Category: Review (Page 234 of 295)

BOOK REVIEW – Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate #1) by Chelsea Fine

BOOK REVIEW – Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate #1) by Chelsea FineBest Kind of Broken (Finding Fate #1)
by Chelsea Fine
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

SOMETIMES MOVING ON MEANS MOVING IN

Pixie Marshall wishes every day she could turn back time and fix the past. But she can't. And the damage is done. She's hoping that a summer of free room and board working with her aunt at the Willow Inn will help her forget. Except there's a problem: the resident handyman is none other than Levi Andrews. The handsome quarterback was once her friend-and maybe more--until everything changed in a life-shattering instant. She was hoping to avoid him, possibly forever. Now he's right down the hall and stirring up feelings Pixie thought she'd long buried . . .

Levi can't believe he's living with the one person who holds all his painful memories. More than anything he wants to make things right, but a simple "sorry" won't suffice--not when the tragedy that scarred them was his fault. Levi knows Pixie's better off without him, but every part of him screams to touch her, protect her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss away the pain. Yet even though she's so close, Pixie's heart seems more unreachable than ever. Seeing those stunning green eyes again has made one thing perfectly clear--he can't live without her.

Review:

I loved this book.  It was beautiful, raw, sexy, funny and utterly heartbreaking.  But the most astonishing thing to me, was my ability to connect with the storyline and characters on a level I never have before.  Of course I’ve felt characters pain, happiness and horror, but this felt as though their emotions became embedded in my soul.  Their joy and despair were mine, long after I closed the book.  I’m not sure if it was the seamless writing, the characters that I understood inside and out, or a personal connection I have to what took place in their past, or maybe it’s all three meshed together?  But whatever it was, reading this book was truly astonishing.  I will remember Pixie and Levi’s story for as long as I live.

Haunted eyes stare back at me in the mirror as I slowly finish shaving.
I wish I would have known back then how significant Pixie was going to be.
I wish I would have known a lot of things. – Levi

Pixie and Levi have known each other forever.  They were best friends since childhood.  Until an event that was beyond painful and horrifying made them fall apart.  But now they are now faced with seeing each other every day.  Working and living together is bound to lead them down a path they are unsure of.  Because feelings don’t just disappear, they continue to build and now they are a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

Pixie’s been living here for only twelve days and I already want to stab myself with a spoon. Not because she keeps blowing the fuse, though that reoccurring shenanigan of hers is certainly stab-worthy, but because I can’t do normal around Pixie.
But fighting? That I can do. – Levi

Pixie had me cackling like a mad woman in the first chapter alone.  Her inner thoughts, along with the games she played against Levi to annoy him were hilarious.  Like tears pouring down my face because I’m laughing so hard hilarious.  I loved those moments.  And they were much needed because they still drowned from so much pain.  The pain you could feel radiating from the both of them was intense and devastating.  I have never cried and felt a pain as deep as theirs in a book.  It honestly felt as though my heart kept breaking apart and I just needed them to take that step to fix the other, so I could heal too.

My eyes drop to her mouth, her throat, her hands. Every instinct I have is screaming to touch her. To cross the space between us and wrap my arms protectively around her small frame. To shield her from all the bad things, the sorrowful things. All the things I’m made of.
But that can’t happen. We can’t happen. – Levi

But it’s hard to move on when there’s still so much broken history and unsaid words between them.  And within that history, is a desire for one another.  Their sexual tension was intense!  It was fun but edgy, and that combination gave me sweaty palms and a smile that couldn’t be knocked off my face.  But in the next instance, the mood would switch and it felt as though they were on the edge of the precipice and I was terrified to breathe.  Because I kept thinking it was all going to crash to the ground eventually, and in some irrational way I believed any movement or breath from me would provoke the situation.  Oh yeah, I was that deep into this book.

