Forever and Always, Lara Jean by Jenny Han 4 ✭

Title:	Forever and Always, Lara Jean
Author:	Jenny Han
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Series:	To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Genre:	Young Adult, Social & Family Issues, Contemporary
Publish Date:	May 2, 2017
Sold by:	Simon & Schuster
Pages:	337
Ages:	13 & up

Rating: ✭✭✭✭

I read this book in half of a day. It was the easiest read of them all. The finale to the series tackles the end of high school for LJ and Peter. Every relationship in senior year struggles with if they should stay together while they go away to college. LJ and Peter are no different. LJ has changed so much from the start, much like any girl in a long-term relationship. Your whole world revolves around each other. So when LJ doesn't get into the same college as Peter, shit starts to go downhill fast. Thankfully we are over Gen after two books, but Peter is still an emotional child I feel like. He really didn't change at all as a book character, but I am not completely upset about that. I say that because LJ even comments about it herself about him not growing up. He really acts like some boys would act in all the situations of the books. So I am not upset, I just don't like how the book wraps up with the last 10 pages or whatever it was. Put it this way, you will be on your seat till the end waiting to see what their decision is.

You also see how LJ's father getting remarried affects their family. How Kitty feels, which you could probably guess if you read the previous book. Really it is about Margot's reaction, and how the three sisters interact. To be honest, you can see how the conflict there would start. Margot didn't seem impressed with Ms. Rothschild in the least. So her being so far away and the other sisters getting to know Trina, there is bound to be conflict. Kitty is a very vocal person, and with her love for Trina, there was going to be some issues.

The sisters' relationship in this book doesn't have a big focus like the previous books. But I want to tip my hat to the writing for this. Yes, this is a romance, but in a way, these are also sister books. Book One, Lara Jean's connection to Margot and the stresses she has trying to not destroy her relationship with her. Book Two, her and Kitty seem to form a new bond and are closer than the first book. Kitty is invested in LJ and Peter. Book Three, Lara Jean is so stressed with a college that she isn't thinking about everyone before herself. She is trying to not think about her college worries, by baking away every day. So yes, the sister's aspect falls off a little, but I am not upset because this is Lara Jean's story. It is about her this time. 

Check out a Free Sample read of Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han below. You don't even have to leave the page. 

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han 5 ✭

Title:	P.S. I Still Love You
Author:	Jenny Han
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Series:	To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Genre:	Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Social & Family Issues
Publish Date:	May 26, 2015
Sold by:	Simon & Schuster
Pages:	353
Ages:	12 & up

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
Jenny Han has continued Lara Jean's story in the most adorable and total Lara Jean way possible. At the time of my review, Netflix IS going to make a sequel. It deserves it in my opinion. This saga is just so perfect. I will watch the hell out of it.

Since the story is a little changed from the first book to the movie, I can see how the second book will be changed. Although, I don't see it really having to change much. I mean, really what was changed was some character backstory. Who was a first kiss and how, how they all know each other and just a little more background? It's why you can read the books and watch the movie so easy. Again, I am predicting that the book and movie will complement each other just like they did before.

Lara Jean and Peter are actually dating in this book, for real this time. It is sweet and fun. However, Lara Jean has a lot of trouble with the fact that Peter still talks to his ex, Gen, all the time. This is a very real situation. I had a similar one when I was 16. The boy is trying to be friends with the ex, but also trying to still be your boyfriend. You want to hate that he isn't 100% only loyal to LJ, but really if he was able to ditch his ex so easily, what kind of person would that make him? Right so, with that in mind, there is VALUE to this book, other than it being a teen love. Also, another love letter recipient and LJ start getting close. LJ is in a confusing time with her boyfriend always being with his ex, and getting this new fresh attention from a new boy. It is a really confusing time for her. Again, this plays out so natural that you can read right through it so fast.

Another aspect of this story other than the total teen triangle is the affect dating has on a family. Yes, you see this in the first book. The first book was Margot relationship and its effect. This is how LJ's relationship/friendships affect their whole family. How it changes interaction with a sibling and even the parent. There are different ways that LJ father changes for a couple of scenes just because of events that have happened, however, her father isn't there too much to really see that impact. It's more about Kitty. Kitty has been attached to both her sisters' boyfriends. I can relate my little sister still remembers and adores my one ex. She knows nothing of the problems we had, but to her, he was just the best.

