Review: Broken Skies by Theresa Kay

SYNOPSIS

Thirty years ago, civilization collapsed. Few survived.

Ten years ago, the aliens arrived…and stayed.

One year ago, I killed two men and went a little crazy.

Today, the aliens took my brother and I will do anything to get him back.

In seventeen-year-old Jax Mitchell's world, humans are nearly extinct and alien settlers have arrived.

Until recently, the E’rikon have remained segregated in their city and ignored the few humans who have tried to engage them… but now they have taken Jax’s brother. To rescue him, she forms an uneasy alliance with a teenage E’rikon left stranded in the woods. She agrees to guide him to the city if he sneaks her past the human-proof barrier. Too bad it’s not that simple.

Jax, who cannot stand to be touched, finds that she’s drawn to the alien boy with bright green hair and jewel-like scales on his back. And he’s equally affected by her, the courageous redhead with haunted eyes. But she doesn’t know the alien’s true motives and he has no idea that she is much more than she seems.

With the aliens and the humans at odds, the connection forming between the two teens has consequences. What started off as a rescue mission sets a chain of events in motion which threatens not only the remaining humans and the growing alien society, but Earth itself.

Book 1

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1JsGsrd 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NQKo9j

Book 2 

(releasing 9/18/15)

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1hDwoG5

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1U3rKSM

5 STARS

 *I was given this book in exchange for my honest review.* 

 Oh holy whoa! If I could give this book eleventy bajillion stars, I would!!

   

 This review is probably going to be a big jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions because I can never coherently express my feelings about books I love hardcore. Broken Skies is in my top 10 books of 2015. It is that good. The writing style is brilliant. I swear I could feel everything Jax was feeling. I lost count how many times my heart raced while reading this book. I don't recall ever having that type of an experience. It was like I was living Jax's life.

   

 Jax was an amazing female lead. She was determined, loyal, vulnerable, smart, honest, and tragic. She suffers from frequent, horrible panic attacks and terrifying nightmares, and she doesn't like any form of physical contact (aside from her brother & occasionally from Flint, her brother's best friend). Every time she had an episode, my heart ached for her. 

  I'm just a broken girl who inadvertently managed to keep you alive.

Lir was just...swoon. 

  "I think this is the first time I have seen you speechless," Lir says with laughing eyes. "Had I only known, I would have removed my shirt sooner."

 "You are everything I was taught humans were not." 

 "Because I fell for you before I knew what you were. Even when you were just a stupidly brave girl waving a knife at me, I knew that you were special. Are you going to deny that you felt it, too?"

 

 And let me just touch on the ending....

 

 

 I have no idea how I'm supposed to wait for the next book. Yes I know it's due out in 25 days, but that's 25 days too long.

 

Review: Catch Me When I Fall by Vicki Leigh

SYNOPSIS

In 1814, at the age of seventeen, Daniel Graham sacrificed himself to save another. Recruited at his death to be a Protector of the Night, he has spent 200 years as a Dreamcatcher, guarding humans from Nightmares—clawed, red-eyed creatures that feed off people’s fears while they sleep. He’s become one of the best, but he wants nothing more than to stop. 

Then he’s given an assignment to watch over sixteen-year-old Kayla Bartlett, a clinically depressed patient in a psychiatric ward. Nightmares love a human with a tortured past. Yet, when they take a deep interest in her, appearing in unprecedented numbers, the job becomes more dangerous than any Daniel’s ever experienced—because someone with the power to control the monsters seems to want her dead.

Driven by his growing feelings for her, he whisks her away to Rome where others like him can keep her safe. Under their roof, the Protectors discover what Kayla is and why someone who can manipulate Nightmares has her in his sights. But before they can make a move, the Protectors are betrayed and Kayla is kidnapped. Daniel will stop at nothing to save her. Even if it means giving up his immortality.

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1BcSEsB

Amazon: (Only 99 cents!!) 

http://amzn.to/1KIQWDL

 5 STARS

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

    

I LOVED this book! I loved everything about it. Everything. It has romance, action, twists and turns, a strong and likable heroine, and a swoon-worthy hero. Another reviewer likened this book to the same vibe as The Mortal Instruments series, and I totally agree! This was definitely a 'read in one sitting' book, but alas, I kept getting interrupted with being an adult. My husband kept coming up with all these errands we needed to run. I don't think he realized how closely he toed the line between life and death, LOL.

