Review: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Living Dead Girl Elizabeth Scott
Published: September 8th 2009
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Goodreads Summary

The thing is, you can get used to anything. You think you can't, you want to die, but you don't. You won't. You just are. This is Alice. She was taken by Ray five years ago. She thought she knew how her story would end. She was wrong.

Is it possible to write a poetic book about kidnapping and imprisonment of a child? I 

guess the answer here is yes. This is a really hauntingly, disturbingly beautiful short 

novel which features a horrific crime. 

“I have been smashed and put back together so many times nothing works right. 

Nothing is where it should be, heavy thumping in my shoulder where my heart now 

beats.”

15 year old “Alice” was lured into Ray’s car when she was ten, taken from a field trip into 

Shady Pines where she was conditioned to become another person. The horrific physical 

and emotional abuse was flowing through the book without having to be spelt out and 

shouted at the reader. Although the pain that is endured by the character isn’t explicit 

It’s still a hard story to read. The fact that there have been and are children that are 

being put through this right now is horrifying and this book shows you a slight insight. 

To say that Elizabeth Scott managed to capture the horror of the characters capture in a 

rather beautiful way is an understatement. I didn’t think that a story could leave scars, 

but this book certainly has. I haven’t stopped thinking about it for weeks. 

“She became a story, one I have mostly forgotten. One I can't end because she died a 

long time ago.”

Scott manages to draw you in with her unique writing, the fact that the chapters start 

with “Once Upon a Time” when reciting what happened to “Alice” when she was 

younger is unforgettable, it plays on the fact that it’s telling a atrocious thing that 

happened to a young girl while starting it off with a popular fairy tale opening. 

I wasn’t expecting this book to cover all the basics, the characters back stories were 

detailed in the small amount of words that this book required. For a second I felt sorry 

for the monster and for what Ray was doing, knowing his loveless upbringing and the 

abuse that he received from his mother was enough for me to know why he became the 

monster he is, it was enough for me to sympathise with him. I didn’t even think that I 

would have been able to image the horror and the experience of someone that was so 

much abused. I didn’t think it was possible for an author to even describe such a thing in 

a book; I felt as if I was right there with Alice throughout her torture, throughout the 

control he had over her. I felt trapped in this character and felt as if I was living her 

story. 


This was labelled as a young adult novel, I know so many bloggers have already 

mentioned the fact that it shouldn’t have but I disagree. This is exactly what mature 

teenagers need to read. Everyone should read this. I am now carrying this story around 

with me everywhere I go.

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Published by: Pan Macmillian
First Publication: 10th September 2010

Goodreads summary

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life. Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible ... A tale of fanfiction, family, and first love

This seemed like the perfect book for a fellow fangirl, not only is the main character into reading and fanfiction she is also off to college. I thought this would have been the perfect read for me to prepare myself mentally for what I'm about to endure.

This book was a lot of hard work. I mean Cath was such a difficult character! There were specks of her personality that I could relate like wanting to stay in and read, or write a story, but other times I wanted Cath to jump in front of a bus.
Cath is really into writing her fanfiction about Simon and Baz; the characters are real to her and she wants nothing more than to write about them. I understand her obsession but it went a little bit too far I guess. I felt sorry for Cath sometimes. Her relationship with the fictional characters was rather getting out of hand and I really don't think it represented how us readers feel about certain characters.
I have no idea how her fanfiction ended. To tell you the truth I read only the first chapter in the book that Cath wrote. I had no desire to read a characters work. I wanted to, I mean it's such a great idea for Rainbow Rowell to do that! Writing a story about your own character writing a story? Perfect. However it ended up to be a disaster.

The dialog and the relationships in this book were okay. There is no other word to describe it. It was okay to read, there was no amazing chemistry between any of the characters there was nothing special about it. I did like how Cath and Levi interacted but it all seemed to incredibly childish. It was cute, but childish. I kept reading reviews of people falling in love for him, why?! He is like a puppy!

Back to Cath once again, I don't think I've come across a more needy character. I understand that her and her twin Wren did everything together even wrote some of the fanfiction together but as soon as Wren starts to have her own life Cath automatically starts to cling onto the past. It reminded me of 22 Jump Street when Schmit was clinging onto Jenko (yes I did recently rewatch the movie)  

I didn't really want to review this book. I really don't have much to say about this book, am I going to remember the story in a year? No. I had to freaking look up Levi's name because he was lost in my memory.
I am glad I read this book, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't great. It's just a book that is going to fade into the background.

