Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

Bryn lives in the world of the Kanin, a troll group living unbeknownst to humans. Someday she hopes to be part of the king's guard, but for now she is training and going on a few missions. When one goes wrong and she comes face to face with the man that tried to kill her father years before, she realizes that he has also been killing Changelings but he may be working for someone else. That combined with the fact she has a crush on her boss that he may feel back is getting to be too much for Bryn. Will she be able to save the kingdom she loves from Konstantin Black once and for all?

Ever since I read Hocking's Trylle series I have collected almost all of her books so that when I have time to read them I can. When I saw she was writing another series in this awesome world I preordered it as fast as I could. For fans of the first series this one might be a bit of a disappointment but an overall entertaining read.

Parts of this book sort of got boring for me. It seemed to move too slow and didn't have much happening. Luckily these were overshadowed by the fighting scenes which may have been my favorite parts.

There was barely any romance in this book but the next book has a lot of stuff that might be considered inappropriate for younger audiences. It isn't that bad but just as a warning if you are under 13 or 14 you might want to read something else.

In this book Ridley sort of seems like a jerk and a player but in the next book you really get to see his better qualities. I think the next book is much better than this one so if you didn't like it I would recommend still trying the next one. Just like the Trylle series they seem to be getting better as the series progresses.

I will be posting reviews for the other books by this author really soon. This was one of my least favorites, and we'll see how the third book in the series goes.

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

 Rachelle had a perfect life before she was turned into a bloodbound. She was her aunt's apprentice, someday hoping to be a Woodwife to protect her village from dark magic. Then everything changed. Forced by the Forestborn to murder her aunt, she turned into a bloodbound. She protects the kingdom from woodspawn, killing them every day and looked down upon by the rest of the kingdom. Then she meets the King's illegitimate son, Armand, and everything changes. Somehow after being turned into a Bloodbound he managed to not kill anyone and not be killed himself, only losing his hands. But how did he manage that? And how long will it take before Rachelle succumbs to the Great Forrest and becomes a Forestborn?

Just like Cruel Beauty, I absolutely loved this book. It was every bit as enjoyable and it may have kept my interest even better. Both of them will definitely be making my mental list of favorite books.

I'm not going to lie to you- this book was dark. Death, murder- it had it all. That somehow didn't make it scary or quite push it farther into the horror genre though, it just sort of made it have layers just like the staircase on the cover depicts. I felt like there were so many different stories mixed into this but somehow the story wasn't confusing and it made sense.

I love this author's writing style. It is very rhythmic and I loved how all the words just seemed to belong in the order they were put in. I will honestly read anything by her!

Rachelle was definitely a kick-butt character just like Nyx. Definitely no Mary-Sues here! She never seemed to depend on Armand and I love the message that is sending out to teens everywhere- you don't need a guy to take care of you and you can do almost anything yourself.

It was a nice change of pace how Rachelle owned up to her actions and apologized and made things right after she would do anything wrong. If she jumped to the wrong conclusion about something and got mad, she thought over it and realized that she might be wrong. This helped her maintain good relationships with most of the people in her life, even though at times I felt she was sort of a pushover. I understand that characters can't be absolutely perfect though, otherwise they get boring.

I wish at the end Rachelle could have been able to make things right with her family. They pretty much kicked her out after she became a bloodbound, but she could do nothing about that so I think they weren't completely fair. I wish that they could have apologized or something, but I guess that's just life.

I loved the open ending in this. It sort of implies a future with Armand, and I'm glad the reader gets to imagine that themselves.

If you haven't read anything by Rosamund Hodge, go out RIGHT NOW and get one of her books! Trust me, you'll be obsessed!

*** Thanks to HarperCollins and EpicReads for sending me an ARC of this book! I really appreciate it!***

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Nyx has known all her life that as soon as she turns seventeen she will be forced to marry Ignifex, the evil demon lord of their land as part of a deal her father made before she was even born. Right after they are married she plans on killing him, but gets stopped just in time. Ignifex doesn't punish her for doing that but does take away all her weapons. As Nyx learns more about him will she still be able to murder him, or is she slowly starting to fall in love with him? And what about his shadow, Shade? Is she starting to have feelings for him too? Find out in this beautiful reimagining of The Beauty and the Beast!

