I'm conflicted by Truly Madly Deadly. On one hand it utterly surprised me and on the other hand it fell a little flat. So, I am trying to put my head in the space of a younger reader, the target audience, and write my review there.Truly Madly Deadly has all the ingredients to be one hell of a thrill ride. The cover and title alone are pretty fantastically creepy. Add a mysterious synopsis, like the one above, and I'm sold on wanting to read it.Sawyer's boyfriend has just passed in a drunk driving car accident but there is more to the story than that. Details emerge that Sawyer and Kevin didn't have the picture perfect relationship everyone thought they did and when Sawyer finds a cryptic note in her locker...she realizes her secrets aren't so secret after all.This starts a quick and frantic journey. People around Sawyer are dropping like flies and they are all people who hurt Sawyer in one way or another. Each time someone kicks it, Sawyer receives another note from her 'admirer'. There is a lot of fear and guilt at war in Sawyer's head but when she looks for help the stealthy stranger blocks her with some really severe warnings. Sawyer is pretty alone in the world, despite being surrounded by people who seem to genuinely care about her.Jayne does a fairly good job of keeping multiple suspects in play. At one time it could have been one of a handful of players, including Sawyer herself. She was the funnest choice for me to play with as it added well to the psycho-thriller aspects of Truly Madly Deadly. And, I'll admit...I didn't quite have the perp fingered by the end of the story. Always a plus.So, where did it fall flat for me? It was too quick, not quite creepy enough and at times felt a little frantic, but not in the way a scarey story should. I think if the pace has slowed down just a bit and a little more time and detail was given to the more macabre parts of Truly Madly Deadly, it would have been a home run. The scare factor just didn't have enough time to steep, for me.I think Truly Madly Deadly will have success with the YA crowd, as there really is not an abundance of this type of read out there in that genre. If you are looking for a short, fast paced thrill ride that won't scare the nightmares in to you, Truly Madly Deadly is a great choice.
*Spoiler free - but full of fuck. You've been warned*The first book written by Karina Halle that I read was The Devil's Metal. I remember stating in my review, something along the lines of Karina writes her sex scenes like a man. It is a sentiment that held true with me after reading her various ventures into Dex's mind with the novellas The Dex Files and And With Madness Comes the Light. However, after reading Come Alive, an entire novel in Dex's POV, I can honestly say that I believe Karina Halle has been a man in a former life. Maybe even many men in many former lives. Seriously, she seamlessly makes the switch from a female to a male point of view...it's almost scary. Scary good.Scary good is probably the perfect description for Come Alive. Keeping in mind that it is the seventh full length novel and there are a handful of novellas, you would think that perhaps it would be getting a little old, dull or maybe even repetitive. Nope. None of those things. Not even a little bit.Without spoiling much for any of you who have yet to read this series, Dex and Perry are 'ghost hunters' of sorts for an internet show. They venture into creepy ass places and look for a big BOO! They have also run the gamut of emotions in concerns to the relationship they have with each other. Part of that race included the presence of one very enigmatic man named Maximus. Maximus calls himself a ghost whisperer but he's so much more. Maximus entering the Experiment in Terror team deeply changes the dynamic of Dex and Perry. "The universe was conspiring to bring Maximus Jacobs back into my life, and I couldn't figure out why, other than that the universe had a shitty sense of humor and liked fucking me up the ass. Horny bastard."Maximus leads the team to New Orleans for a run of the mill haunted house shoot. What they really find is ghosts, voodoo, zombies, evil and some seriously hot and heavy emotions. Oh yeah, and some seriously scary fucking shit!Come Alive is the scariest book of the series yet, for me. I don't know how Halle does it, where it comes from or how sick her mind must really be to envision everything she writes. But, I don't care ~ I love her for it. She scares the shit out of me, she breaks my heart, she makes me feel the sweet loving moments and then a page later makes me feel like a total perverted guy who thinks with only his little head. "I think you're cute and sexy and gorgeous and outstandingly fuckable. You meet all the requirements for one infuriatingly hot piece of ass, an ass that I'd love to shoot hot-" All these things are experienced in Come Alive. It's a little like a coming of age book with adult characters. While battling ghosties, flesh eaters and voodoo Mombos (and maybe even a big bad snake - eek!) they also have to battle their own fears and skeletons. I loved the direction this installment took.I can't imagine ever not loving something this woman writes. So if you are tired of me gushing and fangirling over her every time she releases a new book...I say ~ it is time for you to get down with the sickness. Grab one of her books, any of them, and you'll understand. But definitely get your hooks into The Experiment in Terror books because they just get better and better and better and.... well, you get the point.P.S. - Random side note here, thanks to Karina for the small reference to my favorite video game series, Mass Effect. Yes, I am a dork like that. And you can just fuck right off if you don't like it. Mass Effect not only lets me shoot shit but I get to fall in love and have hot blue alien sex too. FULL of WIN!
