BOOK REVIEW: I HAVE LOST MY WAY by GAYLE FORMAN - YA CONTEMPORARY - SIMON & SCHUSTER

By: Gayle Forman

Published By: Simon & Schuster

Released: This is an advanced copy

Details: Paperback Limited Edition Book Proof, 256 Pages

RATING: 4.5 STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from everyone he has ever loved, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City with a backpack, a desperate plan, and nothing left to lose. When a fateful accident draws these three strangers together, their secrets start to unravel as they begin to understand that the way out of their own loss might just lie in help­ing the others out of theirs.

BOOK REVIEW:

This is a book to go in cold turkey, read it on Gayle's name alone.

For me, Harun, was a stand-out character and his family.

Then Nathaniel was very close and then Freya. Her troubles seemed less than the boys, yet they were still important to her and meaningful.

What happens when an Ethiopian girl, a white all American boy, and a Muslim are in a park? Which could read like the start of a joke. 

Well, you’re gonna have to read to find out.

I think this is one of those books where possibly the movie might be better, but we may never know. I could see some funny moments and some deep and emotional moments that would transfer onto the big screen better, adding that something extra.

I was delightfully surprised by this book—even though I shouldn’t have been because it is a Gayle Forman book.

I would not call this a contemporary romance. I would call this something unique to read and to appreciate it for what it is. I want to say more, but I shall not.

A very different book to what Gayle has written in the past. It almost is as though it isn’t a Gayle Forman book…but it is.

Told over a single day, 3 very different characters collide and a friendship starts to weave its way.

You will only get one day with these characters, but you will get flashbacks to enrich your knowledge of these characters.

My heart cried and I didn’t think it would.

Unfortunately I had something spoiled because I chose to read several reviews beforehand from ARC readers who were given this special chance to keep those spoilers secret, and they chose to boldly hint at them in far too much clarity. Knowing what I knew, I still did not think my heart would cry and it did. 

I’m going to be honest and say, even before I read this book, I didn’t think I was going to like it, even though it is a Gayle Forman book. The blurb didn’t seem to tell me that it would be an interesting read.

When I set out on my reading journey of this book, flipping the pages, I thought the characters weren’t going to be interesting—but I reminded myself this was a Gayle Forman book and I kept reading and enjoyed the experience.

Thank you Gayle for stepping outside the box and writing something that will make us, the reader, think and feel. 

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BOOK REVIEW: BORN OF ICE by SHERRILYN KENYON - THE LEAGUE # 3 - PIATKUS - PARANORMAL ROMANCE - SCI-FI

By: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Published By: Piatkus

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback from library, 352 Pages

RATING: 3.75 STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

In the Ichidian Universe where The League is law, most live in fear. We fight back. Welcome to a world where corrupt assassination politics dominate everyone. It’s kill or be killed. Welcome back to the future…and meet hell's new breed of heroes.

Devyn Kell spent his life in service to the League until he learned of the double dealing and backstabbing that was costing innocent people their lives. Refusing to play those politics, he became a Runner; someone who makes sure planets get the weapons, medicine and supplies they need to survive. May the gods have mercy on any who get in his way, because he definitely won’t.

Alix Garran is a woman on the run from a past she can’t escape. Signing on to work for Devyn as a System’s Engineer, she finds a cause she can fight for—and a man she can respect. But as Alix’s past catches up to her, and Devyn’s old enemies turn lethal, they have to fight together…or fall alone, in Born of Ice, the third bestselling League novel from Sherrilyn Kenyon.

BOOK REVIEW:

Okay, here’s the deal: I do LOVE Sherrilyn Kenyon’s writing and I am making my way through both The League and Dark Hunter series. I am coming in very, very late to both series and I love all the five and four star reviews. Bravo!

I just referred to my reviews of the first two books in this series and I gave them 4 and 4.5 stars. I enjoyed them very much.

This book took me by surprise…fast forward at a guess thirty plus years and we have Devyn, son of Syn and Shahara, which is great , but being the third book in the series, it was a leap into hyperspace. Bahahaha. It felt kinda weird going there after only two books in the series prior, but it was okay. I got used to it and I forgot about Syn being an older man.

I had a little trouble with connecting with Devyn and Alix as a couple. I was trying to deal with it as I read, but there wasn’t that reader/character connection for me personally.

You win some; you lose some.

