NightlyReading Review
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So, anyone that knows me, knows how much I LOVE Travis Maddox!!! BD is my favorite all time book and I couldn't wait to read WD! The waiting was excruciating! When I finally got approved via Netgalley, I dove right in and all other books got tossed aside. I needed my Travis fix and fast!!!

Anyone whom loved BD as much as I did really should get their hands on this book! At first, I was a little apprehensive to read it thinking that it may just be the same story that I had already read. (5 times, but who's counting?) And it was the same story....with some behind the scenes added in and all from his holy hottness Travis, himself. I really enjoyed finally knowing what TM was thinking and feeling. We get to dive into extra chapters finding out where Travis went when he left or where was he when he wasn't in the room.

Now, there was a little extra added onto the end of Travis's book. We get to see a little farther into the future and a taste of what Mr. & Mrs. Maddox are up to.

I honestly can't say that I loved this book better than BD, my heart will always be with Abby's side of the story, but, I did enjoy it all the same. I am telling you, if you loved Beautiful Disaster, get this book, you won't be sorry!!!
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Dark Dynasties Series:
Book 2:

Midnight Reckoning: Jaden Harrison and Lyra Black

Summary:
Jaden is free for the first time in his long immortal life.  For the first time he can make his own decisions, go where he wants to go and do whatever he wants with no enchanted leashed tied to him. He is enjoying that freedom when he sees Lyra a werewolf he has seen before being attacked by another werewolf. He is not sure what he is thinking when he steps in to protect Lyra.  When Lyra see who her savior is, she is less then pleased. She remembers meeting this arrogant vampire and it was not a good meeting. Instead of thanking the vampire she ends up yelling at him and running off, forgetting that her mother's necklace was left behind.

Jaden has been thinking about Lyra since their last encounter and now he has her necklace to entice him more. Looking at the necklace and wondering about the woman who wears it. He knows that he will not be able to get anything done until he satisfies his curiosity.

Lyra does not have time for men, she is destined to be her Packs Alpha, but Pack traditions do not allow for female Alphas. She has to figure out a way to enter the Proving and not get killed. Her cousin definitely has it out for her and she has no real training to speak of.

When Jaden arrives in the werewolf territory he knows that he is walking in dangerous territory, and is not surprised when he is attacked by a werewolf outside Lyra's home. What he didn't expect was to receive an offer of employment by the Alpha himself...

Review:

To first point out I did not read the first book in this series. I personally feel that this was a mistake; I was definitely missing important pieces of information and was dropped into this world with very little knowledge of cast and background.  I will probably go back and read the first book, which seems like it would have been very interesting.

That being said at first I was a little perplexed with the whole cat shape shifting and a vampire at the same time. I am used to one or the other but not both. So I found it kind of weird at first, but got used to it. The whole world was kind of strange at first, I didn't know anything of this new world I found the different species odd, it was all the familiars but with a twist.  But by about half way through I think I finally got the gist of what was going on at least when it came to Jaden. Overall, I would have liked to see more of the training between Lyra and Jaden it was basically glossed over, but it is where they were spending most of their time, the purpose of his staying in werewolf territory. A lot of their interaction was fluff and kind of in passing. It took me a while to really get into this book, but once I did, I was in it and interested. There is even a twist or two just to keep things interesting.

Lyra, I got, the wolves were pretty easy. However, I wasn't all that thrilled with Lyra. She is in her early 20's, she knew the proving was coming up; she even knew that she wanted to participate, yet she didn't do anything to train for it. She just whined that the gender issues that Packs have were unfair.  If I knew that I was going to have to fight to the death possibly I don't think I would wait until a month before the event to finally start thinking about doing something and even then, her father still had to take the initiative for her. That's not my idea of a strong leader, I'm just saying. After a while she started getting with the program, so I started liking her more towards the middle.