Our eyes meet beneath the dimmed lights, colliding in a tangle of shared emotions too raw to touch. How did we get so broken. – Levi

Even though I was obsessed with Pixie and Levi, I loved that we got to watch their coworkers and best friends became wrapped up in their lives.  The familiarity of it all worked perfectly, and they felt like an extension of true “family”.  They stuck up, argued, and meddled (loved Mable!) with each other.  It was constant entertainment!

I used to know him. I don’t anymore. – Pixie

Best Kind of Broken was a flawless story of ones hopes, crushed hearts, and being lost while desperately trying to find your way out of the dark.  It was impossible not to have my emotions tangled throughout these pages and love every broken moment of it.  Even the snippets of their past were woven throughout the story beautifully.  An important memory placed here and there never once distracted me from the story, and I loved learning as much as I could about their past.  Because they use to be the truest of friends, and watching them trying to find their way back to each other was incredible.

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
***Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.***
Fine Best Kind of Broken
Best Kind of Broken #1
Reviews:

Jen
Perfect Kind of Trouble chelsea fine
Perfect Kind of Trouble #2
Reviews:
Jen
right kind of wrong chelsea fine
Right Kind of Wrong #3
Reviews:
Jen

BOOK REVIEW: Confess by Colleen Hoover

BOOK REVIEW: Confess by Colleen HooverConfess by Colleen Hoover
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a new novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies.

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

“Are you here to save me?”

Hmmmm…it appears I’m on a roll this week. I’m not rating ANYTHING as I had expected. Me and Hoover have had a tremulous relationship, I’m the first to admit that. But after the epicness of Ugly Love (oh shhh) and the extreme fangirling that commenced after I fell in love with my dear Miles, I figured this next one would be the same in a lot of ways. Meaning, maybe I’d finally bridged that hurdle with her writing and I could maybe finally start connecting to all her books. I mean, I LOVE ART. I OBSESS over drawing and painting and what have you. What could possibly go wrong with a story that has a pretty decent female lead, an adorable good guy, and lots of beautiful artwork?? Apparently a lot, it seems.

I continue to stare at my feet, not wanting her to see in my face that I think she’s crazy for agreeing to spend the weekend with me, because she deserves better than what I can give her. I don’t however, think she deserves better than me.

Colleen Hoover seeps, if nothing else, passion into every one of her works. You feel her physically pushing love, adoration, energy, heart into her stories no matter the content. I may not love all the music, poetry, lyrical type writing, but many of you adore it-so why not keep doing it, if it works for her? She’s an artist, in her own way, so she SHOULD keep expressing her passion in her books. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The problem for me? It was broken. I didn’t feel an ounce of the passion I’ve felt in her other stories. I’m not saying she didn’t put effort into her story, I’m just saying it was missing something. Something that was a vital pulse this story lacked. I can’t put my finger on it, but it wasn’t there. And I think that’s my problem-I just felt disconnected.

He pulls my legs until they’re wrapped around his waist, and then he lifts me off the bar and directs us toward the living room without stopping our kiss. I try to ignore the smell of pizza being overcooked in the oven, because I don’t want him to stop. But I’m also really, really hungry and don’t want the pizza to burn.

The first 12% of this story I was very happy. I loved Owen and his cute little facial expressions and his optimistic attitude. I liked the mystery shrouding Auburn and her secret lawyer meetings and the loneliness that exuded from her with each of her walks to and from work. But for some reason, around 20%, something didn’t feel right. I wasn’t getting any butterflies I had gotten in the beginning and I was losing the tentative connection I’d had earlier. There were parts in the middle I loved-drunk scene, Target scene, etc. But as that passion, for me, started to fizzle, so did my interest. I’m not going to lie, I was going to DNF this at 55%. I knew all the little twists I needed to know and I just wasn’t feeling it. But then I skimmed, a little, to get past a lot of the blah blah blah parts. I got past them and I moved on. I was still considering DNFing. Then something happened-I stopped skimming (almost completely! 😉 ) and started to become connected again around, oh, 65-70%? I can’t be sure. And the story totally exploded for me. I got super into it and I was so glad I pushed myself to stick it out. If the rest of the story had half of that intensity, I’d have never been bored. The last 30% was by far my favorite, and I can’t help but to be sad the rest of the story didn’t grip me as deeply.

