Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Black Ice - Becca Fitzpatrick


Title: Black Ice
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Synopsis from Goodreads:   
Danger is hard to resist in this sexy thriller from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Brit Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants;but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there and in uncovering this, she may become the killer's next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

Black Ice is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick's riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous.

Five Line Book Review:
Black Ice was a wonderful YA Suspense novel.  I was entranced with this book from the very start, and was getting irritable because I wasn’t finding time to finish it (my poor husband can attest to this).  Although I found the “mystery” of the novel easy to predict, the journey was the entertainment of the book.  I also enjoyed how Britt’s character was perceived completely differently by every person she interacted with, and feel that this is a testament to her being whoever she needed to be to fit the scenario, however it is ironic that the person she was when she was lost in the woods with Mason was probably the best picture of who she is when she is allowed to reach her full potential.   On one hand, this book was pretty different from the Hush, Hush series Becca Fitzpatrick wrote previously, however the elements of the ‘bad-boy’ guys she writes are definitely still present in this book!

Rated:  PG-13, Some violence, mild cussing
Genre: Young Adult - Romance, Suspense
Rating:  5 Stars


Saturday, March 28, 2015

Doves for Sale - Lila Felix


Author: Lila Felix
Synopsis from Goodreads:   
“Love isn’t crazy. Love isn’t a degree of insanity. Love is sanity at its purest. It forces your soul to make a rational choice—a choice to make another person’s happiness your priority, to allow them access to your heart and soul. Letting Ezra go was choosing to love him. Letting him go was the best way you knew how to choose his joy over your own. I can see it in both of you. This love isn’t one that will go down without a fight.” 

Seven months is a long time to wait.
Ezra has three goals. There is no choice. He has to get better, for himself and for Aysa.
Except, his best friend Roman has moved in in his absence. He’s given Ezra’s girl a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, and a fighting chance at winning her heart.
Aysa knows who her heart belongs to.
But loving Ezra is no easy task.
Ezra never promised simple, he only promised his heart.
Aysa has two paths in front of her, one carries peace and one carries a love that never ends.

Five Line Book Review:
Doves for Sale is what I would call a ‘big goofy grin book,’ as that is what was on my face for nearly the entire thing; I loved the fun-ness between Ezra and Aysa, yeah their lives are still pretty crazy (who’s isn’t, really?) and they still had stuff to work through, but I was just in love with these characters getting back together and finding some stability and trust between them.  Then there was the new relationship between Knox and Aysa, and their banter that at times had me laughing out loud – he is my new favorite supporting character….at least for this month.  While this book didn’t have as much conflict as Sparrows for Free, it provided that “sigh” worthy HEA that I love.  I truly did love this book and do recommend it, however you must read Sparrows for Free first, or else it will feel a bit lacking – the hardest parts of Ezra and Aysa’s story can be found in the first book.  While this book had some difficulties of it’s own, it wasn’t nearly as heavy nor, thankfully, as melancholy.

Rated: PG-13  
Genre: New Adult - Romance
Rating:  4 Stars



Sunday, March 22, 2015

Release Day: Burnt Devotion - Rebecca Ethington



Barnes & Nobles: http://bit.ly/157aTGB
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1KZoDV6


Burnt Devotion, Book 5 in the Imdalind Series. Dawn of Ash - the previously announced book five has now been moved to book 6. Yes! An extra book. If you have been waiting for the next installment of The Imdalind Series this is the book you have been waiting for!

--

It was supposed to be the final battle, the one to end Edmund’s line, his life, and free the magic Edmund had taken from the world. That was how it was foreseen. The end of the battle that has raged for centuries, unbeknownst to the mortals around them, the battle that would end with Joclyn’s death.

But it did neither.

The battle still reigns, Joclyn still lives, and the sight that was given eight hundred years ago is broken.

And it’s not the only one.

Sights that were once thought infallible have become nothing more than scattered glass, with broken pieces shattering into incorrect visages. Sain clings to the magic that he knows to be true, but there is something else, something that he is not saying. And what he does say is no longer adding up.

Something is wrong.

Ilyan and his people move through the caves, following a sight they hope to be correct, fleeing a battle that should have been the end while the battle within each of them grows with each step.

Ryland fights the monsters his father has infected him with.

Wynifred fights the confusion of who she is.

