Author: Chelsea (Page 38 of 111)

BOOK REVIEW: Eversea (Eversea #1) by Natasha Boyd

April 13, 2016 / Chelsea / 4 Comments

Eversea (Eversea #1)
by Natasha Boyd
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
An orphaned, small-town, southern girl, held hostage by responsibility and self-doubt.

A Hollywood A-list mega-star, on the run from his latest scandal and with everything to lose.

A chance encounter that leads to an unlikely arrangement and epic love affair that will change them both forever.

When his co-star and real-life girlfriend is caught cheating on him with her new director, A-list hottie, Jack Eversea, finds himself in sleepy Butler Cove, South Carolina. Jack hopes the sultry southern heat in this tiny coastal Lowcountry town will hide him not only from the tabloids and his cheating girlfriend, but his increasingly vapid life and the people who run it. He doesn’t count on meeting Keri Ann Butler.

Keri Ann has relied on herself so long, dealing with her family’s death and the responsibilities of keeping up her family's historic mansion, that boys and certainly the meager offering of eligible boys in Butler Cove, have never figured into her equation. But fate has other plans. Suddenly face to face with the man who played the movie role of her favorite fictional character, Jack has Keri Ann yearning for everything she has previously avoided ... and Jack must decide whether this funny, sassy girl is worth changing his life for, before his mistakes catch up to him.

Okay-I lied. I have a major issue in the way of migraines right now and I think I am going to skip writing a full-fledged review on this one. I regret that I can’t give this the review that it deserves, but in a way I’m relieved. Relieved I don’t have to badmouth a book *MOST* of my friends loved and relieved I decided not to give up any of my minuscule reading time because of constant headaches. But, I have added the quotes I would have otherwise used with a full review and have also added bullets of what did and didn’t work for me (so, ya know, I saved you twenty minutes of reading my review while I blabber about said things that did or didn’t work). Two birds, one stone and all that.

“It’s amazing,” said Jack, shaking his head and looking at me.
“What’s amazing?”
“It’s amazing,” he repeated, “that you seem to have no idea how fucking beautiful you are.”

Well…this was both good and bad in equal measure. I’d love to say the good outweighed the bad but, sadly, my curse still stands. As it turns out, I really am not a ‘Hollywood Romance’ book genre lover. I just…I love angst, right? So why can’t I get behind ANY of these ‘I’m famous but don’t wana be’ books? The truth is simple, when I get right down to it: This type of angst makes me feel, well, angsty-but not in the good way. These always make me depressed and sullen and moody and they always have that same cop out-I love you soooo much but I have to participate in this fake relationship for Hollywood.

His hand left mine, and he pressed it palm down in the center of my chest. “If I’d known you were in my future, I would have chosen differently.”

What the fuck ? I HATE this, and it just…it’s never handled well. I will admit, however, that this is the least disgusting scenario I’ve read about yet. And Jack is pretty unforgettable, as far as male leads go. What with his swoony declarations of adoration and wanting to be with our main character despite the horrid situation surrounding them. And I’ll get to all this when I write a real review, but I just couldn’t wait to say these things. I guess that also leaves one thing: The writing. I just did not like the writing and, frankly, I didn’t get how they were into each other so quickly…or rather, how he fell so hard for her.

Me: Sorry, should have warned you she’d probably come by. She and Nana were close. Who did you say you were?
Late Night Visitor: That I was a friend doing you
My eyes widened.
Late Night Visitor: A favor! A friend doing you a favor! Sorry. Damn phone. Banging head on wall…

I can see how it happened, I just don’t believe it. The beginnings, that is. Anyway. Okay. I’m done, but I’ll be back. I really really really did love Jack…he was just absolutely breathtaking. I just wish some of the horribly handled convos didn’t happen…those can’t be erased from my mind. Ugh.

