Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy, #2)

by Danielle L Jensen 

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*ARC received in exchange for honest review*

This title is available on June 2nd, 2015!

Cover ~ B

Plot ~ A

Sometimes one must accomplish the impossible

 The troll king's reign is absolute under the mountain and the troll with the capability to overthrow him is imprisoned for treason. Cecile has recovered from her injuries and soon learns that she is not out of the king's reach.  In order to find the witch and destroy the witch whose curse holds her love captive, Cecile must delve into magic both dark and deadly.  She must be careful that the hunter does not become the hunted.

Characters ~ B

So much character growth in this!  Now I know we were all broken hearted when Tristan sent Cecile away, but I really believe this time apart was necessary!  Cecile was able to discover how she feels away from Tristan, the trolls, and all that she discovered while in Trollus.  

I was a fallen prince.  Twice a traitor, having betrayed both my father and my cause in a single moment, ensuring that I would remain an outcast for whatever remained of my life.  All for a human girl who I loved above all things, and all, it seemed, for nothing.

Tristan has to drag himself away from his self-pity to become a king and a selfless leader.  Trollus is in far worse shape than before.  The half-bloods are restless, leaderless, and have turned to the king.  The fight for the crown has never been more complex.  The king has outwitted Tristan at every turn and Tristan has to figure out a new strategy, and maybe even win over his father once again.

"Do you still wish to play?"  "I will play. But only because there is no other worthy opponent."  "You're losing."  "But I haven't lost."

I missed the characters from Trollus, like Marc, Victoria, and Vincent!!  I wished they played a larger part in this book.

Writing ~ A

Honestly, I found myself annoyed with Cecile in this one! She seemed distracted and too busy being a performer than trying to save Tristan.  I know that is probably a bit harsh, but I just wanted them to reunite!! The best part of the book was Tristan's growth into a true leader.  Then of course the reunion and the growth of their relationship!  I just love these two together!

He loved me, and I loved him.  And I'd love him as long as I lived, and if my soul endured, I'd love him for eternity.

The book is filled with betrayal, a swoon worth Tristan, character deaths, dual POV (found myself preferring Tristan's), a fight for the throne, answers left unsaid in the first are answered, and a major cliffhanger!! ):

Overall Rating ~ 3 stars!

My tags: best-world-building, trolls, book-boyfriends, fantasy, mythology, fey, witches, magic, adventure

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Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy, #1) 

Check out book one if you haven't done so already!

Wrecked (Forever, #4)

by Priscilla West

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*Free copy received in exchange for honest review*

Cover ~ B

Excellent job drawing the attention of the reader and captures the fighter in Hunter.

Plot ~ D

Lorries mother was murdered two years ago.  The trial was widely publicized and drove her father to suicide.  Now Lorrie is returning to college in hope of feeling anything more than numbness.  Enter Hunter "the Hammer" Jensen, a cage fighter who takes an interest in Lorrie after an accidental meet.  But Lorrie has no room in her life for a new relationship, getting her heart broken in this state would shatter  her completely.  But Hunter is fighting internal demons of his own, one that will be the end of him.  As Hunter and Lorrie grow closer together, will they be able to overcome their pain and heal each other? Or will they both end up wrecked?

Characters ~ D

Lorrie was another typical girl who has a dark past.  She has some serious problems and I'm pretty sure she should be on some type of depression meds.  I honestly feel like she gives up way too easily is not a fighter.

I don't know what it was about Hunter, but I just did not have a connection to him.  He wasn't really the bad boy that he was described to be.  We never really see that side of him.  The whole book he is a sweetheart and a teddy bear.  Plus, I wanted to see more of the fights because they play such a large role in the story!

My favorite thing between the characters was them recognizing that they were both weirdos because normal was boring.

Writing ~ D

West's writing is compelling at first, but then the story drags.  I had to force myself to continue and not shelf this book as DNF.  But I pushed through, and alas, the last 15% of the book was when all the shit went down.  The book needed more depth to the story! Honestly the best part of the book for me were the kittens.

This book is way too similar to Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire and I preferred that book much more (4 stars).

Overall Rating ~ 2 stars

My tags: first-in-series, romance, college, new-adult, MMA, drama, erotica

Slumber

by Samantha Young

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 As of 4/13/15 this title is available on kindle for just $1.14!

Cover ~ A

*singsong voice* Mysterious!

