Mini-Reviews (16): Ice Like Fire, Wedding Date For Hire, An Inheritance of Ashes

So sometimes I fail at writing reviews for the books I've read, and 2016 has me failing spectacularly (as did 2015). And because it's been AGES since I read these, I'm just gonna do mini-reviews of them, so as to clear my need-review shelf (cause it's humungous, it's not even funny).

Title/Author: Ice Like Fire (Snow Like Ashes #2) by Sara Raasch
Publisher/Date published: Balzer + Bray, October 13th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

I really liked the first book in this series, and sadly Ice Like Fire didn't work quite as well for me, mainly because it suffered from second book syndrome. The whole book basically feels like there are BIG THINGS ABOUT TO HAPPEN, but then they fail to really start happening until about the end of the book.
Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, I liked getting to know more about this world and the magic and what the heck is up with this chasm and everything. I just would have liked it to be a little more filled with action as well, along with the worldbuilding. Meira is being held back because she is Queen now and it's not Queen-like to go around throwing a chakram. And while I get this, it's also REALLY annoying.
The love triangle continues and ermagerd, I liked Theron in the first book, but now he was just being annoying and I have mixed feelings about Mather and can we maybe get another option? Because I'm not having shippy feelings for either of them.

The ending definitely leaves me curious to find out how this will be wrapped up in the last book, which is hopefully filled with awesome.

My rating: 3,5 stars

Title/Author: Wedding Date For Hire by Jennifer Shirk
Publisher/Date published: Entangled Publishing, October 12th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

Mostly what I remember about this book is not really being into it, but finishing it because it was only 200 pages. I'm always down for a good fake dating story, but this one just fell a little short of what I wanted. There's not a lot of actual depth to the story or the characters and it goes from fake dating to LOVE in ten seconds, which is just not really my thing.
I mean, it was ok and there were some nice moments between the two main characters, but Maddie just seemed too naive and not really seeing what was in front of her and while Trent is a good guy, I just didn't get the shippy feels.

My rating: 2 stars

Title/Author: An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet
Publisher/Date published: Clarion Books, October 6th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

I almost DNF-ed this in the beginning so many times. Then things started to pick up a bit, but I don't know, I just expected more based on the summary. There's never that edge of your seat feeling going on. Mostly, I felt like part of the book was missing, because it felt like we were being dumped down in the middle of a story and things don't make sense and aren't being explained later on, like I'd expected and I'm still confused about a lot of things. I'm still not really sure what was going on with the Twisted Things and the God and what the heck was up with everything??
The plot just sort of simmers on, but while there's a sort of battle at one point, it doesn't really get exciting. But Leah Bobet builds this incredible atmosphere that I can't describe any better than 'grey'. All of it just felt grey and bleak to me and that's the feeling I also get just thinking about the novel. And she did manage to suck me in, because at one point I was like, yeah, ok, I do actually want to know how this ends.

I'm still not really sure what to think of this book, other than that I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of The Hidden Twin by Adi Rule

Title/Author: The Hidden Twin by Adi Rule
Publisher/Date published: St. Martin's Press, March 22nd 2016
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

Goodreads summary: For eighteen years, Redwing has lived in hiding in a city of hissing pipes and curving temples perched on the side of Mol, the great volcano. Her father hoped she would grow up to be a real human girl and not a wicked creature out of mythology, so he secretly spared her life as an infant.

But when two priests track her down and attack, she calls forth fire to protect herself, and her secret is out. Redwing soon catches the attention of a cult with a thousand year-old grudge, a group of underground rebels, and the son of the Empress. And when Redwing’s sister goes missing, she uncovers a greater plot to awaken Mol and bring his lava down upon them all.

Now, Redwing must draw a line between myth and history and prove herself more than a monster if she is to save both her sister and her home.

So before starting this I'd seen people LOVE it and also people who REALLY didn't like, so I was curious where I'd fall on this spectrum. And I'll have to say that I fall somewhere right in de middle.

There's not a lot explained about the world that The Hidden Twin is set in and things start happening before I really had a grip on the people and the places we were seeing. And I felt a bit like I was floundering about, not really seeming to catch myself and really get a sense of what was going on, which detracted from my enjoyment of the story a bit. But Adi Rule set the scene eventually and I was able to get into it then.

I'm thinking there's a LOT of backstory actually there for this world, but the sad thing is for me, that we're not really getting shown a lot of it. I mean, there's all this mythology and also the faith of the people that gets mentioned, but not fully explained and because of this, I just barely got a glimpse of the interesting things that Adi Rule's come up with and it could have just been so much more! I mean, the redwings and the Others are SO interesting, but I'm not really sure who or what they are and I've definitely read the whole thing. I found myself checking multiple times that yes, this really is a standalone and yes, it's also really just 242 pages. It felt more like the summary of a story than the whole story.

But that's not to say that it wasn't entertaining, I mean, the main character, who is nameless (seriously, WHAT IS UP with her family??), is feisty and while not interacting with people all that much before the events in The Hidden Twin get going, she manages to come up with all the snappy comebacks and I liked it. The only thing is, that it was a bit hard to believe that she could be so natural with all these people when mostly she's only been interacting with her father and sister, so it seemed a bit improbable. But she was funny, so I went with it.

I really liked the idea of redwings and the hints of the mythology and even the tiny romance part of it. But what kept bugging me was that it was just too much of a plot for the amount of pages, so it just lacked depth for me. It could have been so much more if there'd just been more room for the story to unfold and to really understand what was going on. I mean, the big finale takes less than 10 pages. I mean, what?

I still think that this story and the idea behind it has a lot of potential, I just wish it had been fleshed out a bit more, because now parts of it just fell flat.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Mini-Reviews (13): How Willa Got Her Groove Back, The Shadow Queen, Reign of Shadows

So sometimes I fail at writing reviews for the books I've read, and 2016 has me failing spectacularly (as did 2015). And because it's been AGES since I read these, I'm just gonna do mini-reviews of them, so as to clear my need-review shelf (cause it's humungous, it's not even funny).

Title/Author: How Willa Got Her Groove Back (Creative HeArts #2) by Emily McKay
Publisher/Date published: Entangled Publishing, February 22nd 2016
How I got this book: received if from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

So I hadn't figured out before starting this that it was not only the second in a series, but that each character in the series basically has ther own little mini-series, so at the end I was like WAIT WHAT? This is not how it ends right?? And it's not, there's only a bit of a wait before the next part of Willa and Finn's story.
In this part of their story we mainly see what a mess Willa's dad is making of everything and how much he's not being there for his daughter and how much this upsets Willa. There's the of a potential romance between Willa and Finn, but not much of it there yet and while I enjoyed How Willa Got Her Groove Back, it was a bit disappointed not to have more fuzzy feelings for the romance just yet. I'm probably picking up the next instalment, but I would have liked it better if it had just been one books, cause it's only 240 pages and could have easily fitted in a bit more and just have it out all at once.

