Book Review: Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 693 KB
• Print Length: 322 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1476715920
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (10 Aug 2012)

Layken and Will have managed to overcome the obstacles that threatened to destroy their love, proving that they are destined for one another. What they are about to learn, however, is that the things that have brought them together may be the very things that ruin their connection forever…

Layken is left second-guessing the relationship whilst Will is jumping over hurdles to prove his love for her. What the young lovers discover about themselves along this journey may change their entire world and the lives of those who depend upon them the most...

Layken and Will have been through a lot. Way more than any other couple their ages. The events of Slammed were intense and emotional and I absolutely loved that book. And for that reason, Point of Retreat had a lot to live up to.

Lake and her brother are still coming to terms with the death of their mother, but always there for them is Will and his brother. Together the four of them make up a happy, if somewhat dysfunctional, little family unit.

Until someone from Will’s past shows up and threatens to ruin everything. Now Will has to work to regain Lake’s trust, and rebuild what has been broken. Because Will cannot, will not, live without her.

Point of Retreat is told this time from Will’s perspective, which I just loved. His head is an interesting place to be and he carries the reader through the story with ease.

This story is not for the faint hearted. It is raw and often brutal, but also tender and poignant. This is a book to read cuddled up in bed with the duvet for comfort, a million calorie box of chocolates and an unlimited supply for tissues. I really love a book that can make me feel anything, and this one made me feel just about everything. Read it. Love it. I know I did.  

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Book Review: Love Unscripted by Tina Reber

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1494 KB
• Print Length: 670 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1451533969
• Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (8 Sep 2012)

An A-List Movie Star . . .

Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine a life where fans would chase him, paparazzi would stalk him, and Hollywood studios would want to own him. While filming in Seaport, Rhode Island, Ryan ducks into a neighborhood bar for a quick escape from legions of screaming fans . . . and finds much more than he expected.

A Small-Town Girl. . .

Nursing a recent heartbreak, Taryn Mitchell believes men are best kept at a safe distance. But when Ryan Christensen unexpectedly bursts through the front door of her pub, she can’t help but be drawn in by his humor, charm, and undeniable good looks. At six foot two, with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and an incredible body, Ryan has every girl in Seaport swooning. But Taryn isn’t every other girl.

A Relationship That Doesn’t Follow the Script . . .

Despite her better judgment, Taryn soon finds herself falling hard for Ryan. But is their bond strong enough to survive the tabloid headlines, the relentless paparazzi, and the jealous fans who seem determined to tear them apart.

Ryan Christensen is a household name. He gets chased down the streets, is the subject of every woman’s fantasy, and just longs to be left alone. Taryn Mitchell owns a local pub and feigns her contentment. Things are steady and unpredictable, until a movie shooting in Taryn’s town brings Ryan crashing into her life.

Taryn is one of the few locals who doesn’t obsess over the every move of the film and its stars, and when she aides Ryan after he is hunted down like an animal and physically injured, she is the breath of fresh air he has been craving. But Taryn is nursing a heartache, and doesn’t want to get burned again.

Within Taryn, Ryan sees what he has always wanted  - a good, down to earth beautiful woman, a place he could settle down and call home and someone to share his life with. And lowly but surely, Taryn lowers her defences and lets Ryan in – to her life, and her heart.

But just because there is obvious chemistry and affection involved, doesn’t mean the road will be easy for the new lovers. Jealousy, Ryan’s lifestyle and Taryn’s insecurity threatens to rip the couple apart.

Love Unscripted is one of those books I really can’t make my mind up about. In a lot of ways, it was a great read. There was good plot turns, interesting characters and a believable romance. But on the other hand, it was vastly over written and the book as a whole could have been a lot shorter. There was a great deal of repetition involved, with Taryn stressing over the same old things, Ryan pacifying her, Taryn getting wound up again. There was no clear resolve for the end of the book, which irked me.