I love these characters. I love how the story is playing out. I hope with the final book Peter starts acting like he is growing up because I feel like the progression for him is stagnant. We will see. Always and Forever, Lara Jean is next. I'm hoping to enjoy this one as much as the others.

You should check out a Free Sample read of P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han below, without even leaving the page!

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han 5 ✭

Title:	To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author:	Jenny Han
Publisher:	Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers
Series:	To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Genre:	Young Adult, Romance, Social & Family Issues
Publish Date:	April 15, 2014
Sold by:	Simon & Schuster Books
Pages:	368
Ages:	12 & up

 Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

My sister and I have been talking about this movie non-stop for a week. She's in her early 20's and I just turned 33 this month. I am a reader, and she really isn't. So I grabbed the book set on Amazon. I got it at a steal using coupons and stuff, $13. For example, there is currently a coupon for $5 off a $20 paperback purchase, which is one of the ones I used when I got my books. I got a set for me and my sister. I'm pretty sure she is going to read these books. She already said she would so that is her Christmas Present.

So I am a big fan of the movie, and I can say, so far, I am a fan of the first book just as much. There are definitely changes between the book and movie. However, it doesn't really make one better than the other in my opinion. They just sort of enhance each other in different ways. It's like the movie Serenity and the show Firefly to me. They are essentially the same story, just done a little different from the same people. You can really see the actor's from the movie fitting in these rolls of the book. I've watched the movie I think three times and just finished the book. All in a couple weeks. This book is definitely something that can be read multiple times, just like the movie.

This book is supremely relatable to a young girl and her first crushes. You get to hear from Lara Jean's perspective of her past major loves that she has moved on from. You get to see more of each individual boys letter that she has written. Jenny Han has done an amazing job of making you understand what Lara Jean is feeling and has gone through. It is believable and realistic. I mean, hell, I still remember mine. I remember all my crushes and my absolute love and the ridiculously embarrassing love letters I wrote to those boys. I can't wait for my daughter to read these when she hits that age because I think these are a sweet way to see another person going through the motions of multiple strong loves. I remember my mom talking to me about boys when I was a kid, and it was embarrassing and I didn't even want to relate to my mom. I feel like as a mom now, who was a boy-crazy teen, I can see these (and the movie) being a really good way to talk to my future teen daughter.

Other than the basic breakdown of the book. I don't have much else to say. I think it is an amazing book. I am really happy that I got this book set. I plan on reading the next book now. As a mom, I would recommend this. To the mom, and to the teen. 

Check out a Free Sample read of Jenny Han's amazing book below without even leaving the page!

The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne 5 Star

Title:	The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo
Author:	Kerrigan Byrne
Publisher:	St. Martin's Paperback
Series:	Victorian Rebels
Genre:	Historical Romance, Victorian
Publish Date:	August 28, 2018
Sold by:	Macmillan
Pages:	384
Ages:	18 +

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

I am getting to continue my current dragon theme with The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo. This was another NetGalley ARC that I received that I am delayed to read. Super thankful for the opportunity I was given to read this pirate-themed romance.

I have never read a book by Kerrigan Byrne before. I am completely new to the Victoria Rebels Series. So I just want to let you know that you can absolutely pick this up and roll with it. There is zero confusion about other characters in the world. This could very well be a beginning to the series if I didn't know any better. It is written so fantastically. I don't have a wonderous vocabulary like a lot of other reviewers. I am not in denial about that. So there were so many words that I get to add to my vocabulary because of this book. Kerrigan Byrne did a fantastic job, of keeping the Victorian feel by using words that would fit into that time period. Instead of just saying "if she had her preference, the word that was used was druthers. There are tons of little words like that that I appreciated. I have read a Victorian style book and the words used are too close to current time.

