Paperclip Ring, Epic Declaration, Love it!

Champion by Marie Lu (Legend #3)

My heart is beating so fast, my blood pressure is building up, my breathing is getting faster and faster, why?  Because this book is incredible.  Can you get everything that you want out of a book?  I wasn’t so sure when I started this series, but as I read on, I had my doubts, but as I closed the last page of Champion, Marie Lu exceeded my expectations and blew my mind.  I think the reason that I’m so shocked by how this trilogy ended is because I felt throughout the first two books that it was exceptionally predictable.  I knew what was going to happen as I turned every page and then, boom!  The ending took me by complete surprise.  The last book was by far my favorite.  First of all, I cried.  A lot!  June, who was not my favorite point of view character developed a soft spot in my heart as her character changed and grew.  Of course, Day is the champion of this book and the audiences heart.  He is a smooth talker, charismatic, and soft hearted all things that book enthusiasts like me look for in a book crush.  And of course, Anden is pretty great himself.  I was secretly pulling for him to win June’s heart even though I knew that would never happen.

The last 2 or 3 chapters of this book, I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat.  Once the war began, I was lost in this dystopian world where Marie Lu has changed our attitude and heart right along with her stellar characters.  At the beginning I was right there with Day.  I would have been in the street with my painted red streak and literally dying for his honor.  I also would have jumped behind Anden when he told me to and jumped to arms when he directs the people to defend their country. 

The actual last chapter I read so fast to get to the end.  I thought perhaps the book would end with the second to last chapter, but when I saw we were getting one more chapter ten years later I breathed a breath of relief for the end was not the end.  Now the hope and possibilities are endless. 

Who doesn’t love an ending like that?  Paperclip ring and all!  “I’ve been searching a long time for something I think I lost.” Oh Day (sigh).

One random thought before I go… How did Eden recognize June first?  Wasn’t he blind the entire time he knew June?  Just a thought.  Maybe he googled her while he was in Antarctica.  This question I assume will not be answered, but I wasn’t upset by it at all.    

I know this blog was random neurons firing, but hopefully you enjoyed it.  Read this series!  Keep Reading my Friends!

Rome is Home, but Not Really Back.

Rome (Marked Men #3) by Jay Crownover

I enjoyed Rome and I thought Jay did a wonderful job writing about what this particular soldier went through after coming home from fighting in a war.  We met Rome in the first book in the Marked Men Series, Rule.  Rome is Rule’s older brother.  He was always the protector of the twins and he even joined the military in order to protect them on a larger scale, to keep America Free.

Cora is a great character, we get to know her a little in Rule and a lot more in Jet.  She lives with Jet and Ayden and she has a smart mouth and she seems to keep everything in the Marked tattoo shop running, she also does the piercings and she has a loud mouth, did I already say that?  That seems to be her biggest and greatest quality.   That’s why she and Rome seem to mesh, because he seems to always get in the last word and over powers her large personality. 

I have enjoyed this series a lot.  I hate to even say this, but I feel that I must.  I found so many typos in Rome.  Just the use of the wrong word here and there.  I was able to easily overlook it and keep reading because Jay writes her characters for us to fall in love with them. 

I have recommended this book and the entire series to people that I think would enjoy them.  As always with New Adult genre, only eighteen and older should read these books.  I hope you read a book you love soon!  Keep Reading my Friends!

Rock-n-Roll is in Jet's Blood!

Jet (Marked Men #2) by Jay Crownover

Did I mention in my Rule blog that I now really want a tattoo?  I have wanted one for quite some time, but after reading Rule and Jet, I want one real bad.  Not anything big or attention grabbing, that isn’t my personality.  The problem is that I can’t make up my mind what I want.  Lots of book nerds get words of their favorite author on their body, that is not me.  At least not yet.  Then others put animals or designs, gosh there are so many options that I have no idea where to start.  So for right now I will go without.  Until I find exactly what I’m looking for, I won’t have one and I’ll keep reading books about guys and girls that have tattoos and I’ll love every minute of it. 

We met Ayden Cross as Shaw’s roommate in Rule the first Marked Men novel.  She’s fun and interesting and smart.  We also met Jet Keller, the rocker of the group who is dark and dangerous and has really descriptive eyes that tell you what he’s thinking without opening his mouth.  So far in the series Jet is the confident one, he knows who he is.  There is no identity crisis there, he wears his tight purple pants and his band t-shirts extra-smedium and he is head over heels in love with Ayden. 