It’s amazing how much distance one truth can create between two people.

To give you guys an idea of the characters, I’m just guna say a little about each. Owen was a sweetheart-if that isn’t your thing, then pass on by. He was adorable, self-sacrificing, and sweet as candy. He had his sexy, protective moments, believe me-but more often than not he was very kind and funny. (It’s funny that that isn’t a huge turn on, book wise, for a lot of people) I love a break from the intense boys, every now and then, so I definitely did not mind. Auburn I really liked. She was funny (especially when drunk) and very hopeful. She had her own issues we don’t find out about until later in the story, and normally I’m not into these kinds of twists, but this one kind of worked for me. And Trey. That dumbass. He was like those old time villains who twist their mustache while laughing maniacally. He was a little too…err…fake villain-ish for me. Almost unrealistic-but what do I know??

“I’m scared I’ll never feel this again with anyone else,” I whisper.
He squeezes my hands. “I’m scared you will.”

I’m very sad this one wasn’t a complete win for me. I’m always looking for the next great book to obsess and fangirl over, and this one just wasn’t it. I didn’t have HUGE expectations, but I had expectations, all the same. It even had a hint of that insta-love, at first, but it isn’t what you’d ever guess. I think this story will touch many people, some more than most, based on your own personal experiences, but it definitely isn’t for everyone, I don’t think. It’s slower than you’d expect from Hoover and, like I said, not as colorful or passionate as I’m used to seeing-No matter my previous opinions on her other stories, they are always painted so vividly for us and leave little to the imagination. I think a lot of people will feel the same way, but I guess time will tell.

 

 

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


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BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY – The Trouble with Love (Sex, Love & Stiletto #4) by Lauren Layne

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY - The Trouble with Love (Sex, Love & Stiletto #4) by Lauren Layne

I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour for Lauren Layne's newest book, The Trouble with Love! It's a definite must read! See below for my review, an excerpt, learn a little about Lauren Layne and enter an amazing giveaway. Enjoy!

BLOG TOUR + REVIEW + EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY – The Trouble with Love (Sex, Love & Stiletto #4) by Lauren LayneThe Trouble with Love (Sex Love & Stiletto #4)
by Lauren Layne

Synopsis:

As Lauren Layne’s salacious Sex, Love & Stiletto series returns, a jaded columnist discovers a steamy way to get over an old flame: falling for him all over again.

As Stiletto magazine’s authority on all things breakup-and-heartache, Emma Sinclair writes from personal experience. Five years ago, Emma was Charlotte, North Carolina’s darling debutante and a blushing bride-to-be. Now she’s the ice queen of the Manhattan dating scene. Emma left her sultry Southern drawl behind, but not even her closest friends know that with it she left her heart. Now Emma’s latest article forces her to face her demons—namely, the devilishly sexy guy who ditched her at the altar.

After giving up everything for a pro-soccer career, Alex Cassidy watches his dreams crumble as a knee injury sidelines him for good. Now he’s hanging up his cleats and giving journalism a shot. It’s just a coincidence that he happens to pick a job in the same field, and the same city, as his former fiancée . . . right? But when Emma moves in next door, it’s no accident. It’s research. And Alex can’t help wondering what might have been. Unlike the innocent girl he remembers, this Emma is chic, sophisticated, and assertive—and she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. The trouble is, Alex has never wanted her more.

Review:

The Trouble With Love was hilarious, sexy, heartbreaking, and addicting.  Emma and Cassidy’s past has been dangled in front of us in the previous books, but we never really knew what happened to them.  Why it all fell apart.  But what made this book so potent, was not only the fact that we already knew both of them, but the idea that they could have a second chance at love.  There is something extraordinary in the ability to resurrect something that was demolished.  To find hope that love still exists after the insurmountable happens.  And Emma and Cassidy’s tumultuous journey is exceptional.  It was the perfect ending to the Sex, Love & Stiletto’s series!