I enjoyed this book so much not just because of the personal gain with the vocab, but because of the change for the characters. You have a physically weak and nurturing woman who grows to be strong and commanding a little by the end. You have a man who has lost his memories of his younger years and is only left with memories of pain, torture, being a slave traded off to the highest bidder. He has created a hard life for himself as a pirate. He had become almost revered as a god to his crew because of how ruthless he was. The self-discovery for each character takes a well-planned path.

I think the only thing that I didn't care for was how Lorelei acted the same as she didn't when they were younger. If felt like an infatuation. Although she claimed to have grown up from the abuse from her brother, she still had a girl feel to her. I would have liked her to show a little more of her confidence a little earlier.****Spoiler**** There is another part to her adult character that I didn't like also. It felt like it was put there to add a little extra to a scene but it didn't really have to be there. The fainting I could have lived without. It happened once, and her sister in law said that it happened all the time. And why wasn't her afraid later to make her faint again. I guess if it was later and he had a thought maybe one or two more times like "what if I cause her to faint"... I might have bought it a little better.

This is a great Victorian style read. If you like pirates and whispy shy women,

 this is a perfect book for you. 

Check out below for a Free Sample of The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne.

Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks 5 ✭

Title:	Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon
Author:	Kerrelyn Sparks
Publisher:	St. Martin's Paperback
Series:	The Embraced
Genre:	Romance, Fantasy, Gothic
Publish Date:	March 27, 2018
Sold by:	Macmillan
Pages:	435
Ages:	18 +

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

Got an ARC for a Kerrelyn Sparks book. So excited!!! Thank you publishers & NetGalley.

I truly loved this book. I wish that I had gotten to it sooner. Kerrelyn Sparks continues her Embraced series with the same humorous and hot magical fantasy theme here. I reviewed the prior book, So I Married a Sorcerer, and I am up to date on the current events in the series. I don't think it would be hard to pick this up if you haven't read any of the other books. It picks up and rolls with it. It isn't a high fantasy novel, so if fantasy isn't your thing, I would still pick this up if you are a historical person. It has a little of that feel to it. Don't get me wrong, there are dragons, and Gwennore is an elf.

Gwennore is an elf and the countries her "sisters" rule overlook down on her. The Elves are seen as violent creatures. So when her two married sisters try to play matchmaker with the three single sisters, it leaves Gwennore feeling desperately lonely. All the men sneer at her and make fun of her appearance. She is constantly being talked about through the whole book. They're calling her names, constantly saying she is going to kill everyone. So Gwen is constantly doubting her self-worth. She has mastered all the languages, she is extremely loving to her adopted family, she even has a good sense of humor that you only see with Silas.

Silas reminds me of my husband. No seriously!!! He really has that same rotten but funny humor. He makes you smile when you want to be mad. When you're serious he knows just the way to frustrate you but make you happy. Silas is much like a teenage boy too. He is from one of the three cursed clans. So women would adore them from afar, but never risk actually dating them. They fear the curse that makes them go mad or lose any children they would bear. 

I loved their relationship. I love the development of the story, the world, and where it is going. I am excited to see what the deal with the elves is. Damn... I don't want to say anything because I don't want to spoil anything. I will say you don't see much of the elves. You only hear them being mentioned. So it really has piqued my interest. I think Sorcha gets her book next, and I think we get to see the elves. The only thing that bothered me truly, was that I could not wrap my mind around how to pronounce Gwennore. So every time I would read her name, my mind would stutter. It would take me out of the rhythm of reading, and take me out of the book world for a minute. 

You should skip the free preview below and just get the book. 

In my opinion, I will be continuing this series 100%.

Dragonfire by Donna Grant 5 ✭

Title:	Dragonfire
Author:	Donna Grant
Publisher:	St. Martin's Paperbacks
Series:	Dark Kings
Genre:	Romance, Paranormal Fantasy, Shifter
Publish Date:	October 30, 2018
Sold by:	Macmillan
Pages:	400
Ages:	18+

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

I was lucky to receive an ARC of Dragonfire from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Dragonfire begins with a girl talking to her grandmother about her mom taking her away from her gypsy family. They have gifts and the family has been hiding a secret. For generations, the story of why they're on the run is passed down. There was a dragon king who had a magnificent battle sword. But one of the gypsies saw that he would use that sword to kill all the people in the village. So six families took waited and stole the sword from him, and split up. Always on the run. That is just the prologue too. 

