The Brightest Embers by Jeaniene Frost 3 ✭

Title: The Brightest Embers

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: HQN Books

Series: A Broken Destiny

Genre: Paranormal Romance, New Adult

Publish Date: November 29, 2017

Pages: 352

Ages: 18 +

Rating: ✭✭✭

I borrowed The Brightest Embers from my local library. Jeaniene Frost is one of my favorite authors. So when I realized that there was a shorter wait list, I jumped on and grabbed a copy. This was the finale in the A Broken Destiny series. I always like Jeaniene Frost's writing because there is always something about her main character that is relatable to me. Whether it's the smartass attitude or the protective feelings for loved ones. It's just always something that gets me. This series is no different but I feel like this last book was a little less like that. I feel like I didn't have that strong familiarity with the characters like they didn't stay with me long term. That makes me sad. The flipside to that is a very well written and planned out ending. So for me with its a give and take situation. 

There was a lot of the characters bouncing from location to location while they search for the final holy weapon. There was a major revelation or two depending on your feelings for Adrian. Personally, Adrian isn't one of my favorite guys in a book, like he would be a really good friend. I didn't fall in love with him as a character. And the ways he changes over the book weren't really the main focus but just side frill. She goes through so much in the books as a person. With Adrian and Ivy's link, she is starting to lie more, and she is abandoning her destiny since his evil is leaking through to her. So she had to deal with that. She has to deal with Andrian's betrayals and all the demons hunting them. She has to grow and deal with her destiny. Just like we can never fully guide someone down the right path, they have to do it on their own. One of the reveals I do want to share an opinion on and it will be at the bottom of the post. This way if you don't want to see spoilers, you don't have to.

All in all, I feel like this was a good solid book. It was a solid finale for this trilogy with everything tying of neatly. I feel like you get all the answers and you want. I enjoyed the journey of the series and I'm bummed it's the end.

You can read a Free Sample of The Brightest Embers below without even leaving the page.

I don't usually write spoilers in my post because I have zero restraint. So I always read peoples spoiler posts and regret it later. I tried to not make it labeled at the top to make it a big eye grab thing. You know, sneaky like you have to actually look into the post to find out there may be spoilers. Anyways...So Ivy is with child. I'm trying to not use the big p-word that would catch someones attention as they scrolled by. Now the thing is Adrain was supposed to have a vasectomy. Here's my thought: The manna they use to heal everything, at some point, healed everything for him. There isn't any mention about the thoughts on how this could have happened, but that's just what I think.

The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie 5 ✭

Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Series: The Raging Ones

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, LGBT

Publish Date: August 14, 2018

Sold by: Macmillan

Pages: 400

Ages: 12 & up

Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Holy shit! Sign me up for the sequel, please!!! Please!!! I have to thank Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this E-galley because it was amazing! Lol. That ending! Wow. Ok, I'm ok. We are all going to be ok. That was not what I was expecting to happen at all. I want to spoil so bad... but I won't. I raved about it to my husband because it's like WoW that was straight out of the twilight zone! There is a cliffhanger ending here, but it was one that I personally felt was perfect for these characters. It is a perfect moment of shock because you already know how close they are and their connection. 

This is a really great sci-fi book that takes place deep into our future a couple thousand years where we have already left one planet behind and moved onto another(s). This book isn't so much about world building but more about the society and characters relationships. When you are born you get your birthdate, but here you are tested and then given your death date. So society is separated by life expectancy. If you die as a child you are taken care of by your family and not required to do anything extra because you have so few years they want the little ones to enjoy their time they have. Those who only live their lives are children are called a "Babe". If you die between a teen and mid-20s (I forgot the exact number, I think 29) then you are a Fast Tracker. Fast Trackers are around long enough to keep their world moving and functioning, but they don't have enough time to impact the world. Fast Trackers are the workers meant to serve. If you have longer, then you are expected to do great things and you are an Influential. You are meant to be important and "influence" civilization in some way. 

You have three points of views throughout the book for the main characters, Franny, Court, and Mykal. Each chapter is in the perspective of one character while the story continues chronologically. They are connected, but not by relation. No, for some mysterious reason their sense of touch, smell, and taste are shared. If one hates food that another person linked get sick by they all share that gag reflex. Basically, its like Sense 8 with the trio of teens in a harsher world deep into the future. They can't see or hear what the others see so that does give a challenge in certain situations in the book. The three have this romance between them that was charming in a way too because of the link. 