If you are already a fan of the Grab Your Pole series, you, like so many of us, have been secretly plotting ways to torture Jenn Cooksey for that cruel, yet epic cliff hanger she delivered to us at the end of The Other Fish in the Sea. I am happy to say, you can stop your evil genius planning now because Shark Out of Water is finally here.I can't, however, say that all the hair you grew back (after pulling it out last round) will still be there by the time you are done with this read. Why? Because, in true Cooksey style, we have been given yet another roller coaster ride of emotions. "And then I left her there, bleeding out, and walked away from the only girl who's ever held a good portion of my heart, and, sadly, probably always will..." Tristan is in agony. He is full of regret, full of anger and on a steep downward spiralCamie is miserable. She is full of questions, full of longing and desperately trying to piece back together her heart.But this isn't Camie's story. Not really. Shark Out of Water is told in the perspectives of all the wonderful boys of the Grab Your Pole series. We get plenty of Tristan's jumbled thoughts as he filters through his emotions and tries to find a way to mend his own broken life. We get plenty of Jeff as he tries to cope with the anger he feels towards someone he's considered a brother. Pete shows us that he may be the only of these boys that can keep a level head in the face of life's chaos. And, most entertaining of all...Brandon. Cooksey gives us so much of Brandon's signature bad boy crass wittiness. "Jesus Christ, I fuckin' love this shit. In fact, is that...? Could it be? Wood? Yep, sure as shit, I've got fight wood. But no...I'm stayin' Swiss. So does that make it Swiss Wood?"Also, in true Jenn Cooksey style, this book is filled with unparalleled humor and passion. Seeing life through the eyes of these boys as they navigates life's murky waters was more wonderful than I can express. Cooksey has created an all star cast of characters with this series and I am so fully invested in their lives.There were many questions answered, some issues resolved and one doozy of a plot twist that came out of nowhere and had my heart all twitterpated (yeah, that is a damn word) with the absolute tenderness of it. I am forever a fan of the Grab Your Pole series and the unique voice Jenn Cooksey has.
Admittedly, I've been shying away from YA Paranormal Romance type books as of late. I was starting to feel that too many were fitting into a cookie cutter plot and was disheartened by that. DeOrto introduces something slightly different with The Prophecy and I found it refreshing.Star's parents are relocating to a small country town, away from the hustle and bustle of L.A. Away from a horrible situation that almost caused a girl her life. Away from a horrible situation they believe Star was at the center of. Truth is, she was, albeit unwittingly.Star is an emotional mess. She's all over the place...hot/cold, love/hate, happy/sad. Her unstable attitude made it easy to dislike her at times yet just as easy to love her at others. She doesn't understand the things happening to her or around her. Her parents want her to take control of her insanity but she really has no control over her major mood swings, which she calls a 'darkness'. Her lack of familial support made me really feel for her.Star's emotional trauma completely sucked my in. While Star and her parents were not always the easiest to care for, the side characters DeOrto creates are all very appealing in their own right. I swear there must be some serious magical spell cast on all of Shiloh because everyone there is HOT. Tall, built and beautiful boys abound! The snarky banter between all the characters was what I think I loved most about The Prophecy. It reminds me of my own life so it was a comfortable place to be.The story itself really feels like it is just beginning as the book ends. The Prophecy is a character and world build starter for the series. At times, it suffered slightly for it. I kept waiting for something huge to happen. A couple of very big and very kind of epic things happen but there is not a big bad boss at the end that needs to be taken out. There is a big bad boss but the battle will come in a future title. So, if you're looking for a little closure at the end, don't expect it. Expect the excitement of more to come. I know I am.