I absolutely loved this story. After I got an ARC of Crimson Bound in the mail, I knew that I really wanted to read this one too. I quickly ordered it so I could read it before Crimson Bound, and boy I'm glad I did. This is a beautiful story that will stay with me for a long time.

The writing is amazing. I could feel everything with perfect clarity and it was NEVER boring. I felt like all that happened was happening to ME and I really liked that. It has been a while since that has happened to me and I can honestly say that it helped make the book very enjoyable.

The characters were very 3D and even the most minor characters were very well fleshed out. My favorite character was Ignifex, he had a lot of layers. I would start to think that I knew what he would do next, but then he would do something different and it left me mind-blown (in a good way!). Nyx was such a strong heroine and definitely was not a "Bella Swan". The romance was swoon-worthy and I don't think that the love-triangle could even be classified as such since they were basically the same person. That was another bonus for me and added to my overall love for the book.


The plot never got slow. The book captured me from the beginning and didn't let me go until the very last page. As you can tell, I absolutely loved this story! If you haven't yet, go read it!

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Angelfall and World After by Susan Ee

The apocalypse has come....
Penryn lives in a world ruled by angels and street gangs. The world is being ravaged by them and if someone doesn't stop them the entire human race will be destroyed. Penryn rescues an angel named Raffe. Doing so, her little sister gets kidnapped and she must go on a journey to save her- if she's even still alive. With help from Raffe will she be able to do it?

I'm trying a double review today. I don't know how well it's going to work, but we'll see how it goes.

In Angelfall, Penryn was a strong heroine, nothing like Bella Swan from Twilight. I liked how she stood her own and never let anyone boss her around. My one small problem was in World After she seemed a little more dependent on Raffe, but I did like how their relationship sort of progressed and they got more comfortable with each other.

The plot moved really smoothly and it was barely ever boring. I felt that even though there wasn't a lot going on, the author still managed to make it entertaining. This was a major plus.

If you want to read some paranormal without all the cliché romance and bad role models, try this series out! Someday I might post separate reviews for these two, but it was easier for me to do this at the moment.

***Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Children's Publishing for letting me read these two books! I really appreciate it!***

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

The Heir by Kiera Cass

Years after America and Maxon's fairytale selection, their daughter, Eadlyn, is having her own. She will do anything to wait and find her one true love, but to distract her kingdom from the rebellions she must do the one thing she would do anything to avoid- have her own selection. But will she fall in love on the way?

Months ago I saw their were going to be more books in this series and I was ecstatic! Even though I gave them low ratings doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them. Sometimes even if I liked a book I might give it only 2 stars just because it had one or two issues that I really did not like. That was what happened with this series. Unfortunately this one wasn't as entertaining as the other ones.

Eadlyn was a super selfish character. Everything was about her and she didn't care about anyone's feelings except her own. She treated her maids like dirt and seemed to always say the dumbest things. She was also rude to her possible future husbands and multiple times I wondered why they wouldn't just leave.

Honestly, NOTHING happened in this book. The only major thing that did was at the end, but I won't tell you since it would spoil the book. It was such a huge cliffhanger that it was like the author was grasping for something to force readers to come back. I have found this many times in books and it honestly just annoys me so bad. Its one thing to leave the reader with questions for the next book, but its a whole other action to start something with literally 3 pages left.

I have been waiting for this book for so long that this is a huge disappointment. I will be reading the next book, but the wait honestly won't kill me.

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

The One by Kiera Cass

 There can be only one winner...
America never thought that she would last this long in the selection... or for that matter actually begin to have feelings for Maxon. But when the rebels threaten the whole kingdom's future America and Maxon know they need to do something. But will America be picked as Maxon's wife? And what about Aspen?

Like I've said before, this series is just entertainment. Honestly it has no substance and you should know that going into it. If you're looking for some life-changing dystopian story, look elsewhere. If you're looking for some fluff with basically no substance this is the series for you!