That was right before Sabina and her family to leave the caravan because townspeople were after them and murdered her father. Her grandmother had the "Sight" and could see the future. It was a gift that was passed down through the family lines. Both Sabina and her brother have the Sight. Now Sabina and her half-brother live alone in the country. The rest of the gypsy family have moved on. Sabina and her brother Camlo also have the Sight. Camlo can communicate with animals and is gifted with wood. But even though he has grown to the size of a man, he has kept the mind of a child. Camlo is an important character in the story, and I just adored him. Sabina was a strong character too. She has to change within the book. Her fears end up being used against her, and there is a little twist/reveal. I like her, I want more of her and Roman. I honestly wished the book didn't end. 

Roman is a whole lotta hunk. The book starts with V and Roman going to Romania where V, aka Vlad, use to rule to search for his sword. Well, that's where Sabina and Camlo are at, so the obviously run into each other. This part made me adore Camlo because of his childlike excitement of knowing who the Dragon Kings are. As it continues we see more Druid and Fae involvement and that they need to search Roman's homeland, Iceland. This is where it gets all Indiana Jones with magic. Maybe not quite Indie, but it's the best example I could think of at the moment.

We get like one scene with Con and Rhi development. It isn't enough. It's just enough to tease. Whenever they get their book it better be 600 pages and amazing. I am glad there isn't too much bouncing around to other side plots in the world. This really focuses on Roman, V, Sabina, Camlo. I think V's sword is such an important part of the world that you need to focus on them and the challenges that they face. 

I loved this book. It was hot and it was serious. Fire & Ice indeed. If you decided to just pick this up off a shelf you wouldn't be too lost. There are minor references to previous books and if you haven't read them it will trip you up for like a couple pages but it's easy to move on. Like I said this focuses on a select few rather than everyone in the world. This series is really vast and I love it. I want to soak in it and just enjoy this massive world that Donna Grant has created. 

Please, do yourself a favor, check out Donna Grant's Dragonfire. Read a Free sample below without leaving the page. 

Dark Alpha's Hunger by Donna Grant 4 ✭

Title:	Dark Alpha's Hunger
Author:	Donna Grant
Publisher:	St. Martin's Paperbacks
Series:	Reapers
Genre:	Romance, Gothic, Paranormal
Publish Date:	August 7, 2018
Sold by:	Macmillan
Pages:	158
Ages:	18+

Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Dark Alpha's Hunger is another super short novel by Donna Grant that you can easily eat up in a day. I feel like the story here is better than my last read. This had angst, desire, passion, a quirky female main and it added a bunch of new characters to the ever growing world. I foresee more Reaper novels in the future for sure. This novel doesn't talk much about the current events in previous books, but it all fairness Eoghan has been in some terrible dark dimension. So if you were writing true to the characters feelings, yea he isn't going to be filling you in on the current state of the fight with Bran. So this book really deviates from where it felt like the story arc was going. I enjoyed this book because it was short and well written. I think that the events from this book will impact other story arcs within the world. It would be easy to do. I don't want to reveal anything, but I feel like there are a couple characters that when their books hit, fans are gonna go apeshit.

Moving on. So from what few books I have read, it seems like fae halflings have a specific power that makes them unique and one of a kind. Thea has a gift with music. She was abandoned at an orphanage as a baby and grew there her whole life. She hasn't thought about who her parents might be in a long time. So when she plays music, it just comes to her naturally, straight from her soul. She also was drawn to locations. There were childhood stones that drew her to them, and she still went to them as an adult. You know those stones in Outlander that the chick goes back in time from, yea those. So as an adult, she goes back to some stones in this one location and starts playing her violin. The music feels like its being pulled from her by the stones. Then she sees a hand reaching from her out of the dark entrance to the stones. This hand becomes a body as she helps pull him out, and reveals Eoghan. He heard her enchanting music and followed it out of that nightmare realm he was stuck in.