   

I received a teaser card for book 2 with my paperback that had the synopsis on it, and holy potatoes, Batman! I was already crazy excited for book 2 once I finished book 1, but that synopsis pushed me over the edge into full-on freak out fangirl mode. I neeeeeed book 2, pretty please!!!

 

Review: Dead Over Heels by Alison Kemper

SYNOPSIS

The end of the world just might be their perfect beginning... Glenview, North Carolina. Also known-at least to sixteen-year-old Ava Pegg-as the Land of Incredibly Boring Vacations. What exactly were her parents thinking when they bought a summer home here? Then the cute-but-really-annoying boy next door shows up at her place in a panic...hollering something about flesh-eating zombies attacking the town. At first, Ava's certain that Cole spent a little too much time with his head in the moonshine barrel. But when someone-or something-rotted and terrifying emerges from behind the woodpile, Ava realizes this is no hooch hallucination. The undead are walking in Glenview, and they are hungry. Panicked, Ava and Cole flee into the national forest. No supplies, no weapons. Just two teenagers who don't even like each other fighting for their lives. But that's the funny thing about the Zombpocalypse. You never know when you'll meet your undead end. Or when you'll fall dead over heels for a boy...

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1HUTCfz

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1E4cUnN

5 STARS

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

Oh. My. Hail. I LOVED this book so hard!

 

 

This book had everything...romance, action, tons of humor, zombies, and a satisfying ending. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun and laughed repeatedly while reading a book. There's one scene that I go back and read, just for giggles.

 

 

 I loved this book so much. I read it in one sitting and I can't wait to get my hands on book 2!!

 

Review: Cupid by Jade Eby & Kenya Wright

I freaking love this cover!!

SYNOPSIS

The papers call him Cupid. 

The masked man who’s murdered five. 

His specialty is in broken love and he shows no signs of stopping what he does best: killing. 

Diana Carson is determined to find out who Cupid really is with the financial backing from millionaire, Asher Bishop. 

Together, they’ll embark on a journey to find Cupid, but can they do it before they destroy each other? And is the hunt worth the kill?

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1Pl0KYo

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NiOppP

4 STARS

*I was given a copy of this book 

in exchange for an honest review.* 

Cupid was a wildly entertaining read. It was full of intrigue and drama. We find out Cupid's identity early on, and at first I thought that was a mistake, but it just added to the story. It kept me flipping pages late into the night.

   

 The best way to describe it is:

   

  plus

plus

 

 (minus the cannibalism) 

I took off one star because the book needs a detailed run through with an editor. There were quite a few misuses of commas and a few misspelled words, but it didn't distract me from the story. 

 The ending was just....whoa.  

I can't wait to get the next book!

Review: The Book of Bart by Ryan Hill

SYNOPSIS

Working for the man upstairs stinks, but working with Samantha, an angel in training? Offensive! 

Only one thing is so powerful, so dangerous that Heaven and Hell must work together to find it: the Shard of Gabriel. 

With a mysterious Black Cloud of Death hot on the shard’s trail, a desperate Heaven enlists the help of Bartholomew, a demon who knows more about the shard than almost anyone. Six years ago, he had it in his hands. If only he’d used it before his coup to overthrow the Devil failed. Now, he’s been sprung from his eternal punishment to help Samantha, an angel in training, recover the shard before the Black Cloud of Death finds it. 

If Bart wants to succeed, he’ll have to fight the temptation to betray Samantha and the allure of the shard. After an existence full of evil, the only way Bart can get right with Hell is to be good.

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1MuYq1A

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IYBPbk

5 STARS

Another solid 5 stars for Mr. Hill! 

Bart has now surpassed Crowley as my favorite resident of Hell. He possesses a surplus of snark, smokes way too much, and has an insatiable desire for virgins.

 

The story is action packed, fast paced, and tons of fun. I couldn't put the book down and would get all pouty when I had to stop reading and participate in real life.