Dramin fights to live.


Prague may not survive this battle, it may be ripped to shreds… or burned to ashes.


  Rebecca Ethington is a story teller and author from Salt Lake City, Utah. She has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then in stage with years of theatrical performances. Rebecca’s first stint into the world of literary writing, The Imdalind Series, was released in October 2012 and since its release each book has been found in several top 100 lists on Amazon. Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her crazy family.













Sunday, March 15, 2015

Dethroning Crown - Lila Felix


Author: Lila Felix
Synopsis from Goodreads:   
Number ten is plastered on his team jersey and on his ego. In his own mind, Crown Sterling is the shit. He dates the prettiest women, he dominates on the soccer field, he pours money out of his pockets like it’s water. Until a debilit

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

The Winner's Curse & The Winner's Crime - Marie Rutkoski


Title: The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy - Book 1)
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Synopsis from Goodreads:   
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Five Line Book Review:
Once again, what I am loving most about a book is the fact that the main character, Kestrel, is not this all perfect/powerful person;  while she’s smart and cunning, she is decisively not good at combat despite being a famous general’s daughter, and the things she loves most are not valued in her culture.  The Winner’s Curse focused a lot on strategy and games, but the beautifully woven words that developed the relationship between Kestrel and Arin created some of the best pictures of a budding  affection between our two points of view.  I loved that the book wasn't exactly an insta-love type attraction, but something that developed over time, and still has places to go.  The world and society that Marie Rutkoski builds are made up yet so very believable; the hatred and prejudices on both sides of the spectrum mixed with those who realize value in all people, and respect for their culture make this story so well rounded and easy to love.

Rated:  PG
Genre: Young Adult 
Rating:  5 Stars



Title: The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy - Book 2)
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Synopsis from Goodreads:   
Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

Five Line Book Review:
I am the worst when it comes to the 2nd book of a series; it’s the book that I love to hate because it’s not the introduction, where you get to know the characters and establish the foundation of the world/story (which is kind of my favorite part) nor do you get to find out the end result.  It’s exactly what it is; the stuff in the middle – there’s typically action, but it’s not the explosion of events you would get at a conclusion, and since you already “know” the characters – well it’s just a lot of in-between and tension that is left unresolved.  The Winner’s Crime is no exception, it is the moving board between what is going on, and what is going to happen; and while I did enjoy Kestrel's devotion to Arin in her own way, and I absolutely love the word pictures that Marie Rutkoski draws especially in the area of Kestrel and Arin's relationship, I was frustrated beyond belief at Kestrel's avoidance of him and inability to simply tell the truth.  In the end, this entire book was about the divide between her desire to make her father proud and the desire to help the guy she loves – and the consequences of both.  The Winner’s Crime was a good book – but it was the 2nd book of a series and I want more, bring on Book 3!

Rated:  PG
Genre: Young Adult
Rating:  4 Stars

Monday, March 9, 2015

Sparrows for Free - Lila Felix


Author: Lila Felix
Synopsis from Goodreads:   
There are skeletons in every closet. Some stay quiet—and some rule your soul with an iron fist.

Ezra is ruled by the ghosts of his past—and needled by the guilt they create. Not only does he have to manage his own guilt—his friends are forced to bear the weight as well. He lives in limbo, never dreaming of anything that lies beyond the grave.
In his mind, he’s a murderer, pure and simple.

Hide and seek is Aysa’s game. She begs for small spaces and empty places. But, she secretly desires so much more.
When they find each other, a hope for something new is sprung.
But Ezra’s skeletons are out for blood.

“I hide shock well. I’m a pro at hiding. I have no idea that whatever he had to tell me would be so personal—so heartbreaking. But, I quickly remembered that heartbreak was all around him every time he turned around. He needs no more empathy or sympathy in his life. He craves someone to give him a different take on a tired situation.
And different is practically my middle name.”

