The Darkest Star

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The Darkest Star by Jennifer L Armentrout

4 stars 

“Sometimes the truth is worse than a lie.” 

Evie is a teenage girl who follows her friend to a club called Forsaken, a club where anyone is welcome, including other species like the Luxen. When the club is raided, Evie finds herself in the hands of Luc, a mysterious not quite human, not quite Luxen man. The more she gets to know him, the more secrets are revealed to her, ones she never expected to find out.

“This was how I figured most horror films started out, but in for a penny, in for a pound…” 

This is a wonderful spinoff series of the Lux series starring Luc, our favorite Origin. You can tell this is a book made with love, and one done for the fans of the series and I think Jennifer did a fantastic job. I’ve been having trouble getting sucked away into books recently, and picking up a new book from JLA was like returning home. I fell effortlessly into the pages and read it from beginning to end all in one day. There’s something about her writing that I connect with easily, it’s like picking up with an old friend right away after not having seen them for a long time.

I really enjoyed the story, I thought it was very compelling, even if somewhat predictable. Luc is basically Daemon Jr and many fans will love that. I didn’t give 5 stars because it isn’t perfect, but I think it’s a great start to a new series and I cannot wait to read the other books and see the future development of this world and these characters. I wish there had also been a tad more angst, but I’m hoping it will come later.

“Sometimes the truth is hidden as a form of protection.” 

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 

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The Proposal

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The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

2 stars 

This book started out strong and halfway through completely fizzled out for me. I really enjoyed this author’s debut book The Wedding Date, and at first I thought this one was similar, but by the end it wasn’t even in the same ballpark (pun intended).

I love that Berkley is publishing more work by authors of color and books with characters who are persons of color, so I was glad to see this book. I hope Berkley continues to publish books like these because they are needed. The story in this one just wasn’t more me, I wish things had been more fleshed out.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review 

Hey Kiddo

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Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J Krosczka

4.5 stars!

What a wonderful memoir! 

I honestly cannot remember what made me request this graphic novel from the library, it is so not my normal reading zone. But I am very glad I did. Jarrett Krosoczka, author of the kids graphic novel series Lunch Lady, tells the story of his childhood and teenage years. His mother’s addiction and father’s absence had an impact on his life, but not as profound as the grandparents who stepped up and raised him.

This was unputdownable, I finished it within a few hours. My favorite parts of the book were his grandmother who seemed to be a complex and lively woman who didn’t always make the best choices, but she loved fiercely. I think this is a great book for teens to read to understand kids with this background. It’s also a story too many kids are living themselves.

Small Spaces

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Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

3 stars 

A creepy little book with a strange story. I liked it just fine, but it didn’t suck me in at all and I found myself skimming at the end. I thought I would find it scary, but after binging the haunting of hill house all weekend I think the scare-o-meter had zero effect on me.

I am definitely interested in trying Arden’s adult novels, maybe I will connect with those more.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library

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Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

This gets 5 stars because I couldn’t put it down and wanted to cancel plans with friends just to finish it.

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is the modern day Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just without creepy oompa loompa’s and it takes place in an awesome library. Twelve kids are selected to stay overnight in a library, but little do they know they are being entered into a game to see who can find a way out! Winner gets prizes galore.

Like I said, I really loved this one because I was sucked in right away. I think this is one of those rare books reluctant readers would enjoy and get them into reading. The clues and library and book knowledge made this so much fun to read. I need to get more books by this author from the library!

The Hazel Wood

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The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

2 stars 

“Nobody can fix a broken machine if they don’t have all the parts.” 

Well…. I finished it. At least I didn’t dnf it so I’ll give it that. This book has two things going for it, hence two stars. One, an original story unlike any I had read before. Two, the author is a very talented writer. That being said, in my opinion she’s not a great storyteller.

The Hazel Wood is about a young teen always on the move with her mother. When they get word her grandmother died they finally stop running… until someone else finds them. With her mother missing Alice turns to a school friend to help her find her mom, but the Hinterland stands in their way.

“She talked like a woman who knew more books than people.” 

This book was simply okay for me, I didn’t love it and found it very confusing and convoluted at times. Half of it seemed to be exposition and I felt that really could have been edited down A LOT, but to each their own. I will say as I said before it’s a very unique story and I think this book will be loved by the right kind of person. It wasn’t for me.

“Look until the leaves turn red, sew the worlds up with thread. If your journey’s left undone, fear the rising of the sun.” 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

4 stars!

I ended up liking this book just FINE.

Sorry, I couldn’t help it. I’ve seen this book around and have always been meaning to read it. My local book club picked it for this month so I decided to finally dive in and I’m glad I did. This had a very slow start and I had to push myself to keep reading. After 90+ pages is when it finally started moving for me which is normally way past my dnf point. There are so many positive reviews, I wanted to see why.

Eleanor is an odd young woman who lives a lonely life, not wanting to change that. When an encounter with a new coworker results in them saving an elderly man on the street, Eleanor finds herself with two new unexpected friends who change her life.

