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BOOK REVIEW – Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Garber

March 8, 2018 / Arielle / 17 Comments

Legendary (Caraval #2)
by Stephanie Garber
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Stephanie Garber’s limitless imagination takes flight once more in the colorful, mesmerizing, and immersive sequel to the bestselling breakout debut Caraval

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.

“What have I always told you about the future?”
“Every person has the power to write her own.” Tella said.

Please God. Let there be a third book. There has to be a third book. Right? RIGHT?! THIS WAS SO GOOD. I spent a good four hours this morning finishing this book, completely ignoring everything else around me an I can’t say that I regret it. I mean seriously, the only part of this book that I didn’t like was when it ended…

Dante looked up and gave her a fallen star’s smile.
“You should always wear flowers.”

Would it be bad if I said I hoped the next book (IF there is one) was also centered around Tella? I liked the first book BUT this one was just so much better in my opinion. I thought Garber’s writing had seriously improved, the plot was even more twisty than in book one AND Tella was just so damn likeable!

Tella might have been many things, but she was far from silly or worthless or whatever labels people liked to affix because a person was young and female.

I only read Caraval once as an ARC so it’s been quite awhile but from what I can remember, Tella is so much fiercer than Scarlett. I loved her sass and how even in the moments where she knew she should be scared of the people and things happening around her, she put on a brave face. She always had a retort ready for Dante and Jacks or anyone else trying to stand in her way. I couldn’t get enough!

But Tella didn’t believe in impossible choices. In her experience one path was always clearly worse than another.

I was a huge fan of the plot centering around the Fates, too. I’ve always thought that the concept of fate was an extremely interesting thing so the fact that Tella had to worry about them AND a new game of Caraval made the stakes even higher this time. It was all so incredibly twisty and complicated and of course you never can tell what’s real or fake—who’s working for Legend and who’s genuinely trying to help Tella. I LOVE IT.

But Tella didn’t want to look at the stars. She wanted to see him.

There also might be a love interest in here that I am completely obsessed with. Extremely broody and obviously I will not be saying more, just know that I am all for this ship. 100%. That’s basically why I need another book if we’re being honest with one another, lol.

Tella claimed she didn’t want love—she liked to say loved trapped and controlled and ripped hearts apart. But the truth was she also knew love healed and help people together, and deep down she wanted it more than anything.

Overall I was THOROUGHLY impressed, you guys. While the first one was good, this one was GREAT. All the stars!

“Don’t be like me and settle for the ease of an almost-ending, when you could have the true ending.”
“I’m not sure I understand what that even means,” Tella said.
“It means most people give up at the part of the story where things are the worst, where the situation feels hopeless. But that’s when hope is needed most.”

ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. THANK YOU NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the chance to read this early. ♥

BOOK REVIEW – The Power (Titan #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

March 7, 2018 / Jen / 13 Comments

I re-read this book in anticipation for the final book releasing this month. And it was even more amazing the second time around, so I tweaked some stuff in my review. Here it is.......

BOOK REVIEW – The Power (Titan #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

BOOK REVIEW – The Power (Titan #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Power (Titan #2)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.

Fate has other plans.

The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve. Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.

But the gods are sensing a greater threat.

Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.

The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.

Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.

And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.

Review:

The Power was emotionally gripping and powerful! Even though my adrenaline was still running high after those last few scenes, I kept swiping at the tears falling from my eyes. I couldn’t seem to shake off the heartache, fear, and nervousness that was still thrumming through my veins. But that’s not all that I was feeling. The Power captured my heart all over again. It was hilarious, heartwarming, sexy and extremely addicting. Seth and Josie’s story is a must read for all paranormal lovers out there!

I didn’t . . . I didn’t deserve this with her.
I didn’t deserve her in general. – Seth

Seth continued to pull at my heartstrings. He tried so hard to be good, yet he had this innate ability to tap into the darkest part of himself. It always seemed to just be a breath away, even with Josie in the picture. But I didn’t care how dark his demons were. And I sure didn’t care that he was judged and looked down upon by others. Because he had the most pure feelings when it came to Josie. He sent my heart into a tailspin with just the way he protected, cared and touched her.