Born of Ice got my eyes a little twitchy, especially when pages 173, 175, 177 and 181, Claria does a switcheroo and becomes Claire on several occasions. I read from the Piatkus published copy. These are the ones I could quickly find.

At first I thought, eh, they are being silly with her name, but then the more I read, my eyes started twitching.



“Thanks, Claire.”



“I’m not your bitch, Claire.



Devyn took a step forward. “Claire—”



Devyn motioned for Zarina to follow him so that he could give Sway and Claire privacy.



I still enjoyed it enough to give it 3.75 stars. Not as good as the first two, but still I read cover to cover and glad I did read it.

I just found this on Google, it explains the time jumping. https://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/book/league-reading-list/ 

Original Publication Date: January 01, 1990

This is the correct reading order for The League® series that Sherrilyn means for the series to be read in. For those who are wondering why the series jumps ahead in time from League®: Nemesis Rising® to League®: Nemesis Legacy®, the reason is simple. Back in 1991 when Sherrilyn first sold Born of Night, her original publisher tied up the Nemesis Rising books with the option clause of her contract for many, many years. Since the books were so original and unlike anything currently published back then, they were delaying the publication dates and refusing to release the books back to her (again, the book sold in ’91 and wasn’t released for publication until ’96). Unable to touch the series since the main characters were under contract, Sherrilyn went on and began the second set of League characters under the Nemesis Legacy® banner and started writing about the children of the first set.

She quickly sold those books to two more publishers. But because they were tied to the first, she was advised to change their names and break them away from the original books so that no one would know the Legacy books were tied in any way to the Nemesis Rising books. As a result, Paradise City (League: Nemesis Legacy) was released in 1993 by Dorchester and Fire & Ice (League: Nemesis Legacy) was released in 1995 by Time-Warner. After their stellar success, Born of the Night (League: Nemesis Rising) was then finally by its original publisher in 1996 who saw that there was indeed a market for Sherri’s work. Sherri was then able to get the rest of the Nemesis Rising books away from that publisher and Born of Fire (League: Nemesis Rising) became the first ebook in history by a bestselling New York published book author when it was released in the summer of 1996. Then, in 1999 Born of Night (League: Nemesis Rising) and Fire & Ice (League: Nemesis Legacy) were both rereleased by Time-Warner where it immediately skyrocketed to #1 and stayed there for months. However, their program was summarily cancelled the next year and all their editors let go. Sherri was again cast adrift with the series and her e-rights, as well as the print rights were again tied-up.

In 2004, Fire & Ice (League: Nemesis Legacy) was then bought by Penguin Group, USA where it immediately it more bestseller lists and was again republished in 2010 as part of an all Kenyon anthology collection entitled In Other Worlds.

Due to contract restrictions on the original Born of Night, Sherrilyn had to wait for all her rights to be returned to her before she could continue writing the League®: Nemesis Rising novels®. But in 2009, once her rights were again her own and she had all of the original books back, except Fire & Ice, Sherrilyn returned the titles and the character names to their original ones and was able to republish the first three published League books as a cohesive unified series and the first three Nemesis Rising and Nemesis Legacy books (which at that time were selling on eBay for thousands of dollars a copy) were brought out back to back. Born of Night (League: Nemesis Rising), Born of Fire (League: Nemesis Rising), Born of Ice (League: Nemesis Legacy).

From that point on, Sherri has continued the series as she wanted to originally in the ’80’s, starting with the League: Nemesis Rising characters and then moving to the League: Nemesis Legacy once she finished the Nemesis Rising arc that takes place during the League-Sentella war.

NemesisLegacy books begin approximately 30-35 years after the war ends.

As to why all the books aren’t listed in the front of other League books is simple. The series has never been published by a single publisher. And sadly, publishers only list the books that they publish in their own company. Therefore, the only place the get the full list of all the League books is here on Sherri’s site.

If you want to read the books chronologically, you can choose that option on the menu bar above, but please note that Sherri didn’t write them that way. She wrote them out of sequence and that is how they’re meant to be read. So it’s safe to read them in the order she wrote them in, as she was very careful in how she gives out character details. So while the books might go back in time, there is a carefully thought out reason for this. She doesn’t do that arbitrarily.

Nemesis Rising Books setting: Before & during League-Sentella War i.e. Nykyrian/Nemesis rising to become emperor of the Andarion and Triosan empires

Nemesis Legacy Books setting: 30-35 years after the League-Sentella War ends. The are about the reign of Nykyrian/Nemesis as emperor.