The GOOD:
–Great quotes, LOADS of feels-Jack’s freaking mouth…it only produces magic that turns me into a heaping pile of goo. Why couldn’t he have been the only character in this story, hmm???
–LOVED the club scene-always a favorite. Like…GAH!! Top three absolute favorites scenes ( Me lubbs the jelly green monsters)
–My favorite scene, for some inexplicable reason, is the scene where they accidentally meet up while running. Dunno why. Lots of cute feels from beginning to end of that part
–WIll read book two someday, but will do so when in mood to be masochistic, since this shit gives me the bad kind of book ulcers

The BAD:
–It goes back and forth CONSTANTLY. Will he or won’t he? Back. And forth. Back. Forth. Back…..and forth again.
–Cheesy conversations that had me rolling my eyes (not to be confused with the moments I liked with childhood memories and his ‘I am so in like with you’ moments-THOSE I LOVED) I mean when he can’t be with her. But maybe can. How it will be handled. How it won’t be handled. The conclusions. *Rolls eyes*
–SAME OLD ‘END ALL THE HAPPY’ PROBLEM: THE EX DUN DUN DUNNNNNN. Will will this stop being in the Hollywood trope. Create angst, fine, but leave the fucking ex out of it like GAG
–Not necessarily bad writing, but amateur…ish. Didn’t flow well and didn’t draw me in like I’ve become accustomed to.

So I really did love some parts, really, I can’t lie about such things. But Jack can’t be everything. There needs to be a reason for the angst and a reason for these bad things to happen, and this all was just so fabricated-and drawn out, for that matter, so she could get a second book in-to make things difficult for them. I don’t like that and I never will. Create real problems, BELIEVABLE problems. I know books are books but…I didn’t believe this fiction that is, indeed, meant to be fiction. Whoops. I lied again…I still blabbered lmao. hehe. I lie.

~~RTC~~

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BOOK REVIEW: The Winner’s Kiss (The Winner’s Trilogy #3) by Marie Rutkoski

April 7, 2016 / Chelsea / 5 Comments

The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy #3)
by Marie Rutkoski
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?

Unpopular opinion time. I just don’t care.

So, this probably comes as a shock to a lot of people. Me, Chelsea, rating a book within one of her FAVORITE series of all time anything below a four. Well, that, and everyone and their cousin thinks this is the best book in the trilogy.

While this story had it all, everything that I could EVER want and everything that I DO want: Action, peril, war, angsty romance. I mean, in a nutshell? This book was perfect….

But it wasn’t perfect for me.

Call me whiney. Call me selfish. Call me flakey, inconsistent, or the black sheep. But what everyone hated about the first two-Kestrel and Arin’s forbidden romance slowly blossoming around war and deceit and destruction and betrayal-I shipped. That’s why I even fell in love with this series, Goddamn it! The romance! DUH!

“Yes,” Arin said, “but even so, the risk for you is still different-“
“Stop saying that.”
“It is.” His face was unhappy. “There is a difference between you and me. If I die, you’ll survive. If you die, it will destroy me.”

And my thing is this: If a series is about war, and romance is in the background at all times, then it’s like this glorious…THING when it comes to fruition. It’s a bonus, it’s a plus, it’s like everything is right in the world. Peril is the forefront and the love comes after (Seven Realms, Chaos Walking Trilogy, etc. etc.)-this is something I understand and ADORE. But when book one and two had a somewhat consistent theme (one being the best, to me)-Kestrel and Arin falling in love-then book three is about 80% war…I can’t help but say it didn’t fit, for me, and I was disappointed-and bored. I hate having to say all this and my heart is broken.

*shrugs* But it is what it is.

“It’s not enough,” he said. It took her a moment to realize he was continuing his refusal and not responding to her thoughts, which were so loud in her head that she felt as if she’d shouted them.
She said, “What would be enough?”
Color mounted in his face.
“You can tell me,” she said.
“Ah,” he said. “Well. Me.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I want…you to want me.”

This was beautiful-I had TONS of feels. It took a direction I didn’t expect and I respect it…even loved it. But the war surrounding it took what I loved away from me and I guess it’s just not what I wanted. I won’t apologize for being a hopeless romantic who thrives for more. I am sad this one isn’t a favorite, but I’m really not surprised-book three in a trilogy is almost ALWAYS my least favorite, I just hoped that wouldn’t be the case for this. BUT-this series will always hold a piece of my soul and I will continually go back and re-read about my book boyfriend, Arin.