My rating: 3 stars

Title/Author: The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1) by C.J. Redwine
Publisher/Date published: Balzer + Bray, February 16th 2016
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

I REALLY liked The Shadow Queen! I'm always in when it comes to fairytale retellings and this one of Snow White did not disappoint me in the slightest! I loved the backstory and OMG SO CREEPY with the apples! That's just plain awful. Come to think of it, I haven't had an apple since reading this book *shudders*. I loved the worldbuilding and the magic system and how and when it has a cost and why there's a difference to it. I also really liked Lorelai, she's a strong kickass girl who just needed that final push to get her to challenge Irina and now she's determined to take her down, even if it costs her her life. She's been training for years to get her full set of skills and it never feels like she's just naturally good at everything she does.
Also, I really liked the BOY. Kol is just awesome. And I love that he and his friends can turn into dragons, because dragons are the best thing ever. I loved seeing them both struggle with this attraction growing between them and I was really rooting for them to get together.
That ending is just OMG WHAT NO! And I NEED the next book. Like now.

My rating: 4,5 stars

Title/Author: Reign of Shadows (Reign of Shadows #1) by Sophie Jordan
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, February 9th 2016
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

Reign of Shadows was a bit of a disappointment for me, because I'm used to LOVING Sophie Jordan's books and this one didn't quite work for me. It wasn't really bad, but I had just expected a bit more. Mostly, I was a bit bored while reading it, cause I feel like not a lot happens and found myself wondering where this story was even going? I mean, obviously if she's the hidden princess we need to get some action at some point, yes? Well, it didn't quite happen for me.
I did very much like the twist at the start of the novel, which I won't give away, because that part was awesome and I hadn't figured it out in the slightest. I did kinda wonder at all the skills that Luna has, seeing as she's been living in the tower with overprotective guardians her whole life.
The romance was just doing nothing for me, and that's one of the things that really bugged me, cause I LOVE Sophie Jordan's historical romances and I know that she can give me all the swoons, but with this it just sorta fell flat.
Towards the end things started to get set in motion, and there's a cute furry sidekick getting mixed into the story, but there was just too much build-up for me.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Mini-Reviews (12): The Earl Next Door, Burning Glass, Into the Dim

So sometimes I fail at writing reviews for the books I've read, and 2016 has me failing spectacularly (as did 2015). And because it's been AGES since I read these, I'm just gonna do mini-reviews of them, so as to clear my need-review shelf (cause it's humungous, it's not even funny anymore).

Title/Author: The Earl Next Door (The Bachelor Lords of London #1) by Charis Michaels
Publisher/Date published: Avon Impulse, March 1st 2016
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

I'm sorry to say that I did not very much care for The Earl Next Door. I think I finished it because I was waiting for things to get better and for the romance to grab me and because I REALLY wanted to like it, but it fell a little short of my expectations. The main reason for this is that with my historical romances, I kinda need to cheer for the couple to get together and with Piety and Trevor, I was basically wondering what in the world they were doing with each other. I mean, I felt a bit of insta-love, at least from Piety and Trevor wouldn't admit it, but I think it was there for him as well. And there's just lots of awkwardness and REALLY annoying family member and Piety's mother who for the life of me I cannot understand, because WOW you just cannot try to do that to your daughter. So much wrongness.

I did like Trevor's dry humor and the lady across the street who keeps meddling in everything, but the romance wasn't really what I was looking for.

My rating: 2 stars

Title/Author: Burning Glass (Burning Glass #1) by Kathryn Purdie
Publisher/Date published: Katherine Tegen Books, March 1st 2016
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

This is another one of those instances in which I wonder why I finished it. And it's probably because the premise is interesting, but then the execution failed to deliver. I mean, Sonya's ability to sense what other people are feeling puts her in a pretty special position and in this case puts her right beside the emperor. The fact that she also takes over whatever other people are feeling makes that I'm still wondering about her personality, because all I could see was what was projected on her by other people and that bugs me.
The other thing that was a major issue for me was the romance. I'm ALL about the romance, but in this one it really annoyed me because HELLO love triangle and Oh, the country is in danger, but WAIT I can't get my priorities straight because I have lusty feelings for both brothers. UGH. Sonya just acted so impulsive and immature and irresponsible, I just could not get myself to like her.

My rating: 1,5 stars

Title/Author: Into the Dim (Into the Dim #1) by Janet B. Taylor
Publisher/Date published: HMH Books For Young Readers, March 1st 2016
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley, thanks!

I'm always down for a good timetravel story and after seeing some mixed reviews on Goodreads, I was a bit hesitant, but it turned out ok. So this books is over 400 pages and for pretty much the first 100 or 150 nothing much happens. At least, nothing exciting. And the heroine seems a bit clueless, cause she only really seems to have booksmarts and not stuff she can actually put to use, like how to tell if someone is being creepy. But I got over this when they went back into the past to save Hope's mother, which she's determined to do, having to overcome some fears while doing so. I liked that they went back to the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine, because she's such an interesting historical figure! So that was entertaining. The things that I liked less at this point were the romance, because I wasn't really feeling either potential love interest and the mindless cruelty of the villain. I mean, there's not really a point to her evil and I like it when I can actually understand what drives the people working against the main characters.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of For the Record by Charlotte Huang

Title/Author: For the Record by Charlotte Huang
Publisher/Date published: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, November 10th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: Chelsea thought she knew what being a rock star was like... until she became one. After losing a TV talent show, she slid back into small-town anonymity. But one phone call changed everything

Now she’s the lead singer of the band Melbourne, performing in sold-out clubs every night and living on a bus with three gorgeous and talented guys. The bummer is that the band barely tolerates her. And when teen heartthrob Lucas Rivers take an interest in her, Chelsea is suddenly famous, bringing Melbourne to the next level — not that they’re happy about that. Her feelings for Beckett, Melbourne’s bassist, are making life even more complicated.

Chelsea only has the summer tour to make the band — and their fans — love her. If she doesn’t, she’ll be back in Michigan for senior year, dying a slow death. The paparazzi, the haters, the grueling schedule... Chelsea believed she could handle it. But what if she can’t?

So I am totally in love with shows and books about the music industry and the people in it. Music is such a part of my life and I wish I had the skills to actually make music myself, but the most I can do is sing along (WAY out of tune) while in the car/alone in my home/at clubs. So I was super excited to read For The Record, cause it sounded really cute and just my kind of thing.

The thing is, I did like For the Record, but from the summary I would have thought that there would be more swoons. And it was sadly lacking in swoony moments for me. I mean, I liked Chelsea, I did feel like she could have stood up for herself a bit more while the whole band was being a jerk to her. I mean, wow, I get that they don't like that she's been pushed on them by their label, but that's not really her fault and just GROW UP ok? So it sucks that your last lead singer didn't work out. I felt that they should really just have given Chelsea a fair chance from the start or that they should have told their manager they weren't ok with a label-picked new lead singer and that they wanted to pick one themselves. The problem with their attitude was that I wasn't really feeling any of the guys. I can get where they're coming from, but it's not endearing, and it's also what made me a bit iffy about the feelings Chelsea develops for Beckett (as alluded to in the summary), one of the guys from the band.