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FREEBIE - FIRST TIME EVER - WRENCHED ( HELL'S BASTARD # 1) - DARK SUSPENSE ROMANCE

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER

 WRENCHED HAS BEEN FREE!

DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MEET EDGE & WHISPER

AMAZING SERIES!

18+ Readership

WRENCHED

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2uSbpty

Amazon UK : http://amzn.to/2tyfDGy

Amazon AUS : http://amzn.to/2uk9zQW

Amazon CAD : http://amzn.to/1R287Gg

CURRENTLY IN #KINDLEUNLIMITED FIRST 4 BOOKS

5TH AND FINAL BOOK RELEASING IN A FEW WEEKS

BLURB

A debt to be paid. A mind blowing story starts to unwind.

Strap yourself in for one hell of a ride.

Stolen—I was a whisper.

Freedom—it came with a price.

This is not your average love story

WHISPER

Life has been a bitch to me.

I don’t even know my full name.

I was a secret.

Miss Catherine and Boxer changed my life.

I now trusted in mankind.

Until Edge walked into my life.

Now I’m screwed.

I’ve escaped one Hell’s bastard to be wrenched towards another.

PRAISE FOR WRENCHED 

Followed by an extract from the book.

It's a Dark and ballsy read like no other book I have read in a long long time. ~ She’s A Lip Biter

Wrenched was my first Emma James book and I have to say, I really enjoyed this dark read. A bit of a captive story mixed in with a MC theme. With various POV shifts as we get to know all the players, I was fully enthralled as the story progressed. 

~ Michelle New – Goodreads

I truly loved this story, and I recommend it to anyone that loves their stories dark and a little wicked. It's bound to get the heart racing, in more ways than one. ^_^ 

~ Stacey – Sassy Book Lovers

This is a very emotional and awesome experience for all its reader. Quite disturbing and even scary for the characters. 

~ Maree Repa – Goodreads

Then everything gets twisted together, fates collide, and things get even more intense than I even thought possible. It's hard to tell who is good. Who is bad. Who is redeemable. Who even deserves a chance at redemption.

I NEED to know what happens! I require more! Don't mind me...I'll just be over here in the edge of my seat, biting my nails and binge eating comfort foods, waiting for book two. 

~ George - One Click Addict Support Group 

Being from Louisiana this book was easy to relate to. She has Miss C’s character on the money all the way to the way she speaks. We do speak like that here. The writing was smooth and easy to read.

~ Kayla – Goodreads 

EXTRACT FROM WRENCHED

EDGE POV

I’ve just walked into the bar and I’m in need of a piss, so I follow the restroom sign and notice along the way how empty the bar is, while the jukebox has some romantic country song wailing out of it. I could have relieved myself on my father’s land, but even my piss was too good to be spilled on something he had owned.

I’ve taken care of business, ready for a beer, when I hear barely audible feminine grunts followed by smacking noises coming from up the stairs.

Call me curious.

I quietly climb the stairs, noting the Private: Staff Only sign nailed to the beam above my head, ignoring it as I walk toward the sounds, when I see her in a back room, punching a heavy bag in painted on, ass-hugging, little black workout shorts. I’m amused at first. My thoughts of revenge falling to second place as I cross my arms over my chest, propping myself up against the doorjamb while I watch her smack the bag with her toned arms as she makes those soft little grunts.

She has no idea I’m standing here observing her. I should walk away, but the more I stand here watching her, the more I can’t take my eyes off her. She sure is a looker.

This female is so determined to break her thumbs that I have to step in and save them. She is lean, but she still has nice curves, like a slow-winding country road travelling up her body. Her tight, rounded globes have my dick’s attention as she swings around the bag, concentrating so hard that she doesn’t notice me, sweat dripping off her pretty face, determination written all over it.

I decide then and there I want to get to know her tonight. I have seen that look. That’s the look of somebody who’s working off stress…or working off somebody.

She is quick on her feet, but she is holding her hands wrong. She doesn’t even have them strapped. She looks like she walked in and just needed to start hitting something. Her tits are a good handful, and her tight black workout top holds them secure. Her long brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail, perfect for grabbing onto, and she has these big, chocolate brown eyes a man could drown in while he fucks her senseless.