There would be no room for anything else, because after this—after having her, after knowing that she was mine—there was no way I could stay away from her.
So I would do right by her.
Even if it killed me. – Seth

After how The Return ended, Seth was even more adamant about training Josie in not just hand to hand combat, but in learning to control and use all five of her elements. The Titans were still out there, and they would try to get their hands on Josie again. She had to learn to protect herself and be ready to go to war with them in the future. And just like how Alex and Aiden’s training sessions were sizzling hot, Seth and Josie’s were scorching.

“I know I have the power,” she argued. “Duh.”
I arched a brow. “Yeah, you know you do, but you don’t really believe it or trust yourself. If you did, you wouldn’t be setting every damn thing on fire every time you get horny.”
Her cheeks flushed pink. “I do not!”
I smirked.
“That was like once or twice.” She threw up her hands. “Okay, maybe four times. I didn’t this morning.” A light sparked in her eyes. “Then again, maybe that just means you were slacking.”

By that last page, I was so proud with how far Josie had come! She continued to find her voice while being determined to protect herself and fight right alongside with the others. And I loved that some of her mannerisms were so relatable. I mean she loved french fries and saw running as a necessary evil. Hello, welcome to my life lol. But again, I found that my favorite thing about Josie was the way she saw Seth. Her faith and hope in him shined brightly. She didn’t care about his past and what others thought. She saw the good in him and believed he deserved his happily ever after, just like every one else does.

I felt bad poaching the dagger from him, but it was heavy and warm in my hand as I forced myself forward, knowing I was making the right choice. I was not a weakness that needed to be hidden away.
I was a mother-freaking demigod. – Josie

And Josie and Seth were surrounded by characters that I loved from The Covenant Series – Luke, Deacon and Solos. But this time we got a few more additions…… (view spoiler) I loved having them back in the mix. And seeing them through Seth and Josie’s eyes felt so very different from how we viewed them through the Covenant Series. Eeks, you must read this!

Pressure increased in my chest and more tears snuck free. They kept falling silently, and I squeezed my eyes shut. By the time exhaustion dragged me under, I wasn’t sure who I was crying for the most. – Josie

So I closed the book in complete awe of my feelings. While my heart is sad over some things that happened, I can’t deny how elated I still feel! From that first page I was utterly addicted and so happy to be in a world that feels like home! The Return and The Power are both books that I can’t wait to pick up and read all over again!

*ARC kindly provided by Spencer Hill Pres via Inkslinger in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
The Return #1 Reviews: Jen	The Power #2 Reviews: Jen	The Struggle #3 Reviews: Jen
The Prophecy #4 Reviews: Jen

About Jennifer L. Armentrout:

# 1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.

She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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BOOK REVIEW: The Studying Hours (How to Date a Douchebag #1) by Sara Ney

March 6, 2018 / Chelsea / 2 Comments

The Studying Hours (How to Date a Douchebag #1)
by Sara Ney
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
CRUDE. ARROGANT. A**HOLE.
No doubt about it, Sebastian ‘Oz’ Osborne is the university’s most celebrated student athlete—and possibly the biggest douchebag. A walking, talking cliché, he has a filthy mouth, a fantastic body, and doesn’t give a sh*t about what you or anyone else thinks.

SMART. CLASSY. CONSERVATIVE.
Make no mistake, Jameson Clarke may be the university’s most diligent student—but she is no prude. Spending most of her time in the hallowed halls of the library, James is wary of pervs, jocks, and douchebags—and Oz Osborne is all three.

She’s smart, sarcastic—and not what he expected.

…EVERY DOUCHBAG HAS HIS WEAKNESS.

He wants to be friends.
He wants to spend time with her.
He wants to drive her crazy.

He wants…

Her.