While Beckett may not have been the one who was nastiest to Chelsea, he's not really supportive either and so he seems like a nice guy underneath, but I was just over it and needed a whole lot of convincing to start rooting for them. Add in the REALLY bad choice Chelsea makes by hooking up with Lucas Rivers, who is just a little too smooth for my liking and also just an arrogant douche. This does not make for swoony reading for me.

Another problem I had with For the Record is that Chelsea's best friend joins them on tour as the merchandise girl and then breaks one of the rules and after that makes a huge NO-NO that made me question whether she was actually Chelsea's friend. I mean, WOW. I can't imagine doing that to my best friend. Or any of my friends. Or even one of my lesser known acquaintances. That was just crossing the line WAY OVER. The line is not even in sight anymore.

I did like reading about the band being on tour and all of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes. I liked the backstory about Chelsea's hometown and what happened to her with her former boyfriend, though it did make me wonder if EVERY boy she meets has douchebag potential, I mean, there are some good ones out there. I liked the whole insight in to what it's like to live on a bus with the same people for months and getting cabin fever and all that, that was pretty fun. And I liked discovering that there's a whole lot more to the band drama than we get at first sight, I'd sorta guessed some of it, but OMG it was WAY worse!

I just wish that there had been more swoons, cause I was really counting on this to be a cute contemporary with a huge swoonfactor (I mean, how can making music with a guy you like be anything less than romantic??), but it never fully got there for me.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of The Maddening Lord Montwood by Vivienne Lorret

Title/Author: THe Maddening Lord Montwood (The Rakes of Fallow Hall #3) by Vivienne Lorret
Publisher/Date published: Avon Impulse, July 14th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: Frances Thorne can handle anything — except losing her position, her home, and her father to debtor's prison all in one day. So when a generous offer of assistance falls into her lap, she's grateful for a second chance, even if it seems too good to be true. The last thing she needs is for the charming, infuriating — maddening — Lord Lucan Montwood to stand in her way.

The end of the bachelors' wager is near, and Lucan Montwood can taste victory — just so long as he can stay away from the one woman who sees through his façade. Yet when he learns that Frances has been caught in an insidious trap, Lucan can't deny that he will do anything to help. Convincing her to trust him is the hard part, resisting her is next to impossible, but falling in love with her? That may be far too simple.

So I read both of the other books in this series and looking back, I think I actually liked the first one, The Elusive Lord Everhart, the best. Though this one was enjoyable as well.

I'm used to rooting for the heroine and connecting with her and understanding how she jumps to the wrong conclusions at times. I mean, in most romance novels there misunderstandings, and that's ok, as long as I can GET the misunderstanding. But in The Maddening Lord Montwood, I had a hard time going along with the choices the heroine, Frances, makes. I mean, she cultivates a dislike for Lucan Montwood and doesn't listen to his advice, even though she's known him for ages and doesn't really have a reason to dislike him. Obviously his father wronged Frances' father, but it's also very clear that Lucan didn't have anything to do with it and that he hasn't been in contact with his father since it happened, so how does she find a reason to blame him, at least partly, for all of it? Also, she keeps disregarding his doubts about a certain character that turns out to be a true villain, even though it's SO obvious and UGH. I really wanted to just shake her and see what was right in front of her.

So Frances and I didn't really click. Though I did like her boldness towards the end and that she teaches selfdefense to women. That was pretty awesome. I did, however, very much like Lucan. I liked him in the previous books as well, so I'm happy he got his happily ever after in The Maddening Lord Montwood. He carries a lot of darkness from his past with him and he's just full of kindness and just a good man deep down. And also, I liked that he knows sleight of hand and sneaks into houses and such. What can I say, I like my men a little mischievous.

The plot mostly flows from Frances' less than stellar life choices, so I wasn't all that excited about it, but watching the romance unfold was nice, but not the heartwrenching, tears in my eyes kind of story that I love. It was an enjoyable read, but for me it wasn't that special one that stays with you after finishing the book.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Mini-Reviews (7): The Body in the Woods, Making It Count, The Once and Future Duchess

So ever since June of 2014 I've been failing at writing reviews for the books I read. I know. And because it's been AGES since I read these, I'm just gonna do mini-reviews of them, so as to clear my need-review shelf.

Title/Author: The Body in the Woods by April Henry
Publisher/Date published: Henry Holt and Co, June 17th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

So I read this book on the airplane on the way to Morocco and so much of it was read in one sitting. If I hadn't been on an airplane, this probably wouldn't have been the case.
The premise was interesting, though having teenagers be part of a field search for a body seems sort of inappropriate, I mean evidence sure, but if there's a chance you'll come across a deceased person, I personally feel that you should only use professionals. And obviously the authorities don't approve of the main characters' quest to discover the killer themselves, DUH.

But hey, they do it anyway and find themselves in danger and one of them becomes the target of said killer and towards the end I was like, OMG, SERIOUSLY??? You should really know better than to walk right into this trap that's being laid for you!! Wow, you've been trying to find a killer and then it's like, yeah, ok, I'll go with this strange person, that totally makes sense.
Anyway.
The Body in the Woods was ok, but it wasn't a very exciting read.

My rating: 2 stars

Title/Author: Make It Count (Bowler University #1) by Megan Erickson
Publisher/Date published: William Morrow Impulse, June 3rd 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

So I'm always looking for that next awesome NA read, and while Making It Count was a decent read, it wasn't that next great thing. The main character Kat is ok at first, but then she blows stuff way out of proportion and does the 'I'm not going to tell you what's wrong, you should be able to read my mind and figure it out' thing and it's ANNOYING. I mean, seriously, just tell the person you're in a relationship with what's bothering you! If we could all read minds, life would be way easier, but we can't ok? Also, I thought she had a shitty reason for staying in a relationship with a guy who was treating her badly at the start of the novel.

Alec was ok, he seemed like a good guy, but I didn't really swoon over him, which I would have expected, cause I like my men hot and nerdy. I thought their relationship could have been developed a bit better, because now it felt to me that they mostly had a physical attraction and that's it.
I did like that Making It Count deals with dyslexia, which is not something that you see a lot in YA or NA and I appreciate this being brought up, because a lot of people have it!

My rating: 2,5 stars

Title/Author: The Once and Future Duchess (Royal Entourage #4) by Sophia Nash
Publisher/Date published: Avon, May 27th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

I liked The Once and Future Duchess, one thing I particularly enjoyed is that the heroine, Isabelle, is a duchess one her own, having inherited the title, which is pretty awesome, as that basically never happens in historical romance. I mean, there's always an abundance of dukes, but duchesses who are not married to said dukes are pretty hard to come by.
And I liked Isabelle because she is strong and intelligent and isn't afraid to go after what she wants. Our duke is also likeable in that he is loyal and just a good man, but this loyalty also got majorly in the way of the romance. I mean, so he promised her deceased father that he would make sure she married a man close to her own age and he's what, a decade her senior? It seems to me that this was pretty much the norm back then, but ok. So even though they love each other, he decides that he can't because of said promise.

And while this makes for some real complication in their lovestory, it also made everything move incredibly slow! OMG, it took forever for him to start taking action and in the mean time it wasn't extremely exciting, though they did have wonderfully romantic moments together. I just would have liked for the pace to be a little faster.
But it was a pretty sweet story and I enjoyed reading it!