I have never been a huge fan of multiple points of view within a book, it’s hard for me to keep reading when I get to a character that isn’t my favorite.  So, here’s the answer to that dilemma, love both characters and you won’t get stuck.  That’s how it’s been so far with the Marked Men series.  I love the guys POV just as much as the girls and therefore I read them pretty fast because I can’t wait to see what the other person is thinking. 

I loved to see what Rule and Shaw were up to and glad to get to know Cora and the rest of the gang better throughout the book, I can’t wait to see what’s going on with Rome and Cora.  And Rowdy?  I can’t wait for his book, he seems like the cream of the crop, let’s hope he doesn’t disappoint. 

Something I noticed that Miss Crownover did in this book was the use of inanimate objects.  I love it when an author says that a character can smell something that doesn’t smell or hit you with something that’s not possible.  In Jet, Ayden is having a very hard time after some drama takes place and Shaw is worried that Ayden is going to beat Loren (a girl that works at the bar with them) with her own stupidity.  Brilliant!  I love it!

I did catch a few typos, but it didn’t distract me from the plot and I still loved the book and the characters!

I highly recommend this to the 18 year and older reader out there.  With almost all New Adult books I cannot condone any young reader to pick this one up.  Although Jay does a great job of keeping the language to a minimum and I appreciate that. 

I can’t wait to start reading Rome!  Keep Reading my Friends!

Team Maxon 4-Eva!

The Elite (A Selection Novel) by Kiera Cass

To become a princess, not only become a princess, but to marry the Prince in a rush of a fairytale… competition?  Wait, what’s romantic about competing with other women for the chance to marry the Prince of Illea?  Well if you are asking me, there is not much about it that sounds remotely romantic… until we meet Maxon Shreave, who can melt your heart with his words and make you want to scratch his eyes out with his actions.  There is not a fiber in my being that wants Aspen to be the man of America Singer’s dreams but I was about ready for America to quit the contest and become a nun when Maxon was enjoying Celeste’s company, I was seeing red, to the point that I thought that maybe the ink of the book was written in red.  

I have to admit that there are not a lot of plot twists in this series, I have not been caught off guard, I am very wary of Maxon’s actions and cautious of what he is saying to the other girls.  Actually, what is he saying to the other contestants? 

Either way, with or without plot twists, the story is good.  I could not put the book down and I felt passionately about slapping America at one point, I wanted to turn Aspen in for his treason, and I wanted to knee Maxon in the groin, again.  I actually missed Maxon in this book compared to The Selection.  I assumed that we would see more of him, but he seemed a little MIA and there was way too much Aspen.  Why do I dislike Aspen so much?  Maybe it’s just that in the comparison to Maxon it’s like apples and rotten oranges.  I don’t care how much he loves her, I don’t care how long they have known each other, any man that puts his wants and desires before her safety is not going to win any points in my book, i.e. she would be killed for treason if they get caught in what they are doing behind closed doors. 

The only problem is that when I finished this book and the next book didn’t come out for 10 days, which was torture, I would rather it be a year than just a few days.  What a great series!  I hope you pick it up and love it as much as I did!  A great young adult read that I can feel good about recommending to any reader!  Keep reading my Friends!

A Little Peak at the Bad Aliens

Obsession (In the Obsidian Family) by Jennifer Armentrout

A standalone book that directly links back to the Obsidian universe.  This was an excellent Adult book by Armentrout that gave us a great look into the Arum and what they are like.  I loved Hunter, what a great male lead character, bad boy falling for the naïve girl that has no idea what’s going on around her and how much danger she is actually in.  Serena meets her best friend Mel at a bar and hears the craziest story she has ever heard.  Her friend saw her boyfriend and his brother glow, like a light bulb, like they aren’t human.  Well the story quickly progresses and Serena has to be protected by Hunter, an Arum that works for the Department of Defense.  Until they change their mind, but only after Hunter has started feeling something for Serena, which makes his task of killing her sort of a problem.

In this book we also get to see Daemon for a split second and we see Luc and more of what his role in the overall Obsidian world.   

The Obsidian books are young adult, there are some spots that I wouldn’t recommend for younger readers, but as a whole they are wholesome enough for most readers.  Obsession is an adult book with adult content and I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone younger than 18. 

