{Feature} Waiting on Wednesday (#134)

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Donna's WoW

Defending Tayloy (Hundred Oaks #7)
by Miranda Kenneally
Release Date: July 1st, 2016

Taylor’s always felt pressure to be perfect. 

That’s what happens when you are a senator’s daughter. 

So when she’s kicked out of private school for covering for her boyfriend’s not-so-legal behavior, she is devastated.

Things go from bad to worse as she joins what used to be her rival soccer team at Hundred Oaks High. 

The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. 

But Ezra has secrets of his own. 

Will Taylor repeat past mistakes, or can she score a fresh start?

  Donna's thoughts: I absolutely love this series and I'm so pleased it's still going strong! I hope July comes around quickly. 

Melanie's WoW

Grave Visions (An Alex Craft Novel #4)
by Kalayna Price
Release Date: February 2nd, 2016

Grave Visions by Kalayna Price is the much-anticipated fourth installment in the kick-ass urban fantasy series about Alex Craft, a grave witch who can communicate with the dead.

If you want to hear voices from the dead in Nekros City, you call Alex Craft. She's a Grave Witch with reasonable rates and extraordinary powers, who specializes in revealing the secrets of the dead. But now she's the one fighting to keep her own secret. She's not human—and her newly discovered heritage is causing havoc for her both in the human realm and in Faerie. But her status as an unaffiliated fae also makes her an ideal candidate to investigate a new street drug that has surfaced in several of the spaces between the human and fae worlds.

This glamour-infused drug causes hallucinations that turn real—at least for a while and often with deadly consequences. Searching for the source of this drug—and its purpose—lands Alex front and center in the conflict brewing in Faerie and she must find answers before she's dragged so deep she loses her freedom.

Melanie's thoughts: I am STILL waiting for this book - it's been about 3 years now! fingers crossed that this release date is it!

<What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? 
Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave your link at Breaking the Spine. 

Happy Reading!

{Review} Unhidden (The Gatekeeper #1) by Dina Given

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: December 29th, 2014
Finished Date: January 3rd, 2016

Publishers: Team D Enterprises, LLC
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: Unknown
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

 

It’s not always easy to differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys, especially when your heroine is a trained killer and she may be falling in love with her evil hunter…

Emma Hayes, a former military Special Forces Operative turned mercenary-for-hire, finds her tightly controlled world turned upside down when she is attacked by horrible monsters.

Emma must use every skill in her arsenal to stay alive as she tries to solve the mystery of why she has been targeted. Her list of enemies keeps growing - from Zane Shayde, an evil Mage, to a secret branch of the US government - and she doesn't know if there is anyone left she can trust.

To complicate matters further, Emma is inexplicably drawn to Zane in a way she doesn’t quite understand, even knowing her life is forfeit if captured. Who is he and why does he have this affect on her? How can she fight a being that calls to her, body and soul?

Emma is left haunted by questions, doubts and fears as to why she has been targeted, when they will come for her next, and how she will possibly be able to survive against an enemy she doesn't understand.

The Review: Unhidden is the first book in 'The Gatekeeper' series and it was fab!

I'm not going to rehash the synopsis because it outlines the book really well and is sure to draw you in anyway.

I will start by saying that this book came across as very serious and mature – so, very much aimed at the adult reader and I thought that added to its appeal. Emma was a heroine that was more than capable of looking out for herself and fighting her own battles, she is military trained and hires herself out for missions – so men aren't needed to be her knight in shining armour in this book. She has no shortage of admirers but none that have stirred anything substantial in her until she meets Zane; the problem is....Zane is an evil mage that is sent to hunt and retrieve Emma for his master. I love the enemies to lovers kind of romance and that is sort of what we get but it has a couple of twists along the way and it also isn't the main focus of the book. Their connection – when revealed-

is really interesting and I'm really curious to see how it will play out.