They also have a lot of struggles through the book. Not with trust because they can feel all of each other's emotions. The main problem is there has never been a single person who has lived past their death date. Now they have to not be caught or noticed that they lived past their death dates. So they decided to pretend to be influentials. Which Franny and Mykal really struggle with since Mykal grew up in the forest, and Franny grew up living the fast tracker life. They are trying to get into a space program so that they could leave their planet and be free from whatever pasts and possible future they may have. 

By the way, it appears that there will be a sequel to the story. According to Goodreads.com at least. I have added it to my watch and wait for list. 

I can't do my usual free sample read below because the book has not released yet. Instead, I'm going to post links to the book in case you want to add it to your Goodreads or Amazon lists.

Heat by Donna Grant 4 ✭

Title: Heat

Author: Donna Grant

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Series: Dark Kings

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Publish Date: January 30, 2018

Sold by: Macmillan

Pages: 330

Ages: 18 +

Rating: ✭✭✭✭

I received a free E-galley of Heat from St. Martin's Paperback to review and I am very thankful for the opportunity to read Donna Grant's book. I have not read any of the previous books in the series. It is totally something that I would be interested in reading, and I am definitely adding them to my "need to pick up" list. I will say that this book is very busy and I wouldn't recommend picking it up alone. You can read it as a stand-alone, I did, but you miss a lot of the family connections that you are supposed to be feeling amongst everyone. This is totally a series that you could easily eat up. It reminds me of Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series, except with dragon kings, druids, and the fae.

Without reading the previous books you miss all the intricacies in the relationships. You get a few references to previous events and a few other characters pop up here and there, but you don't feel any connection to them. If you had read the 11 books prior it would totally be different. You would know what Nikolai was like before the book, where it feels like when you start they're already in love with each other. Stuff like that. It isn't bad at all though. This is a great way to get yourself connected to the world and then continue from here on out. I think you would be able to get a good feel for the rest of the stories progression and want to continue.

Esther is a fun character in this book. She is haunted by the fact she doesn't remember events in her life since her memory has been erased. That's where you pick up, so you have to piece what's been going on from there. You make this discovery that she is a part of this magical world with Dragon shifters and the fae in more ways than one. Once her issues are resolved the book really comes together in a sweet way. I feel like Esther and Nikolai's connection was a fun and sweet one. After that, I was invested in Esther's character. I liked who she was after everything she has gone through, and I didn't even know half of what she went through because it was written earlier in the series. That just makes me more interested in the series.

I went with a 4-star rating because I think whether you have or haven't read the earlier books the characters are interesting and all the different side plots are interesting enough that it felt worthy of a four star.

If you would like to read a free sample of Heat by Donna Grant you can check it out below without leaving the page!

*Editted to fix post formatting issues.

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard 5 ✭

Title: War Storm

Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: HarperTeen *

Series: Red Queen

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian

Publish Date: May 15, 2018
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers *

Pages: 672

Ages: Teen

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

Victoria Aveyard has finished the Red Queen series in a fantastic way. The ending wasn't predictable, and it left me feeling satisfied; it felt complete. I really took my time finishing this book. I had to not only because it was over 600 pages, but because there are a ton of things going on. There are many perspective changes within the book, so you are able to see multiple sides of the many battles that happen. The bonus to these is you are able to understand each character's point of view, and how they perceive the world. It is written in a way that you are savoring each section for each person.

Mare isn't the main focus of this book I feel. I feel like it's every character is equally important. I was a little let down at the end, I was expecting more of her power like some ultimate reveal but we didn't really have that. She goes through a lot of changes in the previous books and in this one she still is a little, but I feel like she aware of who she is going to be.

Evangeline has become a lovable character to me. You see her soft side when she thinks her brother is gone. You see her intelligence show when she is piecing together things while Anabel Lerolan, Cal's grandmother, is talking. She is a strong badass on the battlefield and her strength to continue the fight is amazing. Her strong emotions and opinions, like how much she cares for her brother and is repulsed by her mother, or her hatred/love for her father while he uses her as a bargaining chip. Her love and adoration for Elane, and her desire to be with her, but she can't because it is considered abhorrent and a waste of power. Victoria Aveyard has a knack for writing strong badass female characters for sure. I think if she were the main character it could have been great too. I think she could have had her own book. 