My rating: 3 stars

Mini-Reviews (6) On the Fence, The Stepsister's Tale, Lady Windermere's Lover

So ever since June of 2014 I've been failing at writing reviews for the books I read. I know. And because it's been AGES since I read these, I'm just gonna do mini-reviews of them, so as to clear my need-review shelf.

Title/Author: On the Fence by Kasie West
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, July 1st 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

I LOVE Kasie West's writing! She knows how to build an interesting story AND make me swoon over the romance! On the Fence was SO cute, while also dealing with loss and a one-parent family. And I really enjoyed reading about Charlie's family, the siblings really care about each other, I LOVED her brothers! And I loved her dad for trying to also do the girly thing with advice from his 'co-worker' and sometimes failing epicly, but still, he gets bonus points for trying!

I really liked the slowly building romance and how Braden and Charlie have a real history and a foundation for their relationship. They've known each other for ages and I loved the glances and the insecurity and misunderstandings and just the tension! And boys being dumb boys and just all of it! I really cannot recommend Kasie West's books enough, they are amazing!

My rating: 4,5 stars

Title/Author: The Stepsister's Tale by Tracy Barrett
Publisher/Date published: Harlequin Teen, June 24th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

I was intrigued by the premise of Cinderella told from the perspective of one of the stepsisters. I mean, history is written down by the victors right? And in the original tale, the stepsisters are definitely NOT the winners. And while I appreciated the concept, the execution could have been better. I almost DNF-ed this several times, mostly because the beginning was SO slow! Seriously, if it hadn't been for hours spent on a train while travelling through Morocco, I probably would have put this down. It really takes forever to take off, and everything was bleak and there was not even the least sense of hope and Ella was ANNOYING and weird and OMG I did not need 100 pages of them being hungry (I don't know if it was 100 pages, but it felt like it).

But then the story started to really come together and things started happening aside from them scavenging for food and it was VERY interesting! And I actually liked the second part of the novel, and there's a pretty cute romance, but I really cannot get over the slowness of the first half of the book. I'm glad I stuck with it for the later part, but I think it will turn a lot of people off.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Title/Author: Lady Windermere's Lover (The Wild Quartet #3) by Miranda Neville
Publisher/Date published: Avon, June 24th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

I hate to say it, but I really did not much like this book. And that's mostly because the hero, Damian, is an ass and then the heroine, Cynthia just takes his crap.
So Damian is pissed that he's being forced to marry a commoner to get back the property that he foolishly gambled away as a youth. Ok. Fine. But that's no reason to treat Cynthia, his wife, the way he did! Constantly demeaning her and just being insulting and snobbish and UGH! I really wanted to slap him. And she falls for him ANYWAY because he's 'so handsome'. SERIOUSLY??? I wanted to shake her to wake up and recognize his assness.

Then he leaves her for a year and in that year she decides to flirt with his best friend, who she kisses once and he doesn't believe that they haven't been having an affair all year long when she tells him. But because she's beautiful now he decides to seduce her (WTF?) anyway. There's also this vendetta he has against his best friend that's basically him blaming Julian for something his stupid drunk self did when he was younger. I mean, SERIOUSLY?? I'm not even sure why I finished this, I get annoyed again writing this review.

My rating: 1,5 star (half star extra for cute kitten that's in it)

Review of Twisted Fate by Norah Olson

Title/Author: Twisted Fate by Norah Olson
Publisher/Date published: Katherine Tegen, January 20th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: When Allyson meets Graham Copeland, the new boy next door, she instantly feels like he’s a kindred spirit — shy and awkward like her, someone who has trouble making friends. It’s impossible to resist having a crush on him.

As usual, her sister, Sydney, sees things differently. In Sydney's mind, Graham's odd personality and secretive past scream psychopath, not sweetheart. Her gut is telling her to stay away from him, and to protect a love-struck Allyson from her own naïveté. But despite her instincts, Sydney is surprised to realize that a part of her is drawn to Graham, too.

And the more Sydney gets to know him, the more she realizes just how right — and wrong — she is about everything.

I was kinda expecting to either have my mind blown or to really dislike this book, but to me, it was neither.

Sydney and Allyson both have a distinct voice, they were similar in some ways, but mostly, they were two very different characters and it was interesting to get to know them. Though I think I might have a slight preference for Sydney, cause she seemed to have a little more common sense and while I kinda like that Allyson wanted to believe the best about people, when it's slamming you in the face that they're not good people some kind of alarm should go off. And Allyson's alarm was malfunctioning or she was ignoring it or whatever but I just wanted to shake her and go like OMG JUST SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU!! She had a bit of too stupid to live going on and I very much dislike that quality in a character.

I didn't really like Graham, there was something off about him from the start. I did appreciate that we got a lot of different POVs and this way we also got a glimpse into his head and that was interesting. And a bit like watching a train wreck happen. Or maybe a whole lot like that. There were POVs from pretty much everyone who makes an appearance in the novel and seeing things from different sides was enlightening and it made me clue into the big twist pretty early on. But that was ok, because it added an extra something to the rest of the interactions between the characters.

But aside from that it was an interesting concept, it wasn't all that exciting. Or creepy. I had thought it might be creepy. I was also kinda wondering HOW exactly that twist that I was talking about came to be and WHY, but I never really got any answers and now I'm just left like this and it feels unfinished. I mean, I was sticking around for the unraveling of the big twist and then it never came and I feel a bit cheated out of that.
Also, this book suffers from absent-parent syndrome. Seriously, where are Mr and Mrs Tate? It's mentioned in the book that they are away a lot, but they should be home SOMETIME right? How do they fit into all this?

I think I'd just expected a bit more. It wasn't all that bad, but it wasn't all that good either, so basically I just had a 'meh' feeling throughout most of the book and I kept hoping the end would make it awesome, only it didn't. If you want to read a good YA novel with psychological elements, I'd suggest reading We Were Liars or Pretty Girl-13 instead.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of The Bride Says Maybe by Cathy Maxwell

Title/Author: The Bride Says Maybe (The Brides of Wishmore #2) by Cathy Maxwell
Publisher/Date published: Avon, February 25th 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: What happens when a bride says maybe?

She'd once been the toast of London, but now scandal has brought her down. Still, pretty, petted Lady Tara Davidson can't believe her new fate. She had wanted to marry for love... but her profligate father has promised her hand to none other than Breccan Campbell, the "Beast of Aberfeldy" and laird of the valley's most despised clan! Well, Tara may have to marry him, but Breccan can't make her love him — can he?

What happens when the groom insists?

Breccan Campbell is nobody's fool. He knows that Tara is trouble. Yet he's determined to reform the Campbell name even if it means forging an alliance with the arrogant beauty. There's no doubt that Tara is a challenge, and Breccan loves nothing more. For he's vowed to thoroughly seduce Tara — and make her his in more than name alone.

So I have mixed feelings about this book. There were parts that I really enjoyed and parts that made me roll my eyes. I'm not really sure which part winds up winning in the end.