I am such a huge fan of anything vampire. But, if I am being honest, it's been done. A lot. So, when I enter in to a new vampire book I look for something, anything, new and fresh. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with Bad Mouth.First off, McCallister has created a nice twist on vampire politics. Their class system and hierarchy was interesting, exciting and not something I recognize from any other fangy lore I've read.Second, Kade...whoa man. Often, old (think centuries here) vampires are portrayed as stuffy, stiff, old fashioned...you get my drift. Kade is none of those things. Not even remotely. The things that come out of his mouth are crude, rash and scorching hot. Kade is an all out alpha male with a panty dropping dirty mouth. And for that, McCallister, I thank you.The story is a romantic murder mystery and had me guessing, I had a couple of ideas as to where it might be going but was 100% right on. Which I found so refreshing for a quickie romantic read. Bad Mouth does not fall into the trap of cookie cutter plots that so many other romances do.There are quite a few characters introduced but McCallister does a good job and giving the reader a feel for who everyone is and so many are deserving of more attention and I really hope there are future plans for that. Val is a wonderful heroine with a strong sense of right and wrong but is open minded enough to see where she is flawed. Loved her!The romance moves pretty quickly, all in all the book only spans about a weeks time and Kade and Val go from zero to sixty in a matter of days. A little fast for my normal taste but who am I to question the feelings of a very very old vampire who's never known love?To sum it up, Bad Mouth is a fun, fast paced, sizzling read and I whole-heartedly look forward to reading more from Angela McCallister in the future.
I am such a sucker for a damaged character...add in some hot ass tattoos and some, uh, strategic body piercing and I am totally hooked. Rule is about as damaged as they come and uses his charm and amazing looks to drown his pain in an endless stream of one night stands.Shaw, on the outside, is everything that Rule is not. She's clean cut, prissy and proper. Who she is on the inside is someone that rarely peeks her head out. When she finally lets loose a little, Rule's eyes open wide to see a part of both Shaw and himself he didn't know existed.Shaw isn't in the healthiest of spots herself. Both Shaw and Rule have some pretty major family issues that will thoroughly break your heart. But, Shaw also has the pressure from a ex-boyfriend turned ruthless stalker to contend with. With all the problems thrown at them Shaw and Rule need each other more than ever but those problems are bigger than either of them is capable of dealing with and may burn them before they even have a chance to ignite.I loved the relationship Rule and Shaw had from the start. It was troublesome and angsty, yet you could see they both deeply cared about each other. Neither is easy, which I adore...I crush on a good broken character just trying to find a way to survive and I was given a double dose here.More than that really, because Crownover sets up so many other characters. You really get a feel for all the people in Rule and Shaw's lives. I know it is set up for future Marked Men titles and I am so thankful for it.While I loved the story and the characters there were a few things that I disliked. Mostly it was the way some of the characters spoke, it just didn't feel authentic for the age group. Not a major deal breaker, but it was noticeable. Also, there were several occasions were it was eluded that Shaw liked sex a little rough or dirty but there was no execution there. It felt like a clean book with delusions of being dirty.I'll be continuing the series but I'll be hoping for just a little more grit to match what these characters seem to portray. These are inked up, pierced, metal rocker types... I expect grime and dirt, you know?
It is not often that you find a book by a debut author that hits on all the major points you love in a book. For me, those points are; character development, excitement, angst and a little humor and romance thrown in for good measure. Miller delivered on all of these items.Never Let You Fall is a star crossed lover / princess who doesn't know she's royalty story. It may not be the most original of concepts but the execution is pretty fabulous in itself.Miller did a wonderful job of fleshing out characters, not only Skye and Xander but the bit players as well. They all have a small amount of mystery around them but they aren't totally elusive. Skye is a great heroine with equal amounts of hootspa and fragility. Xander is a true hero type and I loved him from start to finish. He is nothing like the typical bookish bad boy. He is kind, caring and utterly protective.The first half of Never Let You Fall is in the world we know and it follows Skye as she learns who she is and the importance of that. The second half of the book is entirely different. It happens in the world Skye was supposed to inhabit from birth. It has an almost Medieval aspect to it and it was a wonderful change of direction for the story.Never Let You Fall is a tragically beautiful story with a mixture of paranormal romance and fantasy that hooks you from page one and doesn't ever let go. The pacing is fantastic, I read it in a day, I just couldn't put it down. It was thrilling, it was sweet and it left me wanting more.
Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet, #1)
I knew what I was getting myself into when I started Captive in the Dark. I really did. The knowing did not help the absolutely disturbingly fucked up feelings that I had through out the read though. This is the type of book that makes you ashamed for reading it, ashamed for enjoying it, ashamed for getting off on it. It is the type of book that makes you feel like you need to take a shower after reading it. Not too cool down but to scrub off the clingy creepy griminess of it all and the fact that you loved it in all its fuckery.Caleb is a master in more than one way. He steals Livvie from her unfortunate life and artfully makes himself the only person in her world. He feeds her by hand, he washes her by hand, he pleasures her by hand. Everything she gets is by his hand alone. Disobedience means punishment, obedience means reward. And when Caleb rewards he does it with such care and tenderness that Livvie can't help but fall for that side of him. Regardless of the side that repeatedly abuses her into submission...which she fights tooth and nail. "He was my tormentor and my solace; the creator of the dark and the light within." Livvie is supposed to be a tool. A means to an end. The end to a very long passionate plan of vengeance. Vengeance for a lost life Caleb never had a chance to live and for the loss of so much innocence over the years. Caleb will do anything for that vengeance. Living in Olivia's head through out this book was pure torture. You feel scared, desire, attraction, helplessness, loss, insanity. It's a heart breaking mixture of emotion and all completely relatable...which is just scary as hell.Livvie works her way into full on Stockholm Syndrome but at the same time Caleb is developing a strong case of Lima Syndrome, the inverse of Stockholm. Livvie cares entirely too much for Caleb and he can't help but be sympathetic to the trauma of this girl. Trauma caused solely by him. "Whatever your little school-girl brain told you about men is absurdly wrong. This isn't a romance. You're not a damsel in distress, and I'm not the handsome prince come to save you."How do you survive a situation like that? Can there ever truly be resolution? Livvie may survive her life as sex slave to the man Caleb plans to sell her to so she can help him destroy him. She might live through that but she'll want her revenge before it's over. She won't be whole, she'll be broken, bruised and battered. The one person who might see Caleb as more than he portrays may also be the instrument to his own utter demise.I don't have the words or mental capacity to truly express what this book elicits from a reader. I can say that Roberts has one beautifully messed up mind and I will be jumping right in to book two of this series. Though, I may be sucking my thumb and rocking in a corner before it's all said and done.
The Forgotten Ones felt a little like two books in one. It starts off very much like a contemporary and ends in such a fantastical world. The mixture of the two genres was wonderfully unexpected.Allison is the daughter of a schizophrenic mother. She and her mother live with her grandparents but Allison's goal is to learn how to care for her mother by herself. She also has work and dreams of completing college. These goals leave no room for a relationship with the love of her life Ethan. Much to Ethan's dismay.About halfway through the story, everything changes. An entire new world bleeds into Allison's life. Her mysterious absent father shows up, looking not much older than herself. He comes bringing promises of helping to heal her mother and keep them both safe. Safe from a dangerous fairy world that threatens them both. This threat washes over Allison and could take not only her mother from her but also the father she never knew and Ethan.Embarking on a journey into the this strange world could mean losing herself there and never returning home but it's a risk she'll take for those she loves.I really enjoyed the set up of Allison and Ethan's relationship at first. I understood where Allison's mind was but I hated her execution of her plans. She's pretty rude and sometimes plain cruel to Ethan. I could not wrap my head around her reasoning for not just opening up and telling him the truth about where she needed her life to go. It made it hard for me to like her at times but it also makes her a more complex character, which I love.This relationship didn't play as big of a part in the second half of the book and I'm a little sad for that. When The Forgotten Ones hit is fantastical stride it felt very disconnected from the start of the story. I loved the world Howard built but there were so many new characters introduced and I felt I lost a little of who Allison was and what she was fighting to save because of it.The Forgotten Ones is a short read and you breeze through it. There is so much that happens and I wish I could have gotten a bigger dose of these characters and this world because it is such a delicious mix of beauty and evil. I really could spend some time there. It looks like I'll get to because the ending is very open and I'll be anticipating seeing where the story goes.