America is the most whiny main character I have ever seen. Everything was about her and Maxon. Oh poor me, I have to choose between Maxon and Aspen. Who will I ever choose? That was literally the only thing that ever happened in all three of the books. You sort of learn to tune it out though...

Maxon was super annoying in this book. If he really knew that he wanted to pick America he would have just done it and wouldn't have kept making out with Celeste and all the other girls. He was such a jerk in this book.

I actually started to like Aspen and how he moved on from America. I wish she could have just realized that and told Maxon how she felt and then most of the drama in this book never would have happened.

The world building in this series was not good. I could care less about the castes since the author didn't really do a good job putting very much detail into them. I don't understand how anyone could live that way and how there were not any rebellions sooner, especially by the sevens and eights. This was too unrealistic to me.

I can honestly say that after reading The Heir it doesn't get much better. America's daughter is the main character in that book and she's not annoying like America, but she is super selfish and thinks everyone is beneath her.

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Book Haul #1!!!!

I've been thinking about doing one of these for a while now, and since I've gotten quite a few books these past few weeks, I'm just going to add the ones I'm most excited for.

Physical books from publishers:

Harlequin:
The Notorious Pagen Jones by Nina Berry

I was lucky enough to win this book from Goodreads Firstreads. I'm super excited to read this- it looks like it has a little bit of historical fiction, along with some falling from stardom and maybe a little WWII drama all mixed in. All that together sounds like an intriguing read.

Harper:
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

I am currently reading this and so far so good. Crimson Bound made my all-time favorites list so hopefully this will too! Thank you so much HarperCollins for sending me an ARC of this book! Sorry my review might be a little late.

Things We Know by Heart by John Corey Whaley

I also got this book from HarperCollins and also from the author who was amazing enough to sign it and sent it to me. I was thinking about doing a giveaway with this one, but after reading the back and seeing it was signed, I just couldn't part with it. It sounds really moving and I really hope it is since that's the kind of book I've been looking for right now.


EBooks from publishers:

Random House:
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

I'm really proud of myself right now- I only requested one EBook this whole month, and awesomely I got accepted to read it! This book is about a girl allergic to the world and that just sounds so lonely and sad to me that as soon as I saw it I knew I needed to read it! This review won't be posted for a long time since it is released in September, but about two weeks before it is released I will be posting a very long (probably gushing) review about it! Thanks go out to Random House Childrens and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Books I've bought:

Ice Kissed by Amanda Hocking

I have read this and I'm just waiting to post my review! Hopefully I get accepted for an ARC of the third book too! Fingers crossed!

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

I just finished this and wow oh wow. Love. Pure love goes out to this book. If you haven't read it, do so RIGHT NOW! And I mean right this second!

So that was my book haul for the past few weeks! In the comments please say which book you think I should read next and which book you're planning on reading next! 

~Bri

The Elite by Kiera Cass

Somehow America is still part of the Selection. But when Aspen comes back into her life, will she be able to avoid him and try to keep her chance with Maxon? And what will Maxon do when she tells him about the poverty most of his kingdom is living in? The competition heats up in this sequel to the Selection.

I'm not sure what to think about The Elite. While the first book was pure fluff, this one somehow got much, much fluffier. It was so girly and Twilight-like in that sense that it made me want to gag. Both Maxon and Aspen got really annoying and I just couldn't stand it.

Maxon just couldn't seem to make up his mind- one minute I thought he would be sending someone home, the next second he wouldn't and it just annoyed me how he sort of toyed with America's feelings. Aspen wasn't much better though, making America confused about her feelings for him and whether she was still in love with him.

The writing was okay, it wasn't amazing but it wasn't horrible either. I could tolerate it.

The plot was okay but there really wasn't much happening. I found myself getting really tired of all the boring scenes, and wishing for some action. Unfortunately that never came and that was sort of a let down.

I would recommend this series to people who aren't very criticizing about books and just want a fun, easy read.