Jaden is easy to like. He's pretty easy going, he's just happy to be free for the first time I several centuries.  He wasn't expecting to be so attracted to Lyra, but once he acknowledged it he wasn't afraid to go after her, even though it was basically forbidden by both races.  This is definitely a case of forbidden love for both Jaden and Lyra, but Lyra has the most to lose from this union including possible death by her Pack.

Rating:
3.5
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Review:

I read the first book of the series and it had a somewhat ambiguous ending, and since it wasn't a frustrating kind of end (as cliff-hangers and unresolved relationships usually are), then I obviously had to know how everything wraps up. And I wasn't disappointed, despite the heavy load of angst and self-pitying.

It wasn't a surprise that there would be a lot of drama and I-want-you-but-I-cant-have-you kind of sentiment, but I didn't find it as annoying as I usually would have, because this whining and angsty ping pong came across as logical reactions and emotions in regards to the situation. I also liked that when the obvious doom was clear, they didn't agree to suffer, but decided to take as much as possible from an unfortunate situation and enable each other the six months to be happy together instead of sparing the heartache early and not have that brief time of closeness at all. Even the final petty and pointless fight didn't manage to bother me, because nerves were on end and it isn't unusual that people start to lash out because of that. So, overall, I thought the emotional rollercoaster and all the crying and complaining was authentic and believable.

For some reason Im always hesitant when dual viewpoint is used. Of course Im curious to know what the guy is thinking and to get the whole picture, yet it also makes me iffy, because sometimes it takes away the mystery and makes the reader all-wise and I would have just liked to take the journey in the shoes of the heroine and be as confused and blind to the inner workings of the hero as her. In this book, I did like that both sides were represented and each got to show us whats going on in their heads.

I really wasn't expecting to be as intrigued and excited to read about Fleurs story in the third book of the series to come out by the end of the year. The snippets and beginning of that romance in the current book was a nice tease and prelude to what is to come. Cant wait!

Where I felt the book slightly lacking and what I personally always look forward to, to make the story juicier and provide colour to the characters, is the dialogue. There was some nice banter here and there, but overall, the dialogue came across somewhat generic and simplistic. Fortunately, it was compensated by all the angst and great descriptions of the inner workings of the couple.

I also notices that almost all family relationships in the book were on the rocks or already fallen off the cliff and there were no real conclusions, even Maggie and her father were left hanging despite improvements. Also, you couldn't even call most of them proper parents, even in the loose sense of the word and I get really irritated by neglecting or bullying parents.

Characters:

Maggie  She was quite likable if somewhat bland. Nevertheless, she had spine, was a good friend, dealt with a difficult situation within her love-life quite admirably, although, she had her low moments and, overall, was easy to root for.

Samir  Being able to see his side of the story made his first book overconfident and strong persona seem quite vulnerable and he was a huge mess inside, because of his family, because of Maggie and because of the restraints on his life and his set future. There was an interesting contrast to him in this book compared to the first.

Overall:

A satisfying conclusion to Maggie and Samirs relationship and I hope to catch up with them again in Fleurs book.
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A stunning cover and the promise of a heart-warming story  who wouldnt want to get their hands on this? Thats precisely how Ive felt ever since I saw this book on NetGalley back in autumn. Unfortunately for me, the book was already archived when I found it  which meant I couldn't request the ARC anymore. I was disappointed, but I hoped Id be able to get it somewhere later.

Fast forward several months. Halloween already forgotten, its the wintery goodness of the coming Christmas. And I find the Lantern on Amazon on a promotion  for free!

Gotta say, I was pretty happy. Id been looking forwardto reading this story for a while. There was just something about it.

After I downloaded it, it still spent a week or two on my Kindle. A book bloggers reading schedule can be quite messed up, as some of you might be aware! But yesterday I stumbled upon a fun project -the Baby Its Cold Outside Read-a-thon hosted by Read. Sleep. Repeat and decided to take part. Thats when I decided that it would be enough backlogging and pigeonholing  it was time to read the Lantern. And just as I had expected  it was wonderful!