ARC Review: The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
Release Date: April 15th 2014
Publisher: Headline (UK)
Source: Netgalley
Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father. Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A love story that started off in an elevator, under the stars on a roof and got mapped out over America and Europe with postcards saying Wish You Were Here.

“He was just a boy on a roof. She was just a girl in an elevator.”

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building during a citywide blackout. After being rescued they spent a night together in the agonising heat and darkened streets looking up at the stars above Manhattan. However as the lights come back so does the reality and soon Lucy moves over to Edinburgh and Owen and his father take the road and travel across the country. Not seeing each other for months with hardly any contact but a few postcards and emails.

What I love the most about this book is that this isn’t one of those romance orientated teen books where everything is perfect and happy. Lucy and Owen have the space to grow apart and breath. They were able to grow into their own characters and be able to tell their own story rather than being a couple in a book that’s always together joined at the hip. I didn’t particularly understand why Owen and Lucy had to both be so sociably awkward; I loved Lucy and how much of a bookworm she was and I liked Owen liking his own space after his mother dying but it felt like they were massive loners and just didn’t want to talk to anyone which is just silly.

“Nine months ago, he’d met a girl in an elevator and she’s been on his mind ever since.”

Jennifer managed to create a relationship between two people who were separated by thousands of miles and yet still managed to think about each other wherever they went; proving that distance is only mapped out and can be overcome. This book was really sweet and cute but it was in such great doses that I didn’t feel gross after reading it.

The writing is amazing! I can’t even express how much I love Jennifer’s writing. This isn’t one of those soppy boring teenage stories.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Jennifer E. Smith so I wasn’t too sure what to expect but I saw that John Green was a fan of this particular book so I was pretty much sold.

Note that these quotes have been taken from an uncorrected proof and may be subject to change

ARC Review: The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian

The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian
Series: Chaos Theory #1
Publisher: InterMix Books
Release Date: March 18th 2014
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Evalyn Ibarra never expected to be an accused killer and experimental prison test subject. A year ago, she was a normal college student. Now she’s been sentenced to a month in the compass room—an advanced prison obstacle course designed by the government to execute justice.

If she survives, the world will know she’s innocent.

Locked up with nine notorious and potentially psychotic criminals, Evalyn must fight the prison and dismantle her past to stay alive. But the system prized for accuracy appears to be killing at random.

She doesn’t plan on making friends.

She doesn’t plan on falling in love, either.

“We die if we’re supposed to die, right?”

While The Wicked We Have Done is not the most original book out there, it certainly was a highly entertaining read; until it took a turn which I couldn’t accept, a turn I STILL cannot accept. It enraged me with how easily it could waive something like ‘that’ off. I just couldn’t.

Comparisons to the Hunger Games will be unavoidable because of the whole survival aspect and how they always found food randomly.  Comparisons to the other dystopian book will also be made due to the whole stimulation aspect but in spite of all these similarities, The Wicked We Have Done does manage to stand out because of the way it presents these ideas. It puts a psychological spin on them and adds the throws in a bit of crime. Because how can what is happening to them be wrong when some of them are in fact evil criminals who ruthlessly harmed other people and took great pleasure in it? The Wicked We Have Done brings up the age old question of the ethicality of death penalty and a hand full of other questions about who the victims are and whether a crime can be justified.

The book opens with a touching scene between the main character, her mother and her brother. They are having their final farewell before she goes to the Compass Room where she will most assuredly die. The chances of survival are extremely low but the main character comforts her mother and younger brother instead and puts on a brave face while the first breaks apart and the latter buys her story (because he is 5). 

Evalyn was a great character (until that one thing which I will get back to later). She was full of guilt and self-doubt yet she also managed to be a leader for all these other criminals. She doesn’t fall apart but instead tried to keep the group together to the best of her ability. She supported everyone, cared about everyone and made good decisions. Yes some were rash but in the end, she was a wonderful leader.

All the other characters fall into the category of well-developed characters. The author gives all of them a sort of depth that I usually find lacking in all other books in the New-Adult category. The author doesn’t just focus on the love interest, Casey. She develops all the characters in the supporting cast and she develops them WELL. And when I say supporting cast, I mean even the characters we encounter in the female lead’s flash backs.