Loved this book because of Eleanor and her journey. Her social awkwardness/rudeness could be at times both alarming and funny. Her perspective on things was often very skewed, but I enjoyed her and this book very much. Eleanor Oliphant is completely unforgettable.

George

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George by Alex Gino

3.75 stars 

I read this because it was a top challenged book of 2017 and I am always down to read a banned or challenged book. I think George is an important book, one that I feel opens up a discussion for young adults that they may have never thought to discuss before.

I am terrible at reviewing lately so all I’ll say is this, I’m glad this book exists, I wish more like it existed. Some things in this book seemed to just glide by without conflict which confused me, but I also hope our world changes so I wouldn’t be second guessing the actions of some of the characters in this book.

Wild Like the Wind

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Wild Like the Wind by Kristen Ashley

4 stars! 

“Today, I woke up a loser. But I’m gonna end the night a winner.” 

Hound has loved Keely for years, but she’s the widow of one of his Chaos brothers and off limits. Over 18 years he was there for her, until an argument between them made him run away and Keely pursues him. Embarking on a physical relationship, there are a lot of issues that are between them…

^^^Okay so not my best synopsis, but I tried. What I can say was I was really surprised I enjoyed this one as much as I did, no offense to Ashley but her newer books can be a hit or a miss for me. But from the beginning I was absorbed into the story and couldn’t put my phone down (kindle app). This book reminded me of why I fell in love with Ashley’s books to begin with.

If you’re on the fence give this book a chance! It’s really good!

The Woman in the Window

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The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn

4 stars! 

“You can hear someone’s secrets and their fears and their wants, but remember that these exist alongside other people’s secrets and fears, people living in the same room.” 

OMG I READ SOMETHING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE AND IT WASN’T AWFUL!!!

I have to be honest, I would have never picked this book up on my own. I work at the library that has like seven billion book clubs (just kidding it’s more like 5, but still) and this was selected for the mystery book club. Wanting to get more involved I read it…. and really enjoyed it!!

The Woman in the Window is about an agoraphobic doctor who watches her neighbors from her windows. One day she see’s something she shouldn’t have, and everything goes spiraling out of control. And that’s all I am gonna say about the plot, any more is too much.

“No family, happy or unhappy, is quite like any other. Tolstoy was chock-fullo’shit. Remember that.” 

This book was very much a modern day take on Rear Window and other old suspense films. So much so in fact the main character talks about them a lot (which made me glad my mother is obsessed with movies from the 30’s and 40’s because I actually understood a lot of the references). It was interesting to read a book from the perspective of an unreliable character, there are twists you see coming and others you don’t because of it.

I picked up this book apprehensive of the size, being almost 450 pages, but I found it read really fast and the other has a great writing style with the ability to suck you into the story. I would read 100+ pages in a sitting and would be shocked they flew by so fast and that I was so invested in the story.

I think this is a book a lot of people would really like. It’s not super original but it works because as I said, it’s more of a modern day Hitchcock story.

“The world is a beautiful place,” she insists, and she’s serious; her gaze is even, her voice level. Her eyes catch mine, hold them. “Don’t forget that.” She reclines, mashing her cigarette into the hollow of the bowl. “And don’t miss it.” 

Blue-Eyed Devil

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Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas

4 stars! 

“I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together.” 

Blue Eyed Devil is the story of Haven, a young woman from a very wealthy oil family. Coming out of a bad marriage Haven has attracted the attention of Hardy, a rival of the family. But there may be more to Hardy than meets the eye, but Haven isn’t sure if she’s ready to handle a man like him.

It’s funny because everyone told me after I read Sugar Daddy that I would love this book more and well…. I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong it was fantastic, but it’s almost like how everyone else LOVES Devil in Winter and while I enjoyed that one too, it doesn’t live up to the hype. Maybe it’s just me and my picky ass reading tastes? This book was very rushed at the end and everything just fell together with minimal conflict (even tho there was a crapton of buildup to it).

What I loved was Haven as a heroine. Beat down she had a hard time of it, but she overcame and did her best to live her life on her own terms. I love Kleypas’ writing style which makes it so effortless to fall into her world and read about her characters. And I even really enjoyed the sex scenes, normally I skip those in my romances. I can see why others loved this book and I really liked it, hence 4 stars.

“One of the blessings human beings take for granted is the ability to remember pain without re-feeling it. The pain of the physical wounds is long gone …and the other kind of hurt, the damage done to our spirits, has been healed. We are careful with those scarred places in each other.” 

Fight or Flight

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Fight or Flight by Samantha Young

4.5 stars 

“My physical appearance was just a small fraction of who I was. I was more than a pretty bauble to hang on the tree of a man’s world.” 