First of all, Id recommend this to anyone who craves a warm, innocent story  especially those who love middle grade or childrens stories. YA readers could love this too, although Id still say it has a calmer tone than YA, although age-wise its definitely a fit.

As for the story itself, well  its a beautiful modern fairytale. It was meant as a Halloween read, but it works just as well as a Christmas read  its the time when we appreciate stories about love, caring and quiet, selfless magic. Its also perfect for snuggling up with some hot cocoa and marshmallows and reading away a cold evening  with emotions to match your warm cup. Especially because this is a short read as well! For most people, it will be a one-evening read.

I recommend it to anyone who wants something soothing and warm to read on a cold evening. Im quite curious about the other stories of Chess Desalls now!
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My Thoughts: I wanted to outright love Sea Of Shadows. So much, to give it 5 cupcakes.

I am giving it 4 cupcakes. I didn't love it as much as I wanted too.

We are introduced to sisters Moria and Ashlyn. They were marked at birth to become the Keeper and the Seeker on their sixteenth birthday.

I liked both girls! I think I may have liked Ashlyn a bit more though. She was the shyer one while Moria was outspoken and kind of loud in a way. I also loved their animals!!! At times I laughed at them and at times I wanted to cry for them.

Their quiet little hometown is ruined. Everyone is murdered and only a few people survive.

I also loved both love interests. Gavril and Ronan. They each looked out for the girls and wanted what was best for them. They were so different from one another but they both respected and liked their main girl.

So much happened in this one. It was hard to keep up at times but I flew through this book while reading. Each night before bed, Id start reading and not stop until I actually fell asleep. It did go pretty fast.

Moria and Ashlyn both have their own dilemmas to face and I liked the back and forth on the characters. One minute, we were reading about Moria, the next about Ashlyn and I liked that. It kept me entertained.

The reason I didn't give this one five cupcakes I guess is because even though I flew through it, and I liked it there were a few times I wanted to skip ahead. Some things didn't really interest me as much as I hoped.

I did enjoy this one and I cant wait to read the next in the series!

Overall: I loved Ashlyn a little bit more than Moria. And I loved Ronan a little more than Gavril so you can probably guess which chapters I enjoyed more. I liked Armstrong's writing. Im excited to see where the story goes next.

Cover:Like it but if I saw in a bookstore, not sure Id pick up or not. But since this was recommended to me, Im glad I did.

What Id Give It: 4/5 Cupcakes
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Taken From Princess Bookie
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All right everyone, last night I finished Night Demon by Lisa Kessler. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I first started the story for a couple of reasons. The first reason is it's a book two in a series. I know jumping into a middle of the series especially with a paranormal book can be trouble. However, I didn't feel that way. Granted it might have been beneficial to get the first book and novella of the story in too, but at the same time, I felt I could navigate the story without the first book and novella. I have say I did pretty good. YAY! I guess I should share with you what book kept me up really late.

First off, I started Night Demon Wednesday night. I was having a hard time getting into the story. Nothing that had to do with the story. Really, it just had been a long day and I just didn't feel like reading. Which was probably a good thing, because the next day I dived into Night Demon. Boy, I had a hard time putting it down, which is the reason for the late night. I would get to the point saying I need to go to bed, but the same time I got a point where I needed to know what happen next. Honestly, by the time I really needed go to sleep, I had a few chapters left and figure "oh what the heck, I'm almost done."

My first thought was intense. Night Demon was an intense read full a lot of information. I enjoyed the fact that it gave a different twist on vampires. With so many vampire stories out there it's really hard to put your on twist on night creatures, yet Ms. Kessler was able to do that in Night Demon.

To be honest, there is a lot that is going on in this story that I don't want to bog you all down with so many details. I love that we travel around the Yucatan trying to understand the ancient Mayan history about the Night Walkers. Then travel to San Diego to get more information and back to Yucatan. As you read this story you really feel like your there watching things as they happen. Gretchen Finch is one smart cookie. I have to say I really do like intelligent  heroine who are not afraid of danger. Boy does she find danger. Then you have Lukas Smith who wishes he could cure himself from being a Night Walker. Plus, he wants to keep Gretchen safe from the evil that lurks and possibly from him.