But on the whole, Love Unscripted will appeal to a broad audience. This is the perfect book for when the rain is lashing down outside and you want to curl up on the sofa and disappear for a few hours.

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Book Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (UK) Ltd (5 Oct 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848451725
• ISBN-13: 978-1848451728

Ive left some clues for you.

If you want them, turn the page.

If you dont, put the book back on the shelf, please. 

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

Dash is perusing the bookshelves of an out-of-the-way bookstore when he comes across something that doesn’t belong. The red notebook has a serious of challenges to make sure he is the correct recipient for its purposes. Dash has found Lily’s book of dares.

But Dash doesn’t play by Lily’s rules, and he dares her back with his own concoctions. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares has the pair racing all over New York, making puppets and building snowmen and slowly but surely falling for each other – even though they have never met. They push each others boundaries and get them to open up in ways they never thought they would.

I absolutely loved this book. Not much can be said about this book without giving away it’s magic. And magic it has. Plenty of it.

Dash and Lily were two completely opposite characters that intrigued and drew sympathies from the reader. I couldn’t put this book down and the suspense nearly killed me. The whole thing was serendipity and I dare anyone who reads this not to fall for its charm.

There is, quite simply, no other book like Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. 

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Book Review: Between The Lines by Tammara Webber

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 549 KB
• Print Length: 320 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0983593167
• Publisher: Penguin (13 Sep 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0097JYTLG

Seventeen-year-old actress Emma is starring in her first major film role, opposite Hollywood It Boy Reid. The exclusive nightclubs, snapping photographers and screaming fans are a normal part of life for Reid but it's all new to Emma. The rest of the cast befriend her but Emma can't help feeling out of her depth. She's grateful to fellow actor Graham for his friendly support and thinks maybe he's interested in something more - until she sees him sneaking out of beautiful Brooke's room one night . . .

Reid has no holds barred in his pursuit of Emma; he loves the thrill of the chase but he's also experiencing something new. Could he be genuinely falling for his co-star?

He’s Hollywood’s hottest teen heartthrob. She’s just landed her biggest break after years of commercials and bit parts. Reid and Emma are worlds apart when it comes to their careers, but after undeniable chemistry in a screen test their worlds are going to be thrown together.

Reid is used to the fame – to the girls throwing himself at him, so when Emma doesn’t react to him like he expects, he is even more intrigued by her. Emma has no idea what’s in store for her. She didn’t really consider the consequences of accepting the leading role opposite Reid and how her life would change. Suddenly there are pictures of her everywhere, stories fabricated about her.

The longer Emma is immersed in Reid’s world, the more she can’t help thinking what her life would be like if she was normal. She would get to do normal things. Date. Prom. College.  And as if she didn’t have enough to keep her mind occupied, Reid’s interest in her beyond their working relationship intensifies. So when she is kissing the best looking guy on the planet, she shouldn’t be thinking about co-star, Graham, should she?

Reid wants nothing more than for Emma to fix him. For so long he has taken what he wanted and never looked back. But now he actually sees himself able to commit…if only Emma will give in and give him what he wants. And in between charming Emma, he is avoiding Brooke who is not only a fellow actor in the movie, but his ex, too.

Between The Lines was so much more than I thought it would be. I was expecting a light romantic read. What I got was something so much better with a fuller story. Emma and Reid’s relationship with their parents was nothing short of heartbreaking. I honestly felt for both of them and was brought to tears more than once.

Even though he has some serious character flaws, Reid was likeable and very believable. He drew my sympathies and I wanted nothing more than for things to work out for him.

Between The Lines could have been a glossy and completely unrealistic book. Instead it was gritty and raw and I really felt as though I caught a glimpse into the lives of real people. Each character, even secondary ones, were fully developed and riveting. I wanted to know more about all of them.

This book hit every note perfect for me. It made me feel plenty of emotion, I could barely put it down and when I had to, it was on my mind almost constantly. It left me craving more. I could not ask anymore from a book. Except a sequel. Which there is. And I want it right now. 