The relationships that  emerged between these characters (except the romance) are wonderful and sweet. It’s just heartwarming to see them all get together and let go of their differences and just survive together. They have each other’s backs. They laugh together. They comfort each other and they help each other face their fears.

The romance was one of the things that bothered me in this book. It definitely had potential. It started off slowly. I was so sure I’d finally found a slow-burn romance that seems to be almost completely absent from New-Adult but then they declared their ‘I love you’s’ in a time span of two weeks. We’re talking about the same people whose first kiss was not a result of attraction but was meant as a way of comforting each other. Given the circumstances, it’s highly probable that bonds will be forge but ‘I love you’s’ declared when the female lead claimed to have been in love with her childhood sweetheart who she was together with for 5 years?? Yeah, not so much.

“..this place is patiently waiting to peel back the layers of your skin and claw out your insides.”

The world building, as I mentioned earlier, was not particularly original, but it worked. The Compass Room was a wonderful idea. It wasn’t built to torture children. It was built to distinguish the morally corrupt from those who weren’t so because while some of these youngsters have committed horrid crimes, for a good number of them, it’s a one-time thing. And so The Compass Room gives them the opportunity to show their innocence. What I also found interesting was that this book wasn’t like a typical dystopia, hell I am not sure it can even be classified as one because I don’t find the government to be at fault here. Yes glitches occurred and shit went down but the intentions were not evil. And the people in this society have a voice. People are allowed to protest, LOTS of people DID in fact protest against the idea of The Compass Room because they didn't find it to be morally correct to put young kids through something so difficult. 

The plot revolves around a group of misfits trying to survive and finding a way to beat the system to save themselves. We are also trying to unravel the mystery of what exactly it was that what went down that landed Evalyn in jail. This was the biggest drawback of the novel. THIS was what screwed the book over. For starters, the author spent too much time dancing around what happened offering us hints instead of just telling us. When we learned what went down, it was heartbreaking but I also think the author was trying to make us see Evalyn as an innocent party which is something I wholeheartedly disagree with. She is not innocent. She may have been a victim but you most definitely cannot label her as innocent. She was definitely guilty and she deserves to do time in jail. Some things cannot be justified in my book, no matter what. Some of the crimes the other characters committed were justified but I cannot write off what she did and I absolutely hate how it was waived off as an act of love. 

If you’re looking for a book that deals more with the whole criminal aspect, read Criminal. It does an excellent job of it and takes crime seriously unlike this book.

That issue was a total buzzkill when it came to this book. It flushed all of my enjoyment down the toilet and replaced said joy with rage. I was angry. I was pissed. But I couldn’t completely dismiss this book. The first 80% was enjoyable. The book (until that point) was a page turner. I was on the edge of my seat, crossing my fingers for all my favorite characters and was thoroughly enjoying the book.

In the end, I would still recommend this to people because it’s something new in the New Adult category, something I haven’t seen before and it really gives me hope for New Adult. That someday I will read a New Adult that makes it to my list of all-time favorites. Until then, I shall patiently wait for that day (and read another book in the mean time).

Note that all quotes have been taken from an uncorrected proof and may be subject to change. 

Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Series: Beautiful #1
Release Date: January 1st 2011
Publisher: Atria Books
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand. Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

I read this book last year but I remember being absolutely in love with the book. Now thinking back on it I’m not too sure. There were bits and pieces I wasn’t too keen on from the start; like Travis’ whole “I can beat anyone up” attitude and the whole bad boy look; but he was really flirty and charming and he somehow grew on me.

Good girl Abby Abernathy doesn’t drink or swear and she always has the appropriate amount of cardigans in her wardrobe. Just the average goody too shoes. Then there’s Travis, muscles, tattoos and just a bad boy sex appeal about his whole being. When the two collide betting against each other about Travis winning a fight they have no idea that their world will be turned upside down. (Okay maybe not upside down) If Abby wins Travis has to stay abstinent for a whole month, but if Travis wins Abby must move in with him for the same amount of time. Easy enough, except they fall in love.

Seems like a very original story line right? Not exactly. The whole good girl, bad boy routine has been done by everyone. But we still love it. The book actually reminds me a lot of Wait for You by J. Lynn, and that’s what’s slowly putting me off this book right while writing the review.