Favorites in order:

The Winner’s Curse
The Winner’s Crime
The Winner’s Kiss

Oh, and also, why do so many fucking horses have to die??? I mean…come on. Ugh.

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BOOK REVIEW: The Crimson Crown (Seven Realms #4) by Cinda Williams Chima

April 6, 2016 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Crimson Crown (Seven Realms #4)
by Cinda Williams Chima
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
A thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed-Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love.

Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa ana'Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells' inner turmoil, Raisa's best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom she's falling in love.

Through a complicated web of lies and unholy alliances, former streetlord Han Alister has become a member of the Wizard Council of the Fells. Navigating the cut-throat world of blue blood politics has never been more dangerous, and Han seems to inspire hostility among Clan and wizards alike. His only ally is the queen, and despite the perils involved, Han finds it impossible to ignore his feelings for Raisa. Before long, Han finds himself in possession of a secret believed to be lost to history, a discovery powerful enough to unite the people of the Fells. But will the secret die with him before he can use it?

A simple, devastating truth concealed by a thousand-year-old lie at last comes to light in this stunning conclusion to the Seven Realms series.

“He’s the one steps away, right?” she said. “He knows this is dangerous turf-for both of you. He won’t make his move until he knows he can win it all.”
“But what if that never happens?” Raisa said.
“He won’t settle,” Cat said. “He’ll wait forever if need be.”

Man..I was so excited about writing this review. I was so excited to show how much I loved, adored, cherished this series. But now, sitting here, finally able to type out my feelings I think….How could I possibly put into words just how much this series meant to me? We read a book or a series and we obsess about it ceaselessly, yet when it comes time to actually put it into words? It’s virtually impossible to capture that essence of what makes us so happy, excited, unflinchingly devoted to these characters. And yet…I can’t very well not try, right?

That’s what you do when you love someone-you notice and notice and notice.

I mean, what’s the point, really, when so many other wonderful reviewers have done it a million times better than me and a thousand times before. What makes mine so special? Me? My review-why stop here and read this? For instance: Anna? Her review is just so perfect, and it shows just how much she adores this series, but makes it fun and exciting with her cute little visuals and adorable accent that is translated through the thoughts on her review. It’s simple, yet portrays every gamut of emotion she felt throughout the series with out being a screeching fangirl (which she is, if I do say so myself) and spoiling everything. I don’t know anyone who is more obsessed with these characters (I’d like to think my obsession is only a peg below hers, but I can’t be sure-she has got it bad) or who took better care in representing them and presenting them in a way that people become curious, despite their level of enjoyment for fantasy. If you’re reading this review, you’re likely one of my best friends who always reads them (I know who you are and I ADORE YOU). Or, you might be someone who thinks my ramblings are worth reading every once in a while. And hey, if that’s you? I admire your tenacity, I can be a bit much to take.

…He paused for a heartbeat, then added, “Though avoiding Nightwalker seems like a good idea to me.”
“It’s a match my father favors,” Raisa said.
“Then your father is wrong,” Han said. “Nightwalker thinks the world sprouted from his bunghole.”
Raisa dismissed this image with some difficulty.

But that’s my point-This series isn’t simply about the adventures or the romance or the peril and action that shape how the throne is ruled and the towns destroyed-It’s so much more than that. It’s the soft looks between life long friends as things become complicated. It’s the touch of a street thug who might just be what you’ve been looking for your entire life without even knowing it. It’s the desperation shared with the person you thought you’d grow old with as that dream crumbles to ashes beneath your feet. It’s a character driven series. And if you don’t like, love, adore, obsess, care, or cherish these people that have been through literally every devastating thing possible…you have nothing.

“Haven’t you heard about me?” he [Han] said, with a tight smile. “I’m really a very dangerous person.” And he did look dangerous until he said, “Look, could you watch Dog for me while I’m gone?”