To say A Bad Boy is Good to Find has an unconventional start would be an understatement. Not many books start with the utter demise of love. Yet, that is exactly where we find ourselves with this book.I really wasn't sure I liked Lizzie much, at first. She initially comes across as a spoiled upper-crust socialite fighting with her parents who don't want her to marry the man of her dreams. Very quickly, she changed my mind. Her plan for the future she never anticipated was realistic and based solely on love. Too bad what she thought she knew about Conroy was all a lie. "Her heart both sank and rose at the same time. Funny how it could still do that when it was broken." I can't say that I was always on Lizzie's side but I always wanted to be. That says something right? Con, on the other hand...I wanted to hate him. He makes it pretty impossible, especially a little over half way through the story when his past and his desires start coming to light.Here's the rub. Con really isn't a bad boy. Not in my definition anyway. Yes, he somewhat conned his way into Lizzie's life, he's a liar and maybe a little of a cheat. But his intentions are way too sweet and pure to consider him a bad boy. That doesn't mean I didn't really (really) enjoy him and the way he treats Lizzie throughout most of the book is super swoon worthy. "I've been a fool, but I'm not one any more." There was something about A Bad Boy is Good to Find that felt strange though. I think it was the way the characters spoke. It was at times, casual and current and at other times all too stuffy. It made it difficult for me to find the characters relatable from the start. BUT, once I did get a handle on it...I felt it. I felt Lizzie's heart break, I felt Con struggle with where his life came from and where it was heading. I felt the need of Lewis' characters. And really, that is never a bad thing.So, while the title is slightly misleading, the characters have an odd staunchy way of speaking at times and perhaps the book feels a tad bit long...it was still an enjoyable read with some very heartwarming moments.
Really? That ending sucked ass. Oh yeah, Kaylee...maybe you should learn to use your damn words instead of just over-thinking everything. Nash, pull your head out of your ass. Sabina, maybe you would have other 'good things' in your life if you were not such a raging bitch. Tod, oh Tod. You were a total douche, get over it quickly please 'cuz I like you. You putz.
Tragic: Rook and Ronin, #1
I had pretty high hopes for Tragic, based on the cover alone. Yeah, sometimes I pick a book based on the cover alone. Can you blame me? Look at it. Gorgeous and tantalizing!It's what is inside the cover that matters though. The first couple of chapters had me worried. I'll admit it, I'm not ashamed. Tragic starts off with a pretty unlikely situation. Rook is an escapee from a horribly abusive and controlling ass-wipe of a boyfriend. But that's not the unlikely part...obviously. She ends up spending the last of her money on a mammoth Starbucks latte and while there, some bitchy skinny chicks (i.e. models) toss away a business card that happens to ping Rook in the forehead. Said card turns out to be an invitation to test shoot with a local phenom photographer. Rook takes the appointment, faking as a skinny chick...sorry, I mean model. Of course, the photographer loves her, hires her on the spot and provides her with an apartment in his studio. Complete with food, clothes, toiletries, hot model/ manager, and drama.So, it's a little, well - easy or rags to riches, for my liking. But there were factors that made up for that. Want to know what they were?Rook is an appealing character. She's beat up mentally, she's defensive, she's scared, she's so far down on her luck she might actually be halfway in her grave. Rook is also a determined fighter, she knows this lucky opportunity can't be wasted and won't last but she's hell bent on making the most of it and improving her situation, her mind and her life. She's a little hot and cold but it just made me like her more, it showed passion when someone with her past would easily have lost all of that.Ronin is a model for Antione, but he also manages all the other models. At first he comes off as an arrogant and controlling jerk. Ronin was a little harder for me to get a handle on. Honestly, I still don't have it. I'm not sure I trust him fully. He seems to genuinely care about Rook and there are some very sweet moments with him. On the other hand, there is some sketchy shit going on with the dude and I don't fully understand his motives or intentions. Of course, that only has me drooling for more and luckily it won't be a long wait. Book two, Manic, is due in August 2013.The story really does suck you in and I found myself instantly rooting for Rook. She's not in the easiest situation, even after being handed the equivalent of Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket. This model gig pushes her to her limits of self discovery, lust, love, sexual awareness and survival. Well, the model gig and Ronin who she has super nova type chemistry with.While I loved, for the most part, the characters and truly fell tongue first in to the story of Tragic...it felt like an appetizer. Tragic is a lot of story and character build up without a really big climax. It's hot (especially the photo shoot scenes), it's exciting but at 95% I was thinking there was no way I could be that close to the end because the shit was just starting to hit the fan. Then it ended without a big bang, no fireworks, no soul crushing cliff hanger...nothing really but a promise of more story to come. I guess what I am saying is I really enjoyed Tragic but I'm ready for the full meal now. Dessert would be nice too.