I am glad that I read this book and got this side of the story.  I think it will be important in the next Obsidian book because I think Hunter is going to show back up in that story as well.  We’ll see. 

Keep Reading my Friends!

Marcus breaks Bro-Code for Low

Because of Low (Sea Breeze #2) by Abbi Glines

I have read several of Abbi Glines books so far and Because of Low is right up there with my favorite of her books thus far.  My friend Jill-Bud recommended this book to me a couple of years ago when Glines first published it.  She told me how much she loved it and how great the story was.  I Put it on my goodreads list and over the last few years my ever growing “To be Read” pile let me forget this book and the author until Barnes and Nobles had an ebook sale Breathe (the first Sea Breeze novel) for $1.99 and I decided to buy it and fell in love with Abbi Glines and loved the beginning of the Sea Breeze series.  I’ve also read the Too Far series and was introduced to Rush and you can find those blogs on the right hand side of my homepage. 

We first meet Marcus Hardy in Breathe where he falls for Sadie White and poor Marcus gets his heart broken because Sadie is in love with Jax Stone, Rock Idol Extraordinaire.  Marcus was sweet and thoughtful and apparently gorgeous, even if Sadie didn’t fall for him she still thought he was hot.  In Because of Low we find Marcus has moved back to Sea Breeze from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to help his mom and sister with some family problems.  He moves in with Cage York, a womanizer who he barely knows.  One night Willow steps into his apartment waiting for Cage but Marcus is quickly corrected about his assumption that she is not just one of Cage’s one night stands, because Cage has staked his claimed on Low, she is his future wife. Marcus tries to stay away from Low in order to uphold Bro-code, but as he gets to know her and Cage is never home, they start to have these sweet moments and fall for each other.  There was quite a bit of foreshadowing with Marcus promising never to hurt or leave Low.  At that point the reader can assume that something crazy is going to happen.  I guessed what the crazy twist in the story was pretty early on, but I enjoyed Glines taking me on the Marcus/Low journey regardless. 

I look forward to reading more Sea Breeze books and see what becomes of Cage in the next book.  What is your favorite Abbi Glines book?  I can’t wait to see what happens in Grant’s books. 

As always I can’t recommend New Adult books to anyone under 18 (or in the state of Alabama, 19).

Keep Reading my Friends!

Who Would Have Thunk It? I Liked Reid In the End!

Here Without You (Between the Lines #4) by Tammara Webber

Dori and Reid are a couple, but of course not just a normal couple because he’s a super star and she is a good girl and also a nobody.  Of course no book can be readable without a plot twist, and River was the plot twist of Here Without You.  River is going to change everything for everyone.  You just have to read it to find out what’s happening.   

While finishing this book, I got incredibly sad because I was not ready for this series to be over.  I enjoyed the characters and the stories within all four books.  I cannot believe that I ended up loving Reid.  Who saw that coming?  Not I!   But by the end, I was so ready for Dori and Reid to be together and to live happily ever after! 

I was a little upset when I saw the title and the cover of the fourth book.  I didn’t want to be without anyone!  Well, maybe Brooke, she got on my nerves.  But as I began this series, I assumed that  Emma and Reid were going to be the main characters throughout and when I saw that cover and title, I was fearful that Emma was going to die.  Spoiler alert, she doesn’t.  Then as I was reading I was fearful that something was going to happen to Dori, anyway, whether something happens or not, I enjoyed Here Without You and didn’t want the book to end.

If I had one complaint it would be that the end felt a little rushed (or again, maybe I didn’t want it to end).  I was surprised by River’s reaction to Reid’s tear.  I just wouldn’t assume that there would be such a quick response to a male in River’s life.  But I’m not the creator of this world so therefore, I just read it, enjoyed it and longed for more.

I loved the entire Dori and Reid relationship.  I loved that she brought out the best of him and changed his perception of himself.  I loved how she told him that she loved him (finally!) and I loved the conversation between Dori and Reid’s mother. 

I’m not sure what else to talk about except, Thank you Tammara Webber, can’t wait to read Breakable! (Blogger Side Note: I read this book many months ago and did not post the blog.  I have read Breakable and LOVED IT!  Tammara Webber, I have read all of your books and can't wait for you to give your fans more!)

Keep Reading my Friends!