While I was reading the book I was mesmerised with the characters! I could somewhat connect with Abby, and Travis was a walking God for me with the bod covered with tattoos (the muscles not so much) the idea of the characters is about as original as hipsters right now. However Jamie McGuire was able to put a spin on these two love birds. They had their own personality, and the characters grew to life within the book.

The idea was more original than the whole good girl bad boy routine. The fact that Travis who was a player had to stay abstinent for a whole month was entertaining. I actually wanted to see this happen. But then I would not have witnessed the relationship between Abby and Travis blossom while they were playing house. Them living together was actually quite fun to read about, it made me want to find my own Travis and move in with him.

INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Erm no. The book wasn’t intense, it was dangerous at one point in the whole book; and addictive is a strong word. The book is great in the now. Looking back on the book it seems almost silly and kind of hard to imagine that I was so in love with it. Just the whole idea and the description of the characters looks boring and bland. WELL it isn’t. The book is great, but you have to read it to believe it.

Discussion: The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
Release Date: March 1st, 2010
Publisher: Viking
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

The award-winning author of Finnikin of the Rock and Jellicoe Road pens a raw, compelling novel about a family's hard-won healing on the other side of trauma.

Award-winning author Melina Marchetta reopens the story of the group of friends from her acclaimed novel Saving Francesca - but five years have passed, and now it's Thomas Mackee who needs saving. After his favorite uncle was blown to bits on his way to work in a foreign city, Tom watched his family implode. He quit school and turned his back on his music and everyone that mattered, including the girl he can't forget. Shooting for oblivion, he's hit rock bottom, forced to live with his single, pregnant aunt, work at the Union pub with his former friends, and reckon with his grieving, alcoholic father. Tom's in no shape to mend what's broken. But what if no one else is either? An unflinching look at family, forgiveness, and the fierce inner workings of love and friendship, The Piper's Son redefines what it means to go home again.

Read along with Summer from Miss Fictional's World of YA books

A couple months ago, Summer finally jumped on the Marchetta train and seeing her read all these books by Marchetta reminded me of the fact that I had been putting off The Piper's Son for ages. Marchetta's books tend to be emotionally exhausting and I really didn't feel up to it on my own so I asked the wonderful Summer if she would be up for a buddy read. She said yes and we had the most fabulous time reading this awesome book. Today she'll be joining me for a discussion about the book (well technically we joined each other since this will be cross posted on her blog as well.)

Rashika: Ahhhh wasn’t this book AWESOME? I just want to hug it and cry.

Summer: I KNOW RIGHT! I really miss the Finch-Mackee family. :')

Rashika: Okay so I just want to start off by saying that doesn’t this remind you of On the Jellicoe Road? I mean what with a whole family being torn apart by a death it kind of does resemble the situation in Jellicoe. Maybe that’s why I am kind of on the edge about what to give this book. Jellicoe is way too close to my heart.

Summer: I'm still unsure if this was as wonderful as Jellicoe Road. My favorite part in Jellicoe was the flashbacks to give us a closer look into their family, but in the Piper's Son the story wasn't as heartbreaking as in Jellicoe. Wait, no, I don't want it to seem like I didn't like this, because I LOVED it, but maybe 0.05% less?

Rashika: Yeah the flashbacks were.. heartbreaking, I kept telling myself nothing bad was going to happen but it did and it broke my heart. That isn't to say this book didn't break my heart either. Marchetta enjoys shredding our hearts.

Rashika: There is so much heartbreak in this book. And half of the time it’s like there is this weight around your heart and it’s all you could do to not break down and cry for all of these characters.

Summer: That's the thing with Marchetta. She creates these characters that make you feel what they feel, it's this magical talent she has. So since most of this novel is  pretty sad, I couldn't hold in my tears. The hopelessness, the grief, the desperation, everything the characters felt, I felt.

Rashika: I’ll admit it. Tom and Tara’s story was not my favorite. In fact, I love Tom but at the same time he will never take Jimmy’s place in my heart. But Georgie and Sam. Their story. I cannot even. She explores something that a lot of people are touchy about, infidelity. There is so much anger and confusion between the two even 7 years later and why wouldn’t there be? Even with all that, they are having a child. At first I wanted her to lash out at Sam and get back at him for everything he had done but I realized that would be wrong, Sam is already miserable. Because for him to have his son, he lost the most important person in his life. He loves his son but he had to lose another person he loved to have him. Like Bill, who had to lose his best friend to gain a wonderful family, or Georgie who had to lose her brother for her to have the baby.

