I really loved the concept of the plot
597765
I really loved the concept of the plot, and the characters. It was surprisingly funny, and the romance was great! Totally recommend
157012
I loved the original concept of this book. The draki are their own race within the paranormal community. They have various powers that are very intriguing and I thought it interesting that the ability to breathe fire was rare.

The characters are well developed. We get a strong sense of who Jacinda's parents, sister, and draki friends are, in addition to those she meets when in human company.

However, I think the author need to expand on the origin and history of the draki a bit more. We are just given a vague premise for their origin and their powers are not fully explored.

Personally, I also thought it was a bit depressing how Jacinda's relationship with her sister and mother have been irrevocably damaged ever since she manifested the power to breathe fire.
~ quirky fate press @ blogspot.com
3121098
I loved the premise of this story and in the end can say this was a great idea that turned out good. Eamon and Laurel's story had a load of potential and given more time and development, I have no doubt I would have given a higher rating. While in college Laurel is crazy about Eamon who she met in a precarious position with her roommate. Eamon is a playboy college athlete who falls for Laurel regardless of the circumstances under which they met. The insta-love is believable, palpable even. These two have great chemistry and the sex is amazing. But, I felt like I got half of a story and a great Epilogue. Claudia seemed totally crazy and could have had her obsession issues lend to a little more substance (instead of just a crazy chick who is obsessing over a guy even though she still sleeps around?) Noel adds a great comedic element that is underused. Again, the story is good, and I am all good with this being a short, hot, quick read that is all sex and a couple laughs. But it really leaves you feeling like these was more to the story that your didn't get. Celia Aaron is a new author to me and I received this copy free in exchange for an honest review. (less)
753476
***ARC provided in exchange for an honest review - Jacquie / Scandalous Book Blog***
Loved the idea of this book, a girl who survives a murderous attack that left her mother dead, plans revenge and ends up tangling with the Scottish Mafia.
From page one I was gripped and although I know that Sin is your archetypal bad boy I fell in love with him a little.
I was shocked and surprised with the plot twist and turns, and the ending was totally unexpected.
Can't wait for this series to develop as for once I can't imagine how Sin and Bleu can get their hea, but praying that they do.
Wish I could rate it higher.
2888505
I really enjoyed the premise of the book. The writing was fantastic and left you wondering what could happen.
1961658
I really like the idea of this book.  I love the chemistry between Ashly and Jake.  I have a hard time with all the filler, the detailing in excess of their trip and the scenery.  I wish this would have been done as a single book with less detail fluff and more of Ashly and Jake.  The emotional turmoil Ashly goes through is probably the most realistic part of this book.  I will read book 2 so I can find out just how much Ashly's mom had to do with her getting left at the alter, and see if they can move past the hurt and learn to trust again.
3148766
**I received an advance copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway**

