Review: The Dysasters by Kristin Cast and P.C Cast

The Dysasters by P.C. Cast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I'm a bit behind on posting this review as this was released on Tuesday (February 26, 2019).  Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me with a physical ARC to review.

I really enjoyed this. It is a fast paced YA fantasy/sci-fi. It has elements of seris like X-men, Captain Planet, and Smallville (all things I like), and puts them in a book. I received an ARC which had comic-esque drawings in it to go with the storyline and they were a really cool addition to the reading experience.

I will say the dramatic dialogue between Tate and Foster got old after awhile. Foster was pretty disrespectful most of the time and most of the time for no good reason. It made her pretty unlikable. I think the characters could have been a little more well developed versus relying on them bickering all the time. This book is heavy on the dialogue. Once you get past the angsty teenage stuff, the book itself is pretty good. I really liked Bastien and Charlotte, I'm looking forward to getting to know them more as the series progresses. I'm interested to see how each of the elemental pairs interact with their evil elemental counterparts. We come to learn that an evil genius scientist has genetically modified 4 older children to be able to control the elements, but their modifications weren't stable. To stabilize and cure his original "children" he created 4 elemental pairs. Tate and Foster are the first of the pairs and they can control Air, they also must find and protect the other 3 pairs from the evil doctor and his progeny. I'm really looking forward to meeting the next 2 pairs of elementals and seeing how each of the 4 pairs masters their element and if and how they defeat the Core Four and evil Dr. Rick.

This book has a little bit of everything, action, romance, superpowers, morally gray characters, and a diverse cast. It is definitely targeted for the YA audience but as a YA reader myself I didn't mind. There is definitely profanity, but the romance isn't overwhelming. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.



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Review: The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross

The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.  This releases March 5, 2019.

I'll be honest, I've had the ARC of this for quite some time, but I put off reading it. One because the release date wasn't until March of 2019 and two because I've been let down by so many other YA follow-on's. Let me tell you I should not have put this off for so long. I really enjoyed The Queen's Rising and this one did not disappoint. I read it in about 2 days once I settled in. I pretty much couldn't put it down.

This picks up immediately after The Queen's Rising ends, with Brienna now a Mistress of Knowledge and a daughter of MacQuinn by adoption. She is comfortable with the first role and not as comfortable in the second as the people of MacQuinn know who her biological father was and he wasn't exactly kind to the MacQuinn house under the prior king. Brienna gets some good advice that if she is true and stays the course, the people will come to love her. This is harder work that it seems, but Brienna is strong and willing to take on the challenge and help her people heal. She also acts as friend and advisor to Isolde, who is to become the new Queen.

The other perspective we follow in the book is Cartier also known as Aodhan, who is a Master of Knowledge, Brienna's former teacher, a long lost Lord of Maevana, and Brienna's love interest. Aodhan/Cartier must put his own castle back together as he is the Lord of Morgane and help his people come together after the tyranny and wounds they have suffered. He must also help the Queen build alliances and figure out which houses are loyal to her and which are trying to overthrow her. In the midst of putting his house together and making political alliances, Cartier finds a boy squatting in his castle. He immediately takes the boy in and nurses him back to health and finds work for him while never knowing his true identity. We eventually learn the boy's true identity as well as much of the family history between Cartier and the Lannon family.

I really loved that we get a ton of back story in this book. We get a history lesson of what happened to Aodhan/Cartier's family on the day the Lannon's overthrew the Morgane, MacQuinn, and Kavanagh houses to take the throne. There is a ton of political intrigue and a lot of twists and turns I didn't expect. There is a huge focus on family in this book both blood relation and the family you choose. I really liked that. I was so engaged in reading, that I didn't want to put the book down. I was intimidated by the size of the book as it is quoted at nearly 500 pages but I tore through it it just a few sittings.

I will say I wanted a little more of the magic system. It takes a backseat to the plot. I do like that the romance element between Cartier and Brienna was there but it was very slow burn and also takes a back seat. They know they care for each other and want to be together and that's it. There is no drama or sappy bits. I also love the Macquinn tradition with the ribbon in the tapestry. You'll understand when you read the book. That was a nice touch. Overall, I loved this. The writing was excellent as was the pacing. This was a great follow up.