I feel like this book deserves its higher rating. I really liked this novel, it really pulls me into the world while it is expanding. I love falling in love, which I've said before. I think if I hadn't received a free ARC, I would buy it. I am really looking forward to whenever Cael gets his book. And Rhi, I want Rhi to have a book.

If you would like to check out the beginning of Dark Alpha's Hunger, you can read below without leaving the page. 

Dark Alpha's Night by Donna Grant 3 ✭

Title:	Dark Alpha's Night
Author:	Donna Grant
Publisher:	St. Martin's Paperback
Series:	Reapers
Genre:	Romance, Gothic
Publish Date:	March 6, 2018
Sold by:	Macmillan
Pages:	158
Ages:	18 +

 Rating: ✭✭✭
I want to start off with an apology. I was lucky enough to get many ARC's this year. With buying our first home, getting my daughter started with pre-k, and getting adjusted to the new routines has set me back so bad with my books. I feel disappointed in myself especially when I see that I have gotten 4 total ARC's for this series. The last one I got was released last month on the 30th. To the publishers who gave me the books, I am so sorry for the delay. With that, I have decided to knock out all of my Donna Grant books in a row. Are you guys ready? I don't think putting all three books left into one post will be a good idea. I will continue my same format for each book.

I have read a book by Donna Grant before and I really enjoyed it. I like the author, so when I had an opportunity for other ARC books by her, um... hell yeah. After a little bit, I realized that this is a HUGE world, and all the different series that Donna Grant has written are connected. I love the big series. I am really wishing I got to this at the start. So I looked up the reading order for myself just so see it visually and it is easy to find on the author's website. Another author that has a huger series that I got 20 + books deep into like that is Sherrilyn Kenyon. So Donna Grant is on the list of author's that I will scoop up because dedication to a series like that makes me happy. 

Picking up a book when it's in the middle of the series is risky. You don't know if you're going to be missing out on a bunch of backstories for the characters you're reading about. You don't know if there are attributes to the characters that were mentioned before. I know I have said similarly before since this isn't my first starting somewhere other than the start. However, I have at least read a book from the world that this book belongs too. So I'm not totally lost. If you wanted to pick this up without reading the previous books, I think you would be fine. This isn't Donna Grant's first rodeo connecting readers to previous books. Dark Alpha's Night is thankfully one of those where chapter one gives you a quick breakdown of the world from Daire, one of the main characters, POV. So you get a feel for his personality and what the first four books involved. Who has coupled up in the previous books, and who have they been fighting? It really only gets into the Reapers series previous info, but there is mention to the other series that are connected. The Reaper's are working to defeat Bran, a former Reaper, in their series. Bran is trying to kill Death for revenge. There is a rule that since Reapers are the fae executioners, another fae can't know about them. The consequence is the fae who knows about the Reapers is killed. Now Bran has a special sort of rage since most of the Reapers are now paired up with someone. Each booth Bran finds a sort of loophole to siphon Death's power from her, and he is close to killing her in this book. Bran discovers a new loophole which leads him to Ettie and her two sisters. They are his descendants from his time before he was a Reaper.

Ettie is the bland sister out of the three. She is pretty but not as astounding as the other two. Each sister has a gifted characteristic that they get from their half fae lineage. Carrie has like a chef power, lol. Jamie is brilliant with mechanical things. Ettie doesn't know what her quality is till later. The only thing she knows that sets her apart is she's a better fighter. Her father told them about the fae and told them to train and prepare. Which is what he was told. So her good fighting in her mind is just from her dedication. Daire was sort of boring to me. He seemed bland, and that isn't bad because these two seemed more like a normal person you would meet on the street. Not overly brooding, or any of those typical steamy romance guys. I appreciate that every now and then when it's done right. 

It looks like this is a six book series for the Reapers alone, not the whole world. That's how many it looks like so far from a quick goodreads.com check. All the books are decently priced at $3.99. It was on sale at the beginning of October so I would keep your eye out for another sale too. I would recommend this Author and her series from what I have read so far. Dark Alpha's Night was a good story, steamy, and quick enough to get through. I can't wait to continue the series from here. 

