Review: Sisters of Summer's End (Summer Resort #2), by Lori Foster

Title: Sisters of Summer's End (Summer Resort #2)
Author: Lori Foster
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "As the summer ends, friendship begins...When single mom Joy Lee abandoned her old life to take a job at a lakeside resort, she found something that her family's wealth and influence could never buy: peace of mind. Not easy to come by for the once-burned divorce who keeps everyone at a distance. But when her new friend, Maris, dares her to take a chance with the drive-in's charismatic new owner, everything changes for Joy and her young son. A difficult childhood has left Maris Kennedy with definite priorities. Her job running Summer's End, the camp store and cafe, comes first. Always. Nothing could ever make her risk that hard-won security--especially not her free-spirited colleague. But the more she encourages Joy to open herself up to new experiences, the more Maris begins to wonder what she, too, might be missing. Learning how to trust will bring Joy and Maris together. 
And soon they form a friendship that leaves them as close as sisters--and open to love where they least expect it...in Summer's End."

My Opinion: Confession #1: I love Lori Foster and will happily read anything she has written!! Confession #2: That being said, I haven't read the first book in the Summer Resort series - Cooper's Charm - yet, but I will be rectifying that oversight very quickly because I absolutely loved this book!! Luckily, even though this is the second book in the series, it was able to be read as a standalone story. 

The most important thing I noted as I was reading this story is that, while it has a couple of very hot romances in it, the relationship that is mostly explored is the friendship between Maris and Joy, and I absolutely loved that! Their friendship grows and blossoms even as they get to know each other, but they have each closed themselves off to any type of relationship because they are putting all of their time and energy into the priorities in their lives: Maris with her camp store and cafe, and Joy with her son. So the question is, can they change that and open themselves up to new experiences and new people? Watching their journey was both captivating and heartening, and I loved it.

The characters were all very likable (or hard to like as the case may be) and they were all fleshed out beautifully. Their back stories were woven in so you know exactly where they are coming from and why they have made the decisions that have brought them to this place and time.

The setting was very well written, so much so that I want to go stay at this lakeside resort myself! The descriptions of the fall and winter seasons were so real that they cooled me off in the midst of this hot summer! And the plot line unraveled at just the right pace, which is hard to achieve, but is done so beautifully here.

In summary, this book was a fascinating read, a different kind of love story, and it captivated me right from the start. 

I give this book 5/5 stars, and can enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for a light, but very fulfilling, book to read.  

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: 'Twas the Knife Before Christmas (A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #2), by Jacqueline Frost

Title: 'Twas the Knife Before Christmas (A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #2)
Author: Jacqueline Frost
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: A Christmas delight, ’Twas the Knife Before Christmas will charm the stockings off readers of Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier. 

It’s out of the cupcake tin, into the fire for Holly White’s best friend, Caroline. Can Holly clear Caroline’s name in time to go caroling?

When a body turns up in the dumpster behind Caroline’s Cupcakes, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, Caroline’s fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a custom-designed marble rolling pin. 

Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle—and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and run-ins with an ex-fiancé looking to make amends, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime. 

But her Sherpa-lined mittens come off when Caroline is taken into custody. Can Holly wrap up the case in time for Christmas…even after she gains the true killer’s attention? Find out in ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s second pine-scented Christmas Tree Farm mystery.

My Opinion:  I was so excited to go back and visit Holly and her family and friends at the White family's Christmas tree farm in Mistletoe, Maine! A year has passed since the events of the first book of the series, and, as expected, another murder is about to occur, with a close friend of Holly's, Caroline of Caroline's Cupcakes, as the main suspect. Caroline had had a rather public argument with her date at a benefit dinner (he couldn't keep his hands to himself), and lo and behold, he shows up dead in a giant bowl of mints at the annual tree lighting ceremony, stabbed with one of Caroline's knives!! It's up to Holly to make sure that her friend gets a fair shake when all of the evidence points right to her. 

I am so in love with the descriptions of this amazing Christmas town and all of the holiday themed events that are held up at the White family's Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm! I feel like I'm right there building snowmen, sledding blind folded, and riding sleighs through the tree farm (although I could do without being shot at!). The characters are all very well written, so much so that you feel like they are your friends and family, as well as Holly's. The setting was described in delicious detail, and the story unfolded at the perfect pace, jumping between sleuthing and celebrating the holiday with ease. The only complaint I have is with the romance (or lack thereof) between Holly and Evan, the local sheriff. It just seemed a bit "meh", but I'm hoping it will pick up a bit more in the next book in the series. When Holly and Evan are together, there is definite chemistry, and we do find out why Evan is a bit of an absentee love interest, but I hope they can find a way to spend more time together building on that chemistry. 