I had a problem with Tara. I liked her feistiness, but I really had a problem with the way she handled things at times. I mean, she was way overreacting about Breccan's dogs. I mean, ok, I wouldn't exactly appreciate them jumping on the bed and everything, but these dogs are trying to greet you and you whack one on the head? That is just wrong. And cruel. Have you guys ever seen a dog when you tell him off? They do this whole sad-heartbreaking thing and it kills me every time. And I imagined these dogs doing the same thing and for no good reason (obviously installing some rules isn't a bad thing, but this was just UGH) and I almost stopped reading right there. That did not win her sympathy points.

I might be a little oversensitive about this.

I know.

But I liked how Tara decided to make this marriage work and trying to cook for Breccan and really trying to be a partner, which earned her some respect from me. And also, she learned to work with the dogs, so there's that. But still.

Breccan was a manly man who was following a different part of his anatomy than his brain when he decided he wanted to marry Tara. I mean, honestly, if you haven't really had a conversation with someone, you shouldn't go around marrying them, because WOW DUDE you have to live with them and not just look at them from across the room. There's a person and not just a pretty face.
I did like the responsibility he felt for the people living on his land and how he truly wanted to help them.
I did want to slap him for a bit when he was basically ruining his relationship with Tara over something his evil cousin said and I was like WTF??? And this never gets discussed. I mean, if I were her, I would have been SO angry. But this never really gets sorted out other than that he realises his cousin was wrong.

These two did have chemistry and I love how Breccan's uncles fit into the story. And also: the dogs. Especially the tiniest one, who provided comic relieve and was just plain awesome with a huge personality, as little dogs often have.
I did however feel like the 'love' part came in out of nowhere and unrealistically fast, but that is also one of my pet peeves and something that happens a lot in the genre.

I liked the story in general and the setting and Tara and Breccan definitely had chemistry in abundance, but I also had some major annoyances..

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of Warrior by Ellen Oh

Title/Author: Warrior (The Dragon King Chronicles #2) by Ellen Oh
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, December 31st 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: First an outcast, now a hero.

But her fight rages on.

Kira, the yellow-eyed demon slayer who fiercely protected her kingdom — and the crown prince — has been proclaimed the Dragon Musado of the prophecy. With the defeated the evil shaman.

But it wasn’t enough.

Hansong is in chaos. The Demon Lord’s minions have infiltrated the city, treason is brewing among the military ranks, and Kira is buried by the overwhelming loss of her parents. She’s also plagued by the annoying feelings that blossom whenever she’s around Jaewon. But she is determined that nothing will stop her from finding the second treasure needed to fulfill the Dragon King’s prophecy. Not even the army of half-breed demons hot on their trail. If only she could learn to trust others...

Her father always said one person can change the world. Will it be Kira?

***WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES***

Guys, I really enjoyed Prophecy, the first book in this series, so I was excited to continue the story!

In Warrior, Kira goes looking for the next treasure that she needs to fulfill the prophecy and somehow this quest was lacking urgency for me. I mean, it all goes pretty smoothly for Kira and her friends, aside from some vicious demon attacks. And I know that's a bit of a contradiction in itself, but the thing is that I never for one moment doubted that Kira was going to get the second treasure by the end of the book. Even when she has to do some pretty impossible sounding things, she pulls them off without so much as batting an eyelash it seemed and that kinda annoyed me. Maybe I'm a bit masochistic, but I like seeing the hero/heroine struggle. I like having them run into trouble and having to try again from a different angle. I like when it at least seems to take an effort to get where they should be and it just didn't feel like that for me with this book.

Also, I was a bit fed up with people doubting that Kira is the Dragon Musado because she's a girl and this monk keeps claiming it should be her cousin. Because, well, she hasn't quite proven that she is the real deal? I mean, open your eyes, and stop making me rage at the gender discrimination.

And the love triangle I predicted in my last review blossomed a bit, I'm not sure who I'm rooting for, as both guys have their appeal and both can be boring at times, so the verdict isn't fully formed yet on this one. I also thought it was pretty funny how Kira's brother keeps being overbearing and protective because she comes within 2 feet of a boy, but her going off on impossible missions is ok somehow. Yes, a brother's logic, it's a beautiful thing.

I'm still intrigued by the world that Ellen Oh has built and I like that it's different in setting from the more traditional fantasy books, and in the end the dragon did come around, which was kinda cool, only it bugged me how easily he was defeated at the time for all the big badassness he was supposed to be. Also, the halfbreed demons totally creeped me out! I mean, that was really disturbing! But in a good way.

The thing is, there were some things that annoyed me, but for a big part of the book, I was a bit bored. I didn't feel the excitement of the quest or the high stakes that were there but didn't feel like high stakes. But as it did end on a sort of cliffhanger, I'll probably be picking up the next book when it comes out cause I'd like to know how it ends.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of The Scandal In Kissing an Heir by Sophie Barnes

Title/Author: The Scandal In Kissing an Heir (At the Kingsborough Ball #2) by Sophie Barnes
Publisher/Date published: Avon, January 2nd 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: He is the next Marquis of Wolvington...
She is a lady with nothing but beauty and wits...
Together they share a forbidden kiss.

Lady Rebecca is determined to find a husband on her own terms, rather than marry any of the aging suitors her greedy aunt and uncle foist upon her. Her chance comes at the Kingsborough Ball, where she meets several potential grooms... yet no one compares to the dangerously handsome Daniel Neville.

Daniel Neville, notorious rake and heir to the Marquis of Wolvington, is in need of a bride, but finding a lady who’s willing to accept his past, is an entirely different matter. When he spies a stunning woman across the ballroom, Daniel believes he’s found her... until scandal erupts around them. How can he convince Rebecca to take a chance on him... and on the love that could be theirs forever after?

I was so hoping to love this book, because I've been on a mediocre-book streak for a while now and I just wanted to swoon. And maybe I expected too much from this book, since I did enjoy it, but it didn't have that wow-factor that I was looking for.

Rebecca is a pretty interesting character, she's been pretending to be mad for 2 years in order to escape an arranged marriage by her aunt and uncle. I don't think I could do that, I mean, I think I'd go crazy for real if I had to keep that up. And I'm actually kinda disappointed we didn't actually get to see her pretend to be crazy, because that had the potential to be truly awesome. I get that she wasn't so ready to trust Daniel, but this constant thinking he wouldn't be faithful to her was a bit annoying to be honest. I mean, the guy was really making an effort and she's determined to think he'll go off with other women.

Daniel has a bit of a hero complex. I mean, he's gotten it into his head that he needs to save Rebecca from her aunt and uncle based on one meeting (and her being shot, but that's beside the point) and he's ready to marry her to do so. And I know that he was in need of a wife, but still, tying your life to someone you hardly know always seems a bit not so well thought out to me. But I did think he's a good guy and that he really wants to make something of his life with Rebecca, he just doesn't really know how to do it and messes up in the process a couple of times.