Summer: When I first met Sam, I wasn't the biggest fan of their relationship. Besides the fact that it wasn't the traditional first-love thing common in YA, I couldn't help but imagine him as a sort of antagonist. Then again, I kind of began to love him as the story progressed, just as Georgie's love for him was slowly being revived. This was a common quality for a lot of the characters; at first, I hated Sam and Bill, but as we got a closer look into their lives, we began to understand and empathize with them, which I think was Marchetta's goal.

Your point on how these characters had to lose someone to gain another is such a great and heartbreaking topic. The whole issue of loss in this book is so profound that I find myself tearing up just thinking about it. It creates conflicting feelings in these characters and in the reader as well because it makes us think, "If so-and-so hadn't died, would I have ever met this person?"

Rashika:   In the beginning I didn’t like Tom. I didn’t. The way he treated Georgie broke my heart. But as the author dwelled more into his story, you couldn’t help but fall in love with him. The boy who lost all his family. The boy who lost his hero. The boy who stayed behind to take care of a father who left him. But even with all that his story didn’t touch me nearly as much as Georgie’s did. Tom had friends who wanted to help him but he pushed them away. Georgie had no one, her mom left her to bring back her brother’s body. She had no one to turn to as she hit rock bottom, so she ended up turning to the very person who betrayed her. And it breaks my heart that she was busy taking care of everything when her own heart was breaking. There was no one who could stand by her side and comfort her because everyone was too busy dealing with their own grief.

Summer: I'll admit, Tom was an a-hole in this book. I don't remember him being that much of a jerk in Saving Francesca, but at the same time, I can't blame him. His life is tearing down before his eyes, and he can't cope with it. People have different ways of dealing with grief, so I guess he deals with it by ignoring his friends and putting on his facade of "I don't give a crap". Although, I agree with you that Georgie's story affected me so much more. She had to lift herself up, and at the same time trying to lift her loved ones up, and her immense strength really is commendable. I was disappointed that she had to turn to Sam for help, but I now know that he was and is perfect for her, as cheesy as that sounds.

Rashika: As someone who loves second chance romances, I actually enjoyed that part. I had no idea going into the book there would be one. Honestly the best thing about second chances are that they show that a relationship cannot be perfect. People make mistakes.

Summer: Exactly! And the thing is in this genre that the characters usually end up spending the rest of their lives with their “first love”, but really, how realistic is this? I love that Marchetta does not shy away from the harsh realities, and instead faces them head-on.

Summer: To Marchetta fans, I feel like it is kind of a big deal that she chose to go the third-person POV route instead of first-person POV. Small as a change it may seem, I'm still a bit unsure if this was the correct way to go. I'm used to reading their thoughts from one perspective, but now we get a more broader look into their world. I like it, but at the same time I miss the first person just like Jellicoe, Saving Francesca, and Looking for Alibrandi.

Rashika: Seeing that I liked Georgie’s story better I was happy but I’ve heard that Jimmy’s story might have 4? Or was it 4 main characters. I am slightly confused about that. I am sitting here trying to decide how Marchetta’s books order on my mental list. Jellicoe is without a doubt my favorite but… seriously, I cannot decide. Alibrandi has a special spot because it’s different from the rest of her books (it isn’t nearly as depressing) and well, this woman is a genius, it’s kind of hard to decide which one of her books I prefer.

Summer: Gahh hopefully her new book with Jimmy will live up to our really high expectations, but I have no doubt she’ll blow us away (again).

Rashika: Yes. Jimmy was my favorite character in both books (even though he remained absent in this one). I look forward to reading his story :D Anyways THANK YOU for reading this with me Summer! It was reallyyy funn and I enjoyed fangirling over Jimmy with you (and I am laying my claim on him as well) :P

Summer: Samsies! And thank YOU so much! (actually he is mine :D)

(I decided there was no point in fighting with a delusional Summer :P Obviously she cannot see that Jimmy is mine but I won't burst her bubble).

Thanks for joining us guys!

ARC Review: Me After You by Mindy Hayes

Me After You by Mindy Hayes
Release Date: November 18th, 2013
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Widowed at twenty-five, Sawyer Hartwell has no choice but to return to her hometown. Broke and alone, the intention was to heal and find herself again, but how can she heal in a place filled with so much sorrow and memories she yearns to forget?