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

The Selection by Kiera Cass

America enters the selection, not even considering she may be one of the girls chosen. When she is, she will do anything to get out of it- until her secret boyfriend, Aspen, suddenly breaks things off with her. She goes into the selection just hoping to get some money for her family- she never expects to actually get to know Maxon, the prince. What's even more surprising is that he seems to want her to stay and she may just be falling for him. But what about Aspen? And what will happen if she is picked out of the 35 girls to be Maxon's wife and therefore queen?

This was a light fluffy read, and I must admit that I sort of enjoyed it. If you are going to read this book, you should go into it without any expectations for a dystopian, because honestly that's not what it is. It is a "beach read" sort of story.

One of the things I really did not like was the main character, America. She was whiny and annoying and I really could not stand her. She was so completely self-centered and she never really noticed or cared about other people's feelings. The names in this book also drove me crazy. They were just small attempts to make the book more dystopian, and boy did they not work. It just made the book annoying and made me confused. All of the other characters seemed really stereotypical and it sort of annoyed me. None of them were very fleshed out and that made me less connected to the book than I could have possibly been.

Like I said before, the dystopian parts were awful. I didn't even know that was what the author was trying to write until I read the synopsis on Goodreads.

The romance was confusing. One second, America was trying to find ways to get back to Aspen, and other moments she was trying to keep Maxon on the hook. He was clearly into her and it seemed like she used that to her advantage and kept playing him. I did not like that at all- I think you should never pretend to like someone for your own advantage and it should be genuine feelings for a person that makes you date or pursue them.

I would recommend this to people who want a light fluffy read, but anyone who wants to read something with some substance should really find something else.

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

The summer of weddings... This summer Haven's father is getting married to the "weather pet" who he cheated on her mom with. Also, her sister, Ashley, is getting married to her boyfriend, however much Haven doesn't like him. But when Sumner, Ashley's longtime boyfriend, comes back to town, Haven's whole perspective on her life and the lifes' around her changes for the better. But was life as perfect as she remembered back when Ashley and Sumner were together? What really happened That Summer?

I have been wanting to read a book by Sarah Dessen for a while. I own quite a few of her books, but always planned on reading them in the order they were released, just so I could get the full experience like fans from the beginning have done. I decided that if I ever saw That Summer anywhere that I would buy it, no matter what. When I was a charitable book fair and I saw this, I knew right then that I would get it. There were two bonuses in doing so- I only paid a dollar for it and the money went to the charity! Needless to say, the very same weekend I was in the mood for some realistic fiction and decided to pick this up. So far I am very impressed with Sarah Dessen!

I loved how real the characters were. They kept me entertained at the good times, and the sad times I really felt for them. Not all of them were that 3D, but the majority of them were and the ones that weren't really didn't contribute to the story as much as they could have.

I really appreciated the open ending. It helped me imagine scenarios that might happen next, but at the same time I was a little confused about the last line, how it says that the first boy is always the hardest. I'm sort of thinking that she is saying that in the future, but at the same time I was sort of wondering if maybe she had started to fall in love with Sumner... It's probably just wishful thinking on my part since the whole book I was sort of rooting on them getting together, but at the same time I'm still not 100% sure. I don't know, I wish the author would say one way or another, but at the same time I think she meant for us to guess at what she meant. Again, this is just wishful thinking on my part and I could just be imagining things.

I really liked the writing style. If this was her first book, I really can't wait to check out her other ones! My rating wasn't as high as it could have been just because of how short the book was and the secrets being kept from other people, like Ashley not telling Haven the real reason why her relationship with Sumner ended. These were just minor problems though, and I understand that they added to the plot.

If you haven't already, you should check out some of Dessen's books. I would recommend them to anyone who wants a nice summer read.

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Center Ice by Cate Cameron

Karen moves to a new town with her father's family after her mother dies. She can't seem to get along with them and feels she doesn't really have anyone who understands her until she meets Tyler. Star hockey player, good looks, what else could she ask for? It turns out he's having his own problems at home with pressure from his agent and father to try harder, do things their way. They might be just what each other need... if Karen can get past the fact that he is a player and may cheat on her, just like her father is doing to his wife.