WOW, is all I can say about this book. Seriously, you feel the danger that lurks around you. At times I had to take a break from the book, because it was intense. Yes, it will give you that heart pounding excitement. Plus, Night Demon leaves aching to see what happens next. Now like the rest of you, I have to wait for the next book. So, if you are looking for excitement, danger and intrigue, I would suggest Night Demon.

review copy
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Dwellers of Darkness is the third book in the young adult/new adult paranormal fantasy series by Stacey Marie Brown. They really should be read in order. It is the story of Ember Brycin who has discovered that she is part fay and part demon and has unwillingly become embroiled in a battle between Light, the Seelie, and Dark, the Unseelie.
In this installment, Ember has returned from the Otherworld with her Mum Lily, who I found to be a rather unlikeable character for a mother, and with her best friend Kennedy, who is starting to play a significant role. Ember is back with the Dark Dwellers and moody, badass Eli who is marginally annoyed with her for having vanished for three years because time moves at a different pace on earth. I have to admit the repetitive arguing  sex  arguing  sex between Ember and Eli became a tad maddening at times. But Cal and Simmon, the two pixies, added some lovely humor to the story and have become my favorite characters alongside Eli, of course. For a while, there did not seem to be much happening plot-wise, but then the pace picked up and the plot moved forward and so, thankfully, did Ember and Elis relationship. Ember is determined to rescue her Dad and captive friends from the Seelie Queen. Together with a diverse group of friends, family, and foe, she sets off to find a sword that can kill the Queen. Due to the obvious foreshadowing, the developments at the end of the book were not as surprising as I would have liked. Dont get me wrong, I enjoyed listening to this, but it was not my favorite installment of the series. The story continues in Blood Beyond Darkness, which is the final part of this series, and I will definitely pick it up in the future.

Audiobook: Michelle Sparks continues her excellent performance of this series. She really brings these characters to life and gets all the emotion across in a wonderful manner. Her pacing is superb and she is a great fit for Ember. Excellent narration. There were no issues with the production quality.
Story 3.5 stars / Narration 5 stars
Audiobook provided for review by the audiobookreviewer dot com
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Title: Silver Mine

Series: Takhini Wolves bk 2

Author: Vivian Arend

Genre: Paranormal

 Life in isolation is the safest place for Chase Johnson, a crossbreed who doesn't know which form he'll assume next-cougar or wolf. Once a year, his unelected position as spokesman for the Yukon outcasts forces him to visit civilization. This time he runs across someone unexpected. She's not his mate, but she pushes all the right buttons.

It's taken years for Shelley Bradley to gather the courage to return to her home pack. In spite of being the lowest of the low-a shifter who can't shift-she's determined to make a place for herself as the Whitehorse locals' new vet-slash-doctor.

There's definite electricity between her and Chase, but sex with fellow shifters and the inherent mind games got old a long time ago. Ignoring him seems best. When he shows up at her office with a wound that won't heal, she's stuck-yet drawn to solve this medical mystery.

As they journey deep into outcast territory in search of answers, their powerful sexual attraction crumbles her resistance. But time is of the essence. If a cure can't be found before his human and cougar succumb to his injury, he-and others like him-will die.

Warning: Contains a silver-tongued, hairy-chested, lean-muscled Alpha who's got what it takes to lead in the wilderness and in the bedroom. Yeah, I know...not really much of a deterrent, is it? Throw in continuing territorial wars and a domestic cat. Stir and enjoy the chaos.

If you have never read a Vivian Arend you need to correct this immediately. Her books are full of interesting characters and a plot that makes perfect sense for them.

This is one series I do have to say that you do need to read the first book Black Gold to understand a huge portion of what is going on with Shelly's sister Caroline.

I have to admit there was absolutely nothing about this book I didn't like. From the first page to the last I was completely engaged and couldn't put the book down.