The storyline could be classed as a gritty urban fantasy – what you don't know is that Emma has missing memories following the death of her parents and most of the purpose of the storyline is to introduce Emma to her true self, enlighten her on her missing memories, and a few other secrets that you will only find out if you read it. There is no shortage of action with Emma being chased by Mages, the Government, evil creatures etc. so there will be fighting and action galore! There is a lot of mystery which not only revolves around Emma but also her new acquaintances – and they really piqued my curiosity. A lot of the story also happens directly because of what Emma discovers so it is hard to not spoil it...just know that it is a great book with an intriguing premise, the characters are ones you can really get behind and you really want to know all about them – even the secondary characters, there is lots to discover, it's filled with danger and excitement and it's only just the beginning.... I can't wait for more! 

4.5 Stars!

Thank you to Team D Enterprises, LLC for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Posted by Donna
Release Date: January 14th, 2016
Finished Date: January 2nd, 2016

Publishers: Orchard Books
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Hardcover

Pages: 320
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depo 

 

How is it that you suddenly notice a person? How is it that one day Digby was my best friend's admittedly cute twin brother, and then the next he stole air, gave jitters, twisted my insides up?

Lucille has bigger problems than falling for her best friend's unavailable brother. Her mom has gone, leaving her to look after her sister, Wren. With bills mounting up and appearances to keep, Lucille is raging against her life but holding it together - just.

A stunning debut to devour in one sitting, Laure captures completely the agony and ecstasy of first love.

The Review: "Explain to me what the point of living is if you aren't willing to fight for the truths in your hearts, to risk getting hurt. You have to rage." 

This Raging Light is a fantastic debut by author Estelle Laure. Perfect for both younger and older fans of the YA contemporary genre that love lyrical stories.

Lucille's family has fallen apart. Her father had a mental breakdown and now is no where to be seen and her mother just can't take it any more and has left Lucille to look after her 9-year-old sister on her own while she goes on vacation to try and deal with her issues. The problem is Lucille's mother hasn't come back and now the bills are piling up and there is no food to eat in the house. Knowing she must do everything so that she and her sister survive but more importantly that no-one finds out about her situation because otherwise they could be taken into foster care because Lucille isn't yet eighteen, she does what she has to. She gets a job working and with the help of her best friend and her best friends brother Lucille tries to juggle everything at once. But the one bright spot in her disaster of a life if Digby, how can she have such intense feelings for someone when the rest of her life is so out of control?

This Raging Light had everything I love from a YA contemporary story - drama, angst, trouble and romance. If anything it has something more to give. It's not just a love story although that's one of the highlights for me but it's a powerful and heart-breaking story about abandonment and how a teenage girl does everything in power to keep her and her sister safe. I for one wasn't expecting much before I headed into this story so I'm happy to say it was definitely a great way to start the new year with this being my first read for 2016. 

I loved the characters. Lucille, Digby, Eden seemed to work so well together and their friendship is really tight. I also loved that Lucille could turn to to Eden's family for help. Her mother was so supportive, something that Lucille's mother should have been.

For me this book was a serious of emotional events and come the end of the book I was seriously in tears. I couldn't predict how it was going to end. But when it did I was both filled with happiness and sadness. I wish there was more. I wasn't ready for the story to end because I felt there was some stuff left open but overall I really enjoyed this book. 

Thank you to Orchard Books for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

 

{Review} The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: August 7th, 2015
Finished Date: December 27th, 2015

Publishers: Self-Published
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: 263
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

 

Centuries ago, sibling rivalry tore Aramith apart. As punishment, the losers were stripped of their immortal birthright and banished to Earth. There, they wasted away from old age and diseases. However, there is hope…

If a Shaw child, born on the 12th day of the 12th month offers her soul in a public sacrifice, then the exiles will be forgiven and welcomed home to Aramith.

Aubrey Shaw is that child, but dying for the exiles is not on her to-do list. Using her gift as a Jumper, Aubrey leaps between bodies to escape relentless shape-shifting hunters. Only, shedding her skin is not enough. Not when Joshua, her best-friend-turned-hunter, is hell-bent on dragging her to the altar.

