Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes, #1)

by Sara Raasch

Check it out on Goodreads

I saw this book for $1.99 on a daily deal. A lot of my Goodreads friends had great reviews, so I decided to pick it up.

Cover~ A+

I definitely appreciated this cover after reading the book. The circular object is actually Meira's weapon called a chakra. It acts almost like a boomerang. The different sections of the chakra represent two kingdoms in war, which is Winter vs Spring. After reading the book, the cover became 100x times more beautiful!

Plot~ A

Even the strongest blizzard starts with a single snowflake.

In this world, each kingdom has their own conduit, which enables the magic within its borders. Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered by Summer and its citizens enslaved by the ruthless Summer King. Left without magic and a leader, Winter's only hope for freedom lies in eight survivors who managed to escape and have been waiting for the opportunity to take back Winter's magic and rebuild their kingdom.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter's defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee. Raised by the remaining Winterians, she has been trained to be a warrior and defend her future king (and friend) Mather. When scouts discover the location of their lost conduit, Meira is finally able to serve her kingdom. But as she fights the enemy soldiers she discovers a world of evil magic and dangerous politics. Things are much worse than they had thought. She comes to realize that her destiny is not, and never has been, her own.

Characters~ B

Meira is an orphan, who has no memory of her parents or home. She has to use other survivor's memory to draw a picture of their home and past. She feels as though she is living on stolen memories and emotions and struggles to find her place in life and belong. She has been trained as a warrior to defend Winter.

My crossbow isn't a weapon I'm holding- it is me, and I am it, and the two of us bring down soldier after soldier like we were made to do nothing else.

Mather is the future king of Winter. I did not like him from the beginning, and that did not change at the end. He does not act the way a king should act, in my opinion, and does not seem worthy to rule because he seems immature.

Theron is the heir of Cordell, where the surviving Winterians have taken shelter. Love him! He is a strong leader, intelligent, sensitive, and a fighter.

They make decisions; they mold your future. The trick is to find a way to still be you through it all.

Writing~ A

The beginning of this novel was loaded with information to a point where it was almost overwhelming. I really struggled in the first few chapters staying engaged in the story. It got so much better once the action came into play. Then we learned more about Meira and connected with her. I did predict the major plot twist from he beginning, but the read was still very enjoyable. The world building was breath-taking.

Overall Rating~ 4 stars!

My tags: magic, high fantasy, love-triangle, adventure, warriors, survival, arranged-marriage, best-villians, best-world building, first-in-series, cover-lust, badass-female-character

Book #2

Ice Like Fire (Snow Like Ashes, #2)

Available 10/13/15!

Hoping for more romance in this one!

Ruthless People (Ruthless People, #1)

by J.J. McAvoy

Check it out on Goodreads!

Warning: This book contains adult language and subject matter including graphic violence and explicit sex that may be disturbing for some readers. This book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Cover ~ A

Yes, I know: surprisingly I love this cover with the faces on them... Not very typical for me, but the image did get me interested. Plus the words, perfectly captures the plot: Power. Sex. Drugs. Murder. Family. Love. Job well done.

Plot ~ A+

To outsider, they look like American Royalty, giving to charities, feeding the homeless, rebuilding their city of Chicago.  (Love that is is Chicago because I am Illinoian!) Behind closed doors they are ruthless people who battle for dominance in the Mafia. In this world, power, respect, and family are everything. Melody Giovanni and Liam Callahan are pushed into an arranged marriage by their mafia boss fathers in hopes to end the bloodshed between the Irish and Italians. Liam must marry in order to establish his claim as a Irish man and leader of the Irish. He thinks he is getting a simple-minded wife, but receives the complete opposite in Mel.  She has been bred to be the Boss and shows no mercy or fear. Mel would rather die than give up the power she has spent her whole life building. But with no other family left, she had may have no other choice but to work with Liam. Mel and Liam must figure out how to work as one to take down those who stand in their way.

Characters ~ A+

Who knew villains could be so AWESOME! I am obsessed with these characters!

She looks like a sweet little lamb from afar, but when you get close, you find out she skinned and ate the damn thing just to use it as a coat. She's a beast.

Melody Giovanni is supposed to be innocent, easy to manipulate, simple daughter of the Italian Boss.  But she is nothing like the Irish expected. She is not going to let some man come in and take over her success and run it into the ground. Because she is the Boss. She is one of my favorite female characters of all time! I have a shelf on Goodreads titled badass-female-characters and I almost added another shelf just for Mel because she is on a totally different level. And I fuckin love it.

God created her  and then shattered the mold afterward, for the world could not handle two of her.

Liam Callahan. Words cannot describe how much I love you. I know you are evil and monster or whatever, but I love you anyways.  The banter between the two is awesome. They clash because both are alphas and want to be in control.