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Top 5 Wednesday: Love Interests You Would Have Broken Up With

February 20th: Love Interests You Would Have Broken Up With

This was a tough one.  As I've stated probably more times that I needed to, I don't read a ton of romance.  I read plenty of books with romance in them, but normally the couples are OK.  I had to think really hard on these ones.  I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones that came to mind as I was scrolling my Read list on GoodReads.

• Gideon from the Precious Stone Trilogy
• I'm still not entirely sure why Gwen thought he was so dreamy. He wasn't very nice to her throughout, and she wasn't entirely convinced she liked him half the time. Their romance was so dramatic that I didn't even care if they ended up together.  I had been Gwen I would have moved on to someone better who actually was nice to me all the time and didn't play games.
• Jeno and Hector from Vampire Addiction
• There was too much insta-love in this for my taste.  Both of them immediately liked Gertie because she was new to town and she liked them back because she was so desperate for attention and they talked to her.  Neither one of them is honest with her until they have to be.  Jeno uses her and Hector I just don't think we get to know him enough to really decide. I didn't like either of them though.  
• Joe from Lies
• Joe isn't a bad guy, in fact he's a super nice guy.  He just makes alot of boneheaded decisions making him look like he wasn't very smart and kind of weak and incapable.  I need a responsible, smart, capable partner who can take care of himself and my kids.  While Joe is a great dad and a good partner, he just comes off as having a lack of common sense. I just didn't find him appealing based on his actions in the book.  I don't think he deserved what his wife did to him at all, but he could have thought through some of the things he did better.
• Martin from the Elements of Chemistry Series
• Katy does break up with him in this series and they do end up getting back together.  I don't think I ever would have gone with him in the first place though.  He's overbearing and controlling and stubborn which is part of the reason they break up.  After the 2nd book you think they would never get back together but he really does come around.  He's a bit pushy and domineering for my taste.
• Christian Grey from the Fifty Shades Series
• Yeah I've read the first 3 books, and they were whatever but Christian just isn't my type of guy.  I don't have an inner goddess doing backflips over all the weird stuff he's into.  I would have run away when he mentioned a contract and a NDA.  Legal documents do not make a relationship.

Review: Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had never heard of this series before, but I saw the movie trailer and I knew I had to read the book. I enjoy YA, sci-fi, steampunk, and dystopia and this is a good mix of all of those. The plot is unique and the pacing was really good.

This is set in a futuristic dystopian setting where towns and cities are mobile and the only way for them to survive and grow is to cannibalize other smaller towns for parts and fuel. You heard me mobile cities. The main town that we follow in Mortal Engines is London and it is on tracks. I had a clear picture of London, Big Ben and all moving around on giant tank tracks kind of like a bulldozer with a big garage at the bottom with big metal saws and cranes for tearing apart its prey. The people of the city are broken up into a kind of caste system where they each have jobs to keep the city running. The higher class live on the top tiers of the city while the lower class live and work in the bowels of the city.

As with most YA sci-fi/fantasy there is a rebel faction and a political villain. There are actually a couple of villains here. I really loved the characters and the two different perspectives of Tom the apprentice historian who has thought that London was a great place and those running London were great moral characters who were doing the best for their people. As Tom is in the wrong place at the wrong time and comes to learn that all is not what it seems, he is pulled into a rebellion against London and determined to do the right thing for London and those London is after. Then there is Katherine, daughter of the head historian, who has been raised as a somewhat naive lady of London. She isn't privy to some of the dastardly deeds her father has committed in her past, but as she comes to learn the truth she is willing to right those wrongs.

I switched back and forth between the ebook and the audio and recommend both equally.

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Review: Hold On by Samantha Young

Hold On by Samantha Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this. This follows Autumn, younger sister of record exec Killian from Play On. If you haven't read As Dust Dances, I think you should because it is awesome, but you can still read this as a standalone. Samantha gives you enough context to work with that you won't feel like you are missing anything, and if nothing else you'll want to go back and read it when you are done with Hold On. If you've read As Dust Dances you know that Autumn is amazing. She is a great friend, and very sweet. She sees the best in people and wears her heart on her sleeve. Unfortunately, Autumn has been unlucky in love and while she has the means to live a fairly comfortable life, she wants to find a career that makes her happy. This is how she finds herself on a ski retreat with friends of hers in Montana. Her goal is to relax, connect with her friends, and find her purpose in life.