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Book Review: Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Random House International (9 Oct 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385740182
• ISBN-13: 978-0385740180

Cursed to live out eternity in his rotted corpse, Romeo, known for his ruthless, cutthroat ways, is given the chance to redeem himself by traveling back in time to save the life of Ariel Dragland. Unbeknownst to her, Ariel is important to both the evil Mercenaries and the love-promoting Ambassadors and holds the fate of the world in her hands. Romeo must win her heart and make her believe in love, turning her away from her darker potential before his work is discovered by the Mercenaries. While his seduction begins as yet another lie, it soon becomes his only truth. Romeo vows to protect Ariel from harm, and do whatever it takes to win her heart and soul. But when Ariel is led to believe his love is a deception, she becomes vulnerable to Mercenary manipulation, and her own inner darkness may ultimately rip them apart.

Romeo is cursed to spend eternity in his rotten, stinking corpse – his punishment for defying the Mercenaries. But he is offered a chance at redemption by an Ambassador. All he has to do is make Ariel Dragland fall in love with him.

As the world’s most famous lover, Romeo believes this will be his easiest assignment ever, and his reward is just around the corner. But Ariel herself has a dark side, and if Romeo cannot bring her into the light and make her love him, then the scales will be tipped in favour of the dark. 

When the lines blur and Romeo can no longer be certain that he is acting, Romeo vows to protect her forever and do whatever it takes to keep the Mercenaries at bay. Ariel herself cannot believe her own luck. As the school freak she never thought love was on the cards for her, and just when she lets herself believe it might be real, Ariel is convinced it is all a cruel hoax.

Romeo must prove to her once and for all that she is his true love, and not even the Ambassadors or the Mercenaries can take that away from them.

Romeo Redeemed, was actually preferable to me than Juliet Immortal. This does not happen often, but in the case of this sequel, it has more than surpassed its predecessor. This book was achingly romantic, tender and raw all at once. It is action-packed and bittersweet, hot and cold. It is one of those rare books that make you feel just about every emotion possible. And it more than passed the tear-test.

While Romeo is one heck of a flawed character, it was a pleasure to watch him, well, redeem himself. It was beautiful to see him grow and lay aside the seducer in him and try for something real.

And though it is doubtful, my only wish is that there will be another instalment in Romeo and Juliet’s epic saga. 

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Book Review: Fifty-One Shades of Blonde by Jessica Knoll

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 298 KB
• Print Length: 33 pages
• Publisher: Cosmopolitan (28 Aug 2012)
• The sexy story that first burned up the pages of Cosmopolitanis here—with three new chapters that are so hot they may steam up your screen
  
  
  Christopher Reiss is the handsome and extremely intimidating CEO of a major financial firm. Megan’s nothing but a lowly assistant. But when she stumbles upon some incriminating evidence that could threaten Christopher’s career, she finds herself on his radar . . . and eventually his desk, his kitchen counter, his bed . . . you get where this is going, right?

Fifty-One Shades of Blonde is a fast and direct sexy as sin read. Megan is the lowly assistant with dreams of being a journalist. Christopher Reiss the high powered CEO Megan just happened to catch at dinner with a known mobster. 

Right of the bat Megan and Christopher are attracted to each other in a flaming passionate way. But Megan is stuck at in impasse. Does she go public with the story she has on Christopher? Or does she let go for the sake of an orgasm?

Fifty-One Shades of Blonde is yet another product of the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. With a domineering man who comes complete with an insatiable sexual appetite, Jessica Knoll does not mince around with her words or intent. Of the thirty pages of this short story, about twenty are sex scenes. And whilst the sex scenes are very well written, with the author really going for it, the story as a whole just felt lacking. It seemed one massively long sex scene with a story line thrown in at the last minute for good measure. We are left with a less-than-satisfactory ending, with too many questions still raised and no hint of a sequel. 

If you are looking for a fast and sexy read with not much story, then this is the book for you. 