She is light on her feet as she rotates around again, jabbing at the bag with her back to me. In my current status of good-guy-civilian, I have to help her out.

I walk up to her and lay my hands on either side of her shoulders to calm her movements. She stops with a gasp, her body stiffening. I watch her reaction time. It’s slow as her mind works on what to do next. She needs to get a little quicker with that.

Then it comes.

I’m ready.

She swings around, ready to shove her palm straight up into my nose, hoping to buy herself some time as she flees for help.

Somebody has been taking self-defense lessons. I actually find myself liking the fact that she has some knowledge about how to protect herself.

I dodge her predictable defensive response to my invasion of her space. Her palm goes flying through the air, hitting nothing. I twist her back around, keeping her arms locked down tight, and her back to my chest. “We can do this all night if you like, but I’m not here to hurt you. I came in for a beer and to take a piss. I’ve been on the road the last few days. If you’ll calm down, I’ll release you.”

She thinks about my words and my actions and does as she’s told. She’s naïve, but I won’t tell her that. Before I fully release her, I move my hands over hers and reposition her thumbs for her. “Like this.” I soften my deep, rough, gravelly voice because I can be very intimidating when I want to be. “Little lady, I was just gonna tell you you’re gonna break those thumbs the way you are hitting that bag.” From her body language, I can see intimidation will get me nowhere. I need to behave like a civil gentleman, and not who I really am.

“You’re not thinking about the care of your hands before you beat the heavy bag senseless because your mind is elsewhere.” She’s all kinds of frazzled about something, and this is an impulsive thing to do. She might have started out with good intentions, putting her workout gear on, but then it escalated to, ‘Fuck my hands. I need to hit something, pronto’.

I fully release her and she immediately takes a step away from me, twisting around to take in who was touching her, who has invaded her private workout. Her eyes widen in surprise as she looks me up and down quickly. They don’t linger too long. She just needed to assess me for any danger.

Smart girl.

All she sees standing before her is a clean-cut American guy. She would have given me a different look had she seen me in my cut, but for some reason, I don’t think it would have necessarily impressed her. There are the chicks who would fear us, and then there are the chicks who can’t wait to get in our pants. I’m not a hundred percent sure which category she was in at the moment.

I look her in the eyes. “I can tell this isn’t your first time at the bag. You’ve let yourself get distracted, little lady.”

“Thank you,” she whispers to me. “You are right. I am distracted. I wasn’t thinking clearly.” Her eyes are now downcast and darting back and forth. “I’m good now, thank you. You can leave me to it.”

I sense a challenge. I saw her look of appreciation before she looked away. I never have to work hard. I get fucked with ease.

“You shouldn’t be up here. This is the private part of the bar and it’s now closed. How did you get in here?” Her voice is soft-spoken.

“The door was unlocked and the jukebox was wailing. Also, it’s only just eight o’clock. I needed a beer. What bar shuts at eight o’clock?”

“This bar,” she mumbles. She slowly looks up when I don’t respond to her two words, and then her eyes roam all over my body...again.

I’m neatly dressed and my hair is freshly cut. I’m wearing designer jeans, a checkered button up, and a leather jacket. I stopped off in New Orleans to get myself some civvies to wear on the way over. My cut is rolled up in my saddle bag on my bike.

I usually look dangerous and intimidating, but tonight, I need to be somebody else less threatening. I also need to be anonymous in this town, just a guy wanting a beer, passing on through.

Tonight, I’m nothing more than your average Joe Blow.

“Are you in charge of the bar?” I can’t sense anybody else around.

“Not normally, but for now, yes.”

She’s deciding if she will allow me a drink. I know I look tired, and now I’m all kinds of sexually frustrated, since I’ve laid eyes on this female.

“If you want a beer, I can get you one.” She’s too trusting, but I won’t knock her back. I really could do with a beer.

This new hair cut is hanging in my face, and it works to my advantage, making me look younger. I scoop it up and over my head and give her a little smile. “You look like you need a break. Can I buy you a drink?” I’m all for smooth talking her to get what I want.

I can see her weighing up whether to let me buy her a drink.Interesting, she’s making me work for it. I’m all for a challenge. She just made herself that little bit more of a game to me, so I offer up more information. “I’m just in town to visit family and decided to stop on by for a couple drinks before I head on over.” A little white lie, but I can see I have to pull some half-truths here to get this one to take the bait.

“And they can’t give you a beer?”