Autumn has the grace of a ballerina, but when it comes to ice and snow she is as clumsy as it gets. Determined to ski on her own, Autumn tries skiing out without an instructor. This leads her into a collision with the smouldering Grayson King. Grayson is a ski instructor/successful business owner who is immediately drawn to Autumn. Autumn focused on finding her purpose in life, not for a fling or to find a man. She is jaded by her past relationship failures and feeling vulnerable. Grayson is persistent and convinces her to give him a shot. They are instantly drawn to each other and when Autumn tells Grayson he supports her career ideas and helps her try a few of them on for size.

Samantha Young knows how to write a sexy, steamy scene and you get plenty of them here. She also writes good banter between characters and there are some great lines between these two. Unlike some of her other novels, there is no strife and struggle to be resolved between the characters, this is light hearted and sweet. When I was done reading it, I let out a big "Awww!" I loved that we got to see Killian and Skylar again. Killian is a great big brother, and while he is super over-protective, we see a glimpse bit of his softer side.

I really loved this, this is part of the Big Sky crossover series which I have not read. I've read a few of the 1001 Dark Night's books, and I'll definitely be checking out the other Kristen Proby and other authors' in the Big Sky series. It is a great way to get to know other authors.

I was provided an advanced copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Queen of Air and Darkness

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
Narrated by James Marsters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this, but I didn't love it. It was far too long for starters and there were way too many plot lines going on, some of which never get resolved in the series which really bugs me. This is the final book in a series, but we don't get resolution on alot of things, so I was left wanting at the end of all of it. I understand there are more books coming, but when a series ends, I want it to end and stand on its own. This kind of ends on a cliffhanger, which I don't like only to find out that we might find out more in a different series. I think the upcoming books are going to be great, and I'm looking forward to them, I just didn't like how this ended. The things that get resolved were just too convenient and easy. There weren't repercussions to some of the questionable actions that were taken. They kind of just got swept under the rug because worse things happened. I feel like this could have been broken up into 4 or 5 books like The Mortal Instruments to clean up the the characters and the plot lines so we could have gotten a more comprehensive series to set us up for the next ones.

There are alot of character arcs that seem to have significance, but not in this series. It is all a set up for the next series and I didn't appreciate that. If they had been introduced earlier or played a bigger role maybe I could get onboard, but it just feels like a bit of a marketing plot to sell more books later. I like Cassandra Clare's writing and I enjoy the Shadowhunter realm so I'm going to read her books, but I don't need some random set up to pull me in to some spinoff later. As for the main characters, I loved some of them and just wasn't invested in others. I think that comes from having so many characters and so many plots to follow. I didn't feel that way with the original series.

I will say there are some creative things in this book that you don't expect. I really do enjoy twists and turns in books, but some of them just didn't seem to make sense.

As far as a book summary goes...Julian and Emma are still trying to figure out how to deal with their feelings for each other and avoid the parabatai curse. I'm with many other reviewers on this that this was resolved much to conveniently. This was a major plotline of the series and I wasn't happy with how it played out in the end. I was never really invested in their romance from the beginning so all of their drama was just overkill for me. The Clave is back to its old ways of shunning Downworlders and that charge is being led by the new Inquisitor and his lackeys. Some of the fight was political and some was physical. We see some of the strategic moves made on the page, while others are mentioned and handled in the background. I think some of the resolutions were well played out, while others are still to be determined and I think we'll see them resolved in the future. That takes me back to the beginning of this review where I feel like much of this story still has yet to be told. I still feel invested in the story and the characters to find out what happens next.



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Blog Tour: Motion by Penny Reid

Motion by Penny Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

I loved this. It is fast paced, funny, and while it ends on a cliffhanger I don't feel like it was incomplete. I can't get the next book fast enough. I love that we get to see some old favorite characters from the Knitting in the City series. I'm also not mad about the cliffhanger because I knew it was coming and because this is a serial series and that comes with the territory.