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Book Review: Blazing Midsummer Nights by Leslie Kelly

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1839 KB
• Print Length: 222 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: B007JJEFJC
• Publisher: Mills & Boon Blaze (1 Aug 2012)
• 
  
• Anything can happen on a magical midsummer's eve Marketing director/workaholic Mimi Burdette has The Plan-work for her father and date his right-hand man. Problem is, there's no heat in the relationship. Not even a spark. And worse still, Mimi is having some seriously sexy, panties-ablaze dreams-and the star looks a lot like  Xander McKinley, the hunky firefighter next door. 
  
  
  Mimi's dreams might be due to the strange tea she drank. Or the predictions from the fortune cookie she ate. Or they could be due to Xander's smokin' hotness. But whether it's magic or just old-fashioned fireworks, Mimi is about to break all of the rules-including her own!

Mimi Burdette is a young workaholic set on showing her father just what she is made of, and igniting some spark in the dull as dishwater relationship she is having with his right hand man, Dimitri. But before any of that can happen, new neighbour Xander McKinley crashes head first into her life...and dreams.

Xander is a muscly, gorgeous firefighter with an ache in his heart after the death of his father. He has been involved with rich girls before and expects Mimi to be just like the others - spoiled girls who just want to slum it for a little while. But he cannot deny his attraction to Mimi, both physically and emotionally. He starts to fall hard and fast for the woman who climbs a tree for a kid she doesn’t know to help rescue a cat, or who unwittingly disturbs and beehive just to pick some flowers. 

Mimi can’t stop thinking about Xander, and how after a few minutes of his company she wants him more than she could ever imagine. One thing she is certain - she can’t pretend Dimitri is enough anymore. And it’s time to take charge, and go after the things she really wants. 

Xander and Mimi are two feisty and head-strong characters. I loved their sass and chemistry. Whilst this book is insanely erotic, it is also funny and light-hearted with a heart of gold. This is a perfect book for any romance fans with a penchant for firefighters. 

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Book Review: The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen; Original edition (31 July 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373210752
• ISBN-13: 978-0373210756

For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aime e Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.

Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness....

Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal....

Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another....

James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others-but never knew true loss before....

Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope....

Five original novellas of love, loss and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages.

The Goddess Legacy gives us a unique insight into the gods and goddesses that Kate Winters introduced us to in The Goddess Test.

With five unique short stories featuring Calliope, Ava, James, Persephone and Henry himself, many questions are answered that have been building as the series progresses. We get a look at the power hungry Calliope, the love-struck Ava…the unhappiness of Persephone.

The Goddess Legacy has the same wonderful writing feel as The Goddess Test and Goddess Interrupted, but it was refreshing to get another character’s take on things, so five was just amazing!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and the look into the gods’ early years. The only down side is it has made me yearn even more for the third instalment of this amazing series. 

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Book Review: Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mira Ink (3 Aug 2012)
• ISBN-10: 184845077X
• ISBN-13: 978-1848450776

They say be a good girl, get good grades, be popular.They know nothing about me. I can't remember the night that changed my life. The night I went from popular to loner freak. And my family are determined to keep it that way. They said therapy was supposed to help. They didn't expect Noah. Noah is the dangerous boy my parents warned me about. But the only one who'll listen. The only one who'll help me find the truth. I know every kiss, every promise, every touch is forbidden. But what if finding your destiny means breaking all the rules? A brave and powerful novel about loss, change and growing up, but most of all love

Once upon a time, Echo had it all. Perfect grades, best friends with the popular girls, and had the best looking boyfriend. But almost all of that is taken from her overnight. Echo becomes the freak, the girl who eats in the library because people stare in the cafeteria, the girl who must cover up her arms so know one sees the scars.

Forced into therapy, her new councillor tries to help Echo regain her memory of the night she got her scars. Everyone says it was her mother, but Echo can’t be sure. Her life becomes one big battle to please her father, to be the perfect daughter he once had. But only when she meets Noah, the loner who smokes a lot of pot, does she realise what she missing. Together they both work through their issues and help each other out the other side.