After a horrible trip to her childhood home, Ava just wants to get the heck out of Arizona and back to her apartment in Boston. Her attempts at everything in the airport from first class upgrades to meals to the coffee cart are thwarted by a rude Scotsman…. who happens to be her seatmate on her flight. Their hatred for each other soon turns into a night neither of them will ever forget.

By chance Caleb reenters her life when Ava had thought he was just a one night stand, and the two decide to explore their physical attraction even further…

“When you were infatuated with someone, you failed to see their imperfections. When it was more than a fixation, you still cared about them in spite of their flaws.” 

First off, Samantha Young is romance royalty. She delivered THE BEST ANGST in any romance novels, hands down. She’s also one of the few authors that I don’t skim sex scenes (yes I am weird and I do that most of the time). When I read a book by Young, I am enthralled from the very beginning, all the way to the last page at the end. I always say this too but I love how she manages to write characters from different countries and nails it every time, there are never cultural inaccuracies which blows my mind.

There are similarities in this book to On Dublin Street, a heroine with a messed up family past and a best friend who dies tragically (not a spoiler it’s in the beginning of both books). But the similarities end there. I loved Ava. She was such an incredible female character unlike many we see in this genre. She’s gorgeous but wants to be valued as more. She works hard but remembers to be kind. Caleb was an amazing alpha-hole, but was nice at the right points. I wish we had gotten more of his side of events but I still really loved him too.

I have two things to gripe about in this book, the first affected my rating the other did not. At the end of the book, what was done to Ava, there needed to be a lot more fucking groveling. I was actually appalled at the lack of groveling at the end considering Caleb’s words and actions. The second thing I have to gripe about, I friggin hate the cover of this book. I know it’s the newest rage in romance and we have The Hating Game to blame for it, but the cover of this book does not match the inside at all and I am looking forward to when (if) they change the cover in the future. I want to reiterate, the cover did not affect my rating.

“We’re all afraid of something, sweetheart. It’s up to us whether we stay and fight that fear… or whether we run and hide from it.” 

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes came from an unedited copy and are subject to change in final review. 

Consumed

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Consumed by JR Ward

3 stars 

This is a book that started out very strong for me. I loved the prequel novellas and the beginning of the book was so compelling with the story. And then about halfway through it’s almost like it fell apart. Consumed is about firefighters Anne and Danny. Both of them feel an intense attraction to each other, but working on the same team nothing can come of it.

Like I said I felt the first half of the book was very good and I liked the characters and the story. The second half of the book I found boring and a tad bit ridiculous. I think this series has a lot of potential and the future installments will be really great so I’ll definitely be checking those out. Three stars because I enjoyed this book for the most part.

ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review 

The Great Alone

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The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

4.5 stars! 

“All this time, Dad had taught Leni how dangerous the outside world was. The truth was that the biggest danger of all was in her own home.” 

Thirteen year old Leni is used to moving around. Her father Ernt was a POW in Vietnam and when he came back from the war, he didn’t come back right. On a whim, he moves Leni and her mother up to Alaska in search of a simpler and better life.

But Alaska is more than they all bargained for, and as winter approaches it becomes clear they are not prepared. But as the days grow shorter, so does Ernt’s temper and Leni and her mother have more to fear than the dangers of Alaska.

“Love and fear. The most destructive forces on earth. Fear had turned her inside out, love had made her stupid.” 

Kristin Hannah is an author I’ve always been meaning to read and never got to before. I can now say I totally regret not picking up one of her books until now. The Great Alone captivated me from the first page and had me staying up late and sacrificing sleep to finish it.

It’s odd because thinking back on the book, I didn’t quite love or understand any of the characters. Except for maybe Large Marge because that woman was freaking awesome. But Leni who started out strong for me changed about 75% in. I think what really makes this book amazing is the story and the writing style. I felt like I was in Alaska with the rest of the characters and experiencing everything with them.

“It’s scary that people can just stop loving you, you know?”

Professor Feelgood

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Professor Feelgood by Leisa Rayven

4 stars! 

“ A soulmate is someone who sees all the parts you’re ashamed of, and loves you anyway.” 

Book editor Asha is looking for the next big thing in the publishing world. While doing research for her next book to publish, she gets an idea to approach an Instagram poet who anonymously posts online. Hoping he will be the next bestseller she messages him and after some convincing he agrees. After everything is finalized, she realizes her dream man is a giant jerk, and now she has to work with him one on one.

“How do you protect yourself from the person who was born with an all-access pass to your heart?” 

Leisa Rayven is a magical unicorn writer, everything she writes, I love. Professor Feelgood was a great next installment in the Masters of Love series (it can be read as a standalone) and I loved Asha and the Professor so so much. My favorite part about this book was the theme of looking inward and recognizing your mistakes. Also the power of perspective was an excellent theme of this book, one that doesn’t get covered a lot in romance.

I love Rayven’s stories and her writing. If I could I would go all Kathy Bates on her and have her write me stories all day long, I just don’t want to break her legs haha.

“You’re the one thing in this world that helps me make sense.” 

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review