There was a dirty old man, some playing detective themselves, a whole lot of society snubbing and while it was entertaining, I wanted to really FEEL the romance and the drama and it just didn't quite do it for me. Sometimes I wanted to shake some sense into the characters. Sometimes I was just shaking my head. But it was enjoyable enough that I kept reading and I was interested to see how Daniel and Rebecca would get out of the mess they'd partly created themselves, so it was a decent read, but not exceptional.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of Touched by Corrine Jackson

Title/Author: Touched (Sense Thieves #1) by Corrine Jackson
Publisher/Date published: Kensington Teen, November 27th 2012
How I got this book: bought it
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Remy O’Malley heals people with touch — but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.

Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies. Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll be coming for her — if Asher doesn’t kill her first.

You guys, I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand it was a quick read even with the limited amount of time I had, but on the other hand I was rolling my eyes a couple of times too many to consider it a good book.

Remy is a complicated character and that's fine by me. She's had a hard life and it's not really getting better any time soon. Her mom has let her down and her stepfather keeps hurting her and her mom and it really does seem like a hopeless situtaion. But adjusting to living with her father isn't all that easy either, cause they basically had no relationshiop before all this happened. And I could totally understand Remy lashing out at her dad, because sometimes that's just how it is. Even though you may know it's not entirely their fault. I liked seeing how they did grow closer and her father is acting like a real dad for her.
I thought that while Remy is so guarded because she's been hurt before, she falls in love with Asher awfully fast and it felt a little out of character to me.

Maybe the problem was that I didn't really like Asher. He obviously knows about Remy's situation and still he keeps on being an ass to her and it got on my nerves. He's so all over the place with his feelings and his behaviour and I was just confused. Also, I wasn't terribly impressed by his cavemen act about the subject of Remy saving him or healing him. I really don't want to say it, but I'm also crying insta-love here because holy batman, that went fast! It went from not liking each other to I love you in no time at all and I just didn't feel it.

I did really like Remy's halfsister, she's a really sweet and pretty brave girl and she was so welcoming to Remy even though I could have easily understood her not being so happy about a new sister coming to live with them! She's amazing and spunky and I like her.
I also really liked Remy's dad, cause he seems like a really great guy, who perhaps listened to Remy's mom a bit too much about whether or not he could see Remy. I like that he's protective and basically a good dad. Which is a good thing, cause there was some serious bad parenting on her mom's side.

I am really intrigued by the whole Protector-Healer relationship and what exactly thing that happened in this book will mean for the future, though I still don't fully understand everything. I'm really hoping this will be cleared up in the next book! I'm interested enough to continu on with the series, though I really hope that the second book will be less eyeroll-inducing.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase

Title/Author: Suddenly Royal (Suddenly #1) by Nichole Chase
Publisher/Date published: Avon Books, November 26th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Samantha Rousseau is used to getting her hands dirty. Working toward a master’s degree in wildlife biology while helping take care of her sick father, she has no time for celebrity gossip, designer clothes, or lazy vacations. So when a duchess from the small country of Lilaria invites her to dinner, Samantha assumes it’s to discuss a donation for the program. The truth will change the course of her life in ways she never dreamed.

Alex D’Lynsal is trying to keep his name clean. As crown prince of Lilaria, he’s had his share of scandalous headlines, but the latest pictures have sent him packing to America and forced him to swear off women — especially women in the public eye. That is, until he meets Samantha Rousseau. She’s stubborn, feisty, and incredibly sexy. Not to mention heiress to an estate in his country, which makes her everyone’s front-page news.

While Sam tries to navigate the new world of politics and wealth, she will also have to dodge her growing feelings for Alex. Giving in to them means more than just falling in love; it would mean accepting the weight of an entire country on her shoulders.

Guys, I have watched the Princess Diaries movie SO many times and I love the plot of someone discovering they're royalty (because I'm still hoping it'll happen to me one day ;) or maybe not as it seems to complicate things enormously...), so obviously I jumped on Suddenly Royal! And you know what, Suddenly Royal is basically the Princess Diaries, but with naughty bits.

I liked Samantha. She's a smart girl, she values her education and loves her best friend and stepfather. But the whole 'she doesn't know how beautiful she is' thing was getting old really fast. I mean, seriously? I'm getting a bit tired of this character trait. Why is the good girl always unaware of her looks and the bitch confident about the same thing? It's like you can't be a decent person if you know you're goodlooking. And it drives me crazy! Because I know people who are goodlooking and aware of it and are genuinely good people.

ANYWAY.

Alex is a good guy who didn't have the best taste in women in the past. I truly believed he cared about Samantha and he showed it and I liked him. He was a bit old-fashioned alpha male though with the whole overprotectiveness and everything. I was a bit put off by him at first because he basically wants to leap straight into bed with Samantha within an hour of meeting her and later on he's going on about how it wouldn't just be physical for him and all that stuff a girl probably wants to hear, but he was a bit of a creep at first. And he did really grow on me, but I wouldn't have gone for his 'You'll end up hating me or in my bed, and I know which I'd prefer' attitude. That's just... Just no.

So there was a whole lot of lust at first sight and Alex does a whole lot of chasing Samantha, and while liked both of them, I wasn't really into the whole story. The book had a definite Disney/Cinderella feel to it and it confused the crap out of me that we'd go from those moments to sex scenes and back again. I really thought we'd get a fade to black anytime soon but nope. Not that I mind those parts, but it was just such a contrast!
I really wanted to love this book and I'm not entirely sure why it didn't happen. Maybe it's that a lot of the secondary characters were a bit like cardboard puppets, just placed there to make Alex and Samantha look good. And I'm also still a bit confused why a crown prince would make the effort to travel to the US to search for long lost members of his country's royal families. I mean, if you're a crown prince you have people for that right?

Suddenly Royal was an entertaining book, but it never got beyond that for me. Some of the characters fell flat and I just couldn't really get into the story the way I wanted to.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

Title/Author: Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
Publisher/Date published: Atria/Emily Bestler Books, November 5th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Bellman & Black is a heart-thumpingly perfect ghost story, beautifully and irresistibly written, its ratcheting tension exquisitely calibrated line by line. Its hero is William Bellman, who, as a boy of 11, killed a shiny black rook with a catapult, and who grew up to be someone, his neighbours think, who "could go to the good or the bad." And indeed, although William Bellman's life at first seems blessed — he has a happy marriage to a beautiful woman, becomes father to a brood of bright, strong children, and thrives in business — one by one, people around him die. And at each funeral, he is startled to see a strange man in black, smiling at him. At first, the dead are distant relatives, but eventually his own children die, and then his wife, leaving behind only one child, his favourite, Dora. Unhinged by grief, William gets drunk and stumbles to his wife's fresh grave — and who should be there waiting, but the smiling stranger in black. The stranger has a proposition for William — a mysterious business called "Bellman & Black"...

Guys, I LOVED The Thirteenth Tale. LOVED. It was amazing and the storytelling was so, SO good and I just want to have all booklovers read it. So imagine my excitement when I heard about this newest book. It sounded amazing and creepy and just epic. And I had pretty high expectations.

And I'm disappointed.

I can't help it, I was expecting some of the same magic of The Thirteenth Tale and I never got it. The storytelling felt a bit flat to me and I'm still not entirely sure what the whole point was. If there even was a point. And why after over 300 pages I'm not sure of this. I'm all kinds of confused about the plot and I don't like being confused.