And if only I can show my love of the characters, and everyone can see how much I adore them, then I guess I’ll call my review a success. I’ll admit that-I don’t always just love books that aren’t all packed to the brim with romance and peril and desperate attempts at love while things begin to disintegrate before two young lovers’ eyes. I am becoming a person who adores character driven stories where we get to know a person inside and out in just day-to-day life….but I’m not always on board, especially with fantasy. So believe me when I say this is a breath of fresh air. Literally. I mean it.

Would she be required to sacrifice everything-every single person she cared about for this bloody throne?
Apparently so.

So much love, loss, betrayal, and heartache are bestowed upon on our young characters, and seeing them go through each and every devastating event makes the vice-like grip on your heart tighter and tighter, squeezing until you can’t hardly breathe anymore, causing you to fall deeper and harder in love with characters you were already falling head over heels for after only a few chapters in book one. Raisa, the proud Princess who can’t wait to help her kingdom grow and become a better place, yet doesn’t want to be forced to marry. Amon, her best friend and soldier, the guy who would do anything to protect Raisa and the throne-even forfeit his own life. And so many more just like this…but none quite like Han.

He reached over and closed his hands over hers, the first time he’d dare touch her. He looked into her eyes. “This may sound arrogant, and I’m sorry if it does, but you’re so alone, Raisa, and so am I. Didn’t you ever wish you could have a…a partner? A friend? Somebody you could say anything to-where you didn’t have to pick and choose words like a merchant at a market? Someone who wants you for yourself?”

Han, who is many things without being conceited. Han, who would do ANYTHING to protect those he loved…even as that count becomes smaller and smaller, Raisa being his number one priority. Han, who makes your stomach drop and your heart beat way too fast with a simple smile, haunted eyes, a quick joke, his loyalty, his misguided love for Raisa becoming the real and true thing…Even if it wasn’t what he ever wanted or planned for. But that’s the thing about Han, you know?? He never wanted these things coming his way, yet he excels, he thrives, he becomes the best he can be-For he won’t settle for less…He wants everything . And that includes the girl who stole his heart right from underneath his feet. He’s used to being the thief…but as it turns out, she invaded his heart from the beginning, stealing his heart before he knew what happened to him.

He closed his eyes, breathed in, opened his eyes again as if to assure himself she was still there. “I want to breathe you in for the rest of my life.”

So, as you see, this isn’t the best review, but I loved these characters. They mean so much to me-every one of them. I can’t wait to someday get these gorgeous hardbacks for my shelf, and I can’t wait to re-read them again with my Han loving (creepily obsessed?) buddy who loves our random (and frequent) gush sessions about all things Seven Realms (okay, mostly Han, shut up). But, for now, I have to live with being tired 24/7 and having to finish this series much quicker than I wanted to and in less than desirable circumstances. It sucks, but that’s what re-reads are for. I didn’t get to enjoy the last three books as much as I’d have wanted to, real life and all that jazz, but it didn’t stunt my enjoyment, and that’s really saying something. So, for those of you still reading (doubtful), I hope that my love for these characters is enough to excite you and nudge you into giving Han’s journey a try. If not, oh well, more Han for me.

*Re-written seeing as my laptop shut off randomly for no reason whatsoever, just…UGH I’m too tired to care about making it all perfect again, so it isn’t nearly as good. So sad.*

**************************

Would she be required to sacrifice everything-every single person she cared about for this bloody throne?
Apparently so.

Oh. My. Gahd. This series was beautiful, fantastic, other-worldy in it’s ability to pull you in and wish you never had to let go. These characters (HAN!) have embedded themselves into my heart forever, and I will not likely forget them soon. Raisa and Han and Amon and Dancer and Cat…I can’t even. And Han’s loyalty (and Raisa’s, for that matter) made my heart stutter with undiluted joy and cheer even when all hope was lost.