Victoria Aveyard's greatest skill with this novel is the battle scenes. You read from Mare's perspective which she is at another location from the rest of the group and it is fast but intense and emotional. Then you get into Evangeline's perspective which when I was reading it I felt like it would be an amazing scene in a movie. You can feel the tension and the terror that Evangeline deals with while she is struggling to survive. That is just an example of only one of the many battles within the book. I loved reading the battles personally. 

I completely think this series AS A WHOLE is a must read if you enjoy young adult books. If I didn't read past the first book, I might not have recommended it as strongly. Now, since I've read all the books I have to push for this one. I've seen the writing improve through all the books. I've seen the characters develop into memorable people that leave a lasting impression. I feel satisfied with the whole outcoming and the meanings behind certain aspects of the book. 

You can read a Free Sample of War Storm below without leaving the page!

* I decided to add two new categories today while I was doing my blog. I have started picking up a few more E-Galley books recently and I decided that I want to start making note of which publishers I have read books from. I think that it would be worth noting for the future, for myself if nothing more. I haven't decided if I am going to go back to old posts to add this part in. What do you think? With so little of an amount, since my blog is young it might not be bad.

Adeline by Christina McKnight 4 ✭

Title: Adeline

Author: Christina McKnight

Series: Lady Archer's Creed

Genre: Historical Romance, Regency

Publish Date: August 29, 2017

Pages: 260

Ages: 18 + 

Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Adeline by Christina Mcknight was a sweet story but one I have read before, sort of. The story isn't bad, it just introduces you to a snobby young lady who is full of attitude right before she goes to an etiquette school. Then it cut scenes to her as an adult and who has grown-up mature. I just feel like it almost wasn't even worth reading the first part. Now, this is part of a series. So maybe the introduction ties with the previous books of the series, I don't know I have never read them. I guess that kind of threw me off for the first half of the book.

This is another retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Books like that are a classic for a reason. So when you read them you have to find what makes that one special. I think part of what makes this so special is how Jasper is. He is almost like a scared little boy who grew to be a man. So everyone around him cares for him, and he equally tries to take care of them. It's really nice. He is horribly scarred from a fire that took his family away from him. You can genuinely feel the love that he has.

As the story continues I did start to like Adeline more as a character. She had been discarded by her family. So both characters are lonely and need a someone of their own. For me, it was Adeline's character that sort of lost it for me. Online I see tons of people do love her character, so maybe I wasn't feeling it personally. I would recommend this book so some of my friends, but only if it was something I think they would be into. It doesn't feel like one of those books to me that you have to tell EVERYONE you know.

This was a book that I received from NetGalley to give my honest review. You can get all of the books in the series for your Kindle in one bundle for $7.99. Individually it looks like the books vary from $0.99 to $2.99. So if you picked these up getting the four-book bunch would be a better deal. If you want to check out a book by Christina McKnight, I did see that the first book from another one of her series is available for free on Kindle. (Prices are at the time of this review)

You can read a free sample of Adeline below without leaving the page.

You can get all of the books in the series for your Kindle in one bundle for $7.99. Individually it looks like the books vary from $0.99 to $2.99. So if you picked these up getting the four-book bunch would be a better deal. If you want to check out a book by Christina McKnight, I did see that the first book from another one of her series is available for free on Kindle.

Buying a House and DNF reviews

Hey guys! I've been steamrolling through the Red Queen series, haven't I? Well, I am starting War Storm today! However, my parents are visiting from Pennsylvania, and we are in the process of buying a house so I'm hoping that I don't book stall again. It's our first time buying a house and there is so much to it. You have to talk to so many people and make sure everyone is on the same page. Thank god for my realtor, she is amazing! The kids have been pretty good while we have been looking from house to house which was a huge plus. I'm so worried about the schools these days and finding good schools. But I also want to get more value for my money too. I don't want a small house that I'm going to feel cramped for the next however many years we are there. It's tough. I think the house we chose we found a good happy medium. Something with enough space for us, plenty of land for the kids to have fun with, and most of the schools are good. It really is extremely stressful! It's the second most stressful thing in my life so far. Other than waiting to give birth and then the giving birth and post birth too I guess, it is horrible. LOL. That whole time period sucks, plus with all the medical issues I had during it all it was rough. 