If you've read Neanderthal Seeks Human, the main character reminds me alot of Janie. Mona is brilliant and a bit socially awkward. Her parents are famous, and her upbringing wasn't exactly conventional. Mona loves science and physics, and she likes things in her life to be predictable or controlled. She doesn't like surprises. Her twin, Lisa is the exact opposite. Lisa is an unpredictable, socialite who is always causing some sort of trouble. When Lisa gets into some real trouble, Mona has to step in and help her sister out. Mona agrees to be Lisa until Lisa can get home.

Enter Abram, Mona's polar opposite. Abram has agreed to babysit Lisa until an adult can supervise her actions and keep her out of trouble. He is a friend of Lisa and Mona's brother. He is a musician, he's carefree, and kind of lacks direction; all the things Mona is not. He sparks emotions in Mona that she isn't interested in but can't deny, especially because Abram doesn't know her true identity. They have such amazing chemistry and their banter was excellent. I love that while they are frustrated with each other, Abram is patient with her and willing to wait and doesn't push. Mona (acting as Lisa) begins to open up

Can we also talk about how amazing it is the Penny actually discusses some tough topics in this book? Aside from the great romance and characters, she tackles the issue of consent both from the male perspective and the female perspective. This is so often glossed over in books and in conversation in general. I'm hoping we get into more of this in the next 2 installments because it is important.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2T5iZto

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Pre-order the rest of the series today! 

Space 

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Time

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Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Sm1Zmu

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2WSQbXe

Meet Penny Reid: 

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

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Top 5 Wednesday: Independent Ladies

February 13: Independent Ladies

--Favorite leading ladies who aren't distracted from getting shit done by their love interest (they can still have a romance subplot - this is going to be subjective based on what you think would be ~too much~).

I love a good leading lady.

1. Rin from The Poppy War.  There is pretty much no romance in this book.  It is gritty and violent, but it is one of the best fantasies I've read in a long time.  Rin is an amazing female lead.  She doesn't let love or femininity get in her way.  She is pretty much a badass and she's awesome.
2. Essun from The Fifth Season, well the whole trilogy really.  While Essun has romantic encounters, sometimes with feelings other times it is just to scratch an itch.  She doesn't let her relationships get in her way.  I appreciate that romance is not a major plotline in this series.  She is powerful on her own, and she is balancing wanting to save the world and wanting to save her child.  I also appreciate that she is a mom and a powerful wielder of this amazing power.  
3. Ismae from Grave Mercy.  Ismae is an assassin nun, you can't get more independent than that.  As a daughter of the god of death she is pretty awesome.  She does eventually find a love interest, but she isn't all swoony because a boy is around.  
4. Katsa from Graceling.  As you can see I have a thing for leading ladies in fantasy.  Katsa was much like my other favorites here, she is powerful and a warrior.  She does develop a romance, but it doesn't overpower the plot, nor does it overtake her personality.  The other 2 books in the series also have strong female leads but this one is my favorite.   Katsa puts her mission first and she ends up saving the day a couple of times.
5. Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo (series).  Lisbeth is extremely independent and gets all kinds of stuff on her own.  She has relationships here and there throughout the series, but they aren't her priority.  She is focused on the task at hand and most of the time she doesn't want help to do it.

Cover Reveal: Things We Never Said by Samantha Young

Cover Design by Hang Lee

US Release Date: May 7th 2019 in ebook & paperback

This book can be read as a standalone.

Blurb:

Local metalsmith and gift shop owner, Dahlia McGuire, likes her quiet life in Hartwell, Delaware. It's the perfect place to hide from her family and the tragic events that led to their estrangement. However, when her father, the person she loves most in the world, needs her Dahlia has no choice but to return to Boston to face her ghosts. One of those happens to be her ex-boyfriend's best friend, Michael Sullivan. The man she was never supposed to fall in love with.

Michael Sullivan has never forgotten Dahlia McGuire. Some might say he’s never gotten over her. For years he lived with the anger of her desertion, and now, newly-divorced, he’s finally ready to move on. That proves impossible when Dahlia returns to Boston and reawakens their explosive connection. Despite everything, Michael wants her back, but Dahlia can’t seem to let go of the tangled emotions of the past. When she flees home to Hartwell, Michael follows, determined to do everything in his power to convince her they belong together.