The story of Chase and Shelly is full of interesting characters, Frank a bear, Denton a cat, and Jones a wolf to name a few.

From the moment Chase and Shelly see each other the sexual tension between them is so hot it almost set my kindle on fire. When Shelly FINALLY gives into the attraction between her and Chase all I can say is beware because it's HOT!!

I wasn't sure how Viv was going to make a relationship between Chase, a loner who lives in the middle of nowhere Yukon and Shelly a vet who lives in town, but I should have trusted that she would come up with a way to make it work.

I love the scenes between Evan and Caroline. Evan is the Alpha of the Takhini pack and Caroline is Shelly's sister but also Evan's personal assistant and lover. I'm really hoping she keeps them together as they are such an interesting couple.

If you like unique and fun shifter stories then you need to read this series because it is so unique and fun. It's definitely one of my favorites!

Grade A+
Review by: Heather
[...]
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Title: The Girl I Used to Be
Author: April Henry
Published by: Henry Holt- Christy Ottaviano Books 5/03/16
Pages: 240
Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Cover: 4
Characters: 4
Writing: 5
Plot: 5
Swoon: 2.5
Overall: 4.1
The 411:
Olivia Reinhart has lived most of her life believing that her father was responsible for her mothers murder.  But fourteen years after her mothers death, Olivia finds out that her father was also murdered that same day.  Now Olivia is determined to find out who murdered her parents and why she was spared.
What We Loved:
Ive been an April Henry fan since Girl, Stolen so when I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it.  I think what I love most about Henrys writing, is that she wastes no time getting to the good stuff.
The Girl I Used to Be starts with Olivia finding out that her father was murdered.  For fourteen years she knew he killed her mother, but now she must come to terms with that misplaced anger.  She is set on finding out what really happened to her parents that fateful day.  Along the way she meets many suspicious characters from her parents past and some forgotten characters from her own.
I thought Olivia was a well-developed character.  She was wise and practical yet still a teenager.  Shes a character that you never stop rooting for.
I loved that the pace was fast, the story so intriguing, and even as the reveal was happening I was still surprised.  The Girl I Used to Be is the perfect suspenseful thriller for young adults.
UmNot So Much:
Olivias friend Duncan, sweet and loyal and not near enough page time.  I would have liked to see him with Olivia more.  But at the same time, I get that this isn't his story.  I just liked the swoony-ness that he was
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Plot: 8/10
Characters: 4/10
Setting: 6/10
Pacing: 8/10
Style: 6/10
Cover:  The cover caught my attention right away. I love the dark figures that give off a creepy vibe and the way they're positioned.
Total 32+50=82 (4 Stars)

  I was looking for something different than the predictable dystopian/paranormal books I had been reading lately.  Strangelets broke that streak for me.  I was entertained the whole time because I couldn't figure out how the characters would make it out alive.  And to my surprise some of them didn't!  It was so fast paced that it was like being on that roller coaster, Kingda Ka.  It shoots up on one high speed and then ends abruptly.  Right from the first page the adventure begins immediately which I loved, but the ending wrapped up a little to quickly for my liking.  I was really excited that this was a standalone because those are few and far between these days, but I thought that it should have had a more satisfying ending.  I wanted to know more, but maybe the author is planning a companion novel or something.
  Since this was definitely a more plot driven book, the characters kind of fell flat for me.  The only character I cared about was Declan because he had the most personality and Sophie a little bit too because she was sick.  Since we get the perspective from three characters it was kind of hard to connect with them.  But I absolutely loved that one of the characters turns out to not be who you think they are.  I didn't see that coming at all.
  The style of writing reminded me of City of Bones in that ever chapter ended in a cliffhanger and then switched perspective.  It made it impossible to put down because I just had to know what happened to the characters from two chapters previous.  I also loved the Science in this book.  I hadn't read any YA that had wormholes/portals that weren't fantasy or paranormal.  I liked that the characters came from all over the world too so I got a look into other cultures and settings.  Despite my struggles to connect emotionally with the characters, I was glad that they were realistic.  It wasn't like those scary movies where I'm screaming at the tv because the character does something stupid.