Despite his uncaring and lazy attitude, Noah is fighting a battle of his own. After the fire that killed his parents, Noah and his brothers were placed into foster care. All the wants now is to get out of school and win custody of his brothers so they can be a family again.

Noah and Echo were both damaged in their own way. When they stumble into each others lives, neither quite knows what to make of the other…or whether they can trust them.

Pushing the Limits is edgy and dark with a heart-pounding romance at its core. It was refreshing to read a YA novel with a bit of back bone, and very motivated characters. I was on the edge of my seat with this one, torn between a desperate need to know how it finishes, and wanting it to last forever.

Definitely not one to be missed.

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Book Review: Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers (11 Sep 2012)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0385741049
• ISBN-13: 978-0385741040
• The quaint little beach town of Winston, California, may be full of wholesome townsfolk, picturesque beaches, and laid back charm, but Clare Knight is about to uncover something underneath its thriving demeanor. Someone is hiding something, and it's as gruesome as the townsfolk, and their stately homes, are stunning. Amanda Stavros, fellow classmate and resident of Winston, is gone and there's no sign of her ever coming back. Everyone says she was taken and murdered, but where's the evidence? Why isn't there a single ounce of proof? And why is everyone okay with this, except for Clare? 
  
  
  Luckily—or as it's been turning out, unluckily—Clare possesses a gift, an ability to see visions from the clothes she works with. And since her clothes come solely from the townsfolk, Clare has become privy to some startling and disturbing memories of these townspeople. Will she uncover who killed Amanda Stavros? Or is she just moving herself up in line to be the next victim of Winston?

Clare has a talent. Where most people see a scrap of ruined fabric, Clare sees potential. She has a keen eye for fashion, able to take something old and discarded and turn it into something new and fresh. Not only does she make kick-ass clothes, but she also has a connection with any that she touches.

Clare gets visions when she touches the clothes people wear. She can see what they did when they wore it, especially if they were doing something they weren’t supposed to. As if that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Clare has the added trouble of trying to fit in. Clare and her mother have returned to their old town of Winston just as the town is gearing up for their summer celebrations. But just when she thought all she had to worry about was figuring out the gorgeous Jack, Clare finds herself in the middle of a disturbing mystery that only she can get to the bottom of.

Hanging by a Thread is a welcome addition to the YA/paranormal genre. The paranormal element of the story was mild in comparison to other books, but it made the story as a whole more believable.

I struggled to connect with Clare as the protagonist of the story. While it had good plot developments and interesting twists and turns, Clare didn’t really bring a lot to the table for me. It felt more like she was a narrator, simply telling us the story rather than actually being a part of it.

This was a nice easy read but one I wouldn’t rush out to recommend to all my friends.  

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Book Review: Stuck With You by Trish Jensen

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 560 KB
• Print Length: 216 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1611940869
• Publisher: Bell Bridge Books (3 Jan 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006TI7RYY

Two feuding divorce lawyers. One infectious "love bug" virus. The symptoms are hard to resist . . .

Paige Hart is blessed and cursed with a large, loving and...

colorful Southern family. As the only lawyer in the clan, she can't say no when her cousin needs her help in a messy, no-holds-barred divorce. Tax attorney Paige squares off with Ross "the Snake" Bennett - one of the slickest divorce lawyers in the county. The case is going as well as an acrimonious, zinger-filled, wrangle of epic proportions can go until exposure to an infectious bug with an unusual side effect lands both lawyers in quarantine together.

\ I went into Stuck With You thinking I knew exactly what I was going to get. These days its very hard to bring something new to the table of books, but Trish Jensen has done just that. Stuck With You was as refreshing as a swim in the lake during summer and as original as a new language.

Stuck With You is the definition of short but sweet. It is a book that you breeze through. It is effortless and ensures it will be a ‘one sitting’ kind of book. 