I really liked the premise of this book. As soon as I started reading it I wanted to know how it was going to end and found myself reading it whenever I could. A very clever concept and while I didn't love the ending, I'm not sure there was a better alternative for how to end it.
2595138
I really enjoyed the plot and writing style.  The premise of the story really engaged me as a reader and I found myself ting to figure out how I would handle a similar situation.
2292870
I really love the concept of this book. Priscilla (akaCeCe) and Katie are great cheaters. I even enjoyed getting to know the mysterious May. The main male character had me on the fence for most of the book. He tended to act like a total jerk but eventually his true personality came through. The obstacles that Cece and Trent had to overcome made me root for them to end up together. I would recommend this book to a friend.
4587443
I will start this by saying its a really good plot and I absolutely love how this was developed. The whole, 'get a fake date for a family event' thing is very Hallmark channel and hard to pull off but was done very well! The characters are fantastic, the connection between main characters gives you that giddy feeling, but the heroine made me want to roll my eyes. I understood her and her insecurities the first five times she used them as a reason not to date Ryder. But after awhile, a realistic and logical adult wouldn't keep making petty baseless accusations about a person trying to date them for the amount of time it extends in the novel. It just got kind of old reading about Astrid saying "he's too rich" or "oh it's just pretend" or "oh he doesn't really feel this way because he's in a higher social sphere". This didn't actually create an actual obstacle for a deeper plot, it just made me annoyed at this fictional woman who is too stupid to understand relationship cues. I understand the misgivings from her past but the same old lines get boring. Honestly a quarter of this book could be scrapped. If that were cut, it would be brilliant. But as it stands, I skimmed quite a bit after the vacation part with his friends then quit reading. When the heroine becomes borderline whiney and illogical to a fault, I can't continue reading. Everything else is excellent though.
287820
I decided to read this book because I was very interested in the concept. It seemed very unique and different than anything that I had ever come across before. The book was a little confusing to me. There was a lot going on in the story and I felt like it could have been explained a little better. Despite the book being a little confusing I still loved this book. It was a great story and I definitely want to read the book that comes after this one. I think that this author has the potential to have a very bright future in the young adult genre. :)
2421176
I really enjoyed the concept and thought that went into this book. You cared about the main characters and wanted them to succeed.  Perhaps it was because I read this late at night, but at times I was a little confused on whether I was hearing the Butcher or the Bakers thoughts/feelings plans.  Also, I was a bit confused about the relationship of a baker to the butcher.  She drew life out of him-yet he was an enemy killing machine after?  A relationship between a male/female butcher/baker is dangerous and forbidden, but in the end everyone is ok with the pairing and it is the most powerful pairing but there is no explanation given or discussion of why it is so dangerous.  At times the story made no sense, yet with all these flaws I still really enjoyed the story, which tells you how good the story could be if the book had a bit of careful editing.  If you can enjoy a story even through poor editing-this is a great book.  If you are one of those people who can't see the forest for the trees-you might want to skip this one.
3789472
I've been really thinking about this review because I wasn't sure what to write. I actually really liked the premise of the book. It had potential. The beginning was really engaging and had me hooked right away. It was as I got deeper into the story that things sort of unraveled. The characters POVs switched very frequently and I think at some points I was getting confused as to who was actually the one narrating. I even had to check the heading to make sure it was who I thought was on deck.
I liked Hope's character. She had me rooting for her from the beginning. I would have liked to know more about what was behind all the magic and her family history. I felt like if she and her brother were a bit more fleshed out it would have given the story more footing.
Steven was exactly the character he was portrayed to be.  Seemingly arrogant yet insecure. He was basically a disaster and screwed up every attempt he made at being decent because it was always clouded by his own selfishness.
Ritchie was a no nonsense likable guy. It was admirable how he stood by Hope after all of the craziness that went down. I don't know if I'd do the same after just a few days of knowing her - but that's insta-love for you!
As engaging as the story was I had no idea of the true motives of the witch. Why did she want Hope in particular? What did she gain? I don't really know but I wanted a clear reason. I think that if the reason why was cleared up and the POVs didn't change so often the story would have been much more solid.
There were also a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes which should have been caught in proofreading.
I know it sounds like I didn't really like this book but that's not it. I liked the idea behind it. I just think that it needed to be more developed. It seemed rushed. I've read another of Amanda Steele's books and I have to say that both this book and that one had me intrigued from the start. The ideas are there. This book just needed more solid ground to stand on. This is the first book in a series which actually makes me really happy because I'd like to see what happens next. I'm hoping that the characters and the background of things are explained more. I think the series has potential and if I can learn more behind it in the second book that would be great.
I think people who enjoy suspense novels with some fantasy will dive right into this. Once you start you can't stop reading.

I was gifted a copy of this book by the author. This is an unbiased review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
2784795
I am so incredibly in love with the concept for this book. You read the synopsis. How can that not completely draw you in? Well, for the most part, the book did live up the the extremely high expectations I put on it when I first read about it. Kala was a strong character and I loved the paranormal or mythological plot of the story. My favorite part of the book was the actual plot-line involving the trickster Atlas and other super- being vying to kill her or keep her from fulfilling her task. Some want a more qualified Altas fulfilling the tasks and some just want to see the world plunged into chaos. Again, I just love this dark plot. So original and so engrossing.

I loved the main character and the dynamics of her team. I even loved all the cool gadgets they got to play with.

I only had one problem with the book. I was initially intrigued by the relationship in the story. Kala's relationship with Jack pulled me in at first, but as it went on, I feel like he was more and more of a shadow in the back of the book who was randomly thought about, even when he was supposed to be an important part. But that is not the problem I really had.

Have you ever read one of those books where the main chick is just a man magnet. She will meet several different guys and every man she meets just wants her body or is all intrigued with her and feels a connection to her- even though they just met? Well, apparently Kala had a magical pheromone coming off her, because all the boys wanted to hit that.

For someone who was so head over heels for Jack, she sure did have a wondering eye. lol. And I feel like her special " wow, I feel like I've known you forever and even though you just met me, you are very seriously making me forget about Jack" relationship with one of the guys completely cheated me of the end of the book. If that element had not been so strong or whatever, this book would probably be 5 stars for me. But since Kala was a hot commodity, the ending did not have the same impact for me it could have had. That ending could have been the most memorable I have read in a long time, but my emotions had disconnected by that part. Do not get me wrong. I still liked the book. I just took a star away. *shrug* That's just my opinion.