Will Aubrey’s love for Joshua change his mind?

Or, will she have to trust the scarred stranger who shows up out of the blue cloaked in lies and secrets? Doing so means giving up on Joshua. But betting on Joshua's love could do more than break her heart.

It could kill her.

The Review: I am so glad that I took a chance on reviewing this book because it was fab!

As the synopsis states; Aubrey Shaw is meant to sacrifice her life for her people so that they can become immortal once more and return to the place of their ancestors. Aubrey's mother knew that something was up and ran with her daughter, which they have been doing ever since. When Aubrey and her mother ran, they left behind a husband/father, a daughter/sister and Aubrey's best friend/love of her life – all of whom are hunting her with a passion especially when it's revealed that Aubrey and her mother are 'jumpers' who have the ability to jump between bodies and assume the identity of the person into whose body they have jumped into. This is a pretty cool power if you ask me – apart from the fact that you start to lose sense of who you really are the more times you jump, so I took that as a sort of insanity.

It's quite close to the sacrifice date and the pursuit hots up for Aubrey with Joshua leading the way and when things seem dire, they receive help from an unexpected source but this particular time will have far reaching effects for Aubrey. It also introduces us to tall, dark and scarred hottie by the name of Coy – a hunter like Joshua – with his own agenda. I really liked the connection that Aubrey and Coy have, he helped her in her time of need and when he comes back.... there's some chemistry but Aubrey is still hung up on Joshua. I was always left feeling like I didnt know whether to trust Coy, I preffered him in the love triangle but it always seemed like he could turn on her whereas Joshua didnt hide what he was up to. Never the less, I liked how the relationships played out and as the story goes on it became clear where Aubrey's heart lay.

As the wait to the sacrifice date grows nearer we follow all of the characters as they deal with what is on the horizon. Aubrey tries to remain as normal as possible but the guys start to branch out into doing their own thing which wont always be in Aubrey's best interests. There are a lot of secrets to uncover and things that Aubrey must deal with in the run up to her doom.....but there will be a plan – the questions is.... will it work?

Another thing that I liked about this book is that it was different, this is the second book I have read by this author and both have been unique and unusual, they are also suspenseful, really get you thinking and also becoming so engrossed in the story that it's so hard to put it down. I thought it was well written, well thought out, flowed well and I thoroughly enjoyed it – give it a go!

Thank you to Kerr-Ann Dempster for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

{Feature} Waiting on Wednesday (#133)

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

Donna's WoW

Firstlife (An Everlife Novel #1)
by Gena Showalter 
Release Date: February 23rd, 2016

ONE CHOICE.

TWO REALMS.

NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…

  Donna's thoughts: I have mixed thoughts about this so far. I love Gena's work but I'm not keen on alternate worlds. Hopefully I'll enjoy it! 

Melanie's WoW

Reign of Shadows
by Sophie Jordan 
Release Date: February 9th, 2016

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

With lush writing and a star–crossed romance, Reign of Shadows is Sophie Jordan at her best.

Melanie's thoughts: This sounds good, I've only read a couple of fairytale  retellings so hopefully this will live up to expectations.

<What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Want to participate? 
Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave your link at Breaking the Spine. 

Happy Reading!

{Review} Wicked Edge (Realm Enforcers #2) by Rebecca Zanetti

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: November 10th, 2015
Finished Date: December 27th, 2015

Publishers: Lyrical Press
Genre: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: 276
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depo 

 

“Zanetti gives paranormal a sexy MC twist!”—New York Times bestselling author Joanna Wylde

If you love the Dark Protectors, these wicked hot Realm Enforcers are for you!

Daire Dunne is more than ready to take a quick break from his duties as a Coven Nine Enforcer. When he spots a sexy blonde across a Titan’s of Fire party, it’s not long before she’s on the back of his Harley on the fast track to his apartment. Unfortunately, one overheated kiss in, the woman drugs Daire and steals valuable files that can’t fall into enemy hands. The second he comes to, the hunt is on...