Paige and Ross pure and simply enchanted me. I adored every second of this book. It is without a doubt a must read for any fan of the genre, or for those looking for a bit of romance for their soul. 

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Book Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 719 KB
• Print Length: 314 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1468161660
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (10 Aug 2012)

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope. 
Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.
Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

After the death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is shaken to the core. Her world is further rocked when her mother announces they are leaving Texas for Michigan. Layken can’t imagine anything worse than having to move part way through her senior year. But then she meets new neighbour, Will. Layken and Will have an instant connection that neither of the can, or want, to deny. For so long Layken’s life has been bleak and miserable with no sign of hope. But now she feels herself waking up, the light filtering back into her life. 

Layken has a nine year old brother who she seems to be taken more and more care of. Her mother works nights and even when she is home isn’t really there. Layken notices whispered phone calls and hidden letters. But all the while there is Will, whose kisses melt her heart.

Until a shocking revelation forces them apart. And leaves Layken feeling more alone than ever.

Slammed, hands down, is my favourite YA read so far this year. From the first page Will and Layken pulled me in and refused to let go. Their story was so much more than I thought it would be, so much more complex and emotional.

There are many, many layers to this book and it is quite simply amazing. I cried. I laughed. I swooned. And everything in between. But all the while I was rooting for them. For all of them, not just Will and Layken. I rooted for Julia and  Kel and Eddie. 

This book is very bittersweet and I challenge any reader not to be drawn in and ripped apart by this book. I cannot wait to read the sequel. 

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Book Review: Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Mira Ink (1 Jun 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848451245
• ISBN-13: 978-1848451247

One kiss can change everything . . .

Samantha's never been special. 

She's always the girl who blends into the background. 

Until a surprise kiss from unattainable crush Stephen.

Now suddenly every guy in school is clamouring for her number.

But Samantha s newfound popularity comes at a dangerously high price a desperate need to devour human souls.

Enter Bishop a street kid with secrets as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. He s immune to her mesmerising new power and her only hope of salvation. Together, giving into the darkness inside of them, is their strongest weapon to combat a terrifying demonic threat.

Once you ve embraced the dark, can you ever go back again?

Samantha thinks everything about her life is dull and predictable. But then one night at the club she and her best friend, Carly, love, Samantha’s crush finally notices her. And Samantha can’t resist when kisses her. But the kiss changed her far more than she could ever have guessed. Now she’s hungry all the time, and not just for food.

Bishop has a mission on Earth and if he fails, it could mean the end of everything. Two angels and two demons must together against a mutual enemy to keep the universe balanced. Neither side factored in Sam.

When Sam meets Bishop she thinks he is a street kid, and one who isn’t all there. But they discover her touch soothes him, helps organise his thoughts. And soon both crave the touch. But romance can’t be on the cards for them. Because Bishop is an angel, and Sam is one of the things he must stop to save the world. 

Dark Kiss was an interesting take on the recent surge of angel novels hitting the YA market again. It had original characters that were like nothing I had ever read before. Samantha struggles with who she is becoming and questions everything around her, not taking anyone’s word for it. She is fiercely loyal and protective and really, just wants to do the right thing.

Bishop isn’t like other angels in other novels. He is dark and brooding and committed to his mission and struggles with his mounting feelings for Sam. 

There are many loose ends left at the end of this book, leaving us questioning what will happen in the second installment, and ensuring that the wait will be agonising.

Perfect read for any YA, angel, romance etc fan. A welcome addition to the genre. 

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Book Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Mira Ink (1 Jun 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848450958
• ISBN-13: 978-1848450950

Your sister is dead. Nineteen songs can tell you why. Only one boy can help you understand.

Harper Scott s older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June s ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession...and an unknown connection to June. When he insists on joining them, Harper s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs. Except...Jake s keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down again.