I never really connected to William Bellman, he's probably a good guy, but I never felt like I really knew him or could understand his actions. The character I probably liked best was Dora, his daughter, and we never really get to see much of her either. I really disliked William in the later chapters and was disappointed that he wasn't spending more time with his only surviving child and I didn't understand it.

I liked the parts about William working at the mill and learning everything there was to learn about it and then eventually taking over. That was great storytelling and lovely, but after that, it just went downhill for me. Especially after William makes his deal with Black. It was dark and not really creepy, but a bit boring at times.

It took me forever to read this book and maybe I went into this with too high expectations and this was doomed to fall flat for me, but I just can't help but feel let down. Where is the wonderful storytelling I remember from The Thirteenth Tale? I mean, there were parts that I liked, but mostly I just struggled with this book and I can't say that the ending made me rethink it all. I so wanted to love this book, but I didn't and that makes me sad.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of Keeping Her by Cora Carmack

Title/Author: Keeping Her (Losing It 1.5#) by Cora Carmack
Publisher/Date published: William Morrow, August 13th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather... ahem... complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?

But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.

As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it.

So I really liked Losing It, which started this whole series. I thought the romance between Bliss and Garrick was sweet and quirky and it was just a really fun read. Of course I was interested in seeing what happened for them after the events of Losing It!

In Keeping Her we meet both of them again, they've been together for a year now and got engaged and are now travelling to London to meet up with Garrick's parents. And Bliss is basically a basket case because of it. She's nervous and awkward and just generally not really presentable at the end. And really, I mean, how did either of them think it would be a good idea to arrive at Garrick's parents' after they'd had a drink? Or rather, LOTS of drinks? I mean, that drunk doesn't make for the best first impression.

But I really disliked Garrick's parents. I mean, his father is basically a pompous ass and his mother is trying to make Bliss feel inferior. And these are people who are supposed to love Garrick and want what's best for him and that usually means that they'd try and make a fiancée feel welcome. Yeah, not gonna happen here. His mother even invited ex-girlfriends. So. Not. Cool.

While I liked reconnecting with these two, I didn't really thought this novella added much to the general storyline. I mean, it's cute to see them be all lovey-dovey, but that spark that was there in Losing It was just a little lost here. I did like seeing Garrick's home turf so to speak and it was a really quick read, but I would have liked a little more. It ended rather abruptly after some big drama got resolved and I was just a bit like: that's it?

My rating: 2,5 stars

Made me crave: over too quickly to make me crave much of anything

Review of The Devil of Clan Sinclair by Karen Ranney

Title/Author: The Devil of Clan Sinclair (Clan Sinclair #1) by Karen Ranney
Publisher/Date published: Avon, July 30th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: For Virginia Traylor, Countess of Barrett, marriage was merely the vehicle to buy her father a title. Widowhood, however, brings a host of problems. For her husband deliberately spent the money intended for Virginia and her in-laws, leaving them penniless — unless she produces an heir. Desperate and confused, Virginia embarks on a fateful journey that brings her to the doorstep of the only man she's ever loved...

He's known as The Devil, but Macrath Sinclair doesn't care. He moved to a tiny Scottish village in hopes of continuing his work as an inventor and starting a family of his own. He bought the house; he chose the woman. Unfortunately, Virginia didn't choose him. Macrath knows he should turn her away now, but she needs him, and he wants her more than ever. Whatever game Virginia's playing, Macrath intends to win — one wickedly seductive deed at a time...

Ok, so I have to admit that I was a bit sceptical of this particular plot, but as Sophie Jordan made it work in Once Upon a Wedding Night, I was willing to give it a shot. There's something that has been drawing me to Scottish men lately. Might be the kilts...

Anyway.

Virginia is in a desperate situation, her husband died, and before the sneaky little bastard died, he spent all the money Virginia had brought with her into the marriage on lands and houses that would be entailed right along with everything else, leaving Virginia, his mother and sisters penniless. So Virginia's mother in law devices a plan that has Virginia sleeping with a man out of wedlock to try and produce and heir. Right now, cause otherwise the world might not believe it was her late husband's offspring. So what's a girl to do but get on with it, ride to Scotland and seduce the man she actually wanted to marry to begin with? YES EXACTLY.

I could see where Virginia was coming from. She's never really gotten any parental love and this new family has embraced her so wholly that she feels responsible for them. And she's pining for Macrath anyway, so why not go with it? I felt that she was a bit too naive, because really, how do you not see coming that this proud scottish man will have a problem with this when he finds out?? I mean SERIOUSLY? Let me say it again: SERIOUSLY??? She says she loves him and then she just USES him without telling him what she's doing and UGH! That is not love. I couldn't understand that after he's trying to get her to stay with him in Scotland, she doesn't admit to her problems and try to see what his feelings would be towards taking in her new family as well. I mean, he has a big enough house for it.

And Macrath. While I did like him and his big heart, I felt like yelling at him 'Dude, you can do better'. I mean, she's hurt him AGAIN, secretly born his son and is trying to pass him off as the heir of another man and is basically just being a huge pain in the ass. I'd say cut her loose and try your luck with someone else. I couldn't see how they could get past this. Especially without really communicating about it. It all just went POOF and they were happy together again. I mean, really, show some backbone. It's ok to not be ok with something like that.

So I feel like I'm sounding very negative about The Devil of Clan Sinclair. And it wasn't that bad really, but there were some things about the characters and the storyline that rubbed me the wrong way. I very much liked the flashbacks to the time Virginia and Macrath were courting the first time around, these moments were so sweet! I could actually see where the love had come from between them and their characters were pretty similar. I also liked the quiet moments with their son and how Virginia broke convention by caring for and nursing her son herself and not leaving it to a wet nurse.

I did enjoy myself while reading this book, but I also found myself rolling my eyes quite a bit and was at one point actually rooting for the relationship NOT to work out simply because it felt wrong and there was no communication whatsoever and that always annoys me. But I'm glad they did end up together, because they had sweet moments. I'm sad there weren't any kilts though.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Made me crave: rucola soup

Review of Linked by Imogen Howson

Title/Author: Linked (Linked #1) by Imogen Howson
Publisher/Date published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, June 11th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Elissa used to have it all: looks, popularity, and a bright future. But for the last three years, she’s been struggling with terrifying visions, phantom pains, and mysterious bruises that appear out of nowhere.

Finally, she’s promised a cure: minor surgery to burn out the overactive area of her brain. But on the eve of the procedure, she discovers the shocking truth behind her hallucinations: she’s been seeing the world through another girl’s eyes.

Elissa follows her visions, and finds a battered, broken girl on the run. A girl — Lin — who looks exactly like Elissa, down to the matching bruises. The twin sister she never knew existed.

Now, Elissa and Lin are on the run from a government who will stop at nothing to reclaim Lin and protect the dangerous secrets she could expose — secrets that would shake the very foundation of their world.

Seriously, I think this book was one of my most anticipated reads of Spring 2013 and I'm sad to say that it didn't really live up to my expectations.