Now that Cee Cee has the information to take down an enemy that destroyed her family, she can implement her perfect plan for revenge. Nothing will stop her, not even a shockingly sexy enforcer barging into her life. Not even the spectacular, fire-branding sex engulfing them. But if Daire ever figures out who her family really is, all bets are off...

The Review: Wicked Edge is the second book in the Realm Enforcers series and just as good as the first!

Daire was awesome as the leading man, all alpha and protective but he definitely had his work cut out for him with Cee Cee. From the get go Cee Cee was scheming, she has a plan and that plan is very intricate but to start it all off she needs something that only Daire has..... and so begins the games. I have to say that this brought about some really funny situations especially when Cee Cee continuously tried to drug him. You would think a man would give up the chase when that happens and also when the woman you're chasing is constantly trying to escape you.... but not Daire – he is persistent! And believe me he is in for way more shocks when it comes to Cee Cee. They had great chemistry which is felt in lots of ways and they sure know how to get their sexy on.

The storyline was fab! I thought the relationship drama was fun, as I mentioned – there are a lot of moments where Cee Cee tries to go her own way and Daire won't allow it – you will not believe the ways in which she tries to leave, they are hilarious but also make you wonder why he keeps bothering.... especially when he finds out who she really is. The bad guy in this is tied to the story in a couple of ways but the connection to Cee Cee is the one that I became most invested in, he became relentless in his pursuit of her – good job she has a bad ass enforcer at her back. The storyline was also full of action which added danger and excitement to the plot; when they weren't fighting off bears, they were crashing into the freezing ocean; when Daire wasn't chasing Cee Cee he was entering enemy territory to find out what is going on; When Cee Cee wasn't trying to escape Daire, she was blowing sh*t up! and when Cee Cee lands in the hands of evil, Daire is assembling the ultimate rescue squad. Needless to say, this was a thrill ride of a book with just the right amount of drama, action and sexytime when one woman's quest for revenge will not only close a chapter of her life but bring the downfall of many.... and finding love in the process. 

Thank you to Lyrical Press for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

{Review} The Warrior Vampire (Last True Vampire #2) by Kate Baxter

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: December 1st, 2015
Finished Date: December 27th, 2015

Publishers: Headline
Genre: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: ARC

Pages: 384
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depo 

 

The vampire was built for sin, every inch of him tight and bulky with corded muscle. A killer, that much was apparent, and she couldn't help but wonder if his appetite for violence would rival his appetites for other...things.

A WOMAN SEDUCED

Naya Morales is no ordinary mortal. Born with a shaman's power, she has devoted her life to tracking down stolen magic—and punishing those who take it. But one fateful night, she follows the alluring call of a sensual magic that is too glorious to be true—and finds herself face to face with a stunningly handsome thief who is too magnificent to resist...

A VAMPIRE ENSLAVED

From the moment he sees her, Ronan knows Naya is his mate. Driven by a deep, almost mystical connection, he aches for her body, hungers for her blood, and swears their souls are anchored together. Naya refuses to believe the words of a vampire—or risk the wrath of her tribe. But when she tries to make Ronan her prisoner, neither chains of silver nor fires of hell can help her escape the truth: she is the one who's been captured...