Shit. “They no longer drink.” Well, that part is true. “Wouldn’t be polite of me to show up with alcohol, when they’re on the wagon.”

I give her my warmest look, which I normally reserve for the people I’m hunting, because I need to pull on my resources for this female standing before me.

My brothers know if I get this look on my face I’m far more dangerous than when I look like I want to kill you. If I look like I want to kill you, then where’s the element of surprise? But if I look at you like you are my friend and you can trust me, then you won’t see me coming,motherfucker.

I need to take the edge off and get laid, and she just became my prey for the night. I’ll be fucking her before the night is through.

I hold my hand out to her to shake. “I’m Edge, and you are?”

She puts her small hand in mine and gives my hand a little squeeze. “I’m Sara.” I can see immediately she’s lying to me. She has no clue how to lie. My name’s Edge because I always have the upper hand.

She looks at me like she wants to say something more, her mouth opens a little, and then she says in a very small voice, “Ok. I’ll be over in a few minutes. Let me just clean up a bit.”

“I’ll just go wait out at the bar for you.” I have to strain my ears to hear her. “Take your time, little lady. I’ll be waiting.”

I can sniff a good girl out, and she’s definitely a good girl, but can I get her to be a bad girl tonight?

I head down to the bar and take it upon myself to flip the closed sign on and click the locks. She’s not used to closing up the bar because somebody else normally does this, and tonight, for whatever reason, she’s been left alone to do it, and look what happens.

I happen.

I take a slow look around the bar. It’s fitted out in wood and leather. A real old school kind of small town bar, with an old school kind of jukebox in the corner. The music has stopped, so I walk over to it, feeling around my pockets for a handful of coins, and I punch in several songs. The jukebox comes to life, clicking and whirring, and “One Of These Nights” by The Eagles starts playing.

I could have ducked behind the bar and gotten a couple of beers, but I don’t want to appear more than who I want her to see. I want in her pants, and being Edge, the Soulless Bastard, isn’t gonna cut it with this gal.

I take out my phone and text Hazard. I let him know I’ve arrived and I’ll be tidying everything up soon. Whisper will be meeting an untimely end. We discuss some club stuff back and forth, and then end our conversation. I delete the messages, so my phone is clean.

I’ve positioned myself so I can see when she comes back into the bar. The jukebox clicks away as it chooses the next song, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet starts playing.

She walks in, looking around the empty bar until she locates where I’m seated. She makes a stop behind the bar and holds up two beers. I nod my head, and she brings them over. I don’t care about the brand; I just need a drink. I can see she’s showered and has put on a clean white tank top, a knitted black zip-up, little denim shorts, and flip-flops. I’m amused at the flip-flops.

“Slide on in, little lady.” I figure she’ll sit next to me, but instead, she sits across from me. “Do you talk?”

“Of course.” Her voice is so damn quiet against the jukebox playing in the background.

“Darlin’, you’re gonna have to speak up because I can’t hear you.” She slides the beer over to me and I hold it up to her. “Thank you,” I tell her, then take a deep swig.

She takes a long drink from her bottle and makes a little face while she looks about nervously. I need to go in for another swoop of getting her to trust me. This chick needs to chill. “Look, Sara, if you don’t want to talk and have a beer, that’s fine by me. I just thought you looked interesting and we might get along tonight.”

“No. You are great. It’s me. I’ve got a lot of things on my mind.” Her eyes turn to me, but can’t stay on me for too long. “I received some unwanted news today.”

“Is that what the pounding on the heavy bag was all about?”

She nods her head. “My trainer would be disappointed all his hard work went down the peach pit the minute he left me alone.”

Peach pit? I like this woman. “Is he your boyfriend?” Of course she would have somebody. I take a long swig out of my bottle, draining the contents. I’m about to cock-block my own dick and get out of here.

“Oh, no!” She laughs and I like the sound of it. “He’s more a father figure to me. He’s away for a few days, and I was just feeling a little tense. He will help me sort it all out when he gets back.”

I give my dick a mental double-thumbs-up, deciding maybe she’s worth the challenge tonight after all. It’s very rare a female doesn’t push herself on me, or rub her tits in my face when I invite her for a drink. Actually, it’s rare more than one woman isn’t vying for my attention at the same time. This is something new to me. She’s put a small chink in my ego.

When I’m hunting, I need to know when to back off and when to go in for the kill. This girl needs more effort, or else I will blow it before I can get to the finish line.