All in all, I was very happy with the characters, world building, and pacing of this book, and only have a tiny complaint about the romance, which I'm certain will grow in the following books of the series. I'm giving this book an enthusiastic 4.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Review: Sneak (Swipe #2), by Evan Angler

Title: Sneak (Swipe #2)
Author: Evan Angler
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "When Logan Langly backed out of getting the Mark and went on the run, no one thought he could survive on his own. Without the Mark, you can't buy food, go to the doctor, or use a tablet--you aren't even a citizen.

But when he discovers that his sister is being held in a mysterious hidden prison named Acheron, Logan risks everything to travel through an underground network of the Markless to rescue her.

Logan arrives only to find that Acheron holds more secrets than anyone could have guessed and that all his careful planning is worthless against a government that will do anything to gain absolute control.

It seems there is only one place to turn. But can a banned book with whisper-thin pages and warnings about the real meaning of the Mark really hold the Answer?"

My Opinion: I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn't think this book (the dreaded second book in a series) would be able to live up to the first one (Swipe), but not only did it live up to it, I honestly think it surpassed it! We got to know the individual characters a lot better as they traveled in groups to Beacon to find a prison that nobody talks about or even knows about (Archeron) and free Logan's sister, Lily. Along the way they meet up with hardship and danger, but not even this will shake them from their goal. They become a family who trust each other and who have each other's backs, even if they don't agree with some of the actions taken by their "leaders", Peck and Logan. Logan is betrayed by one of his own, but this just strengthens his resolve to find his sister. 

Along the way to Beacon, the groups meet up with people who help them get where they are going, and who offer them food and rest when it is most needed. Some of these people are Marked and some are Markless, but they all agree that something has to change in their Union's leadership. They have a secret network that helps the Markless find their way to safety called the River, and they call themselves "fishers of man," which anyone who has read the Bible will recognize as the words of Jesus himself.  It is in essence set up like the Underground Railroad, which I thought was incorporated into the story very well. They call the path the "Unmarked River" and the kids have to look for certain symbols carved into trees and such along the way so they don't get lost and end up in the desert with no food or water. They also have to be very careful to look for any symbol that means the place they are heading is a trap set to catch the Markless, not help them, but they don't always see it, which results in chaos and occasionally violence, but even this does not stop them. 

There is no religion allowed in their time but Logan is given a (banned) book by a Markless and really enjoys reading the stories in it. Only after his group meets up with the rest of the Dust and they find a huge Markless community that has an underground church in it does he find out that the book he was given was the Bible and the stories in it are true. Yes, this is Christian fiction, but I don't feel like Mr. Angler beats us over the head with it; he weaves the religion seamlessly into the story line and brings it up only when it furthers the story. To a Christian such as myself, this book is a lot more mainstream than straight up Christian fiction, but that is only my opinion. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed how religion was used to stir the pot so to speak, and not just added willy nilly so that it could be called "Christian fiction!"

I was also happy with the ending and felt like it set the scene for the beginning of the third book perfectly, and I really don't say that very often! All in all, I felt like this was an excellent second book in what has so far been a very interesting and unique look at Revelations and the Mark of the Beast, showing how anybody who thought independently was ostracized from society and had to try to make it on their own, which was nearly impossible unless you joined a group of Markless to have your back. I thought the world building was excellent and the explanations for how the Earth got to the point that it was were believable and well written. The descriptions were spot on and made me very thirsty when the kids were traveling in the heat with no water! There was definite character growth in this book, which is really what a second book should have - the world building was done in the first book, so I expect the characters in the second book to be at the forefront so we can get to know them and relate to them, and even feel like we are suffering alongside them. 

In summary, I am giving this book a very enthusiastic 5 stars! I can definitely recommend this series to fans of YA, dystopian worlds, and Christian fiction. 

Review: Crimson Rising (Skyship Academy #2), by Nick James

Title: Crimson Rising (Skyship Academy #2)
Author: Nick James
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Our best-selling sci-fi series continues

Following their dramatic showdown in Seattle, Jesse Fisher and Cassius Stevenson find their world’s been turned inside out. The faculty at Skyship Academy is keeping Jesse a prisoner in his own home, fearful of his influence over Pearls. And Cassius, once a loyal Pearlhound for the Unified Party, has been pushed into hiding, fearful of his government's retaliation.