What do you say my Mel? We end our war and join brains and bodies to destroy any against us. We become one ruthless person instead of two.

There are other awesome characters, and the the story is told from different perspectives which adds a unique flare to get inside the characters' heads. You will find yourself drawn to the characters even though they are not necessarily good people.

Writing ~ A+

McAvoy does an amazing job getting the reader to fall in love with these evil characters and dark world. When I say "dark", I mean violence, angry (hot) sex, and organized crime. It is considered an erotic romance but in this book the sex doesn't overtake the book and is not the main focus! A lost of erotica is all sex, sex, and more sex, but this book have more depth to the plot, which makes it exciting and captivating. I have fallen in love with McAvoy's writing. There are so many beautiful quotes in this book.

This is an author that I will definitely look for in the future!

Here are a few quotes I loved:

Bitch is standard mode for me, and I will work on it.

We all had the capacity to be ruthless, that all we needed was the right push.

There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy. 

Overall Rating ~ 5 stars!

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dark books. It is suspenseful and violent, but still sexy and fun.
I fucking love this book!

As of 5/19/15 this book is $4.49 for Kindle!

My tags: arranged marriage, mafia, drugs, murder, kick-ass female character, power struggle, sex, romance, love, family, revenge, loyalty, favorites, adult, violence, organized crime

Book 2

Book 3

And the entire series is out! YAY NO WAITING!

Warning: Do not click on images unless you want spoilers!!

Finals Week!

Its finals week, people!

That's right, one of the few weeks of the year when I chose not to read! I have my Accounting Cost Principles and Music Appreciation finals tomorrow afternoon. Friday is a free day (aka more studying).  Then I have another two finals on Saturday. Yes, I said Saturday.... Those would be my Speech and Western Civilization final. I will be offline for awhile, so wish me luck while I study my brains out!

When I return, I will be starting A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass, the beloved author of the Throne of Glass series! My book is scheduled to come in the mail on Friday, so that will be a large temptation when it comes to studying! It is also my reward for finishing finals! I am expecting to veg-out on the couch and read this book all weekend to relax after this drooling week of studying.

Check out my preview of the book here or get the first five chapters free for your kindle or nook! The book has been available since this Tuesday so it is available for ebook and book purchases as well!

Happy Reading!

Rachel

Queen of Someday (Stolen Empire, #1)

by Sherry D. Ficklin

Check it out on Goodreads!

Cover ~ A+

I mean seriously?! This cover is absolutely stunning!

Plot ~ 

To save her family's title, Sophie must enter the dangers of the Russian Imperial Court. In there heart of St. Petersburg, she must navigate the political, romantics, and religious demands of the Empress Elizabeth and her nephew and heir, Peter. She is determined to save her family and do anything necessary to thrive in her new and unfamiliar surroundings.

Alone in this new and dangerous world, Sophie must learn who to trust and who to charm. Traitors and murderer lurk in the shadows determined to eliminated her from the path to the crown. She finds herself betrothed to one man, but falling in love with another. What will she be willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be?

Characters ~ 

Sophie (aka Catherine the Great) is a Prussian princess. Although royalty, her family is poor and her mother is determined to put Sophie on a throne. Sophie is brave, clever, and courageous. To avoid marrying her creepy old uncle, she agrees to a marriage with Prince Peter, heir to the Russian throne.

*I will not spoil the love interests!*

Who will she choose: the one she trusts, the one she loves, or the one she's being forced to marry?

Writing ~ 

Before reading this, I was hesitant to start because of rumors of a love square. That's right a fucking square. But honestly, I wouldn't even consider it a love triangle! Yes there technically are 3 love interests, but the book progresses in a way that each guy is introduced at a different point in the book. As a reader, your feelings change right along Sophie's. You really feel a connection to this character. My heart broke with hers, as well as a growth of hatred. I will say, I was pleased with the outcome of the love interest; her was my chose!

I will admit some parts of the book dragged, and the romance was the main focus of the book. But the overall point of the book was how Sophie became Catherine the Great and the most fearsome and beloved female leader of Russia.

Peter has won their fear this day, but you have won their hearts.

Her love life at this age is going to play a large part in shaping her future self. That is what makes the book worth the read. Some of the historical events are actually accurate, so props to the author! Obviously a large portion of the book is fiction, but the fiction is needed to keep the reader engaged in the story. And boy were there a lot of twists and turns. The only thing that bugged me was the Empress/Emperor title. I am 99% sure that the was called Tsar during the Imperial rule.

Overall Rating ~ 3.5 stars!

My tags: arranged-marriage, historical-fiction, cover-lust, first-in-series, russia, Catherine-the-Great, queen, ya