What started out as a curiosity on my part has became something that I:

A) MUST have on my bookshelf (Aaahhh Christmas will be a salty one indeed)
B) Will have to re-read again, and SOON
C) Will never forget
D) Will forever consider a favorite

Thanks to Jen for the gentle nudge by buying the first book for me for Christmas this year, and a begrudging thanks to the Snake that all but pushed me off the cliff. You both ROCK ♥

RTC when I can! Because….HAN! 😛

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RELEASE DAY BLITZ+GIVEAWAY- The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court #1) by Richelle Mead

April 6, 2016 / Chelsea / 4 Comments

I am so excited that THE GLITTERING COURT by Richelle Mead releases today and that I get to share the news, along with a special giveaway! If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Richelle Mead, be sure to check out all the details below. This blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed copy of the book and a $25 Sephora Gift Card courtesy of Richelle, Penguin Teen, and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

RELEASE DAY BLITZ+GIVEAWAY- The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court #1) by Richelle Mead

The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court #1)
by Richelle Mead
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
The Selection meets Reign in this dazzling trilogy of interwoven novels about three girls on a quest for freedom and true love from #1 internationally bestselling author Richelle Mead.

"Brilliant and original, Mead’s new series starts off with a bang and will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end."
—School Library Journal

For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the Glittering Court represents something else: the chance to chart her own destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea.

After a chance meeting with the dazzling Cedric Thorn, Adelaide poses as a servant to join the crop of impoverished girls he promises to transform into proper ladies. But her familiarity with upper class life comes with a price: she must hide her identity from her new friends, mysterious refugee Mira and fiery former laundress Tamsin, and most importantly, from Cedric himself—even though she’s falling in love with him.

Everything begins to crumble when Cedric discovers Adelaide’s ruse, and she catches the eye of a powerful young governor, who wants her for a wife. She didn’t leave the gilded cage of her old life behind just to become someone else's property. But nothing is as daunting—or as wonderful—as the potent, forbidden attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. One that, if acted on, would make them both outcasts in a wild, dangerous, uncharted world, and possibly lead them to their deaths.

Pub. Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook

Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

Exclusive Excerpt:

About Richelle:

b46fd315-9e36-4807-a1b3-ffd624c4138c Richelle Mead has written over twenty-five novels for teens and adults. She is the author of the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series and its spinoff series, Bloodlines. Her recent standalone novel, Soundless, draws upon Chinese mythology and history, and her forthcoming series, The Glittering Court, follows the adventures of girls destined for arranged marriages in a fantasy world inspired by colonial America. A lifelong reader, Richelle has always had a particular fascination with mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses to wear on tour. She is a self-professed coffee addict, works in her pajamas, and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Website| Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway:

1 winner will receive a hardcover of THE GLITTERING COURT & a $25 Sephora Gift Card. US Only.

Ends on April 15th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK REVIEW: The Gray Wolf Throne (Seven Realms #3) by Cinda Williams Chima

April 4, 2016 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

The Gray Wolf Throne (Seven Realms #3)
by Cinda Williams Chima
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Han Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. The costs of his efforts are steep, but nothing can prepare him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is none other than Raisa ana’Marianna, heir to the Queendom of the Fells. Han is hurt and betrayed. He knows he has no future with a blueblood. And, as far as he’s concerned, the princess’s family as good as killed his own mother and sister. But if Han is to fulfill his end of an old bargain, he must do everything in his power to see Raisa crowned queen.

Meanwhile, some people will stop at nothing to prevent Raisa from ascending. With each attempt on her life, she wonders how long it will be before her enemies succeed. Her heart tells her that the thief-turned-wizard Han Alister can be trusted. She wants to believe it—he’s saved her life more than once. But with danger coming at her from every direction, Raisa can only rely on her wits and her iron-hard will to survive—and even that might not be enough.

The Gray Wolf Throne is an epic tale of fierce loyalty, unbearable sacrifice, and the heartless hand of fate.

I have lost everything. Then he corrected himself. Every time I think I’ve lost everything, I find there’s still something else to lose.