He smiled. “You didn’t look me up even once?”
“It hurt too much.”
Alex sucked in a breath at the unexpected admission. “Em—”
“Back then,” she corrected. “Back then it hurt too much. After a few months . . . I just didn’t care.”

I loved Emma!  I understood her coldness, the fronts she always tried to display.  The reason she wouldn’t talk to her close friends about what happened.  She tried her hardest to protect herself from anymore heartache.  Because she had suffered more than one should.  She had been madly in love with her college sweetheart, Alex Cassidy.  Well, that is until he stood her up on their wedding day.  To say that Emma is jaded, is an understatement.  But Emma isn’t just hurt, there’s much more to her than that.  She is an amazing friend, and I loved all of her interactions with Julie, Grace and Riley.  But of course, my favorite interactions were between Emma and Cassidy.

Cassidy was sexy, dominating, and wounded.  Although the wounded part could be hard to tell sometimes, because that man held himself together with steel.  An amazing feat, since he lost the love of his life seven years ago.  He stated that the night before their wedding, Emma told him that she didn’t want to marry him.  They never got to talk afterwards or have any type of closure.  But he’s in luck, because he gets to force the issue.  Camille, the Editor in Chief of Stiletto Magazine, decided to take a three month sabbatical and placed Cassidy in charge.  He was now in the perfect position to tell Emma that her next article would be about her exes.  Of course it was done in the desperate hope that he would gain some insight into everything that went down.  But his plan just may lead them down a different path.  Will he get even more than he bargained for?

Then he seemed to change his mind, and glanced at her anyway. “Sometimes I think I’d prefer you hate me. At least then you’d notice me.”
Everything inside Emma seemed to freeze. I notice you— too much. Do you notice me?

When Emma and Alex were in the same vicinity, it was intense!  Their hurt runs deep, jealousy was unavoidable, and the sexual tension between the two of them was through the roof!  They try their hardest to ignore one another, but that never seemed to work out how they wanted.  That is because they have too many emotions that are barely simmering below the surface.  And each time those emotions tried to bubble over, I cringed, I gasped, I laughed, and I melted.  I loved every moment that they were near each other, even if it was torturous at times!

The Trouble With Love was heartbreaking, emotional and gave me just the right amount of hope and laughter.  Looking back, I wasn’t even a few pages into their story and I was already gasping and sucking in my breath!  But what is also amazing about this series are the friendships.  The male and female friendships play such a key component in each story.  It’s beautiful to watch true friends love and help each other.  It’s impossible not to become attached to them, to not feel as though they are your best friends too.  Honestly,I’m not ready for their stories to end.  I’m hoping we will get a sneak peak here and there of the Stiletto women in the Oxford Series, but if not, I’m more than happy with how each book in this series ended. But going back to Emma and Cassidy, their journey was beautiful.  I loved Emma and Cassidy’s story and I know you will too.

P.S.  Did I mention that I read this book in one sitting?  That is extremely rare for me!  Emma and Cassidy refused to allow me to close their story, even if for a moment! *ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles)
***Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.***
after the kiss lauren layne
After the Kiss
Reviews:
Jen

Chelsea
love the one you're with lauren layne
Love the One You're With
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
just one night lauren layne
Just One Night
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
the trouble with love lauren layne
The Trouble with Love
Reviews:

Jen

Chelsea

Buy Links:  Amazon | Barnes | Kobo | iTunes

Add To: Goodreads

Follow The Tour → Click Here

Excerpt:

[scroll-box]“Explain?” Julie said.

Emma sighed. “The apartment above me had some sort of water disaster. My entire apartment looks like the set of Titanic, minus the nubile Leo.”

Julie eyed Emma’s wet hair. “So, is your hair wet from, like, dirty pipe water?”