When Harper’s older sister, June, kills herself, her whole world is flipped upside down. Struggling in what her life has now become, watching how much her mother is drinking and avoiding the over zealous preaching and disapproving looks from Aunt Helen, Harper, while insisting that she’s fine, tries to come to terms with the question on everyone’s lips – why. 

Plagued with guilt that she didn’t even know there was something wrong with June, Harper makes the brave decision to do the right thing by her sister while she still can. All her life June dreamed of getting out of their small town and going to college in California. Together with Harper’s best friend Laney, and music fanatic, Jake, who has some connection to June he refuses to reveal, Harper takes June’s urn to let her rest in the only place she wanted to be. 

They say it is not about the destination, but the journey. As the three drive across the country to get to California, Harper finds things about herself that she never even knew existed. All her life she was compared to June – the perfect one. The one with good grades and flawless looks. The one who was polite and considerate. The one who didn’t get it into trouble or smoked just because it would annoy someone else. 

Harper’s story was both heartbreaking and inspirational. Our strongest qualities come out in the moments that are sent to test us. Harper is going through the most trying test any of us can ever face. As a main character, I couldn’t have asked for more. Sassy and quick-witted and unafraid to speak her mind, Harper is definitely my kind of protagonist. She is fiercely loyal of those she cares about and quick to jump to their defence. (I dare anyone not to get that rush of female empowerment that page 222 brings. I actually whooped. Out loud.)

As I reader I felt privileged to go on that journey with Harper. I was drawn in so completely I smelled Jake’s cigarette smoke and the citrus of the clementine. I felt the sun on my face through the windscreen and the sweat of the mosh pit. And I cried. A lot. I dread to think what Harper would have called me, but I like to think that Laney would have sympathised. 

While Saving June broaches a very difficult subject, it did not lose its humour. The romance was not shadowed by the weight of grief and June herself was not a morbid, overbearing character. She was always in the periphery, always in the back of my mind, but never bringing down the mood. 

To say that Saving June is a contemporary YA novel, is like saying the Beatles are a band, or that Paris is a city. Because everyone knows that while the Beatles are band, to those that love them they are a band that changes your life. Paris can change the way you see your life and if you let it, Saving June will do the same. 

This is an author to watch out for, and a book to tell everyone to read.

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Book Review: The Darkest Day by Britt Bury

ebook, 300 pages

Published July 3rd 2012 by Grand Central Publishing

ALL-CONSUMING DESIRE . . . 
Izel Campbell was raised to believe she is an immortal Fionn with the magical skills of persuasion. But when she travels to Scotland to visit her ancestral home, Izel discovers that she is actually the world's last living human. Forced to run for her life, Izel crosses paths with Kelvin Kerr, the Campbells' greatest foe-and the most magnificent warrior she has ever seen. 
BURNS BRIGHTEST . . . 
A thousand-year-old battle chief of the Kerr clan, Kelvin lives only to avenge his father, who died at the hands of the bloody Campbells. Honor demands he kill the Campbell heir, but when he learns that the lovely Izel is both Campbell "and" human, Kelvin is torn between duty and desire . . . 
ON" THE DARKEST DAY" 
Word Count: 86,000. This is Book 1 in The Immortal Heat series.

The Darkest Day combined all my book loves - a Romeo & Juliet type romantic scenerio, gruff, brooding warriors, paranormal elements, and Scotland.

I adored Izel and Kelvin’s interactions, from their initial hatred to their burning desire. Watching Kelvin struggle with what he desperately wanted and what he thought was best made for every entertaining reading and endeared him to me as a character. Izel was my type of leading lady - feisty with a penchant for tall, dark and handsome. With Izel having more questions about her heritage and her destiny, she easily led the reader through the story and helped explain things to us without it being an information dump.

This book will please the paranormal and romantic fans, with something in the story for everyone. 

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Book Review: Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen (28 Aug 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373210485
• ISBN-13: 978-0373210480
• Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some CONFESSIONS to make... #1: I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?
  
  
  #2: I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who "might" be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine.
  
  
  #3: High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry-get it?)
  