When Jesse smuggles a mysterious red Pearl onboard the Academy, he sets loose a destructive chain of events, which lead him to a reunion with Cassius and a confrontation with Theo -- a bloodthirsty Pearlhound with a dangerous secret. 
But a larger threat looms in the stars. An enemy is gathering, with plans to exterminate the entire human race. And Jesse and Cassius might just be the lynch pins that trigger mankind's destruction."

My Opinion: My opinion is very simple: I loved it!! What an awesome installment in what is becoming one of my favorite series! This book blends action, suspense, and science fiction perfectly!

In the Pearl Wars, we're introduced to a post-apocalyptic/dystopian society where sources of energy, or Pearls, are desperately needed, so when one comes down from space, the race is on to see who will find it first. Enter Jesse and Cassius, one working for the Skyship Academy and the other working for the Unified Party, who find out that they are brothers. We also find out that they are aliens, which really intrigued me. Now they are both trying to learn how to use their powers (Cassius burns from the inside and has a bad habit of catching rooms on fire without meaning to, and Jesse can open Pearls, which comes in handy in this destitute world where they are in such demand). They are both also on the run and separated from each other, so they each have their own exciting adventures in the book before they come together for what turns out to be a big showdown. 

I often find that sequels to books that I absolutely fall in love with aren't as good as the first, but that's not the case here. The writing was just as exciting, and the twists and turns that the story takes kept me on the edge of my seat! The characters, good and bad, are all well written, and the pacing is perfect. I honestly can't say who I like better, Jesse or Cassius, since I go back and forth all through the book, but I think that makes it all the more exciting! 

In summary, I absolutely loved this installment in the Skyship Academy series and recommend it to fans of action packed YA sci-fi stories. I'm giving it a very enthusiastic 5 stars :D

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2), by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)
Author: Katie McGarry
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...."

My Opinion: If I was worried when I began reading the second installment of Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series that it wouldn't be able to measure up to the first book, which I absolutely adored and couldn't rave about enough, then my mind was set at ease very quickly because yes, I loved this book as well!! Dare You To tells the story of Beth Risk, who was introduced to us in Pushing the Limits as one of Noah's friends, and if Noah's story tore at your heart, then get ready to be emotionally pummeled again by Beth's. Beth had a really horrific home life with an absentee father and a mother who might as well have been gone for all the good she did Beth. Instead of her mother taking care of her, it was Beth who made sure the bills were paid and there was food on the table, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep her mom off the booze and pills and away from Trent, her abusive boyfriend. One night she makes the decision to cover for her mother yet again and is sent to jail for her troubles. Her uncle Scott, her father's younger brother, bails her out and tells her that either she goes to live with him and his wife, or he will make sure her mother goes to jail for good this time. This may sound harsh, but Scott's really a good guy who regrets not being there for Beth growing up and who only wants Beth to have a life of her own as a teenager should without constantly worrying about her mother. Unfortunately, Beth can't just walk away, which causes lots of trouble in her home life. 

Beth has spent so much of her life putting up walls to protect herself emotionally that when she meets a good guy who wants to get to know her (albeit on a dare!) she won't let herself get involved with him. But Ryan is nothing if not determined, and as he repeatedly puts it, he doesn't give up until he's won whatever challenge is in front of him, and Beth proves to be his biggest challenge yet!

As with Katie's first book, I am totally in awe of her writing ability! She seamlessly weaves stories full of dark and light, push and pull, and tragedy and triumph. She completely draws you into her character's lives until you feel like you are living right alongside them!

As with Pushing the Limits, Dare You To is told in two POVs: Beth's and Ryan's. The characters have very distinctive voices so it is easy to switch between them, and this way of writing gives you much more insight into the characters than you would have gotten otherwise.

One of my favorite parts of the book tells you so much about Beth in just a few paragraphs:

Ryan's name is read and he answers with a deep, soothing, "Here."  Taking a chance, I peek in his direction and find him staring at me again. No smile. No anger. No cockiness. Just a thoughtful expression mixed with confusion. He scratches the back of his head and I'm drawn to his biceps. My traitorous stomach flutters. God, the boy may be an ass, but he sure is built.

And guys like him don't go for girls like me. They only use me.

I force my eyes to the front of class, pull my knees to my chest, and wrap my arms around them. Lacy invades my space and whispers to me, "I'm glad you're back, Beth." A sliver of hope sneaks past my walls and I slam every opening shut. Emotion is evil. People who make me feel are worse. 