   

If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman's Good Omens, then you'll enjoy The Book of Bart! Trust me...just read it.

 

Review: Chasing Forgiveness by Tia Silverthorne Bach

SYNOPSIS

When terror strikes, forever altering your life, it doesn’t ask permission or forgiveness.

Madeleine and Amélie’s quiet lives are ripped apart by a creature they never imagined could exist outside a horror story. Their mother is murdered, their father is missing, and the only safe haven is with a family full of secrets. But rescue comes at a price.

Ripped from the light of youth, the sisters are forced into the shadows—where they meet brothers Rafe and Rowan.

It’s not the time for infatuation or love, but the heart rarely listens to reason. 

Now, the young women have decisions to make. Will they be able to achieve their unified goal of stopping evil, or will it consume them from the inside out? 

They soon learn some choices can’t be undone.

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1TKxs6P

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IV3yK8

4.5 STARS

I read Chasing Forgiveness during the Booktube-a-thon. It fulfilled the challenge of "read a whole book without letting go of it"...literally. I really enjoyed this novella. It was a little confusing at first with the jumping back and forth between the girls' POVs, but once I got the hang of their individual voices, then it was smooth sailing.

   

 Madeline was the strong and brave sister, whereas Amelie was the sweet and understanding one. Towards the end, I felt sorry for Amelie. I hoped we would get a more detailed look at Rowan's character but since this is a prequel novella, I'm sure he gets more attention in the subsequent novels (which I haven't read YET). Rafe was downright scary. I got a weird vibe from him from the beginning and gave myself a pat on the back that my instincts were right.

   

 This was my first book by Tia Silverthorne Bach and I really enjoyed her writing style. I hope to continue this series in the near future.

 

Review: Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand

SYNOPSIS

Everyone is exactly like me. There is no one like me.

Ven wrestles with these contradicting truths every day. A clone of wealthy eighteen-year-old Raven Rogen, Ven knows everything about the girl she was created to serve: the clothes she wears, the boys she loves, the friends she loves to hate. Yet she’s never met the Authentic Raven face-to-face. 

Imitations like Ven only get to leave the lab when they’re needed—to replace a dead Authentic, donate an organ, or complete a specific mission. And Raven has never needed Ven . . . until now.

When there is an attack on Raven’s life, Ven is thrust into the real world, posing as Raven to draw out the people who tried to harm her. But as Ven dives deeper into Raven’s world, she begins to question everything she was ever told. She exists for Raven, but is she prepared to sacrifice herself for a girl she’s never met?

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1Ps4KH1 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TH72I8

4.5 STARS

Oh my goodness. This book surpassed all of my expectations. It follows the story of Ven. She's a carbon copy, grown in a test tube, made to serve her Authentic, Raven Rogen (aka wealthy human), in any way she may be needed; whether it be to stand in for her if she falls ill, if she dies, or even to donate an organ. She's been alive for 5 years but has never set foot outside of her training facility, called Twig City. When an attempt is made on Raven's life, Ven is brought in to take her place and be used as bait to draw out Raven's attackers. Being outside Twig City isn't anything Ven expected it to be. She's overwhelmed at first but she adapts quickly.

I really liked Ven. She was easy to relate to and her emotions and reactions to situations were so real. She's been coached her entire existence that she is different from humans, that she isn't capable of experiencing human emotions, but she can. She's confused and hesitant to put her life on the line for someone she has never met. The mistakes she made, made her seem real. 

Linc...oh my goodness. *swoons* Linc was amazing. He was perfect. I kept picturing Tyler Hoechlin as Linc. So dreamy! He could be a stubborn butt at times but he always had Ven's best interest at heart. 

Imitation was action packed and left me wanting for more. I knocked off half a star because it ended a bit abruptly for me and I was really disappointed that the last 20-30 pages were just previews of other books. Publishers! Please stop doing this. We readers get lured into a false sense of security that we still have a few more chapters left in our books only to be let down. Blargh! Anyway, if you're looking for a book that you won't be able to put down, that has equal parts romance and action/suspense, I highly recommend giving Imitation a go. I can't wait to get my hands on books 2 and 3!