  
  Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.
  
  
  (Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.) (Sorry. That was rude.)

Rose is angry about a lot of things. Her dad died. Her mom is pretty much non-existent. Her brother left. She has started high school. Her best friend has fallen in with a gang...of cheerleaders. And Jamie Forta kissed her, placing her on the hit list of head cheerleader. 

Confessions of an Angry Girl was a lot different from what I was expecting. For one, whilst Rose is a self-confessed angry girl, there was a lot of heart in this book. As is the case a lot, behind anger is heartache. After the loss of her father, Rose is struggling to come to terms with it. And just when she thinks she has found a true friend, a revelation makes her question everything. 

Rose’s voice was very real to me and while at times the book was quite slow, I did really enjoy it. And I will be reading the sequel. 

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Book Review: Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen; Original edition (26 Jun 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037321054X
• ISBN-13: 978-0373210541

Your heart misleads you.  That's what my friends and family say.  But I love Noah. And he loves me.  We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other's arms. It should be  ROSE & NOAH forever, easy. But it won't be. Because he's Amish. And I'm not.

Rose and her family move to Meadowview after the death of Rose’s mother. Together with her two brothers and her father, she thinks there can be nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere. But when the family next door introduce themselves, Rose can’t help but be awestruck by Noah, and think maybe her moving there was fate after all.

But nothing can ever happen between Rose and Noah. Because he is Amish. And she is not. Everything about Rose is dangerous to Noah. She speaks her mind. She doesn’t look after the men in her life. She dresses how she likes. For Noah, she is free with her kisses. 

Noah is a puzzle to Rose. One moment he is a normal boy, riding his horse alongside hers, making her laugh, and stealing her heart a little more every time they are together. But the next moment he talks about babies and marriage and women minding their place and she knows they are a world apart. 

Temptation was a delicious novel about forbidden romance in a very fresh way. I knew little to nothing about Amish traditions before reading this book, and I am pleased to have learned something new. 

The story was pleasant enough, though at times it did feel repetitive. It was left with plenty of room for a sequel, and I am intrigued as to how it will pan out.

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Book Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks (7 Jun 2012)
• Language: Unknown
• ISBN-10: 0007466692
• ISBN-13: 978-0007466696

Thirty-five beautiful girls. Thirty-five beautiful rivals…

It’s the chance of a lifetime and 17-year-old America Singer should feel lucky. She has been chosen for The Selection, a reality TV lottery in which the special few compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon’s love.

Swept up in a world of elaborate gowns, glittering jewels and decadent feasts, America is living a new and glamorous life. And the prince takes a special interest in her, much to the outrage of the others.

Rivalry within The Selection is fierce and not all of the girls are prepared to play by the rules. But what they don’t know is that America has a secret – one which could throw the whole competition… and change her life forever.

The Selection had a little bit of everything. Part dystopian. Part reality show. Part romance. Part love triangle. 

For any girl, getting to be a part of the Selection is a chance in a lifetime. Prince Maxon needs a wife, and must choose between thirty five girls whilst the nation watches.

But getting chosen isn’t America Singer’s dream. In fact it’s her worst nightmare. By being chosen she must leave Aspen, the boy she really loves. Aspen refuses to be selfish, and urges America to go through with it, for he is a lower caste of society than America, and can’t give her the future she deserves.

America thought Prince Aspen was a weakling, a wimp who was spoiled and shallow. The reality was something quite different, and despite her preconceived notions, the pair embark on an easy friendship. And as the number of girls dwindle and America remains at the palace, her heart begins to soften to Maxon. 

The Selection is a book you can’t help but fall for. It was a very easy read, but only in the sense of it was achingly easy to fall into. I found myself hating having to put it down to take care of mundane things like...life. 

America herself was a likable character, and Maxon was the epitome of dream prince. I slipped into this world so easily I didn’t want it to be over. The author wrote herself such a good book that the wait for the sequel is sure to be agonising. 

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