Here’s the thing: I adore this series. I adore Han. I adore Raisa. I adore Amon and Dancer and Cat. I adore the subtle action and almost too perfect to be true romance. I adore the writing, the humor, the wit, and the friendships…but most of all, I adore how it makes me feel. As a reader, I’ve evolved in ways I never imagined possible. At one time, I would read a book and just be excited about the smallest things. Intense feels were not hard to come by a couple years ago. But now, at this stage of my reading life, I have pinpointed those small things that made me smile a little larger, obsess a little harder, lose my breath in the most shocking way…and I have almost, in a weird way, became a professional of finding what makes me tick. And, to be clear, if it isn’t obvious yet: This series is what makes me tick.

He could protect himself-and if he failed, well, he’d been ready to pay the personal price for failure all his life. But how could he keep Raisa alive when so many enemies seemed bent on killing her? How could he become powerful enough to make a claim on her-to make her take him seriously as a suitor? How could he convince her to see him as a peer-someone who could partner with her in every way?

It’s not only the writing or forbidden romance or peril to come. It’s not always about a well-written story. I know I always say that’s what makes me choose to read or not to read, but it’s so much more than that. I mean, come on, if something can make me a crazy obsessive loon for a week (or the rest of my life, for that matter) then it surely is worth overlooking a few flaws, here and there. I mean-that’s life. Everyone is flawed, believe it or not. Yeah, sure, I’d love to read the perfect book at the perfect time with every little thing happening just as I’d want it to all the time. But then I think-Chelsea, that’s so GD short-sighted. You are compartmentalizing. You aren’t opening up your mind and letting new things touch you in new ways. So, fantasy is my way of letting go, letting an author take me somewhere I could never fathom on my own..but this series is damn close to everything I could ever want in a story. Eerie when you just let things go and they are everything you could want.

She didn’t know how long he’d been there staring at her, but it seemed to take him by surprise when she looked up and caught him. His usual street face was gone. In its place was a wistful vulnerability, a kind of feverish and hopeless desire. Magret had said he had a hungry look about him. Was that what she’d meant? And what exactly was he hungry for?

It’s no secret that the male lead in this story is the underlying factor as to why I am pushing through this series so quickly. I’ll admit it: This young thief, ex-streetlord, wizard, etc. has stolen a piece of my heart. And the craziest thing is, he’s not even reached his full potential yet. I mean, book one is my favorite so far, and he barely even shined (apparently)! I don’t know-there is just something appealing about being pulled in when you didn’t expect to be. The unexpected gives you so much more than knowing every little thing that might happen. So, when my tummy did a little flip flop when we first met Han in the beginning…..I knew I was going to be a forever fan of this series.

He threw his head back, the column of his throat jumping as he swallowed. Drawing a deep shuddering breath, he looked down at her again. “Nearly all my life I’ve taken what I wanted, when I wanted it, with no thought for the future, since I wasn’t likely to have one,” Han said. “Do you know how hard this is for me? Do you?”

I didn’t say much about the book because I don’t feel like I should. For those that have read the series (Cough, Snake, cough) you already know what happens, so why recap? And for those who haven’t, you won’t be reading my review, most likely, anyway. So, who cares? My problem is exactly what I said below: I am forever cast out of this world by real life and demands that come at me daily from all sides of the annoying spectrum-Work, home-life (well, this isn’t annoying, but reading Chelsea has no such qualms in saying so), and various activities I’d rather not have to deal with. They exist even as I do, suspended in a moment of time where I continually have to close the book and come back to reality. I can’t wait to finish the final book this weekend…but waiting until then JUST might kill me. Sigh.

*********************

Ahhhh I’m finally into that territory where my stomach is in ceaseless knots and my heart is consistently going into overdrive. The butterflies are abundant as love, loss, betrayal, and heartbreak grip at our two main characters, Han and Raisa, making me a happy happy Chelsea. I am already on book four and I am so mad I have to be at work while Raisa and Han exist in another world, going about their lives, living in a perilous existence I can’t be a part of while I sit here stranded in reality.

I hope to write a better review for this-quotes and all-hopefully tonight. But who cares, anyway…it will just be rambling fangirling anyway. lol.

RTC.