Dean Preston has regretted leaving Willowhaven since the day he rode off on his motorcycle six years ago, destroying the only love he had ever known. Returning too late, he's found small comfort in a new life with Lily, but with Sawyer back he's not sure of anything anymore.

The time has come for Sawyer and Dean to face the past, to learn from their mistakes. The road to healing is paved with old wounds, each one threatening to tear them down completely. Carrying their own scars close to their hearts, they must both confront what's gone before or lose their second chance.

The measure of who we are is what we survive. Who we become is up to us.

I actually came across this book not so long ago and fell in love with the cover. I immediately checked it out and felt like I had hit the jack pot because this book had a second chance romance and I am a sucker for those.  

This book may not be the best thing I’ve ever read but it definitely did not disappoint. In fact I was very happy with the book and it wasn’t even because of the romance.

I don’t usually like reading books that involve the death of a spouse because it always seems as though there isn’t enough mourning. I realize that everyone deserves a second chance at love but does that mean you forget about the person who you were married to? Or say stuff like ‘I didn’t love him as much as I loved you’? Whenever that happens, I just get extremely annoyed.

The author really did a good job with that though. I don’t think I can describe how happy it made me that the main character’s life did not revolve around finding love but it also involved healing after the death of a loved one.

Oh she was attracted to Dean alright, they had history together but the fact that he was back in her life didn’t mean she was ready to move on with him.

What I also loved about her was the fact she didn’t compare her love with Dean to her love for Grayson. She may not have loved Grayson the same way she loved Dean but that didn’t change the fact that he had been there for her and she had loved him. The author didn’t try to push Grayson out of the way. His ghost was always looming in the back, even in her HEA, she just made his death easier to deal with for the main character.

Dean wasn’t the best love interest out there. I wanted the two to get their HEA but I was more in love with Grayson than I ever could be with Dean. I did like him as a character though. Some people may think the fact that he continued helping Josh out was a stupid thing to do but I actually liked that. He was willing to give his friend a chance until he went too far. He realized when that happened. He didn’t blind himself to that. The point is that he didn’t just give up on his friend even when things seemed hopeless, no matter what anyone said, whether it was Sawyer, Lily or Adrian, he wouldn’t take shit about his friend.

 I wasn’t the biggest fan of the actual romance either. There was some regret but the choices both characters made weren’t the best. The relationship of the secondary characters was a lot more enjoyable for me (that’s a new thing for me).  I think the problem was that Sawyer could act like a Mary Sue from time to time. She needed to be stronger for a change instead of having everyone rescue her all the time. I understand she is dealing with grief but still.

The fact that Dean actually dated Sawyer’s best friend really annoyed me. If he had really loved Sawyer he wouldn’t have done that to her. I suppose his reasons weren’t as bad as they come seeing that Lily was actually there for him when no one else was but it still annoyed me. I don’t know if we’re meant to like Lily or not but I certainly did not like her. For starters, she broke the bro code (strike one) and she chose a relationship over her best friends. Strike two. Out.

The writing could have been better as well. Some of the sentences were just awkward but it didn’t bother me too much.

In the end this book was enjoyable. The author made me hope for the ‘right’ things. It wasn’t about the happy ending but the journey towards one. It was an engaging tale of loss, second chances, regret and love. I definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a light read.

Mini Review: Untamed Hearts by Melody Grace

Untamed Hearts by Melody Grace
Series: Beachwood Bay, #1.5
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: September 13, 2013
Buy: Amazon

It's the last night of summer in Beachwood Bay, but for Brit and Hunter, it's only the beginning …

She is: rebellious, wounded, free.
He is: handsome, searching, enchanted.
One night. Two restless hearts. But what happens when morning comes?

A tantalizing new novella from the internationally best-selling Melody Grace.

I didn't really love Untamed Hearts. I thought that I would, because all of Melody Grace's covers are so pretty - I'm a cover whore. I can't help it. I snatched this up on a freebie day, only to find out that... I didn't love it. It was too rushed. I generally like prequel books, but I found that I just couldn't believe that after one night they were in love.

Their relationship is based entirely on sex. That's obviously why they're in love. THIS is my face: -_- I don't feel like you can base an entire relationship on a physical connection. That just doesn't ring true. I want more depth to the romance that I read.

