely large amount of tension between the two of them.  But it’s that tension and intensity that make these two quite interesting and addicting.  Their interactions range from sweet, frustrating, terrifying and downright sexy as hell.  The intensity that Jasper has is intoxicating, both to myself and Bea, they have some chemistry going on.  When they are on good terms Jasper really pulls out all the stops, it’s the sweetest thing ever. 

Without giving any more of the plot away this was a very well written book that made you root for the two of them to finally come to their senses and make things happen.  I understand the trouble with it being your best friend’s brother but that doesn’t mean you have to choose one over the other.  The relationship in this book was intense intriguing and just downright hot at times, again major chemistry.  I loved this book and it’s a great start to a potentially great series.  I hope the next book is about the sister, Scarlett.  Very much a need to read.  It was quick and fun.  And hey you can do the whole thing with a British accent to make it that more interesting hehe.

Disclaimer:

I received this book from Goodreads and Brenda St. John Brown, so that I may give my honest opinion and a review. Whether it is good or not please do not let it discourage you from purchasing/reading the book yourself and forming your own opinion. What might be good for me may not be good for you and vice versa. With that said, Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Review: The Bad Boy Bargain by Kendra C. Highley

The Bad Boy Bargain
By: Kendra C. Highley
Release Date: November 14, 2016

Description:

Baseball player Kyle Sawyer has many labels: bad boy, delinquent, ladies’ man, fearless outfielder… Only one of them is actually true. But then sweet ballet dancer Faith Gladwell asks him to help wreck her reputation, and everything goes sideways.

Faith knows a thing or two about love, and what she had with her cheating jerk of an ex wasn’t it. When he starts spreading rumors about her being an Ice Queen, Faith decides it’s time to let a little bad into her life.

Lucky for her, Kyle Sawyer—dark, dangerous, totally swoonworthy Kyle Sawyer—is landscaping her backyard over Spring Break. Shirtless. And if she can convince him to play along, “dating” Kyle will silence the rumors.

But Faith’s plan threatens to expose Sawyer’s biggest secret of all…and that’s a risk he’s not willing to take.

Disclaimer: This book contains drop-the-book-and-fan-yourself kisses...and touches. Fall in love with a bad boy at your own risk.

Review:

This was definitely an interesting concept of denial and secrets when trying to be someone you are not, but isn’t that what high school is all about sometimes?  Pretending to be something that you are not.  It’s tough, and anyone who has been through high school knows just how hard it can be for some people and Kyle is no exception.  Kendra C. Highley did a good job showing how difficult times were for Kyle but also how sweet he can be when he finally let’s himself trust again. 

We meet Faith who is in a relationship that is going nowhere and fast, but one thing leads to another and they break up which now leads her to seeking out Kyle for a little revenge plot.  You know things like this never end well, or things get caught up and things tend to happen that are unexpected.  This is definitely the case with both Faith and Kyle, two people who from the outside are completely opposite of one another but deep down they both have great character.  It was interesting watching their interactions back and forth and loved the added spunk of Faith’s best friend Vivian.  Let’s not knock down Cade either even if he wasn’t in the book for very much he did spout some great wisdom to our friend Kyle.

Only thing was I didn’t really connect with the characters too much, I don’t know why but I didn’t really feel for them as much as I wanted to.  Yes the story was great, yes the characters definitely had their own way of being and they were interesting but I just couldn’t really connect with them.  There was something holding me back and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Overall I liked the book, I liked the concept of the book but thought it could have been developed a little more.  Love the cover, but I really don’t picture Faith and Kyle on that cover.  Still super cute and was a great quick and easy fun read.  Although they did touch on bullying a little bit, there wasn’t much elaboration on it and in this day in age I think it always needs to be addressed more heavily they kind of waved it off, maybe that was my disconnect.  But regardless, you should check the book out because it was a cute quick read that just gets your mind out of reality for a bit.

Disclaimer:
I received this book from NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, so that I may give my honest opinion and a review. Whether it is good or not please do not let it discourage you from purchasing/reading the book yourself and forming your own opinion. What might be good for me may not be good for you and vice versa. With that said, Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Review: How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You by Tara Eglington

How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You

By: Tara Eglington

Release Date: October 25, 2016

Series: Aurora Skye #1

Description:

Executor of the Find a Prince Program™ and future author, sixteen-year-old Aurora Skye is dedicated to helping others navigate the minefield that is teenage dating. Counsellor-in-residence at home, where her post-divorce ad-agency father has transformed into a NAD (New Age Dad) intent on stripping his life bare of ‘the illusionary’ (i.e. the removal of home furnishings to the point where all after-hours work must be done in lotus position on a hemp cushion) Aurora literally lives and breathes Self-Help.

When the beginning of the school year heralds the arrival of two Potential Princes™ who seem perfect for her best friends Cassie (lighthouse beacon for emotionally fragile boys suffering from traumatic breakups) and Jelena (eye-catching, elegant and intent on implementing systems of serfdom at their school) it seems as if Aurora’s fast on her way to becoming the next Dr Phil.

As Aurora discovers, however, Self-Help is far from simple. Aurora’s mother arrives home from her extended ‘holiday’ (four years solo in Spain following the infamous ‘Answering Machine Incident’) throwing the NAD into further existential crisis. With Valentine’s Day drawing closer and the new Potential Princes not stepping up to the mark, Aurora is literally forced to take to the stage to throw two couples together. However, being cast opposite Hayden Paris (boy next door and bane-of-Aurora’s life) in the school production of Much Ado about Nothing brings challenges of its own. Not only does Hayden doubt that Cupid is understaffed and thus in dire need of Aurora’s help, but playing Beatrice to his Benedict throws her carefully preserved first kiss for a Prince into jeopardy. As Aurora races to save love’s first kiss and put a stop to the NAD’s increasingly intimate relationship with her Interpretive dance teacher (guilty of putting Aurora on detention for a ‘black aura’) she is left wondering who can a self help guru turn to for help? Can she practice what she preaches? And can long-assumed frogs become Potential Princes?