“No,” Emma said, taking a last sip of Julie’s coffee and handing the cup back as she located her badge. “Fortunately, I’d showered before the pipe burst and I managed to dodge the worst of the spray. Unfortunately, drying my hair wasn’t an option.”

“Right. That whole electrocution thing,” Julie said as they swiped their badges and headed to the elevators.

“Um, yeah, I couldn’t have gotten electrocuted even if I wanted to,” Emma said, punching the Up button. “The power went out.”

Julie’s brown eyes bugged out. “Seriously? Flooded and you have no power? Is everything ruined?”

“Of course not. I still have this lovely dress,” Emma said, pulling the hem of her dress out to the side, curtsy style. She pretended not to notice the way the two girls who had been gossiping happily as they crossed the elevator lobby immediately quieted when they spotted her.

The dress would have been a distraction all by itself. The drippy wet bun was also atypical for a swanky office building in which sophisticated and polished was the unofficial dress code for women.

But a lack of makeup made everything worse. Much worse.

Not that Emma was really a glam type of girl, but she had a distinct disadvantage of having very fair eyelashes, despite her medium brown hair. And her eyes’ shape made it worse. They were both large and tilted upward in a semi-distinctive manner. Bambi eyes, her mother had always called them.

But without eyeliner and mascara, she was more Lord of the Rings’ Gollum than adorable baby deer.

“You know, it’s a good dress, if a bit out of place for work,” Julie mused, as they followed the two gossiping girls and a middle-aged man yapping into his phone onto the elevator. “Sexy. A little slutty even. Go you!”

“That’s great, Jules. Slutty was just what I was going for on a random Wednesday morning at the office.”

“Well then, you should have called me. We’re the same size–ish. I could have lent you something.”

“I’ll be taking you up on that tomorrow,” Emma said as Julie hit the button for the twelfth floor. “Everything I have will need to be dry-cleaned at best, burned at worst. But this morning, I couldn’t make it from Upper East over to Upper West in the middle of traffic and still make it to the office in time.”

The elevator doors had just started to close when a male hand stuck between them, activating their sensors so that the doors reopened.

Great. Really freaking fantastic.

A lesser woman would have groaned in dismay at the sight of the man in front of her.

Emma merely straightened her shoulders, ignoring Julie’s softly uttered “Oh, dear.”

It was him.[/scroll-box]

Author Info:

Lauren Lauren Layne is a snarky cynic with a serious weakness for happily ever afters. Marrying her high school sweetheart was a good start. *cue Disney soundtrack.* But Lauren wanted all romance, all the time. Now she writes fictional happy endings, and considers her job done well if you swoon while reading her books. Don’t worry. You will. Once upon a time she lived in a Manhattan high-rise, but now she’s on the laid-back train in the Seattle area. If you ever find yourself in Issaquah, she’ll probably buy you a drink. Maybe. Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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BOOK REVIEW: The Winner’s Crime (The Winner’s Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski

BOOK REVIEW: The Winner’s Crime (The Winner’s Trilogy #2) by Marie RutkoskiThe Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2)
by Marie Rutkoski
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

“Sometimes you think you want something,” Arin told him, “when what you need is to let it go.”


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Fucking seriously? Is this series incapable of not crushing my heart into a thousand tiny pieces after each installment ends?? A whirlwind of angst, heartbreak, heartache, doubt, and self-sacrifice to the FULLEST extent, I could barely breathe through most of this story. It was harsh. It was evil. There wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t sitting on the edge of my seat….Agh. Who am I kidding? I fucking loved it.

Like she had broken her own heart. Kestrel felt the pieces of her heart suddenly, as if love had been an object, something as frail as a bird’s egg, its shell an impossible cloudy pink. She saw the shock of it’s bloody yolk. She felt the shards of shell pricking her throat and lungs.