  Basically, if you're looking for a quick, dark, mysterious read with a pinch of Science Fiction you should definitely get this book.
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Review:

I love pandemic stories. Call it morbid fascination but to me pandemics really are the most likely scenario for global breakdown of society. The author Alex Adams paints a world slowly being ravaged by a disease called White Horse. This isn't your normal plague, no this one attacks at a genetic level. For those not immune from white horse they are left with two options either die miserably or suffer mutations that range from growing second hearts, scales, or even fins and that's if your lucky. Needless to say White Horse is unique all its own and is a disease I hope to never encounter in this lifetime.

One of the things I really appreciated about White Horse was the incredible world building. Through a series of flashbacks and flashforwards we get to see Zoe's life before, during, and after White Horse takes hold. While I could of done with less time jumping (sometimes it would happen 2-3x per chapter) I definitely appreciate all the details we get to see because of it. Now as much as I loved the world building it would be nothing without the incredible writing. To say this book was beautifully written wouldn't do it justice. Ms. Adams fine tuned the art of playing with emotions. I laughed, I cried, I raged in horror even but to her credit I couldn't stop reading. Like Zoe and the jar, I felt ominous tidings gnawing at the back of my brain demanding I read this in one sitting.

Speaking of the characters I love Zoe!! She is compassionate, smart, brave, and an eternal pillar of hope and goodness in a world that is quickly filled with much cruelty and depravity. Zoe is one of the nicest characters that I've had the pleasure getting to know in a long time and I truly hope this isn't the last we see of her in this series.

On the flipside I hated The Swiss probably as much or if not more than Zoe even did. What an awful human being he was which you know bad for the characters but a great villain for us to hate on. That being said OH MY GOODNESS the twist at the end involving his character took me by complete surprise, like damn I didn't see that one coming at all. Well played Alex Adams, well played indeed.

Overall I have to say that I loved this book. White Horse is one of the best pandemic based apocalyptic books I've read in a very long time. I will definitely be picking up Red Horse when it releases in August that's for damn sure!

I suppose the question that remains is Would I recommend White Horse? Yes, yes, I would. In fact, go buy it now I promise you won't be disappointed. In the end, I will be rating White Horse by Alex Adams . White Horse is definitely worth a read, worth your time, and completely worth the price!

*Read through Netgalley. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any which way for them.
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Review: LISTEN TO ME SPEAK TRILOGY by Victor Dark

I enjoyed this trilogy much more than the author's UNINVITED GUESTS TRILOGY (although I quite liked the first in that set). Quite possibly I liked this set better because I am far more comfortable with the supernatural than with household intruders. However, I also think the author shows promise of coming into his own. I liked the characters, enjoyed the plot, and found the neat interweaving of past and present quite exciting. Looking forward to the author's next appearance.
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Book Title: My Girl
Author: Jack Jordan
Series: None
Genres: Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Fiction
Date Read: 06/14/14
Pub Date: 07/04/16
5 STARS

Paige Dawson: the mother of a murdered child and wife to a dead man.

She has nothing left to live for until she finds her husbands handgun hidden in their house.

Why did Ryan need a gun? What did he know about their daughters death?

Desperate for the truth, Paige begins to unearth her husbands secrets.

But she has no idea who she is up against, or that her life isn't hers to gamble  she belongs to me.

I think its safe to say that this book is intoxicating, as I devoured it in about 2.5 hours after my kids went to bed. I kept saying Just one more chapter, then Ill put it down and get a good nights sleep. I honestly had every intention of just reading the first 5% or so, as I had been working on finishing a previous book that afternoon and wanted just a taste of what I was starting next. Clearly, Jack Jordan had other plans for me! I will be putting no quotes in this review and be touching on the plot as little as absolutely possible, because otherwise this is what my review would look like.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Ok, so first off, the less you know about the plot going into it the better. If you could even just pick this up without reading the summary, I would highly recommend doing so, even though that sounds ludicrous. This is one of those books that, the more people have read it, the less likely it will be to keep all the surprises from being spoiled, so jump on it ASAP! Yes, there is a majorly big, huge, GINORMOUS twist and it is NOT at the end of the book. I hate harping on big twists because then all you do while reading is search for the twist instead of enjoying the book as you read. There is a lot of punch packed in such a small book; some reviews have said it wasn't long enough to fully develop the characters, but I personally thought it was just enough. This is truly a dark book and Im not sure dragging it out would have made any improvements (IMO).