Plot ~ A

*Retelling of Sleeping Beauty!*

Scarred by a tragic childhood, Rogan, now 19, has grown up in the castle.  Her best friend and future Queen, Haydyn, saved her from her past.  Now Haydyn is dying of the Sleeping Curse and the whole realm is falling apart now that Haydyn's magic is dying along with her.  Rogan sets off on a journey to retrieve the very rare plant that will cure Haydyn and save the realm from falling into turmoil.  But Rogan is stuck traveling with the Captain of the Guard, and Rogan's enemy and a person she distrusts above all others, Wolf Stovia.  At a constant battle of wills, Rogan knows this journey will be a difficult one, not to mention the whole realm is breaking out in violence.  When the quest doesn't go quite as expected, she finds herself being forced to trust the one man she could have sworn was her number one enemy.

Characters ~ B

Rogan. "Daaaam girl, I'm loving' your sass!" is basically what I was thinking the entire book.  I loved me some fierce and sassy MC and Rogan totally fulfilled!  Sure she does some idiotic things that almost get her killed and a few other nasty things, of course that drove me crazy.  She is very independent and untrusting towards other people. 

Wolfe Stovia is the Captain of the Guard. He is young and has climbed his way up the career ladder quickly.  Also the son of the man that destroyed Rogan's family.  Gained total respect for this guy by the end of the book.  Loved him!

I loved the characters we met along the way, especially L!

Haydyn, the Princess, was the worst character in the whole book.  She was a pain in my ass.  In my opinion, she was annoying, immature, and had no confidence or governing skills to be the future Queen.  Plus, it really bugged me about the magic keeping the people in order because that just seemed like brainwash.  Hayden refused to listen to Rogan and it just pissed me off.  If there is a second book (which I doubt), it will be interesting to see what happens.

Writing ~ A

I loved the writing in this book!  I tend to look for new adult books that have a young adult fantasy feel because it seems all the good fantasy books are geared towards YA (Game of Thrones you are the exception).  So this one was good for me because it had romance that didn't stop once it got to the mature parts but also didn't do into details like in erotica.  Some people consider this YA, but I would say more NA because of certain topics in the book and descriptions that may be scary for younger readers.  The Mountain Man sure did scare the living shit out of me (and made me wanna vomit)!  I will definitely look into other works by this author!

Overall Rating ~ 4 stars!

Totally worth the $1.14 I spent on amazon and would have bought it for more!

My tags: cover-lust, best-world-building, retellings, new-adult, stand-alone, fantasy, magic, book-boyfriends, world-map

Say My Name (Stark International Trilogy, #1)

J. Kenner

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*ARC received in exchange for review*

This title will be available on April 14th, 2015.

Cover ~ B

I like this cover. Simple, yet sexy. Plus the guy reminds me of James Franco (lol).

Characters ~ D

It's average for the character rating. I just didn't have a strong feeling one way or the other. Personally, they were a bit dull. I wish they would have had a more fun banter back and forth.

Sylvia Brooks is the typical girl who has a dark past. She pushes all of her feelings and memories of that time into a small corner of her mind.

Jackson Steele is an up-and-coming architect. Likes to dominate in the relationship. Has major family issues. I did not find a connection with Jackson. He was crass, blunt, and frankly I was not turned on by him. It also drove me crazy in the beginning of the book when he keep walking away from Sylvia.

Plot ~ C

Five years ago, Sylvia spent a weekend with the unforgettable Jackson Steele. The two found something together neither had been expecting: a future. But, in order to save herself, Sylvia had to sacrifice a relationship with Jackson. Now, as an assistant to the rich and famous Damien Stark, Sylvia needs the architect Jackson has become. Both are still nursing a broken heart. Jackson is set on revenge and Sylvia is just trying to avoid the feelings that have come rushing back. But Sylvia needs Jackson the Architect, not Jackson the lover.

Writing ~ C

I was a bit unsure of the idea of a spin-off from the Stark Trilogy, but I enjoyed seeing a few characters again. Not sure how this series is International, but whatever. This one was not nearly as good as Release Me. I was bored for most of the book, because it seemed repetitive and predictable. I did enjoy the flashbacks both from Sylvia's childhood and when the couple met.

My main issue was with the "past relationship". That is in quotation marks because I'm not sure you can call knowing each other less than 48 hours a real relationship in this situation. The whole build up seemed anticlimactic after you figure out the relationship was two freakin days. I just don't get how Jackson can feel so strongly when in reality, he doesn't even know Sylvia, just her body from 5 years ago. And it must have been the best freakin 2 days of their lives, because 5 years later neither of them are over each other and still nursing a broken heart! I think it would have been more realistic if the "past relationship" (not even sure you can call it a relationship) was longer, even a week or a month would be better. That's just my opinion. I have a difficult time understanding how you can fall for someone you barely know. But thats just me.

Overall Rating ~ 2 Stars!

Not sure if I will continue this series.

My tags: adult, spin-off, first-in-series, erotica, romance, drama