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Title: For Your Heart (Retellings #1)
Author: A.L. Davroe
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: October 31st 2013
Source: A.L. Davroe
★★★★
Four stars.
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In Jeanette's younger days, she went into the park with her very best friend.... But came out alone. She hasn't been the same since his disappearance, and she hasn't gone back to the park since that day. It's been seven years and she still can't shake what happened, living her life through a series of distractions to try and forget. Meanwhile, a knight of the summer court named Tamrin has been given the task of protecting the queen of the summer faeries' very special rose patch. Unaware of the consequences, Jeanette picks one of these roses, and Tamrin vows that he will right his wrong. The consequences? A rose is worth a human heart. But can Tamrin go through with it, the longer he gets to know Jeanette?
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This is an upper level paranormal romance novel, and is a re-imagining of a well known Scottish tale, The Ballad of Tam Lin. I was unfamiliar with the tale before reading For Your Heart, but was pleased by how Davroe integrates the story.
For me, the characters were a strong element of this story, and what made it so likable. Jeanette is true to her morals, and Tamrin has this cute naivety when it comes to how the human world works. He's adorable, and I grew to love the pair of them as they grew to care about one another. It was a sweet romance that I was entranced by. This book is told through multiple POVs, which helps the reader get to know each of the characters better. It was clear to tell who was speaking, and didn't muddle the story at all.
And speaking of entrancing, I love the fantasy world and aspects that Davroe writes about within For Your Heart. Personally, I got an Alice in Wonderland-esque vibe about the two worlds and how one can travel between them. Being a massive Alice fan, this was a huge intrigue for me. I'd love to see more books that take place in the Otherworld or explore them more in depth.
I also loved the pop culture references that were sprinkled throughout this novel. References were made to things like Doctor Who and different animes, and I got kind of excited and fangirly when this happened. They added to Jeanette as a character and made her more relatable, at least to me.
My issues with this book were minor. I didn't like one of the side characters at all, but I don't really feel like I got to know them well.
Plus, look at the cover work for this. Gorgeous.
All in all, I'd recommend this to the older half of the YA spectrum who love fantasy and romance, or have an interest in retellings/re-imaginings of classic stories. I was very fortunate enough to beta read this title: An advance reading copy of For Your Heart was provided to me by the author, A.L, Davroe, in exchange for honest feedback. Thanks!
For Your Heart is available TODAY on Amazon, so pick up your copy here! Also, add it to your Goodreads to-read list by clicking here!
Title: You Are Mine (Mine #1)
Author: Janeal Falor
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: May 6 2013
Source: Netgalley & Chardonian Press
★★★★
Four stars.
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When Serena is tested and found to be of good stock, she knows that the rest of her life is written. She will be married off to a warlock and become his, his property. To serve him and do as he pleases, no matter how cruel or pointless, and produce his children. And if she disobeys, she will lose it all. She will be shaved, tattooed, and barren- and perhaps even sacrificed- and worth nothing to society. Her ownership is won by a man from another country, who lets her get away with a little rebellion that no one else had ever tolerated. But how much is she willing to chance in a society that sees her only as a material good?
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I have to say, I was very much impressed with this story. It uses a few of my favorite things: dystopia, magic, and romance, and wraps them up into a unique package.
I loved the cast of characters in this book, namely the heroine Serena. She was strong in her principles, even when she knew the consequences of daring to have an opinion. At the same time, she knows when enough is enough. I never questioned her fighting back to be over the top, as I have in other books with "strong" characters. I also loved Zade, the "barbarian" who wins her hand. The land that he's from differs from hers, to a better degree. I enjoyed their light romance throughout this book.
I liked the magical societies that Janeal Falor created. At the beginning of the book there is a tournament in which many lands come together, and that helped to draw me in from the get-go. I'm a sucker for fantasy novels, and I loved the blending of the horrors that are associated with a dystopian society (such as abusive and inequality) and more fantastical elements of spells and magic. I was a bit afraid of this merge, but Falor definitely pulls it off with her writing.
This book is definitely one that sucked me in from the beginning, and the action only tapered off at a few minor points for me- it was hard to put down as a whole. The tarnished, or the no longer useful women of society were a really interesting, creepy element of the story that reminded me of the Avox from The Hunger Games series.
I will for sure pick up the next book in this series (assuming from the #1 after this title that there will be more installments!) and I'd advise fans of dystopian young adult as well as fantasy YA fans to do the same.
Thanks to Netgalley and Chardonian Press for my copy.
Title: Forbidden Fruit
Author: Selena Kitt
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: August 30th 2013
Source: Netgalley
★★★★
Four solid stars.