This installment, to me, was more about the sacrifices we make for love. It still had the forbidden love elements, sure, but a lot of the story was centered around heartbreak for Kestrel. And, essentially, heartbreak for me. It was so hard to already be in a bad mood and try to differentiate my emotions from Kestrel’s. I think that was my biggest struggle with this story-our emotions meshed together a little too well. So maybe in a different time or place I’d have given this a five, but for my mood this weekend, I don’t feel I got that ‘5’ feeling. But I digress.

“If you won’t be my friend, you’ll regret being my enemy.”
-Kestrel

Like I said before, this story was quite vastly different from the first book. The first book was all about how Kestrel bought Arin, how Arin loathed her for who she was and how she began to open up to him. How she would take him as an escort to functions and how he began to see how cunning, smart, wise, brave she was. We got to see him break down his barriers and earlier thoughts of how spoiled and privileged she was and, ultimately, fall madly in love with her…and she him. They developed a camaraderie built on crushed hopes and unrealistic dreams, but they loved deeply, all the same. It was beautiful and magnetic and it was most assuredly a favorite of 2014, for me. And while there was still a magnetic pull to this story, it was more devastating than anything. What would it be like to give up your one true love to keep him safe? What would it be like to have him begging you to be honest, begging you to tell him what he did wrong? How would that make you feel when, in fact, he had done nothing wrong but steal your heart?

He saw her honesty with him. She offered it like a cup of clear water that he drank deep.
Her tears, glinting in the dark.
Her fierce creature of a mind: sleek and sharp-clawed and utterly unwilling to be caught.
Arin saw Kestrel step between him and punishment as if it meant nothing instead of everything.

I was so emotionally charged while I read this story. I was covering my mouth, gasping out loud, and pulling my hair out. There was never a good end to this story. I knew that. Kestrel knew that. Arin didn’t, but boy did he begin to see it that way. The King was an evil, conniving son of a bitch, and he was the main reason I couldn’t breathe through this story. He watched Kestrel’s every move. He watched Arin’s every move. He watched his son’s every move…and when Kestrel’s father came back into the story, it only added an extra layer of oh shit and me pulling more of my hair out.

“Lower your voice,” Kestrel hissed at Arin. “Stop being so-”
“Inconvenient?”
“Frankly, yes.”
His smile came: quick, true, surprised by itself. Then changing, and slow.”I could be worse.”
“I am sure.”
“I could tell you how.”

Loyalty is key. Stay loyal? Stay alive. Who’s the most loyal to the crown? A general would be, one would think. Name a general-Kestrel’s father. Name someone who isn’t truly loyal to the crown-Hmmmm, Kestrel? Add Arin to the mix. Add a little emotional angst because Arin just doesn’t know what he did wrong. Maybe add some deceit, lies, betrayals. Put them all in a palace with spies and evil knights who do the King’s bad deeds behind closed doors. Add some sneaking around and trying to help Arin out, secretly, behind the King’s back…and what do you have??? You have one of hell of a story on your hands, my friends.

Pain seared from forehead to cheek. Red flooded Arin’s left eye. He was blinking, he was half-blind, he was desperate to know if someone can still blink if an eye has been gouged out. He wept blood. His face had split. He could feel air inside the parted flesh, and his hand instinctively went to it.

Lies. Lies lies lies lies lies. Secrets and secrets and misunderstandings and assumptions and lots of heartbreak. Hope….bleak hope. And then that door closes on you, too. I still think book one was way more addicting for me, but I also think my mood was effected this weekend for my own personal reasons. I WILL be reading this series again before the final release, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to be giving this a five next time. Read these-they are beyond beautiful and the writing is still so poetic….and they’ll rip your heart to shreds, just like mine.

 

 

*****

COME TO MAMA

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I’ve been waiting a year for this Muaha!

BOOK REVIEW: Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly Black

BOOK REVIEW: Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly BlackBlack Heart (Curse Workers #3)
by Holly Black
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

In a world where Magic is illegal.

Cassel Sharpe has the most deadly ability of all. With one touch, he can transform any object - including a person - into something else entirely. And that makes him a wanted man. The Feds are willing to forgive all his past crimes if he'll only leave his con artist family behind and go straight. But why does going straight feel so crooked?