I really liked this book. It was a light, fluffy sort of read, going by fast but leaving me speechless. I loved how much it involved hockey, me being a hockey player I can really connect. I've sort of been feeling negative about hockey lately, what with having an awful coach this past year, and this book really made me remember all the good points of it and why I fell in love with the sport in the first place.

I feel the author did a very good job fleshing out the characters. They seemed real to me and obviously I really liked Tyler. He fessed up to bad things he did in the past and changed his ways for Karen and to grow up. I also loved how different character's actions changed towards Karen throughout the book and how she started to blend into her new home better and become friends with her new family.

The plot in this book was average, but somehow the writing made it seem much better quality than it really was. I'm not really sure how to describe it, but it was something that I sort of liked.

***Thank you Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for supplying me with this ARC. I really appreciate the opportunity to read and review it. This did not influence my rating or review in any way.***

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Half Wild by Sally Green

Now that Annalise is in a death-like sleep, Nathan must either join Neptune and kill his father or let Annalise die. Complications arise when the rebel witches recruit him and he must try to recruit his father. He doesn't know what Annalise would want him to do, especially concerning Gabriel who's feelings for him are confusing and that might be felt mutually. Can he help Annalise and all the while not be forced to kill his father? Can he even find his father without being killed? And can he come to terms with the animal he turns into every night?

Whoever has read my review of Half Bad knows how much I disliked that book. If it is possible, this one was much worse. Dragging on, it seemed like I couldn't get into it to save my life, and like with the first book I found myself trying to do anything other than reading.

This book jumped all over the place. I honestly couldn't figure out what scenes were flashbacks and which took place normal day. It was just too confusing.

The worst part of this book was the love-triangle if you can even call it that. By the end of the book I started hating Annalise and her friend (I forgot her name). Her friend wouldn't stop snobbing at Nathan, whenever he tried to apologize to Annalise she would tell him to just leave her alone. It seemed like she was making it so that Annalise had no say in the matter. I don't like Gabriel either, but just because of the way Annalise was acting- like she was better than Nathan and it's just his job to run after her apologizing for every little thing, I hope that he ends up with Nathan instead of her. The first book I liked her, but now I just can't stand her.

I will be reading the last book, but I probably won't enjoy it (just warning you ahead of time). And to think I spent my book allowance on this!

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

After the Persephone is attacked, Frances and her friend Libby somehow survive. They are shipwrecked on a raft for 5 days. Hours before they are rescued, Libby gives up and dies. Frances finds that she has no family left and the other two survivors of the shipwreck, Grey and Mr. Wells, say that it was a rouge wave that took out the ship. With Libby's dad's help she assumes the role of Libby for her own protection. Now years later, she plots her plan for revenge on the Wells' who she knows had something to do with the attack. But will she be able to put her feelings for Grey aside? Or will she once again fall in love with him?

This book had a strong beginning and end, but a mushy middle. The plot sort of got mixed up and jumbled to me, although it never got boring. It just seemed like there was too much happening, and maybe the author planned out the book a little too well.

I loved the main character, how she wasn't dependent on anyone, let alone some boy. I really liked how she couldn't quite let go of her past and who she used to be. I think it would be really hard to leave your real life like that and I really respected how she was able to do that.

The minor characters seemed really 3D and the author did a really good job letting the reader know more about them. I really felt like they were real people and that I have known them all my life.

After reading this I will definitely be reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth soon, its been on my to-read pile for a while, but I haven't quite gotten to it.

As soon as this is released go buy it!

***Thank you Penguin First to Read for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book! This did not influence my rating or review in any way.***

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Half Bad by Sally Green

Nathan is a half-blood witch. He never truly belongs with white witches or black witches and get bullied. The only thing he has ever wanted is for his father to come and give him his 3 gifts on his 16th birthday. Trapped in a cage by the white witches he knows this will never happen- he will never be free, never meet his father... Or will he?

Based on the glowing reviews from fellow book bloggers, I thought I would really enjoy this book. Rival witches groups, not to mention MAGIC!! At first I thought this might make my list of favorite books this year. Unfortunately it didn't.