I found it interesting that there was a cameo of Emerson, and I liked the way that the stories kind of intertwined with Unbroken, but that just wasn't enough. I found Brit, our main character, to be an idiot. There's no other way to describe her for me. She runs away from everything, and she never even ventured to make an attempt at trying. That's why I didn't like her.

The love interest wasn't all that great either. I don't understand why everyone has to have problems to fall in love. Is there no people out there without the drama of a death or pressures or anything? All in all, this just wasn't the read for me, and I don't want to spend any more time dwelling on it.

Review: Defiance by Stephanie Tyler

Title: Defiance
Author: Stephanie Tyler
Series: Defiance #1
Release Date: June 10th, 2013
Publisher: Carina Press
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Rebelling against her legacy as the MC's princess, Tru Tennyson escaped the ruthless, male-dominated culture of the Defiance motorcycle club. Three years later, her newfound freedom is ripped away, thanks to a massive hybrid storm that killed millions. Now, in the post-Chaos world of semi-darkness and near-total anarchy where gangs rule, she discovers the dangerous world of Defiance may be the one thing that can keep her safe.

Tru is at the MC's mercy when she's dragged back to her former home … and to the only man she's ever pictured a future with. Caspar is the bastard son of the club's leader, her safe haven when life got rough — and her onetime lover the night she left. When Tru refuses to trade sex for power and be claimed by a rival club leader, she also dares to announce she wants Caspar instead, throwing the MC into turmoil.

Tru's brazen revolt could start a gang war and destroy the club from within. Now both Tru and the MC must wait for Caspar's response … and the inevitable fallout.

NA hasn’t been a very favorable ‘genre’ (I put the quotation marks because I know there has been some debate as to what classifies as a genre and what not) for me. Most of my experiences have been pretty bad. This book however piqued my interest. A post-apocalyptic book that focuses on a motorcycle club? Count me in.

Okay so I only read this because the strange combination of the two was pretty intriguing. So many things could have gone wrong! It could have been filled with TSTL horny characters whose lives revolve around each other and nothing else (which does happen a lot of NA so you cannot blame me). But as it turns out this book was pretty good.

I haven’t read a lot of motorcycle club books nor do I watch the famous “Sons of Anarchy”.  So my knowledge is next to nothing when it comes to the whole Motorcycle Club thing. Even with my inexperience it felt like the author did a pretty good job with it. The reasoning, how it all started, what it had become, everything. The world of Defiance seemed pretty real to me.

The post-apocalyptic part however could have used a lot more development. For the most part I was a little confused about what had actually happened. Oh it was mentioned but it just seemed more like a pillar than part of the story. I also happen to be a little confused about what happened in the 3 years she was away.

The main characters were actually WAIT FOR IT the best part of the book and I mean this in a good way. I was pleasantly surprised by the two, by their maturity. They are both pretty young but they act like adults, a lot of this can of course be contributed to their childhoods (is that a word?) but I just love how they aren’t just angst filled characters.

Tru was forced to run away from home at the age of 16. It was either stay or die at the hands of her father. She had finally had enough and so with the help of Caspar she ran away. She is returned by the rival MC beaten up three years later, after her father has died. Right off the bat things start going crazy with her return. She spent the past (year?) with the rival club so people are vary of her but since her father was well respected they don’t kick her out immediately, instead preparations are made for her mating with the president’s youngest son. To escape that horrid fate, she asks Caspar to be her mate. That was when I first started appreciating her; I always like a main character who can stand up for herself. Weak, Tru was not. It’s evident in all her actions, she is not afraid to stand up if it means backing up what she believes in.

Caspar was a pretty mysterious character. Half of the time you don’t even know his motifs. What is he planning inside that big brain of his? He’s pretty elusive. One of his best qualities is how passionate he is about the club. He wants to change things for the better but even he knows that everything cannot change, some things will remain the way they are.

Them together makes for a good romance. It isn’t an angst filled relationship.  It’s kind of clear even in the beginning that the two have strong feelings for each other but they need to work on trusting one another and so the unravel each other, learning the others secrets and being supportive.

I am not exactly sure about the plot though, the book itself was a quick read but the plot could have used some work. Half of the time I wasn’t even sure what the whole thing was about.

In the end, the book makes for a hell of a journey and was just what I needed after attempting to read a book that didn’t work so well for me.