However, when the unthinkable hits the quiet seaside town, Michael finds himself trying to unravel more than the mystery of Dahlia's broken heart. It's time for truths left unsaid to finally be spoken or Michael and Dahlia might find themselves torn apart forever…

US Preorder Links:

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NGWN1GS

NOOK

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/things-we-never-said-samantha-young/1130409412?ean=2940155957218

iBooks

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/things-we-never-said-harts-boardwalk/id1450872040?mt=11

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/things-we-never-said-hart-s-boardwalk

Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/920358

This title is being released by a different publisher in the UK. UK links will be available soon.

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Website : http://authorsamanthayoung.com

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RELEASE BLITZ: Motion by Penny Reid

Motion, the first in the all-new Laws of Physics Trilogy from Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid, is available now!

One week.

Home alone.

Girl genius.

Unrepentant slacker.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Mona is a smart girl and had everything figured out a long time ago. She had to. She didn’t have a choice. When your parents are uber-celebrities and you graduate from high school at thirteen, finish college at seventeen, and start your PhD program at eighteen, you don’t have time for distractions outside of your foci. Even fun is scheduled.

Which is why Abram, her brother’s best friend, is such an irritant.

Abram is a talented guy, a supremely gifted musician, and has absolutely nothing figured out, nor does he seem to care. He does what he feels, when he feels, and—in Mona’s opinion—he makes her feel entirely too much.

Laws of Physics is the second trilogy in the Hypothesis series; Laws of Physics parts 1 (MOTION) & 2 (SPACE) end with a cliffhanger.

Download your copy today!

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Pre-order the rest of the series today!

Space

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Time

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Gk59Aq

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2MYQ73J

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TimePR

Nook: http://bit.ly/2TFwsIH

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2RTODZD

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Sm1Zmu

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2WSQbXe

Meet Penny Reid:

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny:

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Top 5 Wednesday: Nostalgic Ships

February 6: Nostalgic Ships
-- Discuss the first fictional couples you ever got butterflies over, or couples you used to be really into when you were younger.

This is tough for me since I'm not super into romance.  Here are a few of my favorite book ships that come to mind, some of these go way back.

• Katie Campbell and Scottie Silver from Girl Talk
• Katie is a tomboy who plays hockey and figure skates and she was my favorite.  Scottie was the cute boy on the hockey team who was competitive but eventually they both had a crush on each other.  I loved this series when I was younger.  I was so mad when my mom gave this series and all of my Babysitter's Club, and Sweet Valley High books away when I went to college.  I had almost all of them.
• Eragon and Arya from The Inheritance Cycle
• I always hoped they would get together in the end.  It was kind of heartbreaking that it just wasn't in the cards for them.  I'm looking forward to the new book to see what Paolini has in store for us.
• Nancy Drew and One of the Hardy Boys from the Super Mystery Editions
• I loved Nancy Drew growing up and some of my favorites were the super editions where she teamed up with the Hardy Brothers.  I can't remember which brother I liked better, but I know I liked one of them better for Nancy.
• Bella and Jacob from Twilight
• I was definitely #TeamJacob.  I just liked him better in the books and the movie.  It didn't make sense for her to end up with Jacob, but did love Edward in the beginning.  I the end Edward grew on me and he was the right choice for Bella.  I don't think my issue was with Edward specifically, it was with the whole sparkly vampire thing, Twilight's vampires just weren't the Dracula kind of vampires that I was used to, you know?
• Yalith and Dennys from Many Waters
• OK so I don't know why I picked Dennys over Sandy because she liked both of them and they were identical twins.  Dennys is the twin I had a book crush on when I read this in middle school (who knows why) so naturally he's the one I wanted to win, though they were both good choices.  

Cover Reveal: Bennet Mafia by Tijan

SUMMARY:

There were always whispers about my roommate at Hillcrest Academy.

The wealthiest of the wealthy sent their kids to our boarding school, and Brooke Bennett had been at the top, though I never quite knew why. She was fun and outgoing, but she kept quiet about her family. The only things she showed me were photographs of her brothers.

I became fascinated with her second-oldest brother. Kai Bennett.