This book felt like a rip-off of Harry Potter, and the author actually lives in England just like J.K. Rowling. Although it has been a while since I read Harry Potter, there were much more glaring similarities between the two and it really started to annoy me.

The plot was confusing, switching between 2nd person and 1st person, and it kept switching around the time era too. I did not like that at all.

Overall, I did not enjoy this book and I definitely would not recommend it.

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Emancipated by M.G. Reyes

Six kids, all emancipated, move into a small California beach house. All of them have a secret that they are keeping from each other. Grace and Candace are there so that Candace can finally become the actress that she's always wanted to be. John-Michael is there since his father died and he has no where else to go. Paolo, Lucy, and Maya are all also emancipated and part of the group. All of them couldn't be more different, but can they somehow make it work, paying the bills and having fun at the same time?

I had quite a few problems with this book. I felt it was too cliché and all of the characters were quite snobby. They gossiped about each other constantly and were always eager to find out the dirt about one another. I felt that this made the group dynamic drop to all time lows and it made the book feel like it took place in some Junior High.

The drama contributed to the book in some ways. It helped fuel the questions that I had and made me enthusiastically keep reading. It also added to my overall feelings on emancipation and whether I would ever consider it (unfortunately, I would not).

I did not like the multiple POV's and that also lowered my rating. I felt myself getting confused and frustrated, especially with some of the things the characters did.
My favorite character was Maya, how she didn't fit in with the rest of the group and was younger than the rest of them. The other characters I couldn't really connect with and that sort of made the book less emotional than it could have been.

The writing was pretty good and the plot moved steadily even though the beginning was slow. Overall, I would recommend this for a friend that wants a book with a lot of drama.

****Thank you HarperCollins and EpicReads for supplying me with an ARC of this book!****

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

The Dragons of Dorcastle by Jack Campbell

Since I skimmed a major part of this book, I am not going to write a summary of it, and instead will take the one from Goodreads:

For centuries, the two Great Guilds have controlled the world of Dematr. The Mechanics and the Mages have been bitter rivals, agreeing only on the need to keep the world they rule from changing. But now a Storm approaches, one that could sweep away everything that humans have built. Only one person has any chance of uniting enough of the world behind her to stop the Storm, but the Great Guilds and many others will stop at nothing to defeat her.

Mari is a brilliant young Mechanic, just out of the Guild Halls where she has spent most of her life learning how to run the steam locomotives and other devices of her Guild. Alain is the youngest Mage ever to learn how to change the world he sees with the power of his mind. Each has been taught that the works of the other’s Guild are frauds. But when their caravan is destroyed, they begin to discover how much has been kept from them.

As they survive danger after danger, Alain discovers what Mari doesn’t know—that she was long ago prophesized as the only one who can save their world. When Mari reawakens emotions he had been taught to deny, Alain realizes he must sacrifice everything to save her. Mari, fighting her own feelings, discovers that only together can she and Alain hope to stay alive and overcome the Dragons of Dorcastle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 I now know that steampunk is definitely not my cup of tea. I read Levitation last year and did not like it at all. I was really hoping that this would redeem the genre for me, but unfortunately it didn't. I just can't reimagine history like that, it's just impossible for me. I'm sort of a history nerd, so reading steampunk just sort of irritates me.

One of the two main characters, Alain, just got on my nerves. He was arrogant and cocky, and seemed to boss everyone around constantly. In real life I hate people like that and try to avoid them as much as possible and that is true in books too.

I really had trouble imagining this world and remembering the names for things. I ended up skimming most of the book and it really didn't make me feel any emotions. For this reason I can only give this one star.

I hate giving books one star, but I really couldn't give this one anything else.

***Thank you Goodreads and Jabberwocky Literary Agency, Inc for giving me the opportunity to read this book.***
Thanks for reading!
~Bri

2:20 by Holly Hook

When Julia showed up at her foster mother's house at 2:20 in the morning, she had no idea who she was or where she came from. Now, almost a year later she is going on a date with the most popular guy in school, Frank. When he tries to kill her and reveals that he is a timekeeper sent to bring her back to her real time, she runs. The next day she meets Simon, another Timekeeper that seems familiar to her. She realizes that they use to be in love and she would do anything to get him back, but he is unable to tell her about their past and where she came from. Will they find a way to make sure Frank cannot kill Julia? Will they stay together through it all and will Julia finally find out their history?