Review:

I have always thoroughly enjoyed Shakespeare inspired movies and books and this book was right along the same path, with the main theme focused on Much Ado About Nothing, which is a great story.  I think it’s all the constant arguing with one another, it’s the utmost best form of passion between two people because they so obviously feel so strongly about everything.  It was cute and I am really interested in seeing how this series continues.

We meet Aurora and her neighbor who is the bane of her existence, the chemistry between the two of them is so obvious from the very start, well except to Aurora herself.  The antics they go through, the arguments they have and the way they are always thrown together just adds to the fire and it’s igniting.  All their friends are always involved in everything too, there is definitely some I didn’t like but there is always someone you just don’t like and they are there to serve a purpose really. 

Aurora and Hayden have been chosen to play Beatrice and Benedick in the play Much Ado About Nothing, which is perfect because they didn’t even really audition this was them naturally.  They fit in so perfectly with the play and even their outside lives was a great representation of the play.  There was a lot of drama between Aurora, her friends and all the guys in the book and it was fun to read, very childish of them but isn’t that what high school is all about, being that childish person who maybe you are a little self-centered but really aren’t we all at times. 

Overall this was a really cute book and I’m intrigued to see what happens next with this group of friends.  And of course with Hayden and Aurora because you can just see how much he really appreciates her and liked being with her.  I didn’t care for Jelena though she was just that friend who was always jealous when something good happened to someone else and she didn’t get anything out of it, I know you all know the type of person I’m talking about.  The type that believes they are the prettiest and the world revolves around them.  But other than her and her brief significant other the other characters were all very enjoyable.

The cover is interesting, I don’t know why but it makes me feel like it’s sort of a foreign type of book but still catchy cover that would make me look twice at it.  Can’t wait to see what happens next.  Oh also that poem about Aurora that her “secret admirer” wrote, swoon-worthy. If you love Shakespeare and all adaptations then this is definitely a book to read!

Disclaimer:

I received this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, so that I may give my honest opinion and a review. Whether it is good or not please do not let it discourage you from purchasing/reading the book yourself and forming your own opinion. What might be good for me may not be good for you and vice versa. With that said, Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Review: Kiss Cam by Kiara London

Kiss Cam
By: Kiara London
Release Date: October 18, 2016

Description:
In Kiss Cam, teen author Kiara London asks, what's a little harmless kissing between friends?

Juniper, Jasper, and Lenny have been friends forever and co-own a vlog channel called WereVloggingHere. Their fans are huge "shippers" who believe that Juniper and Jasper are perfect for each other, and, despite warnings from friends and family, a simple Truth-or-Dare inspired kiss soon spirals out of control into a whole new world of making out and surprise kisses.

Juniper and Jasper's relationship begins to shift. But as fan requests for different "Kiss Cam" segments keep pouring in, Juniper puts her worries aside and convinces herself that it doesn't mean anything. After all, it's just kissing… right?

Review:

I have to say I’m slightly obsessed with Jasiper, they were absolutely adorable in every way.  Kiara London did a wonderful job introducing us to in my opinion some of the most addicting loveable characters I’ve read in a while.  There was unrequited love, requited love, confusion, teenage angst, best friends, rebounds, love of family and friends, just an all-around great book with so much going for it.  I almost stopped to see if the vlog existed that’s how much I wanted to see them live.

We meet Lenny, Jasper and Juniper who are constantly vlogging everything they do.  They are quirky and interesting and not your normal typical cookie cutter teenagers.  But their issues are real, and love is tough no matter which way you take it.  The three have a very strong connection to one another and have been the best of friends for the longest time.  The vlogging community has been trying to ship two of them together for the longest time.  In comes the infamous KissCam which ships together Jasper and Juniper. 

Their relationship has always been strong together but with this brings new complications and you get hints here and there that maybe one person likes the other more than the other or vice versa.  It was intense and the anticipation was explosive.  I felt every bit of tension between them throughout the whole book and it was addicting, I didn’t want to put it down but knew I had to get up early in the morning.  The tension, oh the tension so fascinating! But there was a lot of confusion between the two of them and it just caused more drama then necessary.  Sometimes fear really does win over and it’s sad because really you just have to let yourself go and be free.

There were a lot of really great moments throughout the book and there was a lot of time when these kids are left alone, but are they kids as it seemed they were seniors in high school and things could have been much worse.  They were very innocent but sweet and still it was just a pleasure to read the experiences these friends had with one another going through the motions of growing up and realizing what you have, and what you don’t have.  I loved the relationship between Juniper and her parents, it was sweet and her father was just too good to be true, very caring and understanding.  Definitely father of the year right there, and funny to boot. 

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this book from the beginning to the very end, so much so that I didn’t even want it to end.  Maybe it’s the little reality shows that I like to watch but this was the best book because all I could do is picture it in real life, it’s realistic, sweet, addicting and I am totally team Jasiper! Definitely need some more and I will definitely have to read more from this author.  Too good!

The cover is very cute and eye catching too, you just don’t know what you are going to get with a cover like that but it was just the perfect read for me right now. 

Disclaimer:

I received this book from NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, so that I may give my honest opinion and a review. Whether it is good or not please do not let it discourage you from purchasing/reading the book yourself and forming your own opinion. What might be good for me may not be good for you and vice versa. With that said, Happy Reading Everyone!!!