He was the most of them all. Smoldering. Hypnotic. Alluring.

Kai had eyes that pulled me in and a face that haunted my dreams.

Then I met him.

He came to our school with their father, and that’s when I learned what kind of family Brooke came from. They were mafia, and Brooke’s oldest brother was dead. Her father said accident, but Brooke said murder.

Three months later, her father died, and Kai became the head of the Bennett Family. Brooke left Hillcrest for good, and that was the last time I saw her.

Fourteen years later, I’m staring at her face on the television. Brooke is missing.

Two days later, Kai Bennett kidnaps me.

TEASER: Excerpt From: Tijan. BENNETT MAFIA 

“I felt his pulse too. It was as fast as mine.

“You may hate me. You may loathe me.” His hand slid back from my neck and moved down agonizingly slowly, between my breasts to my stomach.

I gasped, and he slid his hand under my pajama shorts until they rested over my clit. I surged upward at his touch, my head falling back, everything in me starting to tremble.

One of his fingers dipped inside of me. “But you goddamn want me.” And with that, a second finger joined his first and he took hold of my tank, his mouth slamming down on mine.”

DETAILS:

Preorder links: https://books2read.com/u/bQxxrZ (homepage w/all links)

iBooks

Kobo

Indigo

Angus & Robertson

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Other news, The Boy I Grew Up With's audio is live today! 

www.tinyurl.com/tbiguwaudio

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Review: The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken

The Last Life of Prince Alastor by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  This was released today February 5, 2019. 

This is the fun and whimsical sequel to The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding, which I adored. This book was a little too whimsical and slow paced for my tastes. It is still fun and has all of the great characters from the first book. I would still highly recommend it to the middle grade crowd.

The plot picks up with Prosper and Alastor heading Downstairs to save Prosper's sister Prue from Alastor's sister Pyra. You would think they would go on some amazing adventure, and they do, it just takes a long time for for the action to develop. This is where the pacing was off for me. The boy and the fiend just kind of wander around dealing with different kinds of fiends and accomplish nothing for about half the book before anything exciting happens. I had so much fun reading the first book, but this one just didn't have the same feel. I think because this takes place in the realm of the fiends, there were many scenes that were just kind of silly that I think middle grade readers will LOVE, I'm going to recommend this series to my 10 year old for sure. This is where the book was just a bit too much on the whimsical side for me.

There is a ton of character development in this book. I was excited that Nell came along for the adventure and we get to know her more and see her develop as a witch. Prosper also develops a ton as a character as he is faced with many tough decisions on his journey to save his sister. We also get to know Alastor better both in the present and in the past as we get quite a bit of his back story when he dealt with Honor Redding and made his original bargain. There are quite a few twists when it comes to the characters in the book that I really liked.

That being said the 2nd half of the book picks up was fairly exciting and a lot happens. There is magic, there are some really interesting fantasy creatures who are really well described, the fiend world of Downstairs is well developed, and I think as far as the story goes it wrapped up nicely.

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Blog Tour: Moonlight Scandals by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Moonlight Scandals: a de Vincent novel from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!

It takes a fearless woman to love the most scandalous man alive in New York Times Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s breathtaking novel

Even a ghost hunter like Rosie Herpin couldn’t have foreseen the fateful meeting between two mourners that has brought her so intimately close to the notorious and seductive Devlin de Vincent. Everyone in New Orleans knows he’s heir to a dark family curse that both frightens and enthralls. To the locals, Devlin is the devil. To Rosie, he’s a man who’s stoking her wildest fantasies. When a brutal attack on her friend is linked to the de Vincents, he becomes a mystery she may be risking her life to solve.

Devlin knows what he wants from this sexy and adventurous woman. But what does Rosie want from him? It’s a question that becomes more pressing—and more dangerous—when he suspects her of prying into the shadows of his past.

Now, the legends surrounding the de Vincents may not be myths at all. But if she’s to discover the truth, she must follow them straight into the arms of the man she can’t resist—the handsome devil himself

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Excerpt:

Rosie needed to get going. She’d promised to help her friend Nikki move today, so it was time to head back to her apartment, get changed, and be a good friend for the day. She leaned—



A soft, swift curse jerked her head up. Normally, she didn’t hear a ton of cursing in a cemetery. Usually things were quite quiet. A faint grin tugged at her lips. Cursing and cemeteries typically did not go hand in hand. She scanned the narrow path to her right and didn’t see anything. Leaning back, she looked to her left and found the source.