Like many books lately, this book started out flat but got better. At first I was ready to leave it and find something else to take up my time, but thought better of it. Now I know that it was good I stuck it out. Like I said, it got much better and I loved the historical aspects and how accurate they were.

At first it had insti-love, and that was another reason that I almost put it down, but then I realized that in the past they had time to fall in love, and even though Julia doesn't remember that, she still gets a feeling that she really likes him and Simon genuinely loves her.

At first I had no idea what the book was going to be about, and the cover doesn't give you many ideas but now I can honestly say that it was a good idea for me to read the book! I would really recommend it for fans of Suzanne Weyn's Distant Waves.

***Thanks to Story Cartel and the author for letting me read and review this book!***

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Alive by Chandler Baker

Stella's sure she's going to die, until the day she finally gets a heart transplant. She finds weird things happening to her afterwards- blinding pain at the same time every day and a hollow pain unless she's with the new guy, Levi. She feels a connection with him that she cannot explain and forgets about all her other friends once she meets him, including Henry, her best friend who she has had a crush on forever and is now returning her feelings. She has a feeling that something is a little off about Levi, but she can't figure out what. Does the heart in fact lie, or is he the one she's meant to be with? Can she figure out things with Henry before they get even more complicated? And can they stay friends through it all?

I really wasn't sure what to expect with this book. In the pit of my stomach I was sort of thinking that it would be a sort of corny contemporary, and I was mentally cringing when I thought about having to read 300+ pages of that. What I found is it's really part mystery, part paranormal with gory parts that make it all the more interesting and complex. I would say it is definitely unique and it definitely outdoes all the competition that it may have with ghost/horror books.

I loved all the characters and I've got to say that Henry is hands down my favorite. He was so sweet and loyal throughout the book and I loved how he stuck with Stella throughout her heart transplant and never stopped loving and caring for her even when she was dating Levi. Even Levi was likeable, his character was so complex, thought out and 3D that it was hard to hate him like I was obviously suppose to.

I feel that when this book is released it is definitely going to be a bestseller if it gets the right marketing and people recommend it to their friends. Buy this as soon as it is released! I cannot recommend it enough. Even though I had my problems with it, they were very minor and shouldn't have even mattered.

*** Thank you Goodreads First Reads and Hyperion for supplying me with this book! I really enjoyed reading it.***

Thanks for reading!
~Bri

Dauntless by Dina L. Sleiman

Merry Ellison use to be a lady, a baron's daughter. After her father tried to assassinate King John, she was forced to go into hiding, also saving a whole villages of orphaned children. Doing so she was forced to leave behind her intended, Timothy Grey. When their paths cross again will he be able to find a way to get her back and not become a rebel in doing so? And is she the same girl he fell in love with?

This book had a slow start and a faster ending. To me it seemed to drag on and was a bit boring at times. Nothing that happened was very exciting, and that was a bummer for me. I wanted what the cover seemed to promise- a girl that can hold her own and might be a little violent to save her orphan family. The real story had some of that, but not enough to satisfy me.

I liked the writing in this and it was clear the author did a lot of research on this time period. I also really enjoyed how it was sort of a retelling of Robin Hood, but it didn't copy it too much.

The romance was pretty realistic I would imagine- take into consideration I don't know much about this time period, so I don't really know anything about dating or the dos and don'ts of it when this book took place. Like I said though, I thought it was accurate enough.

Since this book is by a Christian publisher it had it's fair share of biblical references and talk of God, but I didn't mind. I have never read a Christian book before this, but it was better than I expected and I will be trying more books in this genre again when I have time.

I did have my problems with this, mainly because of how slow the start is, but I think you should try it if it sounds interesting to you!

***I received this book from Goodreads First Reads. Thank you for the great opportunity to read this!!!***

Thanks for reading!
~Bri