The concept is GREAT. It is. It's creepy and fascinating and cruel and just what I come to expect from dystopian society that is well thought out. You can tell that Imogen Howson did a lot of world developing before she started writing this book and it's really interesting. I can't imagine anyone doing that to human beings (I really don't want to spoil anything, but it's awful). But maybe this is why they declared them non-human. It's a great solution when you think about it.

I liked Elissa. She's not immediately on board with the idea of having a twin and though she does the right thing, there are some bumps in the road and her behaviour isn't always the nicest. But I can understand this. I mean, it's pretty normal to not magically be ok when such a bomb is dropped on you and you're expected to just deal with it. That's just not how it works. I like that she's practical and is really trying her best.
Lin was in ways both harder for me to like and easier to like. She has her less than human emotionally moments and her awesome power moments and I think that in the end I liked her better than Elissa.

There are some things that didn't work so well for me, one big thing that put me off was Elissa's parents. They are awful! I mean, seriously?? They're ready to get their daughter into brain surgery even though they KNOW it's not her brain malfunctioning?? I mean, REALLY? That's some bad parenting right there. Along with Elissa's mom calling the cops on her. Her mom is probably the worst of the two, her dad redeems himself a bit, but just a bit. Hateful woman.

Also, the romance arc did nothing for me. Elissa and Cadan were constantly fighting and saying pretty harsh stuff and thinking the worst of each other and not in the Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy way! I couldn't imagine them caring for each other and then BOOM out of nowhere they're saying 'I love you' to each other and I'm like WTF?? I know they have history and all that, but I still call insta-love.

Reading Linked was much more slow going than I had expected. I'd expected a lot of action and excitement and not being able to put the book down and all of that good stuff. And while a lot is happening in a short time, it didn't really feel urgent or desperate or any of those things. I do think that the world Imogen Howson has created was fascinating and I'm interested to see how Elissa and Lin will handle the aftermath of the happenings in Linked, but it's definitely not what I had expected when I picked it up.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of Tempest Revealed by Tracy Deebs

Title/Author: Tempest Revealed (Tempest #3) by Tracy Deebs
Publisher/Date published: Walker Childrens, July 9th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Half-mermaid Tempest Maguire is trying to have it all: fulfilling her duties as second-in-line to the merQueen Hailana while periodically returning home to the California coastline to be with her family and longtime boyfriend, Mark. Living under the sea and rebuilding Coral Straits is grueling work, while being back home reminds her of everyone she loves and misses. But when her old flame Kona arrives bearing news that Hailana has died and Tempest is now officially merQueen, she returns permanently to Coral Straits - even though it devastates her family and rips her apart from Mark. Once there, she discovers that an old enemy has resurfaced, hell-bent on taking over her throne... with or without her. As Tempest prepares for her final showdown against Tiamat and anyone who stands with her, she must decide what - and who - is really important to her. Because there will be few survivors in the ultimate sea battle that is brewing - and Tempest isn't sure she will be one of them.

**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE SERIES**

This series is absolutely one with lots of ups and downs for me. I really liked Tempest Rising, then I liked, but had some major issues with Tempest Unleashed, but all in all the storytelling did have me convinced to pick up Tempest Revealed, the last book in this series. And I'm sorta disappointed.

All the development Tempest had gone through in the first two books just seemed to vanish at times and she just (for lack of a better word) regressed a bit in my opinion. She's seemingly learned NOTHING of the past and because the decision between her family and the underwater world is impossible, she just continues to do both half-assed, which REALLY annoyed me. I mean, sure, I get that it's not easy, but make up your mind of DO something about it instead of wallowing in selfpity. Geesh. That is not an attractive quality.

I do like that in Tempest Revealed I could better understand her relationship with Mark and why she chose him. He's a good guy, though he does have some major hero-issues and should learn when to butt out and keep himself safe, because holy hell, it is not okay to keep putting yourself in danger trying to 'help' Tempest just to proove you're the 'alphamale'. UGH! At times he pretty much only complicated things and seriously, I kept thinking too-stupid-to-live. I think he's the first male character who's ever gotten this title...

There's also the return of the love triangle. Seriously, couldn't we just not have done this again? I mean, Tempest has chosen TWICE (I know it was also a different boy twice, but that's a whole other argument) and now we're back at this?? Seriously? I mean, JUST STICK WITH ONE. And just tell Kona to stop being and ass and that he'll only ever be your FRIEND and be done with it. GAH.

So I sound really negative. I know. And the truth is, while I was REALLY annoyed by the things I mentioned above, and a couple of other things as well, I did enjoy reading this book. Tracy Deebs has a really engaging writing style and this is what made me keep reading Tempest Revealed. I also wanted to know what would happen in the final showdown, because UGH, TIAMAT MUST DIE! HATEFUL CREATURE!

I do definitely think this could have been a better book if Tempest's behaviour had been consistent with the growth we've seen of her in the first two books. There was a little too much wah-wah-woe-is-me for me to really like her this time, but I do appreciate the scope of the tale Tracy Deebs has told is throughout the series. And I do very much love the underwater world she has created. It is beautiful and complicated and I hope that something like it exists somewhere.

My rating: 2,5 stars

Review of Changeling by Philippa Gregory

Title/Author: Changeling (The Order of Darkness #1) by Philippa Gregory
Publisher/Date published: Simon Pulse, May 24 2012
How I got this book: bought it
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Italy, 1453. Seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is brilliant, gorgeous — and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year — the end of days.

Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can’t inherit any of her father’s estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft — and Luca is sent to investigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape.

Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon.

Guys, I love Philippa Gregory. I have never read a book by her that I didn't enjoy very much. Until now.

I cannot help but feel that this novel was just sort of... boring. Philippa Gregory always makes history come to life for me and manages to make me be on the edge of my seat, rooting for things I know can't be, because hey, it's history and it can't be changed. And I expected this to be so for her YA series as well. But I feel pretty lukewarm about Changeling.

We meet both Isolde and Luca, and well, they are probably the least interesting characters in this novel for all of them being the main characters. Pretty boy meets pretty girl and sort of falls for her, even though he said vows of celibacy, OOPS! Beside that Luca was pretty smart, I didn't really care much for him.

Both of their 'sidekicks', Freize and Ishraq are SO MUCH MORE interesting! Freize has a way with animals that's just beautiful and he's all mysterious and funny and I totally liked him! And Ishraq is a strong, loyal woman who I'd love to have as a friend. She knows about medicine and fighting and is just a take-action kinda person. I liked it. I expect much more entertainment from them than from the main characters.

Mostly, my complaint is that nothing much happened. Or, well, their were 2 mysteries that are solved by this motly crew, but I never felt any urgency at solving the mystery and the solution to the second one was kinda lame. I mean, I know people didn't know everything we know now, but seriously, that was kinda... stupid.

I sincerely hope that this book just suffered from being the first in a series and serving as build-up and that Philippa Gregory will step up her game in the next book, like she normally does, and that there'll be intrigue and romance and just all of those good things I come to expect from her books, because frankly, this was a bit disappointing.

My rating: 2,5 stars