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BOOK REVIEW: LOYALTY IN DEATH by J.D. ROBB - IN DEATH # 9 - PIATKUS - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: J.D. Robb

Published By: Piatkus

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback from Library, 443 Pages

RATING: 4.5 PLOT STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Eve Dallas has been chosen by a deadly revolutionary group, Cassandra, as their one true adversary. While investigating the seemingly simple case of a jealous lover killing her partner, she receives a disk from  Cassandra, telling her to expect a demonstration of their power. Arriving just in time to see one of her billionaire husband Roarke's empty properties blown up, the link continues as more of Roarke's city landmarks are destroyed, testing Eve and her team to the limit and costing more and more lives.

Discovering that Cassandra is linked to a previous group, responsible for blowing up the Pentagon several years ago, things turn increasingly sinister as Eve realises that the murdered man and his family are implicated, and she races to break down the web of deceit and destruction before the city falls.


BOOK REVIEW:

9 Books and a novella story done and dusted. This is one of my top fave badass-long series to snuggle in bed with. 46 Books and still going strong. I bet the publishers pinch  themselves with excitement every time another is due for release. They snagged such an awesome storyteller.

Okay onto my personal thoughts.

Ooh the sexual tension between Peabody and McNab was so much fun to read in this installment. I love these two and their banter and their inability to stop what was happening between them.

I LOVED seeing Roarke quite speechless over something Eve did. It was moving and you can see how something as simple as an imperfect rose could mean a great deal to him. Especially to a man that has and can have anything in the world, or off planet.

I have to say, the case-to-solve part of this installment wasn’t as interesting as in previous books, but it was still very good. It definitely had its tense moments. I think the "cassandra" group irritated me a little. A case of it's me and not you.

I always enjoy Roarke coming to Eve’s aid with all his devices and transport. He’s rather sexy the way he does it. He just seems to get better and better each book. Such a well written character. I can't wait to see how his character reads by book 46.

Peabody’s bro makes an appearance and the poor love is a bit of a softy. A free-ager who falls hard pretty quickly. I did enjoy meeting Zeke. 

This was another really good installment in the In Death series. I would never have noticed this series if I wasn't doing a google search for 'similar to Stephanie Plum' , even though it's not even on the same level as Steph Plum series.

I do highly recommend this series for its intelligent writing and character growth...and ROARKE!!

I will invest in all these paperbacks for my shelves because I want my daughter to one day enjoy them.

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BOOK REVIEW: THE ART OF SEDUCING A NAKED WEREWOLF by MOLLY HARPER - NAKED WEREWOLF # 2 - SIMON & SCHUSTER - PARANORMAL ROMANCE

By: Molly Harper

Published By: Simon & Schuster

Released: Available Now

Details: Hardback from local library, 338 Pages

RATING: 3.75-4 STARS

Blurb: Goodreads

Baring It All

Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley’s pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt. What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley. With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted. Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous. . . .

BOOK REVIEW:

This is my first Molly Harper read and she is very tongue-in-cheek with her humor.

I did start at book number 2 because my local library only had books 2 and 3. I didn’t really miss out on anything by not reading book 1. Sure there are mentions of little things from the previous book, but not enough for me to feel I needed to read the first one. This book was centered around Maggie and the ever cute, geeky Nick.

I did read some reviews for How To Flirt With A Naked Werewolf and I do understand Maggie may have come across with a different personality as she did in this book, due to the circumstance of HTFWANW ( I had to abbreviate). She's now alpha and has a pack to look after.

I am giving this book between 3.75 stars and 4 stars. For me this was an okay/good read. I really enjoyed the twist that you can’t pick coming, because there is no reason for you to see it coming.

Touché!

I did find the storytelling a little predictable and a little too convenient in places and I really didn’t connect that well with Nick and Maggie as a future couple. He’s a great guy, sweet and intelligent, and a little sexy, but I wanted to believe in Maggie and Nick.

The cover art is fun and I do realize this is a very light, fluffy sort of story when it comes to paranormal romance and that is great. I enjoy the fluffier side of reading quite a lot, but I do also have to be invested in the characters a little more than I was.

This is certainly a great poolside read to enjoy.