Leah and Erica are best friends that attend the same stuffy Catholic college. Since Erica's mother passed away, Leah's spent so much time over there that she's essentially Mr. Nolan's second daughter. During one of their girl nights, the friends find a box of erotic videos and magazines beneath Mr. Nolan's bed, and it fuels their curiosity and desires, for each other and for the men in their lives.... But that turns into more of a problem when the man in Leah's life becomes her best friend's father.
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Wow. I was not expecting a short novella like this to pack so much steam into such little space. I was very pleasantly surprised.
I liked the actual plot of this short story. Most of the time, with erotic short stories, I don't get a sense of any real plot line, just scene after scene of bedroom activities. But this plot was intriguing- how awkward would it be for everyone involved if you started shagging your best friend's dad in their own house. I was genuinely interested in how long Leah would get away with it, and what would happen once she was busted.
The sex scenes, though frequent, never became boring or repetitive. I'm impressed that Selena Kitt managed to have so much variety in the scenes that she wrote. The descriptions are just the right amount of crass and sensual, and they are more than a little hot. For me, the Catholic school bit was a nice touch, and made it all the sexier.
Be warned that this is an erotic story, and contains sex, Catholicism, toys, girl-on-girl, and strong language. It's a hot, short, kinky read and won't be the last I read by this author.
Title: Yank
Author: Selena Kitt
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: August 28th 2013
Source: Netgalley
★★
Two stars.
Dawn, a foreign exchange student from America, is headed to Surrey for her studies, to stay with childhood friend David. His world becomes shaken up the moment she arrives back, because he's not the little girl that he remembers anymore, and it becomes increasingly more difficult for either of them to resist the temptation that lives only down the hall.
I wasn't so much a fan of this one, in compared to the other Selena Kitt story that I have read.
I didn't feel connected to the plot or the characters. I understand that this is a short story, and an erotic one at that, but there still has to be some level of interest in characters or the rest of the story breaks down. That's how I felt about this one.
The smutty scenes, as always however, are well written and full of blazing heat. If I could rate these separately, I would, because Selena Kitt is a great author when it comes to the x-rated scenes within her stories.
Selena Kitt is known for approaching more taboo subjects, which I found odd seeing that this book seemed relatively tame. True, her host mother insists that the two act like siblings, and the school has a "no relationships with the host family" rule, but that little detail didn't seem so rebellious to me. But then I started reading reviews of this book, and saw that in the original edition of this story, they were related. I very much hate to say that, but I think I would have preferred that they were. It would have added the missing depth to the characters, the plot, and the "taboo" factor.
This is a book intended for adults, so be aware that this book contains vulgar language, crass British slang, and graphic detail. Thanks to Netgalley and eXcessica Publishing for my copies.
Title: Behind Barres
Authors: Miriam Wenger-Landis, Amanda Brice, Leslie DuBois
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: September 14th 2013
Source: Netgalley
★★★
Two and a half stars, rounded up.
Behind Barres is a collection of three separate stories by three unique offers, which all center around a main theme: ballet. These books are: Girl in Motion by Miriam Wenger-Landis, Codename: Dancer by Amanda Brice, and The Queen Bee of Bridgeton Leslie DuBois. All three books are completely different, and give a varied look into the young adult genre.
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This omnibus ended up getting a relatively neutral review, since I loved one book, was indifferent to another, and was definitely not a fan of the third. It falls short for me as a collection, but a few of the stories would stand well on their own.
The first book, Girl in Motion by Miriam Wenger-Landis, tells the story of Anna, who has worked extremely hard to get where she is now as a ballerina. It's her goal to land a position with a professional dance troupe, and gaining herself the lead in the annual performance definitely helps her. But emotions run high and feelings grow more intense as graduation comes ever closer, and a boy enters her life to add more pressure to the mix. This story was okay to me. It was rather boring and predictable, but it was fine enough. I liked reading about the dace life, but I never really got a good sense of who the characters really were.
The middle book, Codename: Dancer by Amanda Brice follows the young teenage Dani as she gains a spot dancing with a celebrity on the reality game show Teen Celebrity Dance-Off. The hype of fame doesn't last her too long- that is, before the threats start coming in. Someone is out to get her, and if she's not careful, they will succeed in ending much more than her career. I found this story to have the most potential, but it was the weakest of the three in my opinion. I am very aware of the fact that this is a young adult story, but the vocabulary used was juvenile, even for a young teen audience. It sounded like when someone's mother tries to be "hip" or relatable but just ends up creating awkward snickers. That's how I felt about conversations in this book as a whole. I liked the plot, but the characters and the way they interacted drove me up a wall.