What can I say about this book? My friend compared it to #Nerd, and I just wholly have to disagree. Yes, there are similarities:

-Meet in Library due to tutor session type deal
-Guy tries to win girl most of book
-Guy is panty-dropper jock who can get any girl he wants
-Little quotes at the beginning of each chapter
-Good*ish type girl
…

And that’s where the similarities end for me. Yeah there are cute jealousies for both guys and yeah guy wants girl for real…but seriously-the amount of times the guy talks about sex in this book is staggering. No WONDER the girl won’t commit to you, bro-Every time you say anything it’s about trying to get in her damn pants. And, I’m sorry, Romeo was about WAY more than THAT. And I guess that’s why I’m comparing. I’m not being a bitch and dissing my great friend…I just couldn’t help but to compare after she mentioned they were similar. And, frankly, the biggest difference between the two??

This book didn’t have an ounce of all the cute heart and passion #Nerd had.

And it’s as simple as that. I’m sorry, H, this one just was extremely underwhelming…and not just because we only got a little time with the two together-it was just too much and not enough. I liked the guy’s jealousies and I liked how much he liked her…but it wasn’t enough to make up for all the sex talk and repetitiveness I had to go through for 60% of the book.

And I’ll leave it there, lest I keep bashing a very popular book. I think I made my pearl clutching point. 😉

View all my reviews

COVER REVEAL – Spies, Lies, and Allies by Lisa Brown Roberts

March 5, 2018 / Jen / 6 Comments

I LOVE Lisa Brown Roberts’ books. They are the most adorable stories and I always find myself smiling while sighing and laughing out loud. I fell madly in love with Playing the Player and then again with Resisting the Rebel. So of course I had to go buy her other two books in paperback, and they’re sitting on my shelves just begging to be read! When I heard that she had a new book coming out this year, I was beyond ecstatic and couldn’t sign up to help reveal the cover fast enough!

Spies, Lies, and Allies: A Love Story by Lisa Brown Roberts releases May 1, 2018! And here’s the cover…..

✮

This cover reveal is brought to you by Entangled Teen.

About Spies, Lies, and Allies: A Love Story:

Summers are supposed to be fun, right? Not mine. I’ve got a job at my dad’s company, which is sponsoring a college scholarship competition. I just found out that, in addition to my job assisting the competing interns, I’m supposed to vote for the winner. Totally not what I signed up for. There’s a crazy guy running the competition like it’s an episode of Survivor. Then there’s Carlos, who is, well, very distracting –– in a good way. But I can’t even think about him that way because Crazy Guy says any fraternizing on the job means instant disqualification for the intern involved. As if that’s not enough, an anonymous weirdo with insider intel is trying to sabotage my dad’s company on social media…and I’m afraid it’s working. Much as I’d love to quit, I can’t. Kristoffs Never Quit is our family motto. I just hope there’s more than one survivor by the end of this summer.

Isn’t it super adorable?! Here are the links to add this book to your TBR and pre-order:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled Publishing

Then I heard that The Replacement Crush was getting a new cover! And here it is…..

About The Replacement Crush:

True love can’t be strategized. After book blogger Vivian Galdi’s longtime crush pretends their secret summer kissing sessions never happened, Vivian creates a list of safe crushes, determined to protect her heart. But nerd-hot Dallas, the sweet new guy in town, sends the mission and Vivian’s zing meter into chaos. While designing software for the bookstore where Vivian works, Dallas wages a counter-mission. Operation Replacement Crush is in full effect. And Dallas is determined to take her heart off the shelf.

You can add the The Replacement Crush to your TBR or purchase a copy from the links below:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled Publishing

About Lisa Brown Roberts:

Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn’t recovered from the teenage trauma of nearly tweezing off her eyebrows and penciling them in for an entire school year. This and other painful memories inspire her to write books in which girls big on wit and heart earn happy endings with swoony guys…eventually. Her almost forever home is Colorado, though she occasionally pines for the days when she lived within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean. Her house is full of books, boys, four-legged prima donnas, and lots of laughter.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | Entangled Publishing

So what do you think of covers? I think they are super cute and I can’t wait to pick up both of them! Have you ever read a book by Lisa Brown Roberts or do you have any of her books on your tbr?