Read below for a short free preview of Dark Alpha's Night, without leaving the page. 

Now or Never Moment: Omnibus by Katie Kaleski 2 ✭

Title:	The Now or Never Moment: Omnibus
Author:	Katie Kaleski
Genre:	Teen, Young Adult, Depression, Mental Illness
Publish Date:	January 23, 2018
Sold by:	Amazon Digital Services LLC
Pages:	481
Ages:	Teen

Rating: ✭✭

Shelby is getting ready to go off to college and her best friend hands her a package. She is to not open it until she is happy with her life away at college. The omnibus is set up with two perspectives. Shelby is a present day and Tanner in the past. In the package, Tanner is telling Shelby how the past events and their friendship has gotten to where it is now. You become emotionally invested in Tanner and what the future holds for him.

It touches a lot of different topics like bullying, suicide, and depression. These things could be hard to read about. When I was in school, I was bullied. So these things matter to me. It touches so close to home. Eating lunch in the bathroom, crying every day after school, but trying to hide it from everyone because you just know deep down (or think you know) that no matter what nothing will change. If I had talked to the right person, I might have learned what I know now about those miserable days. Now I know how much those times shaped me to understand others better, but also how to be true to myself and my feelings. Let's be honest here, I am over 30 now and some of my high school situations still pop up in my head and haunt me. That's why bullying is such an important topic. So I think this book really helps you feel for Tanner and what he goes through. I think this book did a good job with that.

I did have some problems with the book. I feel like scene transitions were rough, especially for Shelby scenes. It felt like there was no transition at all. It was better when you were reading Tanner's well thought out letter to Shelby. The best way I can explain it is sometimes when reading through a chain of scenes for Shelby, I couldn't visualize what was going on right. It ended up feeling a little like reading stick figures. This really brought the story down for me. It may have even come out better without those scenes altogether. I don't know. I'm not the best writer myself. Or maybe with a younger generation, those scenes for Shelby were just right.

If you have Kindle Unlimited this is a Freebie that you can pick up. It's only $1.99 if you don't have Kindle Unlimited and wanted to give it a try. I think that this is a very moving story. I personally just thought it was ok and that it may appeal to a much younger generation who is fine just the base story meaning. 

Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope 3 ✭

Title:	Song of Blood & Stone
Author:	L. Penelope
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Series:	Earthsinger Chronicles
Genre:	Romance, Fantasy
Publish Date:	May 1, 2018
Sold by:	Macmillan
Pages:	384
Ages:	18+

 Rating: ✭✭✭

Within the first few paragraphs of the prologue, I felt like this would be an amazing read. It was like poetry in the prologue and it felt like it was setting this big amazing tone for the story. However, the prologue is about the lore of the world and the rest of the book isn't quite like that. I like the different concepts in the book and I liked it overall.

Jasminda is a tough and unique in a world that looks down on her. She has Earthsinger powers which originated as something beautiful but has devolved over the years. There is a mythology created for this world that I liked. This world is divided into two countries. Honestly, at the start, I was a little confused about which side was what. I think that’s because of her location geologically in the world, but also her bi-racial heritage. I feel like this could have been done a little better in the beginning. So her father is from Lagrimar where the Earthsinger magic seems to be located, and her mother was Elsira. She lived in Elsira but right on the border. The two countries had been in multiple wars up to this point in the story. Jasminda has a little of the Earthsinger power, healing, emotion reading, etc. Her family is gone and she is alone trying to keep her family's land. With the deadline coming up for her to pay her taxes owed, her world gets complicated. While walking home she sees a man laying wounded in the road and heals him some with her powers. He ends up being captured and she rescues him. The man is Jack, an Elsira soldier.

The romance between them is young, but it isn’t for a teen to read. Jasminda is twenty-two if I remember correctly, so they are in the new adult age group. When they’re touching hands is still “tingly” and all that. That isn’t a terrible thing. It just isn't what I was expecting when I started reading the book. I love the cover. It is stunning and vibrant like the world that was built. I just wish there was more world building to read about. I would love to hear more about the looks and feels of the world. 

You can check out a Free sample of Song of Blood & Stone below without leaving the page.