I take comfort in the stone inside of me. If I don't feel, I don't hurt.

Damn!! I get chills just typing it! What an awesome writer Katie is! You can feel Beth's pain plain as day, in just a few paragraphs, which is why it's so sweet to watch Ryan move slowly to gain Beth's trust and not scare her away. It's not easy for him, but it's awesome for us readers! I'm really psyched to read about Isaiah's story in the third book of this series, Crash Into You, and I am giving Dare You To 5 very enthusiastic stars :D

Review: Dearly, Beloved (Gone With the Respiration #2), by Lia Habel

Title: Dearly, Beloved (Gone With the Respiration #2)
Author: Lia Habel
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Can the living coexist with the living dead? 

That’s the question that has New Victorian society fiercely divided ever since the mysterious plague known as “The Laz” hit the city of New London and turned thousands into walking corpses. But while some of these zombies are mindless monsters, hungry for human flesh, others can still think, speak, reason, and control their ravenous new appetites.

Just ask Nora Dearly, the young lady of means who was nearly kidnapped by a band of sinister zombies but valiantly rescued by a dashing young man . . . of the dead variety.

Nora and her savior, the young zombie soldier Bram Griswold, fell hopelessly in love. But others feel only fear and loathing for the reanimated dead. Now, as tensions grow between pro- and anti-zombie factions, battle lines are being drawn in the streets. And though Bram is no longer in the New Victorian army, he and his ex-commando zombie comrades are determined to help keep the peace. That means taking a dangerous stand between The Changed, a radical group of sentient zombies fighting for survival, and The Murder, a masked squad of urban guerrillas hellbent on destroying the living dead. But zombies aren’t the only ones in danger: Their living allies are also in The Murder’s crosshairs, and for one vengeful zealot, Nora Dearly is the number one target.

As paranoia, prejudice, and terrorist attacks threaten to plunge the city into full-scale war, Nora’s scientist father and his team continue their desperate race to unlock the secrets of “The Laz” and find a cure. But their efforts may be doomed when a mysterious zombie appears bearing an entirely new strain of the virus—and the nation of New Victoria braces for a new wave of the apocalypse.

Lia Habel’s spellbinding, suspenseful sequel to Dearly, Departed takes her imaginative mash-up of period romance, futuristic thriller, and zombie drama to a whole new level of innovative and irresistible storytelling."

My Opinion: Dearly, Departed was one of my favorite books from last year so I was really psyched to get approved by NetGalley for Dearly, Beloved, and I wasn't disappointed. D,B picks up a few months after where we left off at the end of D,D, with the zombies now out in the open and everyone trying to find a way to live together. Well, not quite everyone - there's still a lot of anti-zombie prejudice going on, even though the zombies who are trying to find a way to live in the real world are for the most part high functioning and have retained most of their intelligence from before they were turned. In other words, they're not the ones who will chase you down and eat your brains for fun! Unfortunately, these same high functioning zombies are being kidnapped off the streets by a mysterious group of bird mask wearing humans for God only knows what reason. There is also a new strain of the Laz that the vaccine doesn't protect against, so all told, there's a lot going on in New Victoria! 

This book, like the last, is told through multiple POVs, with some new ones mixed in with the old. There are six POVs altogether, belonging to Nora, Bram, Pamela, Michael, Vespertine, and Laura - perhaps my favorite new character! Laura is a zombie who tries to deal with the fact that her body is dead and decaying by planting flowers directly into her skin, so that they grow and blossom all over her body! The way that she manages to find something beautiful in the midst of all of the violence and death that surrounds her is very endearing.

Although I enjoyed this installment in the Gone with the Respiration series, I didn't feel that it was as good as Dearly, Departed was, and I think that's because there was just too much going on, which is strange because I also felt that the book started off rather slow and took a while to gain momentum. That being said, I thought the story flowed rather well once it took off. I really enjoyed the continuation of the love story between Nora and Bram, and I thought having Pam deal with PTSD following everything that happened to her in the first book was a great addition to the story. It showed a strength in her that I hope will continue to grow in the next book. 

All told, I'm giving Dearly, Beloved 4 stars and I'm really looking forward to reading book 3 when it comes out to see what fresh hell the amazing Ms. Habel has in store for one of my favorite couples :D

Review: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2), by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike."