One thing I appreciated about the ending was how it was satisfying without being cookie cutter perfect. If you are the type who needs every single questions answered and nothing left open or to the imagination, this book is likely not for you. Also, if you have a weak stomach and cannot handle graphic violence and other major triggers involving sexual/physical abuse (think Karin Slaughter, Angela Marsons, Jeffrey Deaver, etc), this book is also not for you. It was addicting in a traumatic way-like a car accident on the side of the road. Its grisly, gruesome, and disgusting, but you are fascinated and cant seem to look away. I also appreciated the authors ability to write from a female standpoint; there was a particular scene where Paige is remembering her daughter and reminiscing on her scar from a cesarian section; it wholly made me reminisce on both of my daughters births and how I couldn't even fathom life after something happening to either one of them.

Im so sorry that this review is so vague, but I promise its for your benefit and I couldn't handle spoiling this for other readers before they even had the chance to experience this story for themselves. Highly recommended to the right reader!! So grateful for the chance to read this from the author!!

* I received an e-galley of this book from the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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***I do my reviews in the form of questions***

What made me pick this book up:
I had just finished The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry and I absolutely loved it. So I saw this one by her and decided to give it a try.

What did I like about the cover:
There's a lot I like about this cover, to be honest, the girl is absolutely beautiful, she has such striking beautiful eyes. It's just like a photo I would like to take. The thing I like the most is it looks like she's trying really hard to keep her head above the water, so she doesn't drown. Much like Olivia in the book, she feels as if she is going to drown from everything going on.

What made me read this book:
Like I said, I had already read one April Henry book and I fell in love, so I decided to try the second one. I actually read about this book first, a while back.

What did I like the most:
Oh goodness, there was so much I loved. I loved the mystery. I loved Nora and Duncan. The whole book had me wanting more and more until I could figure out who did it. I'm pretty sure I had that staring into space, mouth wide open look on my face quite often while listening to this. I also really like that it's a quick read. There was very little downtime, where there wasn't much going on. I didn't feel like there were many fillers, and for a good thriller/mystery, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

What didn't I like:
I have a love/hate relationship, mostly because I love not figuring the book out before we're supposed to. But at the same time, I just had to know. I think I didn't like not-knowing, but at the same time, I loved not knowing. There really wasn't anything I didn't like about this book.
Actually, there was one really sad part, that I hated. But I won't give it away.

Once again, another April Henry book that was well written, had a great story, great characters, lots of suspense. I absolutely loved it.
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*Book source ~ Purchased at Audible

Halloween is right around the corner and Chicago is experiencing some really weird things. Weird and bad. Murphy goes out of town for a little R&R and Harry gets sucked into the bad happenings in his town when Black Court vampire Mavra demands Harry bring her the Book of Kemmler or some incriminating photos of Murphy killing defenseless humans will be sent to the police. While looking for the book though Harry finds out something big and catastrophic is going down on Halloween night and its up to him to stop it. Since when is Harrys life ever easy?

My Guest Reviewers:

A ~ my 16-yr-old daughter
T ~ my 14-yr-old son
K ~ my 13-yr-old son

This series continues as a favorite. Everyone loves the magic and the humor as well as many of the characters. This book talks about necromancy and they enjoyed learning about how it works in the Dresden universe. The plot was a good one with twists, turns, new far-reaching plot points (such as about the War and info about the Erlking and the Wild Hunt) and imminent peril to Harry and it was extremely enjoyable to listen to. As far as narration goes, James Marsters has reached his stride and we would have a very hard time listening to another Dresden book if he wasn't narrating it.