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BOOK REVIEW: WRITTEN IN RED by ANNE BISHOP - THE OTHERS # 1 - PENGUIN - URBAN FANTASY

By: Anne Bishop

Published By: Penguin

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback, 484 Pages

RATING: 4 STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

No one creates realms like New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop. Now in a thrilling new fantasy series, enter a world inhabited by the Others, unearthly entities—vampires and shape-shifters among them—who rule the Earth and whose prey are humans.

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

BOOK REVIEW:

This is my first Anne Bishop read that I had recommended to me. I adore urban fantasy and paranormal romance in YA and adult.

This book has garnered many, many thousands of five star reviews and that is absolutely fantastic. It is a real mixed bag when it comes to the age bracket.

It’s not typical YA. I am not sure how old Meg the lead female character even is, but she feels young, but parts of this story feel not YA.

Anne has done a wonderful job with writing something very different in this genre. The ‘others’ are quite scary, if you are a human. They will eat you, if you fark-up, without hesitation.

Meg is like the missing jewel in their crown. She's a special snowflake to this group.

Meg is a character I found pleasant. She’s super nice. She delivers the mail for the others and builds relationships with the most unlikely ‘others’.

Simon, Vlad, Henry, Tess… to name a few, have their roles that are sometimes scary, but then they can be so understanding and totally love Meg, in their own way. 

I laughed out loud at Vlad’s comment.



“Is it that time of the month?” Vlad asked.

Some feeling blew through her. It might have been embarrassment, but she suspected it was closer to rage. “What?”

He studied her. “Is that not an appropriate question to ask?”

“No!”

“Odd. In many novels I’ve read, human males often ask that question when a female is acting…” Puzzlement as he continued to study her face. “Although, now that I consider it, they usually don’t make that observation to the female herself.”



They all love her and that is lovely. Meg has her secrets as she is in hiding from the peeps we don’t ever meet, but hear about. I didn't get a real sense of these villains, because they used their henchmen to do the dirty work. I can't put a face to The Controller, Meg's controller.

Anne has thrown in the annoying character, Asia, who is more a fly you want to swat, rather than a character that has great importance to the story. She is used more as a means to an end.

I adore Winter. She really is my favorite sub character in this story. The seasons in this book were amazing. So well written. They do have the power to wipe the earth clean… hence the ice age and the dinosaurs. Which made me question who truly was the leader when you have that kind of power that could really stop Simon and the others in their tracks?



“Kindness,” Winter murmured, taking the scarf and wrapping it around her neck. “So unexpected.”



The first 100 odd pages, give or take, I found hard to get through, for a little lack of interest, but I could see how many four and five star reviews were on Goodreads, and the 37,000 plus ratings the book currently has received, so I pushed on.

Meg’s character honestly really does just deliver mail in this first instalment for most of the book. But it is the connections she makes with the others along the way that writes the story. Sure she is the blood prophet and she does her thing and sees things, but predominantly her character delivers mail.

This is an incredibly descriptive story to a point I was like, dude!

There is no romance, but Meg is kinda the romance for the 'other' characters. They simply adore her, for the most part.

Sam the wolf pup is a great character and I loved the interaction with Meg and Sam. She does things the way she innocently thinks is right and she in a way teaches the others a new way of looking at things they would normally take insult to—or kill you for.

I liked Monty and his interaction with the others. He’s a good guy who is trying to work alongside the others and stay alive doing it.

If you are looking for a lead female character that is written to be kickass, then Meg isn’t that in this book, she's more a gentle, thoughtful soul. By the end of this installment, she's taught the others a few things, which in a way helps them to be a little teeny bit more compassionate to the humans working for them. 

They are foremost killers and will rip you apart and sell your human meat if you do the wrong thing. Humans are not the dominant beings, the others are, but they learn from Meg.



“They really aren’t human, Karl,” Monty said. “Intellectually, I knew that. Now I know that with the body as well as brain. The terra indigene aren’t animals who turn into humans or humans who turn into animals. They really are man shape because it suited them. They gained something from the human form, whether it was standing upright or having the convenience of fingers and thumbs, just like they gained something from the animal forms they absorbed.”



I enjoyed the last 70 pages the most as the action came into play, otherwise there is a lot of pages where Meg is delivering mail and who she meets along the way. She likes to hand out treats, with Asia popping in and out to be really just annoying. (where’s that fly swatter?)

I still give this four stars, but for me and my reading tastes, it is a very slow large middle section, but I am totally invested in reading the rest of the series. 

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