A man knelt on one knee with his back to her as he picked up flowers that had fallen into a puddle left by the recent rainstorm. Even from where she sat, she could see that whatever delicate bouquet he’d carried was ruined.



Placing a hand over her eyes, she squinted in the sunlight as she watched the man rise. He was dressed as if he’d come straight from work. Dark trousers paired with a fitted white dress shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, revealing tan forearms. It was late September and New Orleans was still circling the seventh level of hot, currently as humid as Satan’s balls in the afternoon, so she figured if she was close to dying in her black dress, he had to be minutes away from stripping off the shirt.



Still standing with his back to her, he stared down at the ruined flowers. His shoulders were tense as he turned in the other direction. His pace was brisk as he took the flowers over to an old oak tree festooned with Spanish moss. There was a small trash can there, one of the very few in the entire cemetery. He tossed the flowers and then pivoted, quickly disappearing down one of the numerous lanes.



Oh man, that sucked.



Feeling for the guy, she sprang into action. Carefully, she pulled half of the stems free and then leaned forward, placing the remaining in the vase in front of her Herpin tomb. She picked up her keys and as she rose, she slid her purple- framed sunglasses on. Hurrying down the worn path with patchy grass, she turned down the lane she’d seen the guy go down. Luck was on her side, because she saw him near the pyramid tomb. He hung a right there, and feeling a wee bit like a stalker, she trailed behind him.



Of course, she could yell out to him and just hand him the other half of the peonies, but shouting at a stranger in a cemetery just seemed wrong. Shouting in a cemetery at all felt like something her mother would side- eye her over.



And no one side- eyed quite like her mother.



The man made another turn and then stepped out of her line of sight. Holding on to the flowers, she walked passed a tomb with a large cross and then her steps slowed.



She found him.



He was standing before a massive mausoleum, one guarded by two beautifully erected weeping angels, and he was just standing there, as still as those angels, his arms stiff at his sides and his hands closed. She took a step for- ward as her gaze drifted to the name on the mausoleum.



de Vincent.



Her eyes widened and she blurted out, “Holy baby llama.”



The man twisted at the waist, and Rosie was suddenly standing within mere feet of the Devil. .



That was what the gossip magazines called him.



That was what most of her family called him.



Rosie liked to refer to him as in her wildest dreams.

Start the Series Today!

Moonlight Sins (de Vincent series, book 1)

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About Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more. She is also the creator and sole financier of the annual Write Your Way To RT Book Convention, a contest that gives aspiring authors a chance to win a fully paid trip to RT Book Reviews.

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https://jenniferlarmentrout.com

Review: Wildcard by Marie Lu

Wildcard by Marie Lu
Narrated by Nancy Wu
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I unfortunately was pretty underwhelmed with Wildcard. I enjoyed Warcross quite a bit, but much like with Warcross I wanted more of the game. I also found myself not caring about the characters or what happened to them in this highly anticipated sequel. I wanted more technology driven plot, but what I got was more character driven stuff that at times didn't really feel like it had any direction. I did eventually get invested in Zero and his storyline, but it felt disconnected from everything else going on. Zero's journey was well written and well told, it just felt like a completely separate book within a book. His character far overshadowed everything and everyone else in the book.

Emika and Hideo are essentially sidelined in this installment. They don't really develop as characters in this book, and they don't even really participate in the plot moving along. Their romance is present but there is no chemistry between them, I found them kind of cold and robotic even though they supposedly make each other weak in the knees essentially. The Phoenix Riders are mentioned here and there in the book, but they are basically absent. They were so much fun in Warcross, and as I mentioned I wanted more of the game. I didn't get much of the Riders or the game in this book.

I think this book suffers from a case of mismatched expectations. I was expecting something different than what Marie Lu wanted to tell me. What I wanted and what she wrote are so different that I just couldn't get into it. The writing isn't bad, Marie Lu is a great writer, this one just wasn't for me.

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