My Opinion: This book has reinforced what I thought after reading The Immortal Rules, and that is that Julie Kagawa is a Goddess!! I didn't think she could impress me any more than she already has, but she did! In The Eternity Cure we get to know Allie a lot better than we did before, especially since she's traveling by herself at the start of it, trying to find and rescue her maker, Kanin. We get to delve into her psyche, which is such an interesting place to go! Allie is not a black and white character but that's what makes reading about her so awesome. And speaking of awesome - Eternity has something no other book has, and that's Allie's blood brother, Jackal! I swear, I could read about Jackal from now til the end of time and never get bored with him! Yes, he's evil and selfish and just plain incorrigible, but in The Eternity Cure, we get to see a side to him that we haven't before - his loyalty to the maker that he hates with a passion, and his sister, Allie. I think Allie is the only one who could bring this out in him. They have such a complicated and emotional relationship, and it's a joy to read. Besides that, Jackal is just plain hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud at some of his comments and antics, which was a nice break from the desolation and violence of the world in which the Blood of Eden series is set. This second book is even more bleak with the introduction of the new strain of the Red Lung virus which is killing off humans and vampires alike. The personal relationships and the search for the cause of this new strain and a possible cure are woven together flawlessly so you don't feel like one aspect supersedes the other in importance. 

Speaking of personal relationships, I enjoyed Zeke so much more in this book because he has really grown up and come into his own since his father's death. He has had to toughen up and become harder to protect the people he loves, and this makes it much easier to relate to him. He is still fighting his attraction to Allie but the magnetic draw between the two of them is hard for him to ignore.

I felt like we got to know all of the major players so much better in this installment of the series, and that's what makes Julie Kagawa's books so great to read - you find yourself drawn into this absolutely foreign world and you don't want to leave when you've finished the book! Because the books are so well written, you fly through them, and The Eternity Cure is no exception. 

I'm giving this book a very enthusiastic 5 stars and recommend it to all lovers of young adult post-apoc/dystopian stories, vampire tales, and Julie Kagawa!! I can't wait to read the next book and will be first in line when it comes out :D

Review: Pandemonium (Delirium #2), by Lauren Oliver

Title: Pandemonium (Delirium #2)
Author: Lauren Oliver
Source: Borrowed from library
Format: ebook

From Goodreads: "So what was your name before?" I say, and she freezes, her back to me. "Before you came to the Wilds, I mean."

For a moment she stands there.

Then she turns around.

"You might as well get used to it now," she says with quite intensity.

"Everything you were, the life you had, the people you knew... dust."

She shakes her head and says, a little more firmly, "There is no before. There is only now, and what comes next."

After falling in love, Lena and Alex flee their oppressive society where love is outlawed and everyone must receive the "cure" - an operation that makes them immune to the delirium of love - but Lena alone manages to find her way to a community of resistance fighters. Although she is bereft without the boy she loves, her struggles seem to be leading her toward a new love."

My Opinion: I just finished this book and all I can think is: Holy freaking cliffhanger, Batman!!! I kid you not! I haven't been this excited to start the third book in a trilogy in a long time because I HAVE to find out what happens next! I'll try to calm down a little bit and give you my thoughts on this most awesome book. 

Lena has made it over the fence and into the Wilds, but unfortunately Alex didn't, and now Lena has to try to find her own way in an unknown and terrifying new world. Near death, she is found by a homesteader, Raven, one of a group of people who live and work together just to survive. There she begins to slowly rebuild her life and find a new purpose. 

The chapters switch off between "then" (when she first got to the Wilds and the months following) and "now" (approximately six months after that). Both time periods are interesting and the "then" chapters help us to understand how the "now" chapters came about.

When you're reading a really good book, a story that you enter completely while reading it, and things are going well for the characters, you just know something bad has to happen to them to shake things up. You feel the dread building up inside of you, knowing it will happen but hoping it doesn't, but at the same time anticipation is building because you know when it does it will catapult the story into whole new exciting places, so that when it does happens you just have to cry out loud "Oh my God!" THAT's the moment when you know if the author is a good one or a great one. If you can't turn the pages fast enough at that point to find out where the story is taking you now, then it's a great author, and I can unequivocally state that Lauren Oliver is definitely one of the best!! 

If you can't tell yet, I devoured this story in less than 24 hours because I didn't care what was going on around me (yeah, I have to apologize to my kids who kept annoyingly requesting things like food and drink, only to be told "Just 5 more minutes!" Of course, they are kind of used to that by now since this happens a lot with me when I find a really good book :D) and would give it 10 stars if I could! I highly recommend it to lovers of dystopian stories since this is one of the best I've read to date. Since I can't give it 10 stars, I give it a very, very enthusiastic 5 stars!! Now, I have to go bug everyone I know for a copy of Requiem so I can read it right away :D

Review: Everbound (Everneath #2), by Brodi Ashton

Title: Everbound (Everneath #2)
Author: Brodi Ashton
Source: Won in a giveaway
Format: Hard cover

From Goodreads: "Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love."