A couple books ago I had mentioned that I started a book. I'm not sure if I want to review it. Hear me out. I didn't finish it. I got to chapter five. I find it boring. The characters are not interesting. I see this book has good reviews, but I'm not sure if it's teen fanboy/fangirling or if I need to keep going farther. I feel like by chapter five I should get a good feel for the characters, and the pace of the book. Since I haven't actually read the book, I don't feel like I could review it. I don't have enough to go off. Just because the characters are boring to me doesn't mean that they won't speak to someone else and hold a place in their heart. Does that make sense? I feel like writing a DNF review is just too brutal sometimes. I actually have two books that I have been stalled out on. One is a NetGalley review and the other just a paperback I picked up one day because I had read other books by the author. I don't know, ugh. Maybe I will push through. I just feel like I'm taking too much time to read them, and there are others that I would be more interested in and read faster. We will see.

This month is going to be crazy. We have a few appointments coming up that involve the house we are buying, plus it's BOTH MY KIDS BIRTHDAY MONTH AHHHH. She is going to be four, and he is going to be two. I can't believe it. They're getting older and I don't like it. So it's going to be a long month that's going to go fast. probably.

King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard 5 ✭

Title: King's Cage

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Series: Red Queen

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian

Publish Date: February 7, 2017

Pages: 528

Ages: Teen

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

King's Cage felt long but I enjoyed the value that it brought to the series. I have to warn this is going to have a little bit of spoiler to today's review; not much of a spoiler just a little. This book was horrible, wonderful, and intelligent all in one. I think reading while she was captured was boring to a lot of people because a lot of time is passing and Mare isn't able to do really anything. I think the author did that very well. You feel the passing of time. You read as there are things happening in the world beyond Mare's control and she barely hears about any of it. You see how hollow and desperate she is for escape while she spends months in her room alone with nothing but silence. While she is held as Maven's prisoner, she has to deal with all the emotions that she has been avoiding in the previous books. That must have been horrible and I felt for Mare, it was a horrible time for her. If you don't read all the books in a row like I am doing these weeks, you might very well miss out on those important things. You might not remember how in Glass Sword, she was merely a tool to be used to fight. She cut herself off from everyone around her so that she wouldn't have any more emotions. Mare didn't allow herself to think or feel about anything but completing the next task. The first half of King's Cage features Mare and is about her captivity and character growth. 

Victoria Aveyard gives us a reprieve from just reading about Mare in a plain room with nothing to do. She gives us a couple other characters perspectives in this novel. I appreciate that a lot because without that it would be a really boring book. You get to see what is continuing to happen for the Red Guard even though Mare isn't there. You even get to see from a silver's perspective, which I'm not going to say who, but I really liked that. I would love to continue but I think that would just ruin the "reveals" about that character and who they really are. 

It was wonderful to see the strength of the uprising. The strength of Montfort, the Ardent people, and their leader. Victoria Aveyard does a great job of bringing them into the world and showing their democracy. You also get a small taste of their battle tactics and it makes you curious even more. Like I wonder how extreme are they? To what ends are they willing to go to? Wonderful to see the full force of all the different people fighting together and against each other. You actually see what a battle full of abilities is like in this world. Both sides bring their A-Game. You get to see how powerful Mare really could be as she stands alone protecting herself surrounded by silvers. You get to see new alliances and relationships how they have changed in the many months since Mare's capture. Mare and Cal get a reunion and it feels like the pieces are really beginning to come together for the world. It had the feeling that the end was near and the author could have written a quick happily ever after. That is not what you get in this book.

One part that I had to bother my husband about because I thought it was sooooo good, was the political side of things. You get to see different people strategically moving to complete different tasks. Maven had it rough this book. You find out more about his damaged character, he is betrayed, and he has to repair his kingdom enough so they'll stop rebelling. He does a tour, but really it is just like today's politicians, going around town to town making promises and motivational speeches. I loved that, it makes you think about how much we hear and what is just someone trying to keep you dumb and ignorant of what's really going on. I think that fits perfectly with today's world of politics that it's almost scary. So bringing something like that in, and having it written well that you can understand the meaning at any age is pretty good. There are a lot of politics going on in this book, more than the others. You have even more people who are just trying to maneuver the things they control to get to the ending they want. It's done really good.

Cal is an idiot. I'm totally serious, he is an idiot

I 110% believe this deserves a 5-star rating. There is a sh*t ton of stuff that happens during this whole book. You meet many new leaders from different places, an escape attempt, a rescue, two major battles, a few reveals that were previously speculation at least for me. A little bit of love and a lot more loss.

For a Free Sample read, you can click below and you won't have to leave the page.