Favorite characters besides Harry:
A ~ Ramirez, Bob and, of course, Mouse. She was disappointed Michael was not in this book.
T ~ Lasciel, Ramirez and Mouse
K ~ Sue and Mouse

Favorite moment:
A ~ Butters thought Harry was gay and theres a part towards the end with Bob and Sue that I won't mention due to spoiler avoidance
T ~ The whole part with Sue, Harrys threat to Mavra
K ~ The whole part with Sue

While there were many to choose from we whittled it down to a tie for favorite quote:

We are not going to die.
Butters stared up at me, pale, his eyes terrified. Were not?
No. And do you know why? He shook his head. Because Thomas is too pretty to die. And because Im too stubborn to die. I hauled on his shirt even harder. And most of all because tomorrow is Oktoberfest, Butters, and polka will never die.

What's with that?' Butters screamed, his voice high and frightened. 'Just covering his head with his arms? Didn't he see the lawyer in the movie?
1487819
Title: Every Other Day
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: Egmont USA
Number of Pages: 352
Date of Release: December 27th, 2011
Summary From Goodreads:

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . . She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human.

Review: I am a huge fan of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's writing and when I saw the summary for this novel, I literally could not wait to read this book! The cover is stunning and compliments the novel perfectly. Every Other Day brings a whole new concept to the paranormal genre and will leave fans of Jennifer's Raised by Wolves series begging for more.

I love everything about Kali, especially her name she shares with the goddess of destruction. It was intriguing watching her be the predator one minute and prey the next. It led to a lot of character analysis that really gets the reading thinking about what makes Kali tick. To not give anything away I will just say that I loved all the minor characters as well, because they all brought another element specific to them to the story that had me laughing and crying.

While at first glance the world Kali lives in is very similar to what we know of today. As we delve deeper in the story we see that while there are many similarities, there are some key things that changed in the past that have led to major repercussions on this new world. I found this world to be shocking yet I found that it could have been entirely possible in this day. That is what pretty much made the novel the fact that the setting was so believable.

I highly recommend this novel to my readers. If you like novels with wild twists and turns, and action Every Other Day is the novel for you.
4144510
Title: Sneaking Candy
Author: Lisa Burstein
Rating: 

I wasn't sure if Sneaking Candy would be my cup of tea. I love a good plot and Sneaking Candy could have gone either way. There were parts that I skimmed over a bit, but for the most part, I enjoyed this novel. There was a good story and the characters are well written.

Candice is trying to make a name for herself as a writer at the University of Miami. She's working hard to be what Professor Dylan thinks a legitimate writer is. She's already made a name for herself writing as Candy Sloane, self-publishing erotic novels in her spare time. If the university found out about her secret writing life, her scholarship would be placed in jeopardy and she'd lose the respect of Professor Dylan.

James is the guy that threatens everything Candice has worked for. He's a student in one of her discussion classes and a favorite of Professor Dylan. That doesn't stop Candice from trying to find a relationship balance with him, though. She's unsure of how to move forward with him while not risking what she's worked for.

The main plot of the story was wonderful. There's drama and tense moments, interwoven with moments of humor and sweetness. It was interesting to read as Candice and Candy started to collide in the real world and I wanted to know how Candice would handle everything. She places a lot of pressure on herself, both academically and as a self-published writer, holding herself to a high standard. Amanda, the best friend, works hard to make sure Candice still has fun when she can.

James was sweet and made me laugh. He had a sense of humor that is hard to pull off. There's a dry and sarcastic wit to him that I loved. He's not afraid of the rules, choosing to look at life as the big picture and find ways around the rules that are only temporary.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. There were parts that weren't really my cup of tea, but they don't overwhelm or overpower the rest of the novel. This isn't a deep, make you examine your life kind of book, but it's a book you'll want to pick up when you just want something light and fun to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled publishers for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.