For one thing, it means being on the opposite side of the law from Lila, the girl he loves. She's the daughter of a mob boss and getting ready to join the family business herself. Though Cassel is pretty sure she can never love him back, he can't stop obsessing over her. Which would be bad enough, even if her father wasn't keeping Cassel's mother prisoner in a posh apartment and threatening not to let her leave until she returns the priceless diamond she scammed off him years ago. Too bad she can't remember where she put it.

The Feds say they need Cassel to get rid of a powerful man who is spinning dangerously out of control. But if they want Cassel to use his unique talent to hurt people, what separates the good guys from the bad ones? Or is everyone just out to con him?

Time is running out, and all Cassel's magic and cleverness might not be enough to save him. With no easy answers and no one he can trust, love might be the most dangerous gamble of all.

Girls like her, my grandfather once warned me, girls like her turn into women with eyes like bullet holes and mouths made of knives. They are always restless. They are always hungry. They are bad news. They will drink you down like a shot of whisky. Falling in love with them is like falling down a flight of stairs.What no one told me, with all those warnings, is that even after you’ve fallen, even after you know how painful it is, you’d still get in line to do it again.

Awwwwwwww!! I cannot believe how perfectly perfect that ended. I really wanted to write this super long review and make it an absolutely amazing ending to my reading spree of this series but…I dunno. It kind of feels right to just put down a few quotes and call it a day. After all, I don’t want to beat a dead horse, right?

A few closing thoughts:

Cassel is unbelievably, undeniably, without even the slightest doubt the cutest conman ever. Loyal, in love, terrified to make the wrong decision….and utterly hopeless. I would follow his story anywhere-he’s adorable.

“I thought you wanted us to be good guys.” He grins a too-wide grin. He’s enjoying needling me, and my reacting only makes it worse, but I can’t stop.
“Not if it means hurting her,” I say, my voice as deadly as I can make it. “Never her.”

The perilistically (my new word, you like?) pleasing ending. WOW. I did NOT expect that. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move, I was paralyzed because of how scared I was for Cassel. I couldn’t see any possible positive outcomes for my favorite little liar at the end of this one.

If I have to die tomorrow when the Feds come for me, then this is the last request of my heart. This. The sight of her lashes brushing her cheek as her eyes flutter closed. The pulse in her throat. Her breath in my mouth. This.

Cassel…oooohhh errrr awkward….But wait! His heroic actions were amazing and they made me fall in love with him even more. I’m utterly obsessed with him, the unreliable little shit.

I think of not knowing what compelled me to strike a gun out of the hand of a killer. Of how satisfying it was to hit Kevin. Of how I want to do it again and again, want to feel the bones snap and blood smear. Of how it felt to stand over him, my skin on fire with rage.

The Romance. Ahhhh not much to say, but can I just express my undying shipping of Lila and Cassel?? ‘Cuz I caaan’t stooooop, I wooon’t stooooop… Hmmmm….anyway….

I love love LOVED this installment and I am so sad it’s all over. It’s beyond depressing that I will never read about Cassel and his fucked up life again. I put my Ipad down last night and felt a pang of sadness after I finished this story because I was smiling so big and so overwhelmed with happiness and it was just over. But it ended where it should have and all is right in the world. I won’t mess with that. I am so glad I picked up this random series, because it was amazing and so unlike anything I’d ever read. I will never forget it and I hope you give it a chance, too. 🙂

Now I know why people are afraid of transformation workers. Now I know why they want to control me. Now I get it.
I can walk into someone’s house, kiss their wife, sit down at their table, and eat their dinner. I can lift a passport at an airport, and in twenty minutes it will seem like it’s mine. I can be a blackbird staring in the window. I can be a cat creeping along a ledge. I can go anywhere I want and do the worst things I can imagine, with nothing to ever connect me to those crimes. Today I might look like me, but tomorrow I could look like you. I could be you.
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