Five Line Book Review:
I had read Lila Felix’s Love and Skate book a few months ago, and while the story line was really good and I did like the characters, the whole book felt a little stiff and needed quite a bit of editing; my lesson from this is never judge an author by their first book, and honestly I never would have pegged myself for doing something like that but I know that is exactly what I was doing every time I scrolled past Sparrows for Free on my kindle and bumping it down the line of my TBR pile; thankfully a friend talked some sense into me and told me I would really like this book, and she was right!  The story of two messed up people and the road being paved for them to their recovery was beautifully written and the characters were people I wanted to get to know.  Asya was a character I could relate to in some ways; not necessarily in the hiding from life - but growing up there were moments when I felt like despite talking, people looked right past me.  I loved her gradual increase of self esteem and standing up for herself; she didn’t wake up one day and decide to be different – it was a process.  If nothing else, Sparrows for Free will trap you into a story that you absolutely have to finish, if for nothing else than to see Asya and Ezra find themselves and begin to move past who they are and into who they should be.

Rated:  PG-13 - Mild cussing
Genre: New Adult - Romance
Rating:  4 Stars

Monday, March 2, 2015

Cassie - Carre White

Title:  Cassie (Brides of the Rockies - Book 1)
Author: Carre White

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 
A sweet, historical romance. 
Nathanial Carroll has been a thorn in Cassie Bjorn’s side ever since they were children. He has tormented her by dipping her blonde hair in ink, pouring honey into her school bag, and teasing her relentlessly. Now, grown up and more handsome than a man ought to be, Nathanial is determined to make Cassie his wife, although she loathes him with a passion. The task before him is formidable, and Nate will have to make amends for past behavior and court Cassie properly.  
Cassie knows Nathanial as a womanizer and drunkard with appalling manners. Any well-bred young lady would give this man a wide berth, as she has done for years. But Cassie’s mother and Nate’s mother are the best of friends, and they see fit to broker an engagement. To compound matters, an accidental kiss during a shootout sends the town’s gossips into a furor, and Cassie finds her reputation in tatters. There’s only one man to blame for this predicament—Nathanial Carroll. 
Five Line Book Review:
Cassie really was a sweet romance story, as advertised. While I did enjoy reading this book (in about 3 hours), I was a little put off by how easily the strong-willed characters were changed; Nathanial went from an indifferent drunk in the first few chapters with bad habits, to changing his ways within a day. Cassie was dead set against the marriage both Her mom and Nate's mother were plotting, and was rather immature about it most of the time; then like a coin, she flipped and was all about Nate. The most enjoyable parts of this novel were the times when Cassie and Nate were together; Carre White can write a good kissing scene.

Rating: PG-13 - It would have remained PG, except there was a bit of a marriage consummation that wasn't graphic, but more than PG.
Genre: Adult - Historical Romance
Rate: 3 Stars

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard


Author: Victoria Aveyard

Synopsis from Goodreads:   
The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Five Line Book Review:
I'm going to have to apologize in advanced, because I already know that keeping this review to five sentences is going to be very difficult, so I'm not even going to try.  

The Red Queen started popping up in my newsfeeds and emails a couple months ago, and despite the hype, mentally I was prepared to be disappointed. I was finding it compared to The Selection Series and Graceling, both books (series) I have read, and both of them I started out loving and ended up not very happy with them for different reasons.  Also, with big named publishers, books tend to get a lot of hype and advertisement because of who is backing them.  What I'm trying to say is, I wasn't buying into the hype.  I saw the book on my library's Overdrive Ebooks list and thought it was at least worth a chance.

I.want.to.own.these.books.  ...and book 1 is the only one out.

So, I can see the relationship to The Selection and Graceling, and I would add The Hunger Games in the mix too, because of the arrogant turning their noses on those who provide them basically everything.  The world building was absolutely excellent!  I didn't feel lost or confused about what was going on or why.  I also really enjoyed that none of the characters were perfect, every last one of them had their strengths and flaws making the story feel more believable, and is a bit rare in these dystopian type books - usually at least one of the characters is a little extra special.  I did find that much of the book was predictable; due to foreshadowing I really wasn't surprised by much of the story at all, but I absolutely LOVED reading it through.  If I were to pick a favorite part, I would say it would be the conversations between Mere and Cal and Mere and Maven, the Princes of the kingdom; and how while the book was about the ruling class of super-humans and the normal humans living as a secondary slave class, both sides of the spectrum feel trapped and confined by their lives.  It really plays in the whole "grass is not always greener on the other side" concept, although there truly is a lesser more oppressed side.

The biggest downside of this series....now the wait for book 2 has begun!

Rated:  PG-13; Some Cussing
Genre: Young Adult: Dystopian, Romance
Rating:  5 Stars