I will still totally recommend it in a heartbeat to someone looking for a supernatural read with elements of danger, romance, action, and a completely original story-line that will suck you right in.

[ My first draft of the review, which may sum things up a little better.  ]

[ "huh. I want to say that this book could have been amazing, but there were a few things I can nitpick about. I mean, if a few things had been different, I am pretty sure the ending would have blown me away and earned mega respect from me. As it was, the author spent too much time setting up a random insta- love interest, so I did not feel a strong enough bond about a certain aspect, leaving the end a little.. I dunno. hollow for me. I shall filter through my feelings and write a better review soon. And of course this hollow cookie cutter character will probably feature greatly in book two. I did not have any great affection for this character. hmn.

ANYWAY, I will organize my thoughts and have a review together.
Mythological/Paranormal aspect? awesome
Plot? Pretty damn cool
Characters? Um. I may have some stuff to say about that." ]
3101647
I was first captivated by the concept of this novel. Time travel is an idea that everyone likes to fantasize about, but few people can write well. James was one of those people who wrote it very well.
The concept of the mind control being able to transport a person through time to change, or un-change events, was really fascinating. And even with the time traveling and seeing things from both James' and Michael's POV, it was easy to follow.
The set up was great and the story moved at a pace that was easy to stick with - not too fast, not too slow.
The characters were well developed and were easy to connect with and root for. I enjoyed this book and was more than eager to move onto book 2 to continue the journey.
3164190
It's been quite some time since I've been this excited about a book. I couldn't stop telling anyone who cared to listen (and many who probably didn't but did so to be polite) all about the plot and characters.

The storyline is great and the premise (the KidnApp app) are so original and inventive. You get sucked in immediately.

The characters and the situations they find themselves in are relate-able (stuck with a mortgage you can't afford due to a break-up, dealing with the weird post post break-up weirdness, being "stuck" in a job with great benefits and security that's hard to leave, dealing with overbearing, religious parents, having anger issues, having a love interest stolen by a roommate, etc).

I was so disappointed when I realized I'd finished the book. Luckily I hear the next installment is due out this fall!
4874410
I loved the concept of this book.  I wanted to read about a girl who could not touch others, whose touch could kill others, and I did.  However, it was not what I expected.

 Firstly I must admit that I am addicted to reading stories about kick-ass heroines.  (Katniss and Tris rule!)  Mafi did a good job of showing how Juliette was brow-beaten and isolated for her curse/gift.  She was ostracized by society and disowned by her family.  The story starts off with Juliette imprisoned for eight to nine months; she has lost all hope.  The setting was clearly established.  I was hoping as the book progressed that Juliette would gain self-confidence.  Instead I found her whiny and annoying.  I continued to have hope that she would change in book two as the first two chapters were included in my copy.  Wrong!  Instead she perpetuated a negative self-image of herself.  This time the judgment was all a result of her own isolation.

 As romance is typical of the YA genre, I do not mind a little romance.  However, it has to be believable.  In The Hunger Games  Katniss and Peeta knew each other from childhood.  Maybe they even liked one another.  Maybe in a different time they would have eventually started a romance.  However, circumstances threw them together.  In the end their relationship and love for one another was believable.  *SPOILER ALERT*  In Shatter Me Juliette and Adam have also known each other from childhood and never talked.  It is unfathomable to me that Adam would go on a crusade to find Juliette after she has been taken away after she killed a child.  However, there is still good in this world, so it is feasible.  What is not feasible is their immediate love for one another and their proclamations that they have loved each other forever.

 Lastly the thing that made this book difficult to read was the format it was written in.  I understand authors have artistic license.  I get it, and I do that in my poetry.  However, as an English major and English teacher, I believe in the importance of complete sentences.  Mafi used punctuation lightly.  To express Juliette's anxiety she would repeat phrases or words in a sentence.  To show Juliette's conflict she crossed out thoughts.  It is a useful tactic, but it was used too often.  As an artist I appreciate figurative language.  Mafi went overboard, and the comparisons were odd.  Juliette described Adam's lips as two soft pillows.  That does not show desire, and she desired him.  Lastly Mafi does not follow the numbers rule.  Never start a sentence with a number in number format, and spell out one - nine.  Ah!

 Mafi can write.  While she may want fans to love Juliette and Adam, I hated them.  As I was reading I was very frustrated with this book.  In fact I dragged my family into the story.  On the other hand I liked James and Kenji.  She successfully captured their characters in very few words.  I wanted to see more of them.  I even enjoyed the short snippet of Warner's log.  Had it only been $.99 I would have purchased it.