My Opinion: This was an awesome follow up to Everneath! Since we already know the characters from the first book, most of Everbound was action packed, which kept the story moving along nicely and made it a quick and easy read. Everbound focuses on the search for and rescue of Jack, which works nicely with the search for a loop hole for Nikki in Everneath. Cole is much more fleshed out in this book, which makes you really identify with and feel compassion for what he is going through. I'm really looking forward to reading the novella Neverfall, which I hear is told from Cole's POV and gives you a lot more insight into what makes him tick. 

I give this book a very enthusiastic 5 stars and would recommend it to all lovers of mythology, fantasy and/or supernatural YA books :D

Review: Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2), by Aimee Carter

Title: Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2)
Author: Aimee Carter
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry's first wife, Persephone."

My Opinion: Kate won her immortality at the end of The Goddess Test and then left to go spend her 6 months away from the Underworld, which she spent traveling with James. In Goddess Interrupted she returns home, excited to begin her new life with Henry, only to find him once again acting distant towards her. She does her best to reassure him that being the Queen of the Underworld is what she truly wants, but when Henry is kidnapped by Cronus, the King of the Titans, during her coronation, her world is turned upside down all over again. She goes on a quest to rescue Henry, but the only person who can really help her is the last person she wants to turn to - her sister, Persephone, Henry's first wife and the woman he has pined away for for an eternity. 

One of the reasons I loved this book is because we get to spend a lot of time in the Underworld with Kate, and the descriptions of the Underworld are amazing!! It's not a vast, empty, dreary space as you might imagine, but since each person gets to pick the afterlife that they feel they deserve, it's full of beauty and love as well as hopelessness and despair. 

I wish we could have seen more of Henry in this book, because, although he might have been present, he was so distant and vacant during this time that he might as well have been absent. There's a good reason for his apathy, and of course, there is a war to prepare for and all of the gods and goddesses are preoccupied by this, but I missed his playfulness. I feel like Kate really grew a lot in this book as she has to go WAY out of her comfort zone to help Henry, and the pacing of the book was excellent! There always seemed to be a lot of action going on, which made for a really quick read. I love this series so much and I'm really excited to read the Goddess Inheritance, especially after the huge cliffhanger at the end of this book!! :D

Review: Covet (The Clann #2), by Melissa Darnell

Title: Covet (The Clann #2)
Author: Melissa Darnell
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Dangerous to be together. Painful to be apart. 

Savannah Colbert knows she broke up with Tristan Coleman for the right reasons. Most of all, to keep from killing him with her new vampire abilities. But try telling her heart. Now, lost in a sea of hostile Clann faces, Sav tries to come to terms with what she's becoming and what that means for her future. And that someone is doing their best to bully her into making a terrible mistake. 

Tristan can't believe Sav won't even talk to him. If being apart is her decision, fine. Just don't expect him to honor it. But even as he prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for. 

A reckoning is coming...and not everyone will survive."

My Opinion: Things just never seem to go easy for Savannah Colbert and Tristan Coleman. Just when Savannah manages to prove to the Vampire Council that she can be around Tristan without giving into the siren's call of his Clann blood, they give her an ultimatum and force her to break things off with him. She doesn't have the heart to tell him right away,  instead waiting until their plane lands back home so she can enjoy the last few hours they have together, but things go from bad to worse when they get a phone call letting them know that the Clann thinks Sav and her father have kidnapped Tristan and done God knows what to him. In retaliation, they kidnap Sav's grandmother and when tragedy strikes, Savannah finally realizes that a relationship between herself and Tristan can only ever bring heartache to all of their loved ones, not to mention the two of them, and she keeps her word to stay away from him. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done because Tristan refuses to accept her decision, and goes to great lengths to be with her again.

I love the relationship between these two star crossed lovers just as much in this book as in the first! There's just something about them that makes you pull for them to get their happy ending, despite incredible hurdles placed in their way by both the Vampire Council and the witch Clann, with particular emphasis on Tristan's parents. There's real character growth here and the pacing of the story makes for a very quick read.  I enjoyed this book very much and am looking forward to reading the third installment in this series, Consume! :D