The Review: The Warrior Vampire is the second book in the Last True Vampire series and just as good as the first.
We have already met the leading man -Ronan- in book one when he made a sacrifice for his sire Marcus in which he entered a blood troth to the queen of the Dhampirs to be hers..... but when Ronan meets Naya, he knows straight away that she is his because his soul has been returned and only his true mate can do that. The thing is, Ronan is bleeding corrupted magic all over which brings him to the attention of Naya who hunts down those who steal magic and allow it to corrupt them...... but he also emits a tune that sings to her soul, a tune so perfect that it confuses her as to why this chaos surrounds him.
Naya didn't know that vampires still exist but takes him captive anyway- even if just to work out how he knows her name. Naya's home isn't like others too, they are a community with magic and Naya's is the rarest meaning that it must be kept pure... which leads to a forced engagement and one very territorial vampire who is not happy to hear that his mate is promised to someone else. That's not even the half of it because that stolen magic is just popping up all over the place and Naya's foes are getting harder to beat... just what is going on and why has so much evil come to town?
I really enjoyed this book, if you liked the first then you will definitely enjoy this. I liked Ronan in book one and thought it was selfless how he bound himself to the Dhampir queen to save his race – it showed what kind of man he was. Obviously that troth is going to become a problem here because he meets his mate and she is not a Dhampir but a Shaman who can hear magic, locate corrupt magic and take it away from the person by killing them. This will not be good news for Ronan especially when he finds himself tied to her bed by silver chains. This also signals the start of a bumpy relationship as they clash straight away with Ronan knowing that Naya is his mate and Naya refusing to accept it and bound to her duty to the community. It was a fun ride, lots of back and forth bickering, possessive caveman growliness but eventually some very satisfying sexytime.
The storyline was really good – Naya's community has seen an increase in stolen magic that turns the users into demons and she is the one to retrieve the magic but kills the person in the process. Naya wants to know where this is coming from because it is very unusual and seeing as how Ronan is tainted by the bad magic... she needs to find out how to extract it safely. There is a lot of things going on behind the scenes in this plot so don't expect any answers until the end but the getting there is the joy of a book plus when you add in that Ronan has some memory loss up until he meets Naya, he has a sister who is missing and the reason he is there in the first place and of course the other woman's claim on Ronan and also a man's claim on Naya...... you are in for some fun! Let's just say you will not be disappointed.

4.5 stars!  

Thank you to Headline Eternal for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

 

{Review} My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards

Posted by Donna
Release Date: October 6th, 2015
Finished Date: December 13th, 2015

Publishers: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Thriller
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: 320
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Book Depo 

 

There was blood on his hands. Where was the guilt in his eyes?

Emmie's had a crush on her best friend's brother forever. Deacon is the town bad boy who's always in trouble, but she sees his soft side when he volunteers with her at the local animal shelter. She doesn't think he's dangerous…until he shows up in her bedroom with blood on his hands.

Deacon's father has been violently assaulted and Deacon is suspect number one. Emmie's smart enough to know how this looks, but she also knows Deacon's biggest secret—he's paralyzed by the sight of blood. She's sure he didn't do this. Or did he? Because even Deacon's own sister thinks he's guilty…

The Review: My Secret to Tell was the first book I’d read by author Natalie D. Richards. It’s not often I find myself reaching for a YA thriller but sometimes I need to try something different and My Secret to Tell sounded like an interesting read so I thought why not.

The story is about a girl called Emmie who has always had a crush on her best friend’s brother. Trouble is Deacon is trouble. He’s been in trouble with the police a number of times and everyone always seems to see the bad side of him especially his father who he doesn’t get along with but, not Emmie. She sees the good side. The side that he hides from everyone else. But when Deacon turns up at Emmie’s house one night covered in blood that belongs to his father, Emmie doesn’t know what to believe. Does she believe that Deacon hurt his father like everyone else in town or does she know the real Deacon, the one that would never hurt someone?

With My Secret to Tell being a mystery/thriller it had a lot of twists to the story. I wasn’t expecting it to be so dangerous and Emmie and Deacon’s story really was. Deacon is basically framed for hurting his Dad which was properly the easiest part of the story to work out, however, the why’s and when’s and all the other questions that come with this book weren’t very easily predicted and I enjoyed discovering the answers along with the characters. I really liked Emmie and Deacon. I thought they were good characters and they easily held my attention. Some of the other characters weren’t as likable but I guess that’s a given with the nature of the story. I didn’t go into it with a lot of expectations and I think this helped because while the story didn’t blow me away it was one I certainly liked and even so made me go an buy the author’s debut novel Six Months Later.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.