The final book, The Queen Bee of Bridgeton Leslie DuBois, narrates African-American teen Sonya's struggles at her private, predominantly white school. She worked herself to the bone to become a dancer, trading her cleaning and work skills for ballet lessons when her mother couldn't afford to get them. When she gains the attention of the star basketball player- a Caucasian- the catty, popular girls show just how ruthless they can be against those who encroach on their territory. This story blew me away. The characters were written with depth that made me instantly connect with Sonya. I feel this says a lot, seeing as she is of a different age, race, and is a ballerina. I am not athletic, white, and out of my teens, and I still was able to sympathize with her, and wanted her to overcome the obstacles thrown in her way. True, the romance was a bit over the top, but I feel that the overall writing and concept make up for it.
If you are a die hard fan of dance or ballet stories, or enjoy young teen romance, this collection might be worth a read. But for fans of a later young adult audience and grittier realism will probably be disappointed.
Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.
Title: Lash (Broken Angel #1)
Author: L.G. Castillo
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: May 1st 2013
Source: Netgalley
★★★
Three stars.
Lash, an angel fallen from grace, is given a second chance when he is given a new mission: to protect a woman named Naomi who has lost her faith. His mission grows more complex as he realizes the archangels and allies he thought he had have been keeping information and secrets from him. He must assess his growing feelings for Naomi, and decide how far he's willing to go to regain his place in Heaven.
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Have you ever read a book, and then after you've read it, you didn't have much opinion of it one way or the other? That's how I feel about this book.
This was my first book revolving around an angelic character, and I'm starting to think there's a reason why I've stayed away from them so long. The characters seemed to be relatively one dimensional, like I'd read them or their equivalent in other stories (angel aside, naturally). I never really attached to any of them, which made it hard for me to cheer them on or care about what happened to them along the course of the story. The writing too was neither exceptionally bad nor amazingly well done. It was perfectly in the middle.
The one feature that stands out the most to me about this book is the cover, which I do have to say, is gorgeous. It'll hold its own on a shelf, that's for sure.
This isn't all that helpful of a review, because at the end of the day, I am completely indifferent to this book. I wouldn't recommend it, but I wouldn't discredit it either. If you have a thing for angelic characters, this may stand out to you far more than it did to me. I would consider picking up the next book in this series, to see how things progress.
Thanks to Netgalley and L.G. Castillo for my copy.
Title: Streaks of Blue: How the Angels of Newtown Inspired One Girl to Save Her School
Author: Jack Chaucer
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: September 27th 2013
Source: Netgalley
★★★★
Four stars.
While camping out with her best friend Candace, Nikki has the strangest dream. A dream that seems to be a warning that social outcast of their high school, Adam, has plans to shoot up the school. Though her friend tells her that it's probably just nothing, Nikki can't shake the bad feelings that it stirs inside her, and she comes up with a simple plan- to become Adam's friend when he might not have any others. But is her friendship too little, too late?
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I have to first get off my chest the horrible timing with which I finished this novel. Today, October 21st, 2013, there was a shooting at a Nevada middle school that left two dead, and two injured (as of now). The shooter is believed to be 13 or 14. I am greatly disturbed even more so by this book because it is an issue that clearly is still in need of great discussion.
Nikki is a girl that everyone should be a little bit more like. It's true that I didn't always agree with her choices- befriending two boys who are emotionally unstable enough to plan on a mass murder is obviously extremely dangerous- but she had the cahones to stand up to her school, and her friends who questioned why she'd want to be friends with such a "trailer trash train wreck." I could not help but to think of the wise words of Albus Dumbledore: “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” Though her best friend was loyal and in the right for being worried, Nikki stood up for what she thought was right, and that's a really hard thing to do in life, high school especially.
School shootings are a widely controversial topic, but Jack Chaucer is gentle and understanding when referencing other shootings- namely Sandy Hook. I was afraid that this book would have been insincere and abuse a hot news story in order to have a plot, but that was definitely not the case. This whole book is gritty and frighteningly real, and driven with emotion.
I did have a few small issues with the book that resulted in its four star review in lieu of five. The conversations between characters had a tendency to feel forced, which led to a small disconnect for me. The end was also patched up rather quickly, but to be honest, I'd rather have it wrapped up a little fast than drag on for too long. And, though this personal opinion isn't reflected in the rating, I'd have really liked to hear more of Adam's story.
It's a sad but true fact that most of us (thankfully) will never know exactly what's going on inside a shooter's head. It's for that reason that things like this need to be taught and discussed: You don't know the life of anyone else. Just because someone is different is no reason to taunt, bully, or pick on them. A little friendship and kindness can go a long way. Embrace differences, and be kind. It's preachy and cliche but god damn it if it isn't true.
Be warned that this book addresses a sensitive topic, contains colorful language, and references drugs and alcohol. The author is donating half of all profits from this book to the Newtown Memorial Fund.
Thank you to Netgalley for my chance to read this.
